Evaluation of PLA-Based Composite Films Filled with Cu(OH)NO Nanoparticles as an Active Material for the Food Industry: Biocidal Properties and Environmental Sustainability.

The globalization of markets has diversified the food supply, but it has also made the distribution chain more difficult, increasing the risk of microbial contamination. One strategy to obtain safer food and extend its shelf life is to develop active packaging with antimicrobial properties that prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms or spoilage in food products. In this context, and in line with the growing social awareness about the environmental impact generated by plastic waste, this work evaluated the effectiveness of polylactic acid (PLA) films loaded with different concentrations of copper (II) hydroxynitrate nanoparticles (CuHS) against the microbiota of fresh foods (chicken, fish and cheese).

Reptile responses to fire across the western Mediterranean Basin.

Effects of anthropogenic activities, including climate change, are modifying fire regimes, and the dynamic nature of these modifications requires identification of general patterns of organisms' responses to fire. This is a challenging task because of the high complexity of factors involved (including climate, geography, land use, and species-specific ecology). We aimed to describe the responses of the reptile community to fire across a range of environmental and fire-history conditions in the western Mediterranean Basin.

Postfire biodiversity database for eastern Iberia.

In the summer of 2012, two fires affected Mediterranean ecosystems in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The size of these fires was at the extreme of the historical variability (megafires). Animals are traditionally assumed to recolonize from source populations outside of the burned area (exogenous regeneration) while plants recover from endogenous regeneration (resprouting and seeding).

Capability of Copper Hydroxy Nitrate (Cu(OH)NO) as an Additive to Develop Antibacterial Polymer Contact Surfaces: Potential for Food Packaging Applications.

The globalization of the market, as well as the increasing world population, which require a higher demand for food products, pose a great challenge to ensure food safety and prevent food loss and waste. In this sense, active materials with antibacterial properties are an important alternative in the prolongation of shelf life and ensuring food safety. In this work, the ability of copper(II) hydroxy nitrate (CuHS) to obtain antibacterial films based on low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polylactic acid (PLA), was evaluated.

Long-interval effects of wildfires on the functional diversity of land snails.

In fire-prone regions, fire is a major natural disturbance which shapes ecosystem function and community composition. Fire has a direct and dramatic effect on soil fauna and, especially, on non-mobile species such as land snails. The factors that make the Mediterranean Basin a fire-prone region may also lead to the appearance after fires of certain functional traits related to ecological and physiological characteristics.

Antibacterial Capability of MXene (TiCT) to Produce PLA Active Contact Surfaces for Food Packaging Applications.

The globalization of the market and the increase of the global population that requires a higher demand of food products superimposes a big challenge to ensure food safety. In this sense, a common strategy to extend the shelf life and save life of food products is by avoiding bacterial contamination. For this, the development of antibacterial contact surfaces is an urgent need to fulfil the above-mentioned strategy.

Filipinos' COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy comments in TikTok videos: A manifest content analysis.

Objectives: Vaccine hesitancy is one of the top 10 threats to world health. The ongoing pandemic highlighted this health threat. The COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy remains underreported in the Philippines.

"I Think the Mental Part Is the Biggest Factor": An Exploratory Qualitative Study of COVID-19 and Its Negative Effects on Indigenous Women in Toronto, Canada.

This article explores the unique and understudied experiences of Indigenous women living in Toronto, Canada during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to better document the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous women in Toronto, Canada to better understand unmet needs, as well as lay the groundwork for more targeted research and potential interventions based on these needs. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews with thirteen Indigenous women, we shed light on the negative effects this pandemic has had on this population.

Resilience of reptiles to megafires.

Extreme climate events, together with anthropogenic land-use changes, have led to the rise of megafires (i.e., fires at the top of the frequency size distribution) in many world regions.

Fire reduces parasite load in a Mediterranean lizard.

Wildfires are a natural disturbance in many ecosystems. However, their effect on biotic interactions has been poorly studied. Fire consumes the vegetation and the litter layer where many parasites spend part of their life cycles.

Deep genetic structure at a small spatial scale in the endangered land snail Xerocrassa montserratensis.

Species with small geographic ranges do not tend to have a high genetic structure, but some land snail species seem to be an exception. Xerocrassa montserratensis, an endangered land snail endemic to Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula), is an excellent model to study the processes affecting the phylogeography of specialized species of conservation concern. This species is restricted to xerophilous stony slopes and occurs within a small and fragmented area of ca.

Shellfishing on foot and the road to defeminization in Galicia (Spain).

Fishing resources, as well as fishing activities and policies, are in a state of permanent change, therefore transforming the living and working conditions of coastal and fishing populations. The gender perspective is relevant to understand the challenges faced by men and women in the fishing sector. Galicia (Spain) is one of the main fishing regions in the EU and with the largest number of women working in the fishing sector, especially in shellfishing on foot.

Long-term trace element assessment after a mine spill: Pollution persistence and bioaccumulation in the trophic web.

Trace elements can be toxic when they cannot be easily removed after entering an ecosystem, so a long-term assessment is fundamental to guide ecosystem restoration after catastrophic pollution. In 1998, a pyrite mining accident in Aznalcóllar (south-western Spain) spilled toxic waste over a large area of the Guadiamar river basin, where, after restoration tasks, the Guadiamar Green Corridor was established. Eight years after the mine accident (2005-2006), the ground-dwelling insectivorous lizard Psammodromus algirus registered high trace-element levels within the study area compared to specimens from a nearby unpolluted control site.

Modelling functional response of reptiles to fire in two Mediterranean forest types.

Fire is one of the main disturbances to terrestrial environments, transforming habitat structure and affecting community composition. Coupled with fire, forest type and vegetation structure modulate the taxonomic response to fire by ectotherm organisms such as reptiles. The response of each reptile species to fire is based on their functional attributes, which make some species resilient to fire and others vulnerable to that disturbance and only adapted to long-unburnt landscapes.

Population density of the spur-thighed tortoise Testudo graeca declines after fire in north-western Africa.

Fire is a key ecological process in several biomes worldwide. Over recent decades, human activities (e.g.

Increase of genetic diversity indicates ecological opportunities in recurrent-fire landscapes for wall lizards.

Socioeconomic and climatic factors are modifying fire regimes with an increase of fire frequency and extension. Unfortunately, the effects of recurrent fires on biological processes that ultimately affect the genetic diversity of animal populations are mostly unknown. We examined genetic patterns of diversity in the wall lizard Podarcis guadarramae in northern Portugal, one of the European regions with the highest percentage of burnt land.

An integrative study of island diversification: Insights from the endemic Haemodracon geckos of the Socotra Archipelago.

The Socotra Archipelago in the Arabian Sea is considered one of the most geo-politically isolated landforms on earth and a center of endemism. The archipelago is located at the western edge of the Indian Ocean and comprises four islands: Socotra, Darsa, Samha, and Abd al Kuri. Here we provide an integrative study on Haemodracon geckos, the sole genus of geckos strictly endemic to the archipelago.

Ecological significance of dorsal polymorphism in a Batesian mimic snake.

Batesian mimicry is the process in which harmless species adopt the appearance of a dangerous, aposematic species. In some prey species, both Batesian mimetic and non-Batesian morphs coexist, presupposing that both morphs have to be evolutionarily advantageous. The viperine snake, , exhibits a zigzag dorsal pattern and antipredatory behavior that mimics European vipers.

Paratubal Cyst Size Correlates With Obesity and Dysregulation of the Wnt Signaling Pathway.

Study Objective: Paratubal cysts (PTCs) occur in 7%-10% of women, regardless of age. Although common, PTCs often are found incidentally because of the potential for these cysts to be asymptomatic. The specific aims of the study were to determine if PTC number and size correlated with signs of hyperandrogenism and obesity, as well as to investigate the molecular profiles of these PTCs in samples derived from female adolescents.

Intraoperative Rupture of Ovarian Dermoid Cysts in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population: Should This Change Your Surgical Management?

Study Objective: (1) To determine the incidence of chemical peritonitis after cystectomy for ovarian dermoid cysts with intraoperative cyst rupture in the pediatric and adolescent population; and (2) to examine the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of cystectomies performed for ovarian dermoid cysts using laparoscopy and laparotomy, especially those with intraoperative cyst rupture.

Design: A retrospective cohort study of female patients who underwent ovarian cystectomy with proven ovarian dermoid pathology between July 2007 and July 2015.

Setting: Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas.

Sharing refuges on arid islands: ecological and social influence on aggregation behaviour of wall geckos.

Background: The extent of social behaviour among reptiles is underappreciated. Two types of aggregations are recognized in lizards: ecological and social, i.e.

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

Opposite Effects of Mechanical Action of Fluid Flow on Proangiogenic Factor Secretion From Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells With and Without Oxidative Stress.

Mechanical forces, hypoxia, and oxidative stress contribute to skin renewal, perfusion, and wound healing, but how are they regulating subcutaneous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in the inflammatory microenvironment associated to skin repair and disorders is unknown. In this study, ASCs were isolated from lipoaspirate samples from plastic surgery patients, primary cultured and their differentiation and secretion of a panel of cytokines with pronounced effects on skin repair and angiogenesis were studied under mechanical stimulation by intermittent fluid flow, 1% hypoxia and oxidative stress by glutathione (GSH) depletion with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) treatment. Mechanical action of fluid flow did not alter mesenchymal phenotype of CD90 /CD29 /CD44 /CD34 /CD106 /CD45 ASCs; however, it remarkably induced ASC secretion of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration-stimulating factors.