University of Lleida

About: University of Lleida is a education organization based out in Lleida, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Pregnancy. The organization has 2939 authors who have published 5853 publications receiving 148417 citations. The organization is also known as: Escola Superior Politècnica & Universitat de Lleida.

Rainfall distribution patterns and their change over time in a Mediterranean area

Abstract: In dry farming areas, where rainfall is the only source of water for crops, changes in both quantity and distribution of rainfall during the year could affect the economy of an area. Inter-annual variability makes it difficult to assess rainfall variability, especially in areas with Mediterranean climate. In this paper, interannual rainfall variations in the Alt Penedes region were evaluated using 24-h rainfall records at Vilafranca del Penedes (1889–1999) and at Sant Sadurni d’Anoia (1960–1999). The distribution patterns during the year and their changes over the time were also analysed. Rainfall data were normalised and the values corresponding to the percentiles 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 0.9 were calculated to analyse whether they were very dry, dry, normal, wet and very wet periods. Annual rainfall and the rainfall recorded during the main rainfall periods during the year and its trend were analysed. Annual rainfall did not show a clear tendency, although during the last decade reduced interannual variability occurred. The percentage of dry years did not increase but the percentage of wet and very wet years decreased. During the last decade, an increase of dry spring seasons andwet autumn seasons was observed, even in normal or wetyears. These changes could affect the timing of whencrops receive water and could therefore affect their yields.

Concentration of apple and pear juices in a multi-plate freeze concentrator.

Abstract: In this article we will examine the process for concentration of apple and pear juices as well as concentration of sugar solutions modelling pear juice (simulation fluid) using a descending film multi-plate freeze concentrator. It has been determined in advance the freezing point of those fluids in the working concentration and temperature intervals. In addition, different parameters were studied to allow tracking of the process of freeze concentration, such as ice accumulation, variation of the content of soluble solids in the solution and in the ice removed, ice production and energy consumption. The apple and pear juices tested showed similar behaviour, while the mixture of sugars used for simulation showed better behaviour, due perhaps to the absence of foam in the process and to the quicker formation of ice. It has been obtained concentrations of 30.2 and 30.8 °Bx with the apple and pear juices, respectively, and up to 32.7 °Bx with the simulation fluid. Industrial relevance The clarified juices usually are concentrated on an evaporation stage. In this stage the juice is subjected to high temperatures that cause undesirable reactions, such as non enzymatic browning and destruction of nutritive compounds. The freeze concentration is a technology that allows eliminating water from the juices at temperatures below the water’s freezing point, what allows obtaining products of better quality. In this work has been applied this technology to concentrate apple and pear juices, obtaining promissory results.

Diabetes induces an impairment in the proteolytic activity against oxidized proteins and a heterogeneous effect in nonenzymatic protein modifications in the cytosol of rat liver and kidney

Abstract: It is assumed that increased oxidative stress contributes to the development of complications in diabetes. In this study, several markers of protein structural modifications directly induced by free radicals were investigated in the liver and kidney cytosolic fractions of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Sulfydryl residue and side-chain amino group analyses, as well as immunoblotting and chromatographic measurements of protein-bound carbonyl, suggest that protein oxidative modification is not increased by diabetes, with the exception of sulfydryl groups in renal cytosol. The levels of the glycation-derived carbonyl N epsilon-fructosyl-lysine are significantly increased by diabetes. Furthermore, unchanged proteolytic activity against in vivo-oxidized proteins, significant decreases both in activity against H2O2-modified proteins and in proteasome activity, measured by the degradation of a specific fluorogenic substrate, suggest that the unchanged oxidative protein modification in the diabetic state cannot be attributed to an increased cytosolic proteolytic activity in these tissues. These results provide evidence against a generalized increase in protein oxidative damage and demonstrate a diabetes-induced alteration in cytosolic proteolytic pathways, suggesting that proteasome activity may be impaired in these organs.