The Autonomous University of Chihuahua (in Spanish: Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, UACH) is a Mexican public university based in the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, but with several campuses across the state. In December 8, 1954, the State Legislature, with Governor Oscar Soto Maynez, issued the decree 171, which founded the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (UACh).UACh was granted its autonomy in 1968, with the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without interference from the government.
Currently, it is lack of effective strategies for producing the arabinoxylan (AX) with desirable processing behavior (i.e., good water solubility and shear-thinning performance) for high-fibre product development. To overcome above challenges, this research was conducted to demonstrate a successful extraction and characterization of AX from wheat bran for securing its suitability as being a good dietary fibre (DF) ingredient in dough formula, and also investigate the effects of wheat variety, AX and endoxylanase on the rheological and microstructure properties of doughs. The water-extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) from a stronger wheat variety Zhenmai18 was screened for high-fibre dough formulation according to its satisfactory physiochemical and processing behavior. Increased WEAX contents from 0 to 4% positively affected dough stability (up to 15% increase) and mechanical strength (up to 20% increase), whereas excessive WEAX addition of 4-8% to the dough caused a negative effect on gluten strength (up to 10% reduction). The incorporation of endoxylanase into the dough reversed above weakening effect, and also promote a uniform distribution of gluten proteins, starch granules and gas cells in dough microstructure. These research outcomes will provide a practical guidance for improving the processing performance and product quality of high-fibre doughs, promoting a market expansion of relevant products, and also favoring a high-quality and sustainable development of high-fibre food industry.
This study investigates the influence of stacking architecture on the film growth and multiferroic properties of BiFeO3-based heterostructures grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. Using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering, two heterostructures combining Bi0.85Pr0.15Fe0.97Mn0.03O3 (E) and Bi0.60Ba0.25Pr0.15Fe0.945Ni0.025Mn0.03O3 (M) were deposited: a continuous bilayer, S1 (E180/M30), and a multilayer architecture, S2 [3(E60/M10)], while maintaining the same total deposition time of 210 min. Cross-sectional electron microscopy revealed architecture-dependent differences in film growth, with average thicknesses of 184.9 ± 9.2 nm for S1 and 113.4 ± 3.8 nm for S2. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated contributions from rhombohedral (R3c) and orthorhombic (Pbam) structures in both heterostructures. PFM measurements showed butterfly-like loops and phase changes close to 180° in both architectures, supporting a predominantly ferroelectric/electromechanical local response. S1 exhibited the larger electromechanical response, with a displacement variation of approximately 1.12 nm and a broader butterfly loop, whereas S2 maintained a well-defined response despite its lower thickness and multilayer configuration. In contrast, S2 exhibited a volume-normalized magnetization amplitude of 18.30 emu/cm3, substantially higher than that of S1 (3.92 emu/cm3), although with lower coercivity (92.3 Oe compared with 295.8 Oe for S1). These findings highlight that, beyond chemical composition, layer engineering on low-cost polycrystalline substrates like FTO is a strategic route to tuning the functional balance between electromechanical and magnetic responses in thin-film heterostructures.
Self-assembly is a promising strategy to develop advanced nanocomposites for state-of-the-art applications. Although self-assembled chitosan/silica nanoparticles could induce tissue regeneration and repair, the research on these materials when used as coatings is scarce and limited to spherical silica nanoparticles. This work reports, for the first time, the alignment of SBA-15 mesoporous silica nanorods (SRs) in coatings prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of self-assembled chitosan/SRs structures. To exploit the potential applications of the nanocomposites, the relations between their chemical composition, morphology, and microstructure were investigated. Image processing and analysis were used to determine the local orientation of the nanorods, while multivariate statistical analysis and machine learning were conducted on Raman hyperspectral datasets to generate clustering maps representing the spatial distribution of fundamental structural and chemical characteristics such as chitosan deacetylation degree. Besides the presence of acetic acid molecules trapped into the polymeric coating, EPD selectiveness in promoting the deposition of chitosan with high deacetylation degree and low crystallinity was confirmed. Preliminary results of bioactivity and biocompatibility studies are presented, and the acetic acid and chitosan diffusions into simulated body fluid (SBF) are discussed. Chemical and clustering maps indicated that the substrate topography was a crucial factor in the interaction of the organic/inorganic phase with SBF.
The gut microbiota plays a key role in the health of wild birds, reflecting the influence of diet, habitat, and social behavior. Migratory and highly gregarious species such as the yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) provide valuable opportunities to explore host-microbe-environment interactions within a One Health framework. During migration, birds are exposed to diverse environments and dietary sources, which can promote highly diverse intestinal microbial communities and facilitate transient acquisition of environmental microorganisms. Here, we present the first taxonomic characterization of the fecal bacterial microbiota of X. xanthocephalus in northern Mexico based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V3-V4 region. In addition, we performed a conservative screening to assess whether any bacterial taxa tentatively assigned at the species level have been previously reported as human pathogens or as having potential zoonotic relevance. Fecal samples were collected noninvasively from communal roosts within an urban-agricultural landscape of the Comarca Lagunera region during a winter season. A highly diverse bacterial community (39 phyla, 369 families, and 1195 bacterial species) was identified. Firmicutes_D, Actinobacteriota, and Campylobacterota were the dominant phyla. Among the bacterial taxa tentatively assigned at the species level, only three have been reported to exhibit zoonotic potential in the literature; however, none corresponded to avian-adapted pathogens or bacterial species historically associated with major zoonotic outbreaks, and all were detected at very low relative abundances. Overall, our findings establish an initial microbiological baseline for X. xanthocephalus and underscore the role of migratory birds as indicators of environmental microbial dynamics rather than direct sources of zoonotic risk in semiarid regions of northern Mexico.
Edible films are food preservation technologies that can have the strongest physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics, depending on their formulation. For this, the objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of the formulation on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of edible films based on casein (C, with 1, 2 or 3%) and karaya gum (G, with 2 or 3%), pectin (P, with 2 or 3%), or the combination karaya gum-pectin (GP, 2 or 3%). A total of 21 formulations were prepared, and the physicochemical (pH of the film-forming solution, thickness, tensile strength, elongation at break, moisture content, water solubility, swelling ratio, water vapor transmission rate, color difference) and antioxidant characteristics (total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity) were evaluated. The pH of the film-forming solution and the thickness increased upon the addition of G, P and GP. The most suitable formulation in terms of mechanical properties was 3C-2P, with 4.96 MPa of tensile strength, 47.53% elongation at break and 28.01 g/m2 day of WPTR; however, it has high moisture content (38.02%) and water solubility (81.51%). In terms of the antioxidant features, 3C-2P films had an average concentration of TPC (106.41 mg of gallic acid/100 g of edible films) and antioxidant capacity (8.28% of DPPH inhibition). Developing edible films with appropriate physicochemical and antioxidant properties is crucial for the proper preservation of fresh and perishable products, as the ingredients used in their formulation can interact and produce synergistic or antagonistic effects.
