Astrovirus infections cause gastroenteritis in mammals and have been identi fi ed as causative agents of diverse pathologies in birds such as hepatitis in ducks and poult enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS), which causes enteritis and thymic and bursal atrophy in turkeys. Human astroviruses are recognized as the second leading cause of childhood viral gastroenteritis worldwide. Eight traditional astrovirus serotypes have been identi fi ed in humans, but recently novel astrovirus strains isolated from humans have been associated with diseases other than gastroenteritis. Herein we summarize our current knowledge of the astrovirus life cycle. Though there are gaps in our understanding of astrovirus replication, similarities can be drawn from Picornaviridae and Caliciviridae virus families. There are, however, unique characteristics of the astrovirus life cycle, including intracellular proteolytic processing of viral particles by cellular caspases, which has been shown to be required for the maturation and exit of viral progeny.

An innovative method to control shrinkage in polymer blends, by using N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine to produce phase separation in an acrylic system, was applied to synthesize polymer blends from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polytriethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PTEG-DMA). The morphology of several compositions, as analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, reveals microdomains as a function of the specific composition, in contrast to conventional MMA-TEGDMA copolymers synthesized by thermal decomposition of benzoyl peroxide, used here as reference materials. Micro-Raman and DSC analyses were also carried out to support the electron microscopy results as well.

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Due to low yields, organic agriculture cannot satisfy the global demand for food, although it can provide products of higher nutraceutical quality. The objective of this research was to incorporate vermicompost leachates (VCLs) into an irrigation system during tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Rafaello) cultivation to evaluate their effects on the lycopene, β-carotene, and phenolic content of tomatoes and on the physical and chemical soil variables. To evaluate the effects of VCLs, three types of substrates were used to create VCLs: mushroom waste (MSHW), leaf-cutting ant waste (LCAW), and cow compost (CC). A total of 0.1 L of leachate per plant was added as a supplement to a nutrient solution (NS) and applied once weekly, twice weekly, or every fifteen days to three different treatments for each leachate. All VCLs had a positive effect on the production of lycopene; the best results were obtained by the application of the MSHW (78 mg kg -1 fresh weight). The VCL decreased the presence of ions phytotoxic to plants by 99% and improved the soil structure by increasing the amount of organic matter and the hydraulic conductivity. However, the VCL had no effect on the physiological variables. The results support the use of leachate from CC via fertigation twice a week at a dose of 0.1 L plant -1 because it increases lycopene content by 67%.