Para uma estratégia de qualidade – aspectos produtivos do sector oleícola da Beira Interior

Comunicação apresentada no III Simpósio Nacional de Olivicultura que decorreu em Castelo Branco, na Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, de 29 a 31 de Outubro de 2003.Considerando a importância socioeconómica do sector oleícola na região da Beira Interior e com base em inquéritos realizados juntos dos agentes da fileira, procedeu-se a uma caracterização das técnicas culturais e tecnológicas praticadas. Concluiu-se pela necessidade de se proceder à melhoria e modernização de algumas práticas e equipamentos, no sentido de se obterem ganhos na produtividade e qualidade do azeite produzido

Development of sulfur based polymers for rechargeable lithium batteries

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are in the front edge of recent achievements concerning energy storage. However, Li-ion devices are reaching their maximum regarding energy density storage which restricts their appiicatíon in systems with large power needs, such as electric vehicles. Driven by this shortcoming, in the last few years, Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries are being considered as an alternative for the exploitatíon of energy storage and conversion systems with improved performance. Indeed, to the S cathodes is associated a theoretical specifíc capacity of 1672 mA h g-1 and a specifíc energy of 2600 W h kg-\ which are several times higher than the correspondent to other possible systems. The relative low atomic weight of S in comparison with other elements (e.g. cobalt) and the multí-electron transfer reactíons in the pair Li/S are at the source ofthis superior theoretícal performance of Li-S batteries.Este trabalho foi financiado por: projeto POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 - Laboratório Associado LSRE-LCM - financiado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), através do COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bacteriophage Adherence to Mucus Mediates Preventive Protection against Pathogenic Bacteria

Peer reviewe

Disclosing the potential of Cupressus leylandii A.B. Jacks & Dallim, Eucalyptus globulus Labill., Aloysia citrodora Paláu, and Melissa officinalis L. hydrosols as eco-friendly antimicrobial agents

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health concern, threatening the effective prevention and treatment of infections caused by microorganisms. These factors boosted the study of safe and green alternatives, with hydrosols, the by-products of essential oils extraction, emerging as promising natural antimicrobial agents. In this context, four hydrosols obtained from Cupressus leylandii A.B. Jacks & Dallim, Eucalyptus globulus Labill., Aloysia citrodora Paláu and Melissa officinalis L. were studied. Their chemical composition comprises neral, geranial, 1,8-cineole, terpinen- 4-ol, and oplopanonyl acetate, compounds with recognised antimicrobial activity. Concerning antimicrobial activity, significant differences were found using different hydrosol concentrations (10–20% v/v) in comparison to a control (without hydrosol), showing the potential of the tested hydrosols to inhibit the microbial growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. A. citrodora hydrosol was the most effective one, inhibiting 90% of E. coli growth and 80% of C. albicans growth, for both hydrosol concentrations (p < 0.0001). With hydrosol concentration increase, it was possible to observe an improved antimicrobial activity with significant reductions (p < 0.0001). The findings of this work indicate the viability of reusing and valuing the hydrosols, encouraging the development of green applications for different fields (e.g., food, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics).Financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to LSRE-LCM (UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), ALiCE (LA/P/0045/2020), CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). FCT for the SFRH/BD/148124/2019 Heloísa Helena Scorsato de Almeida research grant. Pedro Crugeira thanks OleaChain (NORTE-06-3559-FSE14 000188) for his research contract. GreenHealth project (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Use Of Various Strains Of Rhizobium Tropici For Inoculation Of Snap Bean Cultivars With A Determinate Growth Pattern

The snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an economically important vegetable in Brazil. Bean plants can establish symbiotic associations with bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. These associations show specificity of host plants to certain bacteria. Nitrogen fertilization constitutes a crop production cost, and the use of Rhizobium inoculation to supply nitrogen to crops may decrease the production costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inoculation of three different snap bean cultivars with three Rhizobium tropici strains on agronomical performance of the plant. A completely randomized experimental design was used, with a 3 × 5 factorial scheme and four replicates per treatment. The factors tested were three snap bean cultivars (UEL 1, Alessa, and UEL 2), and five types of inoculation (uninoculated control, inoculation with SEMIA 4077, SEMIA 4080, SEMIA 4088, or with a mix of the three strains). The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse. Plant height, stem diameter, pod length, the number of pods per plant, and average weight and yield of commercial-grade pods, were determined. An analysis of variance was conducted using the F test, followed by Tukey's test (p < 0.05). Inoculation had a positive effect on all the parameters quantified. The beneficial effect was more pronounced in plants inoculated with the mix of Rhizobium strains.3763965397

Tripping over emerging pathogens around the world: A phylogeographical approach for determining the epidemiology of Porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2), considering global trading

AbstractPorcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) is an emerging virus associated with a number of different syndromes in pigs known as Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases (PCVAD). Since its identification and characterization in the early 1990s, PCV-2 has achieved a worldwide distribution, becoming endemic in most pig-producing countries, and is currently considered as the main cause of losses on pig farms. In this study, we analyzed the main routes of the spread of PCV-2 between pig-producing countries using phylogenetic and phylogeographical approaches. A search for PCV-2 genome sequences in GenBank was performed, and the 420 PCV-2 sequences obtained were grouped into haplotypes (group of sequences that showed 100% identity), based on the infinite sites model of genome evolution. A phylogenetic hypothesis was inferred by Bayesian Inference for the classification of viral strains and a haplotype network was constructed by Median Joining to predict the geographical distribution of and genealogical relationships between haplotypes. In order to establish an epidemiological and economic context in these analyses, we considered all information about PCV-2 sequences available in GenBank, including papers published on viral isolation, and live pig trading statistics available on the UN Comtrade database (http://comtrade.un.org/). In these analyses, we identified a strong correlation between the means of PCV-2 dispersal predicted by the haplotype network and the statistics on the international trading of live pigs. This correlation provides a new perspective on the epidemiology of PCV-2, highlighting the importance of the movement of animals around the world in the emergence of new pathogens, and showing the need for effective sanitary barriers when trading live animals

Prevalence of genetically similar Flavobacterium columnare phages across aquaculture environments reveals a strong potential for pathogen control

Intensive aquaculture conditions expose fish to bacterial infections, leading to significant financial losses, extensive antibiotic use and risk of antibiotic resistance in target bacteria. Flavobacterium columnare causes columnaris disease in aquaculture worldwide. To develop a bacteriophage-based control of columnaris disease, we isolated and characterized 126 F. columnare strains and 63 phages against F. columnare from Finland and Sweden in 2017. Bacterial isolates were virulent on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and fell into four previously described genetic groups A, C, E and G, with genetic groups C and E being the most virulent. Phage host range studied against a collection of 227 bacterial isolates (from 2013 to 2017) demonstrated modular infection patterns based on host genetic group. Phages infected contemporary and previously isolated bacterial hosts, but bacteria isolated most recently were generally resistant to previously isolated phages. Despite large differences in geographical origin, isolation year or host range of the phages, whole-genome sequencing of 56 phages showed high level of genetic similarity to previously isolated F. columnare phages (Ficleduovirus, Myoviridae). Altogether, this phage collection demonstrates a potential for use in phage therapy.Peer reviewe

Behaviour of the antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone on the storage stability and corrosive character of biodiesel

AbstractThe behaviour of the antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) on the storage stability of biodiesel was investigated. Storage conditions were simulated through static immersion corrosion tests in biodiesel (with and without TBHQ) using copper coupons. Measurements of oxidation stability (Rancimat induction period) and metal release at different stages of corrosion were performed. After 24h of the static immersion test, the neat and TBHQ-doped biodiesels presented induction times below the EN 14214 limit (6h). Copper release was more intense in the neat biodiesel which evidenced that TBHQ retarded the corrosion process as a corrosion inhibitor. Ion trap–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IT–TOF-MS) revealed the presence of considerable amounts of tert-butylquinone (TBQ) in the TBHQ-doped biodiesel exposed to the corrosion process. As TBHQ molecules adsorb at the copper surface to inhibit corrosion, these molecules are catalytically oxidised to TBQ. IT–TOF-MS also indicated the formation of new molecules of high molecular weight only presented in the TBHQ-doped biodiesel deteriorated by the corrosion process. MS2 spectra gave clear evidence of the formation of new complexes between free radicals of long-chain molecules (fatty acid derivatives) and TBQ radicals during biodiesel deterioration