The effect of Nannochloropsis oceanica feed inclusion on rabbit muscle proteome

Nannochloropsis oceanica is a microalga, highly concentrated in protein and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). It has a recalcitrant cell wall that decreases nutrient digestibility. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of Nannochloropsis oceanica feed inclusion on the muscle proteome of fattening rabbits. Twenty rabbits were housed in individual cages for 5 weeks and were fed a control diet (n = 10) and one with 4.45% inclusion of microalga, replacing whole soybean meal (n = 10). After slaughter, samples of gastrocnemius muscle were taken for label-free proteomic analysis. A total of 1497 proteins were identified, 46 with differential abundance. Control rabbits had high abundance of proteins related to protein metabolism, suggesting higher muscle protein turnover. They also had higher abundance of structural proteins, suggesting a less tender meat by comparison with algae-fed rabbits. These had high abundance of proteins related to amino acid catabolism (Phe, Tyr) and synthesis (Gln). In addition, they had high abundance of proteins related to protein breakdown, overall suggesting that more tender meat may result from algae feedinginfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Influence of medium composition on the characteristics of a denitrifying biofilm formed by alcaligenes denitrificans in a fluidised bed reactor

The influence of the ratio carbon/nitrogen and phosphorus concentration on the performance of a biofilm fluidised bed reactor used for denitrification and on the properties of the biofilm was studied. Although the removal efficiencies of C and N reached steady-state values, the thickness of the biofilm steadily increased. The dry density of the biofilm did not seem to be dependent on the loading conditions, although a denser biofilm was obtained when there was no nutrient limitation that corresponded to the complete removal of nitrate and carbon. The composition of the biofilm in terms of proteins and polysaccharides changed with the C/N ratio and P concentrations. Higher denitrifying activities, which were obtained with increasing P concentrations, were related with higher protein content, since metabolism was shifted from polysaccharide production towards cell production. The thickness and the density of the biofilms were related mainly with the shear stress in the reactor and the composition of biofilms was dependent on the composition of the medium and related with higher activities of the microorganisms.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PRAXIS XXI . Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF)

Girdling and type af cutting in rooting of jackfruit

Um experimento de enraizamento de estacas de jaqueira (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) foi conduzido sob sistema de nebulização intermitente, utilizando-se um delineamento inteiramente casualizado no ananjo fatorial 3(2 x 2 x 3), onde foram estudados dois tipos de estacas (apical e basal), dois tipos de andamento dos ramos (com e sem anelamento) e três tratamentos hormonais (ácido indolbutírico a 5.000 ppm, ácido naftaleno acético a 2.000 ppm, e testemunha). A estaca do tipo basal mostrou-se superior à estaca do tipo apical quando se fez o andamento prévio dos ramos, atingindo um enraizamento de 17,8%. Quando não foi feito o anelamento dos ramos, nem a estaca basal nem a apical enraizaram. O emprego dos ácidos indoibutfrico e naftaleno acético não tiveram qualquer influência na percentagem de estacas enraizadasA branch rooting experiment was carried out with jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) branches under intermittent mist, using a completely randomized block design with a factorial 3(2 x 2 x 3) arrangement. Two cutting types (terminal an subterminal, two girdling types (with and without girdling) and three hormone treatments (indolbutyric acid 5.000 ppm, naphthaleneacetic acid 2.000 ppm, and check) were used: The subterminal cutting proved to be superior to the terminal, and reached 17,8% of rooting when girdling was done. However, when branches were left ungirdled, neither terminal nor subterminal cutting took root. The use of indolbutyric and naphthaleneacetic acids did not improve rooting percentage

Influence of Oxygen content on the electrochemical behavior of Ta1-xOx coatings

In this study, Ta1-xOx coatings were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering aiming at the enhancement of the electrochemical stability stainless steel 316L. The coatings were produced using variable oxygen content in order to determine its influence on the films morphological features and corrosion resistance. Structural and morphological characteristics were correlated with the corrosion behavior in artificial saliva. Potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests were complemented with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine the electrochemical behavior of the coatings. The results reveal a more protective behavior of the coatings as the oxygen amount increases in the films, as well as pitting inhibition in the coated stainless steel, independently of the film composition. A synergetic effect between Ta2O5 and phosphate-based passive layers is suggested as the protective mechanisms of the coatings; while the more active electrochemical behavior of low oxygen content films is evidenced as a consequence of the metallic tantalum on the surface with a more open morphology and larger density of defects on the surface.This research is sponsored by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE – Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade – by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia , in the framework of the Strategic Projects PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2013, and PEst-C/EME/UI0285/2013, and with a PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/98199/2013. The authors thank the financial support by IAPMEI funds through QREN – Implantes dentários inteligentes – SMARTDENT, Projeto Vale Inovação n. 2012/24005 and by MCTI/CNPQ N 16/2012 TECNOLOGIAS INOVADORAS NA PRODUÇÃO, PROTOTIPAGEM E/OU AUMENTO DE ESCALA EM NANOTECNOLO- GIA – Desenvolvimento de Titânio e Liga de Titânio Nano-estruturados com Tratamentos de Superfície para Aplicação em Implantes Ósseos

Highly Endemic, Waterborne Toxoplasmosis in North Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

In Campos dos Goytacazes, northern Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, reports of uveitis consistent with toxoplasmosis led to a survey of the prevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in 1997–1999. The survey population was selected randomly from schools, randomly chosen communities, and an army battalion. Serum samples from 1,436 persons were tested. With results adjusted for age, 84% of the population in the lower socioeconomic group was seropositive, compared with 62% and 23% of the middle and upper socioeconomic groups, respectively (p<0.001). When multivariate analysis was performed, drinking unfiltered water was found to increase the risk of seropositivity for the lower socioeconomic (odds ratio [OR]: 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3 to 6.9) and middle socioeconomic (OR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.3) populations. We also found a high T. gondii seroprevalence in this Brazilian community. Drinking unfiltered water increased the risk of T. gondii seropositivity, indicating the potential importance of oocyst transmission in water in this region

Passivation and dissolution mechanisms in ordered anodic tantalum oxide nanostructures

Tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) nanostructures exhibit outstanding electrical and optical properties, as well as, high chemical resistance and stability. These materials have great potential for biomedical, catalysis, semiconductors and energy applications due to their large surface area and high specific charge, when arranged in nanoporous or nanotubular morphologies. In order to obtain these structures, an anodization process, which is inexpensive, reproducible and easy to scale up, is used. Yet, depending on the anodization conditions, the formation of a nanoporous or nanotubular layer is difficult to stabilize during the anodization process. In this regard, anodized tantalum oxide nanostructures were produced to understand the effect of the anodization conditions, including electrolyte concentration, potential and time. The nanopores or nanotubes morphologies, their chemical composition and structure were investigated by FIB-SEM, double-corrected TEM-STEM and EDS. We found that it is necessary to have high acid concentrations (mixture of H2SO4 with HF) to be able to form nanoporous or nanotubular structures. Despite the capacity of HF to dissolve and create anodic oxide nanostructures, the amount of H2SO4 concentration in the mixture is very important, leading to a dimple morphology. Furthermore, the increase of the anodization potential/electrical field clearly leads to an increase in the dimples diameter.This research is sponsored by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE -Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UIDB/04650/2020, and UID/EMS/00285/2020 and with a PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/98199/2013.The authors thank the financial support in the framework of HEALTHYDENT -POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030708 and PTDC/CTM-NAN/4242/2014 projects.This work was supported by FCT, through IDMEC, under LAETA, project UIDB/50022/2020.The authors would like to acknowledge that this project has received funding from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020, scheme COFUND -Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes, under Grant Agreement 713640

Star and Planet Formation with ALMA: an Overview

Submillimeter observations with ALMA will be the essential next step in our understanding of how stars and planets form. Key projects range from detailed imaging of the collapse of pre-stellar cores and measuring the accretion rate of matter onto deeply embedded protostars, to unravelling the chemistry and dynamics of high-mass star-forming clusters and high-spatial resolution studies of protoplanetary disks down to the 1 AU scale.Comment: Invited review, 8 pages, 5 figures; to appear in the proceedings of "Science with ALMA: a New Era for Astrophysics". Astrophysics & Space Science, in pres

Desempenho do inhame (taro) em plantio direto e no consórcio com crotalária, sob manejo orgânico.

Estudaram-se os efeitos do plantio direto em cobertura morta de aveia-preta e do consórcio com Crotalaria juncea, em sistema orgânico de produção de inhame, em ensaio na EE de Nova Friburgo(Pesagro-Rio), região serrana do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Utilizouse o delineamento de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições, em esquema fatorial 2 x 2, onde os tratamentos corresponderam ao: modo de plantio (direto ou convencional) e modo de cultivo (monocultivo ou consórcio com crotalária). O cultivo consorciado com a leguminosa promoveu maior altura nas plantas do inhame, assim como reduziu a queima de folhas pelos raios solares. A população infestante de ervas espontâneas foi mais efetivamente controlada com a combinação entre consórcio e plantio direto. Nenhum dos tratamentos influenciou a produtividade do inhame, que foi considerada satisfatória, indicando o potencial do manejo orgânico adotado

Sex-specific differences in children attending the emergency department: prospective observational study

Objective To assess the role of sex in the presentation and management of children attending the emergency department (ED). Design The TrIAGE project (TRiage Improvements Across General Emergency departments), a prospective observational study based on curated electronic health record data. Setting Five diverse European hospitals in four countries (Austria, The Netherlands, Portugal, UK). Participants All consecutive paediatric ED visits of children under the age of 16 during the study period (8–36 months between 2012 and 2015). Main outcome measures The association between sex (male of female) and diagnostic tests and disease management in general paediatric ED visits and in subgroups presenting with trauma or musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems and fever. Results from the different hospitals were pooled in a random effects meta-analysis. Results 116172 ED visits were included of which 63042 (54%) by boys and 53715 (46%) by girls. Boys accounted for the majority of ED visits in childhood, and girls in adolescence. After adjusting for age, triage urgency and clinical presentation, girls had more laboratory tests compared with boys (pooled OR 1.10, 95%CI 1.05 to 1.15). Additionally, girls had more laboratory tests in ED visits for respiratory problems (pooled OR 1.15, 95%CI 1.04 to 1.26) and more imaging in visits for trauma or musculoskeletal problems (pooled OR