Cooperação institucional na investigação aplicada : o caso do Project InovEnergy : eficiência energética no setor agroindustrial

O Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco tem vindo a dinamizar as relações de cooperação com a comunidade empresarial e institucional, assumindo-se como um intermediário privilegiado do sistema ciência-tecnologia-empresa. Delimitou um conjunto de sectores/ fileiras económicas com interesse estratégico regional e tem vindo a aproximar-se aos agentes económicos com capacidade para a aplicação das áreas científicas do IPCB. O setor agro-industrial tem sido, ao longo das últimas décadas, um dos alicerces da competitividade e do desenvolvimento sócio-económico da região centro. Estão aqui localizadas várias das indústrias de produtos alimentares e setores associados mais importantes do país, em termos de visibilidade, criação de riqueza e de empregos, sendo pertinente a realização de projectos de investigação aplicada orientada para este mercado e para a transferência de tecnologia. É neste contexto que surge o Projeto INOVENERGY - Eficiência Energética no Setor Agroindustrial

Research in Angora goats under the LEADER II in Portugal

A new LEADER II project will establish Angora goat enterprises on existing farming units in a marginal area of Portugal that do not at present have any goats. As mohair production in Portugal becomes established the fibre will contribute significantly to the rural economy of the region. The present project will be innovative in Portugal, in terms of its organisation and objectives, and aims to offset the current problems facing these areas, such as the abandonment of existing farming units, which is leading to desertification in certain rural areas in Portugal.The introduction of Angora goats to the Cova da Beira region will contribute to the diversification of livestock at the regional and national level. This will increase the national production of mohair fibre, in which both Portugal and the EU as a whole are deficient.group of ten breeders, each starting with twenty females and two males will be formed. The breeders will be linked in a co-operative, which will buy and transform all the mohair fibre produced. To achieve this, the co-operative will subcontract work to textile factories in the region. As the breeders are associated together, they are able to retain complete control of the purchase and transformation of raw material, as well as the commercialisation of the various products, thus benefiting from the added value of the processing stages. This will make a significant contribution to the economic profitability and technical sustainability of their agricultural activities.The project is firmly based on the concept of integration. The encouragement of cooperation, with the use of common facilities (e.g. shearing, technical assistance, etc.) and the synergy of the cooperative will create the necessary economic balance of the farming units and support the systematic and continuous development of quality and efficiency to suit the requirements of the market

Superpropagators for explicitly broken 3D-supersymmetric theories

A systematic algorithm to derive superpropagators in the case of either explicitly or spontaneously broken supersymmetric three-dimensional theories is presented. We discuss how the explicit breaking terms that are introduced at tree-level induce 1-loop radiative corrections to the effective action. We also point out that the renormalisation effects and the breaking-inducing-breaking mechanism become more immediate whenever we adopt the shifted superpropagators discussed in this letter.Comment: 6 pages, LaTex, references added. To appear in Phys.Lett.

Extensive beef cattle production in Portugal: the added value of indigenous breeds in the beef market

O presente documento foi apresentado na 2nd International Conference of the LSIRD Network que decorreu em Bray, Dublin em Dezembro de 1998, tendo integrado os respectivos Proceedings.Beef production in less-favoured areas in Portugal is usually extensive, and along with forestry and agriculture is one of the main sources of income and employment. It has also an important role both in a social and environmental context. Portugal is not self-sufficient in beef production, though the BSE crisis has severely hit beef sales, and it is difficult to envisage consumption making a full recovery in the short to medium term. However, it is possible to see an emergent market for beef produced by Portuguese indigenous breeds from extensive production systems. Beef from indigenous breeds is considered to be a high quality product by producers and consumers, mainly because of the superior taste and structure of the meat resulting from the production methods: differences within breeds, slow growth rate and type of vegetation consumed. This product differentiation has allowed the enlargement of small niche markets and has led to an increase in the value of meat with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The specificity of a product linked with a PDO has a fundamental role in the establishment of the strategies for agricultural enterprises and in rural development. Since Portuguese agriculture cannot compete on quantity or production cost with other competitors, differentiation and quality seem to be the alternatives that may stimulate rural activities in LFAs and create a regional added value able to contribute to sustainable development. Extensive animal production systems can be an important component of environmental and landscape protection, as well as contribute to the decrease of the human and physical desertification of our rural areas

Chemical composition of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fillet

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a freshwater fish originating from the United States of America (USA). This specie was introduced in Portugal (Azores) in the end of the XIX Century. Like in the USA, largemouth bass is one of the most popular freshwater sports fish in Portugal and it is very important in regional cuisine, especially in the countryside. However, there’s a lack of information about the chemical composition of largemouth bass fillet. All eaten largemouth bass in Portugal are caught in large dams and small irrigation dams because there’s no largemouth bass aquaculture industry. The aim of this work was to evaluate the chemical composition of largemouth bass fillet collected in an irrigation reservoir (39º49’27.89’’ N; 07º26’57.92’’ W) located in the Central region of Portugal. Thirteen largemouth bass were collected (average weight 349.85g ±74.23; average length 27.22cm ±1.43; average K condition factor 1.71 ±0.14) and were frozen during seven days. The cutting carcasses and the filet chemical analyses (moisture, protein, fat and ash) took place in the laboratory. In the carcass, the average amounts of viscera, spine, head, skin and filet were, respectively, 8.52% (±1.41), 17.24% (±1.29), 23.06% (±1.85), 7.58% (±0.60) and 43.59% (±1.91). In the filet, the average amounts of moisture, protein, fat and ash were, respectively, 77.67% (±1.07), 18.46% (±0.83), 0.90% (±0.31) and 1.20% (±0.05). We concluded that largemouth bass has a good filet yield with very low fat and high level of protein contents. In fact, as far as we know, these are the first results of carcass and filet characterization of largemouth bass collected in Portugal

The development of the speciality fibre sector in Portugal

Fine fibre in Portugal is almost limited to wool and, for the moment, the country is still responsible for a reasonable amount of production of fine wool. There are no cashmere goats registered in Portugal, and so no cashmere fibre is available, as is the case with Angora rabbits. Angora fibre used to be produced in Portugal, however due to disease problems, the rabbits died and the production of this kind fibre disappeared in the sixties. Currently, interest in farming Angora goats for mohair production is low. From the initial flocks set up in the late eighties (500 animals), there are now only 250 animals. Due to the small amount of fibre produced and to the rapid coarsening of the fibre with age, the national textile industries have never shown interest in developing technology for processing this particular type of fibre. Because of this, the producers need to send the small volumes of fibre produced to France or England for processing. We think that in order to improve mohair production the resolution of industrial processing must be done at the production level in a modular way. It is also necessary that the official organisms have objective guidelines. Even if it is considered as a exotic breed, there are enough information that allows us to say that angora goats can be perfectly integrated in our traditional sheep management systems, and with fewer management problems that some of our indigenous goat breeds. We think that from the three types of fibre-producing animals referred to, angora goat production is the best option in the short term, since it is the animal that is closest to our traditional system of animal production. The Portuguese Textile Industry, since a long time ago, prepared to process the only animal fibre (wool) currently available in large quantities in the country. All the other speciality fibres are imported for incorporation into garments. Wool seems still to have a role in Portuguese Agriculture, mainly fine wool, which is predicted to be in continuing and strong demand

Composição em proteína, gordura e ácidos gordos de filetes de achigãs (Micropterus salmoides Lacépède, 1802) submetidos a três regimes alimentares diferentes

Composição em proteína, gordura e ácidos gordos de filetes de achigãs (Micropterus salmoides Lacépède, 1802) submetidos a três regimes alimentares diferentes

Composição nutricional do filete de três espécies piscícolas de águas interiores com interesse gastronómico

Composição nutricional do filete de três espécies piscícolas de águas interiores com interesse gastronómico

Extensive beef cattle production in Portugal

Portugal, located in the Mediterranean region, one of the "Hot Spot" of the planet, has a huge variability in terms of topography, soils, climate, agriculture, traditions, resulting in a high diversity of animal genetic resources, represented by 15 native cattle breeds, most of them threatened. A significant percentage of extensive beef cattle production in Portugal is based on the use of animals, differing from north to south region, with good maternal aptitude, hardiness, a low growth performance and exceptional adaptation to the environment where they live, and especially to the local feed, naturally produced. In the north of the country and the Azores, dairy breeds predominate, while in the south beef breeds are most prevalent. Portugal is not self-sufficient in beef production, however it is possible to appreciate an market for beef produced by indigenous breeds from extensive and organic production systems. Beef from indigenous breeds is considered to be a high quality product, mainly because of the superior taste and structure of the meat resulting from the production system: slow growth rate and type of vegetation consumed. This product differentiation has allowed the enlargement of small niche markets and has led to an increase in the value of meat with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or with organic beef. Since portuguese agriculture cannot compete on quantity or production cost with other competitors, differentiation and quality seem to be the alternatives that may stimulate rural activities in Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) and create a regional added value able to contribute to sustainable development. Extensive animal production systems can be an important component of environmental and landscape protection, as well as contribute to the decrease of the human, physical desertification of our rural areas and animal genetic resources

Effects of bovine somatotrophin (bST) on ovarian function in post-partum beef cows

Full text not available. Only the abstract. DOI: 10.1071/RD9960951The effects of bovine somatotrophin (bST) on ovarian follicle development and function and associated gonadotrophin profiles during the first nine weeks post partum were investigated in beef cows. Thirty-two cows (Shorthorn x Galloway) in moderately low body condition (BC) at calving were fed to maintain BC thereafter. At Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 post partum, animals were injected with 320 mg bovine somatotrophin (bST) (T, treated; n = 17) or with the carrier oil only (C, control; n = 15). Ovulation occurred in 4 of 17 T cows and 0 of 15 C cows (P = 0.10) by nine week post partum. Treatment with bST did not affect the numbers of small (3-8 mm in diameter) or large (> 8 mm in diameter) follicles or the granulosa cell populations but enhanced the oestradiol (P < 0.05) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) content (P < 0.01) of large follicles by nine weeks post partum. It did not significantly affect the testosterone concentrations of large follicles. Circulating concentrations of growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I were higher in T cows than in C cows (P < 0.001) but were unrelated to gonadotrophin profiles or gonadotrophin receptor concentrations in the follicles. At Week 8, plasma insulin concentrations were higher in T cows than in C cows both before (P < 0.05) and after (P < 0.05) glucose injection. It is concluded that GH may play an important role in mediating the effects of nutritional state on ovarian function during the post-partum period, possibly through alteration of intrafollicular IGF-I concentrations