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

Aesthetic markers in the voice of radio professionals

Voice is one of the most essential means of expression in human experience and a valuable tool for communication. Its sound characteristics are most relevant in contexts such as social communication and particularly the radio, where the practice of communication is treated at a professional level and the need to captivate a public-listener through the vocal resources is identified. Therefore, this study intended to find if there are specific vocal qualities that contribute to a better or worse appreciation of vocal aesthetic of the radio professional concerning experienced radio listeners.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vitro effects of regulators on growth and morphogenesis of Ocimum basilicum L. ‘Alfavaca Green’ stem apexes

Large-scale cultivation of contamination free plants requires a good standardization protocol and production methods. Basil is widely used for cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries as it is rich in many bioactive compounds. This present study aimed to evaluate the growth and in vitro anatomical aspects of apical buds of basil grown under different concentrations rowth regulators like: NAA (Naphthalenoacetic Acid), BAP (6-benzylaminopurine), and KIN (Kinetin). The in vitro establishment was evaluated every 20 days to calculate the, the percentage of plants with calluses, appearance of the roots, any abnormal seedlings, any oxidized seedlings, and the number of sprouts per plant. Growth, physiological, and morpho-anatomical evaluations were performed at 80 days. Basal callogenesis was observed when cytokinin’s and auxins are used in combination. Auxin treatments caused hyperhydricity in the stems and leaves. Medium A2 (0.05 mg L -1 of NAA and 0.1 mg L -1 of BAP), and A3 (0.05 mg L -1 of NAA and 0.1 mg L -1 of KIN) resulted in the best development of basil plants, cultivar ‘Alfavaca Green’. The A2 produced plants with greater numbers of leaves, an average bud length of 59.81 mm, and the best root properties. A2 and A1 have a higher percentage of hyperhydricity (83 and 67%). The A3 resulted in an acceptable number of leaves (range: 21–39), and this treatment produced the best shoot properties as well as fewer plants with hyperhydricity. In addition, the A3 treatment produced plants with a shoot length, high shoot fresh and dry mass (2.82 and 0.23 g), high chlorophyll index and leaf anatomy that was similar to the control. Excluding the control, the other treatments presented more than 90% of the explants with calluses in their bases

Response of growth, yield and berry composition to basal leaf removal in Jaen grapevine

Results from a leaf removal experiment located at Dão Winegrowing region of Portugal are presented. Three intensity levels of defoliation (control non-defoliated, leaves removed up to the third basal node and up to the sixth basal node) are compared. Defoliation treatments had no significant effect on yield and on must soluble solids, showing that the remaining leaves were able to guarantee berry development and sugar accumulation in the fruit. The more intense defoliation treatment induced favorable effects on light microclimate in the cluster zone, with positive consequences for polyphenols synthesis and reduction of Botrytis cinerea Pers. incidenceinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Copper modulates the biochemical and enzymatic activity and growth of tomato cultivars grown in vitro

Received: August 25th, 2020 ; Accepted: December 17th, 2020 ; Published: February 09th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] (Cu) is a micronutrient that is neglected for tomato growth. This study sought to identify the effects of exposure to Cu on the growth and biochemical activity of two tomato cultivars. Tomato seeds of ‘Carolina’ and ‘Cereja’ cultivars were disinfected and inoculated in MS medium plus copper sulfate concentrations (CuSO4) (default MS, 25, 50, and 100 µm) and had their growth monitored for 30 days. It was estimated that the growth and biomass accumulation of tomato plants ‘Carolina’ and ‘Cereja’, both from the aerial part and the roots, were benefited by 25 e 50 µm of CuSO4. However, it was observed that these concentrations were inefficient in controlling hyperhydricity and leaf deformation. There was a reduction of these phenomena in the treatment with 100 µm, in both cultivars. Tomato of ‘Carolina’ cultivar subjected to 100 µm showed an increase in anthocyanins and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the root system. There was a reduction of catalase (CAT) activity in shoots exposed to Cu. ‘Cereja’ tomatoes subjected to 100 µm showed an increase in CAT and SOD activity in shoots and roots, respectively. It was concluded that the ‘Carolina’ and ‘Cereja’ tomatoes have their growth impaired when exposed to 100 µm CuSO4. Concentrations higher than 50 µm of CuSO4 cause an increase in the antioxidant activity in the shoot of tomato plants from the ‘Carolina’ cultivar. Concentrations higher than 50 µm CuSO4 increase SOD activity in the root system of tomato plants from the ‘Cereja’ cultivar

Dopamine up-regulates Th17 phenotype from individuals with generalized anxiety disorder

AbstractOur objective was to evaluate the effect of stress-related dose of dopamine (DA) on the in vitro proliferation and cytokine production in polyclonally-activated T cells from healthy individuals or individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Our results demonstrated that cell cultures from GAD group proliferated less following T cell activation, as compared with control group. The addition of DA reduced the proliferative response in cell cultures from healthy but not from GAD individuals. The cytokine profile in GAD individuals revealed Th1 and Th2 deficiencies associated with a dominant Th17 phenotype, which was enhanced by DA. A similar DA-induced immunomodulation was also observed in PPD-activated cell cultures from GAD individuals. Unlike the control, DA-enhanced Th17 cytokine production in GAD individuals was not affected by glucocorticoid. In conclusion, our results show that the T cell functional dysregulation in GAD individuals is significantly amplified by DA. These immune abnormalities can have impact in increasing the susceptibility of individuals with anxiety disorders to infectious diseases and inflammatory/autoimmune disorders

Effects of leaf removal on leaf gas exchange parameters of Vitis vinifera L. (Cv. Jaen)

The effects af three intensity leveis af defoliation (control non-defoliation, leaves removed up lo the third node and up to the sixth node) are compared on photos'ynthetic activity and Icave glucldes af Jaeo grapevines grown the Dão Experimental Center in Nelas (Portugal). Leaf removal produced a significanl increase af (eaf gas exchanges, photosynthetic rate and stamatal conductance af the remaining leaves but had no signiflcant effcct on water use efficiency. 'Nhen compared with controI plants, dcfoliation treatments induced a favourable effect on the leaves hexoses content. The strongest levei of defoliation induced a starch levei signifIcantly higher than the other treatments. These effects seem to have compensaled the influence of reduced leaf area on vigour~ yield components and sugar content in the must, since no significant differences were found about these last variablesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cistus monspeliensis L. as a potential species for rehabilitation of soils with multielemental contamination under Mediterranean conditions

Conservation Biolog