Local fishermen’s perceptions of the usefulness of artificial reef ecosystem services in Portugal

Proponents of artificial reef (AR) deployment are often motivated by the usefulness of such structures. The usefulness of ARs is related to their capability of providing ecosystem services/additional functions. We present two distinct Portuguese AR case studies: (1) The Nazaré reef off the central coast of Portugal and (2) the Oura reef off the Algarve coast. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local fishermen in the fishing towns of Nazaré and Quarteira pre-and post-AR deployment. The main focus of the interviews was to understand fishermen's perception of AR usefulness (or lack thereof) in terms of nine ecosystem services/additional functions potentially provided by the ARs. We tested the null hypothesis that ARs do not provide additional ecosystem services/additional functions. When queried pre-AR deployment, fishermen indicated that ARs are most likely to provide three ecosystem services: "habitat and refuge," "biodiversity preservation" and "food production." Fishermen had similar perceptions post-deployment. For the Nazaré reef, fishermen tended to have a positive or neutral perception of ecosystem services/additional functions being provided by ARs. For the Oura reef, fishermen tended to have a mostly neutral perception of AR ecosystem services; however, there were also some positive and other negative perceptions. It was difficult for stakeholders to conceptualize some of the ecosystem services/additional functions provided by ARs prior to actively using them. As a result, some stakeholders changed their perception of the ecosystem services/additional functions after using the structures. These results indicate that stakeholders likely need to perceive ARs as useful in order for them to provide their support for AR installation. Likewise, their support is often needed to justify the use of public funds to install ARs, therefore making it imperative for resource managers to undertake similar interviews with fishermen when considering the use of ARs in other areas.MARE program, within the project "Implantacao e estudo integrado de sistemas recifais" PROMAR program "Elaboracao de estudos de caracterizacao do estado de colonizacao e impacto socioeconomico do recife artificial da Nazare" - 02-PE/2011/GJinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Short and long-term antinutritional effect of the trypsin inhibitor ApTI for biological control of sugarcane borer

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Plant-derived trypsin inhibitors have been shown to have potent anti-insect effects and are a promising alternative for the biological control of pests. In this work, we tested the anti-insect activity of Adenanthera pavonina trypsin inhibitor (ApTI) against Diatraea saccharalis larvae, a major insect pest in sugarcane. The addition of 0.1% ApTI in short-term assays resulted in 87% and 63% decreased trypsin and chymotrypsin activities respectively. ApTI was not digested after 60 h incubation with D. saccharalis midgut proteases. The chronic effects of ApTI on F0 and F1 generations of D. saccharalis were also analyzed. The larvae from the F0 generation showed 55% and 21% decreased larval and pupal viability, respectively. ApTI-fed larvae from the F1 generation showed a decrease of 33% in survival rate and 23% in the average larval weight. Moreover, ApTI treatment reduced trypsin and chymotrypsin activities in F1 larvae. Thus, the anti-insect effects of ApTI on consecutive generations (F0 and F1) of D. saccharalis larvae demonstrate its potential for long-term control of this pest. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.6117Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FUNDECT (Fundacao de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciencia e Tecnologia do Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul)FINEP (Financiamento de Estudos e Projetos/Ministerio da Ciencia e Tecnologia)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Evaluation of seed coagulant Moringa oleifera lectin (cMoL) as a bioinsecticidal tool with potential for the control of insects

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Lectins have demonstrated significant levels of protection against different pests when expressed in transgenic plants. The effects of the coagulant Moringa oleifera lectin (cMoL) on moth flour (Anagasta kuehniella) were tested by incorporating the protein in an artificial diet at levels of 0.5%, 1% and 2% (w/w), respectively. cMoL showed a dose-dependent effect on average larval weight and a series of nutritional disturbances. A significant increase in total development time of 15 days was observed in the group fed with cMoL at 1%, increasing the rate of pupal mortality by 27.6%. The A. kuehniella midgut proteases were unable to digest cMoL for up to 12 h of incubation. The lectin presented a tight binding to a chitin column, suggesting that the insecticidal activity of cMoL involves carbohydrate-lectin interactions on the surface of the digestive tract, with glycoproteins and others glycolsylated structures in the midgut and resistance to enzymatic digestion. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.462498504Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Programa de Apoio a Nucleos de Excelencia (PRONEX/FACEPE)Fundacao de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciencia e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Insensitive trypsins are differentially transcribed during Spodoptera frugiperda adaptation against plant protease inhibitors

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is an important pest insect due to high degree of polyphagia. In order to better understand its adaptation mechanism against plant protease inhibitors, bioassays were carried supplementing diet with the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor from Entada acaciifolia seeds (EATI). In vitro assays showed an increase of proteolytic activity in EATI-fed larvae midgut Moreover, the trypsin enzymes showed insensitivity to inhibition with EATI. In order to understand what genes were overexpressed after chronic exposition to EATI, quantitative RT-PCR analyses were performed and revealed an increase in transcription of two trypsin genes, suggesting its participation in insensitivity of midgut trypsins. Another important result was the expression of one chymotrypsin gene, which is not expressed in control fed-larvae but induced in EATI-fed larvae. New regions of higher molecular weight showing proteolytic activity were visualized in inhibitor-fed larvae by zymography gel electrophoresis, proposing that the new enzymes expressed in response of inhibitor dietary would be formatting oligomers. This is a characteristic also observed in other pest insects that adapt to feed in plant protease inhibitors diet. Additional assays revealed that trypsins from EATI-fed larvae also became insensitive against Kunitz and Bowman-Birk inhibitors from soybean. This result suggests a possible involvement of the same S. frugiperda genes in adaptation against Kunitz and Bowman-Birk inhibitors in their host plants. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.16511925Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FINEPFUNDECTFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP [2011/09361-0

Ventricular pacing threshold after transthoracic external defibrillation with two different waveforms: an experimental study

Although an increase in the ventricular pacing threshold (VPT) has been observed after administration of transthoracic shock for ventricular defibrillation, few studies have evaluated the phenomenon with respect to the defibrillation waveform energy. Therefore, this study examined the VPT behaviour after transthoracic shock with a monophasic or biphasic energy waveform. Domestic Landrace male piglets implanted with a permanent pacemaker stimulation system were divided into three groups: no ventricular fibrillation (VF) induction and transthoracic shock with monophasic or biphasic energy (group I); VF induction, 1 min of observation without intervention, 2 min of external cardiac massage, and transthoracic shock with monophasic or biphasic energy (group II); and VF induction, 2 min of observation without intervention, 4 min of external cardiac massage, and transthoracic shock with monophasic or biphasic energy (group III). After external shock, the VPT was evaluated every minute for 10 min. A total of 143 experiments were performed. At the end of the observation period, groups I and II showed steady VPT values. Group III showed an increase in VPT with monophasic or biphasic external energy, with no difference between the external energy sources. The monophasic but not the biphasic waveform was associated with higher VPT values when the VF was longer. Defibrillation does not have a significant impact on pacing threshold, but a longer VF period is related to a higher VPT after defibrillation with monophasic waveform.15229730

Ganoderma lucidum effects in an animal model of obesity

Obesity is a pandemic disease, and its evolution can be influenced by regular consumption of natural bioactive compounds. Mushrooms, such as Ganoderma lucidum (GL), include a wide variety of biomolecules with potential anti-obesity effects. This work aimed to study the influence of GL in an animal model of obesity. Forty-eight male mice (C57BL/6J) were divided into 5 groups: Group (G)-1-Western Control Diet; G-2-Western Diet 0.2% Cholesterol (WDC); G-3-WDC+0.7g/kg of GL; G-4-WDC+1.4g/kg of GL; G-5 WDC+2.8g/kg of GL. Water and food consumption were recorded weekly. Animals were weighed individually, and their temperature was measured on the back and abdomen (thermographic camera FLIRE6390). Thirteen weeks later, animals were sacrificed, and organs collected. A liver portion was used for histopathology analysis (ethical approval nº 8776). Chemical characterization of the GL extract was profiled by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. Ganoderic acid H and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were the main triterpenic and phenolic acids in the extract, respectively. Food and water consumption were no different among groups. All animals showed weight gain (11-16%): animals without GL supplementation showed the highest weight gain (G2 and G1, respectively); the groups with GL showed the lowest weight gain, which decreased as the mushroom concentration increased. Basal and final body temperatures remained constant. Liver weight was different among groups (p<0.05). Microvesicular (39/47; 83%) and macrovesicular fatty changes (steatosis) were the most frequent morphological changes in the liver. Hyperlipidemic diets consumption promoted weight gain and obesity. The higher weight gain in the groups not supplemented with GL suggested its anti-obesity properties. In this study, animals developed steatosis, which was not modified by GL supplementation. However, it should be noticed that the changes in lipid metabolism are reversible, and the differences observed in the liver relative weights, lower in the groups supplemented with GL, suggested an ongoing process of restoring to normal hepatocyte’s phenotype

Ganoderma lucidum effects in an animal model of obesity

Obesity is a pandemic disease, and its evolution can be influenced by regular consumption of natural bioactive compounds. Mushrooms, such as Ganoderma lucidum (GL), include a wide variety of biomolecules with potential anti-obesity effects. This work aimed to study the influence of GL in an animal model of obesity. Forty-eight male mice (C57BL/6J) were divided into 5 groups: Group (G)-1-Western Control Diet; G-2-Western Diet 0.2% Cholesterol (WDC); G-3-WDC+0.7g/kg of GL; G-4-WDC+1.4g/ kg of GL; G-5 WDC+2.8g/kg of GL. Water and food consumption were recorded weekly. Animals were weighed individually, and their temperature was measured on the back and abdomen (thermographic camera FLIRE6390). Thirteen weeks later, animals were sacrificed, and organs collected. A liver portion was used for histopathology analysis (ethical approval no 8776). Chemical characterization of the GL extract was profiled by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. Ganoderic acid H and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were the main triterpenic and phenolic acids in the extract, respectively. Food and water consumption were no different among groups. All animals showed weight gain (11-16%): animals without GL supplementation showed the highest weight gain (G2 and G1, respectively); the groups with GL showed the lowest weight gain, which decreased as the mushroom concentration increased. Basal and final body temperatures remained constant. Liver weight was different among groups (p<0.05). Microvesicular (39/47; 83%) and macrovesicular fatty changes (steatosis) were the most frequent morphological changes in the liver. Hyperlipidemic diets consumption promoted weight gain and obesity. The higher weight gain in the groups not supplemented with GL suggested its anti-obesity properties. In this study, animals developed steatosis, which was not modified by GL supplementation. However, it should be noticed that the changes in lipid metabolism are reversible, and the differences observed in the liver relative weights, lower in the groups supplemented with GL, suggested an ongoing process of restoring to normal hepatocyte’s phenotype