Microcassiope minor (Dana, 1852): a description of the first stage zoea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae)

The first stage zoea of Microcassiope minor (Dana, 1852) is described, illustrated and compared with thirteen other known Xanthinae. This comparison suggests that M. minor is closely related to another Atlantic Ocean xanthid, Nanocassiope melanodactyla (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867). Such an affinity may indicate that the genus Nanocassiope Guinot, 1967) is not a homogenous taxon

Automating the processing steps for obtaining bone tissue engineered substitutes : from imaging tools to bioreactors.

Bone diseases and injuries are highly incapacitating and result in a high demand for tissue substitutes with specific biomechanical and structural features. Tissue engineering has already proven to be effective in regenerating bone tissue but has not yet been able to become an economically viable solution due to the complexity of the tissue which is very difficult to be replicated, eventually requiring the utilization of highly labour-intensive processes. Process automation is seen as the solution for mass production of cellularized bone tissue substitutes at an affordable cost by being able to reduce human intervention as well as reducing product variability. The combination of tools such as medical imaging, computer-aided fabrication and bioreactor technologies, which are currently used in tissue engineering, shows potential to generate automated production ecosystems which will in turn enable the generation of commercially available products with widespread clinical application.The authors would like to acknowledge the partial support by the European Network of Excellence EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283). Pedro Costa would also like to acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for his PhD grant (SFRH/BD/62452/2009)

Sol-Gel Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Microwave Dielectric Properties of Bismuth Niobate Modified by Iron Inclusion

The current progress in communication technologies is leading to extensive studies on the development of miniaturized electronic devices with high electromagnetic performances, reliability, and low cost. Contributing to this purpose, the development and study of new materials, with promising electric properties in radio and microwave ranges, have been subject of our research in particular niobate-based materials. Bismuth niobate, BiNbO4, is a low-firing ceramic that has been studied for a variety of applications in the microelectronic industry. In this work, the microwave dielectric characterization of (Bi1−x Fex )NbO4 (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 1.00) samples, prepared by the sol-gel method and heat treated at specific temperatures, is performed and related with their structure and morphology. The structural data were obtained by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy and the morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The dielectric characterization in the microwave region was made using the small perturbation theory, with a resonant cavity operating in TE105 mode, at the frequency of 2.7 GHz. The results show that the sol-gel method has the advantage of allowing the formation of α-BiNbO4 phase at lower temperatures when compared with conventional preparation methods, and that the inclusion of iron inhibits the formation of low- and high-temperature β-BiNbO4 phases

Some factors that may affect the physical-chemical properties of blueberries

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different production and conservation factors on some properties of blueberries. Among the production factors considered were cultivar (Duke, Bluecrop and Ozarkblue) and production mode (organic or conventional). Regarding the conservation factors were evaluated temperature (ambient or refrigeration) and storage time (0, 7 and 14 days). The properties under study belong to three categories: physical properties (color and texture); chemical properties (moisture content, sugars and acidity) and phenolic and antioxidant properties (total phenols, anthocyanins, tannins, ABTS antioxidant activity, DPPH antioxidant activity).The results revealed that moisture content was only influenced by cultivar and that both acidity and sugar contents varied according to the production mode used. Also it was evidenced that the antioxidant activity was not statistically different between cultivars, production modes or conservation conditions. Regarding the phenolic compounds, the tannins were significantly higher for the blueberries produced in organic agriculture. Regarding color significant differences were also encountered and the most intense blue was found in blueberries from cv. Duke, produced in organic farming and stored under refrigeration. Textural attributes were also very significantly influenced by all factors at study: cultivar, production mode and conservation, and the berries from cv. Duke stored under refrigeration showed the highest firmness

Tree-based Coarsening and Partitioning of Complex Networks

Many applications produce massive complex networks whose analysis would benefit from parallel processing. Parallel algorithms, in turn, often require a suitable network partition. For solving optimization tasks such as graph partitioning on large networks, multilevel methods are preferred in practice. Yet, complex networks pose challenges to established multilevel algorithms, in particular to their coarsening phase. One way to specify a (recursive) coarsening of a graph is to rate its edges and then contract the edges as prioritized by the rating. In this paper we (i) define weights for the edges of a network that express the edges' importance for connectivity, (ii) compute a minimum weight spanning tree $T^m$ with respect to these weights, and (iii) rate the network edges based on the conductance values of $T^m$'s fundamental cuts. To this end, we also (iv) develop the first optimal linear-time algorithm to compute the conductance values of \emph{all} fundamental cuts of a given spanning tree. We integrate the new edge rating into a leading multilevel graph partitioner and equip the latter with a new greedy postprocessing for optimizing the maximum communication volume (MCV). Experiments on bipartitioning frequently used benchmark networks show that the postprocessing already reduces MCV by 11.3%. Our new edge rating further reduces MCV by 10.3% compared to the previously best rating with the postprocessing in place for both ratings. In total, with a modest increase in running time, our new approach reduces the MCV of complex network partitions by 20.4%

Study about attitudes, perceptions and knowledge regardind edible insects in Portugal

Os insetos têm sido apontados como uma fonte alternativa e mais sustentável de proteína animal, que pode ajudar a alimentar a crescente população mundial. Devido à menor pegada e impacto ambiental, a substituição parcial da proteína animal por insetos pode contribuir para a preservação do meio ambiente e dos ecossistemas naturais. No entanto, o consumo de insetos comestíveis, embora culturalmente aceite em algumas comunidades, não é prontamente aceite noutras. Assim, este trabalho investigou o conhecimento, atitudes, hábitos de consumo e grau de aceitabilidade de insetos ou produtos derivados entre consumidores portugueses. Este estudo foi baseado numa pesquisa por questionário, realizada numa amostra de 213 participantes. Os resultados mostraram que os portugueses tendem a ter perceções corretas sobre as questões de sustentabilidade relacionadas com a utilização de insetos como alternativa a carnes convencionais. No entanto, o grau de conhecimento sobre o valor nutritivo dos insetos e possíveis efeitos na saúde é baixo. Entre os indivíduos pesquisados, apenas uma pequena percentagem indicou já ter comido insetos, consumidos maioritariamente no estrangeiro, por iniciativa própria, seja em restaurantes ou em festas/eventos sociais. Não surpreendentemente, observou-se que há uma maior relutância em consumir insetos inteiros do que em ingeri-los como ingredientes utilizados em preparações alimentares. Assim, em conclusão, a investigação revelou que os portugueses ainda apresentam alguma resistência para aderir ao consumo de insetos como alternativa a outros produtos cárneos, mas não se descarta que o mercado de produtos à base de insetos possa ser uma forma de ultrapassar a neofobia associada a este tipo de alimentos num país tradicionalmente não comedor de insetos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) broods: composition, technology and gastronomic applicability

Honey bee broods (larvae and pupae) can be consumed as human food, offering a rich nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of this work was to present an overview of the nutritional value of the honey bee brood and its gastronomic potential. The results indicated that honey bee broods are rich in protein (including essential amino acids), fat (essentially saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids), carbohydrates, vitamin C and those of the B complex, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous. The results further highlight some variability according to the stage of development, with increasing content of fat and protein and decreasing carbohydrates from the larval to the pupal stages. The production of the honey bee brood in the hive, as well as its removal, can impact the wellbeing of the hive. This limits the production potential of the brood aimed at application for gastronomic purposes. The consumption and purchase of honey bee broods as food may be accessible in specialised markets where, for example, ethnic communities consume this type of food. However, in some markets, insects or products produced from insects are not readily accepted because of neophobia and disgust. The role of culinary chefs allied to traditional ways of preparing culinary dishes that include honey bee broods are relevant to motivate more people in western societies to consume of these types of food products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Broods: Composition, Technology and Gastronomic Applicability

Honey bee broods (larvae and pupae) can be consumed as human food, offering a rich nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of this work was to present an overview of the nutritional value of the honey bee brood and its gastronomic potential. The results indicated that honey bee broods are rich in protein (including essential amino acids), fat (essentially saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids), carbohydrates, vitamin C and those of the B complex, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous. The results further highlight some variability according to the stage of development, with increasing content of fat and protein and decreasing carbohydrates from the larval to the pupal stages. The production of the honey bee brood in the hive, as well as its removal, can impact the wellbeing of the hive. This limits the production potential of the brood aimed at application for gastronomic purposes. The consumption and purchase of honey bee broods as food may be accessible in specialised markets where, for example, ethnic communities consume this type of food. However, in some markets, insects or products produced from insects are not readily accepted because of neophobia and disgust. The role of culinary chefs allied to traditional ways of preparing culinary dishes that include honey bee broods are relevant to motivate more people in western societies to consume of these types of food products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Study of characters correlated with dry fruit yield in the "Guaraná" tree

No presente trabalho, foi desenvolvido um estudo referente à variabilidade, correlação e repetibilidade dos caracteres de tamanho de inflorescência, número de botões, número de frutos e número de sementes por fruto do guaranazeiro (Paullinia cupania var. sorbilis). Os resultados indicaram que estes fatores apresentam grande diversidade genética, onde os caracteres de tamanho de inflorescência, número de botões e número de sementes poderão estabelecer um bom incremento genético de seleção, em decorrência do valor de repetibiidade apresentado. Foi observado, também, que o modo de reprodução da planta e a relação de flores femininas e masculinas em uma inflorescência podem ser os responsáveis pela baixa correlação entre alguns dos caracteres estudados.A study of variability, genetic correlation and repeatability was undertaken for the characters size of inflorescence, number of flower buds, fruit/inflorescence and seed/fruits ratio, of the "guaraná" tree (Paullinia cupania var. sorbilis) whose dry seeds are used to make the Brazilian soft drink called "guaraná". It has been found that these characters may potentially display a large genetic diversity and that the inflorescence size, number of flower buds and seed/fruit ratio may be managed as a reliable index to a meaningful increment through selection due to its repeatability. It has also been shown that the low correlation found between yield and other characters studied may be ascribed to the pollination mechanism and the variability of the male/female flower ratio of this monoecious species