Heterotrophy as a tool to overcome the long and costly autotrophic scale-up process for large scale production of microalgae

Industrial scale-up of microalgal cultures is often a protracted step prone to culture collapse and the occurrence of unwanted contaminants. To solve this problem, a two-stage scale-up process was developed - heterotrophically Chlorella vulgaris cells grown in fermenters (1st stage) were used to directly inoculate an outdoor industrial autotrophic microalgal production unit (2nd stage). A preliminary pilot-scale trial revealed that C. vulgaris cells grown heterotrophically adapted readily to outdoor autotrophic growth conditions (1-m3 photobioreactors) without any measurable difference as compared to conventional autotrophic inocula. Biomass concentration of 174.5 g L-1, the highest value ever reported for this microalga, was achieved in a 5-L fermenter during scale-up using the heterotrophic route. Inocula grown in 0.2- and 5-m3 industrial fermenters with mean productivity of 27.54 ± 5.07 and 31.86 ± 2.87 g L-1 d-1, respectively, were later used to seed several outdoor 100-m3 tubular photobioreactors. Overall, all photobioreactor cultures seeded from the heterotrophic route reached standard protein and chlorophyll contents of 52.18 ± 1.30% of DW and 23.98 ± 1.57 mg g-1 DW, respectively. In addition to providing reproducible, high-quality inocula, this two-stage approach led to a 5-fold and 12-fold decrease in scale-up time and occupancy area used for industrial scale-up, respectively.Agência financiadora project FERMALG 017608 Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) UID/Multi/04326/2019 project FERMALG (AVISO) 32/SI/2015info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biochar of sawdust origin in passion fruit seedling production.

Great part of solid waste are deposited inappropriately near cities or in rural areas, contributing to negative environmental impacts. There are numerous forms of waste processing, one of them is pyrolysis to produce biochar and subsequent use in agricultural systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate different substrates with activated biochar (AB) and biochar (B) in substrate and its effect on the growth of passion fruit seedlings. The test was conducted in a nursery, located in Sinop/MT, May to July 2013, designed in four blocks with ten treatments: commercial substrate (CS), composed by pine bark and vermiculite 4:1; nursery substrate (NS) composed by carbonized rice husk and coconut fiber 1:1; and the eigth treatments represented were B and AB additions of 25; 50; 75; and 100% in CS, (B25, B50, B75, B100, AB25, AB50, AB75 and AB100, respectively). After 60 days sowing the stem diameter, plant height, leaf number was evaluated and at the end of the experiment the fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots, and Dickson Quality Index (DQI) were assessed. AB at concentrations of 25, 50 and 75% combined with commercial substrate showed increases in parameters fresh and dry biomass weight, height, stem diameter and number of leaves. The dose of 25% AB is presented as the best dose to be adopted in commercial crops. The sawdust processed into AB is an alternative in the production of passion fruit system and the reintegration of this raw material to the productive sector

Primary Total Elbow Arthroplasty in the Treatment of Complex Elbow Fracture: A Case Report

Introduction: Some elbow fractures are very complex with inadequate bone stock, so it is not possible to perform a stable fixation. However, loss of basic elbow function can severely affect daily living activities. There are few alternatives to internal fixation, but arthroplasty can be a reasonable option. The aim of this case report is to evaluate the role of primary total elbow arthroplasty in the treatment of complex elbow fractures. Case study: A 54-year-old male patient presented at our emergency department in the sequence of a motorcycle accident, which caused an open fracture of the left elbow, classified as type IIIB of Gustilo and Anderson. The X-ray showed comminuted fractures of distal humerus and proximal ulna with bone loss from both epiphysis. He started antibiotherapy and was submitted to immediate surgical debridement, provisional fixation with an external fixator and skin closure. The external fixator was removed 2 months after, when the patient presented with great elbow instability. The X-ray and the Computed Tomography showed signals of malunion and bone loss, which prevented any kind of fixation. Therefore, 3 months after, the patient was submitted to elbow joint replacement. A posterior approach was used, in which the triceps was reflected and was applied a linked arthroplasty - Coonrad-Morrey total elbow arthroplasty. On the second week after surgery, passive motion was started and by the fourth week, progressed to active motion. Six months after, he presented without significant pain and with a range of motion of 0° to 135º. Conclusions: Although rarely used, total elbow arthroplasty may be the choice in selected patients with elbow fractures with loss of bone. As shown in this case, this treatment can lead to a satisfactory functional recovery. Despite having some complications, more recent studies encourage its use in the future

Abundância de Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) em diferentes subprodutos canavieiros.

Um aumento na abundância de Stomoxys calcitrans tem sido observado em áreas de produção sucroalcooleira devido aos subprodutos orgânicos resultantes desta atividade. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a abundância desta espécie em diferentes subprodutos da cana-de-açúcar. De janeiro a dezembro de 2011, a abundância de S. calcitrans foi monitorada em quatro subprodutos: bagaço, palha, torta de filtro (TF) e palha com vinhaça (PV), em uma usina sucroalcooleira no município de Angélica, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Mensalmente, 20 armadilhas de emergência foram distribuídas em cada substrato, mantidas ativas por quatro semanas. Durante todo o período de estudo, 4.049 espécimes de S. calcitrans foram coletados nos diferentes substratos, representando 9,22% do total de dípteros capturados nas armadilhas. Os quatro subprodutos amostrados apresentaram significativas diferenças em relação à abundância de S. calcitrans, sendo maior na TF (67,20%) e na PV (29,19%). Picos de abundância foram observados em junho (PV) e outubro (PV e TF). Maior produtividade de S. calcitrans foi observada na TF (55,8 moscas/m2) e na PV (24,2 moscas/m2), com produção média mensal de S. calcitrans na usina estimada em 37 mil e 24 milhões, respectivamente. A elevada capacidade de reprodução da S. calcitrans em subprodutos da usina explica as explosões populacionais desta espécie, ocorridas recentemente em fazendas pecuárias próximas a usinas sucroalcooleiras.Título em inglês: Abundance of Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) in different sugar cane byproducts

Immature hard ticks infected with Rickettsia amblyommatis on breeding birds from Pantanal

Immature hard ticks from the genus Amblyomma feed on blood from a wide range of Neotropical avian hosts. They serve as vectors for pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, such as Rickettsia agents of the spotted fever group (SFG). Hence, determining ecological factors that increase encounter rates between immature ticks and their avian hosts may contribute to the understanding of tick-borne diseases transmission. Here, we used 720 individual birds from 96 species surveyed in the Brazilian Pantanal to test whether host breeding season influenced tick infestation probabilities. Additionally, collected ticks were screened for Rickettsia agents to describe new avian-tick-bacteria associations. Our models revealed that the probability of an individual bird being infested with immature ticks was similar during the breeding and pre-breeding season, but higher loads of immature tick stages were found during the breeding season. Host sex did not predict infestation probability, but Rickettsia agents recovered from ticks were more prevalent during the pre-breeding season. The new records of host usage by larvae and nymphs of Amblyomma in Pantanal and the growing body of tick surveys in Neotropical avian communities, suggest that immature ticks may benefit from avian blood sources during their annual cycle. The low number of infected ticks with Rickettsia agents on Pantanal birds suggest that this vertebrate group are likely not acting as reservoirs for these microorganisms. However, long-term surveys at the same site are imperative to determine which tick species are acting as reservoirs for Rickettsia agents in Pantanal and determine whether birds are playing a role in dispersing ticks and tick-borne pathogens.Fil: Fecchio, Alan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica; Argentina. Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso (ufmt);Fil: Martins, Thiago Fernandes. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Secretaria de Estado Da Saude de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Dias, Raphael I.. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Bell, Jeffrey A.. University Of North Dakota; Estados UnidosFil: Pinho, João B.. Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso (ufmt);Fil: Silva, Victoria Luiza de Barros. Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso (ufmt);Fil: Pacheco, Richard de Campos. Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso (ufmt)

Cytogenetic data on six leafcutter ants of the genus Acromyrmex Mayr, 1865 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae): insights into chromosome evolution and taxonomic implications

Cytogenetic data for the genus Acromyrmex Mayr, 1865 are available, to date, for a few species from Brazil and Uruguay, which have uniform chromosome numbers (2n = 38). The recent cytogenetic data of Acromyrmex striatus (Roger, 1863), including its banding patterns, showed a distinct karyotype (2n = 22), similar to earlier studied Atta Fabricius, 1804 species. Karyological data are still scarce for the leafcutter ants and many gaps are still present for a proper understanding of this group. Therefore, this study aimed at increasing cytogenetic knowledge of the genus through the characterization of other six species: Acromyrmex balzani (Emery, 1890), A. coronatus Fabricius, 1804, A. disciger (Mayr, 1887), A. echinatior (Forel, 1899), A. niger (Smith, 1858) and A. rugosus (Smith, 1858), all of which were collected in Minas Gerais – Brazil, except for A. echinatior which was collected in Barro Colorado – Panama. The number and morphology of the chromosomes were studied and the following banding techniques were applied: C-banding, fluorochromes CMA3 and DAPI, as well as the detection of 45S rDNA using FISH technique. All the six species had the same chromosome number observed for already studied species, i.e. 2n = 38. A. balzani had a different karyotype compared with other species mainly due to the first metacentric pair. The heterochromatin distribution also showed interspecific variation. Nevertheless, all the studied species had a pair of bands in the short arm of the first subtelocentric pair. The fluorochrome CMA3 visualized bands in the short arm of the first subtelocentric pair for all the six species, while A. rugosus and A. niger also demonstrated in the other chromosomes. The AT-rich regions with differential staining using DAPI were not observed. 45S ribosomal genes were identified by FISH in the short arm of the first subtelocentric pair in A. coronatus, A. disciger and A. niger. The uniform chromosome number in the genus Acromyrmex (2n = 38) suggests that A. striatus (2n = 22) should be transferred to a new genus. Other aspects of the chromosome evolution in ants are also discussed

Borda Oeste do Pantanal e Maciço do Urucum em Corumbá, MS: área prioritária para conservação da biodiversidade.

A região do Maciço do Urucum e adjacências apresenta característica ímpar dentro do Estado do Mato Grosso Sul e do Brasil, em função das influências que recebe de ecossistemas vizinhos, dos endemismos existentes e da ocorrência de espécies de distribuição no Brasil restrita a esta área. A região é uma península com 1.311 km2 de áreas não inundáveis que penetra o Pantanal. Nesta estreita faixa, as atividades de mineração, de indústrias, o crescimento urbano, a expansão de assentamentos rurais e a ampliação de áreas de agropecuária têm potencial para causar impactos profundos na biodiversidade, podendo aumentar o já preocupante estado de fragmentação da vegetação, causando isolamento entre populações, aumentando os riscos de extinção local. Foram levantadas as espécies ameaçadas, raras, endêmicas, de distribuição restrita no país, com problemas taxonômicos e prováveis espécies novas que ocorrem na região. The Urucum Mountains and its surroundings present unique characteristics in the Mato Grosso do Sul state and in Brazil, due to the influences this region receives from neighbor ecosystems, the endemism, and the occurrence in Brazil restrict to this area. The region represents a peninsula of non floodable terrain with 1,311 km2 that enters the Pantanal wetlands. In this narrow area, mining, industries, urban expansion, rural settlements, and increased agricultural areas potentially impact the biodiversity due to habitat destruction and fragmentation. We listed endemic species, as well as rare, endangered, restrictedly distributed, taxonomically unsolved, and potentially new species already known to the region

The Lisbon Cohort of men who have sex with men

Purpose Newly diagnosed HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) are rising in many European countries. Surveillance tools must be tailored to the current state of the epidemic, and include decentralised prospective monitoring of HIV incidence and behavioural changes in key populations. In this scenario, an open prospective cohort study was assembled—The Lisbon Cohort of MSM—aiming to dynamically monitor the frequency of disease and its predictors. Participants The Lisbon Cohort of MSM is an ongoing observational prospective study conducted at a community-based voluntary HIV counselling and testing centre in Lisbon, Portugal (CheckpointLX). Men testing negative for HIV, aged 18 or over and reporting having had sex with men are invited to follow-up visits every 6 months. At each evaluation, a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire is conducted, and HIV and syphilis rapid tests are performed by trained peer counsellors. From April 2011 to February 2014, 3106 MSM were eligible to the cohort of whom 923 (29.7%) did not participate. The remaining 2183 (70.3%) MSM were enrolled and 804 had at least one follow-up evaluation, for a total of 893 person-years of observation. Future plans The study findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. The follow-up of this cohort of HIV-negative MSM will be a valuable tool for monitoring HIV incidence in a setting where limited prospective information existed. Moreover, it will allow for a deeper analytical approach to the study of population time trends and individual changes in risk factors that currently shape the HIV epidemic among MSM

Lipid profile adjustments may contribute to warming acclimation and to heat impact mitigation by elevated [CO2] in Coffea spp

This work was supported by European Union, Program Horizon 2020, call H2020-SFS-2016-2, action RIA, and Portuguese national funds from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (project PTDC/ASP-AGR/31257/2017; Funding from CNPq (fellowships to E. Campostrini, F.L. Partelli, and F.M. DaMatta) is also acknowledged.An unexpected heat resilience, and the mitigation of heat impacts by elevated [CO2] were recently reported in Coffea spp. Plants must maintain membrane fluidity and integrity to cope with temperature changes, which requires an adequate lipid dynamics. This work provides the lipid profile (galactolipids, GL; phospholipids, PL; sulfolipids, SL) of chloroplast membranes, and the expression of a set of genes related to lipid metabolism in Coffea arabica L. (cv. Icatu and IPR108) and C. canephora cv. Conilon CL153, under elevated [CO2] (380 or 700 μL L−1), heat (25/20, 31/25, 37/30 and 42/34 °C, day/night) and their interaction. Major membrane lipids alterations, different among genotypes, included: A) responsiveness of total fatty acids (TFAs) synthesis to [CO2] (except IPR108) and heat (except CL153); stronger remodeling (unsaturation degree) in the 700-plants from 37/30 °C to 42/34 °C, coordinated at transcriptional level with the down-regulation of fatty acid desaturase FAD3 gene (C. arabica) and up-regulation of lipoxygenase genes LOX5A (CL153 and Icatu) and LOX5B (Icatu) at the highest temperature; B) quantitative and qualitative modifications in GL (monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, MGDG; digalactosyldiacylglycerol, DGDG), PL (phosphatidylcholine, PC; phosphatidylglycerol, PG), and SL (sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, SQDG) classes, prompted by heat, elevated [CO2], and, especially, the interaction, in CL153 and Icatu. Overall membrane enrichment with MGDG and DGDG as a result of heat and [CO2] interaction in these genotypes, but at the highest temperature only in Icatu the high [CO2] maintained greater contents and unsaturation values of these GLs than in the 380-plants. C) Among PL classes, PG seems to play an active role in heat acclimation of C. arabica genotypes, increasing in 700-plants at 42/34 °C. Globally, Icatu often showed changes closer to those of heat tolerant cv. CL153 than to cv. IPR108. Overall, lipid profile adjustments in chloroplast membranes, from TFAs bulk until FA unsaturation within each class, are expected to contribute to long-term acclimation to climate changes in coffee plant.publishersversionpublishe