AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE DOS SERVIÇOS PRESTADOS POR UM CENTRO DE ENSINO DE UMA UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL

A pesquisas de satisfação é de fundamental importância para o desenvolvimento de um ensino qualificado, e o conhecimento da perspectiva do aluno em relação a sua instituição de ensino é fundamental para a construção de uma educação superior sólida. Assim, o presente estudo relata a qualidade dos serviços suplementares oferecidos pelo Centro de Ensino. Os resultados apresentados foram avaliados através de um instrumento adaptado da dissertação de Coutinho (2007), para medir a satisfação que os alunos atribuem em relação aos serviços prestados. O método de pesquisa possibilitou a mensuração do índice de satisfação dos serviços, além de apontar quais necessitam de melhorias, contribuindo assim para a maior satisfação e melhora da performance dos serviços oferecidos na Instituição. Os principais resultados demonstram alto grau de satisfação para os serviços prestados, porém vale destacar a baixa satisfação em relação aos Laboratórios de Informática e com o serviço de Internet Wi-Fi. De modo geral, conclui-se que os alunos do Centro analisado avaliam o mesmo de forma positiva em relação aos seus serviços

Anatomical changes in Urochloa Plantaginea and Urochloa Platyphylla under different soil moisture conditions

Urochloa plantaginea and Urochloa platyphylla are common weeds in the highland area. However, in recent years, they have been found in wetlands and poorly drained soils, but the biology and behavior of the species in these conditions are not known. Thus, the objective was to assess anatomical changes in plants of Urochloa plantaginea and Urochloa platyphylla grown under different soil moisture conditions, as well as the adaptive structures generated as a result of each environment. A completely randomized experimental design in the form of a 2x2 factorial design was used, with factor A being two species of Urochloa (U. plantaginea and U. platyphylla), and species B being three soil moisture conditions (50 and 100% FC and 5 cm water depth), with four repetitions. The assessments were performed by means of anatomical cuts, observing the number and diameter (micrometers - μm) of aerenchymas in stems, roots and leaves; total diameter and the central root cylinder (μm); diameter of the fistula medulla and cortex (μm) in stems; mesophyll thickness and leaf midrib (μm). It was found that, for the two species of Urochloa, the water depth condition induced an increase in the number and diameter of aerenchymas in roots and leaves and provided a larger diameter of the fistulous pith in stems. The diameter of the central cylinder and the thickness of the leaf mesophyll midrib were more compact at 50% FC, also, for both species. Therefore, the adaptive structures generated vary as a result of the field capacity of the soil

Use of commercial mycorrhizal fungi in stress-free growing conditions of potted olive cuttings

Biofertilizers of mycorrhizal fungi have been mainly tested in nutrient-limited soils or harsh environmental conditions, which have helped to highlight their beneficial role in plant growth. However, their benefits in stress-free growing conditions have not yet been properly proven. In this work, a commercial mycorrhizal fungi, composed of 18 ecto and endomycorrhizal fungi, was tested in a pot experiment with young olive cuttings, under an experimental apparatus allowing the evaluation of dry matter yield and plant nutritional status after one and two years of growth. The results highlighted the role of the mycorrhiza in increasing P bioavailability, either evaluated by soil P labile fraction or through tissue P concentration. The role of mycorrhiza in increasing soil organic C was also relevant (7% higher than the control). Mycorrhiza had little effect on the uptake of other nutrients and on the alleviation of excessive levels of metals, in particular Fe, in the shoots. Instead, olive showed its own exclusion mechanisms, registering root Fe levels 50 times higher than in shoots. Mycorrhiza did not improve plant growth compared to the other fertilized treatments. The increase in plant dry matter observed in the mycorrhiza treatment in comparison to the control was probably due to the initial content of the commercial product of N, P and K (3% N, 3% P2O5 and 3% K2O). Under the conditions of this experiment, the farmer would not benefit from the use of this mycorrhizal fungi, but it nevertheless proved its value for agriculture, suggesting that commercial products should be targeted more towards specific purposes, than for generalized uses.This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and CITAB (UIDB/04033/2020). The research was integrated in the activities of the Operational Group “Novas práticas em olivais de sequeiro: estratégias de mitigação e adaptação às alteraçõeses climáticas”, funded by PT2020 and EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ascorbate-glutathione cycle genes families in Euphorbiaceae : characterization and evolutionary analysis

Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), Monodehydroascorbate Reductase (MDAR), Dehydroascorbate Reductase (DHAR) and Glutathione Reductase (GR) enzymes participate in the ascorbateglutathione cycle, which exerts a central role in the antioxidant metabolism in plants. Despite the importance of this antioxidant system in different signal transduction networks related to development and response to environmental stresses, the pathway has not yet been comprehensively characterized in many crop plants. Among different eudicotyledons, the Euphorbiaceae family is particularly diverse with some species highly tolerant to drought. Here the APX, MDAR, DHAR, and GR genes in Ricinus communis, Jatropha curcas, Manihot esculenta, and Hevea brasiliensis were identified and characterized. The comprehensive phylogenetic and genomic analyses allowed the classification of the genes into different classes, equivalent to cytosolic, peroxisomal, chloroplastic, and mitochondrial enzymes, and revealed the duplication events that contribute to the expansion of these families within plant genomes. Due to the high drought stress tolerance of Ricinus communis, the expression patterns of ascorbate-glutathione cycle genes in response to drought were also analyzed in leaves and roots, indicating a differential expression during the stress. Altogether, these data contributed to the characterization of the expression pattern and evolutionary analysis of these genes, filling the gap in the proposed functions of core components of the antioxidant mechanism during stress response in an economically relevant group of plants

Amazonia as a carbon source linked to deforestation and climate change

Amazonia hosts the Earth's largest tropical forests and has been shown to be an important carbon sink over recent decades1-3. This carbon sink seems to be in decline, however, as a result of factors such as deforestation and climate change1-3. Here we investigate Amazonia's carbon budget and the main drivers responsible for its change into a carbon source. We performed 590 aircraft vertical profiling measurements of lower-tropospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide at four sites in Amazonia from 2010 to 20184. We find that total carbon emissions are greater in eastern Amazonia than in the western part, mostly as a result of spatial differences in carbon-monoxide-derived fire emissions. Southeastern Amazonia, in particular, acts as a net carbon source (total carbon flux minus fire emissions) to the atmosphere. Over the past 40 years, eastern Amazonia has been subjected to more deforestation, warming and moisture stress than the western part, especially during the dry season, with the southeast experiencing the strongest trends5-9. We explore the effect of climate change and deforestation trends on carbon emissions at our study sites, and find that the intensification of the dry season and an increase in deforestation seem to promote ecosystem stress, increase in fire occurrence, and higher carbon emissions in the eastern Amazon. This is in line with recent studies that indicate an increase in tree mortality and a reduction in photosynthesis as a result of climatic changes across Amazonia1,10.</p

Amazonia as a carbon source linked to deforestation and climate change

Amazonia hosts the Earth’s largest tropical forests and has been shown to be an important carbon sink over recent decades1,2,3. This carbon sink seems to be in decline, however, as a result of factors such as deforestation and climate change1,2,3. Here we investigate Amazonia’s carbon budget and the main drivers responsible for its change into a carbon source. We performed 590 aircraft vertical profiling measurements of lower-tropospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide at four sites in Amazonia from 2010 to 20184. We find that total carbon emissions are greater in eastern Amazonia than in the western part, mostly as a result of spatial differences in carbon-monoxide-derived fire emissions. Southeastern Amazonia, in particular, acts as a net carbon source (total carbon flux minus fire emissions) to the atmosphere. Over the past 40 years, eastern Amazonia has been subjected to more deforestation, warming and moisture stress than the western part, especially during the dry season, with the southeast experiencing the strongest trends5,6,7,8,9. We explore the effect of climate change and deforestation trends on carbon emissions at our study sites, and find that the intensification of the dry season and an increase in deforestation seem to promote ecosystem stress, increase in fire occurrence, and higher carbon emissions in the eastern Amazon. This is in line with recent studies that indicate an increase in tree mortality and a reduction in photosynthesis as a result of climatic changes across Amazonia1,10

CO2 emissions in the Amazon: are bottom-up estimates from land use and cover datasets consistent with top-down estimates based on atmospheric measurements?

Amazon forests are the largest forests in the tropics and play a fundamental role for regional and global ecosystem service provision. However, they are under threat primarily from deforestation. Amazonia's carbon balance trend reflects the condition of its forests. There are different approaches to estimate large-scale carbon balances, including top-down (e.g., CO2 atmospheric measurements combined with atmospheric transport information) and bottom-up (e.g., land use and cover change (LUCC) data based on remote sensing methods). It is important to understand their similarities and differences. Here we provide bottom-up LUCC estimates and determine to what extent they are consistent with recent top-down flux estimates during 2010 to 2018 for the Brazilian Amazon. We combine LUCC datasets resulting in annual LUCC maps from 2010 to 2018 with emissions and removals for each LUCC, and compare the resulting CO2 estimates with top-down estimates based on atmospheric measurements. We take into account forest carbon stock maps for estimating loss processes, and carbon uptake of regenerating and mature forests. In the bottom-up approach total CO2 emissions (2010 to 2018), deforestation and degradation are the largest contributing processes accounting for 58% (4.3 PgCO2) and 37% (2.7 PgCO2) respectively. Looking at the total carbon uptake, primary forests play a dominant role accounting for 79% (−5.9 PgCO2) and secondary forest growth for 17% (−1.2 PgCO2). Overall, according to our bottom-up estimates the Brazilian Amazon is a carbon sink until 2014 and a source from 2015 to 2018. In contrast according to the top-down approach the Brazilian Amazon is a source during the entire period. Both approaches estimate largest emissions in 2016. During the period where flux signs are the same (2015–2018) top-down estimates are approximately 3 times larger in 2015–2016 than bottom-up estimates while in 2017–2018 there is closer agreement. There is some agreement between the approaches–notably that the Brazilian Amazon has been a source during 2015–2018 however there are also disagreements. Generally, emissions estimated by the bottom-up approach tend to be lower. Understanding the differences will help improve both approaches and our understanding of the Amazon carbon cycle under human pressure and climate change