Identification and validation of microsatellite markers in strawberry tree (Arbutusunedo L.)

Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.), an evergreen shrub/small tree of the family Ericaceae, is a main constituent of the Mediterranean basin flora; although it is also found in southwestern Prance, Macaronesia, and Ireland. The small fruits are edible but mostly used for preparation of preserves and jams, and for liquors such as the Portuguese traditional "aguardente de medronho". Traditionally cultivated by small farmers, often in consociation with Quercus sp., strawberry tree is presently emerging as a new important fruit crop cultivated in large orchards by modern export-oriented enterprises. This change of paradigm requires a growing role of plant breeding, upstream of the production process. Genomic tools for this species are mostly limited to the chloroplast genome sequence and to genomic data described in this work. In order to identify strawberry tree microsatellite (SSR) loci we performed partial genome next-generation sequencing using the Ion Torrent technology. The sequenced similar to 24.6M nucleotides resulted in the identification of 1185 microsatellite markers mostly constituted by dinucleotide motifs. The relative amount of microsatellite dinucleotide motifs (AG/CT - 71.7%, AC/GT - 20.5%, AT/AT - 2.9%, and CG/CG - 0.3%) is similar to the one observed in other Ericaceae species. Among a tested sample of 40 SSR primer pairs, 20 amplified well-defined PCR products, 12 (30%) were validated as polymorphic. Used in our collaborative project for molecular identification of selected and improved clones, the identified SSR loci constitute a strong tool for a large panoply of applied and fundamental studies of this emerging fruit crop.Pluriannual Funding Program of the Portuguese National Foundation for Science and Technologyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implementação de um Plano de Manutenção Preventiva numa Unidade de Produção de Cerveja

O presente relatório surge no âmbito da Dissertação em Ambiente Empresarial, do 5º ano do Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Eletrotécnica e de Computadores (MIEEC), ramo de Automação e especialização em Gestão Industrial, da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto. O projeto decorreu no Departamento de Manutenção da UNICER Bebidas, S.A., no centro de Leça do Balio, e aborda a implementação de manutenção preventiva em SAP-PM, debruçando-se sobre a uniformização de procedimentos, planeamento de tarefas e sobre o ensinamento de utilização da ferramenta SAP, módulo Plant Maintenance, a todos os intervenientes no processo de manutenção da empresa. Todos os equipamentos estão sujeitos a ver as suas condições normais de operação degradadas com o decorrer do tempo, seja pela sua utilização ou até por causas fortuitas, sendo a manutenção responsável por repor essa operacionalidade em níveis corretos e aceitáveis. Deste modo, a manutenção procura recorrer a um conjunto diversificado de tarefas selecionadas e programadas de acordo com as características e utilização do seu objeto. Os principais objetivos do projeto incidem na implementação de manutenção preventiva em equipamentos críticos da empresa, na uniformização de conhecimentos e na estandardização de processos, de modo a que haja um maior rigor e critério na utilização da ferramenta SAP como apoio ao Serviço de Manutenção da empresa. Deste modo, procurou-se melhorar as transações existentes, criaram-se planos preventivos aos equipamentos considerados prioritários pela UNICER Bebidas, S.A. e procedeu-se à criação de um manual SAP-PM, que servirá de apoio aos técnicos de manutenção e aos principais "clientes" envolvidos no processo, sendo eles a área de Produção e de Enchimento.This report is part of the Dissertation in Business Environment of the 5th year of the Integrated Master in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MIEEC), Automation and specialization in Industrial Management, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto. The project was conducted at the Maintenance Department of UNICER Bebidas, SA, in the center of Leça do Balio, and covers the implementation of preventive maintenance in SAP-PM, focusing on the standardization of procedures, planning of tasks and on the teaching of the SAP tool, Plant Maintenance module, to all stakeholders in the company's maintenance process. An equipment is subject to have their normal operating conditions degraded over time, either by its use or even by fortuitous causes, being the maintenance process the part responsible for restoring them to correct and acceptable levels. In this way, the maintenance tries to resort to a diverse set of tasks, selected and programmed according to the characteristics and use of the object. The main goals of the project involve the implementation of preventive maintenance in critical equipment of the company, the uniformity of knowledge and the standardization of processes, in order to have a more rigorous use of the SAP tool in support to the Maintenance service of the company. In this way, the existing transactions were improved, preventive plans were created for critical equipment identified by UNICER Bebidas, SA and a SAP-PM manual was created, which will serve as support to the maintenance technicians and main "customers" involved in the process, which are the "Production" and "Filling" areas

Identificação de marcadores SSR e de SNPs em medronheiro (Arbutus unedo L.) por sequenciação massiva paralela

Mestrado em Engenharia Agronómica - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThe strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) is native to the Mediterranean region. The use of molecular markers in this species has been limited to the use of RAPDs, ISSRs as well to the cross-amplification of SSRs from other Ericaceae. In this work, we developed a protocol for extracting nuclear DNA from the strawberry tree and performed partial next-generation sequencing of the Arbutus unedo L. genome using the "Ion Torrent" (Life Technologies) platform. The next-generation sequencing resulted in 198,856 sequences ("raw data") with an average size of 123 bp, which were uploaded to the NCBI database "Sequence Read Archive" (SRA) with the accession number: SRX341237. Data analysis led to the identification of 1085 microsatellite-containing sequences, which were also uploaded with accession numbers: from KF023636 to KF024720 to the NCBI databases. Primers were designed for 18 microsatellite loci of which only three have proved to be polymorphic in a panel of 16 samples. Based on identified 25 SNPs one CAPS marker was developed, which despite being heterozygous revealed to be monomorphic among the 16 analyzed samples

O quarteirão criativo : potenciador criativo de conexões culturais

Exame público realizado em 24 Abril 2015Dissertação de mestrado realizada no âmbito do Mestrado em ArquitecturaResumo: A partir do estudo evolutivo do quarteirão, e premissas que o condicionaram ao longo das épocas históricas, conceptualmente e formalmente, surge a necessidade de análise das problemáticas actuais. Nesse contexto, abordagens aos tempos globais que modificam a identidade das cidades, as políticas de consumo, representadas fisicamente por centros comerciais, e a forma como a reabilitação responde ao crescimento zero das cidades em momentos de crise económica, social e cultural, parecem-nos pertinentes, dado que todos estes pressupostos se apresentam relacionados e, condicionam a abordagem aos quarteirões enquanto espaço de intervenção. Como possível resposta surge a criatividade, onde os agentes principais são denominados de Classe Criativa, e o lugar destes apresenta-se de diversas maneiras entre as quais, as Indústrias Criativas. Neste panorama a abordagem à cidade, como cidade criativa, conexa e cultural parece uma abordagem que procura responder e organizar alguns dos indicativos de mudança. No enquadramento dos dois conceitos, pretendemos entender qual o papel do quarteirão enquanto disseminador da criatividade, e em que medida este se apresenta benéfico para a cidade, na reformulação de pressupostos e criação de novos. Com efeito, torna-se necessário compreender como estes conceitos se aplicam na cidade, em concreto no quarteirão, através do estudo de autores como Goitia, Mumford e Lamas, no estudo do espaço quarteirão em diferentes épocas e suas premissas de desenvolvimento. Na vertente dos conceitos Criativos, apoiamos o estudo em autores como Charles Landry, Richard Florida e Pink, para uma melhor compreensão desta actividade baseada na cultura, razão e conhecimento, e a sua mais-valia na restruturação da cidade. Com base neste entendimento, apresenta-se um ensaio projectual, o Quarteirão Criativo, em Santa Maria da Feira, que apresenta um conjunto arquitectónico manifestado por inúmeros elementos, nos quais é desenvolvido com maior especificidade o H-IC, enquanto Hub de Indústrias Criativas e o +1, enquanto reformulação de um edificio educacional, para desta forma potenciar criativamente as conexões culturais na cidadeAbstract: From the evolutionary study of the block, and assumptions shaped along historical periods, conceptually and formally, comes through a need for analysis of current issues. In this context, approaches to global times that modify the identity of cities, consumer politics, represented physically by shopping malls, and the way in which rehabilitation responds to the stagnant growth of the cities - especially at times of economic, social and cultural crisis, seem to be relevant, whereas all these assumptions are related and, condition the approach of the block as an area of intervention. Creativity comes as a possible answer, where the main actors are called the Creative class, and the place of these presents itself in various ways including the Creative industries. In this point of view, the approach to the city as a Creative city connected and cultural seems like an approach that seeks to respond and organize some of the indicators of change. In the framework of the two concepts, we aim to understand what the role of the block as a disseminator of creativity, and if to what extent this is beneficial for the city for the reformulation of existing assumptions and creating new ones. Indeed it is necessary to understand how these concepts apply in the city, specifically within the block, through the study of authors as Goitia, Mumford and Lamas in the study of the block space at different times and their premises of development. In terms of creative concepts we support our study in authors such as Charles Landry, Richard Florida and Pink for a better comprehension of this activity based on culture, reason and knowledge, and its added value in the restructuring of the city. Based on the elaborated study a project trial is presented. l, The Creative Block, in Santa Maria da Feira, which features an ensemble manifested by several elements on which is developed specifically the H-IC, while Creative Industries Hub and the +1, recasting an educational building, to in turn potentiate creatively cultural connections in the city

On the Feasibility of GPON Fiber Light Energy Harvesting for the Internet of Things

The emerging concept of smart cities demands for a large number of electronic devices, like sensors and actuators, distributed over several public spaces and buildings. The Internet of Things (IoT) has a key role in connecting devices to the Internet. However, the significant number of devices makes the maintenance task of the entire network difficult and expensive. To mitigate this problem, considerable research efforts have been made to develop energy-aware devices capable of self-sustainable operation, by harvesting their energy from various sources. In this paper, we study the possibility of harvesting energy from the light flowing in the Gigabit Passive Optics Network (GPON) to supply low-power devices. Since most cities already have a working GPON installation, using this installation to interconnect and power IoT devices can be a viable and less expensive solution, instead of installing new dedicated networks. This is also an interesting solution to convey communications and energy to low-power applications where access to the power grid is unfeasible. This study is focused in the 1550 nm wavelength, whose available optical power, in residential premises, is between -7 dBm and +2 dBm. With this range of optical power, and with a 30% efficiency photodiode, we show, for the worst-case scenario of the GPON, how it is possible to harvest 62 µW of energy at the Maximum Power Point (MPP)

A Framework of Landsat-8 Band Selection based on UMDA for Deforestation Detection

The conservation of tropical forests is a current subject of social and ecological relevance due to their crucial role in the global ecosystem. Unfortunately, millions of hectares are deforested and degraded each year. Therefore, government or private initiatives are needed for monitoring tropical forests. In this sense, this work proposes a novel framework, which uses of distribution estimation algorithm (UMDA) to select spectral bands from Landsat-8 that yield a better representation of deforestation areas to guide a semantic segmentation architecture called DeepLabv3+. In performed experiments, it was possible to find several compositions that reach balanced accuracy superior to 90% in segment classification tasks. Furthermore, the best composition (651) found by UMDA algorithm fed the DeepLabv3+ architecture and surpassed in efficiency and effectiveness all compositions compared in this work.Comment: in Portuguese language. Best Paper Award at the Workshop of Undergraduate Works (WUW), SIBGRAPI 202

Management of blackberry pruning to extend harvest seasonality

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o manejo da poda das cultivares de amoreira-preta BRS Tupy e Brazos, para prolongar sua época de colheita e produtividade de frutos. O experimento foi realizado em uma região subtropical de altitude, no estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Os arbustos foram conduzidos em espaçamento 3.0x0.5 m. Os tratamentos consistiram das seguintes quatro épocas de poda: uma poda convencional, com supressão das hastes produzidas em fevereiro e redução das hastes em julho; e três podas drásticas realizadas nas primeiras duas semanas de janeiro, março e maio, com aplicação de ureia a 10% e cianamida hidrogenada a 3% cinco meses depois. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, em arranjo fatorial 2x4, com duas cultivares e quatro manejos de podas, com quatro blocos. A fenologia, a produção e a qualidade físico-química das frutas foram avaliadas em dois ciclos produtivos. É possível estender a época da colheita da amora‑preta para cinco meses, na região subtropical de altitude de Lavras, no estado de Minas Gerais, com poda drástica em janeiro e sem irrigação. A poda drástica em janeiro ou março aumenta a produção das cultivares de amora-preta BRS Tupy e Brazos. O período prolongado de colheita não afeta a qualidade das amoras e não cria desafios para as operações de colheita.The objective of this work was to evaluate the pruning management of the BRS Tupy and Brazos blackberry cultivars, in order to extend their harvest seasonality and fruit yield. The experiment was performed in an altitude subtropical region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Bushes were grown at 3.0x0.5 m spacing. The treatments consisted of the four following pruning seasons: one conventional pruning, with suppression of the produced stems in February and reduction of the stems in July; and three drastic pruning performed in the first two weeks of January, March, and May, with the application of 10% urea and 3% hydrogenated cyanamide five months later. The experimental design was in randomized complete blocks, in a 2x4 factorial arrangement, with two cultivars and four pruning managements, with four blocks. Fruit phenology, yield, and physicochemical quality were evaluated in two production cycles. It is possible to extend the harvest season of blackberry up to five months, in an altitude subtropical region in Lavras, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, with drastic pruning in January and no irrigation. Drastic pruning in January or March increases the yield of the BRS Tupy and Brazos blackberry cultivars. The extended harvest season does not affect the quality of blackberries and does not create challenges for harvesting operations

Decreased spacing with different numbers of branches to enhance green fig production

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da diminuição do espaçamento entre figueiras 'Roxo de Valinhos' (Ficus carica) com diferentes números de ramos produtivos na produção de figos verdes. As figueiras, com dois ou quatro ramos produtivos, foram distribuídas em quatro blocos, com espaçamento padrão de 2,5 m entre linhas, espaçamentos entre plantas na linha de 0,50, 0,75 e 1,00 m, e densidades de 8.000, 5.333 e 4.000 plantas por hectare. O experimento foi conduzido durante dois ciclos (2020/2021 e 2021/2022). Os frutos verdes foram colhidos duas vezes por semana, tendo-se quantificado o número total de frutos por colheita e o peso total de colheita por planta. A produção média por planta e a produtividade estimada foram calculadas para cada ciclo de avaliação. A diminuição do espaçamento entre as figueiras aumenta a sua produtividade. O espaçamento de 0,50 m diminui a produção por planta, mas aumenta a produtividade em 73%. Não há diferença na produção de figos verdes entre as figueiras com dois ou quatro ramos produtivos.The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of decreased spacing between 'Roxo de Valinhos' fig (Ficus carica) trees with different numbers of fruiting branches on green fig production. Fig trees, with two or four fruiting branches, were distributed in four blocks, at a standard spacing of 2.5 m between rows, three spacing between plants in a row (0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 m), and densities of 8,000, 5,333, and 4,000 plants per hectare. The experiment was conducted during two cycles (2020/2021 and 2021/2022). Green fruits were harvested twice a week, and the total number of fruits per harvest and the total harvest weight per plant were quantified. The average production per plant and the estimated yield were calculated for each evaluation cycle. Decreasing the spacing between fig trees increases their yield. The spacing of 0.50 m decreases production per plant, but increases yield in 73%. There is no difference in the production of green figs between trees with two or four fruiting branches

The Brazilian Developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (BRAMS 5.2): An Integrated Environmental Model Tuned for Tropical Areas

We present a new version of the Brazilian developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System where different previous versions for weather, chemistry and carbon cycle were unified in a single integrated software system. The new version also has a new set of state-of-the-art physical parameterizations and greater computational parallel and memory usage efficiency. Together with the description of the main features are examples of the quality of the transport scheme for scalars, radiative fluxes on surface and model simulation of rainfall systems over South America in different spatial resolutions using a scale-aware convective parameterization. Besides, the simulation of the diurnal cycle of the convection and carbon dioxide concentration over the Amazon Basin, as well as carbon dioxide fluxes from biogenic processes over a large portion of South America are shown. Atmospheric chemistry examples present model performance in simulating near-surface carbon monoxide and ozone in Amazon Basin and Rio de Janeiro megacity. For tracer transport and dispersion, it is demonstrated the model capabilities to simulate the volcanic ash 3-d redistribution associated with the eruption of a Chilean volcano. Then, the gain of computational efficiency is described with some details. BRAMS has been applied for research and operational forecasting mainly in South America. Model results from the operational weather forecast of BRAMS on 5 km grid spacing in the Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies, INPE/Brazil, since 2013 are used to quantify the model skill of near surface variables and rainfall. The scores show the reliability of BRAMS for the tropical and subtropical areas of South America. Requirements for keeping this modeling system competitive regarding on its functionalities and skills are discussed. At last, we highlight the relevant contribution of this work on the building up of a South American community of model developers