Use of organic residues in the recovery of organic matter pools, after forest fires

RAMIRAN International ConferenceIn Portugal, as in other Mediterranean countries, fire events are common primarily due to climate and progressive rural abandon, and contribute largely to desertification. Top layers of soil are constituted mostly by organic residues and decomposed organic matter, and are the most sensitive layers to fire damages. Soil organic matter is an important factor on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Quantity and duration of heat transfer and soil thermal conductivity, which varies according to soil conditions (humidity, organic matter, texture, etc), are the main responsible factors for the more or less physical, chemical and biological changes in soil after fire (Neary et al,1999). A soil temperature of only forty degrees is enough to initiate biological changes that may begin with plant and roots death caused by dehydration, and protein degradation. Microbial populations have different thermal resistances and most are killed between 50 and 120 ºC. Organic matter (OM) losses may occur at low temperatures, through the volatilization of volatile compounds which may occur between 100º and 180 ºC or OM distillation at 200 to 315 ºC (DeBanno et al, 1998). Under 200 ºC, decomposition of resistant compounds as hemicelullose and lignin starts (Chandler et al, 1983, cit by González-Pérez et al, 2004). At 300 ºC, decarboxylation and loss of Oxigen-containing functional groups (as phenols) occur in the Humic (HA) and Fulvic acids (FA) (Knoepp, 2005). Humin content increases, due to formation of aromatic compounds, because the more soluble fraction, the FA fraction, is transformed into insoluble acids like HA, and this last ones suffer dehydratation and decarboxylation, becoming insoluble – Black Carbon – resembling the Humin fraction (González-Pérez et al, 2004, Tinoco et al, 2006, Hatten and Zabowski, 2009). Above 450 ºC, all OM is loss. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of soil heating in forest soils, using a natural burned (B) and an unburned (U) soils and thermally treated soils at different temperatures (65, 105 and 250ºC). Further, we examined the benefic effects of application of organic residues to soils that had been exposed to fire, we added digested pig slurry, municipal solid waste compost and a mixture of both, and evaluated organic matter composition after 2 months of incubation

Nitrogen source on performance of feedlot young bulls fed hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse diets

Oitenta e um machos não castrados das raças Nelore (27), Canchim (27) e Holandesa (27), com peso médio inicial de 360kg e idade média de 18 meses, foram utilizados para avaliar os efeitos da substituição de fonte de proteína verdadeira (farelo de soja), por nitrogênio não protéico (NNP), uréia ou amiréia (fonte de nitrogênio não protéico de suposta liberação gradativa) sobre o desempenho de bovinos confinados. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos inteiramente ao acaso com três animais por baia e nove baias por tratamento. Os blocos foram delineados de acordo com o peso inicial e na raça. As rações experimentais continham BTPV (45% MS da dieta) e BIN (5% MS da dieta) como fontes de volumosos e 50% de concentrado. Os tratamentos consistiam de: 1) concentrado contendo farelo de soja (FS); 2) concentrado contendo uréia e 3) concentrado contendo amiréia (A-150S). O consumo de matéria seca (CMS) foi de 8,99; 7,43 e 7,69kg/dia, o ganho de peso diário (GPD) foi de 0,983; 0,368 e 0,404kg/dia e a conversão alimentar (CA) 9,56; 20,14 e 19,54kg MS/kg de ganho para os tratamentos FS, uréia e A-150S, respectivamente. As rações com FS apresentaram proporcionalmente maior (P<0,01) CMS e maior GPD e melhor CA em relação aos tratamentos uréia e A-150S. As rações com uréia e A-150S não diferiram (P>0,05) entre si. A substituição do FS por fontes de NNP reduziu o desempenho de bovino de corte em terminação.Eighty-one young bulls (27 Nellore, 27 Canchim, and 27 Holstein), averaging 18-month-old and weighting 360kg of initial body weight (BW), were used to evaluate the effects of nitrogen sources on feedlot performance. Treatments were assigned in a completely randomized block design using three steers per stall and nine per treatment. Blocks were defined by initial BW and breed. Experimental treatments were: 1) soybean meal, 2) urea, and 3) starea. Diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic composed by 50% concentrate and 50% forage (45% hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse + 5% in natura sugarcane bagasse). Dry matter intakes (DMI) were 8.99, 7.43, and 7.69kg/day, average daily gains (ADG) were 0.983, 0.368, and 0.404kg/day and feed efficiencies were 9.56, 20.14, and 19.54kg DM/kg of gain for soybean meal, urea and starea treatments, respectively for steers fed. Diets with soybean meal showed proportionally higher (P<0.01) DMI, higher average daily gain and better feed efficiency compared to urea and starea diets. No differences (P>0.05) between urea and starea treatments were observed. Replacement of soybean meal by nonprotein nitrogen sources decreased the finishing beef steers performance

Effects of starch sources and processing on nutrient digestibility and ruminal parameters of lactating cows

Cinco vacas holandesas pluríparas, com cânulas no rúmen e no duodeno, foram distribuídas em delineamento de quadrado latino 5 x 5. As vacas foram submetidas a cinco rações experimentais contendo 40% de cana-de-açúcar, 60% de concentrado e cerca de 30% de amido. As rações diferiram quanto ao processamento ou à fonte principal do amido utilizado: milho grosseiramente moído, milho finamente moído, milho floculado a 310g/l, milho floculado a 360g/l ou raspa de mandioca. Não houve diferença (P>0,05) no consumo de matéria seca entre os tratamentos. A digestibilidade ruminal do amido foi maior na ração que continha raspa de mandioca. As digestibilidades ruminal da fibra em detergente neutro e da fibra em detergente ácido não diferiram entre os tratamentos. Os dados médios de pH ruminal se mantiveram acima de 6,0, exceto às 2 e às 4h após a alimentação com a dieta que continha raspa de mandioca. Não houve efeito significativo dos tratamentos sobre a concentração de ácidos graxos voláteis totais. O processo de floculação promoveu aumento da digestibilidade do amido do milho, em relação à moagem de forma grosseira. A digestibilidade ruminal do amido presente na raspa de mandioca foi maior do que a do milho, independentemente da forma de processamento utilizada.Five multiparous lactating Holsteins cows, cannulated in the rumen and proximal duodenum, were used in a 5 x 5 latin square. Cows were fed a 40:60 forage: concentrate diet (40% fresh sugar cane and 60% concentrate). Diets were formulated to have 30% of starch and treatments were starch sources and ration processing forms: cracked corn, finely ground corn, flaked corn at 310g/l, flaked corn at 360g/l, or cassava scrapings. No difference (P>0.05) was observed among treatments for dry matter intake. Starch ruminal digestibility was higher for cassava scrapings treatment. NDF and ADF digestibility were similar among treatments. Average values of ruminal pH were above 6, except at 2 and 4h after feeding the cassava diet. There was no effect of treatment on concentrations of total volatile fatty acids. The flocculation process increased corn starch digestibility. Ruminal degradability of the cassava scrapings starch was higher than corn, without effect of processing form

“Enriching Lives within Sedimentary Geology”: Actionable Recommendations for Making SEPM a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Society for All Sedimentary Geologists

Innovative science benefits from diversity of thought and influence at all waypoints along the scientific journey, from early education to career-length contributions in research and mentorship. Scientific societies, like the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM), steward their innovators and the direction of the science, thereby defining the societal impact and evolution of a discipline. They are uniquely positioned to promote the representation and success of all scientists, including those from minoritized populations, through proactive advocacy, and inclusive mentorship, awards, and leadership. We introspectively review available records of SEPM membership, leadership, awardees, and editorial boards to identify areas for growth and begin a dialogue about how the society and its members can work together to better reflect our community. In the last decade, SEPM has seen a decline in membership, while representation and recognition of scientists from minoritized groups has remained low. Awards and honors have overwhelmingly gone to men, even in the last ten years, and very few women or people of color are in leadership roles. SEPM has recently taken positive steps towards becoming more inclusive (e.g., the Code of Professional Conduct); however, much more work is needed. We provide recommendations for swift actions that SEPM and its members should undertake for the society to become a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where all scientists thrive. The systemic changes needed will take continuous effort, which must be shared by all of us, to build an enduring legacy that we can be proud of

Zebrafish as an alternative animal model in human and animal vaccination research

Much of medical research relies on animal models to deepen knowledge of the causes of animal and human diseases, as well as to enable the development of innovative therapies. Despite rodents being the most widely used research model worldwide, in recent decades, the use of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model has exponentially been adopted among the scientific community. This is because such a small tropical freshwater teleost fish has crucial genetic, anatomical and physiological homology with mammals. Therefore, zebrafish constitutes an excellent experimental model for behavioral, genetic and toxicological studies which unravels the mechanism of various human diseases. Furthermore, it serves well to test new therapeutic agents, such as the safety of new vaccines. The aim of this review was to provide a systematic literature review on the most recent studies carried out on the topic. It presents numerous advantages of this type of animal model in tests of efficacy and safety of both animal and human vaccines, thus highlighting gains in time and cost reduction of research and analyzes

Al0.52In0.48P avalanche photodiodes for soft X-ray spectroscopy

The performance of Al0.52In0.48P avalanche photodiodes was assessed as soft X-ray detectors at room temperature. The effect of the avalanche gain improved the energy resolution and an energy resolution (FWHM) of 682 eV is reported for 5.9 keV X-rays

New non-toxic n-alkyl cholinium-based ionic liquids as excipients to improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs

Funding Information: Funding: The authors thank Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT/MCTES (Portugal) for financial support through investigator contract (IF/00621/2015—P.M. Reis) and project IF/00621/2015. This work was also supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry—LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020) and by projects UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences-UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy-i4HB, which are financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES. The NMR spectrometers at FCT-NOVA are part of Rede Nacional de RMN (PTNMR), supported by FCT-MCTES (ROTEIRO/0031/2013—PINFRA/22161/2016) (cofinanced by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC). LRR acknowledges FCT/MCTES project PTDC/CVT-EPI/6685/2014.In this work, we prepared new biocompatible N-alkyl cholinium-based ionic liquids to be used as cosolvents to improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs, namely, sodium diclo-fenac and paracetamol. In this set of ionic liquids, we intend to understand the effect of increasing the asymmetry of the ionic liquid cation/anion by growing the length of one of the alkyl chains attached to the nitrogen center/sulfonate center on the dissolution capacity of the ionic liquid. The addition of these new ionic liquids to water increased the dissolution capacity of the drugs up to four-times that in water, and improved the pharmacodynamic properties of these drugs, especially the case of sodium diclofenac. The intermolecular interactions between the drugs and ionic liquids were investigated by NMR. Two-dimensional1H/1H nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NO-ESY) revealed an interaction between sodium diclofenac and the alaninate anion from the [C2Ch]2[SucAla]. In the case of paracetamol and [C4Ch][C2SO3], it was possible to observe two inter-molecular interactions between the hydroxyl group of paracetamol and two protons from the cation [C4Ch]+. Interestingly, the ionic liquid bearing a succinyl-DL-alaninate anion, [SucAla]2−, and a N-ethyl cholinium cation, [C2Ch]+, which presented the highest ability to dissolve sodium diclofenac, showed no cytotoxicity up to 500 mM. Therefore, this ionic liquid is a potential candidate for drug delivery applications.publishersversionpublishe

Ion conducting and paramagnetic d-PCL(530)/siloxane-based biohybrids doped with Mn 2+ ions

Amorphous α,ω-hidroxylpoly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL(530))/siloxane ormolytes doped with manganese perchlorate (Mn(ClO4)2) (d-PCL(530)/siloxanenMn(ClO4)2) with n = 20, 50, and 100), thermally stable up to at least 200 ºC, were synthesized by the sol-gel method. Ionic conductivity values up to 4.8×10−8 and 2.0×10−6 S cm−1 at about 25 and 100 ºC, respectively, where obtained for n = 20. FT-IR data demonstrated that the hydrogen bonding interactions present in the non-doped d-PCL(530)/siloxane host hybrid matrix were significantly influenced by the inclusion of Mn(ClO4)2 which promoted the formation of more oxyethylene/urethane and urethane/urethane aggregates. In addition, the Mn2+ ions bonded to all the “free” C=O groups of the urethane cross-links and to some of the “free” ester groups of the amorphous PCL(530) chains. In the electrolytes, the ClO4 − ions were found “free” and bonded to the Mn2+ ions along a bidentate configuration. The magnitude of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) hyperfine constant of the analyzed samples (A ≈ 90×10-4 cm−1 ) suggested that the bonding between Mn2+ ions and the surrounding ligands is moderately ionic. The synthetized d-PCL(530)/siloxanenMn(ClO4)2 biohybrids have potential application in paramagnetic, photoelectrochemical and electrochromic devices.This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) and Feder (contracts PTDC/CTM-BPC/112774/2009, PEst-OE/QUI/UI0616/2014 and PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013) and COST Action MP1202 "Rational design of hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces". R.F.P.P. acknowledges FCT for a grant (SFRH/BPD/87759/2012). M.M.S. acknowledges CNPq (PVE grant 406617/2013-9), for a mobility grant. The financial support of the Brazilian agencies Capes and CNPq are gratefully acknowledged. Research was partially financed by the CeRTEV, Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials, FAPESP 2013/07793-6.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Balanços energéticos agropecuários: uma importante ferramenta como indicativo de sustentabilidade de agroecossistemas.

No Brasil, pouca atenção se tem dado às formas e caminhos com que os fluxos energéticos se distribuem nos sistemas produtivos. Na agropecuária, a atenção tem sido voltada a novas fontes de energia (biomassa) ou em tecnologia alternativa, visando a racionalização do uso de energia fóssil ou elétrica. Entretanto, a agricultura tem se desenvolvido baseada fortemente na utilização intensiva de máquinas agrícolas, com conseqüente uso de combustíveis fósseis. Um fator de estrangulamento muito forte no consumo energético geral tem sido a utilização massiva de fertilizantes derivados do petróleo nos agroecossistemas. Estudos de Balanços Energéticos visam determinar os pontos de estrangulamento energético fundamentando a busca por tecnologias poupadoras de energia, especialmente aquelas de origem fóssil (combustível, fertilizante, agrotóxicos, energia despendida na fabricação das máquinas e implementos, etc.). No Brasil, a Região Sul, é onde se encontram vários trabalhos buscando uma agricultura mais auto-sustentável, do ponto de vista da utilização da energia. Em vista da possibilidade de eventuais futuras crises energéticas, o presente trabalho procura analisar o estado-da-arte dos estudos em Balanço Energético, no Brasil e no Mundo, como uma ferramenta de indicação da sustentabilidade dos sistemas agropecuários

The GOBLET training portal: A global repository of bioinformatics training materials, courses and trainers

Summary: Rapid technological advances have led to an explosion of biomedical data in recent years. The pace of change has inspired new collaborative approaches for sharing materials and resources to help train life scientists both in the use of cutting-edge bioinformatics tools and databases and in how to analyse and interpret large datasets. A prototype platform for sharing such training resources was recently created by the Bioinformatics Training Network (BTN). Building on this work, we have created a centralized portal for sharing training materials and courses, including a catalogue of trainers and course organizers, and an announcement service for training events. For course organizers, the portal provides opportunities to promote their training events; for trainers, the portal offers an environment for sharing materials, for gaining visibility for their work and promoting their skills; for trainees, it offers a convenient one-stop shop for finding suitable training resources and identifying relevant training events and activities locally and worldwide