The effect of phosphate-solubilizing rhizobacteria on Zea mays growth on P-deficient soils

P-deficiency in soils is a limiting factor for plant growth. Several phosphate-solubilizing rhizobacteria (PSB) were used to enhance growth of Zea maysgrowing in a P-deficient soil. Strains were screened for their ability to solubilize P and to produce plant growth promoting (PGP) substances. The best-P solubilizing strains Rhodococcus sp. EC35, Pseudomonas sp. EAV and Arthrobacter nicotinovoransEAPAA were inoculated in maize growing in P-deficient soils without P fertilization and amended with soluble (KH2PO4) and insoluble P (Ca3(PO4)2). Results showed that PSB significantly enhanced Z. mays biomass production in all Ptreatments. Without P fertilization, bacterial inoculation increased plant dry biomass by ca. 20%, while under soluble P conditions the enhancement was higher. Pseudomonas sp. EAV was the strain that better performed improving rootand shoot biomass by 104% and 60%, respectively. In soils amended with insoluble P, plant biomass was also positive influenced by bacterial inoculation. Plant growth enhancement seems to be related not only to Psolubilization but also to other PGP traits, such as IAA and ACC-deaminase. This work shows that PSB may be used as bioinoculants and consequently constitute an attractive alternative to the phosphatic fertilizers amendments used to improve crop production

Are Geoparks webpages attractive to potencial tourists? Some results of an evaluation procedure

This study evaluates the attractiveness and interest of the Geoparks webpages to potential tourists. The work is based on filling a table consisting of 67 criteria rated from 1 to 5. The criteria are arranged in groups of seven indicators. This study shows that most webpages do not appeal to those who seek information on Geoparks with the intent of selecting a tourist destination. Standing out as major problems are disorganisation and dispersion of information, as well as the absence of fundamental information for those seeking a tourist destinatio

Combining high-value biotechnological processes: from wastewaters bioremediation to bacterial bioenergy feedstock production

Book of Abstracts of CEB Annual Meeting 2017[Excerpt] The significant increase of global industrialization has been promoting the generation of large amounts of residues and wastewaters. In particular, oily wastewaters (contaminated with hydrocarbons) must be considered, since their disposal into the surrounding environments can represent a serious threat to several types of environmental resources. Simultaneously, the drastic depletion of fossil fuel resources demands for search of alternative feedstocks with environmental and economic advantages. Therefore, the production of bacterial lipids using inexpensive substrates, as wastes, has attracted much attention. Hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are important players in bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated wastewaters with additional capacity for the accumulation of storage lipids such as triacylglycerols and wax esters [1, 2]. These compounds are relevant raw materials for biofuels and oleochemicals production. [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geologia e património geológico dos Parques Naturais de Montesinho e do Douro Internacional (Nordeste de Portugal) : resultados de um projecto de investigação

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

A countably compact free Abelian group whose size has countable cofinality

[EN] Based on some set-theoretical observations, compactness results are given for general hit-and-miss hyperspaces. Compactness here is sometimes viewed splitting into “k-Lindelöfness” and ”k-compactness” for cardinals k. To focus only hit-and-miss structures, could look quite old-fashioned, but some importance, at least for the techniques, is given by a recent result of Som Naimpally, to who this article is hearty dedicated.The research in this paper was partially conducted while the second author was visiting Professor T. Nogura at Ehime University with the financial support of the Ministry of Education of Japan.Castro Pereira, I.; Tomita, A. (2004). A countably compact free Abelian group whose size has countable cofinality. Applied General Topology. 5(1):97-101. doi:10.4995/agt.2004.1998.SWORD9710151Van Douwen, E. K. (1980). The weight of a pseudocompact (homogeneous) space whose cardinality has countable cofinality. Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, 80(4), 678-678. doi:10.1090/s0002-9939-1980-0587954-5P. B. Koszmider, A. H. Tomita and S. Watson, Forcing countably compact group topologies on a larger free Abelian group, Topology Proc. 25 (Summer 2000), 563–574.K. Kunen, Set theory. An introduction to independence proofs, Studies in Logic and the Foundations of Mathematics, 102. North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1980. xvi+313.M. G. Tkachenko, Countably compact and pseudocompact topologies on free abelian groups, Izvestia VUZ. Matematika 34 (1990), 68–75

Optimal sensors positioning to detect forest fire ignitions

Forests have been harassed by fire in recent years. Whether by human action or for other reasons, the burned area has increased harming fauna and flora. It is fundamental to detect an ignition early in order to firefighters fight the fire minimizing the fire impacts. The proposed Forest Monitoring System aims at improving the nature monitoring and to enhance the existing surveillance systems. A set of innovative operations is proposed that will allow to identify a forest ignition and also will monitor the fauna. For that, a set of sensors are being developed and placed in the forest to transmit data and identify forest fire ignition. This paper addresses a methodology that identifies the ideal positions to place the developed sensors in order to minimize the fire hazard. Some preliminary results are shown by a random algorithm that spread points to position sensor modules in areas with high risk of fire hazard.This work has been supported by FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UIDB/5757/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Selective enrichment of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria producing storage compounds of biotechnological relevance

Hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are important players in bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated ecosystems with additional potential for application in biological treatment of industrial wastewaters. Synthesis and accumulation of storage lipids such as triacylglycerols (TAGs) and wax esters (WEs), as well as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers, has been reported in this group of bacteria when submitted to growth ‐ limiting conditions (e.g. nitrogen limitation). These compounds are relevant raw materials for a variety of industrial applications in biofuels and oleochemicals production. Its biosynthesis in combination with industrial wastewater treatment can contribute to make the process more economic and environmentally sustainable. The aim of this work was to obtain suitable inocula for use in biotechnological processes to produce valuable bacterial products from hydrocarbon ‐ based wastewaters. These carbon ‐ rich nutrient ‐ poor wastewaters exhibited appropriated conditions to promote bacterial storage materials production, thus being an interesting application target for the proposed combined approach. (...

Epithelial Keratins Modulate cMet Expression and Signaling and Promote InlB-Mediated Listeria monocytogenes Infection of HeLa Cells

The host cytoskeleton is a major target for bacterial pathogens during infection. In particular, pathogens usurp the actin cytoskeleton function to strongly adhere to the host cell surface, to induce plasma membrane remodeling allowing invasion and to spread from cell to cell and disseminate to the whole organism. Keratins are cytoskeletal proteins that are the major components of intermediate filaments in epithelial cells however, their role in bacterial infection has been disregarded. Here we investigate the role of the major epithelial keratins, keratins 8 and 18 (K8 and K18), in the cellular infection by Listeria monocytogenes. We found that K8 and K18 are required for successful InlB/cMet-dependent L. monocytogenes infection, but are dispensable for InlA/E-cadherin-mediated invasion. Both K8 and K18 accumulate at InlB-mediated internalization sites following actin recruitment and modulate actin dynamics at those sites. We also reveal the key role of K8 and K18 in HGF-induced signaling which occurs downstream the activation of cMet. Strikingly, we show here that K18, and at a less extent K8, controls the expression of cMet and other surface receptors such TfR and integrin β1, by promoting the stability of their corresponding transcripts. Together, our results reveal novel functions for major epithelial keratins in the modulation of actin dynamics at the bacterial entry sites and in the control of surface receptors mRNA stability and expression.This work received funding from Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000012 - Structured program on bioengineered therapies for infectious diseases and tissue regeneration, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Publication Fees were supported by ICBAS, University of Porto. RC received an FCT Doctoral Fellowship (SFRH/BD/90607/2012) and IP-C a FCT Post-Doctoral Fellowship (SFRH/BPD/107901/2015) through FCT/MEC co-funded by QREN and POPH (Programa Operacional Potencial Humano). SS was supported by FCT Investigator program (COMPETE, POPH, and FCT). We thank IBMC facilities for technical assistance