Contribution for the characterization of olive oils of the Douro region (Portugal)

The "Douro Demarcated Region" in Portugal was the first demarcated and regulated wine region in the world, where the famous "Port Wine" is produced. In this region, ancient olive groves can be found in Douro hills and valleys, usually in small scattered plots, often abandoned, or above the vineyards in the slopes, benefiting from the region's climate. In recent years, olive oil production in Douro region has become an important source of income for Port wine companies, being considered one of the most precious food products of the region. In this sense, the present work aimed to characterize the physicochemical and sensorial attributes of the olive oils produced in the Douro region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

What to expect from alternative management strategies to conserve seabirds? Hints from a dynamic modelling framework applied to an endangered population

The worldwide decline of seabird populations due to the combined effects of global and regional changes is creating immense challenges for managers and conservationists. Predicting population responses to proposed management strategies could provide the most effective tools to prevent, halt and reverse ongoing declines. System dynamic modelling frameworks are considered particularly relevant to interrelate biological, ecological and environmental characteristics and to predict population trends. A system dynamics model was designed, compiling diverse information concerning a relict population of the European Shag located in western Iberia, to outline the most effective management options for its conservation. The simulations demonstrate that mortality caused by invasive animals and bycatch mortality were the main reasons for the current population decline. Without management interventions, a decrease of 8% was projected for the next decade, which could be mitigated by specific conservation actions. The results show the usefulness of dynamic modelling frameworks to understand local cause-effect relationships and species responses to ecosystem management under changing environmental conditions. We highlight that the framework proposed, after specific parameterization, could be easily adaptable to other species within similar socio-ecological systems.This study was supported by the International Internship Grant Program of the University of Cadiz (EDUCA), Spain for conducting research in internationally renowned centres and the Centre for the Research and Technology of AgroEnvironmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB) of the Universidad de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal. In addition, the following entities contributed to this work: European Investment Funds by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme, under Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006958, National Funds by FCT -Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/2020 and INTERACT, Integrative Research in Environment, AgroChains and Technology, Project Norte 2020 45/2015/02. R. B. received support from POPH/FSE, funds and by National Funds through FCT Foundation for Science and Technology under the Portuguese Science Foundation through Doctoral grant FCT_SFRH/BD/102428/2014

Ecosystem modeling to evaluate the ecological sustainability of small-scale fisheries: A case study from El Hierro, Canary Islands

This paper examines various fishery management scenarios based on the recovery of small-scale fisheries (SSF) following a submarine volcanic eruption in 2011 in El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain). After this catastrophic event, the SSF composition of La Restinga fishing community was affected by socio-economic and demographic changes. The uncertainty derived from this situation provides an opportunity to evaluate the fisheries’ sustainability and advice on different management options under an ecosystem-based approach. The Ecopath with Ecosim modeling framework was used to build a model of El Hierro Island, where the versatile and traditional multispecies small-scale fleet of La Restinga operates. Our main goal is to improve traditional fisheries, based on the relevance of key local fisheries and multi-specific fishery strategies in the light of scientific knowledge. Temporal simulations for the next decade were analyzed by creating scenarios of alternative fishing effort distributions based on the fishing trends observed in El Hierro small-scale community of La Restinga after a natural hazard. The outcomes of this modeling prototype show the vulnerability of some littoral and demersal species, the resilience of migratory species, and the sustainability of SSF diversification practices. These results could develop an adaptive and co-management strategy with the local fishing community to preserve the small-scale fishing system and marine resources.En prens

GxE effects on Tocopherol composition of oils from very old and genetically diverse olive trees

Tocopherols are compounds with high biological activity, beneficial for human health that can be found in vegetable oils like olive oil, contributing for its resistance to oxidation. In this work, the tocopherol contents of olive oils extracted from centenarian olive trees of six cultivars (cvs. Lentisca, Madural, Rebol~a, Redondal, Verdeal, and Verdeal Transmontana) were evaluated during five consecutive crop seasons (2013–2017). Three tocopherol isoforms (α-, β- and γ-tocopherols) were detected in all analyzed olive oils, and their content varied significantly with the cultivar and year of production. The highest amounts were found in cv. Lentisca (456 122 mg/kg olive oil), while the lowest were observed in cv. Verdeal (179 45 mg/kg olive oil). Crop year was the most influential factor, with the highest contents observed in 2013 and lowest in 2014. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis helped differentiate olive oils according to cultivar or production year. These data suggest that tocopherol composition may serve as a chemical marker to distinguish the subject cultivar olive oils from centenarian trees either by olive cultivar or by crop year, being some cultivars identified as potential candidates for guaranteeing the production of olive oils rich in these compounds.This work was financially supported by Project UIDB/00690/2020 (CIMO) and Project UID/QUI/50006/2019 (REQUIMTE-LAQV); all funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. This work was also supported by PRODER project OliveOld—Identificação e caraterização de oliveiras centenárias para obtenção de produtos diferenciados” nº 53988. Nuno Rodrigues thanks FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for the PhD Grant SFRH/BD/104038/2014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of frost on the morphology and chemical composition of cv. Santulhana olives

Frost events and extreme weather phenomena greatly affect several characteristics of the olive fruit. This study evaluated the impact of frost on the morphology, composition (moisture, fat, fatty acids, tocopherols, and total phenolic contents), and antioxidant activity of olives of cv. Santulhana. A total of 14 trees from the same geographical region (Santulhão, northeast of Portugal) were chosen, including trees subjected or not subjected to frost conditions (n = 7 each). The results showed that frost led to morphological changes in olive fruits, particularly in terms of weight and diameter, which were imposed by a huge decrease in the moisture content (-20%). Fat relative content increased as a consequence of the water loss (+29% in fresh pulp weight), with a slight reduction of the relative abundance of saturated fatty acids (-4%) and tocopherol contents in the fat (-17%). However, the total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity were severely affected (-70% and -42%, respectively), with potential consequences for the olive oil stability and sensorial attributes. Principal component analysis showed that both morphological and chemical parameters could be used as biomarkers to identify olives subjected or not subjected to frost. The overall negative impact of frost on the minor antioxidant contents of cv. Santulhana olives may anticipate a quality loss of olive oils extracted from olives affected by frost.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and to REQUIMTELAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) units and to the Associate Laboratories for Green Chemistry-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020). Nuno Rodrigues thanks to National funding by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract. Ana I. Rodrigues thanks the financial support by OleaChain project “Skills for sustainability and innovation in the value chain of traditional olive groves in the Northern Interior of Portugal” (NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000188).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ischemic Stroke and Epilepsy in a Patient with Tourette´s Syndrome: Association with the Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Good Response to Levetiracetam

The role played by different humoral factors, including antiphospholipid antibodies, in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome (TS) is still presently unclear. We present a patient with chronic and severe TS who, at the age of 16 years, presented an ischemic stroke in the left posterior cerebral artery and/or postero-inferior temporal branch of the left medial cerebral artery. A complete study was negative with the exception of a positive lupus anticoagulant. The stroke was related with the primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The stroke manifested visual abnormalities and thereafter by secondary generalized complex partial seizures. The epileptic syndrome was initially difficult to control but responded dramatically to levetiracetam. With this therapy, the manifestations of TS, especially the tics, improved. We conclude that some TS cases may present APS. In addition, levetiracetam may be useful in the management of TS. Further investigations should pursue both these facts

Fatty acid composition from olive oils of portuguese centenarian trees is highly dependent on olive cultivar and crop year

The high proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) represent one of the most important technological and nutritional features of olive oils. The present study details the fatty acid (FA) composition of autochthonous cultivars (Lentisca, Madural, Redondal, Rebolã, Verdeal, and Verdeal Transmontana) produced from centenarian trees during five crop years (2013–2017). Olive cultivar highly influenced the FA composition, namely, oleic acid (70.3% for Madural to 80.7% for Redondal) and palmitic acid (10.4% for Lentisca to 13.5% for Verdeal). Similarly, crop year significantly influenced the individual FA contents. Principal component analysis of FA data enabled the unsupervised classification by cultivar and, within each cultivar, by crop year. Furthermore, the levels of nine individual FAs, together with the polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, selected using the simulated annealing algorithm, allowed for their correct classification, on the basis of linear discriminant analysis, according to the olive cultivar, with an overall sensitivity of 92%, for leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. Globally, the cultivar effect superimposed that of crop year, showing that some cultivars, such as Redondal and Verdeal Transmontana, have consistently high and homogeneous proportions of MUFA, indicating that they are worth exploring in terms of future selection of cultivars that are able to produce olive oils with increased nutritional value and that are less prone to oxidation.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), and to REQUIMTE (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020). This work was also supported by PRODER project OliveOld—“Identificação e caraterização de oliveiras centenárias para obtenção de produtos diferenciados” no. 53988. Nuno Rodrigues thanks national funding by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Linear polarization Yb³⁺-doped fiber laser with novel innerclad structures

Results on high radiance Yb3+-doped fiber lasers with novel double innerclad structures (double-D clad and four hole) and polarized output at ≈1090 nm are presented. We have demonstrated >40% of the total output power being polarized, making the fiber laser suitable for LIDAR and second-harmonic generation (SHG) applications. It also showed a 10-nm tuning range with low (less than 10 mW) average power variations. The narrow linewidth source was pumped with a low cost, low brightness laser diode, and exhibited a relatively low slope efficiency, which gives room for improvement by using a 976-nm pump source where Yb3+ has a narrower linewidth and at least five times higher absorption