Reduced, tame and exotic fusion systems

We define here two new classes of saturated fusion systems, reduced fusion systems and tame fusion systems. These are motivated by our attempts to better understand and search for exotic fusion systems: fusion systems which are not the fusion systems of any finite group. Our main theorems say that every saturated fusion system reduces to a reduced fusion system which is tame only if the original one is realizable, and that every reduced fusion system which is not tame is the reduction of some exotic (nonrealizable) fusion system

Target and non-target approaches for food authenticity and traceability

The author acknowledges the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identificação da origem botânica do mel por DNA barcoding

O mel e um produto natural muito apreciado pelas suas propriedades sensoriais, nutricionais e medicinais. Os méis monoflorais são produtos de valor acrescentado por serem considerados de elevada qualidade e com aroma e sabor bem definidos, sendo por isso susceptíveis a adulterações. Tal facto torna importante o desenvolvimento de novas metodologias para a avaliação da autenticidade e origem botânica. 0 método usado atualmente para a determinação da origem botânica baseia-se na analise melissopalinol6gica, que e morosa e requer técnicos especializados [1]. Os métodos de ADN apresentam-se como alternativas promissoras para a identificação de espécies em matrizes complexas e processadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Autenticação de produtos cárneos com a designação Halal: Deteção e quantificação de derivados de suíno (Sus scrofa)

Devido aos recentes escândalos alimentares relacionados com adulterações em produtos cárneos, tem-se assistido a uma maior atenção por parte dos consumidores e autorida-des sobre a ocorrência de fraudes neste setor, especialmen-te no que respeita a substituição de carne de espécies ani-mais de valor elevado por proteínas musculares de mais baixo custo. Em particular, devido ao seu baixo preço e ele-vada disponibilidade, a carne de porco e/ou derivados de suíno (gordura, plasma, colagénio, entre outros) podem ser fraudulentamente adicionados em produtos cárneos, tendo por objetivo o aumento de lucros de fabricantes pouco es-crupulosos [1,2]. Para além destas práticas representarem uma fraude económica, a presença de espécies animais não declaradas na rotulagem é algo que causa elevada preocu-pação em certos grupos religiosos para os quais o consumo de determinadas espécies é proibido.Os autores agradecem o apoio financeiro da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) através do projeto PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hypericum species identification to assess the authenticity of plant food supplements

In the last years, medicinal plants and derived products have become increasingly available in the EU market as ingredients of formulations sold as food supplements. This type of products is legally considered as food under the Directive 2002/46/EC [l], thus with legal responsibility of its safety relying on business operators as they are not under the control of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).This work has been supported by FCT through grant PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2013 and project EXPL/DTP-SAP/1438/2013 (Safety of PIant Food Supplements: searching for adulterant pharmaceutlcal drugs and plants)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reduction and construction of Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis manifolds with background

We extend the Falceto-Zambon version of Marsden-Ratiu Poisson reduction to Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis structures with background on manifolds. We define gauge transformations of Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis structures with background, study some of their properties and show that they are compatible with reduction procedure. We use gauge transformations to construct Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis structures with background.Comment: to appear in IJGMM

Caracterização de biótopos do intertidal rochoso e a sua aplicabilidade pedagógica

Dissertação de Mestrado em Cidadania Ambiental e Participação apresentada à Universidade AbertaA relação com o mar e com os ecossistemas marinhos é algo intrínseco a qualquer açoriano, e que advém desde cedo, pelo constante contacto com o oceano e a sua biodiversidade marinha, tornado assim as ilhas num laboratório vivo pronto a ser descoberto e estudado. Os estudos, porém recentes da zonação do intertidal, nomeadamente dos seus biótopos no arquipélago dos Açores, realçam a distância biológica destas ilhas e dos seus habitats em relação ao continente português. No entanto, esta especificidade biológica não é destacada no ensino básico, verificando-se assim a lacuna de associação do Currículo Regional do Ensino básico com os seus pilares – Açorianidade e Insularidade. A educação ambiental assume um papel principal na formação dos estudantes não só na conversação do ambiente, mas consciencializando-os para os impactes da ação antropogénica nos ecossistemas costeiros. Pela aplicabilidade do caderno de campo, desenvolvido tendo em conta os conteúdos pedagógicos do 8º ano do 3º ciclo do ensino básico e realidade da fauna /flora marinha e da riqueza geológica e paleontológica, verificou-se um aumento, em 95 %, na aquisição de conhecimentos por parte dos alunos que realizaram a saída de campo. Conclui-se assim que, recursos pedagógicos com especificidade local, associado a saída de campo da disciplina de Ciências Naturais são uma vantagem para o ensino e para o interesse dos alunos deste nível de escolaridade, no arquipélago dos Açores.The relationship with the sea and the marine ecosystems is something intrinsic to any Azorean citizen, and it becomes from an early age, by constant contact with the ocean an its marine biodiversity, thereby making the islands a living laboratory ready to be discovered and studied. Recent studies on the intertidal zonation, and particular in biotopes in the Azores archipelago, highlight the biological distant between these islands and their habitats in relation to the Portuguese mainland coast. However, this biological specific is not highlighted in elementary education; therefore this is a gap on the Regional Curriculum of Elementary Education, and with its pillars – Azoreanity and Insularity. Environmental Education plays a major role in the training in student’s education not only in environmental conservation, but it raises awareness to the impacts of anthropogenic action on coastal ecosystems. Through the sampling made in Praia Formosa, the Biotope set to Santa Maria’s mediolittoral it’s different, with high abundance of Halopteris scoparia. The applicability of the field book, that was prepared taking into account the pedagogical content of the 8th grade and the present marine fauna and flora, and also the geological and paleontological history, has measured an increase, in 95%, the knowledge acquisition by the students who participate on the field trip. In conclusion, learning resources with local specify associated to field trip in Natural Science discipline are an advantage to teaching and for student’s interests in this level of education., in the Azores

Tracing Styphnolobium japonicum (syn: Sophora japonica) as a potential adulterant of ginkgo-containing foods by real-time PCR

The rising demand for ginkgo-containing products and their high economic value make them desirable targets for adulteration, particularly by the partial substitution with other plant species. Styphnolobium japonicum (plant rich in flavonol glycosides) is known as a potential adulterant of ginkgo-based foods. Therefore, this work aimed at developing a species-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method for the identification/quantification of S. japonicum as an adulterant of ginkgo-containing products. The method used the EvaGreen dye, targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of S. japonicum, providing acceptable performance parameters and a sensitivity down to 0.02 pg of DNA. Moreover, a qPCR assay was established using binary mixtures of S. japonicum in G. biloba, covering the dynamic range of 50−0.05% (w/w) of added adulterant. After trueness evaluation with blind samples, the approach was applied to 21 commercial herbal infusions, from which one was positive to S. japonicum, but below the limit of quantification (0.05 %), suggesting its inadvertent contamination rather than adulteration. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, a specific method was proposed to quantify potential adulterations of G. biloba products with S. japonicum, providing an accurate and cost-effective tool to authenticate ginkgo-containing herbal foods.The work was supported through the projects UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDB/00690/2020, funded by FCT/MCTES (Fundação para a Ciˆencia e Tecnologia and Minist´erio da Ciˆencia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through national funds. L. Grazina thanks FCT and ESF (European Social Fund) through POCH (Programa Operacional Capital Humano) for her PhD grant SFRH/BD/132462/2017. J. Costa thanks FCT for funding through program DL 57/2016 – Norma transitória (SFRH/BPD/102404/2014).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards authentication of Korean ginseng-containing foods: differentiation of five Panax species by a novel diagnostic tool

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (Korean ginseng) is one of the most valuable medicinal plants, recognised for its neuroprotection and other beneficial health effects. It is present in a wide range of food products, namely plant food supplements (PFS) and herbal infusions. However, other Panax species, having distinct therapeutic effects, are also known as ginseng, pointing out the need of authenticating such products. The present work aims at proposing a new high-resolution melting (HRM) method to differentiate five Panax species (P. ginseng, P. quinquefolius, P. notoginseng, P. japonicus and P. trifolius), targeting the gene encoding the dammarenediol synthase, involved in the biosynthesis pathway of ginsenosides. A Panax-specific real-time PCR assay was successfully developed with high analytical performance parameters (Efficiency = 100.5 %, R2 = 0.995, dynamic range 10 ng-1 pg of ginseng DNA). Panax DNA was detected in 17 out of 23 ginseng-containing commercial foods, including herbal infusions and PFS. For the first time, HRM analysis differentiated five Panax species with high level of confidence (>98 %), which corroborated sequencing data. Fourteen products were successfully clustered, being all except one in accordance with their labelling statements. Therefore, the present work proposes a reliable and high-throughput tool to authenticate ginseng products that could be useful for control laboratories.The authors acknowledge the support of project UIDB 00690/2020 funded by FCT/MCTES through national funds. The authors are grateful for the supply of leaves from the Botanical Garden of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland), Botanical Garden of University of Porto (Porto, Portugal), Botanical garden of UTAD (Vila Real, Portugal), as well as to the voucher seeds from the RBG (Kew, Ardingly, West Sussex, UK), USDA-ARS Germplasm (Beltsville, MD, USA) and NCRPIS/Iowa State university (Ames, IA, USA).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio