Community of Syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) in mediterranean perennial crops

Syrphids are holometabolic insects that provide several ecosystem services. In Mediterranean perennial crops, these insects play a fundamental role in the biological control of pests, in the pollination of agricultural crops and adjacent vegetation , and in the decomposition of organic matter, while the inter-rows provide shelter for other natural enemies, thus favouring predation and parasitism of crop pests. However, the ecosystem services provided by these insects or other arthropods have been compromised due to the simplification of the landscape, reduction of seminatural habitats, and increase in urbanization and agriculture. Therefore, understanding how the surrounding landscape of the crops and ground cover vegetation composition affects the syrphids is essential to implementing strategies to promote the presence of the Syrphids in the Mediterranean perennial crops and busting its ecosystem services. For that, this work was divided into two parts. In the first (Chapter 3), the Syrphidae community in Portuguese vineyards was described, and the response of the most abundant species, Sphaerophoria scripta Linnaeus, 1758, and Melanostoma mellinum Linnaeus, 1758, to the landscape composition and configuration within a gradient of distances (500, 1000, and 2000 m) from the sampled vineyards was studied. And in the second (Chapter 4), the flowering plants present in olive groves' vegetation cover were described, and these plant families' effect on the abundance of S. scripta was studied. Our results in vineyards showed that the presence of seminatural habitats and other crops in the surrounding landscape increased the abundance of S. scripta and M. mellinum, at the largest distance. In contrast, the artificial territory, olive orchards, and vineyards reduced M. mellinum at some of the buffers. In olive groves, 90 plant species belonging to 20 families were identified in the ground cover vegetation of olive groves. Asteraceae was the dominant flowering family, followed by Poaceae. The flowering plants of the families Campanulaceae, Asteraceae, Orobanchaceae, and Plantaginaceae in the ground cover vegetation promoted the abundance of S. scripta in the olive grove. On the other hand, flowering plants of the families Poaceae and Polygonaceae negatively affect the abundance of this syrphid. Increasing seminatural habitats in the surrounding landscape and the percentage of plant families more attractive in the adjacent vegetation and/or inter-rows in the Mediterranean perennial crops may favour syrphid abundance.Os sirfídeos, são insetos holometabólicos que fornecem diversos serviços ecossistémicos. Nas culturas perenes mediterrânicas, estes insetos desempenham um papel fundamental no controlo biológico das pragas, na polinização das culturas agrícolas e vegetação adjacente, e na decomposição da matéria orgânica, enquanto as entrelinhas providenciam abrigo a outros inimigos naturais, favorecendo a predação e parasitismo das pragas agrícolas. No entanto, os serviços ecossistémicos prestados por estes insetos ou outros artrópodes tem sido comprometidos devido à simplificação da paisagem, redução de habitats seminaturais e aumento da urbanização e da agricultura. Portanto, entender como a paisagem circundante das culturas agrícolas e a composição da vegetação do coberto do solo afeta os sirfídeos é essencial para implementar estratégias para promover a presença dos sirfídeos nas culturas perenes do Mediterrâneo e fomentar os seus serviços ecossistémicos. Para tal, este trabalho foi dividido em duas partes. Na primeira (Capítulo 3) foi descrita a comunidade Syrphidae em vinhas portuguesas e a resposta das espécies mais abundantes, Sphaerophoria scripta Linnaeus, 1758, e Melanostoma mellinum Linnaeus, 1758, à composição e configuração da paisagem num gradiente de distâncias (500, 1000 e 2000 m) nas vinhas amostradas. E na segunda (Capítulo 4) foram descritas as plantas em floração presentes no coberto vegetal de olivais e foi estudado o efeito destas famílias de plantas na abundância de S. scripta. Os resultados nas vinhas demostram que a presença de habitats seminaturais e outras culturas na paisagem circundante aumentou a abundância de S. scripta e M. mellinum, na maior distância. Em contraste, o território artificial, olivais e vinhas reduziram M. mellinum em alguns dos buffers. Nos olivais, foram identificadas 90 espécies de plantas pertencentes a 20 famílias no coberto vegetal dos olivais. Asteraceae foi a família em floração dominante, seguida pela Poaceae. As plantas com flores das famílias Campanulaceae, Asteraceae, Orobanchaceae e Plantaginaceae na vegetação do coberto do solo promoveram a abundância de S. scripta no olival. Por outro lado, plantas em floração das famílias Poaceae e Polygonaceae afetaram negativamente a abundância deste sirfídeo. Aumentar os habitats seminaturais na paisagem circundante e a percentagem de famílias de plantas mais atrativas na vegetação adjacente e/ou entrelinhas, nas culturas perenes Mediterrânicas pode favorecer a abundância de sirfídeos

Process improvement in the long-term care setting

The healthcare industry is an ever-changing sector, evolving at a fast pace. The Long-term care is one of the emerging areas, due to the ageing population and increased life expectancy. The raising demand will lead to an increasing shortage of the availability of these services, resulting in an ongoing effort to keep increasing process efficiency, finding its’ value and eliminating the inherent waste. Lean thinking is a philosophy tailored to meet this need, having been implemented in healthcare over the years. Even if broadly used in the manufacturing and logistics areas, research shows a lack of application in the Long-term care setting. This project aims to assess the value that arises from process improvement, using Lean Thinking tools and approaches, in UCCI Almada. This is a Long-term care unit operating at full capacity over the past years. With the purpose of improving the UCCI Almada’s processes, in which the Direct Health Providers are involved, this project explores the current procedures, delivering “As-is” process maps, the waste associated to them and the opportunities for improvement. It delivers proposals of improvement, providing To-be process maps and evaluates the expected outcome of its implementation, regarding the KPI’s time, distance and process break. These improvement proposals are expected to guide UCCI Almada’s in the process of restoring the correct flow of the value stream.O sector da saúde é um sector em constante mudança, evoluindo a um ritmo bastante acelerado. Os Cuidados Continuados Integrados são uma das áreas emergentes, devido ao envelhecimento da população e ao aumento da esperança média de vida. O aumento da procura destes serviços levará a uma crescente escassez da sua disponibilidade, resultando num esforço contínuo para continuar a aumentar a eficiência dos processos, encontrando o seu valor acrescentado e os desperdícios inerentes. Lean Thinking é uma filosofia desenhada para responder a esta necessidade, tendo já sido implementada na área da saúde. Mesmo vastamente aplicada às áreas da produção e logística inerentes à saúde, a literatura revela a falta de aplicação à área dos Cuidados Continuados Integrados. Este projeto pretende avaliar os benefícios que surgem da melhoria de processos, utilizando abordagens e ferramentas do Lean Thinking, na UCCI Almada. Esta unidade tem registado operar na sua capacidade máxima. Com o objetivo de melhorar os processos da UCCI Almada, em particular os processos nos quais estão envolvidos os Auxiliares de Saúde Médica, este projeto estuda os atuais procedimentos da unidade, apresentando os mapas “As-is” dos processos, assim como os desperdícios a eles associados e as oportunidades de melhoria. Apresenta propostas de melhoria, tal como mapas “To-be” dos processos, e avalia o resultado esperado da sua implementação, tendo em conta os KPIs tempo, distância e paragem do processo. Espera-se que estas propostas de melhoria ajudem a guiar a UCCI Almada no processo de restauração da continuidade do fluxo da cadeia de valo

The surrounding landscape shapes the abundance of Sphaerophoria scripta and Melanostoma mellinum (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Portuguese vineyards

1. The intensification of urban and agricultural use in the landscape is the major driver of biodiversity loss and the consequent decrease of ecosystem services provided by insects. Syrphids are important ecosystem service providers, including pest regulation, pollination, and matter decomposition. 2. Understanding how the surrounding landscape to crops affects syrphids is essential to implementing strategies to reverse the negative effects of the agricultural landscape’s simplification. 3. This study describes the Syrphidae community in Portuguese vineyards and the response of the most abundant species, Sphaerophoria scripta Linnaeus, 1758, and Melanostoma mellinum Linnaeus, 1758, to the landscape composition and configuration within a gradient of distances (500, 1000, and 2000 m) from the sampled vineyards. 4. The presence of seminatural habitats and other crops in the surrounding landscape increased both species at the largest distance, whereas the presence of artificial territory, olive orchards, and vineyards reduce M. mellinum at some of the buffers. 5. Increasing seminatural habitats in the vineyards surrounding landscape (2000 m) and, potentially, introducing nature-friendly practices in the principal crops around vineyards may favour syrphid abundance.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), and to the Associate Laboratory SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020); Isabel Rodrigues acknowledges the PhD grant (2020.07051.BD) provided by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vitro assessment of the synergism between extracts of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides and Zanthoxylum leprieurii and some standard antibiotics

Research ArticlePurpose: To survive in harsh environments, plants developed functional and metabolic adaptive mechanisms. One of the most relevant defense strategies is the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, including terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolics that are accumulated in cellular organelles or secretory structures. Hence, plants are recognized as a valuable source of natural products and for thousands of years very diverse herbal formulations were created to treat several diseases. Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides and Zanthoxylum leprieurii, two Rutaceae species native to Guinea-Bissau, are well known for their ethnopharmacological relevance. Methods: In the present study, the in vitro antimicrobial activity of these plants against human pathogens was assessed and the phytochemical profile was screened. The extracts of roots and young leaves were obtained by sequential extraction of increasing polarity (n-hexane, CH2Cl2, EtOAc, MeOH and H2O) and tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined, as well as the evaluation of the synergic potential of the extracts. Results: Z. leprieurii leaves extracts, the most apolar ones, had the highest antimicrobial activity, being able to inhibit the growth of Enterococcus hirae and all the Staphylococcus strains assayed, including the resistant ones. A synergic effect between the Zanthoxylum species extracts and standard antibiotics was found, reverting the activity of resistant strains. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of terpenes, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds, known to have antibacterial properties. Conclusions: The obtained results point to the validation of their use in tradition medicine and emphasize the worthwhile of additional studies of these species to better understand the compounds and mechanisms that may be valuable to restore antibacterial activityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Co-creation as a creative strategy in the pre-production of an animation film in a Twitch community

This paper exposes the development process, through co-creation strategies, of the pre-production of an animated film, featuring Twitch.tv, a video live streaming service, as the medium platform. Widespread accessibility to new technologies facilitates communication and sharing of ideas in different areas. The Twitch.tv platform allows the display of any artwork and promotes an easier communication between users in real time and through a set of options, for example, a chat box which enables the sharing of new ideas and experiences among members of a community. Exploring this potential, in order to stimulate greater creativity and find innovative results, we propose the development of an animated film through co-creation methods as a way to find innovative processes for an animation project. A twitch channel was created and some of its users self-proposed to cooperate in the author's animation project. This experience established connections with individuals from different areas, like different fields of arts. The method was based on the dialogue between the author and the users, who expressed themselves through the author's channel chat on Twitch. The ideas launched were subsequently voted on and selected by the majority of participants, which led to pre-production final results.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

LRRK2: Autophagy and Lysosomal Activity

It has been 15 years since the Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene was identified as the most common genetic cause for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The two most common mutations are the LRRK2-G2019S, located in the kinase domain, and the LRRK2-R1441C, located in the ROC-COR domain. While the LRRK2-G2019S mutation is associated with increased kinase activity, the LRRK2-R1441C exhibits a decreased GTPase activity and altered kinase activity. Multiple lines of evidence have linked the LRRK2 protein with a role in the autophagy pathway and with lysosomal activity in neurons. Neurons rely heavily on autophagy to recycle proteins and process cellular waste due to their post-mitotic state. Additionally, lysosomal activity decreases with age which can potentiate the accumulation of α-synuclein, the pathological hallmark of PD, and subsequently lead to the build-up of Lewy bodies (LBs) observed in this disorder. This review provides an up to date summary of the LRRK2 field to understand its physiological role in the autophagy pathway in neurons and related cells. Careful assessment of how LRRK2 participates in the regulation of phagophore and autophagosome formation, autophagosome and lysosome fusion, lysosomal maturation, maintenance of lysosomal pH and calcium levels, and lysosomal protein degradation are addressed. The autophagy pathway is a complex cellular process and due to the variety of LRRK2 models studied in the field, associated phenotypes have been reported to be seemingly conflicting. This review provides an in-depth discussion of different models to assess the normal and disease-associated role of the LRRK2 protein on autophagic function. Given the importance of the autophagy pathway in Parkinson’s pathogenesis it is particularly relevant to focus on the role of LRRK2 to discover novel therapeutic approaches that restore lysosomal protein degradation homeostasis

A avaliação perceptiva de atributos paralinguísticos e extralinguísticos na fala de uma comunidade de prática

Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar as impressões causadas, pelo falar de sujeitos de uma comunidade de prática caiçara, em grupos de ouvintes de três localidades diversas, por meio da aplicação de um questionário de diferencial semântico, o qual contém descritores referentes a atributos paralinguísticos e extralinguísticos: psicológicos, sociais, culturais, físicos e econômicos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza sociofonética perceptiva que compreende uma tarefa de produção e uma de percepção e utiliza o método de análise estatística multidimensional. Os resultados indicam que a fala da comunidade caiçara não causou nenhuma estranheza ou incompreensão, mas foi considerada pouco agradável pelos juízes de todas as localidades. Com base nas variáveis estatisticamente significantes, os caiçaras, a partir da percepção da sua maneira de falar, foram julgados como pessoas que exercem trabalhos manuais, apresentam situação financeira baixa e são ingênuos, simplórios e humildes

Production of sustainable postbiotics from sugarcane straw for potential food applications

The production of postbiotics for food applications has been growing in recent years owing to their biological potential and superior technological performance over probiotics. Their production involves the use of synthetic culture media, and in this work, we propose using sugarcane straw as a source of sugar and biological components and a sustainable alternative. Thus, this by-product was used as a substrate to produce a postbiotic extract using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a fermentative microorganism. Sugarcane straw underwent a precedent saccharification step to release the fermentable sugars. The final extracts were characterized for their total content of sugars, phenolic compounds, organic acids, and their respective chromatographic profiles. Seventeen different polyphenols were identified with the predominance of three classes, the hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonoids, where ferulic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid were most prevalent. The current work evaluated the potential use of this postbiotic extract for food applications, its antioxidant activity, gut microbiota modulatory effect, and intestinal anti-inflammatory potential. The resultant extracts showed considerable antioxidant activity and the ability to lower the pro-inflammatory mediators (i.e., interleukin 6, 8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in Caco-2 cells. During the fecal fermentability assay, no modulatory effect was observed on the main beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Nevertheless, a significant increase in short-chain fatty acids, namely, acetate, propionate, butyrate, and valerate was observed. Moreover, the extract also demonstrated capacity to inhibit the proliferation of putrefactive bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae. Finally, sustainable postbiotic extracts produced by S. cerevisiae fermentation using sugarcane straw as a substrate exhibited relevant biological properties with potential use as food and nutraceutical ingredients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio