Understanding pseudo-albinism in sole (Solea senegalensis): a transcriptomics and metagenomics approach

Pseudo-albinism is a pigmentation disorder observed in flatfish aquaculture with a complex, multi-factor aetiology. We tested the hypothesis that pigmentation abnormalities are an overt signal of more generalised modifications in tissue structure and function, using as a model the Senegalese sole and two important innate immune barriers, the skin and intestine, and their microbiomes. Stereological analyses in pseudo-albino sole revealed a significantly increased mucous cell number in skin (P < 0.001) and a significantly thicker muscle layer and lamina propria in gut (P < 0.001). RNA-seq transcriptome analysis of the skin and gut identified 573 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs, FDR < 0.05) between pseudo-albino and pigmented soles (one pool/tissue from 4 individuals/phenotype). DETs were mainly linked to pigment production, skin structure and regeneration and smooth muscle contraction. The microbiome (16 S rRNA analysis) was highly diverse in pigmented and pseudo-albino skin but in gut had low complexity and diverged between the two pigmentation phenotypes. Quantitative PCR revealed significantly lower loads of Mycoplasma (P < 0.05) and Vibrio bacteria (P < 0.01) in pseudo-albino compared to the control. The study revealed that pseudo-albinism in addition to pigmentation changes was associated with generalised changes in the skin and gut structure and a modification in the gut microbiome.Agência financiadora H2020 European Funds MSCA-RISE project 691102 Portuguese national funds from FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology UID/Multi/04326/2019 Portuguese national funds from the operational programme CRESC Algarve 2020 EMBRC. PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER-022121 Portuguese national funds from the operational programme COMPETE 2020 EMBRC. PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER-022121 European Union (EU) 654008 Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BPD/84033/2012 Portuguese Institute for Employment and Vocational Training 0068/ET/18info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sistemas de criação de ovinos e ocorrência de anticorpos contra o vírus da Maedi-Visna na microrregião de Juazeiro, BA.

Com o objetivo de se obterem informações sobre os sistemas de produção de ovinos e avaliar a frequência de anticorpos contra o vírus da Maedi-Visna (MV) em propriedades localizadas na microrregião de Juazeiro - BA, investigou-se, a partir da aplicação de questionários, algumas características de manejo sanitário, alimentar e reprodutivo em 58 propriedades nos oito municípios que compõem essa região: Juazeiro, Sento Sé, Sobradinho, Pilão Arcado, Campo Alegre de Lourdes, Remanso, Casa Nova e Curaçá. Das propriedades visitadas, 89,6% (81,74% - 97,46%) adotavam sistema extensivo de criação e 58,6% (45,92% - 71,28%) não tinham assistência técnica. O manejo sanitário mostrou-se precário. Os produtores entrevistados apontaram a linfadenite caseosa como uma das doenças mais observadas nos rebanhos. Analisaram-se 919 amostras de soro pelo teste de Imunodifusão em Gel de Agarose (IDGA) no Laboratório de Patologia Clínica da Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos, em Sobral - CE. Detectaram-se quatro animais positivos. As Lentiviroses de Pequenos Ruminantes têm demonstrado, em diversos estudos, relação direta com os manejos adotados nas propriedades e introdução de tecnologias sem adequado controle sanitário. Acredita-se que o baixo número de ovinos positivos evidenciado neste levantamento deva-se ao baixo índice tecnológico adotado na região. Outra possibilidade é de que, nessa região, o rebanho de ovinos caracteriza-se pela predominância de raças nativas e sem raça definida (SRD), com poucos animais importados de outros estados e/ou países. Production systems of sheep and the occurrence of Maedi-Visna Virus in properties located in the Juazeiro, BA, microregion. Abstract: In order to obtain data from the used sheep production systems and to analyze them to the occurrence of Maedi-Visna in properties located in the microregion of Juazeiro - BA, some features of health, food and reproductive management were inquired from the application of questionnaires, on 58 properties located in the eight municipalities that make up this region: Juazeiro; Sento Sé; Sobradinho; Pilão Arcado; Campo Alegre de Lourdes; Remanso; Casa Nova and Curaçá. This survey evaluated some basic elements in the production chain. It was asserted that 89.6% (81.74% - 97.46%) of the producers raise their animals extensively and 58.6% (45.92% - 71.28%) have no technical assistance. The health management seemed to be precarious. Caseous lymphadenitis is one of most commonly diseases observed by farmers. 919 samples of sheep serum were collected and analyzed by AGID in the Laboratory of Clinical Pathology of Embrapa Goats, in Sobral - CE. Four animals were positive. The Lentivirus of Small Ruminants has been shown in several studies to be directly related to the management practices adopted on the properties. It is believed the low number of positive sheep found in this survey is related to the low technological level used in this region. Another possibility is that the regional sheep herd is predominantly made up of native or mixed breed

Visualization of the Refrigerant Flow at the Capillary Tube Inlet of a Houseold Refrigeration System

Capillary tube-suction line heat exchangers (CT-SLHX) introduce complex phenomena due to simultaneous 2-phase flow expansion and heat transfer such as: reverse heat transfer, flow hysteresis and flow oscillations. Some of the negative consequences of these phenomena are: noise due to re-condensation, which is becoming an important quality issue; and reduction of the SLHX effectiveness, which also affects the global efficiency. Studies about how to solve the noise problem show that it disappears when there is enough subcooling at the capillary tube inlet. This fact also supports the idea that two-phase flow at the capillary tube inlet contributes to re-condensation phenomenon in the CT-SLHX. Different reasons may explain it, e.g. the small compressor capacity compared the expansion device capacity of the capillary tube used. Another important consequence would be wasting condenser surface due to the two-phase outlet. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to assess experimentally the actual conditions taking place at the capillary tube inlet and find a solution to the problems mentioned above. An innovative test bench has been designed in order to visualize and analyze the phenomena occurring at the condenser outlet, along the filter and at the capillary tube inlet. This experimental bench test is connected to an A+++ no-frost household refrigerator equipped with a fin-and-tube evaporator, a tube and wire condenser and a variable-speed 7.24 cm³ hermetic reciprocating compressor. The refrigerant used is isobutane (R600a). In order to determine the refrigerant temperature, a set of thermocouples has been placed along the refrigerant loop, while a pressure transducer is installed at the condenser outlet. The mass flow rate is measured with a Coriolis meter installed at the compressor discharge line. The final part of the condenser and the filters were built with PFA (Perfluoroalkoxy) transparent pipes. Three different positions of identical filters were tested to analyze their influence on the flow configuration. The first filter is horizontally oriented, second and third ones are in a vertical position but with opposite flow directions. A system composed of three manual solenoid valves enables to test each of the three configurations independently from the two others. The transparent filters make possible the visualization of the refrigerant flow pattern at the capillary inlet. An adjustable system has been designed to modify the length of the capillary inside the filters. The set of experiments were tested in steady conditions, by using electrical heaters inside the cabinets to keep the setting point constant. Results show the description of the flow pattern at the capillary tube inlet and condenser outlet with the different capillary tubes and filter arrangements. The condenser outlet conditions were analyzed and the energy efficiency of the refrigerator was compared with a system with actual subcooled outlet conditions. Once characterized the refrigerant flow at the condenser outlet, a configuration has been proposed to ensure an effective subcooling and thus an improvement of the refrigerator performance

Food composition at present: new challenges

Food composition data is important for stakeholders and users active in the areas of food, nutrition and health. Newchallenges related to the quality of food composition data reflect the dynamic changes in these areas while the emerging technologies create new opportunities. These challenges and the impact on food composition data for the Mediterranean region were reviewed during the NUTRIMAD 2018 congress of the Spanish Society for Community Nutrition. Data harmonization and standardization, data compilation and use, thesauri, food classification and description, and data exchange are some of the areas that require new approaches. Consistency in documentation, linking of information between datasets, food matching and capturing portion size information suggest the need for new automated tools. Research Infrastructures bring together key data and services. The delivery of sustainable networks and Research Infrastructures in food, nutrition and health will help to increase access to and effective use of food composition data. EuroFIR AISBL coordinates experts and national compilers and contributes to worldwide efforts aiming to produce and maintain high quality data and tools. A Mediterranean Network that shares high quality food composition data is vital for the development of ambitious common research and policy initiatives in support of the Mediterranean Diet.The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the many members of EuroFIR and RICHFIELDS project (funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme under grant agreement no. 654280) partners who contributed to the developments referred to in this articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Caracterização dos sistemas de produção de ovinos da região do Baixo Medio São Francisco, Bahia, Brasil.

A ovinocultura no Nordeste brasileiro se destaca pela grande relevância sócio-econômica, representando muitas vezes a principal fonte de renda para as famílias no semiárido. Com o objetivo de se obter informações sobre os sistemas de produção de ovinos em propriedades localizadas na Região do Baixo Médio São Francisco (Microrregião de Juazeiro), estado da Bahia, investigou-se a partir da aplicação de questionários, algumas características de manejo sanitário, alimentar e reprodutivo de 58 propriedades localizadas nos oito municípios que compõem esta região: Juazeiro, Sento Sé, Sobradinho, Pilão Arcado, Campo Alegre de Lourdes, Remanso, Casa Nova e Curaçá. Estes municípios possuem uma das maiores concentrações de ovinos do país. O tipo de exploração predominante foi o extensivo, com presença de animais nativos, mestiços e sem raça definida, visando a produção de carne e pele, com baixa produtividade e tecnificação. O manejo sanitário mostrou-se precário

Prevalência sorológica da Maedi-Visna em rebanhos ovinos damicrorregião de Juazeiro - Bahia por meio do teste de imunodifusão em gel de ágar.

A introdução de novas raças, com o objetivo de aumentar a produtividade, levou à alteração do perfil sanitário dos rebanhos. Dentre as enfermidades introduzidas no Brasil, destacam-se as lentiviroses de pequenos ruminantes (LVPR), representadas pela artrite-encefalite caprina (CAE) e pela maedi-visna (MV). Devido à importância econômica da ovinocultura para a microrregião de Juazeiro-Bahia e à escassez de dados sobre a lentivirose em ovinos, buscou-se obter a prevalência da MV. Foram avaliados 919 soros por imunodifusão em gel de ágar (IDGA). As amostras foram colhidas nos oito municípios que compõem essa microrregião (Juazeiro, Sento Sé, Sobradinho, Pilão Arcado, Campo Alegre de Lourdes, Remanso, Casa Nova e Curaçá), conforme a representatividade de cada município no total de animais. Constatou-se que 0,34% (4/919) dos ovinos amostrados apresentaram reação positiva no IDGA. Concluiu-se com esse resultado que a MV ocorre na microrregião estudada, com baixa prevalência, provavelmente pela predominância de animais de raças localmente adaptadas. SEROLOGICAL PREVALENCE OF MAEDI VISNA IN SHEEP HERDS IN THE MICROREGION OF JUAZEIRO - BAHIA, BYAGAR GEL IMMUNODIFFUSION (AGID). The introduction of new breeds, aiming at increasing productivity, caused the change in the health profile of herds. Among the diseases introduced in Brazil lentiviroses of small ruminants (LVPR) stand out, represented by caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) and the maedi-visna (MV). In order to obtain data concerning the presence of maedi visna (MV) in sheep herds in the microregion of Juazeiro, Bahia, 91 9 serum samples were evaluated by agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID). The samples were collected in eight cities that make up this microregion (Juazeiro, Sento Sé, Sobradinho, Pilão Arcado, Campo Alegre Lourdes, Remanso, Casa Nova and Curaçá) considering how representative each municipality is within the totalilty of animals. It was observed that 0.34% of the sampled sheep showed positive reaction in the AGID. It was concluded that the MV occurs with low prevalence in the studied microregion, probably due to the predominance of locally adapted breeds