Extração de nemátodes de quisto de amostras de solo: método de decantação e crivagem de Cobb vs. método de Fenwick

Potato cyst nematodes are a threat to several agricultural crops around the world with some species considered quarantine pests and subjected to strict regulatory measures in many countries. Usually, cysts nematodes co-exist in the soil with other species of plant-parasitic nematodes, so, a time and cost-efficient extraction technique becomes of primary importance. The ideal extraction method should be able to obtain cysts as well as detecting the presence of other motile plant-parasitic nematodes with a potential impact on potato farming (such as Meloidogyne sp. and Pratylenchus sp.). In recent years, studies have been carried out to test the efficiency of various methods of nematode extraction but few results have been published. Therefore, to test if a method that extracts simultaneously cysts and motile nematodes can be used instead of the reference method that extracts cysts only, the efficiency of Cobb’s decanting and sieving technique was compared to Fenwick’s technique. As a result, in the 74 samples evaluated, a greater number of cysts were extracted from 24 samples using Fenwick’s method and from 11 samples employing Cobb’s decanting and sieving technique. The statistics results showed a significance level of 0,05 using Fenwick’s can allowing to conclude that this method is much more efficient than Cobb’s decanting and sieving technique, and confirming it should not be replaced by alternative methods for cysts extractioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Must deacidification with an induced flocculant yeast strain of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The use of flocculant cells of the yeast strain SchizosaFcharomyces pombe for the deacidification of grape musts in continuous culture was developed. An external loop reactor was used to induce flocculation. The flocs obtained were stable in the pH range 3.0-6.0 and in the presence of several sugars. Some inhibition was observed for high (above 6.0) and low (below 3.0) pH values. Once induced, flocculation could no longer be completely inhibited. Vinho Verde, a typical Portuguese wine, has a relatively low ethanol content and a high acid concentration. The external loop reactor loaded with the flocculant cells was used to deacidify a synthetic medium with sugar and malic acid concentrations similar to the ones found in Vinho Verde grape must. A desirable malic acid decrease with moderate glucose consumption was obtained at a dilution rate of 0.7 h-1. Improved results were obtained when the synthetic medium was replaced by Vinho Verde grape must

Geoconservation as an emerging geoscience

The main purpose of geoconservation is theconservation of geosites as basic units of the geological heritage through the implementation of specific inventory,evaluation, conservation, valuation and monitoring proce-dures. In this paper, geoconservation is characterised as anemergent geoscience within the Earth and Space Sciences where its scope and methods, as well as production andvalidation of knowledge can be recognised–thus definingBasic Geoconservation–, interrelations with other earth sciences can be established–thus supporting Applied Geo-conservation–, and Technical Applications of Geoconser-vation can be identified through the production of materials,methods and/or scientific services useful to society, namely geoeducation. Promoting scientific education relevant to sustainable development requires new educational approaches involving the Earth Sciences, namely through geoconservation, in order to provide citizens with tools toface environmental problems, such as those arising from the depletion of geological resources—which seriously threaten the geological heritage of the Earth—and the information,skills and will make forward-looking choices, like support-ing the legal protection of Natural Monuments and/or the implementation of geotourism (including geoparks).This work has been supported by the projects CGL2008-01273/BTE-MICIIN ("Registro Geologico de Ciclos Paleoambientales del Jurasico Medio en la Cordillera Iberica") and PTDC/CTE-GEX/64966/2006 ("Identification, characterisation and conservation of geological heritage: a geoconservation strategy for Portugal"). The authors are deeply grateful to the reviewers, namely to W. A. P. Wimbledon, for their helpful comments on the manuscript

Toxidermias em Idade Pediátrica

Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) are common during childhood, although there are still some characteristics that need to be studied. CADRs in children may differ from those in adults in terms of clinical presentation, medications involved, prognosis and treatment. Their prompt diagnosis and suspension of the culprit medication is extremely important to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with these cutaneous reactions. The aim of this study is to review the characteristics that differentiate CADRs in children from those in adults, in order to help their recognition and understand how its investigation can be improved.As toxidermias em idade pediátrica são frequentes, contudo existem características específicas desta faixa etária pouco estudadas. Estas diferem frequentemente das toxidermias do adulto em termos de apresentação clínica, fármacos implicados, prognóstico e tratamento. O seu reconhecimento precoce e suspensão do fármaco causador são de extrema importância para diminuição do risco de morbimortalidade. O objetivo deste trabalho é rever as principais características que diferenciam as toxidermias da criança das do adulto, de forma a facilitar o seu reconhecimento e perceber como a sua investigação pode ser melhorada

Effects of CPAP on nitrate and norepinephrine levels in severe and mild-moderate sleep apnea

Background: Reduced plasma nitrate (NOx) levels and increased urinary norepinephrine (U-NE) levels have been described in severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and are reverted by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The effect of CPAP on these biomarkers in mild-moderate OSA is not well understood. The aim of this study was to compare NOx and U-NE levels and blood pressure (BP) between male patients with mild-moderate and severe OSA and determine the impact of 1 month of CPAP therapy on these parameters. Methods: We undertook a prospective study of 67 consecutive OSA patients (36 mild-moderate, 31 severe). Measurements of plasma NOx at 11 pm, 4 am and 7 am, 24-h U-NE and ambulatory BP were obtained at baseline and after 1 month of CPAP. Results: At baseline, NOx levels showed a significant decrease during the night in both groups (p < 0.001). U-NE level and BP were significantly higher in the severe OSA group. After 1 month of CPAP, there was a significant increase in NOx levels and a reduction in U-NE level and BP only in patients with severe OSA. Conclusions: One month of CPAP results in significant improvements in NOx levels, 24-h U-NE level and BP in patients with severe OSA, but not in patients with mild-moderate OSA.publishersversionpublishe

After sales service: key settings for improving profitability and customer satisfaction

This paper presents a performed study to develop and improve the process of after sales of a Latvian company specialized in manufacturing fish processing equipment. The project was developed based on an action- research methodology. During the first stage of the study, the current after sales process was analysed to identify the issues and possible improvement opportunities that could be implemented later on. Data were collected through surveys and analysed, resulting in a series of improvement proposals discussed with the board of the company. At a later stage of the study, improvements were implemented such as the introduction of new services, development of new process diagrams and improvements of the spare parts management strategy. To conclude the study, the new services were offered and presented to customers and the trial period for the new after sales methodology was started.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthetic ability of dinuclear mesocates containing 1,3-bis(diazinecarboxamide)benzene bridging ligands to form complexes of increased nuclearity. Crystal structures, magnetic properties and theoretical studies

International audienceTriple stranded NiII2-metallacyclic complexes Na2.5[Ni2(bpcb)3]·0.5OH·18.5H2O (1) and Na2[Ni2(bpzcb)3]·16H2O (2), and double stranded CuII2-metallacyclic complexes [Cu2(bpcb)2(H2O)2]·8H2O (3) and [Cu2(bpzcb)2(H2O)2]·4H2O (4) have been assembled from the tailored bisbidentate bridging ligands, 1,3-bis(pyrimidine-2-carboxamide)benzene (H2bpcb) and 1,3-bis(pyrazine-2-carboxamide)benzene (H2bpzcb), and the corresponding nitrate salts of the metal ions. Following the “complex as ligand” strategy, 1 can be assembled with either Ni2+, Co2+ ions or the [Mn(acen)Cl] complex to afford unique, neutral, bent trinuclear molecules [MIINiII2(bpcb)3]·xH2O (5 and 6) and the 2D honeycomb-like complex (PPh4){[Ni2(bpcb)3]2[Mn(acen)]3} (7), respectively. In these cases, the Ni2 units are linked to the corresponding metal ions through amidate oxygen atoms and the outward nitrogen atom of one of the pyrimidine rings of the bcpb ligand. The assembly of 2 with Ln3+ ions (Ln3+ = Tb, Gd) leads to one dimensional complexes of formula [{[Ni2(bpzcb)3]Tb(H2O)5}(CF3SO3)·THF·5H2O]n (8) and [{[Ni2(bpzcb)3]Ln(H2O)4(NO3)}·2THF·nH2O]n (9 and 10) (Ln3+ = Gd and Tb), where the dinuclear Ni2 units are joined to two Ln3+ ions exclusively through amidate oxygen atoms of two different ligands. The analyses of the magnetic data indicate that 1–4 exhibit intradinuclear ferromagnetic interactions between the metal ions through a spin polarisation mechanism, as supported by DFT calculations. Trinuclear complexes 5 and 6 show predominant antiferromagnetic coupling, which is a result of an antiferromagnetic interaction between one of the Ni2+ ions of the Ni2 unit and the M2+ ion through the pyrimidine bridging fragment that is stronger than the polarised ferromagnetic interaction between the Ni2+ ions through the bpcb ligand in the dinuclear [Ni2(bpcb)3]2− moiety. Complex 7 shows a dominant antiferromagnetic interaction between the Ni2+ and Mn2+, whereas the Ni2Ln (Ln3+ = Gd, Tb) chain complexes present ferromagnetic interactions inside the Ni2 mesocate unit as well as between the Ni2+ ions of the Ni2 unit and the Ln3+ ions. The magnetic exchange interactions in these new materials have been experimentally analysed and supported by theoretical DFT studies

Effect of oxygen transfer rate on cellulases production in stirred tank and internal-loop airlift bioreactors

In an aerobic process, such as enzymes production by fungi, the oxygen supply into fermentation medium is an important factor in order to achieve good productivities. Oxygen has an important role in metabolism and microorganism growth, being of extreme importance the control of both the dissolved oxygen transfer rate into the bioreactor and the oxygen consumption by the microorganism [1,2]. Dissolved oxygen transfer rate can be analyzed and described by means of the mass transfer coefficient, KLa, being one of the most important parameters for the design and operation of mixing/sparging of aerobic bioreactors. (…