Studies on the cellulose-binding domains adsorption to cellulose

Cellulose-binding domains (CBD) are modular peptides, present in many glycanases, which anchor these enzymes to the substrate. In this work, the effect of CBD adsorption on the surface properties of a model cellulose, Whatman CF11, was studied. The methods applied include inverse gas chromatography (IGC), ESCA, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The CBD partition affinity (0.85 L/g) was calculated from adsorption isotherms. However, true adsorption equilibrium does not exist, since CBDs are apparently irreversibly adsorbed to the fibers. Both IGC and ESCA showed that fibers with adsorbed CBD have a lower acidic character and also a slightly higher affinity toward aliphatic molecules. This may however be a consequence of an increased surface area, a hypothesis that is supported by microscopic observations. The crystallinity index was not affected by CBD treatment.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BD/6934/2001

Study of the quality of fruits of the Hylocereusundatus (Haw) Britton Rose and Hylocereusmegalanthus(K. Schum ex Vaupel) Ralf Baue (Red and Yellow Pitahaya) during the maturationperiod

In this work, the organoleptic and sensorial characteristics were determined, as well as the maturation pattern of the yellow and red pitahaya fruits grown in Ecuador. Several fruit quality indexes were evaluated for 15 days from the moment of harvest, such as: weight loss, dry matter, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, exocarp coloration and maturity relationship and related damages by attack of biotic agents. The results indicated that in storage conditions with a temperature of 25 ± 1 ° C, the red pitahaya presents a gradual loss of fruit quality up to nine days; after this period serious fungal damage to the fruit that affects its commercial quality begins. The yellow pitahaya has a time of storage that can reach up to 15 days, although the fruit looks externally dehydrated and aged; however internally the fruit maintains its quality for consumption. It presents organosensitive standards of quality and resistance to microbiological agents superior to those of the red pitahaya. Due to the behavior of the fruit in the various variables evaluated in this study, strong evidences are presented that suggest to consider it as a species of non-climacteric respiration

InfectionCMA: A Cell MicroArray Approach for Efficient Biomarker Screening in In Vitro Infection Assays

The recently emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has forced the scientific community to acquire knowledge in real-time, when total lockdowns and the interruption of flights severely limited access to reagents as the global pandemic became established. This unique reality made researchers aware of the importance of designing efficient in vitro set-ups to evaluate infectious kinetics. Here, we propose a histology-based method to evaluate infection kinetics grounded in cell microarray (CMA) construction, immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization techniques. We demonstrate that the chip-like organization of the InfectionCMA has several advantages, allowing side-by-side comparisons between diverse cell lines, infection time points, and biomarker expression and cytolocalization evaluation in the same slide. In addition, this methodology has the potential to be easily adapted for drug screening. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding text 1: Funding: The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) funded this project through the Research4COVID19 projects 109_596696487 and RESEARCH COVID-19 projects Ref. 510. FCT also financed the Ph.D. grant to R.J.P. (SFRH/BD/145217/2019) and M.N. (2020.04720.BD). i3S is supported by FEDER–Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020–Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação in the framework of the project ‘Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences’ (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274).; Funding text 2: The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) funded this project through the Research4COVID19 projects 109_596696487 and RESEARCH COVID-19 projects Ref. 510. FCT also financed the Ph.D. grant to R.J.P. (SFRH/BD/145217/2019) and M.N. (2020.04720.BD). i3S is supported by FEDER?Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020?Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT/Minist?rio da Ci?ncia, Tecnologia e Inova??o in the framework of the project ?Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences? (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274)

Preparation and microstructural characterization of a high-Cr white cast iron reinforced with WC particles

High-chromium white cast iron (WCI) specimens locally reinforced with WC–metal matrix composites were produced via an ex situ technique: powder mixtures of WC and Fe cold-pressed in a pre-form were inserted in the mold cavity before pouring the base metal. The microstructure of the resulting reinforcement is a matrix of martensite (α’) and austenite (γ) with WC particles evenly distributed and (Fe,W,Cr)6C carbides that are formed from the reaction between the molten metal and the inserted pre-form. The (Fe,W,Cr)6C precipitation leads to the hypoeutectic solidification of the matrix and the final microstructure consists of martensite, formed from primary austenite during cooling and eutectic constituent with (Fe,Cr)7C3 and (Fe,W,Cr)6C carbides. The presence of a reaction zone with 200 µm of thickness, between the base metal and the composite should guarantee a strong bonding between these two zones.This research was funded by FEDER through the program P2020 |COMPETE, Projetos em Copromocao (project POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033417), and the program P2020|Norte2020, Programas doutorais (NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000051)

The importance of proteins of the RNase II/RNB-family in pathogenic bacteria

WOS: 84907164467publishersversionpublishe

Varietal thiols in white wines from portuguese grape varieties

Wines from Antão Vaz, Arinto, Fernão Pires, Verdelho da Madeira and Viosinho grape cultivars, from 2009 and 2010 vintages, were studied in order to characterize the volatile thiols profile, namely 4-mercapto-4-methyl-pentan-2-one (4MMP), 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (3MHA). Volatile thiols profile of these wines was also compared to a Sauvignon blanc wine produced in Portugal. Besides sensory analysis, all wines were analyzed using GC coupled to different detectors, namely FID, FPD, MS and Olfactometry (GC-O). In all wines, GC-O analyses showed the existence of two olfactory zones related to the presence of 4MMP and 3MH. A third olfactory zone for 3MHA was only observed for the youngest wines. The wines produced from Portuguese cultivars presented aromatic intensities comparable or even higher than those obtained in the Sauvignon blanc wine. Indeed, 3MH was found in all wines and the highest amounts were observed in Antão Vaz, Arinto and Viosinho wines. In general, these findings are in agreement with those obtained by sensory analysis

Erratum: Moreira, J., et al., Spin-Coated Polysaccharide-Based Multilayered Freestanding Films with Adhesive and Bioactive Moieties. Molecules 2020, 25, 840

Erratum: Moreira, J., et al., Spin-Coated Polysaccharide-Based Multilayered Freestanding Films with Adhesive and Bioactive Moieties. Molecules 2020, 25, 840. DOI: 10.3390/molecules25040840The authors wish to make changes to the published paper 11 j. 1. UV-Vis Analysis of Catechol-Modified Polymers In the original manuscript theie is a mistake concerning the word "Wavenumber" in the X-Coordinate in Figure 1. Tile corrected word is "Wavelength". Tlx- A uthors also wish to change mg«mL-l to mg ml-1 in the legend of Figure l;see corrected Figure 1 below. (Figure Presented).(undefined

Male post‐breeding movements and stopover habitat selection of an endangered short‐distance migrant, the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax

Migratory decisions, such as the selection of stopover sites, are critical for the success of post‐breeding migratory movements and subsequent survival. Recent advances in bio‐logging have revealed the stopover strategies of many long‐distance migrants, but far less attention has been given to short‐distance migrants. We investigated the stopover ecology of an endangered grassland bird, the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, a short‐distance migrant in Iberia. Using high‐resolution spatial GPS/GSM data, 27 male Little Bustards breeding in southern Portugal were tracked between 2009 and 2011. We studied post‐breeding movements using Dynamic Brownian Bridge models to identify the main stopover sites, and generalized linear mixed models to examine habitat selection in stopovers. During their post‐breeding movements, males were essentially nocturnal migrants, making frequent stopovers while maintaining a relatively fast pace to reach more productive agricultural post‐breeding areas. Stopovers occurred in most post‐breeding movements (83%) regardless of the total distance covered (average 64.3 km), and most stopovers (84%) lasted less than 24 h. Birds used mostly agricultural non‐irrigated and irrigated croplands as stopover sites and avoided other land uses and rugged terrain. There was a negative relationship between stopovers and the proximity to roads, but not to power lines. The high frequency of stopovers during post‐breeding movements, despite the short distances travelled, together with the nocturnal migratory behaviour of bustards, may impose additional risks to a bird mainly threatened by collision with power lines in non‐breeding areas. We also conclude that even for short‐distance migrants, habitat connectivity between breeding and post‐breeding areas is likely to be a key conservation concern.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio