INFLUENCE OF CELL WALL CALCIUM CONTENT IN FRUIT FIRMNESS DURING THE RIPENING OF PLUMS (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.).

‘Rainha Claudia Verde’ is a regional cultivar of Prunus domestica L. well adapted to a specific region in the south of Portugal. In order to understand the postharvest behavior of this cultivar produced in different orchards, cell wall poly-saccharides and cell wall calcium fruit content were studied during ripening in two consecutive years. During harvest period pectic fractions soluble in water, carbonate and KOH were prepared from alcohol-insoluble residue (AIR) of plums. Galacturonic and neutral sugars contents were measured during fruit ripening and fruit firmness was also evaluated. The calcium fruit level was determined in the AIR during harvest season as well as in dry matter. Fruit firmness was significantly higher in the second year and was probably related with calcium fruit content and pectic polysaccharides. There was a significant difference in calcium fruit content between orchards, and this might influence the overall fruit texture during the postharvest period. During fruit ripening water soluble pectic polysaccharides did not change significantly, which corresponded with the small decrease in tissue firmness. The occurrence in the supernatant of the cellulosic residue of highly branched polysaccharides might be the consequence of matrix material associated with microfibrilar phase. Depolymerization of the hemicellulosic fraction was not evident during plum ripening. The loss of fruit firmness is a consequence of many cellular events which are influenced by external factors. The knowledge of calcium content in the cell wall and the pectic poly¬saccharides could be of great importance to local farmers to predict fruit texture

A SUSTENTABILIDADE NA PRODUÇÃO DE VINHOS DO ALENTEJO, CONTRIBUTO DA ADEGA DE BORBA

A Adega de Borba está profundamente empenhada em estabelecer um trabalho com os seus viticultores e parceiros, por forma a produzir vinhos que sejam comercialmente viáveis, que preservem os recursos ambientais e que promovam o bem-estar social dos seus colaboradores das comunidades envolventes. A implementação, por parte da Adega de Borba, de boas práticas para redução do consumo de água e energia na adega e a certificação em produção integrada das vinhas dos seus viticultores, pretendem reduzir o impacto ambiental da produção vitivinícola desta sub-região. Este trabalho apresenta os resultados das boas práticas adotadas

Evaluation of the evolution of the anthocyanins profile in red wine grape varieties in Alentejo

The flavonoids (including anthocyanins) are wine compounds with important anti-oxidant activity, protecting the cells against oxidative processes, preventing cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, among others (Antoniolli et al. 2015; Castañeda-Ovando et al. 2009; Hosu et al. 2014; Huang et al. 2009; Kong et al. 2003). Anthocyanins in grapes at harvest are determinant to red wine quality and their development in the grape must be characterised in order to determine the most suitable date for the harvest. Thus the aim of this research is the evaluation of anthocyanins composition in two red wine grape varieties from véraison continuing through ripening. Anthocyanins were quantified by high resolution liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD). Additionally, the total phenols content were quantified by UV-Vis Spectrometry. The anthocyanins’ profile evolution may be dependent on the variety and ripening phase. During ripening grape samples have shown an increase of coumaryl derivatives. This information may lead us to understand the anthocyanins biosynthesis pathway in different grape varieties. The development of anthocyanins from the véraison seems to follow a pattern that coincides with the increasing accumulation of soluble sugars

Avaliação do efeito do corte horizontal da copa, com máquina de podar de discos, em pomares de pera “Rocha

Current pear pruning making use of pneumatic shears still is a very labour intensive operation. The Proder project “Avaliação da poda mecânica em pomares de pera” was designed to contribute to solutions that would reduce the present dependence in labour and therefore to promote a reduction in pruning costs. This paper shows the results of a trial made to evaluate the influence of mechanical topping in manual pruning complement field work and pear yield. Topping was performed using a Reynolds 6DT 3.0m cutting bar with six hydraulic-driven circular disc-saws mounted in the three point tractor linkage system. The field trial was performed in a commercial orchard with 20 years, planted in an array of 4m x 2m with tree lines oriented in North-South direction. Trees were trained as the central leader system. In this trial, in a randomised complete block design with four replications, two treatments are being compared leading to 8 plots with one line of 14 trees per plot. The treatments tests were: T1 - manual pruning performed by workers using pneumatic shears, in each year; T2 - Topping the canopy parallel to the ground, using a discs-saw pruning machine mounted in a front loader of an agricultural tractor, followed by manual pruning complement performed by workers with pneumatic shears. Tree height and width was measured, before and after pruning. Work was timed and pear yields evaluated. Mechanical topping seems to be effective in the control of tree height, which can contribute to increase 14% of work rates on manual pruning complement. No significant differences in pear yield were found between treatments

QUANTIFICATION OF CALCIUM IN SPARKLING WINES BY INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

Markets are increasingly competitive and the companies feel the urge to improve their manufacturing processes. Blending that with a larger control of quality and safety it was created a need to develop new methods of analysis each time more accurate, faster and with lower costs. Alentejo is a region with a wide variety of soils, most of them are rich in calcium and potassium. In the production of sparkling wine many wineries use encapsulated yeast in alginate beads, instead of the traditional method, champenoise. The first method is faster, allowing a more versatile production, reducing the risk of contamination and features organoleptic characteristics similar to the traditional method (yeast free). However, encapsulated yeast spheres should be only used if the base wine matches a number of features, among them calcium content. In this study the calcium content in the wine was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and by near-infrared spectroscopy. The AAS is a high sensitivity method clearly produces a reliable result, however it is very time consuming and produces great quantities of environmental waste, therefore the possibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy as a method was studied to be a fast, simple and clean alternative to the AAS. It was obtained a calibration model with a variation coefficient higher than 0.80 which indicates that the near-infrared spectroscopy as an adequately alternative the ASS

A new type of CP symmetry, family replication and fermion mass hierarchies

We study a two-Higgs-doublet model with four generalised CP symmetries in the scalar sector. Electroweak symmetry breaking leads automatically to spontaneous breaking of two of them. We require that these four CP symmetries can be extended from the scalar sector to the full Lagrangian and call this requirement the principle of maximal CP invariance. The Yukawa interactions of the fermions are severely restricted by this requirement. In particular, a single fermion family cannot be coupled to the Higgs fields. For two fermion families, however, this is possible. Enforcing the absence of flavour-changing neutral currents, we find degenerate masses in both families or one family massless and one massive. In the latter case the Lagrangian is highly symmetric, with the mass hierarchy being generated by electroweak symmetry breaking. Adding a third family uncoupled to the Higgs fields and thus keeping it massless we get a model which gives a rough approximation of some features of the fermions observed in Nature. We discuss a number of predictions of the model which may be checked in future experiments at the LHC.Comment: 24 pages. Version published in EPJC. Minor changes as suggested by the refere

Sildenafil restores cognitive function without affecting β-amyloid burden in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) affect signalling pathways by elevating cGMP, which is a second messenger involved in processes of neuroplasticity. In the present study, the effects of the PDE5 inhibitor, sildenafil, on the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease and on memory-related behaviour were investigated. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Sildenafil was administered to the Tg2576 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and to age-matched negative littermates (controls). Memory function was analysed using the Morris water maze test and fear conditioning tasks. Biochemical analyses were performed in brain lysates from animals treated with saline or with sildenafil. KEY RESULTS: Treatment of aged Tg2576 animals with sildenafil completely reversed their cognitive impairment. Such changes were accompanied in the hippocampus by a reduction of tau hyperphosphorylation and a decrease in the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) (p25/p35 ratio). Moreover, sildenafil also increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc) in the hippocampus without any detectable modification of brain amyloid burden. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Sildenafil improved cognitive functions in Tg2576 mice and the effect was not related to changes in the amyloid burden. These data further strengthen the potential of sildenafil as a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease

Efectos de la agrupación multigrado y el tamaño del aula en los resultados de aprendizaje de estudiantes de Educación Primaria. Evidencia de escuelas multigrado del sistema educativo de la República Dominicana

The learning results obtained by 4.292 Elementary School students, 32% in multigrade and 68% in unigrade, are compared, considering subjects, classroom size and cycles. It is a field, correlational, explanatory and cross-sectional study that uses ANOVA and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis for the analysis of variance. The results indicate that multigrade groupings, in contexts similar to unigrade ones, can enhance learning outcomes in the second cycle of Elementary School and especially in mathematics. The size of the classrooms seems to have some influence; but it does not affect all groups or subjects in a similar way.Se comparan los resultados de aprendizaje que obtienen 4.292 estudiantes de Educación Primaria, 32% en multigrado y 68% en unigrado, considerando asignaturas, tamaño del aula y ciclos. Es un estudio de campo, correlacional, explicativo y transversal que utiliza ANOVA y Análisis de Regresión Lineal Múltiple para el análisis de varianza. Los resultados indican que las agrupaciones multigrado, en contextos similares a las unigrado, pueden potenciar los resultados de aprendizaje en el segundo ciclo de Primaria y especialmente en matemática. El tamaño de las aulas parece tener alguna influencia; pero no afecta a todas las agrupaciones ni asignaturas de forma similar

Compilation of parameterized seismogenic sources in Iberia for the SHARE European-scale seismic source model.

Abstract: SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe) is an EC-funded project (FP7) that aims to evaluate European seismic hazards using an integrated, standardized approach. In the context of SHARE, we are compiling a fully-parameterized active fault database for Iberia and the nearby offshore region. The principal goal of this initiative is for fault sources in the Iberian region to be represented in SHARE and incorporated into the source model that will be used to produce seismic hazard maps at the European scale. The SHARE project relies heavily on input from many regional experts throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region. At the SHARE regional meeting for Iberia, the 2010 Working Group on Iberian Seismogenic Sources (WGISS) was established; these researchers are contributing to this large effort by providing their data to the Iberian regional integrators in a standardized format. The development of the SHARE Iberian active fault database is occurring in parallel with IBERFAULT, another ongoing effort to compile a database of active faults in the Iberian region. The SHARE Iberian active fault database synthesizes a wide range of geological and geophysical observations on active seismogenic sources, and incorporates existing compilations (e.g., Cabral, 1995; Silva et al., 2008), original data contributed directly from researchers, data compiled from the literature, parameters estimated using empirical and analytical relationships, and, where necessary, parameters derived using expert judgment. The Iberian seismogenic source model derived for SHARE will be the first regional-scale source model for Iberia that includes fault data and follows an internationally standardized approach (Basili et al., 2008; 2009). This model can be used in both seismic hazard and risk analyses and will be appropriate for use in Iberian- and European-scale assessments