Effects of Environmental Factors on the Growth, Optical Density and Biomass of the Green Algae Chlorella Vulgaris in Outdoor Conditions

Effect of environmental factors on the growth of the Chlorella vulgaris was studied. C. vulgaris was cultivated in sterilized natural seawater enriched with F/2-Si medium. Then grow in bucket, tub and photobioreactor (PBR) in outdoor condition. The daily routine work consisted of culture checkups of optical density, biomass gains, atmosphere lux, culture lux, atmosphere temperature and culture temperature were recorded. The highest biomass yields were (3.0 μg/ml-1) in December and (2.01 μg/ml-1) in November in PBR. The highest deviation was in atmosphere lux in time 8:30 (± 117.7) and lowest deviation was in atmosphere temperature in time 15:00 (± 1.0499). Optical density (OD) indicated that the best growth of C. vulgaris in outdoor condition was obtained in 650 lux and also it increased with increasing amount of lux. Tub report of C. vulgaris showed different growing behaviors at the various concentration of light and at the different temperatures. Algal production in outdoor PBR is relatively inexpensive, but is only suitable for a few, fast-growing specie. Finally, this fact is noteworthy that in outdoor conditions, temperature and light have important role in growth of C. vulgaris in present study.

Direct assessment of small pelagic fish by the PELGAS16 acoustic survey

The Pelgas16 acoustic survey has been carried out with very good weather conditions (regular low wind, medium temperatures) for the whole area, from the South of the bay of Biscay to the west of Brittany. The help of commercial vessels (two pairs of pelagic trawlers and a single one) during 18 days provided about 120 valid identification hauls instead of about 60 before 2007 when Thalassa was alone to identify echotraces. Their participation increased the precision of identification of echoes and some double hauls permitted to confirm that results provided by the two types of vessels (R/V and Fishing boats) were comparable and usable for biomass estimate purposes. These commercial vessels participated to the PELGAS survey in a very good spirit of collaboration, with the financial help of "France Filière Pêche" which is a groupment of French fishing organisations. The PELGAS16 survey observed a medium level of anchovy biomass, which seems to be a medium biomass compared to previous year's, comparable to 2010 and far away from the 2015 biomass. The biomass estimate of sardine observed during PELGAS16 is decreasing compared to the last years level of biomass. It confirms that this specie shows a variable abundance in the bay of Biscay at this period.

Epidometria de Calophyllum brasiliense Camb. em plantios comerciais

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Florestais, 2016.

Genes found in partial sequencing od Phytophthora cinnamomi

Members of the oomycete cause extensive losses in agriculture and widespread degradation in natural plant communities, being responsible for the death of thousands of trees every year. Two of the representative species are Phytophthora infestans, which causes late blight of potato, and Phytophthora cinnamomi, which causes chestnut ink disease, responsible for losses on sweet chestnut production in Europe. Genome sequencing efforts have been focused on the study of three species: P. infestans, P. sojae and P. ramorum. Phytophthora infestans has been developed as the model specie for the genus, possessing excellent genetic and genomics resources including genetic maps, BAC libraries, and EST sequences. Our research team is trying to sequence the genome of P. cinnamomi in order to gain a better understanding of this oomycete, to study changes in plant-pathogen relationships including those resulting from climate change and trying to decrease the pathogen’s impact on crops and plants in natural ecosystems worldwide. We present here a preliminary report of partially sequenced genomic DNA from P. cinnamomi encoding putative protein-coding sequences and tRNAs. Database analysis reveals the presence of genes conserved in oomycetes.

Síntese e caracterização de óxidos de cério e cobalto obtidos por gel-combustão e Pechini aplicados às reações de oxidação de n-hexano

Oxide type spinel AB2O4 presents structure adjusted for application in the automobile industry. The spinel of cobalt has many practical applications had its excellent physical and chemical properties such as catalyst in hydrocarbon oxidation reaction. The CeO2 has been used in many of these processes because it assigns to a material with excellent thermal resistance and mechanics, high capacity of oxygen stockage (OSC) among others properties. This work deals with the synthesis, characterization and catalytic application of spinel of cobalt and CeO2 with fluorita structure, obtained for method of Pechini and method of Gel-Combustion. The process of Pechini, the puff was obtained at 300 ºC for 2 h in air. In the process of Gel-Combustion the approximately at 350 ºC material was prepared and burnt for Pyrolysis, both had been calcined at 500 ºC, 700 ºC, 900 ºC and 1050 ºC for 2 h in air. The materials of the calcinations had been characterized by TG/DTA, electronic microscopy of sweepings (MEV), spectroscopy of absorption in the infra-red ray (FTIR) and diffraction of X-rays (DRX). The obtained material reaches the phase oxide at 450 oC for Pechini method and 500 °C for combustion method. The samples were submitted catalytic reaction of n-hexane on superficies of materials. The reactor function in molar ration of 0, 85 mol.h-1.g-1 and temperature of system was 450 °C. The sample obtained for Pechini and support in alumine of superficial area of 178,63 m2.g-1 calcined at 700 ºC, give results of catalytic conversions of 39 % and the sample obtained for method of gel-combustion and support in alumina of 150 mesh calcined at 500 ºC result 13 % of conversion. Both method were selective specie C1

Diagnóstico das espécies ativas do plasma usado em tratamentos termoquímicos do titânio

Plasma diagnostics by Optical Emission Spectroscopy were performed for electrical discharge in three gas mixture respecting the combinations z N2 y Ar x H2, z N2 y Ar x O2 e z N2 y Ar x CH4, in which the indexes z and y systematically vary from 1 to 4 and x varies from 0 to 4, every one has dimension SCCM, resulting in 80 combinations. From the all obtained spectrums, the species CH (387,1 nm), N2+ (391,4 nm), Hβ (486,1 nm), Hα (656,3 nm), Ar (750,4 nm), O (777,4 nm) e O (842,6 nm) were analyzed because of their abundance and importance on the kinetic of reaction from the plasma to surface, besides their high dependences on the gases flows. Particularly interesting z, y and x combinations were chosen in order to study the influence of active species on the surface modification during the thermochemical treatment. From the mixtures N2 Ar O2 e N2 Ar CH4 were chosen three peculiar proportions which presented luminous intensity profile with unexpected maximum or minimum values, denominated as plasma anomaly. Those plasma concentrations were utilized as atmosphere of titanium treatment maintaining constant the control parameters pressure and temperature. It has been verified a relation among luminous intensity associated to N2+ and roughness, nanohardness and O atoms diffusion into the crystalline lattice of treated titanium and it has been seen which those properties becomes more intense precisely in the higher points found in the optical profile associated to the N2+ specie. Those parameters were verified for the mixture which involved O2 gas. For the mixture which involves CH4 gas, the relation was determinate by roughness, number of nitrogen and carbon atoms diffused into the titanium structure which presented direct proportionality with the luminous intensity referent to the N2+ and CH. It has been yet studied the formation of TiCN phases on the surface which presented to be essentially directly proportional to the increasing of the CH specie and inversely proportional to the increasing of the specie N2+

mRNA-Seq and microarray development for the Grooved carpet shell clam, Ruditapes decussatus: a functional approach to unravel host -parasite interaction

Background The Grooved Carpet shell clam Ruditapes decussatus is the autochthonous European clam and the most appreciated from a gastronomic and economic point of view. The production is in decline due to several factors such as Perkinsiosis and habitat invasion and competition by the introduced exotic species, the manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum. After we sequenced R. decussatus transcriptome we have designed an oligo microarray capable of contributing to provide some clues on molecular response of the clam to Perkinsiosis. Results A database consisting of 41,119 unique transcripts was constructed, of which 12,479 (30.3%) were annotated by similarity. An oligo-DNA microarray platform was then designed and applied to profile gene expression in R. decussatus heavily infected by Perkinsus olseni. Functional annotation of differentially expressed genes between those two conditionswas performed by gene set enrichment analysis. As expected, microarrays unveil genes related with stress/infectious agents such as hydrolases, proteases and others. The extensive role of innate immune system was also analyzed and effect of parasitosis upon expression of important molecules such as lectins reviewed. Conclusions This study represents a first attempt to characterize Ruditapes decussatus transcriptome, an important marine resource for the European aquaculture. The trancriptome sequencing and consequent annotation will increase the available tools and resources for this specie, introducing the possibility of high throughput experiments such as microarrays analysis. In this specific case microarray approach was used to unveil some important aspects of host-parasite interaction between the Carpet shell clam and Perkinsus, two non-model species, highlighting some genes associated with this interaction. Ample information was obtained to identify biological processes significantly enriched among differentially expressed genes in Perkinsus infected versus non-infected gills. An overview on the genes related with the immune system on R. decussatus transcriptome is also reported.

Estudo da doença de inverno em dourada (Sparus aurata L.) de cultivo a sul de Portugal

Dissertação de mest. em Aquacultura, Faculdade de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Univ. do Algarve, 2003

Atividade fitotóxica de extratos e exsudatos radiculares de Guilandina bonduc (Fabaceae)

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, 2015.

Ecomorfologia de dez espécies de peixes marinhos mais abundantes de Galinhos/RN

Ecomorphology is a science based on the idea that morphological differences among species could be associated with distinct biological and environmental pressures suffered by them. These differences can be studied employing morphological and biometric indexes denominated Ecomorphological attributes , representing standards that express characteristics of the individual in relation to its environment, and can be interpreted as indicators of life habits or adaptations suffered due its occupation of different habitats. This work aims to contribute for the knowledge of the ecomorphology of the Brazilian marine ichthyofauna, specifically from Galinhos, located at Rio Grande do Norte state. 10 different species of fish were studied, belonging the families Gerreidae (Eucinostomus argenteus), Haemulidae (Orthopristis ruber,Pomadasyscorvinaeformis,Haemulonaurolineatum,Haemulonplumieri,Haemulonsteindachneri), Lutjanidae (Lutjanus synagris), Paralichthyidae (Syaciummicrurum), Bothidae (Bothus ocellatus) and Tetraodontidae (Sphoeroidestestudineus), which were obtained during five collections, in the period time of September/2004 to April/2005, utilizing three special nets. The ecomorphological study was performed at the laboratory. Eight to ten samples of each fish specie were measured. Fifteen morphological aspects were considered to calculate twelve ecomorphological attributes. Multivariate statistical analysis methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis were done to identify ecmorphological patterns to describe the data set obtained. As results, H.aurolineatumwas the most abundant specie found (23,03%) and S.testudineusthe less one with 0,23%. The 1st Principal component showed variation of 60,03% with influence of the ecomorphological attribute related to body morphology, while the 2nd PC with 23,25% variation had influence of the ecomorphological attribute related to oral morphology. The Cluster Analiysis promoted the identification of three distinct groups Perciformes, Pleuronectiformes and Tetraodontiformes. Based on the obtained data, considering morphological characters differences among the species studied, we suggest that all of them live at the medium (E.argenteus,O.rubber, P.corvinaeformis,H.aurolineatum,H.plumieri,H.steindachneri,L.synagris) and bottom (S.micrurum,B.ocellatus,S.testudineus) region of column water.

A rede de marcação e recaptura: o caso de borboletas do gênero heliconius

(The Mark and Recapture Network: a Heliconius case study). The current pace of habitat destruction, especially in tropical landscapes, has increased the need for understanding minimum patch requirements and patch distance as tools for conserving species in forest remnants. Mark recapture and tagging studies have been instrumental in providing parameters for functional models. Because of their popularity, ease of manipulation and well known biology, butterflies have become model in studies of spatial structure. Yet, most studies on butterflies movement have focused on temperate species that live in open habitats, in which forest patches are barrier to movement. This study aimed to view and review data from mark-recapture as a network in two species of butterfly (Heliconius erato and Heliconius melpomene). A work of marking and recapture of the species was carried out in an Atlantic forest reserve located about 20km from the city of Natal (RN). Mark recapture studies were conducted in 3 weekly visits during January-February and July-August in 2007 and 2008. Captures were more common in two sections of the dirt road, with minimal collection in the forest trail. The spatial spread of captures was similar in the two species. Yet, distances between recaptures seem to be greater for Heliconius erato than for Heliconius melpomene. In addition, the erato network is more disconnected, suggesting that this specie has shorter traveling patches. Moving on to the network, both species have similar number of links (N) and unweighed vertices (L). However, melpomene has a weighed network 50% more connections than erato. These network metrics suggest that erato has more compartmentalized network and restricted movement than melpomene. Thus, erato has a larger number of disconnected components, nC, in the network, and a smaller network diameter. The frequency distribution of network connectivity for both species was better explained by a Power-law than by a random, Poissom distribution, showing that the Power-law provides a better fit than the Poisson for both species. Moreover, the Powerlaw erato is much better adjusted than in melpomene, which should be linked to the small movements that erato makes in the network

Avaliação do potencial de formigas (Hymenoptera: formicidae) como vetores mecânicos de bactérias do gêneroSstaphylococcus no ambiente hospitalar.

In a hospital environment, these bacteria can be spread by insects such as ants, which are characterized by high adaptability to the urban environment. Staphylococcus is a leading cause of hospital infection. In Europe, Latin America, USA and Canada, the group of coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) is the second leading cause of these infections, according to SENTRY (antimicrobial surveillance program- EUA). In this study, we investigated the potential of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as vehicle mechanics of Staphylococcus bacteria in a public hospital, in Natal-RN. The ants were collected, day and night, from June 2007 to may 2008, in the following sectors: hospitals, laundry, kitchen, blood bank. The ants were identified according to the identification key of Bolton, 1997. For the analysis of staphylococci, the ants were incubated in broth Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) for 24 hours at 35 º C and then incubated on Mannitol Salt Agar. The typical colonies of staphylococci incubated for 24 hours at 35 ° C in Tryptic Soy Agar for the characterization tests (Gram stain, catalase, susceptibility to bacitracin and free coagulase). The identification of CoNS was performed through biochemical tests: susceptibility to novobiocin, growth under anaerobic conditions, presence of urease, the ornithine decarboxylation and acid production from the sugars mannose, maltose, trehalose, mannitol and xylose. The antimicrobial susceptibility examined by disk-diffusion technique. The technique of Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to confirm the presence of mecA gene and the ability to produce biofilm was verified by testing in vitro using polystyrene inert surface, in samples of resistant staphylococci. Among 440 ants, 85 (19.1%) were carrying coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) of the species Staphylococcus saprophyticus (17), Staphylococcus epidermidis (15), Staphylococcus xylosus (13), Staphylococcus hominis hominis (10), Staphylococcus lugdunensis (10), Staphylococcus warneri (6), Staphylococcus cohnii urealyticum (5), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (3), Staphylococcus simulans (3), Staphylococcus cohnii cohnii (2), and Staphylococcus capitis (1). No Staphylococcus aureus was found. Among the isolates, 30.58% showed resistance to erythromycin. Two samples of CoNS (2.35%), obtained from the ant Tapinoma melanocephalum collected in the post-surgical female ward, S. Hominis hominis and S. lugdunensis harbored the mecA gene and were resistant to multiple antibiotics, and the specie S. hominis hominis even showed to be a biofilm producer. This study proves that ants act as carriers of multidrug-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci and biofilm producers and points to the risk of the spreading of pathogenic microorganisms by this insect in the hospital environment

A new marker for rapid sex identification of red deer (cervus elaphus) | Un nuovo marcatore per l'identificazione rapida del sesso del cervo (cervus elaphus)

Un nuovo marcatore per l'identificazione rapida del sesso del cervo (Cervus elaphus). Il cervo (Cervus elaphus) è una specie cacciabile economicamente importante che risente di alcuni problemi di conservazione. La conoscenza di parametri di popolazione come il rapporto sessi è importante per la sua gestione e conservazione. In questo studio, utilizzando condizioni poco specifiche per l’amplificazione di un frammento del cromosoma Y già descritto in precedenza, descriviamo un metodo che permette una rapida e corretta identificazione del sesso in questa specie, producendo due amplicons diversi nei maschi e uno nelle femmine. I due frammenti, diversi per il peso molecolare, sono facilmente separabili mediante elettroforesi in gel di agarosio, permettendo l'identificazione del sesso con un unico test in campioni biologici come carcasse, embrioni recuperati da femmine abbattute e, forse, peli o escrementi (se la qualità del DNA è accettabile). Questo metodo può essere di aiuto in studi sul rapporto sessi degli embrioni, sulla mortalità associata al sesso o sul rapporto sessi in popolazioni selvatiche o semiselvatiche, con ricadute applicative per le analisi demografiche, la gestione venatoria e la conservazione

Combined Use of NMR, LC-ESIMS and Antifungal Tests for Rapid Detection of Bioactive Lipopeptides Produced by Bacillus

The science and technology interact with the art in several ways. Biotechnological coupled with analytical approaches can play an important role in protecting and preserving cultural heritage for future generations. Many microorganisms influenced by environmental conditions are the main responsible for biological contamination in built heritage. Biocides based on chemical compounds have been used to mitigate this problem. Thus, it is vitally important to develop proper remediation actions based on environmentally innocuous alternative. Bacillus specie is emerging as an optimistic alternative for built heritage treatment due to their capacity to produce secondary metabolites with antagonistic activities against many fungal pathogens. Therefore, the intent of this work was to access a rapid evaluation of antifungal potential of bioactive metabolites produced by Bacillus strains and simultaneously their characterization using spectroscopic (NMR) and chromatographic techniques (LCESI- MS). The high antifungal activity obtained for Bacillus sp. active compounds produced in this study confirms the great potential to suppress biodeteriogenic fungi growth on historical artworks. Additionally, the proposed methodology allowed to access bioactive metabolites produced without need of the laborious total previous isolation and could be used as a viable alternative to be employed for screening and production of new green biocides.

Produção e degradação da serrapilheira de espécies lenhosas da caatinga e sua contribuição na recuperação de áreas degradadas.

Resumo: O entendimento do fluxo de produção e do aporte de nutrientes via decomposição da serrapilheira e as interações do processo com parâmetros edáficos e ciclagem de nutrientes de espécies nativas da Caatinga têm sido pouco estudados. O conhecimento sobre ciclagem de nutrientes em florestas manejadas também permite inferências sobre as espécies com maior capacidade de reciclagem de nutrientes e seu potencial para recuperação de áreas degradadas. Objetivou-se com isso avaliar a produção e a degradação da serrapilheira de oito espécies lenhosas da Caatinga e mensurar os efeitos de sua aplicação sobre a fertilidade do solo e sobre a produção de sorgo em solo degradado. Para isso realizou-se três ensaios: para o ensaio I quantificou-se a produção de serrapilheira em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado com 6 repetições, por meio da instalação de coletores sob a projeção da copa das espécies (tratamentos): mofumbo, sabiá, jurema-preta, jucá, catingueira, pereiro, pau-branco e marmeleiro, sendo o material coletado mensalmente; foram quantificadas a produção das frações folhas, caule, material reprodutivo, miscelânea e total, bem como o aporte de nutrientes no período chuvoso e seco. Para o ensaio II avaliou-se a taxa de degradação da fração folhas de cada espécie citada por meio da utilização de litter bags, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com 4 repetições, as coletas foram aos 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 e 150 dias, em seguida quantificou-se os macro e micronutrientes, celulose, lignina e carbono em cada tempo de amostragem. Para o ensaio III, realizou-se experimento em casa de vegetação para mensurar os efeitos da aplicação dos resíduos da serrapilheira das mesmas espécies mencionadas nos ensaios anteriores (I e II) sobre a fertilidade do solo e a produção de sorgo em solo degradado, neste experimento adotou-se o delineamento em blocos casualizados com 5 tratamentos e 5 repetições, sendo avaliadas doses equivalentes a: 0, 15, 30, 60 e 120 kg ha-1 de N dos resíduos de cada espécie e um tratamento adicional com adubação mineral, totalizando 30 unidades experimentais para cada espécie. As variáveis mensuradas foram biométricas, biomassa, teor relativo de clorofila e nitrogênio total, além de análises de fertilidade do solo. Com a análise dos dados verificou-se que a época de maior produção de serrapilheira ocorreu no final do período chuvoso para o início do período seco. A espécie jucá apresentou maior produção de serrapilheira, comparado às outras espécies. O nutriente cálcio apresentou maior acúmulo na serrapilheira para as espécies mofumbo, sabiá, catingueira, pereiro e marmeleiro e o nitrogênio foi superior para as espécies jurema-preta, jucá e pau-branco. Para todas as espécies avaliadas no ensaio de degradação houve redução significativa na sua biomassa em relação ao tempo zero, apresentando a seguinte ordem de velocidade de decomposição: jurema-preta > catingueira > pau-branco > jucá > marmeleiro > mofumbo > pereiro > sabiá. No ensaio de fertilização com os resíduos verificou-se que o marmeleiro promoveu efeitos negativos no solo, como acidificação. Porém, a aplicação dos resíduos da espécie pau-branco foi a que promoveu aumento nos valores de K, SB e CEC do solo e na produção do sorgo os resíduos de jurema-preta e pau-branco foram as que promoveram aumento na massa seca das plantas. Enquanto a adubação mineral proporcionou aumento na produção de massa seca do sorgo, demonstrando que a associação entre adubo mineral e o uso da serrapilheira de espécies da Caatinga pode ser uma opção viável para acelerar a recuperação de solos degradados. Abstract: The understanding of the production flow and nutrient supply via decomposition of litter and process interactions with edaphic parameters and nutrient cycling of native species of the Caatinga has been little studied. The knowledge of nutrient cycling in managed forests also allow inferences about species with capacity greater nutrient recycling capacity and its potential for recovery of degraded areas. This study aimed to evaluate the production and litter degradation 8 woody species of Caatinga and measure the effects of its application on soil fertility and production of sorghum in degraded soil. To this was carried out three tests: for the test I quantified the production of litter in a completely randomized design with 6 replications, by installing collectors under the canopy projection in the species (treatments): mofumbo, sabiá, jurema-preta, jucá, catingueira, pereiro, pau-branco and marmeleiro for each species, and the material collected monthly, were quantified the production of fractions leaves, stem, reproductive material, miscellany and total nutrient intake in the rainy and dry season. For II test evaluated the degradation rate of the fraction leaves through the use of litter bags, in a completely randomized design with 4 replications, the collected was 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days and quantitated nutrients, cellulose, lignin and carbon at each evaluation time. For the III test, there was the experiment in a greenhouse to measure the effects of the application of litter waste of the same species of previous tests (I and II) on soil fertility and production of sorghum in degraded soil, was adopted the randomized block design with 5 treatments and 5 replications and evaluated doses equivalent to: 0, 15, 30, 60 and 120 kg ha-1 N of waste each species and an additional treatment with mineral fertilizer, totaling 30 experimental units for each species. Biometric analysis and biomass, relative chlorophyll content and total nitrogen were proceeded. In addition to soil fertility analysis. With the data analysis it was found that the time of greatest litterfall occurred at the end of the rainy season to the beginning of the dry season. The jucá species showed higher production compared to other species. The nutrient calcium had higher accumulation for the species mofumbo, sabiá, catingueira, pereiro and marmeleiro and nitrogen was higher for species jurema-preta, jucá and pau-branco. All species evaluated in degradation test had a significant reduction in biomass over time zero. They presented the following order of decomposition rate: jurema-preta > catingueira > pau-branco > jucá > marmeleiro > mofumbo > pereiro > sabiá. For fertility test it was found that marmeleiro promoted negative effects on soil, such as acidification. However, pau-branco was the specie that promoted further improvements in the K values, SB and CEC to the soil and for the production of sorghum, the waste jurema-preta and pau-branco promoted increase in dry matter plants. While the mineral fertilization provided an increase in dry matter production of sorghum, demonstrating that the combination of mineral fertilizer and the use of litter of Caatinga species may be a viable option to speed up the recovery of degraded soils.