Uncovering the Bioactive Potential of a Cyanobacterial Natural Products Library Aided by Untargeted Metabolomics

The Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC) holds a vast number of cyanobacteria whose chemical richness is still largely unknown. To expedite its bioactivity screening we developed a natural products library. Sixty strains and four environmental samples were chromatographed, using a semiautomatic HPLC system, yielding 512 fractions that were tested for their cytotoxic activity against 2D and 3D models of human colon carcinoma (HCT 116), and non-cancerous cell line hCMEC/D3. Six fractions showed high cytotoxicity against 2D and 3D cell models (group A), and six other fractions were selected by their effects on 3D cells (group B). The metabolome of each group was organized and characterized using the MolNetEnhancer workflow, and its processing with MetaboAnalyst allowed discrimination of the mass features with the highest fold change, and thus the ones that might be bioactive. Of those, mass features without precedented identification were mostly found in group A, indicating seven possible novel bioactive molecules, alongside in silico putative annotation of five cytotoxic compounds. Manual dereplication of group B tentatively identified nine pheophytin and pheophorbide derivatives. Our approach enabled the selection of 7 out of 60 cyanobacterial strains for anticancer drug discovery, providing new data concerning the chemical composition of these cyanobacteria.     

Application of gypsum and lime to increase cation adsorption of a Geric Ferralsol in the Brazilian Amazon region

A Brazil-nut plantation 140 km east of Manaus was the site of a 3-month field trial, in which a by-product gypsum and a lime were compared. The soil properties in the plantation, 23 years after slash-and-burn, are not basically different from the remaining primary forest. The comparison is impeded by a distinct spatial variability of the soil nutrient content within the plantation. A linkage between Effective Cation Exchange Capacity (ECEC) and sulfate content of the soil is presumed. Gypsum-application increases the exchangeable Ca considerably, which is not an effect of Al-exchange, but of newly created adsorption sites. The potential of gypsum to increase the ECEC corresponds on a 1:1 basis with the potential for sulfate adsorption in the soil. Mg and nitrate are strongly leached after gypsum application. The applied, extremely fine ground lime has almost no effects below 5—10 cm depth. Ca, Mg and, to a lesser extent, K exhibit a much enhanced adsorption when applied as sulfate instead of chloride. All three cations are preferentially adsorbed in the subsoil, where the ECEC is only half the value of the upper soil. For fertilization concepts of those soils, the subsoil deserves much greater attention. The infiltration pattern of an organic dye gives evidence of a strong influence of bypass water flow through macropores in the soil.     

Development of the “Applied Proteomics” Concept for Biotechnology Applications in Microalgae: Example of the Proteome Data in Nannochloropsis gaditana

Most of the marine ecosystems on our planet are still unknown. Among these ecosystems, microalgae act as a baseline due to their role as primary producers. The estimated millions of species of these microorganisms represent an almost infinite source of potentially active biocomponents offering unlimited biotechnology applications. This review considers current research in microalgae using the “omics” approach, which today is probably the most important biotechnology tool. These techniques enable us to obtain a large volume of data from a single experiment. The specific focus of this review is proteomics as a technique capable of generating a large volume of interesting information in a single proteomics assay, and particularly the concept of applied proteomics. As an example, this concept has been applied to the study of Nannochloropsis gaditana, in which proteomics data generated are transformed into information of high commercial value by identifying proteins with direct applications in the biomedical and agri-food fields, such as the protein designated UCA01 which presents antitumor activity, obtained from N. gaditana.     

Reactive navigation system based on H∞ control system and LiDAR readings on corn crops

Precision Agriculture - Severe working conditions, the cost reduction need and production growth justify the adoption of technological techniques in agricultural production. Currently, Global...     

Vineyard yield estimation by combining remote sensing,computer vision and artificial neural network techniques

In viticulture, it is critical to predict productivity levels of the different vineyard zones to undertake appropriate cropping practices. To overcome this challenge, the final yield was predicted by combining vegetation indices (VIs) to sense the health status of the crop and by computer vision to obtain the vegetated fraction cover (F_c) as a measure of plant vigour. Multispectral imagery obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is used to obtain VIs and F_c, which are used together with artificial neural networks (ANN) to model the relationship between VIs, F_c and yield. The proposed methodology was applied in a vineyard, where different irrigation and fertilisation doses were applied. The results showed that using computer vision techniques to differentiate between canopy and soil is necessary in precision viticulture to obtain accurate results. In addition, the combination of VIs (reflectance approach) and F_c (geometric approach) to predict vineyard yield results in higher accuracy (root mean square error (RMSE)?=?0.9 kg vine^?1 and relative error (RE)?=?21.8% for the image when close to harvest) compared to the simple use of VIs (RMSE?=?1.2 kg vine^?1 and RE?=?28.7%). The implementation of machine learning techniques resulted in much more accurate results than linear models (RMSE?=?0.5 kg vine^?1 and RE?=?12.1%). More precise yield predictions were obtained when images were taken close to the harvest date, although promising results were obtained at earlier stages. Given the perennial nature of grapevines and the multiple environmental and endogenous factors determining yield, seasonal calibration for yield prediction is required.

     

Headspace oxygen in sample vials affects volatiles production of meat during the automated purge-and-Trap/GC analyses.

Headspace oxygen in sample vial for the purge-and-trap dynamic headspace/gas chromatography method oxidizes meat if held hours before purging, influences volatile profiles, and misrepresents the true composition of volatiles. Helium flush and helium flush plus oxygen absorber were used to eliminate residual oxygen and minimize oxidative changes in meat during sample holding time. Both helium flush and helium flush plus oxygen absorber treatments were effective in preventing an increase in 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) and volatiles production in raw meat for up to 640 min of sample holding. With helium flush plus oxygen absorber, only 1-octen-3-ol increased during the 1280-min sample holding time. However, the hexanal peak in raw meat was interfered by 2,6-dimethyl heptane when oxygen absorber was added. Therefore, use of oxygen absorber was not appropriate for raw meat. Helium flush reduced oxidative changes in cooked meat during sample holding time but was not able to stop oxidative changes in meat after 160 min sample holding. A combination of helium flush and oxygen absorber was effective in preventing volatiles production in cooked meat for over 20 h of sample holding at 4 degrees C.     

Comparative analysis of main on-farm irrigation systems in Portugal

Traditional irrigation systems still cover a large area of irrigated lands in Portugal. The needs for competitiveness leads to the gradual abandon of traditional systems, resulting in social and economic impacts. Pressurised on-farm irrigation systems provide labour savings but imply important investments. Surface irrigation does not require expensive equipment and is low energy and low labour consuming, if modern systems are implemented. Flexible-pipe, gated-pipe, surge-flow valve and cablegation are the main equipment issues available to Portuguese farmers for modern surface irrigation practice. Conditions for application of these systems have been studied relative to different soil and topographic conditions. Plane land, either horizontal or sloped and undulated fields can be irrigated by surface systems, if a convenient design is accomplished. The adequacy of the irrigation systems has been evaluated and a cost-benefit study was carried out. A case study of a situation with undulated land, representative of South Portugal, is presented in this paper, comparing surface irrigation issues and a sprinkler system. Conclusions show a particular economic interest on adopting surge-valve, gated-pipe and cablegation.     

Cage aquaculture in Neotropical waters promotes attraction and aggregation of fish

The influence of cage aquaculture on the attraction and aggregation of wild fish was evaluated with an experimental tilapia farming structure. The structure was installed in the Corvo River, Rosana Reservoir, Paranapanema River basin, for 140 days. Samples were taken before and after farming began. Gillnets on the surface and near the bottom at different distances from the cages (0, 100 and 400 m) were used for fish sampling. The effects of the food supply at two protein levels were also analysed: Phase 1 = 32% PB and Phase 2 = 28% PB. Changes in species richness and abundance were observed, with the number of individuals and the fish biomass increasing significantly just after the farming began. Some species, such as Iheringichthys labrosus, presented increased abundance near the cages, while others, such as Plagioscion squamosissimus, were more abundant far from the cages. Auchenipterus osteomystax was the most abundant species during the experiment, especially when the protein content of the pellets was higher. It was demonstrated that farming tilapia in cages profoundly altered the abundance and composition of the wild ichthyofauna, suggesting the need to propose effective regulations for such activities, including fisheries restrictions in farmed areas or even the prohibition of cage farming.     

Compensatory growth and digestive enzyme activity of Litopenaeus vannamei submitted to feeding restriction in a biofloc system

Feeding restriction is a strategy in shrimp farming management that may promote compensatory growth after feeding is re‐established. This study aims to evaluate the effects of two feeding restriction regimens on the compensatory growth and digestive enzymes activity of Litopenaeus vannamei reared in biofloc system. Juvenile shrimp (0.46 ± 0.18 g) were stocked (320 individuals/m³) in 310 L tanks. The experiment comprised two phases: (a) Feeding Restriction (30 days) when shrimp were submitted to three feeding regimes, Control (fed daily), R1F1 (repetitively fasted one day and fed one day) and R2F1 (repetitively fasted 2 days and fed 1 day); and (b) Refeeding (28 days) when shrimp were fed daily. In the restriction phase, shrimp growth and digestive enzyme activities were reduced in R2F1 and R1F1. However, during the refeeding phase, enzyme activities and feed conversion improve significantly in R2F1 and R1F1. Control group attained higher final weight, but its final biomass was similar to R1F1. Litopenaeus vannamei exhibited partial compensatory growth, probably due to improved feed conversion efficiency driven by increased enzyme activity. It is possible to reduce feeding by 50% (R1F1) in biofloc systems for 28 days, without compromising the biomass produced at the end of a 30‐day refeeding period.     

The role of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart. 1824) as a chemoprotective agent in the evaluation of antioxidant defence,oxidative damage and histology of juvenile shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (BOONE, 1931) exposed to ammonia

This study investigated the effects of the use of the inclusion of açaí on the diet of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei on antioxidant and histopathological responses after exposure to ammonia. The shrimps were fed two experimental diets: control and with 10% of açaí inclusion (W/W), for 35 days. Afterwards, the organisms were exposed at four concentrations of ammonia (0.01‐control; 0.26; 0.48 and 0.91 mg NH₃‐N L^?1) for 96 hr. The total antioxidant capacity (ACAP) of the gills decreased significantly in both diets when exposed to ammonia, whereas in the muscle, the açaí promoted an increase in ACAP. Concomitantly, lipid peroxidation levels increased in the gills and decreased in muscle. After exposure to ammonia, glutathione‐S‐transferase activity increased in hepatopancreas in shrimps fed with açaí facilitating the detoxification of lipid peroxidation by‐products, and the concentration of protein sulfhydryl groups decreased in the gills and muscle of the shrimp of the control diet, evidencing protein damage, an unobserved response in shrimps that received the açaí diet. Histopathological changes decreased in açaí‐fed shrimps about the control diet after exposure to ammonia. It is concluded that açaí mitigated ammonia‐induced histopathological changes, improved the antioxidant defence system (gills and muscle) and attenuated the lipid damage in the muscle.