Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre

Postharvest fruit losses significantly impact producers and distributors. Although synthetic preservatives mitigate these losses, consumer safety concerns and regulatory restrictions drive interest in alternative approaches. Propolis, rich in polyphenols, exhibits antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, making it a promising natural strategy to preserve fruit quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the pre- and postharvest applications of Portuguese propolis extracts on the preservation of postharvest quality of ‘Rocha’ pear, an exclusively Portuguese variety of major economic importance. Treatments were applied by spraying the fruits one month before and at harvest. After five months of cold storage, the main quality parameters, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, physiological disorders, and microbial contamination were assessed. The results showed that the application of propolis extract, either 30 days before or immediately after harvest, reduces the total microbiological load on the fruit’s epidermis (~1-log to 2-log reduction, after treatment). Moreover, the treatment enhanced the preservation of key quality attributes, including a reduction in water loss of up to 44%, a 13–33% decrease in firmness loss relative to the control, and a lower incidence of physiological disorders during postharvest storage. Furthermore, the application of propolis can enhance the production of fruits with higher levels of bioactive compounds, while also adding value to a bee product that is often underappreciated by most beekeepers.

Blastocystis is a common intestinal protist in humans and animals, yet its ecological role and clinical significance remain debated. Companion animals and livestock are of particular interest due to their close contact with humans and potential reservoir roles. This review synthesizes current knowledge on Blastocystis occurrence and diversity in these animal groups, reframing the discussion through the lens of host digestive physiology and microbiome ecology. Rather than a taxonomic inventory, we group animals as carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores to highlight how gastrointestinal physiology and diet might shape colonization. Carnivores show low prevalence, herbivores exhibit high subtype richness, and omnivores display intermediate patterns. Growing evidence links Blastocystis to gut eubiosis, highlighting the need for broader, integrative research across hosts and environments.

This study evaluates the gasification of pine, olive pomace (OP), and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in bubbling fluidized bed and fixed-bed gasifiers under varying conditions. Experiments were conducted at 700–800 °C with equivalence ratios (ER) of 0.18–0.34. For pine, H 2 reached 13.75 % at 800 °C, with an LHV of 5.71 MJ/Nm 3 and CGE decreasing from 68.18 % (700 °C) to 50.11 % (800 °C). OP showed higher CGE (65.09 % at 700 °C) but faced persistent tar challenges, with tar content exceeding 9 g/Nm 3 even at 800 °C. RDF exhibited the highest tar production (28–30 g/Nm 3 ) and lowest CGE (28.53 % at 800 °C), attributed to its heterogeneous composition and high ash content. Pine achieved the highest syngas flow rate (154.6 Nm 3 /h at 800 °C), compared to RDF (136.1 Nm 3 /h). These findings underscore the impact of feedstock properties and operating parameters on gasification performance, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to optimize syngas quality and reduce by-products like tar. • This study explores the gasification of pine, olive pomace (OP), and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in bubbling fluidized bed and fixed-bed gasifiers to enhance hydrogen production in syngas. • Higher temperatures increased H 2 and CO concentrations while reducing hydrocarbons. • Feedstock properties and operating parameters significantly influenced gasification outcomes, enabling optimized syngas quality and reduced tar byproducts. • The findings provide decisive insights into advancing sustainable waste-to-energy technologies.

When dealing with routes in maps, the shortest path is the commonest addressed problem, but the topology of the map affects the paths’ behavior in many ways. A study was conducted on random maps, by Monte Carlo simulation, in which the weights are uniformly distributed, in order to assess the impact of these conditions on the shortest paths. We provide a freely accessible webpage, where the user can insert the number of nodes, specify whether it is a directed or undirected graph, and the range of the distribution, to observe the influence of each parameter. We consider several goals: we offer the procedure computation, based on the well-known Dijkstra’s algorithm; we combine the PHP language with a numerical language (Fortran), with the gnuplot graphing utility; and we stress the suggestion of the Internet as a computing medium. The simulation runs on the webpage, thus needing no software installation or special power or matching operating system. This Web application is an example for many other problems, and is implemented on a Linux platform. The study draws attention both to the use of the Web for scientific computing, and to the convenience of this use in scientific publications. We advocate web-based computing in general, as it can use the same programs as classical computing, the programs being always the technical difficulty. In our technological era, this still scarcely explored approach also promotes the transfer of knowledge from academia to industry.

Forests have been increasingly affected by natural disturbances and human activities. These impacts have caused habitat fragmentation and a loss of ecological connectivity. This study examines potential restoration pathways that reconnect the five largest forest cores in the Castilla y León region of Spain. Resistance surfaces were created based on land use and land cover variables. Three spatial configurations were tested to reflect different combinations of forest types, agroforestry areas, and legally protected public forests (Montes de Utilidad Pública [MUPs]). Among these, the configuration that included MUPs resulted in the largest improvement in ecological connectivity. The connected habitat area nearly doubled, and the required restoration area was substantially lower compared to the other configurations. In all cases, the majority of the proposed pathways passed through forest and semi-natural areas. This outcome shows that these land types are essential for achieving cost-efficient and functionally effective restoration. The findings support the main role of public lands in large-scale forest connectivity efforts. This study provides a spatially explicit framework for restoration planning. It also strengthens the case for including publicly managed forests in long-term conservation and land management policies.

The management of aging infrastructure requires a paradigm shift from routine, time-based inspections to data-driven, condition-based assessment. This paper presents a novel and practical framework for this transition through an in-depth case study of the Machico Cable-Stayed Bridge, a modern structure exhibiting accelerated deterioration driven by its aggressive marine environment. The core contribution is a replicable methodology demonstrating how to leverage a unique and disparate set of existing diagnostic data—synthesizing visual inspection reports, non-destructive evaluations, and dynamic in situ measurements—to design a targeted and optimized Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) strategy. The diagnostic analysis reveals critical pathologies, including advanced corrosion and significant discrepancies between design and measured cable forces, a finding that highlights a critical gap in historical performance data. In direct response to an official mandate for continuous monitoring, this paper proposes a multi-level SHM framework where the placement and specifications of each sensor (accelerometers, strain gauges, corrosion sensors) are directly justified by the documented failure modes. This work thus provides a practical roadmap for translating forensic data into a coherent, long-term asset management strategy, bridging the critical gap between diagnostic engineering and proactive infrastructure management.

Neste artigo, partindo do princípio de que todas as crianças têm direito a uma educação de qualidade, reflete-se sobre o conceito de qualidade e o sentido da definição de referenciais para qualidade na educação de infância, nas dimensões social, pedagógica e institucional. Parte-se de uma incursão documental sobre a realidade portuguesa, enquadrando-a no contexto europeu, sem esquecer a especificidade da diversidade sociocultural que caracteriza cada país. Para apoiar a reflexão, foram entrevistadas, entre novembro e dezembro de 2024, cinco profissionais com intervenções na área da Educação de Infância. Dos seus discursos apuraram-se opiniões, maioritariamente convergentes, sobre a necessidade de criar referenciais de qualidade, que se interpretam e refletem, no sentido do direito das crianças a práticas educativas de qualidade, sobretudo centradas na educação para a cidadania, área que se destaca neste trabalho de análise.