El incremento de la producción de carne de cuy, en Perú, se ha logrado debido al desarrollo tecnológico en la crianza. Sin embargo, la aplicación de tecnologías reproductivas dirigidas a aprovechar el material genético y a optimizar la producción en esta especie, aún es incipiente. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar el efecto de la aplicación de protocolos de sincronización de estro sobre la tasa de ovulación en cuyes. Se utilizaron 30 hembras nulíparas de la línea Perú, de 60 días de edad, las cuales fueron distribuidas al azar en tres grupos experimentales. El grupo G1: donde no se les administraron hormonas reproductivas a las hembras; G2: Protocolo P4-Synch, las hembras de este grupo recibieron 0.1 mL de progesterona (Regumate®) vía oral durante 7 días. El día 6 se les aplicaron 0.15 mL de prostaglandina (Lutaprost® 250) vía intramuscular y el último día del tratamiento (día 7) se les administraron 0.1 mL de GnRH (Conceptase®). G3: Protocolo Ovsynch, en este grupo las hembras recibieron 2 aplicaciones de GnRH (0.1 mL) (Conceptase®) vía intramuscular los días 1 y 7 del tratamiento, además, el día 6 se le aplicaron 0.15 mL de prostaglandina (Lutaprost® 250) vía intramuscular. Para determinar la tasa de ovulación se sacrificaron y extrajeron los ovarios de las hembras. Las hembras del grupo G1 se sacrificaron posterior a detectar que estaban en diestro, a través de citología vaginal. Las hembras de los grupos G2 y G3 se sacrificaron 96 horas después de finalizado los tratamientos. Los ovarios fueron fijados en formaldehído al 10%, se realizaron cortes histológicos y se tiñeron con hematoxilina y eosina. Los datos obtenidos fueron procesados a través del análisis de la covarianza, donde el peso del animal se consideró como covariable, ello implementado en el software estadístico RStudio v4.2.3. No se observaron diferencias estadísticas para el número de folículos dominantes (p≥0.05) entre grupos experimentales. Sin embargo, se observaron mejores promedios para el número de cuerpos lúteos (1.35, 2.33 y 2.45 para G1, G2 y G3, respectivamente) y tasa de ovulación (73%, 100% y 81%, para G1, G2 y G3, respectivamente) en los grupos 2 y 3 versus el G1 (p≤0.05). Los resultados muestran que la aplicación de los protocolos P4-Synch y Ovsynch, para la sincronización de celo en cuyes, permiten aumentar el número de folículos ovulados y la tasa de ovulación en esta especie a las 96 horas post tratamiento | Guinea pig meat production has increased in Peru, due to the development and application of different techniques and management in this area. However, it is not common the application of the reproductive technologies in order to take advantage of the genetic resource in this species. This study aimed to assess the effect of the estrous synchronization protocols on the ovulation rate in guinea pig. 30 nulliparous female Peru guinea pigs with 60 days of aged were used, all of them were distributed in three experimental group, randomly. Group G1: The females were not treated with any hormones; G2: P4-Synch protocol, females were treated orally with 0.1 mL of progesterone (Regumate®) for 7 days. On the sixth day the females were injected with 0.15 mL of prostaglandin (Lutaprost® 250), and the last day of the protocol, with 0.1 mL of GnRH (Conceptase®). G3: Ovsynch protocol, the females were injected with 0.1 mL GnRH (Conceptase®) at day 1 and 7, and the day 6 with 0.15 mL of prostaglandin (Lutaprost® 250). For estimating the ovulation rate, the females were slaughtered, and their ovaries were extracted. The females of the G1 group were slaughtered during the estrus, detected through vaginal cytology. The females of the G2 and G3 groups were slaughtered 96 hours after the end of the treatments. The ovaries were fixed in 10% formaldehyde, histological sections were made and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The data obtained were processed through analysis of covariance, where the alive weight at beginning of the experiment was considered as a covariate, this implemented in the statistical software RStudio v4.2.3. No statistical differences were found for the number of dominant follicles (p≥0.05) among groups. However, high means for the number of corpora lutea (1.35, 2.33 and 2.45 for G1, G2 and G3, respectively) and ovulation rate (73%, 100% and 81%, for G1, G2 and G3, respectively) were reached in groups 2 and 3 versus G1 (p≤0.05). The results show that the application of the P4-Synch and Ovsynch protocols for estrus synchronization in guinea pigs allows increasing the number of ovulated follicles and the ovulation rate in this species at 96 hours post treatment. | Tesis

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging public health concern, and the scientific community recognizes the need to evaluate its epidemiology. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are one of the keys to this problem. Apart from the hospital concern, MRSA are becoming increasingly common in infections associated to both human and animal communities with high rates of antibiotic resistance. In 2012, more than 50% of the Portuguese hospital S. aureus isolates were methicillin-resistant: the highest rate in Europe, anyhow, with corrective measures this number decreased to 25% in 2021. Many countries have developed and implemented national recommendations and guidance documents on the prevention of spread of MRSA, focusing on both improved infection prevention and control and prudent antimicrobial use. There was no information on the prevalence of MRSA in wild animals at the time. For this reason, this thesis aimed to determine the prevalence of these bacteria in wild animals as well as to characterize the resistance genes, virulence and genetic lineages circulating in this ecosystem, supposedly free from antibiotic use. We present a study on antimicrobial resistance associated with antibiotics in clinical use, the expression of resistance/virulence genes and the results are compared with the respective genome sequencing, transcriptome, and available protein profile. These results will help us to understand the epidemiology of MRSA. Epidemiology of antibiotic resistance provides an effective approach to understand the complex multidirectional exchange of pathogens among humans, wildlife, and domestic animals in a one health perspective.

O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar os fatores sociais, económicos, ambientais e institucionais que influenciam o desenvolvimento rural nos distritos produtores de caju na província de Gaza, Moçambique. Com base na revisão de literatura foi desenvolvido e testado um modelo conceptual de desenvolvimento rural sustentável que explique o papel de pequenas explorações de caju no desenvolvimento rural sustentável dos distritos de Limpopo, Chibuto, Manjacaze, Chongoene e Chigubo. Foi aplicado um questionário a 426 agregados familiares e determinadas as suas principais fontes de rendimento e de segurança alimentar. Os resultados indicam que existe um alto nível de diversificação das explorações dentro da machamba e fora da machamba, sendo que cerca de 59,55% do rendimento total dos agregados familiares é proveniente de atividades não-agrícolas. Cerca de 77% dos agregados familiares que participaram no questionário passaram por uma situação de insegurança alimentar, medida pelo número de meses que aqueles passaram fome nos últimos 12 meses que antecederam a entrevista. O número de meses que os agregados familiares passaram fome foi aplicado, no modelo conceptual, como indicador proxy de desenvolvimento rural. Recorrendo a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparatine Analysis (fsQCA), foram identificadas diferentes configurações que estão associadas à ocorrência da fome, neste estudo usada para avaliar o estágio de desenvolvimento rural sustentável nas condições específicas da zona de estudo. Em particular, os resultados sugerem que o baixo nível de dispersão das explorações, o baixo nível de mecanização das explorações e o tempo que os agregados familiares levam para chegar ao mercado mais próximo têm uma forte ligação com a ocorrência da fome. O modelo conceptual de desenvolvimento rural desenvolvido no presente estudo vai contribuir para maior conhecimento sobre o perfil das explorações de caju, incluindo as suas dinâmicas socioeconómicas e sociodemográficas, sistemas de produção, nível de diversificação e os mecanismos de geração de rendimento e da segurança alimentar. Este conhecimento específico pode contribuir para a formulação e implementação de políticas públicas que potenciam a contribuição do caju na erradicação da pobreza e da insegurança alimentar, bem como no desenvolvimento da região, em geral. | The present study aims to evaluate the social, economic and environmental factors that influence sustainable rural development in cashew producing districts in Gaza province, Mozambique. Based on the literature review, a conceptual model of sustainable rural development, that explains the role of small cashew farms in the sustainable rural development of the districts of Limpopo, Chibuto, Manjacaze, Chongoene and Chigubo, was developed and tested. A questionnaire was applied to 426 households and their main sources of income and food security were determined. The results indicate a high level of on-farm and off-farm diversification, with 59,55% of total household income coming from nonagricultural activities. About 77% of the households that participated in the questionnaire experienced a situation of food insecurity, measured by the number of months that the households experienced hunger in the last 12 months preceding the interview. The number of months that households went hungry was applied in the conceptual model as a proxy indicator of rural development. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), different configurations of conditions leading to hunger, in this study used to assess the level of development of the area of study, were identified. Low level of farm dispersion, low level of farm mechanization and the time households take to reach the nearest market appear to be strongly associated with occurrence of hunger at household level. It was concluded that the conceptual model of rural development allows greater knowledge about the profile of smallholder cashew farmers, including their socioeconomic and sociodemographic dynamics, production systems, level of diversification and mechanisms for income generation and food security. This specific knowledge will contribute to the formulation and implementation of public policies that enhance the contribution of cashew in eradicating poverty and food insecurity and in rural development of the region, in general.

There is limited research on the influence of environmental variables on the interactions of biodegradable microplastics with chromium. This study reports the results of adsorption experiments with Cr and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in synthetic aqueous solutions. It addresses the influence of the initial oxidation state, Cr(III) or Cr(VI), the effects of UV irradiation and the presence of organic matter. The results indicate that pristine PLA has a low affinity for Cr (between 0.05 and 46 μg/g) across varying pH levels, ionic strengths, and microplastic concentrations. However, the presence of organic matter (OM), represented by humic and tannic acids, resulted in 5.2-fold and 620-fold increases for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) adsorption, respectively. Possible mechanisms for that behavior are discussed, including Cr-OM complexation and formation of surface coatings. Noteworthy, we demonstrate that Cr(VI) adsorption involves a coupled redox-complexation process that appears to be related to the antioxidant potential of OM. Indeed, the ratio of (poly)phenol content of tannic and humic acids (6.23) is consistent with the ratio of Cr(VI) reduction in presence of both acids (6.97). Finally, photooxidation of PLA enhanced Cr(III) and Cr(VI) adsorption by a factor of 60 and 15, respectively. This is primarily attributed to UV-induced changes in surface chemical groups (increased oxygen content), rather than a change in surface area. This research provides key insights into the behavior of PLA as a potential Cr carrier, revealing the importance of organic matter and the photoaging of microplastics in the mobility of trace metal pollutants in the environment. | This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement N° 801586. The authors thank Agencia Española de Investigación for the financial support through the research project MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (grant numbers PID2019-107033GB-C21, PID2020-117910GB-C21, and PID2022-140312NB-C21). P. Lodeiro also acknowledges current support by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain, and University of Lleida (Beatriz Galindo Senior award number BG20/00104).