Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2007-03"
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- Environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector: The case of the defence sectorPublication . Ramos, Tomás Barros; Alves, Ines; Subtil, Rui; Melo, João Joanaz deThe development of environmental performance policy indicators for public services, and in particular for the defence sector, is an emerging issue. Despite a number of recent initiatives there has been little work done in this area, since the other sectors usually focused on are agriculture, transport, industry, tourism and energy. This type of tool can be an important component for environmental performance evaluation at policy level, when integrated in the general performance assessment system of public missions and activities. The main objective of this research was to develop environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector, specifically applied to the defence sector. Previous research included an assessment of the environmental profile, through the evaluation of how environmental management practices have been adopted in this sector and an assessment of environmental aspects and impacts. This paper builds upon that previous research, developing an indicator framework-SEPI-supported by the selection and construction of environmental performance indicators. Another aim is to discuss how the current environmental indicator framework can be integrated into overall performance management. The Portuguese defence sector is presented and the usefulness of this methodology demonstrated. Feasibility and relevancy criteria are applied to evaluate the set of indicators proposed, allowing indicators to be scored and indicators for the policy level to be obtained. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Disruption of order information by irrelevant items: A serial recognition paradigmPublication . Gisselgard, Jens; Udden, Julia; Ingvar, Martin; Petersson, Karl Magnusirrelevant speech effect (ISE) is defined as a decrement in visually presented digit-list short-term memory performance due to exposure to irrelevant auditory material. Perhaps the most successful theoretical explanation of the effect is the changing state hypothesis. This hypothesis explains the effect in terms of confusion between amodal serial order cues, and represents a view based on the interference caused by the processing of similar order information of the visual and auditory materials. An alternative view suggests that the interference occurs as a consequence of the similarity between the visual and auditory contents of the stimuli. An important argument for the former view is the observation that ISE is almost exclusively observed in tasks that require memory for serial order. However, most short-term memory tasks require that both item and order information be retained in memory. An ideal task to investigate the sensitivity of maintenance of serial order to irrelevant speech would be one that calls upon order information but not item information. One task that is particularly suited to address this issue is serial recognition. In a typical serial recognition task, a list of items is presented and then probed by the same list in which the order of two adjacent items has been transposed. Due to the re-presentation of the encoding string, serial recognition requires primarily the serial order to be maintained while the content of the presented items is deemphasized. In demonstrating a highly significant ISE of changing versus steady-state auditory items in a serial recognition task, the present finding lends support for and extends previous empirical findings suggesting that irrelevant speech has the potential to interfere with the coding of the order of the items to be memorized. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Towards a media literacy: examples of the Portuguese speaking contextPublication . Baptista, VitorThe levels of media literacy, their nature or even their lack, can show differences or similarities, according to the local and global contexts where they are developed and practiced. The following examples, though of fragmentary nature, are an eventual contribution towards a better knowledge of existing reality in this field both in Portugal and in some other local and global Portuguese speaking contexts.
- Adaptation of the antioxidant defence system in hydrothermal-vent mussels (Bathymodiolus azoricus) transplanted between two Mid-Atlantic Ridge sitesPublication . Company, Rui; Serafim, Angela; Cosson, Richard; Fiala-Medioni, Aline; Dixon, David R.; Bebianno, Maria JoãoThe vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus is the dominant member of the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) hydrothermal megafauna, and lives in an environment characterized by temporal and spatial variations in the levels of heavy metals, methane and hydrogen sulphide, substances which are known to increase reactive oxygen species levels in the tissues of exposed organisms. To evaluate the effects of two contrasting hydrothermal environments on the antioxidant defence system of this vent mussel species, a 2-week transplant experiment was carried out involving mussels collected from the relatively deep (2300 m), and chemical rich, Rainbow vent field. These were transplanted to the shallower (1700 m), and relatively less toxic, Lucky Strike vent field. To achieve this objective, levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), total glutathione peroxidase (GPx), selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were measured in the gills and mantle tissues of resident and transplant mussels before and after the transplant experiment. With the exception of CAT, the gills of the transplanted mussels had significantly higher antioxidant enzyme activity compared with the basal levels in the donor (Rainbow) and recipient (Lucky Strike) populations; whereas the antioxidant enzyme levels in the mantle tissues of the transplants reflected the baseline levels of activity in the native Lucky Strike mussels after 2 weeks. In contrast, LPO levels were significantly higher in both tissue types in the transplants than in either the source or the recipient populations, which suggested a response to hydrostatic pressure change (note, the transplant animals were brought to the surface for transportation between the two vent fields). The fact that the Rainbow mussels survived the transplant experience indicates that B. azoricus has a very robust constitution, which enables it to cope behaviourally, physiologically and genetically with the extreme conditions found in its naturally contaminated deep-sea environment.
- Adaptation to metal toxicity: a comparison of hydrothermal vent and coastal shrimpsPublication . Gonzalez-Rey, Maria; Serafim, Angela; Company, Rui; Bebianno, Maria JoãoRainbow vent field is one of the most metal-contaminated hydrothermal sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near the Azores region. Two hydrothermal shrimp species dominate the fauna at the Rainbow site along with the mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus. Although the levels of essential and non-essential metals in these shrimps have been studied, the biological consequences of a metal-rich environment are still largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the levels of metal-binding proteins - metallothioneins (MT) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes - superoxide dismutase, catalase, total glutathione peroxidase and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase in two hydrothermal vent shrimps (Mirocaris fortunata and Rimicaris exoculata) collected from the Rainbow site and to compare them with two coastal shrimps (Palaemon elegans and Palaemonetes varians) from a south Portugal lagoon (Ria Formosa) to evaluate their different adaptation strategies towards metals in their environment. Results show significant differences in MT levels and antioxidant enzymatic activities between vent and coastal shrimps and also between shrimp species collected from the same site. This suggests that biochemical responses in both vent and coastal shrimps are affected not only by the environmental characteristics but also by inter-specific differences. Nevertheless, these responses apparently confer successful adaptation for survival in a metal-extreme environment.
- O trabalho dos formadores de adultos desfavorecidos numa sociedade em mutação: desenvolver competências para a cidadania e empregabilidadePublication . Carreira, Teresa Pires; Martins, João EduardoAs metamorfoses do mundo do trabalho e do emprego nas sociedades da informação e do conhecimento têm tido como consequência principal a alteração estrutural das competências “exigidas” aos indivíduos para se manterem “empregáveis” ao longo da vida.
- Photophysics and photochemistry of horseradish peroxidase A2 upon ultraviolet illuminationPublication . Neves-Petersen, Maria Teresa; Klitgaard, Soren; Leitao Carvalho, Ana Sofia; Petersen, Steffen B.; de Barros, Maria Raquel Aires; Melo, EduardoDetailed analysis of the effects of ultraviolet (UV) and blue light illumination of horseradish peroxidase A2, a heme-containing enzyme that reduces H2O2 to oxidize organic and inorganic compounds, is presented. The effects of increasing illumination time on the protein's enzymatic activity, Reinheitzahl value,. fluorescence emission,. fluorescence lifetime distribution,. fluorescence mean lifetime, and heme absorption are reported. UV illumination leads to an exponential decay of the enzyme activity followed by changes in heme group absorption. Longer UV illumination time leads to lower T-m values as well as helical content loss. Prolonged UV illumination and heme irradiation at 403 nm has a pronounced effect on the. fluorescence quantum yield correlated with changes in the prosthetic group pocket, leading to a pronounced decrease in the heme's Soret absorbance band. Analysis of the picosecond-resolved. fluorescence emission of horseradish peroxidase A2 with streak camera shows that UV illumination induces an exponential change in the preexponential factors distribution associated to the protein's. fluorescence lifetimes, leading to an exponential increase of the mean. fluorescence lifetime. Illumination of aromatic residues and of the heme group leads to changes indicative of heme leaving the molecule and/or that photoinduced chemical changes occur in the heme moiety. Our studies bring new insight into light-induced reactions in proteins. We show how streak camera technology can be of outstanding value to follow such ultrafast processes and how streak camera data can be correlated with protein structural changes.
- Requirement of innovative integrated coastal zone management curriculum at postgraduate professional level education in IndiaPublication . Karuppiah, Subramanian; Newton, AliceThis study examines the requirement of innovative Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) curriculum at postgraduate professional education, and identifies the potential professional skills required for the coastal managers in India especially in Tamil Nadu region. This need is essential because, coastal zones in Tamil Nadu are under risk due to carious natural and human impacts, and conflicts between multi-users. The recent Tsunami in December 2004, has led coastal communities into vulnerable, poverty, unemployment and health problems. The sectoral management approaches are often seem to be as singlesector service oriented (Cicin-Sain et al., 2000; Tissier et al., 2004) and proved incapable to deliver ICZM project effectively in Tamil Nadu. Thus, managing coastal challenges requires skilled professionals with a mixed-knowledge across the disciplines. This research work is apart of an ongoing curriculum development project based on ICZM at higher professional education in India. Results and discussion are based on the filed work carried out to identify the potential skills required for the coastal managers in Tamil Nadu. This study evaluates coastal threats and challenges in India. It describes the state of higher professional education in coastal and marine science degrees. A discussion of global efforts and solutions provided by the scholars and international agencies on ICZM education and training are discussed. This study describes the coastal zone management and ICZM education trend in India. A detailed discussion has presented on the requirement of innovative ICZM curriculum, and potential professional skills to addressing the coastal challenges and delivering ICZM programs efficiently in Tamil Nadu. Finally, this study has presented possible solutions with the balanced curriculum that need to be addressed in the ICZM education for best practices at higher professional education in Tamil Nadu.
- Simultaneous determination of the mean and standard deviation of quasi-monodisperse size distributions of microspheres by static light scatteringPublication . Pinto, P. N.; Fernandes, Paulo; Guerra, Rui Manuel Farinha das NevesThe objective of this work is to quantify the accuracy and precision of particle sizing performed through light scattering goniometry. A rigorous characterization of this simple method depends on a complete description of the scattering geometry, and to our knowledge this has not yet been done. We have determined the central diameter (d0) and standard deviation (σ) of samples of polystyrene spheres with a narrow normal distribution of diameters through a χ2 fit to the light scattering phase function. The fit is performed simultaneously in the variables d0 and σ. The model for the fit includes Mie scattering calculations, integration of the phase function over a normal distribution of diameters and a complete description of the scattering geometry. Experimental tests on spheres with diameters between 2 and 7 μm show that this method provides excellent accuracy and precision for the determination of d0 and good accuracy for the determination of σ. The precision in σ is poor in relative terms but in absolute terms it is around 0.05 μm within the range of sizes tested. We calculate the uncertainty limits for the determination of d0 and σ and show that they are consistent with all the supplier values except the value of σ for the 2 μm spheres, where aggregation was detected by optical microscopy. Other topics included in this work are: (i) comparison between our method and the classical simple fit through a pure monodisperse system (σ = 0); and (ii) dependence of the quality of sizing on the angular range of the measurement. Finally, comparison with published results shows that simple goniometry may outperform more complex methods.