Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2011-09"
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- Validation and application of a PCR primer set to quantify fungal communities in the soil environment by real-time quantitative PCRPublication . Prevost-Boure, Nicolas Chemidlin; Christen, Richard; Dequiedt, Samuel; Mougel, Christophe; Lelievre, Melanie; Jolivet, Claudy; Shahbazkia, Hamid Reza; Guillou, Laure; Arrouays, Dominique; Ranjard, LionelFungi constitute an important group in soil biological diversity and functioning. However, characterization and knowledge of fungal communities is hampered because few primer sets are available to quantify fungal abundance by real-time quantitative PCR (real-time Q-PCR). The aim in this study was to quantify fungal abundance in soils by incorporating, into a real-time Q-PCR using the SYBRGreen (R) method, a primer set already used to study the genetic structure of soil fungal communities. To satisfy the real-time Q-PCR requirements to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of the detection technique, this study focused on the 18S rRNA gene conserved regions. These regions are little affected by length polymorphism and may provide sufficiently small targets, a crucial criterion for enhancing accuracy and reproducibility of the detection technique. An in silico analysis of 33 primer sets targeting the 18S rRNA gene was performed to select the primer set with the best potential for real-time Q-PCR: short amplicon length; good fungal specificity and coverage. The best consensus between specificity, coverage and amplicon length among the 33 sets tested was the primer set FR1/FF390. This in silico analysis of the specificity of FR1/FF390 also provided additional information to the previously published analysis on this primer set. The specificity of the primer set FR1/FF390 for Fungi was validated in vitro by cloning - sequencing the amplicons obtained from a real time Q-PCR assay performed on five independent soil samples. This assay was also used to evaluate the sensitivity and reproducibility of the method. Finally, fungal abundance in samples from 24 soils with contrasting physico-chemical and environmental characteristics was examined and ranked to determine the importance of soil texture, organic carbon content, C:N ratio and land use in determining fungal abundance in soils.
- How will shallow coastal lagoons respond to climate change? A modelling investigationPublication . Brito, Ana; Newton, Alice; Tett, Paul; Fernandes, TeresaCoastal shallow lagoons are important ecosystems in terms of their high ecological relevance. They act as buffers of the landesea interface, providing valuable ecosystem services such as nutrient recycling, decomposition of organic matter and removal of pollutants. Lagoons are regions of restricted exchange, subject to anthropogenic pressures that result in problems such as eutrophication. Because they are shallow, submerged primary producers play a prominent role in lagoon system metabolism. Furthermore,coastal lagoons are particularly vulnerable to global climate change and may act as ‘sentinel systems’. Sea level rise already threatens to overwhelm some lagoons, such as Venice and Moroccan lagoons. Recent observations and studies have shown that a global climate change, especially the warming of the climate system and the sea level rise is unequivocal (IPCC, 2007). Therefore, the dCSTTMPB model, which deals with nitrogen and chlorophyll concentrations in the water column and within the sediments, was used to explore a range of scenarios that aimed at representing these changes. The tendency of the light limitation due to the sea level rise is the potential degradation of the microphytobenthos community. This reduction would lead to stronger nitrogen fluxes from pore water to the water column, increasing significantly the nitrogen concentrations. No increase in the phytoplankton community was found because it is mainly influenced by the resuspension of microphytobenthos. High nitrogen concentration may be the first indication of an eutrophication event. Nonetheless, nitrogen may be exported to the sea and cause problems in the adjacent coastal waters. The increase in temperature did not lead to significant differences.
- Determinants of entrepreneurship in small and medium entreprises in the defense sectorPublication . Almeida, H.; Briones-Peñalver, Antonio-Juan; Fernandes, Silvia BritoAs PME‘s de todo o mundo estão cada vez mais a organizar-se em consórcios, redes de cooperação, joint-ventures e alianças estratégicas permitindo não só reduzir a incerteza e turbulência dos mercados como também conjugar vantagens que as tornem mais empreendedoras. Torna-se importante considerar que os resultados destes relacionamentos são afectados por factores determinantes que podem inibir ou facilitar o Empreendedorismo. É nosso objectivo avaliar a relação entre alguns desses determinantes – Cooperação inter-empresas, Inovação de Métodos de Trabalho e Criatividade e Motivação – sobre o empreendedorismo em 236 PME‘s de Defesa Nacional. Fez-se uma análise Factorial Exploratória em componentes principais (rotação varimax) e Regressão Linear Múltipla. Os resultados mostram a relação directa dos determinantes avaliados e o Empreendedorismo. E, o efeito mediador parcial da Criatividade e Motivação entre a Inovação nos Métodos de Trabalho e o Empreendedorismo. Estas empresas podem esperar desenvolver novos Métodos de trabalho como uma elevada componente diferencial relativa à concorrência e utilização mais eficiente do conhecimento e das capacidades das pessoas que integram a equipa de trabalho de forma a aumentar a sua competitividade.
- ECCI XII, 12th European Conference on Creativity and Innovation. The ultimate experience in collaborationPublication . Monteiro, Ileana Pardal; Cardoso de Sousa, FernandoSince 1987, the European Association for Creativity & Innovation (EACI) (http://www.eaci.net) co-organizes the bi-annual European Conference on Creativity & Innovation (ECCI), together with a local creativity and innovation association in Europe, with the intention of providing a platform for practitioners and academics in the field of creativity and innovation. In 2011, the Portuguese Creativity and Innovation Association – APGICO (http://www.apgico.pt) organized the ECCI XII, with the purpose of providing an environment where participants learn with each other ways of developing collaborative activities which promote innovation. The event takes place in the University of the Algarve in Faro, on 14 – 17 September 2011.
- Earliest known use of marine resources by NeanderthalsPublication . Cortés-Sanchez, Miguel; Morales-Muñiz, Arturo; Simón-Vallejo, María D.; Lozano-Francisco, María C.; Vera-Peláez, José L.; Finlayson, Clive; Rodríguez-Vidal, Joaquín; Delgado-Huertas, Antonio; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco J.; Martínez-Ruiz, Francisca; Aranzazu Martinez-Aguirre, M.; Pascual-Granged, Arturo J.; Merce Bergada-Zapata, M.; Gibaja-Bao, Juan F.; Riquelme-Cantal, José A.; Antonio López-Saez, J.; Rodrigo-Gamiz, Marta; Sakai, Saburo; Sugisaki, Saiko; Finlayson, Geraldine; Fa, Darren A.; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira FerreiraNumerous studies along the northern Mediterranean borderland have documented the use of shellfish by Neanderthals but none of these finds are prior to Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3). In this paper we present evidence that gathering and consumption of mollusks can now be traced back to the lowest level of the archaeological sequence at Bajondillo Cave (Malaga, Spain), dated during the MIS 6. The paper describes the taxonomical and taphonomical features of the mollusk assemblages from this level Bj(19) and briefly touches upon those retrieved in levels Bj(18) (MIS 5) and Bj(17) (MIS 4), evidencing a continuity of the shellfishing activity that reaches to MIS 3. This evidence is substantiated on 29 datings through radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and U series methods. Obtained dates and paleoenvironmental records from the cave include isotopic, pollen, lithostratigraphic and sedimentological analyses and they are fully coherent with paleoclimate conditions expected for the different stages. We conclude that described use of shellfish resources by Neanderthals (H. neanderthalensis) in Southern Spain started similar to 150 ka and were almost contemporaneous to Pinnacle Point (South Africa), when shellfishing is first documented in archaic modern humans.
- Diversity of Bacteria in the Marine Sponge Aplysina fulva in Brazilian Coastal Waters (vol 75, pg 3331, 2009)Publication . Hardoim, C. C. P.; Costa, Rodrigo; Araujo, F. V.; Hajdu, E.; Peixoto, R.; Lins, U.; Rosado, A. S.; van Elsas, J. D.Author's correction of Diversity of Bacteria in the Marine SpongeAplysina fulvain BrazilianCoastal Waters
- O Integralismo Lusitano de António Sardinha, o Saudosismo universalista de Teixeira de Pascoaes e o apelo cosmopolita e modernista de Fernando PessoaPublication . Carvalho, João Carlos Firmino Andrade deNuma iniciativa conjunta da Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais da Universidade do Algarve e da Biblioteca Municipal de Olhão/Câmara Municipal de Olhão, realizaram-se, entre 24 de Setembro de 2010 e 29 de Janeiro de 2011, dez conferências, subordinadas ao tema A República: figuras, escritas e perspectivas, no âmbito das Comemorações do Centenário da República Portuguesa. Procurou-se evocar e debater as ideias e representações, aspirações, realizações e legados dos primeiros e complexos tempos do regime, revisitando a produção literária e filosófica de vários autores dessa época, nas suas vertentes utópicas, nos empenhos intelectuais que as sustentaram, nas apostas de modernidade nelas contidas, assim como vozes discordantes de certos aspectos da instauração da República. O Leitor poderá, assim, deparar-se com autores como António Sardinha.
- PfMDR1: mechanisms of transport modulation by functional polymorphismsPublication . Ferreira, Pedro; Holmgren, Gabrielle; Veiga, Maria Isabel; Uhlen, Per; Kaneko, Akira; Gil, José PedroATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters are efflux pumps frequently associated with multidrug resistance in many biological systems, including malaria. Antimalarial drug-resistance involves an ABC transporter, PfMDR1, a homologue of P-glycoprotein in humans. Twenty years of research have shown that several single nucleotide polymorphisms in pfmdr1 modulate in vivo and/or in vitro drug susceptibility. The underlying physiological mechanism of the effect of these mutations remains unclear. Here we develop structural models for PfMDR1 in different predicted conformations, enabling the study of transporter motion. Such analysis of functional polymorphisms allows determination of their potential role in transport and resistance. The bacterial MsbA ABC pump is a PfMDR1 homologue. MsbA crystals in different conformations were used to create PfMDR1 models with Modeller software. Sequences were aligned with ClustalW and analysed by Ali2D revealing a high level of secondary structure conservation. To validate a potential drug binding pocket we performed antimalarial docking simulations. Using aminoquinoline as probe drugs in PfMDR1 mutated parasites we evaluated the physiology underlying the mechanisms of resistance mediated by PfMDR1 polymorphisms. We focused on the analysis of well known functional polymorphisms in PfMDR1 amino acid residues 86, 184, 1034, 1042 and 1246. Our structural analysis suggested the existence of two different biophysical mechanisms of PfMDR1 drug resistance modulation. Polymorphisms in residues 86/184/1246 act by internal allosteric modulation and residues 1034 and 1042 interact directly in a drug pocket. Parasites containing mutated PfMDR1 variants had a significant altered aminoquinoline susceptibility that appears to be dependent on the aminoquinoline lipophobicity characteristics as well as vacuolar efflux by PfCRT. We previously described the in vivo selection of PfMDR1 polymorphisms under antimalarial drug pressure. Now, together with recent PfMDR1 functional reports, we contribute to the understanding of the specific structural role of these polymorphisms in parasite antimalarial drug response.
- Conceptual progression hypothesis study about asexual reproduction and germination in plant reproductionPublication . Luís, Mónica; Monteiro, RuteThis work aims the understanding of how the conceptual progression on plants reproduction presents itself to the primary school students. Was made a exploratory study (Arnal et al., 2001) to select three students for the instrumental case study (Stake, 2000) and performed in-depth interviews (Arksey & Knight, 1999). From the conceptions collected was builted an Progression Hypothesis presented according to nineteen categories and three levels of conceptualisation. According to this progression hypothesis we were able to identify the obstacle in the learning process of the concept plants reproduction.
- Qualidade de laranjas ‘Navelina’ e ‘Valencia late’ produzidas no modo de produção biológico, em comparação com a produção convencionalPublication . Reis, Duarte; Fernandes, M. M.; Marreiros, António; Mourão, Isabel; Duarte, AmílcarA citricultura no modo de produção biológico (MPB) pode constituir uma alternativa viável relativamente à diminuição do impacte desta actividade agrícola sobre o ambiente, melhorando simultaneamente a qualidade dos frutos. Neste trabalho, realizaram-se dois estudos comparativos com frutos das cultivares ‘Navelina’ e ‘Valencia late’ sujeitos a condições edafo-climáticas idênticas, mas com diferentes modos de produção. Para cada estudo foram colhidas amostras de frutos na maturação comercial, em pomares de citrinos situados em propriedades próximas, no MPB e no modo de produção convencional (MPC). A qualidade dos frutos foi determinada através de análises físico-químicas e de provas organolépticas. Foi determinada a cor e a espessura da casca, o teor de sólidos solúveis totais e a acidez do sumo. A avaliação organoléptica fez-se com um mínimo de 44 provadores para cada par de amostras e tomaram-se em consideração as características exteriores do fruto (aparência e cor), as interiores (aparência da polpa, textura, consistência e aroma) e as gustativas (sabor, acidez e doçura). Os resultados demonstraram que os frutos provenientes do MPB, apesar de terem uma casca mais fina, apresentaram uma menor qualidade, principalmente na cv. ‘Navelina’, j| que para a cv ‘Valencia late’, as laranjas biológicas apresentaram menor acidez e maiores índices de cor e de maturação, do que as do MPC. Na maior parte dos casos, os provadores atribuíram valores idênticos ou superiores aos frutos do MPC. Estes resultados indicam que, para que os frutos biológicos possam ter vantagens qualitativas sobre os frutos do MPC, não basta respeitar as regras básicas do modo de produção biológico, sendo essencial uma adequada condução dos pomares, nomeadamente na gestão da rega, fertilização, controlo de infestantes e controlo de pragas e doenças.