Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2012-04"
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- Racism in Portugal; the recent researchPublication . Marques, João FilipeIn spite of the theoretical and empirical diversity we can find some common features in the results of the investigations on racism in Portugal. Firstly, all investigations have in common the fact that they have made clear that the «myth» of the Portuguese «non racism», so widespread among the population is nothing but a myth – there is racism in Portugal. But this national myth became a sort of «self fulfilling prophecy» since, apparently, it has prevented the entry of racism into the political arena. Secondly, another common conclusion of the investigations on racism is that there is no connection between racism, nationalism, national identity issues and immigration. Immigrants are not seen as a threat to the national identity or to the Portuguese culture, and there are no political or common sense discourses on the theme of «invasion». On the other hand, all the studies are unanimous underlining that there really exists a «gypsy issue» in the contemporary Portugal. Indeed, even the investigations that have other groups as a subject of study, conclude that the main victims of racism are the small communities of Portuguese gypsies and that they are probably victims of a racism more intense than the one that affects other groups. This communication aims to do a first evaluation of the results of the research about racism in Portugal in order to guide both the future in-depth studies on the subject and the policies to fight these phenomena.
- The influence of age, strength and stiffness on proprioception in knee osteoarthritisPublication . Espanha, M. M.; Pais, S.; Teles, J.; Silva, C.
- PXR variants and artemisinin use in vietnamese subjects: frequency distribution and impact on the interindividual variability of CYP3A induction by artemisininPublication . Piedade, Rita; Schaeffeler, Elke; Winter, Stefan; Asimus, Sara; Schwab, Matthias; Ashton, Michael; Burk, Oliver; Gil, José PedroArtemisinins induce drug metabolism through the activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) in vitro. Here, we report the re-sequencing and genotyping of PXR variants in 75 Vietnamese individuals previously characterized for CYP3A enzyme activity after artemisinin exposure. We identified a total of 31 PXR variants, including 5 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and we identified significantly different allele frequencies relative to other ethnic groups. A trend of significance was observed between the level of CYP3A4 induction by artemisinin and two PXR variants, the 8118C -> T (Y328Y) and 10719A -> G variants.
- Gla Rich Protein (GRP) is associated to osteoarthritis being highly accumulated in the joint tissues and synovial fluidPublication . Cavaco, S. I.; S B Viegas, Carla; Marta, R.; Acacio, R.; Silva, J.; Morera, J. L.; Teixeira, A.; Smit, E.; Herfs, M.; Vermeer, C.; Simes, D
- Vocal behavior predicts reproductive success in a teleost fishPublication . Vasconcelos, Raquel O.; Carrico, Rita; Ramos, Andreia; Modesto, Teresa; Fonseca, Paul J.; Amorim, M. Clara. P.The relation between acoustic signaling and reproductive success is important to understand the evolution of vocal communication systems and has been well studied in several taxa but never clearly shown in fish. This study aims to investigate whether vocal behavior affects the reproductive success in the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus) that relies on acoustic communication to attract mates. We recorded 56 nest-holding (type I) males during the breeding season and analyzed the calling performance and acoustic features of the mate advertising sounds (boatwhistles) exhibited over circa 2 weeks. Hormonal levels of the subjects and the number of eggs (reproductive success) present in the respective nests were quantified. Nesting males attracted both females and other males, namely smaller type I males with significantly lower total length (TL), body condition, sonic muscle mass, gonad mass, and accessory glands mass. Calling rate (CR), calling effort (CE) (% time spent calling), and sound dominant frequency were significantly higher in nesting males with clutches than in those without clutches. Sex steroids (11-ketotestosterone and testosterone) were not correlated with vocal parameters or number of eggs. Maximum CR and CE were the best predictors of the number of eggs. In addition, these vocal variables were best explained by male's TL, condition, and sonic muscle mass. We provide first evidence that vocal behavior significantly determines reproductive success in a vocal fish and show that acoustic signaling at higher and constant rates can operate as an indicator of the male's size and body condition and probably of elevated motivation for reproduction.
- The influence of pain obesity and quadriceps strength on the gait of osteoarthritis patientsPublication . Pais, Sandra; Espanha, M.; Silva, C.Walking is a fundamental basic daily activity. Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) are known to have an altered walking pattern. Our goal was to contribute to the understanding of the influence of pain quadriceps strength and obesity on this gait pattern
- Análisis de las construcciones en tierra cruda en el AlgarvePublication . Braga, Alfredo Manuel Gonçalves Silva; Graça, Ana TeresaLa tierra cruda, como material de construcción, es utilizada por el hombre desde hace miles de años y continúa siendo en la actualidad una de las formas más generalizadas de edificar a nivel mundial. El estudio de la construcción de tierra se justifica por diversas razones. En primer lugar, por la necesidad de preservar un patrimonio cultural y arquitectónico insustituible. En segundo lugar, por constituir el único recurso disponible en los países llamados "subdesarrollados" y por último, porque representa una alternativa ambiental, social y económicamente sostenible, que debe ser promovida a través del uso convincente de materiales naturales, locales y reciclables. En Portugal, las principales técnicas constructivas con la tierra cruda son el tapial, el adobe y el “tabique” (similar a la quincha peruana). En el Algarve, la región más al Sur, es el tapial lo que predomina, ya sea en términos de pequeñas construcciones rurales, ya sea en la construcción de grandes fortificaciones militares. Se ha realizado una investigación del patrimonio construido en tierra en toda esta provincia, sobre todo en términos tipológicos y dimensionales, así como de los aspectos estructurales y constructivos y se han recogido “in situ” muestras tomadas de los propios edificios, procediendo más tarde en el laboratorio, a la caracterización física y mecánica de estos materiales y al análisis de sus capacidades constructivas. Se han reconocido las patologías principales y los agentes de deterioro, el agua y la acción sísmica, así como las disposiciones constructivas introducidas para disminuir los efectos de la degradación. A partir del análisis de los datos recogidos localmente y de los varios ensayos realizados en laboratorio, se han retirado conclusiones para obstar a la vulnerabilidad manifestada y asociar los conocimientos empíricos transmitidos a través de los siglos con los desarrollos científicos y tecnológicos actuales, teniendo como objetivo la conservación y la rehabilitación del Patrimonio existente.
- Singularidades do fantástico em Manuel Teixeira-GomesPublication . Carvalho, Ana Alexandra Mendonça Seabra da Silva Andrade deO propósito deste nosso estudo consiste em abordar, em textos de Manuel Teixeira-Gomes como “Gente Singular”, “Sede de Sangue”, “A Cigana” e “O Sítio da Mulher Morta”, o modo de funcionamento da experimentação do registo fantástico, forma de olhar a realidade sob o prisma de uma “inquietante estranheza” (Freud, 1985), impossível de explicar, fonte de angústia e medo.
- Histamine stimulates neurogenesis in the rodent subventricular zonePublication . Bernardino, Liliana; Eiriz, Maria Francisca; Santos, Tiago; Xapelli, Sara; Grade, Sofia; Rosa, Alexandra Isabel; Cortes, Luisa; Ferreira, Raquel; Bragança, José; Agasse, Fabienne; Ferreira, Lino; Malva, Joao O.Neural stem/progenitor cells present in the subventricular zone (SVZ) are a potential source of repairing cells after injury. Therefore, the identification of novel players that modulate neural stem cells differentiation can have a huge impact in stem cell-based therapies. Herein, we describe a unique role of histamine in inducing functional neuronal differentiation from cultured mouse SVZ stem/progenitor cells. This proneurogenic effect depends on histamine 1 receptor activation and involves epigenetic modifications and increased expression of Mash1, Dlx2, and Ngn1 genes. Biocompatible poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles, engineered to release histamine in a controlled and prolonged manner, also triggered robust neuronal differentiation in vitro. Preconditioning with histamine-loaded microparticles facilitated neuronal differentiation of SVZ-GFP cells grafted in hippocampal slices and in in vivo rodent brain. We propose that neuronal commitment triggered by histamine per se or released from biomaterial-derived vehicles may represent a new tool for brain repair strategies. STEM CELLS 2012; 30:773784
- Phylogeny and diversification patterns among vesicomyid bivalvesPublication . Decker, Carole; Olu, Karine; Cunha, Regina L.; ARNAUD-HAOND, SophieVesicomyid bivalves are among the most abundant and diverse symbiotic taxa in chemosynthetic-based ecosystems: more than 100 different vesicomyid species have been described so far. In the present study, we investigated the phylogenetic positioning of recently described vesicomyid species from the Gulf of Guinea and their western Atlantic and Pacific counterparts using mitochondrial DNA sequence data. The maximum-likelihood (ML) tree provided limited support for the recent taxonomic revision of vesicomyids based on morphological criteria; nevertheless, most of the newly sequenced specimens did not cluster with their morphological conspecifics. Moreover, the observed lack of geographic clustering suggests the occurrence of independent radiations followed by worldwide dispersal. Ancestral character state reconstruction showed a significant correlation between the characters "depth'' and "habitat'' and the reconstructed ML phylogeny suggesting possible recurrent events of 'stepwise speciation' from shallow to deep waters in different ocean basins. This is consistent with genus or species bathymetric segregation observed from recent taxonomic studies. Altogether, our results highlight the need for ongoing re-evaluation of the morphological characters used to identify vesicomyid bivalves.