Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2017-08"
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- Multiple inherited thrombophilias in a young patient with striatocapsular strokePublication . Taveira, Isabel; Vicente, Claudia; Sobrall, Sofia; Nzwalo, Hipolito; Sousa E Costa, Jose
- The dynamics between economic growth and living standards in EU Countries: A STATICO approach for the period 2006-2014Publication . Santos, Antonio Duarte; Ribeiro, Sandra; Castela, Guilherme; Tavares da Silva, NelsonThe rate of economic growth is dissimilar between areas or regions, and these divergences generate potential impact on quality of life. The occurrence of the financial and economic crisis of 2008, can strengthen these gaps. Economic growth in this analysis includes six levels of gross domestic product growth rates (GDPgr) and seven variables with direct implications on the quality of life of families. The observations are fifteen EU countries, organized into three groups: northern, central and southern. The STATICO method (Simier et al., 1999) used in this research is a three-way multivariate analysis supported on a partial triadic analysis (PTA, Thioulose and Chessel, 1987) to find the stable part of the structure of a series of tables from 2006 to 2014, over a common structure resulting from the co-inertia analysis (Doledec and Chessel, 1994) applied to each pair of an economic growth tables and a life standard tables. With this method, it was possible to extract the stable part of economic growth-life standard common relationships and to analyze the influences of the financial crisis of 2008
- Chemical diplomacy in male tilapia: urinary signal increases sex hormone and decreases aggressionPublication . Saraiva, João; Keller-Costa, Tina; Hubbard, Peter; Rato, Ana; Canario, AdelinoAndrogens, namely 11-ketotestosterone (11KT), have a central role in male fish reproductive physiology and are thought to be involved in both aggression and social signalling. Aggressive encounters occur frequently in social species, and fights may cause energy depletion, injury and loss of social status. Signalling for social dominance and fighting ability in an agonistic context can minimize these costs. Here, we test the hypothesis of a 'chemical diplomacy' mechanism through urinary signals that avoids aggression and evokes an androgen response in receiver males of Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). We show a decoupling between aggression and the androgen response; males fighting their mirror image experience an unresolved interaction and a severe drop in urinary 11KT. However, if concurrently exposed to dominant male urine, aggression drops but urinary 11KT levels remain high. Furthermore, 11KT increases in males exposed to dominant male urine in the absence of a visual stimulus. The use of a urinary signal to lower aggression may be an adaptive mechanism to resolve disputes and avoid the costs of fighting. As dominance is linked to nest building and mating with females, the 11KT response of subordinate males suggests chemical eavesdropping, possibly in preparation for parasitic fertilizations.
- Guadiana estuary: present state, past evolution and prospects for the futurePublication . Boski, T.The Guadiana catchment extends over an area of 66 889 km2, between the catchments of the Tagus and Guadalquivir rivers, of which 11 525 km2 are in Portugal. Its upper part in Spain corresponds to what is called the Western La Mancha province. To the North the watershed is limited by alignments, of the Sierra de Altomira http://www.castillalamancha.es/sites/default/files/documentos/paginas/archivos/altomira_liczepa_fich.pdf ) with heights between 700 and 1,000 meters and the Mancha de Toledo, with profusion of endorheic lagoons between 600 and 800 meters above sea level. The origin of the Guadiana was historically placed in the area of Campo de Montiel under the name Rio Pinilla.
- Cosmic-ray fermion decay by emission of on-shell W bosons with CPT violationPublication . Colladay, D.; Noordmans, J. P.; Potting, RobertusWe study CPT and Lorentz violation in the electroweak gauge sector of the Standard Model in the context of the Standard-Model Extension. In particular, we consider the Lorentz-violating and CPT-odd Chern-Simons like parameter for the W boson, which is thus far unbounded by experiment. We demonstrate that any nonzero value of this parameter implies that, for sufficiently large energies, one of the polarization modes of the W boson propagates with spacelike four-momentum. In this scenario, an emission of W bosons by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays is possible. We calculate the induced fermion energy-loss rate, and we deduce the first limit on the pertinent Lorentz-and CPT-violating parameter that couples to the W boson. Consistency between the quantum description in various reference frames is preserved by using a recently formulated covariant quantization procedure for massive photons and applying it to the W bosons.
- Dual antibiotherapy of tuberculosis mediated by inhalable locust bean gum microparticlesPublication . Rodrigues, Susana; Alves, Ana D.; Cavaco, Joana S.; Pontes, Jorge Filipe; Guerreiro, Filipa; Rosa Da Costa, Ana; Buttini, Francesca; Grenha, AnaDespite the existence of effective oral therapy, tuberculosis remains a deadly pathology, namely because of bacterial resistance and incompliance with treatments. Establishing alternative therapeutic approaches is urgently needed and inhalable therapy has a great potential in this regard. As pathogenic bacteria are hosted by alveolar macrophages, the co-localisation of antitubercular drugs and pathogens is thus potentiated by this strategy. This work proposes inhalable therapy of pulmonary tuberculosis mediated by a single locust bean gum (LBG) formulation of microparticles associating both isoniazid and rifabutin, complying with requisites of the World Health Organisation of combined therapy. Microparticles were produced by spray-drying, at LBG/INH/RFB mass ratio of 10/1/0.5. The aerodynamic characterisation of microparticles revealed emitted doses of more than 90% and fine particle fraction of 38%, thus indicating the adequacy of the system to reach the respiratory lung area, thus partially the alveolar region. Cytotoxicity results indicate moderate toxicity (cell viability around 60%), with a concentration-dependent effect. Additionally, rat alveolar macrophages evidenced preferential capture of LBG microparticles, possibly due to chemical composition comprising mannose and galactose units that are specifically recognised by macrophage surface receptors. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Residents' attitudes and the adoption of pro-tourism behaviours: The case of developing island countriesPublication . Ribeiro, Manuel Alector; Patrícia Valle, Patrícia Oom do Valle; Silva, joão; Woosnam, Kyle M.This study considers both economic and non-economic factors to examine how residents perceive tourism and ultimately develop pro-tourism behaviour. The concepts used in model creation are Social Exchange Theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action. Based on data derived from 418 residents of the Cape Verde Islands (off the coast of western Africa) a structural equation model is used to test how perceived personal benefits and general economic conditions shape perceptions of tourism, and in turn how these perceptions determine pro-tourism behaviour. Additionally, the concept of welcoming behaviour is included in the model. It is found the perceived tourism impacts mediate between welcoming and pro-tourism behaviours. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Salt harvestingPublication . Sainz, Noa; Boski, T.Saltworks (other terms: salterns, saltponds, solar ponds) are man-made hypersaline systems where table salt or halite (NaCl, sodium chloride) is harvested. Salt production in the Guadiana River estuary is based on solar evaporation of sea water. In other areas, salt is obtained from solid state or brine mining. Saltworks using sea water are usually located in low coastal areas, allowing gravitational filling of ponds during the high tides. Evaporative salt production is restricted to geographical areas where this process is favoured by combined action of wind, solar radiation, low rain rates, and high temperatures. Hence, the Mediterranean and part of the European Atlantic coastal areas fulfil these conditions, particularly during the summer months where the evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation.
- The effects of grazing on the microbiome of an invasive brown seaweed (Sargassum Muticum)Publication . Aires, Tânia; Muyzer, G.; EA, Serrao; Engelen, AH
- The effect of live feeds bathed with the red seaweed Asparagopsis armata on the survival, growth and physiology status of Sparus aurata larvaePublication . Castanho, Sara; Califano, Gianmaria; Soares, F.; Costa, Rodrigo; Mata, L.; Pousao-Ferreira, P.; Ribeiro, L.Larval rearing is affected by a wide range of microorganisms that thrive in larviculture systems. Some seaweed species have metabolites capable of reducing the bacterial load. However, no studies have yet tested whether including seaweed metabolites on larval rearing systems has any effects on the larvae development. This work assessed the development of Sparus aurata larvae fed preys treated with an Asparagopsis armata product. Live prey, Brachionus spp. and Artemia sp., were immersed in a solution containing 0.5% of a commercial extract of A. armata (Ysaline 100, YSA) for 30 min, before being fed to seabream larvae (n = 4 each). In the control, the live feed was immersed in clear water. Larval parameters such as growth, survival, digestive capacity (structural-histology and functional-enzymatic activity), stress level (cortisol content), non-specific immune response (lysozyme activity), anti-bacterial activity (disc-diffusion assay) and microbiota quantification (fish larvae gut and rearing water) were monitored. Fish larvae digestive capacity, stress level and non-specific immune response were not affected by the use of YSA. The number of Vibrionaceae was significantly reduced both in water and larval gut when using YSA. Growth was enhanced for YSA treatment, but higher mortality was also observed, especially until 10 days after hatching (DAH). The mortality peak observed at 8 DAH for both treatments, but higher for YSA, indicates larval higher susceptibility at this development stage, suggesting that lower concentrations of YSA should be used until 10 DAH. The application of YSA after 10 DAH onwards promotes a safer rearing environment.