Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-11"
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- Viabilidade da utilização de abordagens probabilísticas na avaliação da segurança sísmicaPublication . Estêvão, João M. C.Uma das quatro metodologias propostas para a avaliação da segurança sísmica de edifícios existentes, que foram propostas para Portugal pelo Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), corresponde à adoção de abordagens explicitamente probabilísticas (o denominado Método IV). Neste trabalho, é apresentado um estudo comparativo da fiabilidade dos resultados obtidos com estas abordagens, com recurso ao método de Monte Carlo, ao Hipercubo Latino, e à integração numérica (cujos resultados foram usados como valores de referência), relativos à segurança sísmica de um sistema estrutural muito simples, com um grau de liberdade. Os resultados mostram que é viável a utilização deste tipo de abordagens, e que os erros obtidos com o método de Monte Carlo são superiores aos obtidos com base no Hipercubo Latino, e que são muito dependentes do número de simulações realizadas.
- Ancient DNA reveals interstadials as a driver of common vole population dynamics during the last glacial periodPublication . Baca, Mateusz; Popović, Danijela; Lemanik, Anna; Bañuls‐Cardona, Sandra; Conard, Nicholas J.; Cuenca‐Bescós, Gloria; Desclaux, Emmanuel; Fewlass, Helen; Garcia, Jesus T.; Hadravova, Tereza; Heckel, Gerald; Horáček, Ivan; Knul, Monika Vlasta; Lebreton, Loïc; López‐García, Juan Manuel; Luzi, Elisa; Marković, Zoran; Mauch Lenardić, Jadranka; Murelaga, Xabier; Noiret, Pierre; Petculescu, Alexandru; Popov, Vasil; Rhodes, Sara; Ridush, Bogdan; Royer, Aurélien; Stewart, John R.; Stojak, Joanna; Talamo, Sahra; Wang, Xuejing; Wójcik, Jan M.; Nadachowski, AdamAim Many species experienced population turnover and local extinction during the Late Pleistocene. In the case of megafauna, it remains challenging to disentangle climate change and the activities of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers as the main cause. In contrast, the impact of humans on rodent populations is likely to be negligible. This study investigated which climatic and/or environmental factors affect the population dynamics of the common vole. This temperate rodent is widespread across Europe and was one of the most abundant small mammal species throughout the Late Pleistocene. Location Europe. Taxon Common vole (Microtus arvalis). Methods We generated a dataset comprised of 4.2 kb long fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 148 ancient and 51 modern specimens sampled from multiple localities across Europe and covering the last 60 thousand years (ka). We used Bayesian inference to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the age of the specimens that were not directly dated. Results We estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor of all last glacial and extant common vole lineages to be 90 ka ago and the divergence of the main mtDNA lineages present in extant populations to between 55 and 40 ka ago, which is earlier than most previous estimates. We detected several lineage turnovers in Europe during the period of high climate variability at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 57-29 ka ago) in addition to those found previously around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In contrast, data from the Western Carpathians suggest continuity throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) even at high latitudes. Main Conclusions The main factor affecting the common vole populations during the last glacial period was the decrease in open habitat during the interstadials, whereas climate deterioration during the LGM had little impact on population dynamics. This suggests that the rapid environmental change rather than other factors was the major force shaping the histories of the Late Pleistocene faunas.
- Strategic scenarios for maritime spatial planning in an European outermost region—The case of the AzoresPublication . Calado, Helena; Vergílio, Marta; Caña-Varona, Mario; Pegorelli, Camila; Hipólito, Cláudia; Silva, Aida; Carreira, Gilberto; Paramio, Maria; Papaioannou, EvaThe Maritime Spatial Planning process plans towards a desired future (Vision/Goal). Such vision is usually an integration of various aspirations from different stakeholders and sectors that depend on the related policy/ governance framework. In this sense, a tool such as scenario-building is of paramount importance to MSP once it helps decision-makers visualize the future that might unfold due to specific the actions/policies needed to make such a future more likely to happen. Along these lines, this work presents the methodology and results of the scenario building process developed and applied in the Macaronesia Maritime Spatial Planning (MarSP) project, for the Autonomous Region of Azores. The methodology is structured in four main steps: (i) setting MSP ob jectives based on policy review and following stakeholders’ inputs; (ii) identifying key objectives after consul tation with regional experts; (iii) developing scenario storylines; and (iv) balancing across scenarios based on feedback from stakeholders’ engagement. Three main pre-established scenarios were developed, balancing the pillars of sustainable development, namely: “Blue Society,” “Blue Growth”, and “Blue Development”. In a consultative and participatory process, the three scenarios were later modified and validated, integrating the preferences of stakeholders, being the most voted (preferred) scenario “Blue Development”. Results highlight the importance of applying a participatory approach to scenario building in MSP to understand the preferences and expectations of different stakeholders. The methodology can be relevant and adjustable to other regions, tailored to specific settings, in support of decision making towards an adaptive MSP process.
- Manual técnico: a cultura da PitaiaPublication . Trindade, Ana Rita; Trindade, Diamantino; Marques, Natália; Neto, Luís; Duarte, AmilcarO Algarve é uma região com grande tradição frutícola. A alfarrobeira e a laranja são as principais culturas, com mais de metade de toda a superfície ocupada com culturas permanentes. A implementação de novas culturas permite ampliar e diversificar a fruticultura da região, o que lhe adita valor e conduz a uma maior sustentabilidade da atividade agrícola.
- Mitochondrial mutations in protein coding genes of respiratory chain including complexes IV, V, and MT-TRNA genes are associated risk factors for congenital heart diseasePublication . Heidari, Mohammad Mehdi; Khatami, Mehri; Kamalipour, Akram; Kalantari, Mustafa; Movahed, Mahsa; Emmamy, Mohammad Hayet; Hadadzadeh, Mehdi; Bragança, José; Namnabat, Mohsen; Mazrouei, BaharehMost studies aiming at unraveling the molecular events associated with cardiac congenital heart disease (CHD) have focused on the effect of mutations occurring in the nuclear genome. In recent years, a significant role has been attributed to mitochondria for correct heart development and maturation of cardiomyocytes. Moreover, numerous heart defects have been associated with nucleotide variations occurring in the mitochondrial genome, affecting mitochondrial functions and cardiac energy metabolism, including genes encoding for subunits of res-piratory chain complexes. Therefore, mutations in the mitochondrial genome may be a major cause of heart dis-ease, including CHD, and their identification and characterization can shed light on pathological mechanisms occurring during heart development. Here, we have analyzed mitochondrial genetic variants in previously re-ported mutational genome hotspots and the flanking regions of mt-ND1, mt-ND2, mt-COXI, mt-COXII, mt-ATPase8, mt-ATPase6, mt-COXIII, and mt-tRNAs (Ile, Gln, Met, Trp, Ala, Asn, Cys, Tyr, Ser, Asp, and Lys) en-coding genes by polymerase chain reaction-single stranded conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) in 200 pa-tients with CHD, undergoing cardiac surgery. A total of 23 mitochondrial variations (5 missense mutations, 8 synonymous variations, and 10 nucleotide changes in tRNA encoding genes) were identified and included 16 novel variants. Additionally, we showed that intracellular ATP was significantly reduced (P=0.002) in CHD pa-tients compared with healthy controls, suggesting that the mutations have an impact on mitochondrial energy production. Functional and structural alterations caused by the mitochondrial nucleotide variations in the gene products were studied in-silico and predicted to convey a predisposing risk factor for CHD. Further studies are necessary to better understand the mechanisms by which the alterations identified in the present study contribute to the development of CHD in patients.
- The significance of cephalopod beaks as a research tool: An updatePublication . Xavier, José C.; Golikov, Alexey V.; Queirós, José P.; Perales-Raya, Catalina; Rosas-Luis, Rigoberto; Abreu, José; Bello, Giambattista; Bustamante, Paco; Capaz, Juan Carlos; Dimkovikj, Valerie H.; González, Angel F.; Guímaro, Hugo; Guerra-Marrero, Airam; Gomes-Pereira, José N.; Hernández-Urcera, Jorge; Kubodera, Tsunemi; Laptikhovsky, Vladimir; Lefkaditou, Evgenia; Lishchenko, Fedor; Luna, Amanda; Liu, Bilin; Pierce, Graham J.; Pissarra, Vasco; Reveillac, Elodie; Romanov, Evgeny V.; Rosa, Rui; Roscian, Marjorie; Rose-Mann, Lisa; Rouget, Isabelle; Sánchez, Pilar; Sánchez-Márquez, Antoni; Seixas, Sónia; Souquet, Louise; Varela, Jaquelino; Vidal, Erica A. G.; Cherel, YvesThe use of cephalopod beaks in ecological and population dynamics studies has allowed major advances of our knowledge on the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems in the last 60 years. Since the 1960's, with the pioneering research by Malcolm Clarke and colleagues, cephalopod beaks (also named jaws or mandibles) have been described to species level and their measurements have been shown to be related to cephalopod body size and mass, which permitted important information to be obtained on numerous biological and ecological aspects of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, a range of new techniques has been applied to cephalopod beaks, permitting new kinds of insight into cephalopod biology and ecology. The workshop on cephalopod beaks of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (Sesimbra, Portugal) in 2022 aimed to review the most recent scientific developments in this field and to identify future challenges, particularly in relation to taxonomy, age, growth, chemical composition (i.e., DNA, proteomics, stable isotopes, trace elements) and physical (i.e., structural) analyses. In terms of taxonomy, new techniques (e.g., 3D geometric morphometrics) for identifying cephalopods from their beaks are being developed with promising results, although the need for experts and reference collections of cephalopod beaks will continue. The use of beak microstructure for age and growth studies has been validated. Stable isotope analyses on beaks have proven to be an excellent technique to get valuable information on the ecology of cephalopods (namely habitat and trophic position). Trace element analyses is also possible using beaks, where concentrations are significantly lower than in other tissues (e.g., muscle, digestive gland, gills). Extracting DNA from beaks was only possible in one study so far. Protein analyses can also be made using cephalopod beaks. Future challenges in research using cephalopod beaks are also discussed.
- Co-design of a marine protected area zoning and the lessons learned from itPublication . e Costa, Horta; Guimarães, M. Helena; Rangel, Mafalda; Ressurreição, Adriana; Monteiro, Pedro; Oliveira, Frederico; Bentes, Luis; Sales Henriques, Nuno; Sousa, Inês; Alexandre, Sofia; Pontes, João; Afonso, Carlos; Belackova, Adela; Marçalo, Ana; Cardoso-Andrade, Mariana; Correia, António José; Lobo, Vanda; Gonçalves, Emanuel J.; Pitta e Cunha, Tiago; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel SantosMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a tool to safeguard marine natural systems, yet their effectiveness depends on how well they are integrated into the existing socioeconomic context. Stakeholder engagement in MPA design can contribute to increasing integration. This study focuses on the co-design of an MPA between researchers, public administration, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. The proposed MPA is in Portugal and includes an area that is a hotspot for biodiversity and economic activities. This is the first MPA proposal in mainland Portugal co-designed using a participatory approach. This study highlights the steps of the zoning process and synthesizes the eight main lessons learned, useful for other cases, particularly for relatively small coastal MPAs with multiple socioeconomic activities. Three zoning proposals were developed and discussed within the participatory process. The proposals considered the best scientific and local knowledge available and were defined using ecological, socioeconomic, and shape-area guiding principles. In an iterative manner and following a participatory approach, compromises with stakeholders were achieved, and a final proposal, scientifically sound and socially accepted by most stakeholders, was delivered to the government. The final zoning plan will achieve ambitious conservation goals, including the largest fully protected area to be declared in mainland Portugal, while minimizing the impacts on the existing economic activities and promoting its sustainability. This process resulted in valuable lessons that may be applied elsewhere and guide future MPA implementation or rezoning of existing ones. These transdisciplinary and participatory processes can be time and resource-consuming but are vital for ensuring MPA effectiveness.
- Ultrasound-assisted extraction of betalains from opuntia fruit pulp of different color varietiesPublication . Vázquez-Espinosa, Mercedes; González-de-Peredo, Ana V.; Carrera, Ceferino; Palma, Miguel; Barbero, Gerardo F.; Aliaño-González, M.J.Betalains are water-soluble pigments that have exhibited important pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, antilipidemic and antimicrobial activity. These compounds have been isolated in numerous purple plants or fruits, as is the case of the wild species under the Opuntia genus. The fruits of these species are often disregarded because of their small size as well as the frequent presence of prickles. Based on this, this research has as its objective the optimization of a method based on ultrasound-assisted extraction to obtain extracts enriched with betalains from a wild Opuntia species (Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw.). Four variables (%EtOH in the solvent, temperature of extraction, ultrasound amplitude and cycle) were selected using a Box-Behnken design. The quadratic interaction of %EtOH and the interaction of %EtOH-cycle have proven to be influential variables at 95% confidence. The conditions to obtain the highest betalain concentration were 100 mg of pulp with 20 mL (60%:40% EtOH:H2O) solvent at 20 degrees C at 24% amplitude and 0.2 cycle for 10 min. The suitability and reliability of the method were evaluated with repeatability and intermediate precision tests obtaining CVs <5%. Finally, the developed method has been employed in the analysis of five Opuntia commercial samples and obtained significant antioxidant activity of the extracts, confirming its applicability.
- Complete mitochondrial genome of the branching octocoral Paramuricea grayi (Johnson, 1861), phylogenetic relationships and divergence analysisPublication . Coelho, Márcio; Ledoux, Jean-Baptiste; Boavida, Joana; Paulo, Diogo; Gómez-Gras, Daniel; Bensoussan, Nathaniel; López-Sendino, Paula; Cerrano, Carlo; Kipson, Silvija; Bakran-Petricioli, Tatjana; Garrabou, Joaquim; A, Serrão; Pearson, GarethThe Gray's sea fan, Paramuricea grayi (Johnson, 1861), typically inhabits deep littoral and circalittoral habitats of the eastern temperate and tropical Atlantic Ocean. Along the Iberian Peninsula, where P. grayi is a dominant constituent of circalittoral coral gardens, two segregating lineages (yellow and purple morphotypes) were recently identified using single-copy nuclear orthologues. The mitochondrial genomes of 9 P. grayi individuals covering both color morphotypes were assembled from RNA-seq data, using samples collected at three sites in southern (Sagres and Tavira) and western (Cape Espichel) Portugal. The complete circular mitogenome is 18,668 bp in length, has an A + T-rich base composition (62.5%) and contains the 17 genes typically found in Octocorallia: 14 protein-coding genes (atp6, atp8, cob, cox1-3, mt-mutS, nad1-6, and nad4L), the small and large subunit rRNAs (rns and rnl), and one transfer RNA (trnM). The mitogenomes were nearly identical for all specimens, though we identified a noteworthy polymorphism (two SNPs 9 bp apart) in the mt-mutS of one purple individual that is shared with the sister species P. clavata. The mitogenomes of the two species have a pairwise sequence identity of 99.0%, with nad6 and mt-mutS having the highest rates of non-synonymous substitutions.
- Absorptive capacity and cultural diversity in the restaurant sectorPublication . Lins de Moraes, Michelle; Carvalho, Inês; Silva, Bernardo; Correia, Antónia; do Carmo, ManuelAn important way to develop innovation is through organizations’ absorptive capacity (ACAP). ACAP can be understood as the ability of companies to innovate through the application of external knowledge (Cohen & Levinthal, 1990). One hospitality industry that could potentially leverage ACAP is restaurants. Innovation is still scarcely applied in restaurant companies despite the relevance of competitive advantage stemming from innovation (Blöcher & Alt, 2021). According to Gao et al. (2017), one of the most relevant ACAP models in the literature was developed by Zahra and George in 2002. It considers the following dimensions: antecedents (knowledge sources); activation triggers (aspects that encourage companies to search for external knowledge, e.g. crises); components (acquisition, assimilation, transformation, and exploitation of knowledge); (in)formal social integration mechanisms (which promote the sharing of knowledge among employees); regimes of appropriability (e.g. patents); and outcomes (e.g. innovation). Recent studies have highlighted the relevance of employees to ACAP dimensions in the tourism sector (Moraes et al., 2021). In fact, the workforce of this sectors has high levels of cultural diversity. Cultural diversity has been considered a key aspect for management innovation in these companies (Manoharan et al., 2019). The number of publications about ACAP in tourism has increased in the last years; however, the relationship between ACAP and aspects such as cultural diversity is still an understudied subject. The present study researched how cultural diversity in the workforce is associated with restaurants’ ACAP in order to contribute to a better understanding about these dynamics.