III. Unidades de Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Outras
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Percorrer III. Unidades de Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Outras por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "04:Educação de Qualidade"
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- 2024 Annual meeting of the international network on ectopic calcification (INTEC)—abstract proceedingsPublication . Cancela, M. Leonor; Alouane, Ahmed; Bertelli, Pietro M.; Camacho, Antonio; Derudder, Robbe; Forlino, Antonella; Harris, Matthew P.; Jacinto, Marta; Lengyel, Imre; Link, Wolfgang; Murshed, Monzur; Pasch, Andreas; Kaliya-Perumal, Arun-Kumar; Quaglino, Daniela; Qin, Zihan; Sabbagh, Yves; Seminari, Elena; Villar, Marcos M.; Winkler, Christoph; Vanakker, Olivier M.The 3rd Annual Meeting of the International Network on Ectopic Calcification (INTEC) was held in Faro, Portugal on 12–13 September 2024. This hybrid meeting brought together researchers and clinicians focused on the molecular, (patho)physiological, and clinical aspects of ectopic calcification in hereditary and acquired conditions, as well as in aging. The findings presented in this year’s meeting emphasised the complexity of the field, offering new insights into both mechanistic pathways and translational hurdles. The abstracts of this year’s meeting are collected in this conference paper, with permission from the corresponding authors.
- Academic social entrepreneurship: a contemporary reflection from schumpeter’s economic sociologyPublication . Pinto, Hugo; Sampaio, Fábio; Ferreira, Sílvia; Elston, Jennifer NicoleEntrepreneurship has gained significant relevance in contemporary societies due to its role in generating economic and social value, including job creation, new businesses, and technological and social innovations. Scientific interest in entrepreneurship, which dates back to the 17th century, has increased since the 1990s. This field of study has evolved to encompass not only strict business creation but also impactful social initiatives. This article explores the intersection of academic and social entrepreneurship, examining factors to understand impactful initiatives through the seminal ideas presented by Joseph Schumpeter. The text offers insights and recommendations for advancing the transdisciplinary study of academic social entrepreneurship starting from an Economic Sociology perspective.
- Activity induced genes expression is impaired in polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxiasPublication . Torquato Afonso, Inês; Vilhena Catarino Brito, David; Bading, Hilmar; Nóbrega, ClévioPolyglutamine Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of 6 incurable genetic disorders, caused by an expansion of the trinucleotide cytosine-adenine-guanine in their causative genes, which produces a protein with an expanded glutamine region. This project focuses on the study of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) and type 3 (SCA3) (1), which are rare dominantly inherited disorders that primarily impair the cerebellum therefore leading to motor ataxia. Activity-induced inhibitor of death (AID), are a group of pro-survival 9 genes which were found to be neuroprotector in several neurological disorders, including stroke, glaucoma, AD, HD, and ALS (2). In this project, we aim to investigate about the relevance of the expression of AID genes for cerebellum function and whether their expression levels are impaired in SCA2 and SCA3
- Bell beaker footed bowls in the Iberian Peninsula: A trial inventory apropos a find from the Lapa do Fumo Cave (Sesimbra, Portugal)Publication . Cardoso, João Luis; Andrade, Marco António; Gil, RuiThe Lapa do Fumo cave (Sesimbra, Estremadura, Portugal) features a funerary context that has been extensively used since the Early Neolithic. A recent review of the votive assemblages revealed the presence of a vessel sherd belonging to a Bell Beaker footed bowl, featuring part of the base and the start of the foot, with incised decoration on the outer surface. This type of vessel, although quite rare, is known from various Bell Beaker complexes of the Iberian Peninsula throughout the entire time span of the Beaker phenomenon, mostly corresponding to the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE. Its geographical distribution in Iberia is equally widespread, occurring both in funerary and residential contexts. Starting from the Lapa do Fumo sherd presented herein, the authors will present an inventory of all known examples, integrating them into their respective chronological and cultural contexts. A technical and functional discussion is also included, based on an estimate of these items’ capacities.
- Documentos das provas de agregação de João Carlos Serafim Varela. Titulo da Lição: Novas perspetivas sobre a Árvore da Vida: As grandes linhagens evolutivas de Eucariontes UnicelularesPublication . Varela, JoãoNo presente documento, apresenta-se o sumário pormenorizado da lição a que se refere a alínea c) do artigo 5º Decreto-Lei nº 239/2007 de 19 de junho para apreciação na prestação de provas para a atribuição do título de Agregado. Esta lição insere-se no ramo de conhecimento de Ciências Biotecnológicas da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias da Universidade do Algarve. O desenvolvimento de qualquer projeto biotecnológico deverá se apoiar em bases biológicas sólidas. A biotecnologia de microalgas não é diferente, necessitando de uma estreita interação entre a biologia (molecular), bioquímica e diversas tecnologias para implementar as aplicações desejadas pela indústria e respetivos clientes. Porém, “microalga” é um termo de conveniência que não respeita os grandes grupos (megagrupos) que nos são dados pelo estudo da biologia evolutiva. Por conseguinte, esta lição não se cingirá apenas a eucariontes fotossintéticos, ou seja, às referidas “microalgas”, mas antes focar-se-á nos principais megagrupos de eucariontes que, em geral, são microscópicos e unicelulares, tendo várias linhagens adquirido a capacidade fotossintética por processos de endossimbiose e/ou cleptoplastia. Nesta lição serão referidos e discutidos os recentes desenvolvimentos da biologia molecular e bioquímica que têm permitido a sua aplicação na elucidação dos grandes grupos de eucariontes unicelulares através da inferência filogenética a nível não só de conjuntos de dados cada vez maiores (que incluem matrizes com mais de 150 genes), como também da comparação a nível genómico. Assim, nesta lição pretende-se dar uma perspetiva histórica dos sistemas de classificação, especialmente da dita “árvore da vida dos eucariontes”. Parte-se desde a classificação dicotómica de Lineu até à atual árvore da vida pelos estudos mais recentes a nível da filogenia e filogenómica pelos grupos de investigação de Patrick Keeling, Alastair Simpson e Fabien Burki. Finalmente, termina-se com a explicação da importância deste conhecimento e como este pode ser aplicado na biotecnologia de microalgas.
- Documentos das provas de agregação de Luísa Paula Viola Afonso Barreira. Titulo da Lição: Tratamento e valorização de efluentes usando microalgasPublication . Barreira, LuísaSumário pormenorizado da Lição apresentada no âmbito das Provas Públicas de Agregação, conforme estipulado na alínea c) iii) do artigo 4º do Regulamento nº 502/2024 da Universidade do Algarve que regula a atribuição do Título de Agregado da Universidade do Algarve. A unidade curricular “Métodos Instrumentais de Análise em Biologia e Biotecnologia” é aqui proposta como disciplina opcional para os mestrados em Biotecnologia, Biologia Marinha, Biologia Molecular e Microbiana, e Aquacultura e Pescas, da Universidade do Algarve. Esta proposta surge no seguimento de vários anos de experiência na orientação de teses de dissertação dos mestrados referidos, nos quais se observou falhas na capacidade dos alunos para aplicar técnicas analíticas avançadas nos seus trabalhos. Isto deve-se ao facto de a maioria dos alunos a frequentar estes mestrados ter formação base em licenciaturas da área das Ciências Biológicas que geralmente não inclui formação em Métodos Instrumentais de Análise. Considerando que, num contexto científico e tecnológico em rápida evolução, o domínio de métodos instrumentais modernos é essencial para o desenvolvimento de competências analíticas avançadas, a UC proposta poderá ajudar a complementar a formação dos alunos nesta área permitindo o desenvolvimento de uma investigação mais rigorosa e com maior inovação tecnológica. Os principais objetivos da unidade curricular (UC) são, assim, proporcionar aos alunos um conhecimento profundo dos métodos instrumentais de análise mais relevantes em biologia e biotecnologia, bem como capacitá-los a aplicar essas técnicas de forma eficiente e crítica em contextos de investigação e indústria. Os alunos serão introduzidos a uma variedade de técnicas instrumentais, como espetrofotometria de absorção e emissão, espectrometria de massa, e cromatografia líquida e gasosa. Além disso, serão incentivados a compreender os princípios teóricos subjacentes a essas técnicas, bem como a interpretar e analisar dados de maneira rigorosa.
- Editors' Corner: Blubber thickness in cetaceansPublication . Canario, AdelinoWang Y, Zhang Q, Xu Q, Zhang H, Liu X, Yang G. Cetacean-specific GPR12 mutation is functionally associated with blubber thickening. Gene, volume 968, 10 October 2025, 149734. https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.gene.2025.149734. The blubber, a thick layer of fatty tissue, is a key adaptation in aquatic mammals, providing energy storage and facilitating buoyancy and locomotion (Berta, 2023). Blubber thickening has evolved independently in cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), raising questions about the genetic basis of this adaptation. Wang et al. (2025) reasoned that G protein-coupled receptor genes associated with the regulation of lipid metabolism could be involved, and homed in on GPR12, whose deficiency in mice leads to obesity and dyslipidemia (Bjursell et al., 2006)
- The late pliocene to early pleistocene lomekwi faunas, west Turkana, Kenya: systematics, paleoecology, and biochronologyPublication . Geraads, Denis; Bobe, René; Ward, Carol V.; Plavcan, J. Michael; Manthi, Fredrick KyaloWe describe here the vertebrate fauna collected by the West Turkana Paleo Project at Lomekwi, a site best known for yielding the holotype of Kenyanthropus platyops and Lomekwian stone tools, and consisting of several collecting areas providing fossil samples ranging in age from about 3.6 to 2.2 Ma. Analysis of the newly recovered material, alongside a thorough revision of earlier collections, has led to the identification of 85 vertebrate taxa, which provide biochronological indications that help refine the site's chronology and shed light on the paleoenvironmental conditions prevailing during a critical period of early hominin diversification. The newly described fauna illustrates that during the time of Kenyanthropus, hominins shared their landscapes with a rich assemblage of vertebrates, including abundant megaherbivores, some 28 species of artiodactyls, diverse large and medium-size carnivores, and giant crocodiles as apex predators in the lakes and rivers of the Turkana region in the Pliocene. Among primates, the recurring association of Theropithecus with hominins is found at Lomekwi as it is elsewhere. Paleoenvironmental proxies from the Turkana region emphasize the complex and dynamic nature of the habitats that supported this rich biodiversity.
- Methylation status of the telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter in parotid tumours and adjacent parotid gland tissue: a pilot study on the implications for recurrence and development of malignancyPublication . Paiva Correia, Antonio; Apolónio, Joana; Nadal, Alfons; Brandão, José Ricardo; Silva, Nádia; Machado, Bianca; Archilla, Ivan; Castelo-Branco, Pedro; Hellquist, HenrikBackground/Objectives: The methylation of the hypermethylated oncological region (THOR) of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) may forecast tumour aggressiveness. This pilot study aimed to evaluate THOR methylation as a potential biomarker for recurrence/malignant transformation in salivary gland pleomorphic adenomas (PA). Methods: THOR methylation was assessed by quantitative pyrosequencing in 96 parotid tissue samples (benign and malignant), including non-neoplastic parotid tissue, PA, recurrent PA (rPA), and carcinomas, along with their adjacent tissues. TERT promoter mutations (TPMs) were analysed by Sanger sequencing. Results: THOR methylation significantly differed across the seven groups. Malignant tissues showed higher THOR methylation than non-neoplastic tissues, whereas benign tumours showed no significant difference from non-neoplastic tissue. THOR methylation in rPA was closer to carcinoma than to normal tissue, similar in rPA and tissues adjacent to rPA, and higher in tissues adjacent to carcinomas than in non-neoplastic tissues. A subset of PA-adjacent tissues showed epigenetic alterations, suggesting an increased risk of recurrence or malignant transformation (5–15%). No TPMs were detected. Conclusions: THOR methylation may add information to differentiate normal from carcinogenic tissues and, as such, may be included in a biomarkers panel. Epigenetic alterations in PA-adjacent tissues with normal histology highlight the need for improved diagnostic markers.
- Pathways to progress: unveiling structural change in Africa through economic transformation, technology, talent, and tourismPublication . Pinto, Hugo; Odoi, Evans; Nogueira, Carla; Viana, Luiz Fernando CâmaraAfrican economies are undergoing significant structural transformation, transitioning from agriculture to manufacturing, services, and technology-driven industries. Driven by urbanization, technological innovation, and global trade, this shift offers opportunities for sustainable growth but faces challenges such as infrastructure gaps and institutional hurdles. This paper examines the dynamics of structural change in 54 African countries, focusing on the roles of technology, talent, and tourism. Using World Bank data, factor and cluster analyses reveal five latent components: structural conditions, public sector capacities, dynamic conditions, urbanization, and growth. The analysis categorizes countries into six clusters, from Developing Economies to African Powerhouses. The findings emphasize the critical role of technology in boosting productivity, the importance of talent development through education and workforce integration, and the potential of sustainable tourism to drive transformation. This research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding Africa’s structural transformation, offering actionable insights to address disparities and promote equitable development across the continent.