Evidence that the degree of band 3 phosphorylation modulates human erythrocytes nitric oxide efflux – in vitro model of hyperfibrinogenemia

© 2011 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reservedRecent evidence has shown that plasma fibrinogen, a major cardiovascular risk factor, interacts with the erythrocyte membrane and acts to influence blood flow via erythrocyte nitric oxide (NO) modulation. In the present pioneer in-vitro study, whole blood samples were harvested from healthy subjects and aliquots were incubated in the absence (control aliquots) and presence of fibrinogen at different degrees of band 3 phosphorylation, and the levels of NO, nitrite, nitrate and S-nitroglutathione (GSNO) were determined. Hyperfibrinogenemia interferes with erythrocyte NO mobilization without changing its efflux in a way that seems to be dependent of the degree of band 3 phosphorylation. In presence of higher fibrinogen concentrations the NO efflux is reinforced when band 3 is phosphorylated (p < 0.001). Higher levels of nitrite, nitrate and GSNO were documented (p < 0.05). However, the mechanisms by which fibrinogen signalling modulates erythrocyte function remain to be clarified and are currently under study. These conditions may be considered an approach to be followed in blood storage for transfusions.This study was supported by grants from the FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (project reference PTDC/SAU-OSM/73449/2006

Spin-glass behaviour on random lattices

The ground-state phase diagram of an Ising spin-glass model on a random graph with an arbitrary fraction $w$ of ferromagnetic interactions is analysed in the presence of an external field. Using the replica method, and performing an analysis of stability of the replica-symmetric solution, it is shown that $w=1/2$, correponding to an unbiased spin glass, is a singular point in the phase diagram, separating a region with a spin-glass phase ($w<1/2$) from a region with spin-glass, ferromagnetic, mixed, and paramagnetic phases ($w>1/2$)

Resistivity of non-Fermi liquid U2Pt2In under pressure

Non-Fermi liquid behaviour in single-crystalline U2Pt2In has been studied by means of resistivity experiments (I||c) under hydrostatic pressure (P<1.5 GPa). At ambient pressure the resistivity rho(T) follows a power law rho~T^alpha with alpha~0.5. Upon applying pressure alpha increases. For P>1 GPa a minimum develops in rho(T). A study of the field dependence of the minimum confirms its magnetic origin. The ratio c/a is proposed as the effective control parameter, rather than the unit cell volume.Comment: 5 pages (incl. 2 figures), submitted to SCES'99, Nagan

The rise and fall of adult community education in Portugal

In this article, we intend to reflect on community education in Portugal. We analyse the background of the emergence of community education in the aftermath of the revolution of 1974, examine the main reasons that contributed to its dissemination, and identify its characteristics. We present a case study that illustrates both the rise and the fall of community education. The original investigation was a multiple case study. To gather information, we used non-structured interviews, informal conversations, observation, and document analysis. To continue the original investigation, we used biographical research, which allowed us to obtain more data on some of the key individuals and, at the same time, to improve our knowledge of the communities. Our results show that the period between 1985 and 2005 (roughly) constituted a very important period for community education. National phenomena, European funding programmes, and a notion of adult education that was very close to popular education aided civil society organisations to work with communities with interesting results in terms of social change. After 2005, changes in European social policy, neoliberalism affecting the power of civil society, and a new version of adult education (influenced by lifelong learning) partially caused the fall of community education.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Simulação de dados meteorológicos para avaliação de impactos de mudanças climáticas na agricultura.

Neste trabalho foi utilizado o simulador climático LARS-WG. Esse simulador é baseado em um modelo semiempírico, ou seja, para o processo há a utilização de parâmetros estatísticos em sua formulação e também a necessidade de calibrações para as devidas aplicações