Comparing clustering and partitioning strategies

In this work we compare balance and edge-cut evaluation metrics to measure the performance of two well-known graph data-grouping algorithms applied to four web and social network graphs. One of the algorithms employs a partitioning technique using Kmetis tool, and the other employs a clustering technique using Scluster tool. Because clustering algorithms use a similarity measure between each graph node and partitioning algorithms use a dissimilarity measure (weight), it was necessary to apply a normalized function to convert weighted graphs to similarity matrices. The numerical results show that partitioning algorithms behave clearly better than to the clustering counterparts when applied to these types of graphs

Population structure in high shore littorinids: contrast between riprap and rocky shores

World Congress of Malacology, Ponta Delgada, July 22-28, 2013.The number of anthropogenic structures deployed in coastal areas has increased markedly in recent times and many studies have now shown that these structures seldom mimic the natural habitais they replace. To date, however, most such studies have focused on the numbers and relative abundance of species and little is known about how these structures affect the patterns of species aggregation and size structure, despite the fact that variations in these parameters may have important ecological consequences at population and community levels. Here we compare the relative abundance, patterns of aggregation and size structure of two high shore gastropod littorinids (Tectarius striatus and Melarhaphe neritoides) on riprap and adjacent rocky shores. While the relative abundance of T. striatus was similar on riprap and natural rocky shores, M. neritoides was significantly more abundant on rocky shores. At small spatial scales (cm’s) both littorinids specics showed more aggregated distributions on riprap. At larger scales (cm’s), both littorinids were also more aggregated on riprap although this was only significant for T. striatus. Habitat type influenced the size structure whith both species attaining a significantly larger size on riprap. Here we add to the wider literature by showing that anthropogenic structures can affect intertidal assemblages in ways other than richness or the relative abundance of organisms alone. The here documented variation in patterns of aggregation and size structure between habitats likely influence the population dynamics of these species and may have wider community level consequences

Impacte para o ecossistema e benefícios socioeconómicos da alga exótica Asparagopsis armata nos Açores

A secção UAciência é coordenada pelo Professor Universitário Armindo Rodrigues.[…]. Desde novembro de 2016, o Subgrupo de Investigação em Ecologia Aquática Insular do Grupo de Biodiversidade dos Açores - Centro de Ecologia, Evolução e Alterações Ambientais (GBA/cE3c), com base na Universidade dos Açores, esta a desenvolver o projeto intitulado “Impacte ecossistemático e benefícios socioeconómicos de Asparagopsis armata nos Açores” (ASPAZOR, AÇORES-01-0145-FEDER-00060), financiado em 85% pelo FEDER e 15% pela ORAA, e aprovado pela Autoridade de Gestão do Programa Operacional AZORES 2020. A alga exótica A. armata e considerada como uma das espécies com maior potencial invasor nas aguas europeias, onde foi observada pela primeira vez em 1925, encontrando-se agora bem estabelecida na RAA. Aqui proliferam as duas fases do seu ciclo de vida, a fase produtora de gametas conhecida por A. armata e a fase produtora de esporos, anteriormente considerada como uma espécie distinta, Falkenbergia rufolanosa. Uma particularidade importante dos espécimes do género Asparagopsis e a produção de uma variedade de metabolitos com reconhecidas atividades antibacteriana, antimicrobiana, citotóxica e antioxidante, com aplicação em piscicultura, cosmética, e mesmo em medicina como alternativa a antibióticos convencionais. […].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avaliação do stock de Abalones: uma pesca sustentável

Jornadas "Ciência nos Açores – que futuro? Tema Ciências Naturais e Ambiente", Ponta Delgada, 7-8 de Junho de 2013.A falta de informação anterior ao início de uma exploração de uma espécie alvo é ponto comum à maior parte das pescarias. A maioria dos estudos só é iniciada após indícios claros de efeitos de um excesso de pesca. No entanto, esta situação é indicadora de que a pesca já causou alterações drásticas na estrutura das populações alvo e que, consequentemente, já não existe um ponto de referência que informe a gestão e a recuperação dos mananciais. A exploração do abalone nos Açores é virtualmente inexistente, ao contrário de muitas outras regiões onde a sua captura tem levado à ruptura dos mananciais. A espécie existente nos Açores, Haliotis tuberculata, é um recurso com elevado interesse gastronómico e económico e existem indícios de que tem sido gradualmente introduzida na gastronomia regional. Nos Açores os mananciais de H. tuberculata podem, à partida, ser considerados virgens, mas não existe informação sobre a sua abundância, biologia e ecologia. Concomitantemente, não existe qualquer tipo de restrição ou legislação regional relativamente à exploração deste marisco. O presente projecto tem como objectivo avaliar o estado actual das populações de H. tuberculata providenciando um ponto de referência para estudos futuros e garantindo deste modo uma avaliação rigorosa dos impactos de uma potencial pescaria. Neste projecto examinam-se aspectos da biologia e da ecologia de H. tuberculata que providenciarão dados úteis para garantir uma exploração sustentável deste recurso. O presente estudo providenciará também recomendações para a gestão desta pescaria baseadas na revisão bibliográfica e na informação recolhida.ABSTRACT: A common drawback in predicting the consequences of harvest rates is that there is no a priori information regarding the status of exploited populations. Most studies are done only when there is a perceived impact upon the targeted populations. In most situations, this means that fishing has already caused dramatic reductions in populations sizes and changes in the population structure so that a reference state against which to compare and predict the resilience or recovery of target populations does not exist. In the Azores unlike there has been little impact on the stocks of the abalone Haliotis tuberculata. However, H. tuberculata is a valuable and highly regarded resource and there is now evidence that it is slowly being introduced into the regional gastronomy. Although Azorean abalone stocks may be considered relatively virgin, there is yet no information regarding the local abundance, biology or ecology of this species. Similarly, there is no regional legislation regarding the exploitation of this shellfish. The present project aims to provide a reference state to which future studies can be compared and thus accurately assess the impact of a potential fishery. This involves examining the biology and ecology of H. tuberculata, creating a dynamic population model that will inform the authorities and provide valuable information that fosters sustainable harvest rates. The present project will also provide recommendations for the future management of the fishery based on a literature review and the field information collected

In-service teacher training in Portugal: objectives, organization and impact on teacher's career

This paper presents a short overview of teacher´s training as considered by the Portuguese legislation: (i) initial teacher education (ITE), (ii) specialized training and (iii) in-service teacher training. A particular emphasis will be given to in-service teacher training. Nowadays, ITE corresponds to level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework (master degree). It is a career-long professional development, where research-based and in context practice are important features. Specialized training is intended to provide qualification in complementary educational functions, such as special education, school administration and inspection activities, socio-cultural animation and basic education for adults. In-service training or continuous training allows teachers to complement, deepen and update their knowledge and professional competences. Its accreditation, in what concerns involved institutions, training actions and evaluation process is centralized in the “Conselho Científico-Pedagógico da Formação Contínua” (Scientific and Pedagogical Council of in-service training) and has a direct impact in teacher’s careers, being one of the factors considered to access mobility and progression

New adsorbers for the removal of genotoxic impurities from active pharmaceutical ingredients

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) available in the market are mostly synthesized, in organic solvent media, using highly reactive molecules that may be present in the final product as genotoxic impurities (GTIs). These compounds have the ability to react with DNA, preventing its normal replication, resulting in an associated carcinogenic risk, becoming an increasing concern from pharmaceutical companies and regulatory authorities [1]. Although it is desirable to avoid the use of GTIs in the manufacture of APIs, this is not always possible. Therefore, there is a call to develop simple, robust and economical routes to remove GTIs to limits below the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (1.5 µg/day) [2]. Such adsorbents should be highly selective to reach ultra-low GTI levels with minimal API losses and compatible with organic solvents where the API synthesis takes place [3]. Herein we report two different strategies for the development of new adsorbing materials designed for selective removal of GTIs from API organic solvent solutions. These new materials are: i) molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs), in the particular case designed for removal of an aromatic amine GTI, 4-dymethylaminopyridine) [4]; and ii) a novel functionalized polymer consisting on polybenzimidazole (PBI) modified with a DNA base (PBI-adenine). PBI-Adenine is designed to have a high affinity for a broad range of DNA alkylating agents mimicking the DNA-GTI adduct formation that takes place in vivo [5,6]. These platforms proved to be robust materials being able to remove, in a single stage, more than 95% of the GTIs from organic solvent API mixtures. Both approaches, meet the pharmaceutical industry challenges, by opening new horizons for the use of these adsorbers as a complement to the existing operation units as MIPs, as well as their assembling as membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) derived from PBI. References [1] Teasdale A. et al., Org. Process Res. Dev. 17, 2013, 221-230. [2] EMEA Guidelines on the “Limits on Genotoxic Impurities”, EMEA/CHMP/QWP/251344/2006, 2006. [3] Székely G. et al., Green Chem. 15, 2013, 210-225. [4] Esteves T. et al., Sep. Purif. Technol. 163, 2016, 206-214. [5] Ferreira F. C.; Esteves T.; Vicente A. I.; Afonso C. A. M., “Polímeros polibenzimidazolo com cadeia espaçadora funcionalizada e seu método de obtenção para remoção de impurezas genotóxicas.” Patent request Nº 109480, with priority date of 22 June 2016. [6] Vicente A. I. et al., Chem. Mat., 2016, under preparation. Acknowledgements: We thank financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through the Project SelectHost (PTDC/QEQ-PRS/4157/2014) and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (UID/BIO/04565/2013), from Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa 2020 (Lisboa-01-0145-FEDER-007317). We thank to Hovione PharmaScience Ltd for supplying the API and technical know-how

Impact of the Cationic Moiety of Ionic Liquids on Chemoselective Artificial Olfaction

Funding Information: This research was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [grant reference SCENT-ERC-2014-STG-639123, 2015–2022, and Grant Agreement No. 101069405─ENSURE─ERC-2022-POC1] and by national funds from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., for projects PTDC/BII-BIO/28878/2017, PTDC/CTM-CTM/3389/2021, UIDP/04378/2020, and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences-UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy-i4HB. The authors thank FCT/MCTES for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/128687/2017. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.Ionogels and derived materials are assemblies of polymers and ionic liquids characterized by high stability and ionic conductivity, making them interesting choices as gas sensors. In this work, we assessed the effect of the ionic liquid moiety to generate ionogels and hybrid gels as electrical and optical gas sensors. Six ionic liquids consisting of a constant anion (chloride) and distinct cationic head groups were used to generate ionogels and hybrid gels and further tested as gas sensors in customized electronic nose devices. In general, ionogel-based sensors yielded higher classification accuracies of standard volatile organic compounds when compared to hybrid material-based sensors. In addition, the high chemical diversity of ionic liquids is further translated to a high functional diversity in analyte molecular recognition and sensing.publishersversionpublishe

Effects of coastal orientation and depth on the distribution of subtidal benthic assemblages

Copyright © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.A better understanding of biological systems can only be gained if we understand what processes are important and how they operate to determine the distribution of organisms. Coastal orientation and depth can influence environmental conditions, including the degree of water motion and availability of light, which in turn may influence the horizontal and vertical patterns of organism distribution. Here, we used a mixed-model design to examine the effects of coastal orientation and depth on the structure of benthic assemblages by comparing the abundance and distribution of macroalgae and invertebrates in shallow and deep waters on the opposing coasts of Sa˜o Miguel. Generally, coastal orientation had little influence on the distribution of most taxa. In contrast, significant differences were generally associated with depth, although patterns were spatially variable at the scale of locations. This study suggests that depth, and processes operating at the scale of location, but not at the scale of the coast, have an important influence on these assemblages, and that failure to recognise such a scale of variability may hamper our ability to better understand the processes that structure these communities

Aquaculture of the clam (Tapes decussatus) on a closed system.

43rd European Marine Biology Symposium. Ponta Delgada, Açores, 8-12 de Setembro de 2008

Marine algal flora of Graciosa Island, Azores

BACKGROUND: The macroalgal flora of Graciosa (central group of Azores archipelago) is poorly known, with only 116 species recorded so far (authors personal data). The published information reflects occasional collections from sporadic field visits to the Island. To overcome this, a thorough investigation under the Expedition “GRACIOSA/2004”, the Campaigns “PADEL/2006”, “MACROBIOLMOL/2014” and “PIMA-BALA/2017” involving sample collecting and presence data recording, was undertaken over an area of 19 km2 encompassing littoral and sublittoral levels down to about 40 m around the Island. This paper lists the taxonomic records and provides information on species ecology and occurrence around the Island improving the knowledge of the Azorean macroalgal flora at both local and regional scales. NEW INFORMATION: A total of 1692 specimens belonging to 250 taxa of macroalgae (and including 55 taxa identified only at the genus level) are registered, comprising 166 Rhodophyta, 36 Chlorophyta and 48 Ochrophyta (Phaeophyceae). From these, 195 are identified to the species level (126 Rhodophyta, 31 Chlorophyta and 38 Ochrophyta) and comprise 156 native, 20 of uncertain origin and 14 introductions to the Island. Predaea feldmannii subsp. azorica Gabriel is an Azorean endemic, whereas Codium elisabethiae O.C. Schmidt, Botryocladia macaronesica Afonso-Carrillo, Sobrino, Tittley & Neto, Phyllophora gelidioides P.Crouan & H.Crouan ex Karsakoff and Laurencia viridis Gil-Rodríguez & Haroun represent Macaronesian endemics. Seventy-nine species are newly recorded to the algal flora of the Island.This research was supported by the projects “PADEL: Património natural e desenvolvimento sustentável do litoral dos Açores: a Ilha Graciosa como caso de estudo”, “MACROBIOMOL: Macroalgal biodiversity under molecular lens - towards a better understanding of North Atlantic biogeography”, “PIMA: Elaboração do programa de implementação da Diretiva-Quadro Estratégia Marinha - Programa invasoras marinhas nos Açores”, “BALA: Elaboração do programa de implementação da diretiva-quadro estratégia marinha - biodiversidade dos ambientes litorais dos Açores” and, most recently, by the project “ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000072”, funded by the Operational Programme Azores 2020 (85% ERDF and 15% regional funds). Afonso Prestes was supported by a PhD grant (M3.1.a/F/083/2015) awarded by Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio