Measuring Service Performance Reporting Quality by New Zealand Universities Using an Information Accessibility Index

There has been a widely reported view that the quality of service performance reporting by New Zealand universities is in need of improvement. The purpose of this study is to measure the quality of service performance reporting as provided in the Statement of Service Performance by the university sector of New Zealand in the years 2000, 2002 and 2003. A new methodology is developed that complements existing methodologies employed in research addressing university reporting, specifically the Modified Accountability Disclosure Index (Coy et al. 1993) and the Performance Accountability Index (Coy and Dixon 2002). The Information Accessibility Index introduced here measures the clarity rather than the content of presentation. The rankings afforded by different indices are sensitive to the metric adopted. Future research might further explore the development of alternative methods to further exploit context specific differences between countries

A diáspora cabo-verdiana em Portugal: um novo modelo de participação política à distância

Em 2011, Cabo Verde enfrentou dois períodos eleitorais - as Legislativas em Fevereiro e as Presidenciais em Agosto -, destacaram-se pelo uso da Internet enquanto uma das principais ferramentas de comunicação entre o eleitorado, partidos e candidatos durante as campanhas eleitorais. Com o objetivo de demonstrar a importância da Internet no relacionamento entre os políticos e os eleitores nos estrangeiro, realizou-se um inquérito online com o objetivo de verificar o comportamento dos eleitores online. Os dados obtidos permitiram concluir que a diáspora, enquanto utilizadora deste meio, para além de demonstrar um grande interesse na atividade politica, atesta a utilidade da WEB na busca de informação e a sua utilidade durante as campanhas eleitorais. Durante a investigação também se verificou uma forte presença Online dos partidos/candidatos através das redes socias, das páginas oficiais e blogues, nos quais foram disponibilizados os programas e todas as atividades que decorreram durante o período eleitoral, juntamente com a presença dos meios tradicionais na WEB (jornais, TV e radio) que constituiu um elemento essencial para a formação da opinião publica e participação da diáspora através deste novo espaço de discussão politica, contribuindo para uma participação política mais ativa por parte da sociedade cabo-verdiana e para uma decisão de voto mais consciente e esclarecida.In 2011, Cape Verde has faced two election periods - legislatives and preseditial elections in February and August -, that stood out by the use of the internet as one of the principal tools of communication among the voters, parties and candidates during election campaigns. In order to demonstrate the importance of Internet in the relationship between the politicians and the voters abroad, an online survey was made to verify the behaviour of the online voters. The data acquaired allowed to conclude that the diaspora, as an user of this channel, in addition to demostrating a big interest in the politician activity, confirms the WEB utility on the search of information and during the election campgains. Through out the research it was also verified a strong online presence of the parties/candidates in the social media, oficial webpages and blogs, in which were made available the election programs and activities that took place during the election period, along with the presence of tradicional media on the web (newspaper, TV and radio) which constituted an essencial element in the formation of public opinion and participation of diaspora through this new political space for discussion. Contributing for a more active political participation by Cape Verdean society and a more aware and informed vote decisio

PERSPECTIVA DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL NA GESTÃO UNIVERSITÁRIA: O CASO DA UFS

A pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a importância da implantação de um sistema de gestão ambiental na Universidade Federal de Sergipe, priorizando a educação e a consolidação de normas ambientais universitárias. Especificamente, objetiva: a) identificar os exemplos de gestão ambiental adotados por outras instituições de ensino superior; b) descrever a experiência de gestão ambiental na UFS; c) investigar a percepção dos alunos da UFS acerca do meio ambiente; d) verificar a compreensão dos alunos sobre a aplicação de normas ambientais; e) propor medidas para implementar a educação ambiental na comunidade universitária. Trata-se de pesquisa quanti-qualitativa e estudo de caso. Foram entrevistados 95 discentes de várias áreas de conhecimento, além de pesquisa bibliográfica realizada no período de um ano, entre agosto de 2008 e julho de 2009. Dentre os resultados, destacam-se os seguintes: são tímidos os Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental implementados nas universidades brasileiras; na UFS existem ações pontuais pautadas na redução do desperdício de recursos; existe uma compreensão por parte dos alunos acerca do meio ambiente e uma disposição favorável à mudança de normas, visando à sustentabilidade; medidas podem ser adotadas para incrementar ações que favoreçam a gestão e educação ambiental na UFS

Vegetation structure influences predation rates of early nests in subarctic breeding waders

Ground-nesting species are vulnerable to a wide range of predators and often experience very high levels of nest predation. Strategies to reduce nest vulnerability can include concealing nests in vegetation and/or nesting in locations in which nests and eggs are camouflaged and less easy for predators to locate. These strategies could have important implications for the distribution of ground-nesting species and the success rates of nests in areas with differing vegetation structure. However, the factors influencing the success of nest concealment and camouflage strategies in ground-nesting species are complex. Here we explore the effects of local vegetation structure and extent of nest concealment on nest predation rates in a range of ground-nesting, sympatric wader species with differing nest concealment strategies (open-nest species: Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria and Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus; concealed-nest species: Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, Redshank Tringa totanus and Snipe Gallinago gallinago) in south Iceland, in landscapes that comprise substantial variability in vegetation structure at a range of scales. We monitored 469 nests of these six wader species in 2015 and 2016 and ~40% of these nests were predated. Nest predation rates were similar for open-nest and concealed-nest species and did not vary with vegetation structure in the surrounding landscape, but nest-concealing species were ~10% more likely to have nests predated when they were poorly concealed, and the frequency of poorly concealed nests was higher in colder conditions at the start of the breeding season. For concealed-nest species, the reduced capacity to hide nests in colder conditions is likely to reflect low rates of vegetation growth in such conditions. The ongoing trend for warmer springs at subarctic latitudes could result in more rapid vegetation growth, with consequent increases in the success rates of early nests of concealed-nest species. Temperature-related effects on nest concealment from predators could thus be an important mechanism through which climate change affecting vegetation could have population-level impacts on breeding birds at higher latitudes

Icelandic meadow-breeding waders: status, threats and conservation challenges

Populations of many migratory wader species around the world are in serious decline, largely caused by anthropogenic activities. Throughout the developed world, agricultural expansion and intensification have been identified as among the main drivers of these declines. However, not everywhere have agricultural activities reached levels where negative impacts on breeding waders are apparent. Since settlement, Icelandic farmers have largely been self-sufficient in agricultural productivity, and substantial expansion of agricultural land only began after the 1940s. Agricultural expansion has continued since then and today around 7% of area below 200 m a.s.l. (areas at higher altitudes are typically unsuitable) is used for cultivation. Large areas of natural or semi-natural habitats are therefore still common and widespread in Iceland, and the current mosaic-like landscape created by areas of agricultural land within these habitats may help to provide the resources needed by the very large populations of waders that breed in the country. Wader species have all been protected from hunting and egg-collecting by law since the 20th century. However, lowland landscapes in Iceland are changing quite rapidly, as a result of agricultural expansion, afforestation, shrub encroachment and widespread construction of summer cottages, and all of these developments pose potential threats to these species. Predictions of the potential impact of current and future land use changes on these species is hampered by limited information on population dynamics, and no specific conservation efforts are currently aimed at meadow-breeding waders in Iceland

Mountain hare transcriptome and diagnostic markers as resources to monitor hybridization with European hares

We report the first mountain hare (Lepus timidus) transcriptome, produced by de novo assembly of RNA-sequencing reads. Data were obtained from eight specimens sampled in two localities, Alps and Ireland. The mountain hare tends to be replaced by the invading European hare (Lepus europaeus) in their numerous contact zones where the species hybridize, which affects their gene pool to a yet unquantified degree. We characterize and annotate the mountain hare transcriptome, detect polymorphism in the two analysed populations and use previously published data on the European hare (three specimens, representing the European lineage of the species) to identify 4 672 putative diagnostic sites between the species. A subset of 85 random independent SNPs was successfully validated using PCR and Sanger sequencing. These valuable genomic resources can be used to design tools to assess population status and monitor hybridization between species

Primary metabolism is distinctly modulated by plant resistance inducers in Coffea arabica leaves infected by Hemileia vastattrix

Original ResearchEpidemics of coffee leaf rust (CLR) leads to great yield losses and huge depreciation of coffee marketing values, if no control measures are applied. Societal expectations of a more sustainable coffee production are increasingly imposing the replacement of fungicide treatments by alternative solutions. A protection strategy is to take advantage of the plant immune system by eliciting constitutive defenses. Based on such concept, plant resistance inducers (PRIs) have been developed. The Greenforce CuCa formulation, similarly to acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM), shows promising results in the control of CLR (Hemileia vastatrix) in Coffea arabica cv. Mundo Novo. The molecular mechanisms of PRIs action are poorly understood. In order to contribute to its elucidation a proteomic, physiological (leaf gas-exchange) and biochemical (enzymatic) analyses were performed. Coffee leaves treated with Greenforce CuCa and ASM and inoculation with H. vastatrix were considered. Proteomics revealed that both PRIs lead to metabolic adjustments but, inducing distinct proteins. These proteins were related with photosynthesis, protein metabolism and stress responses. Greenforce CuCa increased photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, while ASM caused a decrease in these parameters. It was further observed that Greenforce CuCa reinforces the redox homeostasis of the leaf, while ASM seems to affect preferentially the secondary metabolism and the stress-related proteins. So, the PRIs prepare the plant to resist CLR but, inducing different defense mechanisms upon pathogen infection. The existence of a link between the primary metabolism and defense responses was evidenced. The identification of components of the plant primary metabolism, essential for plant growth and development that, simultaneously, participate in the plant defense responses can open new perspectives for plant breeding programsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Elucidating how the saprophytic fungus Aspergillus nidulans uses the plant polyester suberin as carbon source

Lipid polymers in plant cell walls, such as cutin and suberin, build recalcitrant hydrophobic protective barriers. Their degradation is of foremost importance for both plant pathogenic and saprophytic fungi. Regardless of numerous reports on fungal degradation of emulsified fatty acids or cutin, and on fungi-plant interactions, the pathways involved in the degradation and utilisation of suberin remain largely overlooked. As a structural component of the plant cell wall, suberin isolation, in general, uses harsh depolymerisation methods that destroy its macromolecular structure. We recently overcame this limitation isolating suberin macromolecules in a near-native state.work partially supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA financial mechanism (Project PT015), FCT: grant (PEst-OE/EQB/LA0004/2013) and fellowships (SFRH/BD/38378/2007, SFRH/BD/66396/2009, SFRH/BD/66030/2009, SFRH/BD/48286/2008), Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian fellowship (21-95587-B)

Transcriptomic regulation of seasonal coat color change in hares

Color molts from summer brown to winter white coats have evolved in several species to maintain camouflage year-round in environments with seasonal snow. Despite the eco-evolutionary relevance of this key phenological adaptation, its molecular regulation has only recently begun to be addressed. Here, we analyze skin transcription changes during the autumn molt of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and integrate the results with an established model of gene regulation across the spring molt of the closely related snowshoe hare (L. americanus). We quantified differences in gene expression among three stages of molt progression-"brown" (early molt), "intermediate," and "white" (late molt). We found 632 differentially expressed genes, with a major pulse of expression early in the molt, followed by a milder one in late molt. The functional makeup of differentially expressed genes anchored the sampled molt stages to the developmental timeline of the hair growth cycle, associating anagen to early molt and the transition to catagen to late molt. The progression of color change was characterized by differential expression of genes involved in pigmentation, circadian, and behavioral regulation. We found significant overlap between differentially expressed genes across the seasonal molts of mountain and snowshoe hares, particularly at molt onset, suggesting conservatism of gene regulation across species and seasons. However, some discrepancies suggest seasonal differences in melanocyte differentiation and the integration of nutritional cues. Our established regulatory model of seasonal coat color molt provides an important mechanistic context to study the functional architecture and evolution of this crucial seasonal adaptation