Benthic meiofauna as indicator of ecological changes in estuarine ecosystems: The use of nematodes in ecological quality assessment

a b s t r a c t Estuarine meiofauna communities have been only recently considered to be good indicators of ecological quality, exhibiting several advantages over macrofauna, such as their small size, high abundance, rapid generation times and absence of a planktonic phase. In estuaries we must account not only for a great natural variability along the estuarine gradient (e.g. sediment type and dynamics, oxygen availability, temperature and flow speed) but also for the existence of anthropogenic pressures (e.g. high local population density, presence of harbors and dredging activities). Spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns of meiofauna and freeliving marine nematodes were studied in the Mondego estuary (Portugal). Both taxonomic and functional approaches were applied to nematode communities in order to describe the community structure and to relate it with the environmental parameters along the estuary. At all sampling events, nematode assemblages reflected the estuarine gradient, and salinity and grain size composition were confirmed to be the main abiotic factors controlling the distribution of the assemblages. Moreover, the low temporal variability may indicate that natural variability is superimposed by the anthropogenic pressures present in some areas of the estuary. The characterization of both meiofauna and nematode assemblages highlighted the usefulness of the integration of both taxonomic and functional attributes, which must be taken into consideration when assessing the ecological status of estuaries

Changes in volatile composition of Madeira wines during their oxidative ageing

The influence of the age in the volatile composition of Madeira wines made with Boal, Malvazia, Sercial and Verdelho varieties and aged in oak barrel during 1, 11 and 25 years old was been studied. For this purpose, the evolution of volatile compounds: higher alcohols, ethyl esters, fatty acids, furan compounds, enolic compounds, γ-lactones, dioxanes and dioxolanes, of the four most utilised varieties were determined using liquid–liquid extraction with dichloromeihane. Octan-3-ol was used as internal standard. The wines made with these varieties showed great differences in sugar content and small variations on pH and alcoholic degree. The results show that during ageing, the concentration of fatty acids ethyl esters, acetates and fatty acids decrease significantly contrarily to the great increase of ethyl esters of diprotic acids. There is a strong correlation between sotolon, 2-furfural, 5-methyl-2-furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural and 5-ethoxymethyl-2-furfural with wine ageing. These findings indicate that these compounds can be used as ageing wine markers. Among the molecules studied, sotolon [3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone] was one of the few molecules present in concentrations above the perception threshold in Madeira wines. 5-Eihoxymethyl-2-furfural formed from 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural and 2-furfural, derived from sugars, are also involved in the aroma of sweet fortified white wines aged in oxidative conditions. The sensory properties change significantly after long periods of conservation

Innovation cooperation networks: case of a multisectoral and interdisciplinary partnership

Network cooperation processes gained special interest in the new knowledge economy as they provide better conditions to innovation and knowledge creation and diffusion. Although the importance of this strategic tool has been increasingly recognized, individualistic behaviour tends to prevail within small and medium-sized firms and many of them continue to exhibit an attitude of resistance when dealing with collaborative experiences. This paper has two main goals. First, it explores how networks can promote innovation and help overcome the difficulties inherent in cooperation processes. Second, it illustrates an innovative approach to network cooperation in a multisectoral and inter-disciplinary environment, presenting the experience of the “House of the Future” network in Aveiro, Portugal

How to promote interdisciplinary R&D in the academia: the case of the “House of the Future”

While empirical research does indeed suggest that collaborative R&D has many desirable outcomes, it is also clear that collaborative work is difficult and expensive. The challenge becomes increasingly sharp as complex and expensive research questions require a large pool of resources and a combination of specialized disciplines. As a result, different organizations get involved in interdisciplinary projects to expand the frontiers of knowledge. This paper analyzes the strategy and methodological approaches used to mobilize interdisciplinary R&D within a universityindustry network named ‘House of the Future’. We discuss the implications of our research for R&D networks design

Desenvolvimento de metodologia SIG para ordenamento apícola

Só está disponível o resumo.Pretende-se representar a distribuição espacial da ocorrência de doenças nas colmeias nos últimos 3 anos nos Concelhos do Crato e de Portalegre e efectuar a sobreposição espacial com os parâmetros biofísicos e a localização dos diferentes apiários

Caracterização estrutural e paragenética do Campo Pegmatítico do Licungo (Mocuba, Moçambique): identificação de recursos base associados

Publicado em "A engenharia no combate à pobreza, pelo desenvolvimento e competitividade", ISBN 978-972-8826-19-2Geological thematic mapping in Licungo pegmatite field (Mocuba, Mozambique) has clarified the distribution of mineral resources in NYF hyperaluminous pegmatites and revealed its structural control. Two distinct spatial and deformational areas can be distinguished. In the north structural domain, large pegmatites are associated with early tangential tectonic. Besides feldspar with ceramic qualification, industrial beryl and gems are also non-systematic resources. Small pegmatite dykes predominate in the south domain and their emplacement is conditioned by later distensive phases (Dn+1 and Dn+2). Their economic interest comes from gem beryl enrichment and its crystallisation as true-blue varieties

Modelling and characterization of a low pressure capacitively coupled hydrogen discharge

This paper presents a systematic characterization of a pure hydrogen capacitively coupled radio frequency discharge, produced in a parallel plate cylindrical setup, comparing experimental measurements obtained for such discharge with numerical simulations. A good agreement is found between simulation results and experimental measurements for the discharge main electrical parameters. A comparison of H atom absolute density LIF measurements with simulation results will also be presented

Varietal flavour compounds of four grape varieties producing Madeira wines

Boal, Malvasia, Sercial and Verdelho are the main white grape varieties used in Madeira wine production. To estimate the free fraction of varietal aroma compounds of these varieties, 39 samples of musts were analysed to determine their content of monoterpenols and C13 norisoprenoids (terpenoids), using dynamic headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The r-values for linearity studies of the analytical method used, varied between 0.977 (nerolidol) and 0.999 (linalool). The repeatability for each compound varied between 2.5% (citronellol) and 11.8% (β-ionone). The mean values from three vintages (1998, 1999 and 2000) confirmed that these musts have differentiated contents of terpenoids. In opposition to Verdelho musts, Malvasia showed the highest free terpenoids content. In order to establish relations between the compounds and the varieties under investigation, principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were applied to the data, revealing a good separation and classification power between the four groups as a function of varietal origin

Professor Pimenta Claro (1957-2018): Pioneer in dynamics of mechanical systems at the University of Minho

This work highlights the importance of Professor Pimenta Claro in the genesis and development of a new scientific area at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Minho, namely Dynamics of Mechanical Systems. Professor Pimenta Claro initiated his academic career in October 1980, coming from industry, where he was a well-recognized engineer in the field of mechanical design. Professor Pimenta Claro concluded his Pedagogical Aptitude and Scientific Capacity Tests (PAPCC) – MSc equivalent – in 1987, with dissertation title “Estudo Comparativo das Previsões Teóricas do Desempenho de Chumaceiras Radiais Hidrodinâmicas com Resultados Experimentais”. Professor Pimenta Claro received his doctorate degree in 1994 with thesis “Reformulação de Método de Cálculo de Chumaceiras Radiais Hidrodinâmicas – Análise do Desempenho Considerando Condições de Alimentação” under the mentorship of Professor Sousa Miranda, which was in fact the first PhD in Mechanical Engineering defended at the University of Minho. In 1997, Professor Pimenta Claro broken with his past background – classical tribology – to open a new research domain – Dynamics of Mechanical Systems. Since then, Professor Pimenta Claro has coordinated and participated in several scientific projects both with national and international partners, as well as projects with industrial partners. Professor Pimenta Claro was author of numerous publications, including scientific papers, books, conference papers, etc., and supervised PhD and MSc students. From 2007 to 2013 he coordinated the research group called Dynamics of Mechanical Systems. Professor Pimenta Claro was also pioneer and responsible for the creation of new courses on dynamics of mechanical systems offered in different degrees at the School of Engineering of the University of Minho. Thus, the main purpose of this work is to highlight Pimenta Claro’s contributions to the vast scientific area of Dynamics of Mechanical Systems at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Minho