Stigmatized campaign practices and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability

What happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street campaigns are a non-stigmatized electoral practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, they imposed health risks. Employing data from a national survey experiment conducted in Brazil prior to the 2020 municipal elections (N = 2025), we extend research on the employment of stigmatized campaigns and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability. We find that voters evaluate candidates who engage in face-to-face activities as less electorally viable and report lower intent to support them. These dynamics do not impact all candidates equally: Voters more harshly punish women candidates who conduct street campaigns than men, leading women to lose the advantage they have over men when both employ non-stigmatized campaign practices

Tectonic and lithological controls on fluvial landscape development in Central-Eastern Portugal: Insights from long profile tributary stream analyses

This study examines the long profiles of tributaries of the Tagus and Zêzere rivers in Portugal (West Iberia) in order to provide new insights into patterns, timing, and controls on drainage development during the Quaternary incision stage. The studied streams are incised into a relict culminant fluvial surface, abandoned at the beginning of the incision stage. The streams flow through a landscape with bedrock variations in lithology (mainly granites and metasediments) and faulted blocks with distinct uplift rates. The long profiles of the analyzed streams record an older transitory knickpoint/knickzone separating (1) an upstream relict graded profile, with lower steepness and higher concavity, that reflects a long period of quasi-equilibrium conditions reached after the beginning of the incision stage, and (2) a downstream rejuvenated long profile, with steeper gradient and lower concavity, particularly for the final reach, which is often convex. The rejuvenated reaches testify to the upstream propagation of several incision waves, interpreted as the response of each stream to increasing crustal uplift and prolonged periods of base-level lowering by the trunk drainages, coeval with low sea level conditions. The morphological configurations of the long profiles enabled spatial and relative temporal patterns of incisions to be quantified. The incision values of streams flowing on the Portuguese Central Range (PCR; ca. 380–150 m) are variable but generally higher than the incision values of streams flowing on the adjacent South Portugal Planation Surface (SPPS; ca. 220–110 m), corroborating differential uplift of the PCR relative to the SPPS. Owing to the fact that the relict graded profiles can be correlated with the Tagus River T1 terrace (1.1–0.9 My) present in the study area, incision rates can be estimated (1) for the streams located in the PCR, 0.38–0.15 m/ky and (2) for the streams flowing on the SPPS, 0.22–0.12 m/ky. The differential uplift inferred in the study area supports the neotectonic activity of the bordering faults, as proposed in previous studies based upon other geological evidence

TECTONIC CONTROLS ON FLUVIAL LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL-EASTERN PORTUGAL: INSIGHTS FROM LONG PROFILE TRIBUTARY STREAM ANALYSES

This study examines the long profiles of tributaries of the Tejo (Tagus) and Zêzere rivers in central eastern Portugal (West Iberia) in order to provide new insights into the patterns, timing and controls on drainage development during the Pleistocene to Holocene incision stage. The long profiles were extracted from lower order tributary streams associated with the trunk drainage of the Tejo River and one main tributary, the Zêzere River (Fig. 1). These streams flow through a landscape strongly influenced by variations in bedrock lithology (mainly granites and metasediments), fault structures delimiting crustal blocks with distinct uplift rates, and a base-level lowering history (tectonic uplift / eustatic). The long profiles of the tributaries of the Tejo and Zêzere rivers record a series of transient and permanent knickpoints. The permanent knickpoints have direct correlation with the bedrock strength, corresponding to the outcropping of very hard quartzites or to the transition from softer (slates/metagreywaques) to harder (granite) basement. The analyzed streams/rivers record also an older transient knickpoint/knickzone separating: a) an upstream relict graded profile, with lower steepness and higher concavity, that reflects a long period of quasi-equilibrium conditions reached after the beginning of the incision stage; and b) a downstream reach displaying a rejuvenated long profile, with steeper gradient and lower concavity, particularly for the final segment, which is often convex (Fig. 2). The rejuvenated reaches testify the upstream propagation of several incision waves that are the response of each stream to continuous or increasing crustal uplift and dominant periods of base-level lowering by the trunk drainages, coeval of low sea level conditions. The long profiles and their morphological configurations enabled spatial and relative temporal patterns of incision to be quantified for each individual tributary stream. The incision values of streams flowing in uplifted blocks of the Portuguese Central Range (PCR) (ca.380-280 m) indicate differential uplift and are higher than the incision values of streams flowing on the adjacent South Portugal planation surface – the Meseta (ca. 200 m). The normalized steepness index, calculated using the method of Wobus et al. (2006), proved to be sensitive to active tectonics, as lower ksn values were found in relict graded profiles of streams located in less uplifted blocks, (e.g. Sertã stream in the PCR), or in those flowing through tectonic depressions. Fig. 1 – Geological map of the study area. 1 – fluvial terraces (Pleistocene); 2 – sedimentary cover (Paleogene and Neogene); 3 – slates and metasandstones (Devonian); 4 – slates and quartzites (Silurian); 5 – quartzites (Ordovician); 6 – slates and metagreywackes (Precambrian to Cambrian); 7 – slates, metagreywackes and limestones (Precambrian); 8 – granites and ortogneisses; 9 – diorites and gabros; 10 - fault. SFf – Sobreira Formosa fault; Sf – Sertã fault; Pf – Ponsul fault; Gf – Grade fault. The differential uplift indicated by the distribution of the ksn values and by the fluvial incision was likely accumulated on a few major faults, as the Sobreira Formosa fault (SFf), thus corroborating the tectonic activity of these faults. Due to the fact that the relict graded profiles can be correlated with other geomorphic references documented in the study area, namely the T1 terrace of the Tagus River (with an age of ca. 1 Myr), the following incision rates can be estimated: a) for the studied streams located in uplifted blocks of the PCR, 0.38 m/kyr to 0.28 m/kyr; b) for the streams flowing on the South Portugal planation surface, 0.20 m/kyr. The differential uplift inferred between crustal blocks in the study area corroborates the neotectonic activity of the bordering faults, which has been proposed in previous studies based upon less robust data. Fig. 2 – Longitudinal profile of the Nisa stream a tributary of the Tejo River. Note the equilibrium relict profile upstream the older transient knickpoint (hatched line) and the downstream rejuvenated profile (continuous line). Legend: tKP – transient knickpoint; rKp – resistant knickpoint; Mt – schist and phyllite; Gr – granite; Hf – hornfels; Og – orthogneisse. In the inset Distance – Slope plots, fill circles correspond to the relict graded profile, crosses correspond to the rejuvenated profile located downstream the older transient knickpoint (tKP)

Exploitation promotes earlier sex change in a protandrous patellid limpet, Patella aspera Röding, 1798

Exploitation of organisms can prompt the reduction in the number and size of target populations consequently affecting reproductive output and replenishment. Here, we investigated the effects of exploitation on the population structure of a protandrous patellid limpet, Patella aspera, an overexploited Macaronesian endemic. Timed dives were used to collect animals across eleven islands of Macaronesia. Individuals were inspected for sex, size, and gonad stage. Using catch effort (time per person) per island coastal perimeter as a surrogate for exploitation intensity, we found that limpet abundance (CPUE) and mean size tended to decrease with exploitation intensity. When considering the sex of animals separately, the size of the largest male, but not females, decreased with exploitation. In contrast, the size of the smallest male remained relatively consistent, whereas the size of the smallest female decreased significantly with exploitation. As exploitation is mostly targeting larger individuals, results suggest that males are compensating the removal of larger females, by undergoing sex change at smaller and presumably earlier sizes. These results have wider implications for the conservation of P. aspera, as a reduction in female size will likely affect the numbers of oocytes produced, hence fecundity. Regulations promoting the protection of the larger-sized animals should be enforced to safeguard the replenishment of the population

C-Reactive protein predicts acute myocardial infarction during high-risk noncardiac and vascular surgery

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein predicts cardiovascular events in a wide range of clinical contexts. However, the role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a predictive marker for perioperative acute myocardial infarction during noncardiac surgery is not yet clear. The present study investigated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels as predictors of acute myocardial infarction risk in patients undergoing high-risk noncardiac surgery. METHODS: This concurrent cohort study included patients aged >50 years referred for high-risk noncardiac surgery according to American Heart Association/ACC 2002 criteria. Patients with infections were excluded. Electrocardiograms were performed, and biomarkers (Troponin I or T) and/or total creatine phosphokinase and the MB fraction (CPK-T/MB) were evaluated on the first and fourth days after surgery. Patients were followed until discharge. Baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were compared between patients with and without acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, including 33 vascular procedures (17 aortic and 16 peripheral artery revascularizations), were studied. Sixty of the patients were men, and their mean age was 66 years. Baseline levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were higher in the group with perioperative acute myocardial infarction than in the group with non-acute myocardial infarction patients (mean 48.02 vs. 4.50, p = 0.005). All five acute myocardial infarction cases occurred in vascular surgery patients with high CRP levels. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing high-risk noncardiac surgery, especially vascular surgery, and presenting elevated baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels are at increased risk for perioperative acute myocardial infarction

Data on metabolic profile of insulin-degrading enzyme knockout mice

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) degrades and inactivates bioactive peptides such as insulin. As insulin is a master regulator of glucose homeostasis, lack of IDE is expected to have a profound impact on both insulin and glucose levels. This article shares data on glucose and insulin homeostasis of control, heterozygous and knockout mice for Ide after 18 weeks of a normal chow diet. This data article is related to a research article entitled “Knockout of insulin-degrading enzyme leads to mice testicular morphological changes and impaired sperm quality” (Meneses et al., 2019).This work was supported by FEDER funds POCI - COMPETE 2020 , Portugal: Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007491 ; and by “ Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia ” – FCT to MJM ( PD/BD/114256/2016 ); TRD ( SFRH/BD/109284/2015 ); PFO ( PTDC/BBB-BQB/1368/2014 ; IFCT2015); MPM ( PTDC/DTP-EPI/0207/2012 ; PTDC/BIM-MET/2115/2014 ); MGA ( PTDC/BIM-MET/4712/2014 ; IFCT2015); iNOVA4Health ( UID/Multi/04462/2013 ); and UMIB ( PEst-OE/SAU/UI0215/2014 )

Awareness of children about rational use of water: an approach basing on serious game

The water shortage expectation in a near future proves that the worldpopulation must be mobilized, as soon as possible, to face the problem of the water waste in daily activities. This paper presents the development of a web serious game to teach children about that problem which already affecting lives of many people around the world. We believe that education could be the better tool to change cultural habits and, in this way, the bigger awareness and a better use of hydric resources

Germinação e massa seca de plântulas de milho tratadas com estimulante, Cellerate e Azospirillum.

Edição dos resumos do 18º Congresso Brasileiro de Sementes, 2013, Florianópolis

Qualidade fisiologica de sementes de milho tratadas com Stimulate, Cellerate e Azozpirillum sp.

Edição dos resumos do 18º Congresso Brasileiro de Sementes, 2013, Florianópolis