Relationships between nutrient composition of flowers and fruit quality in orange trees grown in calcareous soil

To determine if flower nutrient composition can be used to predict fruit quality, a field experiment was conducted over three seasons (1996-1999) in a commercial orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck cv. 'Valencia Late', budded on Troyer citrange rootstock) established on a calcareous soil in southern Portugal. Flowers were collected from 20 trees during full bloom in April and their nutrient composition determined, and fruits were harvested the following March and their quality evaluated. Patterns of covariation in flower nutrient concentrations and in fruit quality variables were evaluated by principal component analysis. Regression models relating fruit quality variables to flower nutrient composition were developed by stepwise selection procedures. The predictive power of the regression models was evaluated with an independent data set. Nutrient composition of flowers at full bloom could be used to predict the fruit quality variables fresh fruit mass and maturation index in the following year. Magnesium, Ca and Zn concentrations measured in flowers were related to fruit fresh mass estimations and N, P, Mg and Fe concentrations were related to fruit maturation index. We also established reference values for the nutrient composition of flowers based on measurements made in trees that produced large (> 76 mm in diameter) fruit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social and emotional intelligence in children with special educational need institutionalized: preliminary studies

Recent studies have come to show the need to complement traditional approaches of intelligence with other cognitive functions, such as the social and emotional intelligence (Mayer & Salovey, 1997; Goleman, 2006, Jones & Day, 1997). As these new dimensions to explore, which we will present the study aimed to describe the social and emotional intelligence and its relation to emotional and social skills in children with special educational institutions. The sample incorporated 20 children with special educational needs and 369 regular education children, aged between 7 and 13 years old, and were the following instruments: The Social Intelligence Test for Children, the Emotional Perception Test for children, the Test of Social Skills for children and the Raven’s Progressive Matrices. The results allow us to identify and evaluate the cognitive processes of social and emotional development of children in general and children’s special educational needs in particular and are a new way of looking at human skills and social skills and emotional.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Paternity assessment in free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) - Are littermates full-sibs?

Multiple paternity within litters occurs in various groups of mammals exhibiting different mating systems. Using seven genetic markers (i.e., microsatellites) we investigated the paternity of littermates in free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) in a Mediterranean habitat. Using the software CERVUS 2.0 we estimated the probability of detecting multiple paternity across all loci (D), the probability of paternity (W) and a statistic ∆ that allows the assignment of paternity to the most likely male with strict and relaxed levels of confidence. Multiple paternity was inferred for one of the nine analysed litters at the 80% confidence level. This suggests that a single male may control the access to receptive adult females and it shows that multiple paternity is not very common in the studied free ranging wild boar population. Despite the possible occurrence of sperm competition and/or female cryptic choice, mate guarding seems to play a significant role in sexual selection. To better understand the wild boar’s mating strategies further studies analysing the reproductive success of both sexes and under different environmental conditions should be conducted

Redetermination of 4-hydroxy­benzaldehyde

This is a redetermination of the structure of the title compound, C7H6O2, which was first reported by Iwasaki [Acta Cryst. (1977 ▶), B33, 1646–1648]. The results are obtained with greater precision in the present study. Crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular O—H⋯O inter­actions between the hydroxyl and aldehyde groups which link the mol­ecules into chains in a zigzag pattern along the [110] plane of the unit cell

Expressividade emocional e perspectivas sobre a morte em alunos do ensino superior

Nas áreas da saúde e da psicologia o principal instrumento de trabalho é, para além de qualquer técnica, teste ou medicamento, a própria pessoa do técnico com as suas capacidades e competências pessoais e sociais. Contudo, há momentos em que essas capacidades e competências nunca parecem ser suficientes para ajudar o outro, como é o caso dos momentos de sofrimento intenso desencadeado por perdas associadas a doenças graves e mesmo à morte. Tendo as emoções um grande valor adaptativo para os indivíduos, permitindo enfrentar os desafios e aproveitar as oportunidades oferecidas pelo meio, o seu estudo revela-se da maior importância na área da saúde e em especial no que diz respeito à vivência da morte. O objectivo deste estudo consiste em analisar a forma com as emoções se relacionam com o modo como encaramos a morte. Assim, avaliaram-se especificamente a ansiedade face à morte, as diferentes perspectivas sobre a morte, a expressividade emocional e a regulação emocional. A amostra foi constituída por 182 indivíduos, estudantes do ensino superior na R.A.M., de ambos os sexos e com idades compreendidas entre os 17 e os 51 anos. Palavras chave: morte, ansiedade de morte, diferentes perspectivas de morte, expressividade emocional, regulação emocional, ensino superiorIn health and psychology the main work instrument is, more than any other technique, test or medicine, the technician himself, with all his capabilities and competences – personal and social. There are nevertheless some occasions in which these capabilities and competences seem never tobe good enough, as is the case of intense suffering derived from serious disease or even death. Because emotions have a very strong adaptative value for individuals, allowing challenges to be overcome and opportunities exploited, its study is of foremost importance in health care, especially in where it concerns the way people face death. The aim of this paper is to analyse the way emotions interact with the way we face death. In this manner the following specifics were analysed: anxiety towards death, different perspectives of death, emotional expressions and emotional control. The sample is made out of 182 individuals, university students in Madeira, from both sexes, and with ages comprised between 17 and 51.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relationships between nutrient composition of flowers and fruit quality in orange trees grown in calcareous soil

A field experiment was conducted in a commercial orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb. cv. ‘Valencia late’ grafted on Citrange Troyer) established on a calcareous soil in the south of Portugal, to investigate if flower analysis could be used to predict fruit quality. In April 1996, during full bloom, flowers were collected from 20 trees. In March 1997 the fruits were harvested and their quality evaluated. This procedure was repeated every year during three years. Principal Component Analysis was used to evaluate the patterns of covariation in the concentrations of nutrients in flowers and in fruit quality parameters. Stepwise selection procedures wer then used to develop regression models relating fruit quality parameters to the mineral composition of flowers. The predictive power of the regression models was evaluated using an independent set of data. The mineral composition of flowers at full bloom could be used to predict quality parameters of fruit in the following year, namely fruit fresh weight and the maturation index. Magnesium, Ca and Zn registered in flowers were related to fruit fresh weight estimations and N, P, Mg and Fe were related to fruit maturation index. Reference values were determined for the mineral composition of flowers, corresponding to trees where fruits had a diameter > 76 mm

Ageing perception in seniors’ formal caregivers

This paper explores the ageing perception of a group of seniors’ caregiver workers, particularly those who have direct contact with the elderly while performing their tasks. Therefore, we analyze the variables that influence this perception and the ones that can be good predictors. One hundred and forty-eight individuals took part in this study (a hundred and thirty- five females and twelve males) with ages between twentyone and sixty-five years old. It was applied the Portuguese versions of the tests Ageing Perception Questionnaire, the Self-Concept Scale (TSCS:2) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The results showed that the ageing perception is more negative as age advances. On the other hand, individuals with higher education, training in the health field or with a stronger self-concept have a more positive ageing perception. The studied variables that best predict the emotional representation for ageing are the academic qualifications and the academic self-concept.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avian trait-mediated vulnerability to road traffic collisions

Collision with vehicles is an important source of bird mortality, but it is uncertain why some species are killed more often than others. Focusing on passerines,we testedwhether mortality is associated with bird abundances, and with traits reflecting flight manoeuvrability, habitat, diet, and foraging and social behaviours. We also tested whether the species most vulnerable to road-killing were scarcer near (b500 m) or far (N500–5000 m) from roads. During the breeding seasons of 2009–2011,we surveyed roadkills daily along 50 km of roads, and estimated bird abundances from 74 point counts. After correcting for phylogenetic relatedness, there was strong correlation between roadkill numbers and the abundances of 28 species counted near roads. However, selectivity indices indicated that Blue tit (Parus caeruleus), Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) and European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) were significantly more road-killed than expected from their abundances, while the inverse was found for seven species. Using phylogenetic generalised estimating equations, we found that selectivity indexes were strongly related to foraging behaviour and habitat type, and weakly so to body size, wing load, diet and social behaviour. The most vulnerable passerines were foliage/bark and swoop foragers, inhabiting woodlands, with small body size and low wing load. The species most vulnerable to road collisions were not scarcer close to roads. Overall, our study suggests that traits provide a basis to identify the passerine species most vulnerable to road collisions, which may be priority targets for future research on the population-level effects of roadkills

Characterization of the Oral Microbiome of Medicated Type-2 Diabetes Patients

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that is becoming a significant global health care problem. Several studies have shown that people with diabetes are more susceptible to oral problems, such as periodontitis and, although the causes are still inconclusive, oral microbiota is considered to play a major role in oral health. This study aimed to characterize the oral microbiome of a sample representing T2DM patients from Portugal and exploit potential associations between some microorganisms and variables like teeth brushing, smoking habits, average blood sugar levels, medication and nutrient intake. By sequencing the hypervariable regions V3-V4 of the 16S rRNA gene in 50 individuals belonging to a group of diabetes patients and a control group, we found a total of 232 taxa, from which only 65% were shared between both groups. No differences were found in terms of alpha and beta diversity between categories. We did not find significant differences in the oral microbiome profiles of control and diabetes patients. Only the class Synergistia and the genus TG5, which are related to periodontitis, were statistically more frequent in the control group. The similar microbiome profiles of medicated diabetics and the control group indicates that the relationship between the T2DM and the oral microbiome might be more related to either the lifestyle/diet rather than diabetes per se. Moreover, this study provides, for the first time, insights into the oral microbiome of a population with a high prevalence of diabetes.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Grant Agreement Number 857251. LP-P was funded by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. MG-V was funded through UID/BIA/50027/2019 from FCT