Marine toxins in bivalves: accumulation, kinetics and subcellular responses

Sociedade Polis Litoral Ria Formosa,Projects Quasus and Project Toxigest financed by PROMAR (2007-2013

Successful isolation and cultivation of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii strains isolated from finished drinking water samples

This work presents the successful establishment of Cylindrospermosis raciborskii cultures isolated from water samples collected at the exit point of Water Treatment Plant (WTP). An intense bloom dominated by filamentous cyanobacteria (Aphanizomenon spp., Planktothrix spp., Cylindrospermosis raciborskii, Anabaena spp.) occurred in the summer of 2015 in Roxo reservoir (south Portugal). Several cyanotoxins (microcystins, saxitoxins, cylindrospermopsin) were detected in raw and treated water, although at levels below the corresponding regulatory and/or guideline values. Nevertheless, this bloom caused intense unpleasant odour and taste in the water supplied to the populations and cyanobacterial cells (up to 1000 cells.mL-1) were detected in finished water samples collected at the exit point of WTP. Treated water samples collected at the WTP and at the city water deposit were inoculated in Z8 culture medium and cyanobacterial growth was followed by optical microscopy. After 30 days, cyanobacterial growth was observed showing resistance to the treatment processes and maintenance of reprodution capacity. Interestingly, morphometric and molecular analysis revealed the presence of C. raciborskii. Three isolates of this species were obtained and none were cylindrospermopsin- or microcystins-producers, as confirmed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) and by amplification of genes (PS, PKS, mcyA-cd, mcyAB, mcyB) involved in those cyanotoxin synthesis. However, the ELISA for saxitoxins was positive for the 3 isolates and confirmation of this toxin production is in progress. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the establishment of successful cultures of C. raciborskii that survived to conventional water treatment processes.N/

Dois ou três níveis de disputa? Aplicando explicações da instabilidade presidencial na América Latina aos casos dos anos 2010

The paper reviews explanations about presidential term interruptions in Latin America and applies them to the 2010s cases, which are: Fernando Lugo (Paraguay, 2012); Otto Pérez Molina (Guatemala, 2015); Dilma Rousseff (Brazil, 2016); Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (Peru, 2018); and Evo Morales (Bolivia, 2019). The study sample also includes Legislative decisions to discontinue processes against presidents of Guatemala (2017), Brazil (2017, twice), and Paraguay (2019). The QCA results give support for proposing an alternative to Pérez-Liñán’s (2014) two-level theory and adding a third level of contention related to military intervention, an old-fashioned variable that was decisive in the Evo Morales’ case. Besides having shields in the Legislative and on the streets, Latin American presidents need a shield provided by militarized security forces to protect them from term interruptions, since these corps have gained influence in the democratic politics of the region. Contrary to literature expectations, the presidential exits of the 2010s have not been enough to disperse political tension.O artigo revisa explicações sobre interrupções de mandato presidencial na América Latina e as aplica aos casos dos anos 2010, a saber: Fernando Lugo (Paraguai, 2012); Otto Pérez Molina (Guatemala, 2015); Dilma Rousseff (Brasil, 2016); Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (Peru, 2018); e Evo Morales (Bolívia, 2019). A amostra do estudo também inclui decisões legislativas para descontinuar processos contra presidentes de Guatemala (2017), Brasil (2017, duas vezes) e Paraguay (2019). Os resultados de QCA dão sustento para propor uma alternativa à teoria de dois níveis de Pérez-Liñán (2014) e agregar um terceiro nível de disputa relacionado com a intervenção militar, uma variável antiquada que foi decisiva no caso de Evo Morales. Além de escudos no Legislativo e nas ruas, as/os presidentes latino-americanos precisam de um escudo das forças de segurança militarizadas para protegê-los da interrupção de mandato, já que estes corpos têm ganhado influência na política democrática da região. Contrariamente a expectativas da literatura, as saídas presidenciais dos anos 2010 não têm sido suficientes para dispersar a tensão política

Isolation and characterization of cylindrospermopsis raciborskii strains from finished drinking water

In the summer of 2015, an intense cyanobacterial bloom producing geosmin/2- methylisoborneol (MIB) occurred in the Roxo freshwater reservoir in Alentejo, Portugal. The drinking water supplied from the Roxo water treatment plant (WTP) exhibited an unpleasant odor/taste and a significant cyanobacteria density was detected in the finished water at the exit of the WTP. Cyanobacteria were not evaluated downstream of the WTP, namely, at the city reservoir. The aim of this work was to isolate and characterize viable cyanobacteria present in finished water (exit of the WTP and city reservoir) that withstand conventional water treatment. Treated water samples collected at both sites were inoculated in Z8 culture medium to provide the conditions for putative cyanobacterial growth. After 30 days, filamentous cyanobacteria were observed in cultures inoculated with samples from the exit point of the WTP. Viable trichomes were isolated and identified as Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii by morphometric and molecular analysis. None of the isolates were cylindrospermopsin/microcystin producers, as confirmed by ELISA and amplification of corresponding genes (PS/PKS and mcyA-cd/mcyAB/mcyB). ELISA results were positive for saxitoxin, but saxitoxin and derivatives were not detected by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FLD), nor were their related genes (sxtA/sxtA4/sxtB/sxtM/sxtPer/sxtI). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the establishment of cultures of C. raciborskii that resisted water treatment processes.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the grant SFRH/BPD/77981/2011 attributed to E.D. This work was partially supported by FCT/MCTES through national funds for the research project “Exploring the Aquatic Resistome” (PTDC/BIA-BMA/31451/2017) and the project UIDB/00211/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Propósitos da avaliação de desempenho: uma revisão sistemática e uma agenda para pesquisas futuras

Purpose: This study expands the knowledge on theoretical and practical performance appraisal purposes (PAPs) explanations. Theoretical framework: Performance Appraisal (PA) has already demonstrated its peculiar characteristic of being the foundation on which decision-making on other Human Resource (HR) policies is based, such as salary increase, training, identification and separation of poor performance. Despite that, there is a general understanding that among the criteria for measuring performance appraisal effectiveness, PAPs have been little explored by academics and researchers. However, the importance of PAPS in employees' reactions is recognized. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a systematic literature review, we synthesized 24 peer-reviewed journal papers published in the last ten years: 2012-2022. Findings: The descriptive results suggest that there has been a decrease in interest in researching on PAPs. At some time, the thematic results suggest that PAPs have been operationalized as an independent variable. Research, Practical & Social implications: Our findings broaden the understanding on PAPs in different cultural and organizational contexts, especially in Asia and Africa. On the other hand, this article can help to improve the perception of appraisers and appraisees on the usefulness of the appraisal system. This way, helping to reduce the prevailing perception that RH practices are not efficient and effective. Originality/value: The line of investigation on PAPs is aligned with previous research whose prevailing domain of administrative and development purposes is still a reality in studies on the topic. However, the novelty in this study is the growing concern with the accuracy and reliability dimension of PAPs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Residência universitária - Amadora

Tem-se verificado um progresso contínuo em áreas de negócios relacionadas com o alojamento local (AL), são geralmente espaços de arrendamento de curta duração destinados essencialmente a turistas. Atualmente qualquer proprietário que queira rentabilizar um imóvel, pode fazer através das plataformas alternativas na internet. O surgimento dessas novas plataformas no mercado veio revolucionar a forma de procura de alojamentos, independentemente da tipologia. É uma experiência relativamente nova para quem consome como também para quem oferece o produto, tendo em conta a situação turística atual, pode-se retirar rendimentos bastantes aliciantes. Neste projeto é proposto a investigação sobre o impacto nas novas plataformas do alojamento turístico, pretendendo perspetivar evolução do turismo sobre o domínio do alojamento, focando-se principalmente na Região Autónoma dos Açores (RAA) entre os anos 2010 e 2019.As a consequence of the high growth of tourists, there has been continuous progress in business areas related to the local accommodation (AL), are denominated, usually by short-term rental spaces intended essentially for tourists . Currently any owner who wants to monetize a property, can do through the alternative platforms on the Internet. The emergence of these new platforms in the market came to revolutionize the way of searching for accommodation, regardless of typology. It is a relatively new experience for those who consume as well as for those who offer the product, taking into account the current tourist situation, can be withdrawn very attractive yields. This project proposes research on the impact on the new platforms of the tourist accommodation, intending to prospect the evolution of tourism on the field of accommodation, focusing mainly on the autonomous region of the Azores (RAA) between the years 2010 and 2019

Fine-tuning multilevel modeling of risk factors associated with nonsurgical periodontal treatment outcome

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This retrospective study evaluated the influence of known risk factors on nonsurgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) response using a pocket depth fine-tuning multilevel linear model (MLM). Overall, 37 patients (24 males and 13 females) with moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis underwent NSPT. Follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 12 months included measurements of several clinical periodontal parameters. Data were sourced from a previously reported database. In a total of 1416 initially affected sites (baseline PD ≥ 4 mm) on 536 teeth, probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) reductions after NSPT were evaluated against known risk factors at 3 hierarchical levels (patient, tooth, and site). For each post-treatment follow-up, the variance component models fitted to evaluate the 3-level variance of PD and CAL decrease revealed that all levels contributed significantly to the overall variance (p < 0.001). Patients who underwent NSPT and were continually monitored had curative results. All 3 hierarchical levels included risk factors influencing the degree of PD and CAL reduction. Specifically, the type of tooth, surfaces involved, and tooth mobility site-level risk factors had the strongest impact on these reductions and were highly relevant for the success of NSPT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Partial recording protocols performance on the assessment of Periodontitis severity and extent: bias magnitudes, sensibility, and specificity

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Objectives: This study aimed to assess bias magnitudes, sensibility, and specificity of particular partial-mouth recording protocols (PRPs) to estimate periodontal clinical measurements and periodontal status. Methods: Estimates of mean clinical attachment loss (MCAL) and mean probing depth (MPD) were calculated for 15 different PRPs and were compared to full-mouth recording protocol (FRP) data from 402 Portuguese. Biases, relative biases and intra-class correlations for all PRPs were evaluated. Bland–Altman plots and Receiver Operating Characteristic / Area Under the Curve (ROC/AUC) analysis were used to assess the sensitivity and specificity for each PRP periodontal diagnosis. Results: Regarding MPD, Half RD6 UR/LL and RD6 UL/LR had the lowest bias observed with 0.00 mm (-0.22% and 0.22%, respectively) and all full-mouth PRPs significantly produce an underestimation. Concerning MCAL, the Half MB-B-DL UR/LR had the lowest bias observed with 0.01 mm (0.16%). Excluding CPITN, Full-Mouth PRPs outperforms in average Half Mouth PRPs correlations. The Half RD6 UR/LL had the highest AUC (0.96) with 95.5 and 97.1% of sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Conclusions: Three half-mouth PRPs (Half MB-B-DL UR/LR, Half RD6 UR/LL and Half RD6 UL/ LR) protocols can be used to estimate periodontal clinical measurements with limited bias, and high sensitivity, specificity, and concordance. All full-mouth PRPs failed to estimate pocket depth means, and for clinical attachment loss, they present less ability then half-mouth partial protocols, despite presenting high sensitivity levels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The prevalence of patients with rheumatic diseases and its periodontal condition : data from a population-based study in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area

Abstract in proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of CiiEM: Health, Well-Being and Ageing in the 21st Century, held at Egas Moniz’ University Campus in Monte de Caparica, Almada, from 3–5 June 2019.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio