Waiting for Godot? Welfare Attitudes in Portugal before and after the Financial Crisis

Do attitudes towards the welfare state change in response to economic crises? Addressing this question is sometimes difficult because of the lack of longitudinal data. This article deals with this empirical challenge using survey data from the 2008 European Social Survey and from our own follow-up survey of Spring 2013 to track welfare attitudes at the brink and at the peak of the socio-economic crisis in one of the hardest hit countries: Portugal. The literature on social policy preferences predicts an increased polarisation in opinions towards the welfare state between different groups within society – in particular between labour market insiders and outsiders. However, the prediction has scarcely been tested empirically. A notoriously dualised country, Portugal provides a critical setting in which to test this hypothesis. The results show attitudinal change, and this varies according to labour market vulnerability. However, we observe no polarisation and advance alternative explanations for why this is so. This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by SAGE

Deriving phytoplankton size classes from satellite data: Validation along a trophic gradient in the eastern Atlantic Ocean

In recent years, the global distribution of phytoplankton functional types (PFT) and phytoplankton size classes (PSC) has been determined by remote sensing. Many of these methods rely on interpretation of phytoplankton size or type from pigment data, but independent validation has been difficult due to lack of appropriate in situ data on cell size. This work uses in situ data (photosynthetic pigments concentration and cell abundances) from the north-east Atlantic, along a trophic gradient, sampled from 2005 to 2010, as well as Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) data for the same region, to test a previously developed conceptual model, which calculates the fractional contributions of pico-, nano- and micro-plankton to total phytoplankton chlorophyll biomass (Brewin et al., 2010). The application of the model proved to be successful, as shown by low mean absolute error between data and model fit. However, regional values obtained for the model parameters had some effect on the relative distribution of size classes as a function of chlorophyll-a, compared with the results according to the original model. The regional parameterisation yielded a dominance of micro-plankton contribution for chlorophyll-a concentrations greater than 0.5 mg m− 3, rather than from 1.3 mg m− 3 in the original model. Intracellular chlorophyll-a (Chla) per cell, for each size class, was computed from the cell enumeration results (microscope counts and flow cytometry) and the chlorophyll-a concentration for that size class given by the model. The median intracellular chlorophyll-a values computed were 0.004, 0.224 and 26.78 pg Chla cell− 1 for pico-, nano-, and micro-plankton respectively. This is generally consistent with the literature, thereby providing an indirect validation of the method based on pigments to assign size classes. Using a satellite-derived composite image of chlorophyll-a for the study area, a map of cell abundance was generated based on the computed intracellular chlorophyll-a for each size-class, thus extending the remote-sensing method for mapping size classes of phytoplankton from chlorophyll-a concentration to mapping cell numbers in each class. The map reveals the ubiquitous presence of pico-plankton, and shows that all size classes are more abundant in more productive areas

An optically stimulated superconducting-like phase in K3C60 far above equilibrium Tc

The control of non-equilibrium phenomena in complex solids is an important research frontier, encompassing new effects like light induced superconductivity. Here, we show that coherent optical excitation of molecular vibrations in the organic conductor K3C60 can induce a non-equilibrium state with the optical properties of a superconductor. A transient gap in the real part of the optical conductivity and a low-frequency divergence of the imaginary part are measured for base temperatures far above equilibrium Tc=20 K. These findings underscore the role of coherent light fields in inducing emergent order.Comment: 40 pages, 23 figure

Dynamical Boson Stars

The idea of stable, localized bundles of energy has strong appeal as a model for particles. In the 1950s John Wheeler envisioned such bundles as smooth configurations of electromagnetic energy that he called {\em geons}, but none were found. Instead, particle-like solutions were found in the late 1960s with the addition of a scalar field, and these were given the name {\em boson stars}. Since then, boson stars find use in a wide variety of models as sources of dark matter, as black hole mimickers, in simple models of binary systems, and as a tool in finding black holes in higher dimensions with only a single killing vector. We discuss important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.Comment: 79 pages, 25 figures, invited review for Living Reviews in Relativity; major revision in 201

DODAB and DODAC bilayer-like aggregates in the micromolar surfactant concentration domain

In the millimolar concentration domain (typically 1 mM), dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide and chloride (DODAX, X representing Br- or Cl- counterions) molecules assemble in water as large unilamellar vesicles. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a suitable technique to obtain the melting temperature (Tm) characteristic of surfactant bilayers, while fluorescence spectroscopy detects formation of surfactant aggregates, like bilayers. These two techniques were combined to investigate the assemble of DODAX molecules at micromolar concentrations, from 10 to 100 micromolar. At 1 mM surfactant, Tm ~ 45 ºC and 49 oC, respectively for DODAB and DODAC. DSC and fluorescence of Nile Red were used to show the formation of DODAX aggregates, at the surfactant concentration as low as 10 micromolar, whose Tm decreases monotonically with increasing DODAX concentration to attain the value for the ordinary vesicles. The data indicate that these aggregates are organized as bilayer-like structures.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Methods for comparative metagenomics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metagenomics is a rapidly growing field of research that aims at studying uncultured organisms to understand the true diversity of microbes, their functions, cooperation and evolution, in environments such as soil, water, ancient remains of animals, or the digestive system of animals and humans. The recent development of ultra-high throughput sequencing technologies, which do not require cloning or PCR amplification, and can produce huge numbers of DNA reads at an affordable cost, has boosted the number and scope of metagenomic sequencing projects. Increasingly, there is a need for new ways of comparing multiple metagenomics datasets, and for fast and user-friendly implementations of such approaches.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This paper introduces a number of new methods for interactively exploring, analyzing and comparing multiple metagenomic datasets, which will be made freely available in a new, comparative version 2.0 of the stand-alone metagenome analysis tool MEGAN.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is a great need for powerful and user-friendly tools for comparative analysis of metagenomic data and MEGAN 2.0 will help to fill this gap.</p

Determination of total and available fractions of PAHs by SPME in oily wastewaters : overcoming interference from NAPL and NOM

Background, aim, and scope Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are often found in oily wastewaters. Their presence is usually the result of human activities and has a negative effect on the environment. One important step in addressing this problem is to evaluate the effectiveness of PAH removal by biological processes since these are the most cost-effective treatments known today. Many techniques are presently available for PAH determination in wastewaters. Solid phase microextracion (SPME) is known to be one of the most effective techniques for this purpose. When analyzing complex matrices with substances such as natural organic matter (NOM) and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), it is important to differentiate the free dissolved PAH from matrix-bonded PAH. PAHs associated with the bonded fraction are less susceptible to biological treatment. The present study concerns the development of a simple and suitable methodology for the determination of the freely dissolved and the total fraction of PAHs present in oily wastewaters. The methodology was then applied to an oily wastewater from a fuel station retention basin. Material and methods Headspace SPME was used for analyzing PAH since the presence of a complex or dirty matrix in direct contact with the fiber may damage it. Four model PAHs—anthracene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene—were analyzed by GC-MS. Negligible depletion SPME technique was used to determine the free fraction. Total PAH was determined by enhancing the mass transfer from the bonded phase to the freely dissolved phase by temperature optimization and the use of the method of standard additions. The PAH absorption kinetics were determined in order to define the optimal sampling conditions for this method. The fitting of the experimental data to a mathematical model was accomplished using Berkeley Madonna software. Humic acid and silicon oil were used as model NOM and NAPL, respectively, to study the effect of these compounds on the decrease of SPME response. Then, the method was evaluated with wastewater from a fuel station spill retention basin. Results The SPME kinetic parameters—k 1 (uptake rate), k 2 (desorption rate), and K SPME (partition coefficient)—were determined from experimental data modeling. The determination of the free fraction required 15-min sampling to ensure that PAH depletion from sample was below 1%. For total PAH, a 30-min extraction at 100°C ensured the maximum signal response in the GC-MS. For the determination of free and total PAHs, extractions were performed before reaching the SPME equilibrium. The wastewater used in this study had no free fraction of the analyzed PAHs. However, the four studied PAHs were found when the method for total PAH was used. Discussion The addition of NOM and NAPL dramatically decreased the efficiency of the SPME. This decrease was the result of a greater partition of the PAHs to the NAPL and NOM phases. This fact was also observed in the analysis of the fuel station spill retention basin, where no free PAH was measured. However, using the method of standard addition for the determination of total PAH, it was possible to quantify all four PAHs. Conclusions The method developed in the present study was found to be adequate to differentiate between free and total PAH present in oily wastewater. It was determined that the presence of NOM and NAPL had a negative effect on SPME efficiency. Recommendations and perspectives The presence of binding substances had a great influence on SPME kinetics. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to determine their degree of interference when analyzing oily wastewaters or results can otherwise be erroneous. Other factors influencing the total PAH determinations should be considered in further studies.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BD/ 18816/2004, POCI/AMB/61044/200

Soil foraging animals alter the composition and co-occurrence of microbial communities in a desert shrubland

Animals that modify their physical environment by foraging in the soil can have dramatic effects on ecosystem functions and processes. We compared bacterial and fungal communities in the foraging pits created by bilbies and burrowing bettongs with undisturbed surface soils dominated by biocrusts. Bacterial communities were characterized by Actinobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, and fungal communities by Lecanoromycetes and Archaeosporomycetes. The composition of bacterial or fungal communities was not observed to vary between loamy or sandy soils. There were no differences in richness of either bacterial or fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the soil of young or old foraging pits, or undisturbed soils. Although the bacterial assemblage did not vary among the three microsites, the composition of fungi in undisturbed soils was significantly different from that in old or young foraging pits. Network analysis indicated that a greater number of correlations between bacterial OTUs occurred in undisturbed soils and old pits, whereas a greater number of correlations between fungal OTUs occurred in undisturbed soils. Our study suggests that digging by soil-disturbing animals is likely to create successional shifts in soil microbial and fungal communities, leading to functional shifts associated with the decomposition of organic matter and the fixation of nitrogen. Given the primacy of organic matter decomposition in arid and semi-arid environments, the loss of native soil-foraging animals is likely to impair the ability of these systems to maintain key ecosystem processes such as the mineralization of nitrogen and the breakdown of organic matter, and to recover from disturbance