Investigating the genetic architecture and adaptive relevance of complex traits in Cape Verde Arabidopsis

Understanding how organisms adapt to new environments is a key goal of evolutionary biology. Populations subject to abrupt environmental change must adapt quickly to avoid extinction. Small populations are especially vulnerable to habitat changes, confronting high extinction risk due to limited genetic variation and low efficiency of selection. Theory predicts that the age of a population and its long- term effective size should influence adaptation and trait architecture. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of adaptation after a sudden shift to a more arid climate using natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana in Cape Verde (CVI). CVI Arabidopsis is found on two islands (Santo Antão and Fogo) and represents diverged, monophyletic lineages based on the near absence of shared polymorphisms with each other or the continent. Time to flowering was reduced in parallel on the islands, causing a consequent increase in fitness, and allowing adaptation to the arid CVI. This change was mediated by convergent de novo loss of function of two core flowering time genes: FRI in Santo Antão and FLC in Fogo. Our results reveal a case where expansion of the new populations coincided with the emergence and proliferation of these novel variants, consistent with models of rapid adaptation and evolutionary rescue. We further contrast the genetic architecture of flowering time in the recently formed small Ne Arabidopsis lineages from Cape Verde with their much older, larger Ne progenitor – the Moroccan population. We find that polygenicity is severely reduced in the colonizing populations and effect sizes of candidate loci are exponentially distributed, consistent with fitness measures showing evidence for directional selection in the islands. In addition to the major effect variants FRI K232X and FLC R3X, we identify candidate variants from core flowering time pathways as well as those that indirectly affect flowering time, including nutrient processing and light sensing. Surprisingly we find no effect of the well- known Cvi-0-EDI (CRY2 V367M) variant in the natural population. Our results provide a particularly clear empirical example of the effect of demographic history has on trait architecture

Survey of the facade walls of existing adobe buildings

Adobe construction was very common in Aveiro district, Portugal, until the middle of the 20thcentury. At present, there are still many adobe buildings in use, a significant percentage of whichhave social, cultural, and architectural value. Many of these buildings, however, are in a poor state ofconservation. The existing problems are partially the result of a lack of knowledge about thematerials and building systems traditionally used. To contribute to this knowledge, a visual anddimensional inspection of the facade walls of twenty one adobe buildings located in Anadia,Murtosa, and Aveiro municipalities, in Aveiro district, was conducted. This article presents adescription and analysis of the construction details, common defects, and state of conservation ofthe facade walls studied. This work aims to contribute with preliminary information that may helpsupport the preservation and rehabilitation of existing adobe buildings

Assessment of the presence of Hepatitis E virus in surface water and drinking water in Portugal

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a non-enveloped single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus, belonging to the Hepeviridae family, resistant to environmental conditions, and transmitted by the consumption of contaminated water. This virus is responsible for both sporadic and epidemic outbreaks, leading to thousands of infections per year in several countries, and is thus considered an emerging disease in Europe and Asia. This study refers to a survey in Portugal during 2019, targeting the detection and eventual quantification of enteric viruses in samples from surface and drinking water. Samples positive for HEV RNA were recurrently found by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), in both types of matrix. The infectivity of these samples was evaluated in cultured Vero E6 cells and RNA from putative viruses produced in cultures evidencing cytopathic effects and was subjected to RT-qPCR targeting HEV genomic RNA. Our results evidenced the existence of samples positive either for HEV RNA (77.8% in surface water and 66.7% in drinking water) or for infectious HEV (23.0% in surface water and 27.7% in drinking water). These results highlight the need for effective virological control of water for human consumption and activities.This research was funded by Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres (EPAL) and Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Portugal through a Ph.D. grant to D. Salvador (PDE/BDE/114582/2016) and FCT/MCTES projects UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020 and UIDB/04295/2020 through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

necessidades e expectativas

Este estudo pretende identificar necessidades e expectativas da mulher no processo de transição para a menopausa. Pretende, também, conhecer as intervenções do enfermeiro especialista no âmbito da preparação para o processo de transição para a menopausa e da promoção e vigilância da saúde e bem-estar da mulher nesta fase da vida, no sentido de melhorar a qualidade dos cuidados de enfermagem e a qualidade de vida das mulheres. Neste estudo, descritivo de abordagem qualitativa, foram realizadas 29 entrevistas a mulheres com idades compreendidas entre os 45 e os 59 anos, que já passaram pelo processo de transição para a menopausa. Para a análise qualitativa das entrevistas recorreu-se ao Software Web Qualitative Data Analysis (WebQda), concebido e desenvolvido pela Universidade de Aveiro. Dos resultados obtidos a realçar o seguinte: o processo de transição para a menopausa é entendido como um acontecimento natural mas algo difícil; as mulheres referem apoio médico e raramente mencionam apoio do enfermeiro; a maioria das mulheres sente que o processo de transição decorreu pior do que esperava e, na sua opinião, o enfermeiro deve informar e esclarecer sobre o assunto, aconselhar e orientar, desmistificar mitos e crenças, apoiar emocionalmente em consulta de enfermagem e/ou em grupos de interajuda, vigiar o estado de saúde em consulta e através de rastreios. Conclui-se que o Enfermeiro Especialista de Saúde Materna, Obstétrica e Ginecológica (EESMOG), dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários (CSP) deve: iniciar a educação para a saúde durante a fase reprodutiva da mulher preparando-a para o processo de transição para a menopausa; trabalhar a imagem negativa da menopausa marcada por tabus; envolver a família e os conviventes significativos; vigiar fatores de risco associados à menopausa; atender de forma empática e empoderar a mulher para que procure formas saudáveis de vivenciar o processo de transição para a menopausa

Relação entre comportamentos orais e ansiedade, depressão e stress emocional – revisão narrativa

Os comportamentos orais são hábitos realizados na cavidade oral sem propósito funcional e cuja etiologia é multifatorial, sendo os fatores psicoemocionais uma das prováveis etiologias referidas na literatura. O objetivo desta revisão bibliográfica narrativa foi verificar qual o papel dos fatores psicoemocionais na etiologia dos comportamentos orais e verificar se existe associação entre estes e a ansiedade, depressão e stress emocional. A pesquisa bibliográfica foi limitada aos últimos 20 anos, no total 54 referências foram consultadas. Os estudos analisados mostraram inconclusividade em relação ao papel dos fatores psicoemocionais na etiologia dos comportamentos orais. Embora a maioria dos estudos tenha referido associação estatisticamente significativa entre comportamentos orais e algum fator psicoemocional, a existência de limitações devido à diversidade de comportamentos orais, falta de critérios universais de diagnóstico, falta de avaliação contínua destes no tempo e amostras não representativas, não permitiu estabelecer conclusões definitivas.Oral behaviors are habits performed in the oral cavity with no functional purpose and whose etiology is multifactorial, with psychoemotional factors being one of the probable etiologies referred in the literature. The objective of this review was to verify the role of psychoemotional factors in the etiology of oral behaviors and verify if there is an association between these and anxiety, depression and emotional stress. The research was limited to the last 20 years, in total 54 references were consulted. The analyzed studies showed inconclusiveness regarding the role of psychoemotional factors in the etiology of oral behaviors. Although most studies reported a statistically significant association between oral behaviors and psychoemotional factors, due to the diversity of oral behaviors, lack of universal diagnostic criteria, lack of continuous evaluation of these over time and unrepresentative samples, it was not possible to draw definitive conclusions

Estratégia para a caracterização do edificado em adobe em Aveiro

Mestrado em Engenharia CivilA construção em adobe no distrito de Aveiro era realizada com base na experiência acumulada, transmitida de geração em geração, e não incluía muitos cuidados associados a exigências funcionais e de conforto compatíveis com as actuais. Urge assim procurar atingir um nível de conhecimento profundo do parque construído em adobe no distrito de Aveiro, nomeadamente no que diz respeito à sua constituição, dimensões, sistemas estruturais, patologias, estado de conservação, com o objectivo de promover a sua reabilitação e reforço. Para tal via, contribui este trabalho, que se divide em três partes. Na primeira parte define-se a estratégia a adaptar, com o desenvolvimento de fichas de inspecção. Na segunda parte testa-se as fichas de inspecção e georreferenciação das construções em adobe em estudo, constituindo uma primeira base de dados em SIG, permitindo uma rápida localização geográfica e consulta de atributos das mesmas. Na última parte analisou-se as patologias encontradas e criou-se outra base de dados a ser uma ferramenta útil para trabalhos futuros. ABSTRACT: In the Aveiro district, the adobe building were prepared based on transmitted experience from generation to generation, and did not include many associated care with functional requirements and compatible comfort with the current. Thus seek to achieve a level of deep knowledge of the built park in adobe in Aveiro district, namely regarding to its constitution, dimensions, structural systems, pathologies, conditions, with the aim to promote their conservation and strengthening. The present work is divided in three parts. The first one, defined the strategy to adapt, with the development of inspection sheets; the second one, the inspection sheets and georeference were testes, providing a first database, GIS, allowing a geographical rapid location and consultation with the same attributes. In the last one, the pathologies found were analyzed and another database was created meant to be a useful tool for future work

As tic como potenciadoras da participação dos alunos com necessidades educativas especiais numa turma de economia de um curso profissional

Relatório da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, Mestrado em Ensino da Economia e da Contabilidade, Universidade de Lisboa, 2016A interrogação de como a utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) podem potenciar a participação dos alunos, em especial aqueles com necessidades educativas especiais (NEE), foi o mote para a realização deste trabalho investigativo, destacando-se a importância da integração das TIC na atividade pedagógica. A prática de ensino supervisionada a que este relatório diz respeito refere-se ao trabalho investigativo realizado na Escola Básica e Secundária Bispo D. Manuel Ferreira Cabral, numa turma do 11.º ano do ensino Profissional. Sobressaiu das aulas observadas e lecionadas durante o 3.º semestre, a reduzida participação oral da turma, a reduzida utilização e integração das TIC na prática pedagógica e o interesse demonstrado pelos alunos para a utilização das tecnologias na sala de aula. Assim, apresentou-se como desafio, potenciar a participação, através de estratégias que possam ser sentidas pelos alunos como motivadoras, tendo sido por isso considerado a utilização de diversas TIC, que contribuíssem para a melhoria da participação nas aulas de economia. A ação pedagógica desenvolvida consistiu na lecionação de seis aulas sobre o tema “A Integração Económica”, referente ao módulo 6 – A interdependência das economias atuais. Foi igualmente desenvolvido com os alunos um trabalho extracurricular (5 sessões de 90 minutos cada), que consistiu numa aprendizagem sobre a utilização da ferramenta Prezi, seguida da criação uma conta de correio eletrónico e, por fim na construção de um site para a turma, este posteriormente publicado na página oficial da escola. As conclusões apresentadas neste relatório, foram obtidas com base em três instrumentos de recolha de dados (observação direta com recurso a grelhas de observação, aplicação de um questionário aos alunos e realização de entrevistas aos professores do grupo de economia). Os resultados sugerem, que o recurso às TIC e as atitudes positivas e empenhadas dos docentes para a sua utilização durante a sua prática pedagógica contribuem para a promoção de uma maior participação da turma e em especial dos alunos com necessidades educativas especiais, concorrendo ainda para uma intervenção diferenciada e significativa durante o processo de ensino aprendizagem.The question of how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can enhance the participation of students with special educational needs (SEN) was de motto for this investigative work, highlighting the importance of integration of ICT in pedagogical activity. The supervised teaching practice, to which this report relates, refers to the investigative work carried out in Middle and Secondary School Bispo D. Manuel Ferreira Cabral, in 11th class of Professional Course. Considering classes observed and taught during the 3rd semester, one could perceive an insufficient oral interaction of de class, the interest shown by the students in the use of classroom technologies and the reduced use of ICT in teaching practice. Thus, it was a challenge to foster participation through strategies that can be felt by the students as motivators and it was therefore considered the use of ICTs to contribute to improving the participation in economic classes. This consisted in teaching six classes on the theme of “Economic Integration”, referring to the 6th module- The interdependence of today’s economies. It was also developed extracurricular sessions, ( 5 sessions of 90 minutes each), which consisted in learning how to use the computer program Prezi, followed by the creation of an email, and finally, the construction of a website to the class, this subsequently published on the official school. The findings presented in this report were achived based on three data collection instruments (direct observation using the observation grids, implementation of a questionnaire to students and conducting interviews to economics teachers. The research results suggested that the use of ICT and the positive and committed attitude of teachers to use in their practice contribute to promoting a greater participation in the class and in particular of students with special educational needs, still competing for a significant and differentiated approach during the teaching-learning process

Application of MALDI-TOF MS for requalification of a Candida clinical isolates culture collection

Microbial culture collections underpin biotechnology applications and are important resources for clinical microbiology by supplying reference strains and/or performing microbial identifications as a service. Proteomic profiles by MALDI-TOF MS have been used for Candida spp. identification in clinical laboratories and demonstrated to be a fast and reliable technique for the routine identification of pathogenic yeasts. The main aim of this study was to apply MALDI-TOF MS combined with classical phenotypic and molecular approaches to identify Candida clinical isolates preserved from 1 up to 52 years in a Brazilian culture collection and assess its value for the identification of yeasts preserved in this type of collections. Forty Candida spp. clinical isolates were identified by morphological and biochemical analyses. Identifications were also performed by the new proteomic approach based on MALDI-TOF MS. Results demonstrated 15% discordance when compared with morphological and biochemical analyses. Discordant isolates were analysed by ITS sequencing, which confirmed the MALDI-TOF MS identifications and these strains were renamed in the culture collection catalogue. In conclusion, proteomic profiles by MALDI-TOF MS represents a rapid and reliable method for identifying clinical Candida species preserved in culture collections and may present clear benefits when compared with the performance of existing daily routine methods applied at health centres and hospitals.Research leading to these results received partial funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7, 2007-2013), Research Infrastructures Action, under grant agreement No. FP7-228310 (EMbaRC project). Thanks are also due to Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES, Brazil) for funding suppor

Monitoring waterborne pathogens in surface and drinking waters : are water treatment plants (WTPs) simultaneously efficient in the elimination of enteric viruses and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB)?

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Monitoring the quality of water is a requisite to prevent outbreaks related to waterborne diseases, predominantly caused by pathogens like enteric viruses, usually transmitted via the fecal-oral route. This study aimed to survey a group of enteric viruses (Enterovirus, Norovirus genogroups I and II, and hepatitis A virus) in two surface water sources of drinking water, also intending to evaluate the extent of their elimination in the two water treatment plants (WTPs) involved in drinking water production. Correlations between these viruses and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were also evaluated. Positive samples for viral RNA were recurrently found by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and quantified, in genomic copies per liter (gc/L) of sampled water. Viral RNAs were detected in 14 out of 27 samples of surface water, and 21 out of 36 samples of drinking water, NoV II having been the most frequently detected in both (0–78.6 gc/L and 0–12.5 gc/L, respectively). Both WTPs showed variable efficacies in the elimination of viral RNA. Only one correlation was found with FIB, between NoV II and intestinal enterococci. These results recommend the monitoring of enteric viruses over time and their inclusion in the mandatory analysis of water quality.This research was funded by the Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres (EPAL) and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Portugal through a Ph.D. grant to D. Salvador (PDE/BDE/114582/2016) and financial support to CESAM and ISAMB (FCT/MCTES projects UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020 and UIDB/04295/2020, respectively) through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio