Arte “Esquemática” de ar livre na bacia do Ave (Portugal, NO Ibérico): espacialidade, contexto, iconografia e cronologia

A primeira compilação de arte rupestre de ar livre realizada para a bacia do Ave, no NO de Portugal, permitiu inventariar um certo número de gravuras que se inserem genericamente na denominada arte de tradição esquemática. O trabalho realizado, a diferentes escalas de análise, possibilitou dar especial atenção à localização espacial e ao contexto físico de implantação deste tipo de manifestações rupestres; a estudos sobre a morfologia dos afloramentos gravados; à sua iconografia e a eventuais fases de gravação. Foi colocada a hipótese da existência de duas fases distintas dentro deste tipo de gravuras. Uma primeira, com motivos abstratos, foi considerada Neolítica e a segunda, com antropomorfos com toucados e portadores de mãos grandes, do Calcolítico, perdurando pela Idade do Bronze. Verificou-se, ainda, a frequência destes lugares na longa diacronia através de adições de podomorfos e paletas, genericamente considerados do 1º milénio a.C. Os responsáveis pela arte esquemática foram consideradas grupos portadores de uma cosmogonia animista.Open air “schematic” art in the Ave basin (Portugal, NW Iberia): spatiality, context, iconography and chronology The first corpus of rock art corpus created for the basin of the river Ave (NW Portugal) has allowed to identify some “Schematic” rock art places that were synthesize and discuss in this paper. The data were studied through different perspectives: spatial and physical contexts; morphology of the engraved outcrops and its iconography. Results allowed to put the hypothesis of two distinct chronological phases. The first one, with abstract motives, was considered to date from the Neolithic. The second phase, characterized by different types of anthropomorphic (with headdresses and large hands), was inserted from the Chalcolithic, enduring throughout the Bronze Age. Many of these places have been active in the long term. This has been materialized by adding or overlapping new motives such as footprints and palettes, which usually date back to the first millennium B.C. Those responsible for the schematic art were considered to have an animist cosmogony.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mitochondrial Fusion/Fission, Transport and Autophagy in Parkinson's Disease: When Mitochondria Get Nasty

Understanding the molecular basis of Parkinson's disease (PD) has proven to be a major challenge in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Although several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of PD, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and the disruption of the mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics in PD and other parkinsonian disorders. In this paper, we comment on the recent advances in how changes in the mitochondrial function and mitochondrial dynamics (fusion/fission, transport, and clearance) contribute to neurodegeneration, specifically focusing on PD. We also evaluate the current controversies in those issues and discuss the role of fusion/fission dynamics in the mitochondrial lifecycle and maintenance. We propose that cellular demise and neurodegeneration in PD are due to the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, mitochondrial trafficking disruption, and impaired autophagic clearance

Recorded places, experienced places: some remarks about the Holocene Rock Art of the Iberian Atlantic Northwest

info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Microtubule Depolymerization Potentiates Alpha-Synuclein Oligomerization

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with perturbed mitochondria function and alpha-synuclein fibrillization. We evaluated potential mechanistic links between mitochondrial dysfunction and alpha-synuclein aggregation. We studied a PD cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) cell line in which platelet mitochondria from a PD subject were transferred to NT2 neuronal cells previously depleted of endogenous mitochondrial DNA. Compared to a control cybrid cell line, the PD line showed reduced ATP levels, an increased free/polymerized tubulin ratio, and alpha-synuclein oligomer accumulation. Taxol (which stabilizes microtubules) normalized the PD tubulin ratio and reduced alpha-synuclein oligomerization. A nexus exists between mitochondrial function, cytoskeleton homeostasis, and alpha-synuclein oligomerization. In our model, mitochondrial dysfunction triggers an increased free tubulin, which destabilizes the microtubular network and promotes alpha-synuclein oligomerization

Rota de Arte Rupestre do Noroeste Português. Um projeto para o desenvolvimento de uma prática turística sustentável

A Rota de Arte Rupestre do Noroeste é um projeto que pretende explorar as potencialidades da arte rupestre do NW de Portugal enquanto recurso passível de desenvolvimento de uma prática turística sustentável. O NW português é uma área rica em arte rupestre de ar livre de cronologia pós-paleolítica, em especial do estilo designado de Arte Atlântica, específico da área. Além do seu inegável valor científico, o caráter estratégico deste recurso patrimonial deveria integrar programas de desenvolvimento e de organização do território. Para que tal se concretize há que colmatar carências ao nível da investigação, tais como a compilação e sistematização dos dados que promovam o avanço do conhecimento científico e, simultaneamente, propiciem discursos atrativos para o público em geral. O projeto tenciona aprofundar a investigação da arte rupestre segundo perspetivas arqueológicas e antropológicas, contribuir para salvaguardar este património arqueológico e promover a sua valorização na fachada ocidental no NW de Portugal, por forma a que se possa criar o produto turístico sustentável “Rota de Arte Rupestre do Noroeste”. Visa, ainda, rentabilizar o património “intangível” ligado a estes recursos, os recursos humanos das parcerias envolvidas no projeto – e incrementar o desenvolvimento sustentável do território abordado. Serão divulgadas as ações já materializadas e/ou em vias de materialização, bem como os resultados atingidos para diferentes áreas do NW.The!project!“ Northwest%Rock%Art%Route”!aims!to!explore! Portuguese! NW rock! art! resource! potentialities! as! capable!of!increase!sustainable!development!of!touristic! practices. The!Portuguese!NW is! rich!in!openSair!postSPalaeolithic! rock! art,! especially! from! the! designated! Atlantic! Art,! specific!from!the!area.!Along!with!its!scientific!value,!its strategic! character should! integrate! programs! of! territory!development!and!organization. In! order! to! achieve! that,! some! scientific! needs! have! to! be!overcome,!like data!compilation!and!systematization,! promoting scientific! knowledge! and! allowing attractive! discourses!to!general!public. The! project! intends! to! deepen! rock! art! research! according! to! archaeological! and! anthropological! perspectives,! to! contribute! to! its! protection,! and! to! promote! its! valorisation! in! the! western! façade! of! Portuguese! NW.! Ultimately,! it! pretends! to! create! the! sustainable! touristic! product! “Northwest% Rock% Art% Route”.!It!also!aims!to!transform!its!related “intangible”! heritage! in! something! profitable,! so! as! the! involved! project!partnerships!human!resources,!and!increase!the! sustainable!development!of!the!addressed!area. The! materialized! and/or! in! process! of! materialization! actions! will! be! presented,! so! as! the! different! achieved! results!from!each!NW area.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The present and future offshore wind resource in the Southwestern African region

In the last decades, offshore wind harvesting has increased enormously, and is seen as a renewable energy resource with great potential in many regions of the world. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how this resource will evolve in a warming climate. In the present study, offshore wind resource in the Southwestern African region is analysed for the present and future climates. A ROM (REMO-OASIS-MPIOM) climate simulation in uncoupled and coupled atmosphere–ocean mode, at 25 km horizontal resolution, and a multi-model ensemble built with a set of regional climate models from the CORDEX-Africa experiment at 0.44° resolution were used. The projected changes of the offshore wind energy density throughout the twenty-first century are examined following the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. Characterised by strong coastal-parallel winds, the Southwestern African offshore region shows high values of wind energy density at 100 m, up to 1500 Wm⁻² near the coast, particularly offshore Namibia and west South Africa. Conversely, along Angola’s coast the available offshore wind energy density is lower. Throughout the twenty-first century, for the weaker climate mitigation scenario (RCP8.5), an increase of the offshore wind resource is projected to occur along Namibia and South African western coasts, more pronounced at the end of the century (+ 24%), while a decrease is projected along Angola’s coasts, reaching a negative anomaly of about − 32%. Smaller changes but with the same pattern are projected for the stronger climate mitigation scenario (RCP4.5). The future deployment of offshore floating hub turbines placed at higher heights may allow higher production of energy in this region. Along offshore Namibia and west South Africa, the wind energy density at 250 m showed differences that range between 30 and 50% relative to wind energy density at 100 m

Step-wise assembly, maturation and dynamic behavior of the human CENP-P/O/R/Q/U kinetochore sub-complex

Kinetochores are multi-protein megadalton assemblies that are required for attachment of microtubules to centromeres and, in turn, the segregation of chromosomes in mitosis. Kinetochore assembly is a cell cycle regulated multi-step process. The initial step occurs during interphase and involves loading of the 15-subunit constitutive centromere associated complex (CCAN), which contains a 5-subunit (CENP-P/O/R/Q/U) sub-complex. Here we show using a fluorescent three-hybrid (F3H) assay and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in living mammalian cells that CENP-P/O/R/Q/U subunits exist in a tightly packed arrangement that involves multifold protein-protein interactions. This sub-complex is, however, not pre-assembled in the cytoplasm, but rather assembled on kinetochores through the step-wise recruitment of CENP-O/P heterodimers and the CENP-P, -O, -R, -Q and -U single protein units. SNAP-tag experiments and immuno-staining indicate that these loading events occur during S-phase in a manner similar to the nucleosome binding components of the CCAN, CENP-T/W/N. Furthermore, CENP-P/O/R/Q/U binding to the CCAN is largely mediated through interactions with the CENP-N binding protein CENP-L as well as CENP-K. Once assembled, CENP-P/O/R/Q/U exchanges slowly with the free nucleoplasmic pool indicating a low off-rate for individual CENP-P/O/R/Q/U subunits. Surprisingly, we then find that during late S-phase, following the kinetochore-binding step, both CENP-Q and -U but not -R undergo oligomerization. We propose that CENP-P/O/R/Q/U self-assembles on kinetochores with varying stoichiometry and undergoes a pre-mitotic maturation step that could be important for kinetochores switching into the correct conformation necessary for microtubule-attachment

Life Design Counseling outcome and process: a case study with an adolescent

This article aims to explore the relationship between clients' narrative transformation and the promotion of vocational decidedness and career maturity in a mid-adolescent case of Life Design Counseling (LDC). To assess LDC outcomes the Vocational Certainty Scale and the Career Maturity Inventory — Form C were used before and after the intervention. To intensively analyze the process of LDC change two measures of narrative change were used: the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS), as a measure of innovation emergence, and the Return to the Problem Coding System (RPCS), as a measure of ambivalence towards change. The results show that the three LDC sessions produced a significant change in vocational certainty but not in career maturity. Findings confirm that the process of change, according to the IMCS, is similar to the one observed in previous studies with adults. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds and when applicable co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (UID/PSI/01662/2013)University of Lisbon. CICPS

Respecting the ancestors? Iron age life and 4th/3rd millennia BCE rock art within hillfort of Briteiros, NW of Portugal

There has been in recent years much interest in the Iron Age hillfort of Briteiros, near Guimaraes, NW of Portugal. The site was extensively excavated in the late 19th century, in the beginning and in the 70s of the 20th century and more recently in the 21st century. Recent research has focused on the substantial rock art assemblage that is scattered over much of the site (the highest slopes and the summit of the hill of the settlement). This rock art assemblage comprises mainly of abstract motifs within the Atlantic Rock Art (Neo-Calcolithic); however there are several panels that display later imagery dating fiom Bronze Age, Iron Age and/or Romanization. In this paper we pose several questions including: was there an understanding, either as ancestral markers or as socio-political devices between the Iron Age inhabitants and the prehistoric rock art? There are around 2500 years separating the rock art from the Iron Age activity on the hill. Furthermore, we are interested in discussing the implication of the ideology behind the concept of respecting the rock art by a later group of inhabitants of the hill.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio