Variscan deformation of the Hesperian massif in the Lousã mountain range (central Portugal)

[Abstract] The occidental region of the Central-Iberian Zone of the Variscan Iberian massif, in the central part of Portugal (Lousã mountain range), has a Variscan tectonostructural organization as the one recognized in the occidental border of the massif, in the Porto-Coimbra-Tomar shear zone. In the Iberian massif we can observe neo-proterozoic metasediments of the “Complexo Xisto-Grauváquico”, and important metasedimentary outcrops of Late Palaeozoic (Ordovician, Silurian and lower Devonian) rocks. Both are affected by the first regional variscan deformation phase (FH1), and later refolded by the second variscan deformation phase (FH2). This second regional variscan phase has a penetrative effect in the massif and develops a dextral, north-south, strike-slip faulting, associated with transpressive kinematic deformation (like a Riedel model) similar to the Porto-Coimbra-Tomar shear zone. Some geological examples observed and studied in the Lousã region are showed and discussed

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) risk assessment in Portugal : The genetic approach to study prion protein gene (PRNP) variability in Portuguese populations of three cervid species: red deer, fallow deer and roe deer.

Número da Revista Portuguesa de Ciências Veterinárias, dedicado à publicação dos "Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress on Prions" que decorreu em Vila Real, Portugal de 19 1 20 de maio de 2022.Among the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is now the rising concern in wildlife within Europe, after the first case was detected in Norway in 2016, in a wild reindeer and until October 2021, a total of 34 cases were described in Norway, Sweden and Finland.This work was supported by the project WastingPrionRisk [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029947 / PTDC/ CVT-CVT/29947/2017] funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). FCT PhD grant [SFRH/BD/146961/2019] financed by FCT through FSE (Fundo Social Europeu). This work was also supported by national funds [UIDB/CVT/00772/2020], [LA/P/0059/2020] and [UIDB/04033/2020] by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic wasting disease risk assessment in Portugal: results and future work.

Número da Revista Portuguesa de Ciências Veterinárias, dedicado à publicação dos "Proceedings of the 10th Iberian Congress on Prions" que decorreu em Vila Real, Portugal de 19 1 20 de maio de 2022.Chronic wasting disease risk assessment in Portugal: results and future work.This work was supported by the project WastingPrionRisk [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029947 / PTDC/ CVT-CVT/29947/2017] funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). FCT PhD grant [SFRH/BD/146961/2019] financed by FCT through FSE (Fundo Social Europeu). This work was also supported by national funds [UIDB/CVT/00772/2020], [LA/P/0059/2020] and [UIDB/04033/2020] by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combinations of single-top-quark production cross-section measurements and vertical bar f(LV)V(tb)vertical bar determinations at root s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments

This paper presents the combinations of single-top-quark production cross-section measurements by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations, using data from LHC proton-proton collisions at = 7 and 8 TeV corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.17 to 5.1 fb(-1) at = 7 TeV and 12.2 to 20.3 fb(-1) at = 8 TeV. These combinations are performed per centre-of-mass energy and for each production mode: t-channel, tW, and s-channel. The combined t-channel cross-sections are 67.5 +/- 5.7 pb and 87.7 +/- 5.8 pb at = 7 and 8 TeV respectively. The combined tW cross-sections are 16.3 +/- 4.1 pb and 23.1 +/- 3.6 pb at = 7 and 8 TeV respectively. For the s-channel cross-section, the combination yields 4.9 +/- 1.4 pb at = 8 TeV. The square of the magnitude of the CKM matrix element V-tb multiplied by a form factor f(LV) is determined for each production mode and centre-of-mass energy, using the ratio of the measured cross-section to its theoretical prediction. It is assumed that the top-quark-related CKM matrix elements obey the relation |V-td|, |V-ts| << |V-tb|. All the |f(LV)V(tb)|(2) determinations, extracted from individual ratios at = 7 and 8 TeV, are combined, resulting in |f(LV)V(tb)| = 1.02 +/- 0.04 (meas.) +/- 0.02 (theo.). All combined measurements are consistent with their corresponding Standard Model predictions.Peer reviewe

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery