Fine-scale mapping of High Nature Value farmlands: novel approaches to improve the management of rural biodiversity and ecosystem services

High Nature Value farmlands (HNVf) are defined as rural lands characterized by high levels of biodiversity and extensive farming practices. These farmlands are also known to provide important ecosystems services, such as food production, pollination, water purification and landscape recreation. Recently, this concept has been introduced in Rural Development Programmes related to biodiversity preservation in traditional agricultural landscapes. However, there are no specific rules concerning the practical use of the concept, particularly on the identification of potential HNVf areas at a local scale. However, this application becomes important for farmland biodiversity protection in the context of multi-scale agricultural development. We present a novel approach for HNVf mapping, which provides an improved local discrimination of farmlands according to their contribution for the conservation of rural biodiversity and ecosystem services. Our approach is based on a multi-criteria valuation of habitat types based on the national land cover map and agrarian censuses. It is onsidered applicable in other EU countries since comparable datasets are usually available. This methodology is also expected to provide the backbone of a standard, cost-effective methodology for HNVf monitoring, with an emphasis on the impacts of land use change on species, habitats and landscape function

Single-cell microfluidic impedance cytometry: From raw signals to cell phenotypes using data analytics

The biophysical analysis of single-cells by microfluidic impedance cytometry is emerging as a label-free and high-throughput means to stratify the heterogeneity of cellular systems based on their electrophysiology. Emerging applications range from fundamental life-science and drug assessment research to point-of-care diagnostics and precision medicine. Recently, novel chip designs and data analytic strategies are laying the foundation for multiparametric cell characterization and subpopulation distinction, which are essential to understand biological function, follow disease progression and monitor cell behaviour in microsystems. In this tutorial review, we present a comparative survey of the approaches to elucidate cellular and subcellular features from impedance cytometry data, covering the related subjects of device design, data analytics (i.e., signal processing, dielectric modelling, population clustering), and phenotyping applications. We give special emphasis to the exciting recent developments of the technique (timeframe 2017-2020) and provide our perspective on future challenges and directions. Its synergistic application with microfluidic separation, sensor science and machine learning can form an essential tool-kit for label-free quantification and isolation of subpopulations to stratify heterogeneous biosystems

Phytosociologic associations and Natura 2000 habitats of Portuguese coastal sand dunes

The Portuguese coastline is quite long and the littoral ecosystems are of the outmost importance in the context of the national flora and vegetation. The diversity of vegetation types and the endemicity of their flora justify the attention paid to coastal habitats in the implementation of the Natura 2000 network. In this paper we present a synatoxonomical revision of the phanerophytic, chamaephytic and hemicryptophytic communities occurring in the sandy coastal areas of Portugal, together with their correspondence to the “Natura 2000” natural habitat types. The production of synthetic tables with all available relevés has allowed the segregation of plant community types. We also include maps concerning the distribution of all validated vegetation types occurring in the Portuguese sandy coastal areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dielectric characterization of Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells using microfluidic impedance cytometry

Although malaria is the world’s most life-threatening parasitic disease, there is no clear understanding of how certain biophysical properties of infected cells change during the malaria infection cycle. In this article, we use microfluidic impedance cytometry to measure the dielectric properties of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (i-RBCs) at specific time-points during the infection cycle. Individual parasites were identified within i-RBCs using Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) emission. The dielectric properties of cell sub-populations were determined using the multi-shell model. Analysis showed that the membrane capacitance and cytoplasmic conductivity of i-RBCs increased along the infection time-course, due to membrane alterations caused by parasite infection. The volume ratio occupied by the parasite was estimated to vary from <10% at earlier stages, to ~90% at later stages. This knowledge could be used to develop new label-free cell sorting techniques for sample pre-enrichment, improving diagnosis

Sobre as comunidades de Pterospartum tridentatum sensu lato em Portugal continental

FRANCO (1971) aquando da publicação da Nova Flora de Portugal só considerou ocorrer no território nacional Pterospartum tridentatum (L.) Willk., sob o nome de Chamaespartium tridentatum (L.) P. Gibbs, contudo TALAVERA (1999), na Flora Ibérica, considerou que esta espécie era constituída por três subespécies: Pterospartum tridentatum subsp. tridentatum, Pterospartum tridentatum subsp. cantabricum (Spach) Talavera & P. Gibbs, Pterospartum tridentatum subsp. lasianthum (Spach) Talavera & P. Gibbs, que posteriormente RIVAS-MARTÍNEZ et al. (2002) reputaram serem espécies independentes. Com esta nota pretendemos esclarecer as comunidades em que estes táxones desempenham um papel importante em Portugal continental

Regional planning of river protection and restoration to promote ecosystem services and nature conservation

[Except] International conservation and sustainability agendas (CBD, 2010; European Union, 2011; IPBES, 2018; United Nations, 2018) have repeatedly called for conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity as well as the enhancement of ecosystem services and benefits to society. These calls are particularly relevant for freshwater ecosystems, which combine conservation interest and high societal value through the supply of multiple ecosystem services (Tharme, Tickner, Hughes, Conallin, & Zielinski, 2018). Freshwater habitats, biodiversity and ecological functions are also amongst the most threatened worldwide, due to a broad range of anthropogenic pressures (IPBES, 2018; Reid et al., 2019). In the European Union, 63% of river and lake habitats protected under the Habitats Directive are considered to hold “Unfavourable” conservation status, and 60% of water bodies are not in “Good” ecological status (IPBES, 2018). [...]Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through a doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BD/115030/2016) co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Human Capital Operational Program (POCH), the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020) and national funds from the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES). CV would like to acknowledge the support of the Portuguese Infrastructure of Scientific Collections (POCI-01-0145FEDER-022168) (PRISC.pt). JG developed this work within the scope of the project proMetheus – Research Unit on Materials, Energy and Environment for Sustainability, FCT Ref. UID/05975/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTE

Kinetics of Expression in Cancer Drug Resistance

This research was funded by Fundação de Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), grant number UID-BIM-00009-2020 and GHTM-UID/Multi/04413/2013. The APC was funded by Fundação de Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), grant number UID-BIM-00009-2020.Cancer drug resistance (CDR) is a major problem in therapeutic failure. Over 90% of patients with metastatic cancer present CDR. Several mechanisms underlie CDR, including the increased expression of efflux ABC transporters and epigenetic phenomena. Nevertheless, a topic that is not usually addressed is the mechanism underlying the loss of CDR once the challenge to these cells is withdrawn. A KCR cell line (doxorubicin-resistant, expressing ABCB1) was used to induce loss of resistance by withdrawing doxorubicin in culture medium. ABCB1 activity was analysed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry through substrate (DiOC2) retention assays. The expression of 1008 microRNAs was assessed before and after doxorubicin withdrawal. After 16 weeks of doxorubicin withdrawal, a decrease of ABCB1 activity and expression occurred. Moreover, we determined a signature of 23 microRNAs, 13 underexpressed and 10 overexpressed, as a tool to assess loss of resistance. Through pathway enrichment analysis, “Pathways in cancer”, “Proteoglycans in cancer” and “ECM-receptor interaction” were identified as relevant in the loss of CDR. Taken together, the data reinforce the assumption that ABCB1 plays a major role in the kinetics of CDR, and their levels of expression are in the dependence of the circuitry of cell miRNAspublishersversionpublishe

A classe Cytisetea scopario-striati em Portugal continental

Giestais são a designação vulgar em português para as comunidades silicícolas que se inserem na classe Cytisetea scopario-striati e são dominadas por espécies de leguminosas dos géneros Cytisus, Genista, Adenocarpus e Retama. Esta classe tem o seu óptimo na Península Ibérica e representa normalmente as orlas ou etapas de regressão de bosques climácicos da Quercetalia roboris e da Quercion broteroi. No presente trabalho apresentam-se as diversas comunidades da classe Cytisetea scopario-striati que ocorrem em Portugal continental. Propõem-se os seguintes novos sintáxones: Ulici latebracteati-Cytisetum striati cytisetosum grandiflori, Cytiso multiflori-Retametum sphaerocarpae cytisetosum scoparii, Cytiso multiflori-Retametum sphaerocarpae cytisetosum eriocarpi, Cytisetum cabezudo

A methodological approach to potential vegetation modeling using GIS techniques and phytosociological expert-knowledge: application to mainland Portugal

An attempt to obtain a consistent spatial model of natural potential vegetation (NPV) for the mainland Portuguese territory is reported. Spatial modeling procedures performed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, aimed to operationalize phytosociological expert-knowledge about the putative distribution of potential zona1 forest communities dominam in the Portuguese continental territories. The paradigm for NPV assumed was that of RIVAS-MARTINE(1Z9 76) and RIVAS-MARTINEeZt al. (1999), which presupposes, for a given territory, a univocal correspondence between a uniform combination of bioclimatic stage and lithology' gi ven a biogeographical context, and a unique successional sequence leading to a single climax community (i. e. a vegetation series (VS)). Information issued from both literature and a team of phytosociologists possessing detailed knowledge about Portuguese vegetation, namely about forests and its seria1 vegetation, was acknowledged as a starting point for the construction of such a habitat-vegetation correspondence model. First, a bioclimatic map concerning the "Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System" (WBCS) of RIVAS-MARTINE(1Z9 81 -2004), obtained by multivariate grostatistical interpolation issuing from the work of MESQUITA(2 005), was set. Severa1 partia1 matrices, one for each biogeographical Province, combined such habitat statements to VS. Initial incoherence due to vagueness of statements led to an important amount of both superimposition of VS and habitat gaps in the matrices. Further rearrangement of the table according to known field distribution of VS by experts allowed setting an approximate univocal correspondence VS-habitat. Finally, an intersection of bioclimatic, lithology and biogeographic maps yielded over a thousand habitat combinations to be associated each to a single VS through implementation of the matrices as a set of rules. Again, inconsistencies were solved likewise, but this time by direct observation of the map by experts. Keeping of phytosociological consistency and fidelity to information on actual vegetation field distribution was always mandatory during the proces