Relação entre geologia, ventilação natural e concentração de gás radão: caso de estudo no noroeste de Portugal

Alto Minho region, Northwest of Portugal, presents high indoor radon concentrations due to the granitic nature of the soil. Indoor radon concentration is related to the amount of uranium and radium in the building foundation soil. According to the World Health Organization, it is proved that radon exposure in poorly ventilated buildings enhances lung cancer risk. An assessment campaign in a set of granitic buildings in the Alto Minho region, based on short-term measurements, was carried out with a specific focus on the influence of occupancy and ventilation actions performed by residents on the variation of radon concentration, indoor air temperature, and relative humidity. Results attained show to exist an influence of the air renovation on the reduction of radon concentration, therefore, buildings with low occupancy and reduced ventilation present higher indoor radon concentration and poor thermal comfort conditions. 67% of the evaluated buildings show radon concentrations below the reference value of 300 Bq.m−3 suggested by Portuguese regulation, highlighting the importance of human occupancy – mostly through passive ventilation processes – as a radon concentration mitigation factor. On the other hand, buildings sporadically occupied and, therefore, badly ventilated show higher indoor radon concentrations. Likewise, building where occupants reveal to have a lack of ventilation routine, present also high indoor radon concentrations.A região do Alto Minho, Noroeste de Portugal, apresenta altas concentrações de gás radão em ambientes interiores devido à natureza granítica do solo. A concentração no ar interior de gás radão está relacionada com a quantidade de urânio e rádio no solo de fundação do edifício. De acordo com a Organização Mundial de Saúde, está provado que a exposição ao gás radão em edifícios mal ventilados incrementa o risco de cancro do pulmão. Foi realizada uma campanha de instrumentação tendo como objeto de estudo um conjunto de edifícios graníticos na região do Alto Minho, baseada em medições de curta duração, tendo como foco específico, a influência da ocupação e da ventilação dos edifícios na variação da concentração de gás radão, temperatura do ar interior e humidade relativa. Os resultados obtidos mostram existir uma influência das ações de ventilação na redução da concentração de gás radão. Deste modo, edifícios com baixa ocupação e, portanto, com menor renovação do ar, apresentam elevada concentração de gás radão e deficientes condições de conforto térmico. De facto, 67% dos edifícios avaliados apresentam concentrações de gás radão abaixo do valor de referência de 300 Bq.m−3 indicado na regulamentação portuguesa, evidenciando a importância da ocupação humana e dos processos de ventilação natural adotados, como fator de mitigação da concentração de radão. Por outro lado, edifícios esporadicamente ocupados e, portanto, mal ventilados apresentam concentrações mais elevadas de radão. Da mesma forma, edifícios onde os ocupantes não têm hábitos de ventilação apresentam de igual forma concentrações de gás radão mais elevadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Review of low-cost sensors for indoor air quality: Features and applications

Humans spend the majority of their time indoors, where they are potentially exposed to hazardous pollutants. Within this context, over the past few years, there has been an upsurge of low-cost sensors (LCS) for the measurement of indoor air pollutants, motivated both by recent technological advances and by increased awareness of indoor air quality (IAQ) and its potential negative health impacts. Although not meeting the performance requirements for reference regulatory-equivalent monitoring indoors, LCS can provide informative measurements, offering an opportunity for high-resolution monitoring, emission source identification, exposure mitigation and managing IAQ and energy efficiency, among others. This article discusses the strengths and limitations that LCS offer for applications in the field of IAQ monitoring; it provides an overview of existing sensor technologies and gives recommendations for different indoor applications, considering their performance in the complex indoor environment and discussing future trends

A Worldwide Phylogeography for the Human X Chromosome

BACKGROUND: We reasoned that by identifying genetic markers on human X chromosome regions where recombination is rare or absent, we should be able to construct X chromosome genealogies analogous to those based on Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms, with the advantage of providing information about both male and female components of the population. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified a 47 Kb interval containing an Alu insertion polymorphism (DXS225) and four microsatellites in complete linkage disequilibrium in a low recombination rate region of the long arm of the human X chromosome. This haplotype block was studied in 667 males from the HGDP-CEPH Human Genome Diversity Panel. The haplotypic diversity was highest in Africa (0.992+/-0.0025) and lowest in the Americas (0.839+/-0.0378), where no insertion alleles of DXS225 were observed. Africa shared few haplotypes with other geographical areas, while those exhibited significant sharing among themselves. Median joining networks revealed that the African haplotypes were numerous, occupied the periphery of the graph and had low frequency, whereas those from the other continents were few, central and had high frequency. Altogether, our data support a single origin of modern man in Africa and migration to occupy the other continents by serial founder effects. Coalescent analysis permitted estimation of the time of the most recent common ancestor as 182,000 years (56,700-479,000) and the estimated time of the DXS225 Alu insertion of 94,400 years (24,300-310,000). These dates are fully compatible with the current widely accepted scenario of the origin of modern mankind in Africa within the last 195,000 years and migration out-of-Africa circa 55,000-65,000 years ago. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A haplotypic block combining an Alu insertion polymorphism and four microsatellite markers on the human X chromosome is a useful marker to evaluate genetic diversity of human populations and provides a highly informative tool for evolutionary studies

Genetic diversity analysis in the section Caulorrhizae (genus Arachis) using microsatellite markers

Diversity in 26 microsatellite loci from section Caulorrhizae germplasm was evaluated by using 33 accessions of A. pintoi Krapov. & W.C. Gregory and ten accessions of Arachis repens Handro. Twenty loci proved to be polymorphic and a total of 196 alleles were detected with an average of 9.8 alleles per locus. The variability found in those loci was greater than the variability found using morphological characters, seed storage proteins and RAPD markers previously used in this germplasm. The high potential of these markers to detect species-specific alleles and discriminate among accessions was demonstrated. The set of microsatellite primer pairs developed by our group for A. pintoi are useful molecular tools for evaluating Section Caulorrhizae germplasm, as well as that of species belonging to other Arachis sections

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evidence for Reductive Genome Evolution and Lateral Acquisition of Virulence Functions in Two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strains

Ruiz JC, D'Afonseca V, Silva A, et al. Evidence for Reductive Genome Evolution and Lateral Acquisition of Virulence Functions in Two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strains. PLoS ONE. 2011;6(4): e18551.Background: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a Gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen, is the etiologic agent of the disease known as caseous lymphadenitis (CL). CL mainly affects small ruminants, such as goats and sheep; it also causes infections in humans, though rarely. This species is distributed worldwide, but it has the most serious economic impact in Oceania, Africa and South America. Although C. pseudotuberculosis causes major health and productivity problems for livestock, little is known about the molecular basis of its pathogenicity. Methodology and Findings: We characterized two C. pseudotuberculosis genomes (Cp1002, isolated from goats; and CpC231, isolated from sheep). Analysis of the predicted genomes showed high similarity in genomic architecture, gene content and genetic order. When C. pseudotuberculosis was compared with other Corynebacterium species, it became evident that this pathogenic species has lost numerous genes, resulting in one of the smallest genomes in the genus. Other differences that could be part of the adaptation to pathogenicity include a lower GC content, of about 52%, and a reduced gene repertoire. The C. pseudotuberculosis genome also includes seven putative pathogenicity islands, which contain several classical virulence factors, including genes for fimbrial subunits, adhesion factors, iron uptake and secreted toxins. Additionally, all of the virulence factors in the islands have characteristics that indicate horizontal transfer. Conclusions: These particular genome characteristics of C. pseudotuberculosis, as well as its acquired virulence factors in pathogenicity islands, provide evidence of its lifestyle and of the pathogenicity pathways used by this pathogen in the infection process. All genomes cited in this study are available in the NCBI Genbank database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/) under accession numbers CP001809 and CP001829