Birds and Viruses at a Crossroad : Surveillance of Influenza A Virus in Portuguese Waterfowl

During recent years, extensive amounts of data have become available regarding influenza A virus (IAV) in wild birds in northern Europe, while information from southern Europe is more limited. Here, we present an IAV surveillance study conducted in western Portugal 2008-2009, analyzing 1653 samples from six different species of waterfowl, with the majority of samples taken from Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Overall 4.4% of sampled birds were infected. The sampling results revealed a significant temporal variation in the IAV prevalence, including a pronounced peak among predominantly young birds in June, indicating that IAV circulate within breeding populations in the wetlands of western Portugal. The H10N7 and H9N2 subtypes were predominant among isolated viruses. Phylogenetic analyses of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase sequences of H10N7, H9N2 and H11N3 virus showed that sequences from Portugal were closely related to viral sequences from Central Europe as well as to IAVs isolated in the southern parts of Africa, reflecting Portugal's position on the European-African bird migratory flyway. This study highlights the importance of Portugal as a migratory crossroad for IAV, connecting breeding stationary waterfowl with birds migrating between continents which enable transmission and spread of IAV

Brand promotion in Latvian clothing and accessories market by using merchandising

Maģistra darba temats ir “Merčendaizinga izmantošana zīmolu virzīšanā Latvijas apģērbu un to aksesuāru tirgū”. Maģistra darba mērķis ir, pamatojieties uz teorijā iegūto informāciju un tās atziņām, uz ekspertu aptaujas un klientu anketas rezultātiem izpētīt zīmola virzīšanas spēku, vai tas ir apslēpts merčendaizinga kontekstā apģērbu un to aksesuāru tirgū kā to pasniedz maģistra darbā, izpētītā merčendaizinga teoriju un beigās izstrādāt, un sniegt priekšlikumus merčendaizinga pilnveidošanā. Darbs sastāv no trim nodaļām, kurās tiek izskatīta merčendaizinga teorētiskā puse, praktiskais ieskats konkrētos zīmols, kā arī ekspertu un respondentu aptauja par merčendaizingu. Darba apjoms ir 86 lappuses. Darbs ir uzrakstīts latviešu valodā un tajā ir iekļauti 37 attēli un 2 tabulām. Atslēgvārdi: merčendaizings, vizuālais merčendaizings, plūsmas manipulācija, veicināt pārdošanu, vizuālais noformējums.The research topic of master thesis: “Brand promotion in Latvian clothing and accessories market by using merchandising”. The aim of thesis is based on theoretical information and insights, expert and client surveys result analysis, investigate brands driving force, is it hidden in clothing and it’s accessories shops, as merchandising context, research how it’s served in this masters work, investigate merchandising theory and in the ending develop and submit proposals for merchandising improvement. Thesis is written in three chapters, where we explore merchandising from theoretical side, practical side from one of the brands and two types of survey. Thesis contains 86 pages, is written in Latvian language and has 37 pictures and 2 tables. Keywords: merchandising, visual merchandising, flow manipulation, promote sales, visual display