Quantitative trait loci associated with kernel weight and test weight in durum wheat

Tese de doutoramento em História, em Altos Estudos, apresentada à Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de CoimbraEntre 1943 e 1986, as relações diplomáticas luso-italianas caracterizaram-se por uma progressiva aproximação. Finda a II Guerra Mundial, a Itália, membro do Eixo até 1943, assinava, em 1947, o Tratado de Paz como país vencido. Em Portugal, os governantes portugueses temiam que a vitória dos Aliados levasse ao fim do Estado Novo, um regime antidemocrático e autoritário com características fascizantes. As incertezas e as expectativas internas e externas eram, pois, vividas em Lisboa e em Roma com nervosismo até ao final dos anos 40, quando os instrumentos principais das relações internacionais no Ocidente – como a ONU, a OECE, a NATO e a CECA – ficam delineados, permitindo aos dois países integrarem-se numa esfera de interacção comum e no âmbito da qual as relações luso-italianas ficavam reforçadas. Contudo, se a Itália garantia o seu lugar nos projectos de cooperação europeia, Portugal direccionava-se para o Ultramar. Também aqui as relações luso-italianas poderiam encontrar um ponto de reforço se ao anticolonialismo professado pelo Governo de Roma não se opusesse o acérrimo colonialismo do Governo de Lisboa, com a desconfiança do Governo português a acentuar-se com o início das guerras coloniais, a partir de 1961. Condenado na ONU, pressionado na NATO, Portugal buscava o apoio da Itália, cedido apenas dentro dos limites da solidariedade devida a um aliado no quadro da Aliança Atlântica. Caído o Estado Novo em Abril de 1974, Roma e Lisboa encetavam um período de maior identificação em termos de princípios políticos e de objectivos, com a primeira a ceder os seus préstimos para garantir o sucesso da transição democrática e para acelerar o processo da negociação da independência das colónias. Ao fazê-lo, pretendia não só solidificar as relações diplomáticas com Lisboa, mas também com os novos países surgidos do Ultramar, considerados altamente rentáveis para investir e alargar a presença da Itália na África. A Democracia de Abril veio também permitir o estreitamento das relações luso-italianas no campo multilateral, com a Itália a ter um papel de destaque no processo de adesão de Portugal à CEE não só ao impor um número de reformas a executar a nível comunitário para optimizar o funcionamento institucional e salvaguardar a economia italiana, produtora de produtos similares à portuguesa e com necessidades símiles em termos de financiamentos europeus, mas também ao acelerar a conclusão das negociações, em 1985.Between 1943 and 1986, a growing closeness characterizes the Portuguese – Italian diplomatic relations. After the World War II, while the Portuguese leaders feared the ruin of the Estado Novo, an antidemocratic and authoritarian regime with fascist characteristics, the Italian Government signed, in 1947, the Peace Treaty as a defeated ally of the Nazi Germany. The uncertainties and the expectations were, therefore, nervously felt in Lisbon and Rome till the end of the 40´s, when the two countries join the OEEC and the OTAN and assure their acceptance by the western partners. At the same time, the diplomatic relations between them were strengthened. However, while the Italians focused on the development of the European communities, the Portuguese focused on their Colonial Empire. By this time, the anti-colonialism of the Italian government, as opposed to the colonialism of the Portuguese government, created some difficulties in the relations between the two. The situation got worse with the beginning of the Portuguese colonial wars, in 1961. Condemned by the UN and pressured by the NATO, Portugal searched for Italy's support, which was given only sparingly. Simultaneously, the African nationalists and the political opposition to the Estado Novo enlarged their support base in Italy, mainly in the political sectors of the left, which had negative consequences in the relations between Lisbon and Rome. With the revolution of April 25th 1974, the Estado Novo disappeared without resistance. With the new democratic and anti-colonialist regime, the relations between Rome and Lisbon entered a new phase of greater cooperation. The Italian Government helped the new government with the democratic transition, the decolonization and the negotiation of the Portuguese entrance into the European Economic Community. By doing so, Italy attempted not only to strengthen the diplomatic relations with Portugal and with the new African countries, very appealing to the Italian capital, but also to fortify the role and influence of her own and that of the southern Europe in the European communities

Weekly epirubicin in patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the benefit of weekly epirubicin in the treatment of metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer. One hundred and forty-eight patients with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer received weekly 30-min intravenous infusions of epirubicin 30 mg m2 of body surface area. The primary end-point was palliative response, defined as a reduction in pain intensity and an improvement in performance status. The secondary end-points were the duration of the palliative response, quality of life and survival. Fifty-seven (44%) of the 131 evaluable patients met the primary criterion of palliative response after six treatment cycles and 73 (56%) after 12 cycles; the median duration of the response was 9 months (range 1–11). The median global quality of life improved in 52% of the patients after six cycles and in 68% after 12 cycles. The 12- and 18-month survival rates were respectively 56 and 31%, with a median survival of 13+ months (range 1–36). The treatment was well tolerated: grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 8% of the patients, grade 3 anaemia in 7%, and grade 3 thrombocytopenia in 3%. None of the patients developed grade 4 toxicity or congestive heart failure. Weekly epirubicin chemotherapy can lead to a rapid and lasting palliative result in patients with metastatic HRPC, and have a positive effect on the quality of life and survival

Photon echo studies of photosynthetic light harvesting

The broad linewidths in absorption spectra of photosynthetic complexes obscure information related to their structure and function. Photon echo techniques represent a powerful class of time-resolved electronic spectroscopy that allow researchers to probe the interactions normally hidden under broad linewidths with sufficient time resolution to follow the fastest energy transfer events in light harvesting. Here, we outline the technical approach and applications of two types of photon echo experiments: the photon echo peak shift and two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transform photon echo spectroscopy. We review several extensions of these techniques to photosynthetic complexes. Photon echo peak shift spectroscopy can be used to determine the strength of coupling between a pigment and its surrounding environment including neighboring pigments and to quantify timescales of energy transfer. Two-dimensional spectroscopy yields a frequency-resolved map of absorption and emission processes, allowing coupling interactions and energy transfer pathways to be viewed directly. Furthermore, 2D spectroscopy reveals structural information such as the relative orientations of coupled transitions. Both classes of experiments can be used to probe the quantum mechanical nature of photosynthetic light-harvesting: peak shift experiments allow quantification of correlated energetic fluctuations between pigments, while 2D techniques measure quantum beating directly, both of which indicate the extent of quantum coherence over multiple pigment sites in the protein complex. The mechanistic and structural information obtained by these techniques reveals valuable insights into the design principles of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, and a multitude of variations on the methods outlined here