Geoconservation, concept of

[Excerto] The exceptional scientific value of certain geodiversity elements justifies the need to implement proper measures in order to assure their conservation. Obviously, not all geodiversity elements should be envisaged for conservation. Most elements have no particular value, and a vast variety of geological resources are exploited everyday to satisfy the needs of modern societies. This means that accurate methods should be used to select exceptional sites that need to be protected and conserved, i.e., geosites. It should be noted that geological heritage (or geoheritage) encompasses in situ occurrences of notable geodiversity elements (minerals, fossils, rocks, soils, and landforms) and ex situ elements usually integrating museum collections...info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Terrestrial impact structures as geoheritage: an assessment method of their scientific value and its application to Brazil

Terrestrial impact structures are geological and geomorphological features with particular importance to understand the history and evolution of the planet. Impact structures are scattered around the world but in many countries these features are under threat, essentially due to anthropic factors. Impact structures with higher scienti c value should be considered as geological heritage and, consequently, be subjected to geoconservation strategies. In order to select the most important impact structures to be properly conserved and managed, this paper proposes a quantitative assessment method of the scienti c value of these structures. The eight Brazilian impact structures were used to test this method that has the potential to be applied to any geological context in any country. The structures known as Araguainha Dome-MT and Serra da Cangalha-TO reached a higher scienti c value, which justi es the need to develop geoconservation strategies and a proper management.The Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (CNPq / National Council for Research and Development) and the Programa Ciências sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Programme are acknowledged for the support of the postdoctoral grant No 233209/2013-1 of the 1st author. The work was co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, based on COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional da Competitividade e Internacionalização), project ICT (UID/ GEO/04683/2013) with reference POCI-01-0145- FEDER-007690 and Portuguese funds provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Geological Itinerary Through the Southern Apennine Thrust-Belt (Basilicata—Southern Italy)

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Avaliação da resistência e do efeito do parasitismo gastro-intestinal nas raças Merina Branca e Merina Preta no Alentejo, Portugal

A infeção por estrongilídeos gastrointestinais tem-se revelado como um dos fatores com maior impacto económico na produção de ovinos. Esse impacto manifesta-se tanto de uma forma direta (tratamento, profilaxia, morte) como de forma indireta (atraso no crescimento, quebras na produção, maior suscetibilidade a outras doenças). O controlo parasitário com base no uso exclusivo de antihelmínticos não se tem revelado uma estratégia sustentável,resultando num incremento da resistência por parte das populações parasitárias. De modo a contrariar esta tendência, tem-se dado particular atenção à relação parasita/hospedeiro,sendo a identificação de animais que revelam menor suscetibilidade à infeção parasitária um dos principais objetivos. A raça tem-se revelado como um fator importante na resistência dos estrongilídeos gastrointestinais, particularmente em raças autóctones comparativamente a raças exóticas. Em 2013 na região do Alentejo, num estudo comparativo com a Raça Merina,observou-se a existência de diferenças significativas entre as raças Merina Branca (MB) e Merina Preta (MP), apresentando a MP menor suscetibilidade à infeção. No presente trabalho, foram comparados os dados de avaliação de 435 ovinos das raças Merina Branca (n=241) e Merina Preta (n=194) em 3 explorações do Alentejo, onde se realizaram 2 visitas com mínimo de 3 meses de intervalo. Foram avaliados a condição corporal (CC), o nível de eliminação (nº de ovos por grama de fazes - OPG), o microhematócrito (MH) e as proteínas séricas totais (PT). Verificou-se que os níveis de OPG foram significativamente influenciados (pela exploração p<.05), pelo período de colheita (p<.01) e pela CC (p<.01), apresentando a CC e o OPG uma associação negativa. Estes fatores e a raça influenciam também de forma significativa (p<.01) o MH, enquanto os valores de PT dependeram sobretudo do período de colheita (p<.01). Apesar dos ovinos de raça MP apresentarem valores médios de OPG mais elevados, o fator raça não se revelou determinante nos níveis de eliminação, mas exerce influência significativa (p<.01) nos valores obtidos para MH, com níveis mais elevados na MB

The HY5-PIF regulatory module coordinates light and temperature control of photosynthetic gene transcription

The ability to interpret daily and seasonal alterations in light and temperature signals is essential for plant survival. This is particularly important during seedling establishment when the phytochrome photoreceptors activate photosynthetic pigment production for photoautotrophic growth. Phytochromes accomplish this partly through the suppression of phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs), negative regulators of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis. While the bZIP transcription factor long hypocotyl 5 (HY5), a potent PIF antagonist, promotes photosynthetic pigment accumulation in response to light. Here we demonstrate that by directly targeting a common promoter cis-element (G-box), HY5 and PIFs form a dynamic activation-suppression transcriptional module responsive to light and temperature cues. This antagonistic regulatory module provides a simple, direct mechanism through which environmental change can redirect transcriptional control of genes required for photosynthesis and photoprotection. In the regulation of photopigment biosynthesis genes, HY5 and PIFs do not operate alone, but with the circadian clock. However, sudden changes in light or temperature conditions can trigger changes in HY5 and PIFs abundance that adjust the expression of common target genes to optimise photosynthetic performance and growth

Conservation of geosites as a tool to protect geoheritage: the inventory of Ceará Central Domain, Borborema Province - NE/Brazil

The Ceará Central Domain, in the northern Borborema Province/NE Brazil, encompasses important geological records (geosites) which allow understanding a relevant period of the Earth’s evolution, mainly associated to Neoproterozoic Brazilian/Pan-African Cycle and West Gondwana amalgamation, besides Neoarchean to Ordovician records. The presented geoheritage inventory aims to characterise the geosites with scienti c relevance of Ceará Central Domain. By applying a method for large areas, the nal selection resulted in eight geological frameworks represented by 52 geosites documented in a single database. This is the rst step for a geoconservation strategy based on systematic inventories, statutory protection, geoethical behaviour and awareness about scienti c, educational and/or cultural relevance of geosites.We specially thank all experts that helped us with this inventory: Afonso Almeida, Carlos E.G. de Araújo, César Veríssimo, Christiano Magini, Clóvis Vaz Parente, Felipe G. Costa, Irani C. Mattos, Neivaldo de Castro, Otaciel de Melo, Sebástian G. Chiozza, Ticiano Santos and Stefano Zincone. We are also thankful to Kátia Mansur, Ricardo Fraga Pereira and anonymous reviewers for their valuable contributions. PM is grateful to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for PhD mobility scholarship PDSE Program/Process n 88881.132168/2016-01info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geodiversity assessment of Paraná state (Brazil): an innovative approach

Geodiversity is considered as the natural range of geological, geomorphological, and soil features, including their assemblages, relationships, properties, interpretations, and systems. A method developed for the quantitative assessment of geodiversity was applied to Parana ́ , a Brazilian state with an area of about 200,000 km2. The method is based on the overlay of a grid over different maps at scales ranging from 1/500,000 to 1/650,000, with the final Geodiversity Index the sum of five partial indexes calculated on a 25 9 25 km grid. The partial indexes represent the main components of geodi- versity, including geology (stratigraphy and lithology), geomorphology, paleontology, and soils. The fifth partial index covers mineral occurrences of geodiversity, such precious stones and metals, energy and industrial minerals, mineral waters, and springs. The Geodiversity Index takes the form of an isoline map that can be used as a tool in land-use planning, particularly in identifying priority areas for conservation, management, and use of natural resources at the state level.The Portuguese authors express their gratitude for the financial support given by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia to the Centro de Geologia da Universidade do Porto, which partially supports this research. The Brazilian author expresses his gratitude for the financial support given by the CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico) (Process Number 200074/2011-3)

Inventory and quantitative assessment of geosites and geodiversity sites: a review

"Published online: 15 January 2015"The inventory and quantitative assessment of the most valuable occurrences of geodiversity are essential steps in any geoconservation strategy and in the establishment of priorities in site management. Despite the existence of many site inventories applied to different scales (countries, municipalities, parks, etc.), the criteria used for their selection are often unclear and poorly defined. This paper proposes a new approach to the concepts of geosite and geodiversity site and reviews the procedures used in the development of a systematic site inventory applied to different scales and values. Procedures to achieve a numerical evaluation of the value and degradation risk of sites are reviewed and new criteria are proposed. Finally, guidelines are presented, bearing in mind the preparation of effective geodiversity inventories, to support geoparks’ strategies. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding and use of the above-mentioned concepts, which are essential for the implementation of geoconservation actions worldwide.The author thanks Diamantino Pereira, Flavia Lima, and Paulo Pereira for fruitful discussions and insights; Teresa Mota for the English revision; and the reviewers for significant improvements of the first submitted version. This paper results of the research done at the University of Minho and at the Geology Centre of the University of Porto, partially founded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal), strategic project with reference PEst-OE/CTE/UI0039/2014

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT