Molecular characterization of Portuguese populations of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus using cytochrome b and cellulase genes

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is the causal agent of pine wilt disease and a worldwide pest with high economic impact. Since its first diagnosis in Portugal in 1999, it has been subjected to quarantine measures with impact on forest health and ecosystem stability, significantly affecting international trade of wood products. The disease was detected in the north and centre of continental Portugal and, since 2008, the whole country has been considered an affected area. Recently, it was detected in Madeira Island. In order to avoid new outbreaks, it has become of major importance to understand the patterns of spread, introduction points and to characterize the new populations from continental Portugal and Madeira Island. Mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and parasitic cellulase gene sequences were used to evaluate the genetic relationships among isolates that could indicate possible origins of the new outbreaks. Portuguese isolates were compared with isolates from USA, China, Japan and South Korea, in order to investigate possible infection pathways and disease spread patterns in Portugal. Phylogenetic trees based on both genes show that Portuguese isolates group with Asian isolates. Isolates from USA are in a separate position in both gene trees. However, the phylogenetic tree based on the cellulase gene sequences shows higher differentiation among Portuguese isolates than that of cytb. These results agree with those previously obtained using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). This was the first study to use cytb and cellulase genes to characterize pinewood nematode (PWN) populations. This study suggests that cellulase is a better marker than cytb to study genetic diversity in B. xylophilus

The pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, in Portugal: possible introductions and spread routes of a serious biological invasion revealed by molecular methods

The pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD), is a major world-wide pathogen and pest of pine, with impacts on forest health, natural ecosystem stability and international trade. In Portugal, PWN was first diagnosed in 1999, the first occurrence also for Europe. The disease was recently detected on the island ofMadeira and in northern Spain. In an attempt to search for more reliable and robust molecular markers that enable the study of intraspecific variability of B. xylophilus from different geographic locations, the intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the 5S rRNA gene and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis were used to determine the genetic relationships among 43 B. xylophilus isolates from Portugal, China, Japan, South Korea and USA. IGS sequence analysis showed that this region can only be used to establish interspecific relationships, since no differences were detected among Portuguese isolates from different geographic locations. Fingerprints obtained with ISSR show high genetic variability among Portuguese isolates, except for the ones obtained prior to 2008. The ISSR dendrogram suggests the spread of the disease inside continental Portugal and to Madeira. Until 2008, B. xylophilus populations found in continental Portugal showed low genetic diversity, pointing to a single introduction, probably from Asia, whereas recent populations from continental Portugal (2009-2010) and Madeira show high genetic diversity, suggesting multiple introductions from different origins

Analytical customer relationship management in retailing supported by data mining techniques

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Industrial e Gestão. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

Catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Química e Biológica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

Generalized estimating equations vs. repeated-measures ANOVA on the time-course of clinical variables during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

O PARADIGMA BIOMÉDICO E HOLÍSTICO FACE AOS CUIDADOS DE ENFERMAGEM

A presente monografia encontra-se fundamentada no estudo do paradigma Biomédico e Holístico face aos Cuidados de Enfermagem como desafio à uma prática de enfermagem humanística centrada nos cuidados à pessoa de forma individualizada enfatizando questões sobre a boa saúde do paciente. Reflecte-se sobre o modelo Biomédico e Holístico bem como sua constituição no âmbito das ciências, centrada nos princípios fundamentais e sua inserção na saúde e em conceitos gerais, bases, pressupostos importantes que apontam o paradigma como novo rumo para a humanidade. São objectivos desta monografia: definir conceitos - chave relacionados com a temática, realçar a importância da enfermagem holística, conhecer e dar a conhecer os paradigmas de enfermagem e sua evolução ao longo dos tempos, descrever os Paradigmas de Enfermagem e identificar de que forma influenciam na prestação dos cuidados de enfermagem. Assim, a orientação metodológica parte de um enfoque que está suportado pela revisão da bibliografia específica que resulta num referencial teórico – metodológico no qual se tenha um olhar dos serviços de saúde, de acordo com os Paradigmas e a forma como influenciam a prestação de cuidados de enfermagem. Ao estabelecer como método a análise, também reflexiva e crítica dos textos, optou-se por uma metodologia essencialmente qualitativa. Da abordagem teórica resultou-se um modelo de explicação da importância dos modelos holístico e Biomédico na prestação dos cuidados de enfermagem

Corporate effective tax rate: brief literature review

Given the model of partial dependence between accounting and taxation, the nominal tax rate tells nothing about the tax burden borne by companies`. Therefore, the effective tax rate is, an indicator to be considered by stakeholders when making decisions once it represents the tax burden that the company bears during the period. This paper aims to present a brief literature review on the effective corporate tax rate, emphasizing its determinants, namely the size, the leverage, the capital intensity, the stock intensity, and the return on assets. With this paper, there was detected evidence of a significant relationship between the effective tax rate and the determinants analysed.publishe

Atenção a mulheres vítimas de violência sexual em um hospital de referência, Porto Alegre, Brasil

This work aimed to study the care of women victims of sexual violence in a public refer-ence hospital of Porto Alegre. We characterized the profile of women attended and the embracement process afforded to them. This is qualitative and quantitative research; data were collected from records of users from the year 2006, when the service was deployed. We carried out participant observation and semi-structured interviews with five users at-tended in the second semester of 2008. The study found weaknesses in attendance, loss to the integrality in the attention of women and low compliance of users to the service.O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi estudar o atendimento a mulheres vítimas de violên-cia sexual em um Hospital Público de Referência da cidade de Porto Alegre. Caracterizou-se o perfil das mulheres atendidas e o processo de acolhimento dispensado a elas. Esta é uma pesquisa de delineamento qualitativo e quantitativo, cujos dados foram coletados em regis-tros das usuárias a partir do ano de 2006, quando o serviço foi implantado. Realizou-se ob-servação participante e entrevistas semi-estruturadas com cinco usuárias atendidas no se-gundo semestre de 2008. O trabalho permitiu observar fragilidades no atendimento com prejuízo à atenção da mulher na sua integralidade e baixa adesão das usuárias ao serviço

Three species of entomopathogenic nematodes of the family Steinernematidae (Nematoda: Rhabditida) new to continental Portugal

Abstract In order to determine the species of entomopathogenic nematodes in Continental Portugal, a survey was conducted in the country. Nematodes were recovered from soil samples collected from Alentejo, Algarve, center and the north of Portugal from 2006-2009. Isolates were identified based on morphology and sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis was based on sequences of partial 28S (D2D3), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene (COX I). Isolates 59F, 15G, 20F and 2B were characterized in detail. Isolate 2B shows a morphology identical to Steinernema intermedium which is a member of the affine/intermedium-group and is characterized by the presence of strongly curved and robust spicules with a distinct rostrum, in the male, and dorsal tail depression in third-stage infective junveniles (IJ). However, the phylogenies based on the three molecular markers revealed that isolate 2B is more closely related to S. affine than with S. intermedium. The morphological results for isolate 20F identify it as S. kraussei which is a member of kraussei/feltiae–group, characterized by IJs with a straight body of medium length (mean = 700–950 μm), lateral field mostly with eight ridges, rather broad, flatly rounded and continuous cephalic region, excretory pore at level of mid-pharynx; males with mucronate tail, yellowish spicules ca. 50 μm long and wide manubria; females with short conoid tail with pointed non-mucronate tip. Based on morphology and sequence analysis, isolates 59F and 15G were considered conspecific and identified as a species belonging to the glaseri–group. More detailed studies are necessary to solve if these isolates represent a new species