Intercalibrating the national classifications of ecological status for very large rivers in Europe: Biological Quality Element: Phytoplankton

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the national classifications of good ecological status to be harmonised through an intercalibration exercise. In this exercise, significant differences in status classification among Member States are harmonized by comparing and, if necessary, adjusting the good status boundaries of the national assessment methods. Intercalibration is performed for rivers, lakes, coastal and transitional waters, focusing on selected types of water bodies (intercalibration types), anthropogenic pressures and Biological Quality Elements. Intercalibration exercises were carried out in Geographical Intercalibration Groups - larger geographical units including Member States with similar water body types - and followed the procedure described in the WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance document on the intercalibration process (European Commission, 2011). The Technical reports are organized in volumes according to the water category (rivers, lakes, coastal and transitional waters), Biological Quality Element and Geographical Intercalibration group. This volume addresses the intercalibration of the Very large river Phytoplankton ecological assessment methods. Thirteen countries (Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia) participated in the intercalibration exercise and harmonised their benthic invertebrate assessment systems. The results were approved by the WG ECOSTAT and included in the EC Decision on intercalibration (European Commission, 2018). In addition, four countries (Italy, Finland, Norway, Sweden) provided justification for excluding Phytoplankton BQE assessment system.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Effect of thyme oil on small intestine integrity and antioxidant status, phagocytic activity and gastrointestinal microbiota in rabbits

The effects of 0.5 g thyme oil per kg dry matter (DM) of diet on duodenal tissue integrity, antioxidant status, phagocytic activity and selected microbiota in the caecum and faeces of rabbits were studied. Twenty-four rabbits were divided into two groups and were fed a commercial granulated diet for growing rabbits (CD) with access to water ad libitum. The first group was fed the CD, while to the CD of the second group thyme oil was added. Intestinal integrity was tested by measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Thyme oil significantly increased the value of total antioxidant status (TAS) in the blood plasma and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the liver, and it decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the duodenal tissue. Thyme oil resulted in strengthened intestinal integrity, as the essential oil supplementation significantly increased TEER values in the experiment. The faecal microbiota of rabbits was almost completely balanced in both groups, and only a slight decrease was found in the microbial population at day 42 of the trial. In both groups, the bacterial counts were generally lower in the caecum than in the faecal samples. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 0.5 g/kg DM thyme oil may improve intestinal integrity, and it may have an antioxidant effect. A tendency was also found for thyme oil to stimulate the abundance of some microbes beneficial in the rabbit gut

Problemas de produto cartesiano, raciocínio combinatório e intervenção do professor

O artigo descreve a natureza das soluções de crianças a problemas de produto cartesiano conforme níveis do raciocínio combinatório ali implicados, para identificar a aprendizagem ocorrente e a natureza das intervenções de ensino. Participaram cinco crianças de nove anos, alunas da 3ª série de uma escola municipal de Ensino Fundamental. A coleta de dados foi realizada em duas sessões individuais para solucionar problemas por escrito. A intervenção de ensino da pesquisadora seguiu o estilo clínico-crítico. Da análise qualitativa dos dados gravados em vídeo foram identificados os seguintes níveis de solução: resposta contextualizada sem indício de combinação, primeiras aproximações à solução combinatória, obtenção de algumas combinações e presença de solução combinatória. As formas identificadas de intervenção do adulto foram: orientadora, reorientadora, questionadora e instigadora. A discussão sublinha a relação das intervenções de ensino descritas na ocorrência dos progressos pontuais das crianças em direção a soluções de caráter combinatório