Can Core Flows inferred from Geomagnetic Field Models explain the Earth's Dynamo?

We test the ability of large scale velocity fields inferred from geomagnetic secular variation data to produce the global magnetic field of the Earth.Our kinematic dynamo calculations use quasi-geostrophic (QG) flows inverted from geomagnetic field models which, as such, incorporate flow structures that are Earth-like and may be important for the geodynamo.Furthermore, the QG hypothesis allows straightforward prolongation of the flow from the core surface to the bulk.As expected from previous studies, we check that a simple quasi-geostrophic flow is not able to sustain the magnetic field against ohmic decay.Additional complexity is then introduced in the flow, inspired by the action of the Lorentz force.Indeed, on centenial time-scales, the Lorentz force can balance the Coriolis force and strict quasi-geostrophy may not be the best ansatz.When the columnar flow is modified to account for the action of the Lorentz force, magnetic field is generated for Elsasser numbers larger than 0.25 and magnetic Reynolds numbers larger than 100.This suggests that our large scale flow captures the relevant features for the generation of the Earth's magnetic field and that the invisible small scale flow may not be directly involved in this process.Near the threshold, the resulting magnetic field is dominated by an axial dipole, with some reversed flux patches.Time-dependence is also considered, derived from principal component analysis applied to the inverted flows.We find that time periods from 120 to 50 years do not affect the mean growth rate of the kinematic dynamos.Finally we notice the footprint of the inner-core in the magnetic field generated deep in the bulk of the shell, although we did not include one in our computations

Relatório de estágio de cuidados paliativos no South Adelaide Palliative Services : Austrália Meridional : 2014

A practical component was felt to be essential to make theory and practice meet in Palliative Care, at all levels, even after directed postgraduate studies. As such, I opted to undergo a 9 week Palliative Care internship in a reference institution – South Adelaide Palliative Services (SAPS), from July to September 2014 in Adelaide, South Australia. This institution offers hospice, outpatient, hospital consultancy and home care services. Additionally, it is famous for conducting good quality research in Palliative Care. An internship was thus carried out with the aim of improving symptom control options, psychosocial understanding and management principles, namely communication of bad news and service structure observation. Furthermore, a research project concerning the symptomatic control of dyspnoea was also carried out. All components of care were visited and in all of them fruitful discussions with in-matter specialists were held. Schedule flexibility was possible to allow for objective completion and, at a certain point, to satisfy a personal inclination for a certain area. This practice had multiple implications in my professional life as a medical Oncology registrar: It allowed me to feel much more comfortable in dealing with partially refractory symptoms and to gain perspective on the typical course of disease in some pathologies. Additionally, communication skills were greatly improved by being able to see some conversations that would challenge the status quo of practicing medicine in Portugal and adapting them to our culture. The research project resulted in a paper being submitted, and is now awaiting reviewer’s comments. All in all, the proposed objectives were met and fulfilled, with the necessary limitations, and the experience was considered very fruitful on all levels.Mesmo após o término da pós-graduação em Cuidados Paliativos, ainda me pareceu necessário aprofundar a componente prática para conciliar a teoria e a prática. Como tal optei por efetuar um estágio de 9 semanas numa instituição de referência em Cuidados Paliativos – a South Adelaide Palliative Services (SAPS), de Julho a Setembro de 2014, em Adelaide, na Austrália. Esta instituição oferece serviços em ambiente de hospice, consulta externa, consultoria hospitalar e cuidados domiciliários. Também é famosa por conduzir investigação de boa qualidade nesta área. Como tal efetuei este estágio tendo por objetivos a melhoria do controlo de sintomas, uma melhor compreensão e gestão dos problemas psicossociais associados, nomeadamente a comunicação de más notícias e a observação da estruturação de um serviço coordenado a este nível. Além disso, desenvolvi um projeto de investigação referente ao controlo sintomático da dispneia. Todas as valências do serviço descritas foram frequentadas e em todas elas ocorreu uma discussão frutífera com os profissionais envolvidos. O horário desenvolvido foi propositadamente flexível de acordo com a necessidade de cumprir os vários objetivos propostos e com a inclinação pessoal, entretanto desenvolvida. Este estágio teve implicações múltiplas na minha vida profissional como interno de Oncologia Médica: Permitiu sentir-me mais à vontade na gestão do doente com sintomatologia parcialmente refratária e obter perspetiva da história natural de algumas patologias. Notei um ganho considerável no aperfeiçoamento das técnicas de comunicação pela oportunidade de observar algumas discussões entre profissionais de saúde e doentes que desafiariam a forma como encaramos estes tópicos em Portugal e que tenho aproveitado, com as necessárias adaptações. O trabalho de investigação resultou num artigo submetido, presentemente aguardando os comentários dos revisores. No cômputo geral, considerei como cumpridos todos os objetivos propostos como alcançados, com as necessárias limitações. A experiência foi considerada muito proveitosa, a todos os níveis

Desenvolvimento de nanomateriais para a terapia fototermal do cancro

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. In the specific case of the Portuguese population, breast cancer incidence and mortality rates increased in the past years. This scenario is mostly owed to the ineffectiveness of the currently available treatments (surgery, radiotherapy and small molecule-based therapies), whose therapeutic success is hindered by safety issues, non-specific toxicity and resistance mechanisms displayed by cancer cells to drugs. Such emphasizes the demand for a plethora of novel therapeutic approaches. In the past decades, light-induced therapies have started to be investigated as alternative strategies to combat cancer. These treatment modalities comprise photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). Both therapeutic approaches depend on the external irradiation of the tumor region with near-infrared (NIR) light for activating photosensitizers or photothermal agents, that lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS; in PDT) or to a temperature increase (in PTT), which have a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. Yet, such treatments still need to be further improved in what concerns their efficacy and selectivity towards the tumor region. Recently, the entrapment of NIR photoabsorbers in nanoparticles surpassed problems like the poor solubility of these molecules in biological fluids. Moreover, nanoparticles due to their physicochemical properties can display a preferential tumor accumulation, which is crucial for increasing the loaded NIR photoabsorbers bioavailability and ultimately the efficacy and selectivity of this therapeutic approach. Herein, a novel nanovehicle loaded with a NIR dye aimed for breast cancer phototherapy was developed. To accomplish that, two vitamin E derivatives, D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) and D-α-tocopheryl succinate (TOS), were used to assemble amphiphilic micelles with a core-shell structure. TPGS and TOS were selected due to their intrinsic anticancer activity (e.g. through the generation of ROS) and ability to encapsulate poorly water-soluble molecules. 2-[2-[2-Chloro-3-[(1,3-dihydro-3,3-dimethyl-1-propyl-2H-indol-2-ylidene)ethylidene]-1-cyclohexen-1-yl]ethenyl]-3,3-dimethyl-1-propylindolium iodide (IR780) was chosen due to its versatile nature as a NIR light-responsive compound (photothermal agent, photosensitizer and NIR imaging dye). IR780-loaded TPGS-TOS micelles (IR780-TTM) with suitable sizes were obtained by using specific TPGS and TOS weight feed ratios during micelles formulation and these were able to encapsulate IR780 with high efficiency. In in vitro assays, the IR780-TTM induced a cytotoxic effect in cancer cells upon exposure to NIR irradiation through the generation of reactive oxygen species (PDT). This effective ablation of cancer cells was achieved using an ultra-low IR780 concentration. Moreover, IR780-TTM also demonstrated the ability to act as photothermal and imaging agents. Overall, the novel micellar nanoplatforms developed in this study possess a huge potential for breast cancer PDT. Moreover, IR780-TTM also demonstrate promising results to act as photothermal and imaging agents, which widens their applicability for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer.O cancro da mama é um dos mais prevalentes e uma das principais causas de morte das mulheres em todo o mundo. No caso específico da população Portuguesa, as taxas de incidência e mortalidade associadas ao cancro da mama têm vindo a aumentar nos últimos anos. Este cenário deve-se maioritariamente à ineficácia dos tratamentos atualmente disponíveis (cirurgia, radioterapia e terapias baseadas em pequenas moléculas), cuja eficácia terapêutica é reduzida devido a problemas de segurança, toxicidade não específica e ainda devido aos mecanismos de resistência a fármacos que as células cancerígenas apresentam. Estes factos evidenciam a necessidade de desenvolver novas abordagens terapêuticas. Nas últimas décadas, as fototerapias têm sido investigadas como estratégias alternativas para combater as células cancerígenas. Estas modalidades terapêuticas incluem a terapia fotodinâmica e a fototérmica. Ambos os tratamentos dependem da irradiação da região tumoral com radiação com um comprimento de onda próximo do infravermelho (near-infrared (NIR)) que ativa moléculas fotoresponsivas, as quais induzem a produção de espécies reativas de oxigénio (terapia fotodinâmica) ou um aumento de temperatura (terapia fototérmica), que têm um efeito citotóxico nas células cancerígenas. Porém, estes tratamentos ainda têm que ser otimizados para incrementar a sua eficácia e seletividade para o tumor. A nanotecnologia tem permitido ultrapassar algumas das principais limitações da aplicação das fototerapias no tratamento do cancro, através da encapsulação de agentes fotoresponsivos em nanopartículas. A encapsulação de moléculas fotoresponsivas à luz NIR em nanoveículos é crucial para reverter a baixa solubilidade destas moléculas em fluidos biológicos. Para além disso, estes nanotransportadores acumulam-se preferencialmente no tumor devido às suas propriedades físico-químicas, o que permite aumentar a biodisponibilidade das moléculas fotoresponsivas encapsuladas nestes, melhorando assim a eficácia e seletividade destas abordagens terapêuticas. Na presente tese é descrito o desenvolvimento de um nanoveículo com capacidade de encapsular um agente fotoresponsivo à luz NIR, para aplicação na fototerapia do cancro da mama. Para tal, foram utilizados dois derivados de vitamina E, succinato de D-α-tocoferil polietilenoglicol 1000 (TPGS) e succinato de D-α-tocoferil (TOS), para formular micelas anfifílicas com uma estrutura tipo “núcleo-concha”. O TPGS e o TOS foram selecionados por apresentarem atividade anticancerígena intrínseca (por exemplo, através da produção de espécies reativas de oxigénio) e pela sua capacidade para encapsular moléculas pouco solúveis em água. O iodeto de 2-[2-[2-cloro-3-[(1,3-dihidro-3,3-dimetil-1-propil-2H-indol-2-ilideno) etilideno]-1-ciclohexeno-1-il]etenil]-3,3-dimetil-1-propilindólio (IR780) foi escolhido devido à sua versatilidade como molécula fotoresponsiva, uma vez que possui características que permitem a sua aplicação como agente fototerapêutico (terapia fotodinâmica e fototermal) e de diagnóstico. No presente estudo foram obtidas micelas de TPGS-TOS contendo IR780 (IR780-TTM) com características físico-químicas adequadas, utilizando proporções de TPGS e TOS específicas aquando da sua formulação. As micelas produzidas permitiram a encapsulação do IR780 com elevada eficiência. Nos ensaios in vitro realizados verificou-se que as IR780-TTM medeiam um efeito citotóxico nas células cancerígenas após irradiação com luz NIR, através da produção de espécies reativas de oxigénio (terapia fotodinâmica). Esta eficiente ablação das células cancerígenas foi alcançada usando uma concentração de IR780 mais baixa do que a que foi descrita até agora na literatura. Aliado a isto, constatou-se que as IR780-TTM demonstram potencial para serem utilizadas como agentes de fototermia e imagiologia. Em suma, os nanoveículos desenvolvidos na presente tese apresentam um enorme potencial para a terapia fotodinâmica do cancro da mama. Por outro lado, as propriedades fototérmicas e imagiológicas que as IR780-TTM apresentam aumentam a aplicabilidade destas micelas no tratamento e diagnóstico do cancro

Teaching Crossroads: 8th IPB Erasmus Week

We are proud to present the second number of Teaching Crossroads, within the 8th IPB Erasmus week which took place in May 2012. This publication is the result of the papers delivered during our Erasmus Week that is becoming increasingly popular among teaching and non-teaching staff from several Erasmus partner Universities. Similarly to last year, we are continuing the publication of Teaching Crossroads whose main purpose is to reach students and teaching staff of the IPB (Polytechnic Institute of Bragança) and of other IPB partner universities. With this in view, the authors also made an attempt to present material in a manner which can be readily grasped by students and non-specialists. Likewise, we also believe it is important to have a written register of what is being studied by some researchers in Europe and make it available to students. Bearing in mind the open spirit of this publication, everyone is invited to participate with their papers delivered during the Erasmus Week at the IPB. The result was pleasantly rewarding as we had enthusiastic participants who very willingly made their texts available for publication. The organisation of the Erasmus week has been a tradition since started in 2005 aiming at a more efficient collaboration with our European partners so that they would become more familiar with the IPB campus, its schools, the city and the region. During the IPB Erasmus Week, the Institute organises teaching and staff training (STT) and the seminars arranged under Staff Teaching Assignment (STA) that are scheduled and introduced in the regular timetable of Bachelors and Masters’ degrees classes. Having now participated in the Erasmus mobility programme for more than twelve years, the IPB is acknowledged as one of the Portuguese institutions that promotes students and teaching mobility the most, positioning IPB on the top of the European HEIs and on a high level in the current international scene. The review of these articles has been thorough, yet some unexpected flaws may still occur. Nevertheless, the content of the texts remains intact, without distorting the aims of the texts, and the references are the authors’ own responsibility. Therefore, we accept no liabilities for any error or theoretical inconsistency or any missing information. The research areas are quite multidisciplinary, touching on areas as different as business sciences and law, agricultural sciences and natural resources, chemistry, multimedia and education. These areas comply with the areas of study that the IPB has on offer. This publication is hence rather beneficial for our students, as well as teachers and researchers. Ziemowit Kukulski, with his customary precision, expands on a topic that is truly current and relevant nowadays: ‘The elimination of double taxation in juridical sense from Polish perspective’. Notwithstanding the fact that the study focused on a particular country, the author is also concerned with comparing both the Polish and the Portuguese juridical taxation framework. Rosa Vásquez presents a study on how the environment plays an important role in the economy and can contribute to making the business sector more dynamic. Emphasising the importance of state policies that affect the environment, her text outlines the different instruments available to public administration in order to enable environmental control of productive activities and promote good conduct in favour of environmental conservation. Bodgan Vlad Avarvarei presents the results of an analysis of commodity for some yoghurt assortments sold on Iasi market, in Romania. The author also aims to inform the consumers regarding not only all the information which must be marked on, such as fat content, nutritive value, shelf life, storage temperature, etc., but also to give some hints on the product design. Mario de la Fuente Lloreda gives a lesson on different ways of Spanish viticulture, exposing examples of one of the most emblematic D.O. (denominación de origen, i.e. protected designation of origin) quality brands and their evolution up to today. Igor Barényi’s text delves into spectral analysis, focusing on the description of several spectroscopic methods to examine chemical composition of metal and alloys. Esteban Galán-Cubillo takes us on a tour to the use of systems of virtual scenography, along with the use of other digital technologies. Cláudia Martins’s text gives us a very insightful glimpse on Portuguese meteorological adages and proverbs bearing the highly suggestive title ‘Nine months of winter, three months of scorching hell’. Besides that, the author also presents a thorough linguistic explanation on fixed language, ranging from collocations to idiomatic expressions, based on several keynote authors, with a particular focus on pragmatic phrases, i.e. proverbs and adages. Jan Michalko makes an introduction to Cyber Space Economics and its relevance for such an important area as education or even training of citizens as it is in the case of public services for increasing levels of e-government. The author also emphasises the importance of Internet applications that provide a number of opportunities for education, communication and business. Slawomir Sztajer presents a deep reflection on religion, establishing a link between cognition and religion. The author expands on this new approach of religion, explaining and interpreting religious phenomena from the perspective of cognitive science. The ingredients for a gainful and stimulating reading are now served. We hope that this publication works for the interest of many students and teachers who find here information for their own studies and learn a bit more about the countries referred to here, sharing learning experiences and scientific knowledge, as well as cultural heritage. That is also the essence of the Erasmus programme

Teaching Crossroads: 10th IPB Erasmus Week

This is the fourth number of a project which started in 2011 when the idea of publishing the lectures delivered by guest teachers in our Erasmus Week came up. This annual event is organised by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) and takes place normally in the beginning of May. The title was not difficult to find as the main purpose with this publication was to include every research and teaching areas fitting a multidisciplinary journal with a very specific European approach, however centred in Portugal, at the IPB. Therefore Teaching Crossroads was born aiming at reaching the largest number of readers within both the Portuguese and the international academic community. In the first three years of publication, we published more than 30 articles including areas as different as business sciences and law, agricultural sciences and natural resources, chemistry, multimedia, tourism, nursing and health care, economics, education, information technology and applied sciences, but yet so far-reaching. Always intending to improve the quality and rigour of this journal, the two last numbers have already been peer-reviewed. This is now the number regarding the 10th Erasmus Week that took place in May 2014. This year, the focus of our attention is placed on Education and Chemistry. Concerning the whole publication, we present you with a brief description of each article. Astrid Ebenberger focuses on the Austrian Educational system, demonstrating how it has been influenced by early 20th century pedagogues, namely Ellen Key, Maria Montessori and Helen Parkhurst, whose ideas and actions became paramount in the transformation of the educational system in Austria. The author also puts forth an outline of further developments of teacher education, drawing some critical guidelines regarding the sustainability of the Austrian education system in the future. Cláudia Martins, who lectures a seminar on the Portuguese language and culture to the guest teaching and non-teaching staff during our Erasmus Weeks, enlightens us about cognitive linguistics, particularly focusing on figurative language and tropes. Metaphors are here the crux of the matter and the author shows how they are omnipresent in languages in our daily lives. That is, one needs to understand metaphors as conceptual sources that reveal crucial for the understanding of the semantic meaning of both synchronic and diachronic cultural and social categories and concepts that define human experience and therefore language. The author focuses on the area of Portuguese food expressions serving us delightful metaphors, getting our taste buds tingling at the Portuguese language and culture. Kamil Mielnik gives us an account of the Polish gymnasium, 3rd Cycle of Basic Education or junior high school, for pupils aged 13 to 16, with regard to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), while he also describes formative assessment and its features, as well as the European Language Portfolio, explaining ultimately how the latter can strongly support self-regulated learning in Polish Gymnasium. Katarzyna Morena deals with a very common problem as far as learning a new language is concerned, that is language anxiety. The author focuses on the speaking skill by highlighting problems and effects associated with speaking in front of the others, either in a formal or informal context. In the study the author carried out, some strategies are presented so that teachers can teach their students how to overcome anxiety problems. Elżbieta Wojaczyńska demonstrates in her article how the area of organic chemistry can appear to be fairly pertinent in our daily lives be it, for instance, on pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or agrochemical industries. Even though we’re not aware of it or never question the existence of the product compounds, this is of the utmost importance for health issues. Therefore, the author focuses on the methods of preparation of nonracemic sulfoxides and examples of their various applications in asymmetric synthesis as chiral substrates and inducers, organocatalysts or in complexes with different metals. We would like to seize the opportunity to thank all the contributors that so far have participated in the consolidation of Teaching Crossroads, namely authors and reviewers. It is also worth mentioning the helpful and valuable work of Soraia Maduro, the designer of the most appealing and well-adjusted cover, and Atilano Suarez who sets the book layout in a very perfectionist way. Being all said, we are once more proud of making interesting and relevant studies available to the academic community, not only to the IPB, but also to the rest of the European and other international universities, IPB partners in the educational promotion and cooperation. Therefore, we wish you a very enjoyable and meaningful readin

Teaching Crossroads: 11th IPB Erasmus Week

In the wake of the latest news regarding IPB’s award for best Polytechnic Institute in Portugal, we would like to congratulate the IPB community who has always striven for the quality of the institution within the national and international academic milieu. We are, undoubtedly, bowled over by the 1st place in the national context (out of the 27 national institutions under evaluation) and the 7th position in the international scope. In fact, it is worth mentioning that the IPB has won this award, three years in a row, being in a leading position in the ranking promoted and sponsored by the European Union. This year’s edition has selected and evaluated over 1300 world higher education institutions. Teaching Crossroads intends thus to give a watershed contribution to the IPB’s successful and most valued pathway. Numbers indicate that Teaching Crossroads has had over 2550 downloads since it first came out. But let’s cut to the chase. Once again, we are delighted to present the 5th number of Teaching Crossroads. This wholly calculated and well-sustained editorial adventure started in 2012 when the first number of Teaching Crossroads first saw the light. This year’s publication includes the areas of Human Geography/anthropology, Information Technology and Forensics and Language and culture, focusing on minority languages. Alongside this, as in the two last previous numbers, we’ve included the specific area for International mobility, Intensive Programmes and Erasmus+ Mobility of Individuals, being the latter financed by the European Union within the Erasmus+ Programme, whereas the former is sponsored uniquely by the foreign partner institution, in this case, Lillebaelt Academy in Denmark. These types of programmes convey very positive and overarching ideas, resonant in cross-cultural and educational benefits, valuable for all the involved partners. We would very kindheartedly like to thank the authors for having contributed with much enlightening and serious articles on a wide array of areas. Pablo M. Orduna Pórtus’s article focuses on border culture and heritage management. The author’s study is placed on two borderlands of the Iberian Peninsula: Roncal Valley (Navarre) and Riverbanks of Douro. Going beyond the linear or physical conception of the border, the author centres his study on the metaphysical and symbolic ideas of the frontier that sustain his anthropological analysis. Michal Popdora manages to find evidence for his proposal of a new conception of teaching Image Processing, based on the student-centered approach. A hands-on experience on a Project-based Learning methodology sustains the teaching project. Grounded on “a forensic-flavored style”, using the author’s own words, he shows how students can become engaged in a highly effective learning process. Cláudia Martins is already a confirmed habitué of this publication, as in every Erasmus Week she delivers a lecture on Portuguese language and culture to visiting teaching and non-teaching staff. This time, the author decided to delve into a Portugal’s official language, Mirandese, spoken in a small designated area in the northeastern part of Portugal, Miranda do Douro and its surrounding area. The author gives account of some thought-provoking facts about the language, from the origin and the survival of the language, however still a minority language, up to the moment when it was acknowledged Portugal’s second official language, together with the challenges that nowadays faces. Luís Frölen Ribeiro, João Eduardo Ribeiro, Carlos Casimiro Costa, António Duarte, Carlos Andrade from the Polytechnic Institute and Arne Svinth, John Madsen, Morten Thomsen, Kent Smidstrup, Carsten John Jacobsen from the Lillebaelt Academy, in Denmark, participate in a joint project which they describe, outlining the main goals and gains of the project. To overcome teaching difficulties regarding the engineering degrees, a 12-ECTS joint course from Lillebaelt Academy and Polytechnic Institute of Bragança was created based on the Danish model. The course Product Development and Industrial Processing was hence created. Rui Pedro Lopes presents an insightful and acute account of the Internationalization programmes in Higher Education in Europe. At one go, the author describes his own experience as a visiting lecturer, within the Erasmus+ programme, to Università Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona, Italy, in a Master’s degree in computer science, bringing to light a personal reflection on the goals and benefits of the mobility for both students and teachers. Finally, the author puts forth some suggestions that would improve the whole mobility process. We sincerely hope to have stimulated you to keep on reading, upholding the belief that these texts can represent valuable sources for both teachers and students in their research work

Pediatric Oncology Quality of Life Scale (POQOLS): adaptação de um instrumento para a população portuguesa

Lestocquoy Jean. Une pièce inconnue du trésor de Graincourt-lès-Havrincourt (Pas-de-Calais). In: Bulletin de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France, 1976, 1978. p. 171

Teaching Crossroads: 13th and 14th IPB Erasmus Weeks

The Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) has been organising its Erasmus Week since 2004. It is held yearly in May, normally during the second week of May. The Erasmus week’s main purposes are three-fold. First, the IPB aims at enforcing closer, more dynamic and more efficient institutional relations amongst the European Higher Education Institutions. Lectures are then organised and introduced in both undergraduate and master classes in accordance with the area of interest. Meetings with directors of the 5 IPB schools and Erasmus coordinators are also scheduled. The second and third goals, which naturally derive from the first, are to facilitate familiarity with the IPB campus, its schools and with the cities of Bragança and Mirandela, where the IPB schools are settled, and with the surrounding area, namely the Montesinho Natural Park and the Alto Douro Wine Region (UNESCO World Heritage). This information can be found on the IPB International Relations Office website. Overall, all these three goals lie behind what is considered an umbrella goal which is to promote the IPB in its numerous valences and strengthen the mobility ties with the different European Higher Institutions which have established cooperation agreements with the IPB. This has revealed fruitful and far-reaching as more than 20 partner countries visit us every year. If one takes into account the two last editions’ numbers, Poland is the country with a higher percentage of participants (37.1% and 29%), followed by Spain (11.4% and 15.9%), France, Romania and Czech Republic1. Regarding the lectures delivered during this week, teachers show a high level of satisfaction and find it rather rewarding according to the evaluation results obtained every year. One of the most visible results of these lectures is the publication of Teaching Crossroads. It started being published aiming ultimately at the dissemination of the research work that was presented at the IPB. We then extended it to all activities related to Teachers Erasmus+ mobility and international projects. The idea was not only to disseminate studies from other European researchers but also to give to the IPB teaching staff the opportunity to publish their research work and what they presented during their mobility. So far, the adhesion to this project has been rather steady and compliant with the publication’s main goal. In hindsight, this project, which started in 2011, continues to persevere in its academic path, making thus available to students and teachers the most valuable research studies and relevant data in regard to a myriad of study areas which underlie the spirit of Higher Education, multifaceted, multilayered and plural. In Higher Education we hope never to be at a crossroads, but we dare to constantly thrive when faced with obstacles and embrace the challenges of knowledge. All areas of study are important and meaningful and must be continually promoted. This has been the leading motto of Teaching Crossroads since its very beginning. This would have never been possible without the valuable help of regular contributors to whom we are very grateful, from the authors, the reviewers, the designer to the IPB Image Services. A thanking note must also go to the IPB which has embraced this project by agreeing to publish it. As a result of the close cooperation work with the researchers who submitted their proposals to blind review, we selected five texts from diverse areas but nonetheless complementary. As such, this year, areas of study vary from comparative literature, education, social education and sociology, finance to business and entrepreneurship. A brief summary of each is presented next. María Antonia Mezquita Fernández, whose research has been focusing on the modern subject of ecocriticism bearing in mind the new approach to the close relationship between environmental issues and literature, a concern that always permeated literature, discusses the ecocritical identity in the light of literary figures and their poetical messages regarding nature. By highlighting and comparing two British poets, William Wordsworth and Dylan Thomas, and a Spanish poet, Claudio Rodríguez, the author introduces an ecocritical stance to the analysis of the poems under discussion. Sharing the common ground of nature, the poems are worth reading due to the powerful messages they convey, not only bearing in mind the period when they were written but because the topics explored resonate with the environmental defenders’ main principles. What the author brings to the fore of discussion is a thought-provocative, challenging and relevant essay which found in literature its main driving force to call the attention to the importance of the defence of nature in a time where environmental issues, such as global warming and the melting of glaciers, are at the centre of the world’s political agenda, despite the constant scepticism that still persists to endure. Beata Sufa & Anna Szkolak-Stępień delve into the idea of creativity fostered within the teaching context, by both teachers and students. In their article entitled “Creative Teacher-Creative Pupil – a Study Report”, the authors argue that, having in mind all the technological advances and (advanced) use of learning technology, the new conditions of school and learning context require new challenges to the way the teaching-learning process is dealt with. The teacher’s creative attitude will thus become paramount for children’s development of creativity which will help them to improve communication skills. Kazimiera Król studies the phenomenon of begging in Poland, analyzing the spatial and social framework of such reality which results from many factors and underlies consequences to the places chosen for begging and to the beggars themselves. The author puts forth an empirical study bearing in mind the age, gender, civil status and nationality of mendicants, presenting thus in-depth data which allow her to reach interesting and relevant conclusions regarding the whole phenomenon of begging in nowadays Poland. Eliza Komierzyńska-Orlińska sheds some light on a common unknown part of the financial system to the majority of people, which is the security of the banking system. When one deposits or withdraws money one is never aware of (or simply does not care about) how our money is held safe or how the banks protect their assets. The article “Security of the Banking System in Poland. Fundamental Assumptions” deals precisely with security issues within the Polish banking system highlighting the crucial role of the central bank in the whole process of surveillance and regulation. Legal issues are therefore discussed. By using simple and straightforward language, the author is able to reach a non-specialist audience who will become more informed about this issue in a rather clear way. Erik Kubička focuses on organizational culture explaining how well-succeeded, renowned, top companies in the technology sector foster effectiveness in the work environment. In this regard, the author describes several technological companies, such as Google, Apple and IBM, just to name a few. Innovation, informal leadership, less red tape and closer contact with the workers are features that are common to all these companies which represent the key to their success.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification and comparison of laboratory and wild caught Drosophila gut microbiota

Tese de mestrado. Biologia (Biologia Evolutiva e do Desenvolvimento). Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2011The digestive tract is constantly in contact with several microorganisms that constitute the gut microbiota. The crucial role this microbial community, both in mammals and in insects, plays in the host physiology is starting to be revealed. The microbiota affects the host nutrition, developmental process and immune system. We can discriminate between two types of microorganisms inside the gut: indigenous microorganisms that colonize the host and transient microorganisms that are acquired from the environment and food. Insects that are found in the nature and reared under laboratory conditions may present differences in the gut microbiota composition. This has also been reported in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is still not clear whether the flora found in the digestive tract establishes a symbiotic relationship with the host or if it is continuously loaded with the ingested food. Here, we attempt to characterize the microbial community and its stability inside the gut of Drosophila melanogaster, both reared under laboratory conditions and collected from nature. We observe more diversity in wild caught flies, compared with laboratory flies. We show that the microbiota of laboratory-reared flies’ guts is not stable and almost disappears when flies are fed with sterile food. Moreover, we show that these bacteria grow on the flies’ food. In contrast, wild caught flies microbiota is able to persist inside the gut, even when flies were fed with sterile food. Conditions were established to rear axenic flies in order to perform future infections with wild caught flies gut microbiota, to understand if the ability to persist inside the host is due to the microbiota composition that is found in the wild. We show the importance of identifying the indigenous microbial flora present inside the gut, before start studying the microbiota role in the host. This study will pave the way to future research on gut symbionts of insects.Todos os Eucariotas vivem num íntima associação com variados microrganismos. Tradicionalmente estes microrganismos eram denominados por comensais, pois pensava-se que apenas estes beneficiavam desta associação, desconhecendo-se possíveis efeitos no hospedeiro. Contudo, muitos estudos têm vindo a mostrar que a comunidade microbiana é vantajosa em diversos aspectos da fisiologia do hospedeiro, tal como na nutrição, no processo do desenvolvimento e no sistema imunitário. Desta forma, a palavra comensalismo têm vindo a ser substituída por mutualismo, pois hoje sabe-se que ambos beneficiam desta associação. Um dos papéis mais importantes que a comunidade microbiana desempenha no hospedeiro é no seu sistema imunitário. A flora protege da colonização de patogéneos externos, limitando a sua proliferação no intestino. Também está envolvida em activar o sistema imune a níveis basais, tornando o hospedeiro apto para lidar contra infecções. Vários estudos também têm mostrado a importância da flora a nível do desenvolvimento das próprias células do sistema imune. São escassos os estudos em Drosophila melanogaster que tentam compreender o papel dos microbiota no sistema imunitário. Em 2008, Ryu e colaboradores mostraram a importância da flora na activação de níveis basais deste sistema. Este estudo também mostra a importância da regulação do sistema imunitário e o seu efeito na composição da flora intestinal. Para que se possa estabelecer uma relação com os microrganismos é necessário que, os níveis do sistema imunitário do hospedeiro se mantenham baixos, a fim de não os expulsar. Este estudo mostrou que quando o sistema imune era desregulado, havia uma espécie de bactéria presente na flora do hospedeiro que desaparecia, que era importante na inibição da proliferação de uma espécie patogénica. Como consequência, a espécie patogénica que também se encontrava presente na flora, proliferava e comprometia a sobrevivência do hospedeiro. A flora intestinal também desempenha um papel muito importante na nutrição do hospedeiro, ajudando a degradar certos compostos e a produzir algumas moléculas e enzimas que o hospedeiro, por si só, não consegue produzir. Um estudo recente em Drosophila melanogaster mostrou a importância da flora intestinal na nutrição. Quando moscas axénicas (livres de quaisquer microrganimos) se encontravam num meio de comida que não era muito rico em nutrientes, o seu desenvolvimento era afectado, tendo as larvas um tamanho abaixo do normal. Pelo contrario, quando as moscas tinham a flora normal, mesmo num meio de comida pobre, o seu desenvolvimento era normal. Isto demonstrou que mesmo num meio escasso em nutrientes, as bactérias presentes na flora ajudam a um correcto desenvolvimento do hospedeiro. A composição da flora presente no intestino também é afectada pela dieta do hospedeiro. Um estudo em humanos que sofriam de obesidade, demonstrou que quando estes eram sujeitos a uma dieta saudável, havia uma mudança nas bactérias que eram dominantes, havendo um aumento das bactérias do género Bacteroidetes e uma diminuição do género Firmicutes. Em Drosophila melanogaster também foi mostrado em laboratório, que quando estas eram sujeitas a uma dieta diferente, havia uma mudança na relativa abundância de bactérias presentes na flora. Vários estudos têm demonstrado que insectos encontrados na natureza e mantidos em laboratório apresentam floras diferentes. Em Drosophila melanogaster estudos recentes também já demonstraram o mesmo, nomeadamente que as moscas que são mantidas em laboratório, apresentam uma grande falta de diversidade quando comparadas com moscas selvagens. Quando se estudam os microrganismos presentes no intestino, podemos encontrar também microrganismos que não estão a colonizar o hospedeiro, mas que se encontram presentes pois foram adquiridos do ambiente ou da comida ingerida. São denominados por microrganismos transientes, pois estão só de passagem no tracto intestinal, juntamente com a comida. Por outro lado temos os microrganismos indígenas, que colonizam e proliferam no hospedeiro. A maior parte dos estudos não tem a preocupação de distinguir entre estes dois tipos de microrganismos, o que pode levar a variabilidade entre resultados ou mesmo a malinterpretações. Este estudo tenta fazer uma melhor caracterização da flora em Drosophila melanogaster, em moscas selvagens que foram apanhadas na natureza e em moscas que são mantidas em laboratório. Tentou-se também compreender a estabilidade da flora no sistema digestivo, quer nas moscas selvagens quer nas de laboratório, tentando fazer-se uma distinção entre bactérias transientes e bactérias indígenas. Verificou-se que as moscas selvagens apresentam mais diversidade e maior número de bactérias, quando comparadas com as moscas de laboratório. Isto deve-se provavelmente ao tipo de dieta e ao ambiente que as rodeia. Na natureza, há uma grande quantidade de microrganismos presentes e a dieta apresenta-se muito mais rica e diversa. Pelo contrário, em laboratório, as condições em que as moscas são mantidas são mais assépticas do que na natureza, e apenas um tipo de comida é administrado. Para se compreender a estabilidade da flora, desenvolveu-se um protocolo em que se administrava às moscas comida estéril, evitando a reinfecção de possíveis bactérias transientes. Verificou-se que as moscas do laboratório perderam quase por completo toda a flora com este protocolo, ao contrário das moscas selvagens, em que grande parte da flora conseguiu persistir no sistema digestivo. Também se verificou que as bactérias encontradas no interior do sistema digestivo das moscas de laboratório conseguem crescer na comida que é administrada. Estes resultados demonstram que as moscas de laboratório apresentam uma flora instável, a qual é constituída por muitas bactérias transientes que crescem na comida e desaparecem do sistema digestivo quando é evitada a reinfecção das moscas com a sua própria flora. O mesmo não acontece nas moscas selvagens, que demonstram manter uma população mais estável no sistema digestivo. Moscas de laboratório foram desenvolvidas axénicas, com o objectivo futuro de transferir a flora presente nas moscas selvagens que se manteve estável até ao fim para estas moscas. Deste modo, se a flora das moscas selvagens depois de transferida para moscas de laboratório for capaz de persistir, esta colonização pode ser devido às bactérias que são diferentes ou mesmo ao seu comportamento que é diferente, como por exemplo a capacidade de formar biofilmes para poderem colonizar no hospedeiro. Para finalizar, este estudo demonstra a importância de se estudar a estabilidade da flora e de ter em conta se existem microrganismos transientes, antes de começar qualquer estudo sobre a influência da flora no hospedeiro. Caso contrário, podem originar-se conclusões erradas e variabilidade nos resultados, dependendo de como se mantêm as moscas em laboratório. É importante proceder primeiro a uma caracterização da flora, verificar se é representativa da flora em insectos presentes na natureza, e só depois estudar o seu papel