Insights in dissimilatory sulfite reductase proteins

"Microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) are essential in the digestion and production of enzymes for the degradation of otherwise indigestible polysaccharides. Some of the microorganisms present in the GI belong to the sulfate reducing bacteria group, which reduce sulfate to sulfide. These bacteria are also linked to inflammatory bowel diseases due to the toxic and corrosive effects of the sulfide produced. (...)

Plano estratégico de relações públicas para a implementação nas escolas das temáticas: "Segurança, Defesa e Paz"

Trabalho de projeto apresentado à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Gestão Estratégica das Relações Públicas.A falta de conhecimento das crianças e jovens, bem como da sociedade no geral, acerca de temáticas relacionadas com a segurança e defesa do país, constituí uma preocupação central para as Forças Armadas em Portugal, podendo originar sérias repercussões na sua legitimidade e funcionamento futuros. Desta forma, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a comunicação nas Forças Armadas do ponto de vista das Relações Públicas estratégicas, procurando delimitar um problema concreto de falta de divulgação e comunicação em torno de um projeto educativo central que se encontra em desenvolvimento: o Referencial de Educação para a Segurança, a Defesa e a Paz. Procurámos então partir do conceito de persuasão como fundamento para desenhar um projeto de comunicação estratégica capaz de avançar algumas sugestões tendentes a minorar o problema identificado. Foi utilizado o modelo cíclico das Relações Públicas em quatro etapas para desenvolver um plano de comunicação que colmatasse as falhas encontradas ao nível da comunicação, com foco nos diversos públicos-alvo priorizados durante a análise de stakeholders. Tentou criar-se um projeto adaptado à realidade do Instituto de Defesa Nacional (RESDP), para que a sua aplicabilidade fosse possível, ao mesmo tempo que se procurou enriquecer a reflexão sobre a prática das Relações Públicas no contexto das instituições militares.ABSTRACT : The lack of knowledge of children and young people, as well as of society in general, about issues related to the security and defence of the country, is a central concern for the Armed Forces in Portugal, which may have serious repercussions on their future legitimacy and functioning. Thus, this thesis aims to study communication in the Armed Forces from the point of view of strategic Public Relations, seeking to delimit a concrete problem of lack of dissemination and communication around a central educational project that is under development: the Referential Education for Security, Defence and Peace (RESDP). We then sought to use the concept of persuasion as the basis for designing a strategic communication project that could put forward some suggestions to overcome failures identified in the problem statement. The four-step cyclical Public Relations model was used to develop a communication plan that addressed the communication gaps, focusing on the various target audiences prioritized during stakeholder analysis. An attempt was made to create a project adapted to the reality of the National Defence Institute, so that its applicability was possible, while trying to enrich the reflection on the practice of Public Relations in the context of military institutions.N/

Repensar o Turismo e o Território no Oeste: Os Impactos da Crise Económico-Financeira

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Gestão do TerritórioEm virtude do forte investimento privado para tornar a Região Oeste num pólo de atração turística, foram projetados resorts com o turismo residencial e o golfe a servirem de bandeira para promoverem a Região internacionalmente, na tentativa de fazer do Oeste um destino de golfe ao alcance das elites europeias. Todavia, o momento financeiro que se vivia no início dos investimentos não se prolongou até à atual conjuntura, pelo que alguns desses empreendimentos tiveram de ser repensados, com os territórios a ficarem a aguardar as decisões dos promotores turísticos. Assim, colocava-se a possibilidade de os terrenos poderem ter um uso de curto prazo, enquanto os promotores decidiam se avançavam com a construção dos empreendimentos, reviam estratégias para a execução dos resorts, iam apostando no golfe para promoverem a Região e tentando captar novos mercados turísticos. Aliando a forte relação entre o turismo e o território, é de extrema relevância analisar quais as consequências, quer positivas como negativas, que este pode ter em consequência da atividade turística e, mais concretamente, em torno do golfe. Com este trabalho pretende-se repensar o turismo e o território no Oeste e perceber se o modelo de desenvolvimento turístico está ameaçado ou, menos do que isso, se apenas é necessário redefinir as estratégias de atuação e os mecanismos para que a afirmação internacional do destino turístico Oeste não fique condicionada

Sociocultural and educational factors in the sustainability of coastal zones : the prestige oil spill in Galicia, ten years later

Purpose - Environmental threats of immediate risk in areas such as coastal zones (CZ) have aroused new trends of citizenship and participatory democracy. This article intends to analyse elements within those trends, such as environmental culture; socio-political context; dynamics of social associative movement and integration of local knowledge. It also aims to contribute to an overview of the opportunities and barriers found in considering sociocultural and educational challenges in CZ. Design/methodology/approach - In this analysis, case studies of integrated coastal management occurring worldwide were selected and reviewed, considering several nuances of socio-economic and political contexts of CZ. Experiences of public response to coastal catastrophes such the Prestige oil spill in Spain, are also described. Findings – Whether implementing sustainable coastal management through either balanced systems (between large and small-scale strategies) or through largely bottom-up approaches, participation is detected as one of the main factors for a successul integrated approach. Principles such as participatory governance and social justice should be adopted in initial phases of sustainable management processes and preferably involve all of the implied actors of CZ. Originality/value - The literature reviewed provides specific highlights on factors that have empirically contributed to participatory sustainability of CZ, integrating three dimensions of citizenship: education, society’s dynamics and culture

Characterization of MHC class I in a long distance migratory wader, the Icelandic black-tailed godwit

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encodes proteins that are central for antigen presentation and pathogen elimination. MHC class I (MHC-I) genes have attracted a great deal of interest among researchers in ecology and evolution and have been partly characterized in a wide range of bird species. So far, the main focus has been on species within the bird orders Galliformes and Passeriformes, while Charadriiformes remain vastly underrepresented with only two species studied to date. These two Charadriiformes species exhibit striking differences in MHC-I characteristics and MHC-I diversity. We therefore set out to study a third species within Charadriiformes, the Icelandic subspecies of black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa islandica). This subspecies is normally confined to parasite-poor environments, and we hence expected low MHC diversity. MHC-I was partially characterized first using Sanger sequencing and then using high-throughput sequencing (MiSeq) in 84 individuals. We verified 47 nucleotide alleles in open reading frame with classical MHC-I characteristics, and each individual godwit had two to seven putatively classical MHC alleles. However, in contrast to previous MHC-I data within Charadriiformes, we did not find any evidence of alleles with low sequence diversity, believed to represent non-classical MHC genes. The diversity and divergence of the godwits MHC-I genes to a large extent fell between the previous estimates within Charadriiformes. However, the MHC genes of the migratory godwits had few sites subject to positive selection, and one possible explanation could be a low exposure to pathogens.Financial support to SP was provided by PhD grant SFRH/BD/84629/2012 from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT); to JAA by FCT grant SFRH/BPD/91527/2012. This study benefited from funding by RANNIS - Icelandic Research Council (130412-051), the strategic project (UID/MAR/04292/2013) granted to MARE and H. Westerdahl financed through Swedish Research Council (621-2011-3674 and 2015-05149) and provided the laboratory facilities for molecular analysis.Peer Reviewe

Fabrication of functionalised surfaces on gum metal (Ti-30Nb) using micromachining

Structured surfaces are attracting deep interest, as they allow tailoring the functionality via changes in the surface topography. Applications for these surfaces range greatly, including, optical surfaces for antireflective surfaces, thermal structures to assist in heat dispersion and anti-fouling surfaces to reduce micro-organisms from adhering to components. Gum metal is a relatively newer kind of beta titanium alloy that has earmarked its place as the next generation Ortheopedic implant material. In a timely effort, this work investigated the generation of micron level structured surfaces on Gum metal (Ti-30Nb – a beta titanium alloy) to explore micromilling as the robust scalable process to achieve low dimensional surfaces in titanium alloy. During micromilling, the feedrate, spindle speed, axial depth of cut and tool step over were varied to optimise these parameters for achieving superior quality of machining

Mosquito species distribution in mainland Portugal 2005-2008

Information on distribution and relative abundance of the mosquito fauna of mainland Portugal has been collected by several surveillance programmes and projects over a long period. The work presented here documents additional information provided by capture of adult mosquitoes by the use of CDC light traps baited with CO2 in 48 localities in 13 districts in different parts of mainland Portugal during the period 2005-2008, and by larval surveys using dippers. More than 150,000 adult mosquitoes and 3,000 larvae belonging to 16 species were identified at the National Institute of Health / Centre for Vectors and Infectious Diseases Research. The three commonest species were Ochlerotatus caspius, Culex pipiens, and Cx. theileri. The most widespread species was Cx. pipiens, followed by Culiseta longiareolata. The composition and abundance of the different mosquito populations varied between geographical locations. Only larvae of two species, Cx. hortensis and Cx. laticinctus, were found. Some effects of collection methods on a complete picture of mosquito distribution and abundance are discussed

Feathers as a tool to assess mercury contamination in gentoo penguins: Variations at the individual level

Feathers have been widely used to assess mercury contamination in birds as they reflect metal concentrations accumulated between successive moult periods: they are also easy to sample and have minimum impact on the study birds. Moult is considered the major pathway for mercury excretion in seabirds. Penguins are widely believed to undergo a complete, annual moult during which they do not feed. As penguins lose all their feathers, they are expected to have a low individual-variability in feather mercury concentration as all feathers are formed simultaneously from the same somatic reserves. This assumption is central to penguin studies that use feathers to examine the annual or among-individual variation in mercury concentrations in penguins. To test this assumption, we measured the mercury concentrations in 3–5 body feathers of 52 gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) breeding at Bird Island, South Georgia (54°S 38°W). Twenty-five percent of the penguins studied showed substantial within-individual variation in the amount of mercury in their feathers (Coefficient of Variation: 34.7–96.7%). This variation may be caused by differences in moult patterns among individuals within the population leading to different interpretations in the overall population. Further investigation is now needed to fully understand individual variation in penguins’ moult

Long-term declines of wader populations at the Tagus estuary, Portugal: A response to global or local factors?

Migratory wader populations face global threats, mainly related to increasing rates of habitat loss and disturbance driven by human activities. To a large extent, the long-term survival of these populations requires the conservation of networks of sites along their migratory flyways. The Tagus estuary, Portugal, is among the most important wetlands for waders in the East Atlantic Flyway. Annual winter wader counts have been carried in this wetland since 1975 and a monthly roost-monitoring programme was implemented in 2007. Wintering populations of three out of the five most abundant species, Dunlin Calidris alpina, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola and Redshank Tringa totanus, showed significant population declines over the past three decades, which are most likely due to the loss and degradation of roost sites as a result of increasing human activity. The situation is unlikely to improve, as a high proportion of the wintering waders use roost sites that are situated in highly urbanised areas with no legal protection. The use of different roost sites by waders is highly variable both temporally and spatially, thus emphasizing the need for a network of good quality roost sites. Additionally, during migration, 60–80% of all the waders of the Tagus estuary concentrate at a single refuge, thus increasing the risk for wader populations during these periods. ------ RESUMO ------ As populações de aves limícolas migradoras enfrentam ameaças globais, maioritariamente relacionadas com a crescente perda de habitat e perturbação humana. Para garantir a sobrevivência a longo-termo destas populações é imprescindível a conservação de uma rede de áreas húmidas ao longo das suas rotas migratórias. O estuário do Tejo, em Portugal, é uma das mais importantes áreas húmidas para aves limícolas na rota Migratória do Atlântico Este. Desde 1975, foram efectuadas contagens anuais de aves limícolas no inverno nesta zona húmida e, em 2007, foi implementado um programa de monitorização mensal dos refúgios de preia-mar. As populações invernantes de três das cinco espécies de limícolas mais abundantes no estuário, o Pilrito-de-peito-preto Calidris alpina, a Tarambola-cinzenta Pluvialis squatarola e o Perna-vermelha Tringa totanus, mostraram tendências significativas de decréscimo nas últimas três décadas, potencialmente devido à degradação e perda de refúgios como resultado da crescente actividade antropogénica. Esta situação poderá deteriorar-se, uma vez que uma grande proporção das aves limícolas invernantes utiliza refúgios em áreas densamente urbanizadas sem qualquer estatuto legal de protecção. A utilização dos diferentes refúgios do estuário do Tejo por aves limícolas tem uma grande variação espacial e temporal, o que reforça a importância da existência de uma rede de refúgios de elevada qualidade nesta área húmida. Durante a migração, 60 a 80% das aves limícolas concentram-se num único refúgio, ficando assim particularmente vulneráveis neste período

Subspecialty training in Europe:a report by the European Network of Young Gynaecological Oncologists

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