Molecular analysis confirms Madeira as source for insular and continental introduced populations of Teira dugesii (Sauria: Lacertidae)

In this work, we use phylogenetic analyses to assess the putative origin of the Lisbon, Azorean, and Canarian populations. The identification of the origin of these three introduced populations is expected to provide insights into the invasion pattern of this species

Where to live in Lisbon: urban habitat used by the introduced Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus)

Exotic animal invasions constitute a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. Our assessment determined the core range occupied by the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) in the urban area of Parque das Nações (Lisbon, Portugal), where it was accidentally introduced two decades ago. Des-pite the apparent current scenario of non-expansion, the alien species interferes with the local distribution pattern of the native P. virescens, with both lizard species shown to use the available microhabitats differently. The native P. virescens population

Introducing the montado, the cork and holm oak agroforestry system of Southern Portugal

The Portuguese montado is an agro-silvo pastoral system quite similar to the dehesa in Spain, and covering in Portugal most of the Southern region of the country, Alentejo. The trees in the montado are cork oh holm oak, and the system is mostly acknowledged due to the cork production, but also due to its singular savanna like land cover pattern, its multiple and complementary productions, the support of a diversity of ecosystems services and its biodiversity. The present special issue covers the diversity of components of the montado and of perspectives required to understand and assess the functioning of the system. This Editorial introduces the montado system, describes its extension and similarities to the dehesa in Spain, and addresses the multiple productions and externalities of the montado. It also refers to the several components of the system. It focus on the uniqueness and values of this system, stressing its potential and threats, and the requirements for integrated knowledge production. In the end of the Editorial, each one of the papers that compose the special issue are presented

Os efeitos da formulação de objectivos sobre o rendimento desportivo de duas equipas de andebol sénior

Apesar dos efeitos positivos dos programas de formulação de objectivos (P.F.O.) estarem bem estabelecidos em contextos industriais e educativos, não temos verificado o mesmo cenário no domínio desportivo, onde os resultados deste tipo de estratégias estão ainda totalmente por comprovar (Kyllo & Landers, 1995). Como refere Gould (1993), estes programas de intervenção nem sempre são aplicados de forma correcta devido ao facto de se ignorarem vários factores que podem influenciar a eficácia desta técnica. Neste sentido, o presente estudo procurou analisar a relação entre a formulação de objectivos (F.O.) e o rendimento desportivo, apresentando os dados da utilização de dois P.F.O. junto de duas equipas seniores de andebol, ao longo de duas épocas desportivas. Em termos mais específicos, a F.O. implementada baseou-se no estabelecimento de objectivos individuais e colectivos para as equipas, procurando controlar varáveis como o grau de experiência dos atletas, a divulgação pública e privada dos objectivos e a distinção entre os diferentes graus de dificuldade das provas. Os resultados sugerem a eficácia dos programas desenvolvidos na melhoria do rendimento desportivo dos atletas em diferentes parâmetros de jogo bem como no seu maior comprometimento e empenho para com o sucesso das equipas.Although the positive effects of using goal-setting programmes are well established on industrial and educational contexts, we don’t verify the same setting in what concerns to the sports field, where the results of these kind of approaches are still totally unproven (Kyllo & Landers, 1995). As Gould (1993) refers, these intervention programmes aren’t always applied correctly, due to ignoring the various factors which can influence this techniques’ efficacy. Therefore, the present study attempted to analyse the connection between goal-setting and sports performance based on the results of the implementation of two goal-setting programmes with two professional handball teams, during two seasons. Specifically, the goal-setting programmes were based on the definition of individual and team goals, on an attempt to control variables such as the degree of the athletes’ experience, the goals’ public and private discussion and the games’ differences in terms of degrees of difficulty. The results suggest the efficacy of the developed programmes not only on the improvement of the athletes’ sport performance in different handball skills, but also on the increase of their level of commitment towards the teams’ success

Multiobjective evolutionary algorithms for intradomain routing optimization

Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) have been used to develop methods for Traffic Engineering (TE) over IP-based networks in the last few years, being used to reach the best set of link weights in the configuration of intra-domain routing protocols, such as OSPF. In this work, the multiobjective nature of a class of optimization problems provided by TE with Quality of Service constraints is identified. Multiobjective EAs (MOEAs) are developed to tackle these tasks and their results are compared to previous approaches using single objective EAs. The effect of distinct genetic representations within the MOEAs is also explored. The results show that the MOEAs provide more flexible solutions for network management, but are in some cases unable to reach the level of quality obtained by single objective EAs. Furthermore, a freely available software application is described that allows the use of the mentioned optimization algorithms by network administrators, in an user-friendly way by providing adequate user interfaces for the main TE tasks.FCT - project ref. PTDC/EIA-EIA/115176/2009; grant UMINHO/BII/061/200

Hemodialysis Acess - A Creative Attitude is Necessary

Creating and maintaining a functional vascular access (VA) is a critical factor in the survival of a dialysis patient. It implies a creative attitude either to maintain its functionality or to build a new one wherever possible, being it autologous or synthetic. We describe the VA history of a 59 years-old male patient, with extreme obesity, which started in 2012 with failed attempts of VA construction in both forearms until a functional brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in the right upper limb was achieved. However, it required ligation due to severe venous hypertension secondary to central venous disease related to previous CVC use. As he had no good superficial conduit in the left arm we decided to harvest the arterialized right cephalic vein and implant it in the left arm, creating an autologous arteriovenous shunt between the brachial artery and axillary vein (AV). Despite initial patency, it failed irreversibly approximately one year after creation. As no more superficial veins were available in the upper limbs, a prosthetic access was the next step. We decided for a hybrid graft (HG) between the left brachial artery and the AV because of the patient's biotype and scarred axilla that impeded a safe re-intervention on the AV. This graft was used between 2015 and 2017 with multiple interventions to maintain patency. In 2017 a significant diffuse prosthesis deterioration and reduced AVF flow were noticed with no possible segmental reconstruction. We were then forced to proceed with subtotal graft substitution preserving the outflow stented segment of the HG, using an early cannulation graft to prevent CVC use. After this successful reconstruction, the patient started hemodialysis on the following day with no intercurrences registered.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A framework for improving routing configurations using multi-objective optimization mechanisms

IP networks are nowadays well established technolo- gies being used to support a myriad of applications and services, thus assuming a crucial role in todays telecommunication sys- tems. Nevertheless, such infrastructures usually require network administrators to perform a wide set of complex planning and management tasks trying to attain adequate network configura- tions. Many of such management tasks can be mathematically for- mulated as NP-hard optimization problems, sometimes involving several objective functions. In this context, this work explores and demonstrates the potential of using computational intelligence methods as optimization engines to tackle complex network op- timization problems. In particular, Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) are used to attain near-optimal link state routing configurations robust to distinct operational conditions. As result, network administrators will be provided with a set of alternative routing configurations representing distinct tradeoffs between the considered optimization goals. The robustness of the proposed methods is illustrated by presenting several multi-objective optimization examples able to improve the performance and resilience levels of a network infrastructure. Moreover, the devised methods are integrated in a freely available Traffic Engineering optimization framework able to be used by network administrators interested in this particular research field.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-010145-FEDER-007043 and FCT Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013

Seminário de Conservação e Recuperação de Espécies Silvestres

A Universidade de Évora, no âmbito da formação curricular da disciplina de Patologia e Clínica das Espécies Silvestres, do Curso de Medicina Veterinária, organizou o primeiro Seminário de Conservação e Recuperação de Espécies Silvestres. A organização propriamente dita ficou a cargo do Instituto de Ciências Agrárias Mediterrânicas, do Departamento de Medicina Veterinária e da Associação de Estudantes de Medicina Veterinária da Universidade de Évora. Diferentes entidades foram convidadas a dar o seu contributo para a realização do evento, desde as áreas de gestão territorial e ambiental àquelas de carácter eminentemente biológico aplicado. Pretendeu-se, desta forma, complementar a formação lectiva com uma informação que abrangesse os diversos subdomínios relacionados, permitindo aos futuros profissionais médicos veterinários entender melhor a inserção das espécies silvestres, objecto da sua intervenção clínica preventiva ou terapêutica, no contexto ecológico próprio. Fundação Alentejo – Terra Mãe, Évora, 9 e 10 de Maio de 2008. Apoios ICAAM e FCT-FACC 08/1/247

Governance models for non-profit organizations: a literature review

Good corporate governance, which influences organizational performance, is the foundation of effective internal control. Adopting a governance paradigm, however, presents difficulties. By identifying and mapping processes and data, Enterprise Architecture (EA) may help with changes. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) provide important indicators for organizational activities. By employing a structured Balanced Scorecard (BSC), management may obtain a comprehensive overview of performance and make informed decisions to improve outcomes. In this article, we will present relevant concepts related to Governance Models, obtained through a comprehensive literature review. The advantages of implementing a suitable governance model and the essential tools for its development are also discussed. We will close with a summary and open research questions.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

Assessment of environment, land management, and spatial variables on recent changes in Montado land cover in southern Portugal

Montado decline has been reported since the end of the nineteenth century in southern Portugal and increased markedly during the 1980s. Consensual reports in the literature suggest that this decline is due to a number of factors, such as environmental constraints, forest diseases, inappropriate management, and socioeconomic issues. An assessment on the pattern of montado distribution was conducted to reveal how the extent of land management, environmental variables, and spatial factors contributed to montado area loss in southern Portugal from 1990 to 2006. A total of 14 independent variables, presumably related to montado loss, were grouped into three sets: environmental variables, land management variables, and spatial variables. From 1990 to 2006, approximately 90,054 ha disappeared in the montado area with an estimated annual regression rate of 0.14 % year-1. Variation partitioning showed that the land management model accounted for the highest percentage of explained variance (51.8 %), followed by spatial factors (44.6 %) and environmental factors (35.5 %). These results indicate that most variance in the large-scale distribution of recent montado loss is due to land management, either alone or in combination with environmental and spatial factors. The full GAM model showed that different livestock grazing is one of the most important variables affecting montado loss. This suggests that optimum carrying capacity should decrease to 0.18–0.60 LU ha-1 for livestock grazing in montado under current ecological conditions in southern Portugal. This study also showed that land abandonment, wildfire, and agricultural practices (to promote pastures, crops or fallow lands) were three significant variables influencing montado loss