Patterns of single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) variation: further insights into the complex history of the iberian honeybee

The Iberian Peninsula harbours the greatest honeybee genetic diversity and complexity in Europe. The challenge of deciphering the mechanisms underlying such complexity has led to numerous morphological and molecular marker-based surveys of the Iberian honeybee. Yet, in spite of the numerous studies, the evolutionary processes underlying patterns of Iberian honey bee genetic diversity remain poorly understood. Early phylogeographical studies of morphology and allozymes revealed the existence of a gradient extending from Africa to northern Europe, with Iberian honeybees showing intermediate phenotypes. This pattern raised the hypothesis of an African origin and a mechanism of primary intergradation for the Iberian honeybee (and the black honeybee) origin. Maternal patterns tell a different history. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) surveys have revealed the co-occurrence of highly divergent lineages forming a south-north cline, a pattern that is more compatible with a recent secondary contact hypothesis. Adding to the complexity, microsatellite variation supports neither hypothesis as microsatellites showed virtually no differentiation and no traces of African genes in Iberian honeybees. In an attempt to resolve this debate we recently performed a fine resolution (both geographic and genomic) survey of the Iberian honeybee using SNPs, genotyped using automated high throughput technologies of Illumina, and mtDNA sequencing data of the tRNAleu-cox2 highly polymorphic region. The dataset was analyzed using a battery of methods implemented by the programs ARLEQUIN, STRUCTURE, ADEGENET, TESS, BAYESCAN, among others. The results were interesting: contrasting with microsatellites, SNPs were able to recover the clinal signal in the Iberian Peninsula producing a spatial pattern that was concordant with mtDNA. However, the differentiation levels within Iberian populations and between Iberian and northern African populations do not support a recent secondary contact. Herein, the results of the SNP surveys will be presented and new hypotheses will be discussed.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Transesophageal pulmonary lobectomy with single transthoracic port assistance: study with survival assessment in a porcine model

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Thoracoscopic pulmonary lobectomy is being performed in an increasing number of patients. The aims of the current study were to assess natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) as an alternative to transthoracic endoscopic surgery, and to test the feasibility of peroral transesophageal right upper pulmonary lobectomy with the assistance of a single transthoracic trocar. METHODS: In 10 acute and 4 survival pigs, right upper pulmonary lobectomy was performed using a forward-viewing double-channel gastroscope and an operative thoracoscope with a 5-mm working channel inserted through a single transthoracic 12-mm) port. Time, safety, and feasibility of the following steps were recorded in all animals: esophagotomy, hilar dissection, individual ligation of the hilum elements, pulmonary lobectomy, and specimen retrieval. In the survival experiments, esophagotomy was closed using a reticulated laparoscopy suture device and an esophageal stent was placed. These animals were kept alive and monitored for 2 weeks. RESULTS: Esophagotomy was performed safely in all animals (mean procedure duration 5.4 ± 1.7 minutes). Dissection of the right upper lobe hilum elements (bronchus, arteries, and veins) was carried out without adverse events. Individual ligation of the hilum elements was performed in all but two cases (time for dissection and ligation 44.2 ± 14.8 minutes). Lobectomy and specimen retrieval were completed in all animals (9.5 ± 3.1 minutes). Esophagotomy closure and stent placement were carried out in 20.0 ± 2.8 minutes in the survival animals. These animals fed normally and gained weight postoperatively without signs of disease. Endoscopic examination before necropsy revealed a pseudo-diverticulum in one animal, and wound dehiscence with confined collection/recess in the remaining animals. CONCLUSIONS: Transesophageal right upper pulmonary lobectomy using single transthoracic trocar assistance is feasible and may represent a step towards scar-free pulmonary lobectomy.This project was funded by the FCT Grants project PTDC/SAUOSM/105578/2008

Left atrial appendage ligation with single transthoracic port assistance : a study of survival assessment in a porcine model (with videos)

Background: Left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion is a well-known procedure for the prevention of stroke in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation and contraindication to long-term oral anticoagulant therapy. Objective: To evaluate a natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) approach for LAA ligation. Design: In 4 acute and 6 survival pigs, we performed LAA by using a forward-viewing, single-channelgastroscope and an operative thoracoscope with a 3-mm working channel (introduced through an 8-mm single transthoracic port). Setting: Animal laboratory. Interventions: The gastroscope was introduced in the thoracic cavity through an esophageal submucosal tunnel. An end loop introduced through the gastroscope was used to legate the LAA. In the survival experiments, the esophageal mucosa was closed using hemoclips. Main Outcome Measurements: The time, safety, and feasibility of the procedure were recorded. In the survival experiments, endoscopy and postmortem examination were performed on postoperative day 14. Results: Creation of a submucosal tunnel and esophagotomy were safely performed in all animals without incidents. The mean time for esophagotomy was 17.0 6.3 minutes. Pericardial dissection and LAA ligation were performed in all animals but 1. The mean time for LAA ligation was 34.4 19.1 minutes. No adverse events occurred during the survival period. Endoscopy showed complete esophageal closure. Postmortem examination revealed pleural adhesions on the site of pericardial dissection, and the LAA was fibrotic with the endoloop in place. Limitations: Animal study. Conclusions: LAA ligation with single transthoracic trocar assistance is feasible and may be an alternative to anticoagulant therapy or to permanent intracardiac implants in patients with atrial fibrillation.This project was funded by the Grants FCT project PTDC/SAU-OSM/105578/2008

Padrões geográficos de diversidade genética da abelha melífera em Portugal (continente e ilhas)

A Europa alberga três linhagens evolutivas da abelha melífera (Apis mellifera L.), nomeadamente: linhagem M (oeste e norte europeia), linhagem C (sudeste Europeia) e linhagem A (Africana). A linhagem C inclui mais de 6 subespécies destacando-se, pela sua importância na apicultura mundial, a A. m. ligustica (abelha italiana) e A. m. carnica (abelha carniola). Por sua vez, a linhagem M agrupa apenas a A. m. mellifera (abelha preta) e A. im. iberiensis (abelha ibérica). Enquanto a distribuição natural da abelha preta inclui uma boa parte das regiões da Europa Ocidental e Central até à Península Escandinava, Alemanha e Polónia, a abelha ibérica está confinada à Península Ibérica. Porém, é nesta região da Europa que a abelha melífera exibe maior diversidade genética, resultante da coexistência de abelhas de origem Europeia (M) e Africana (A). Num contexto de profundas alterações ambientais (e.g. alterações climáticas, poluição, pesticidas, novos patogénios e parasitas), a preservação deste valioso património é crucial pois a sobrevivência a longo prazo de qualquer organismo depende da sua diversidade genética

Level of recommendation and satisfaction after an event: the NOS Primavera Sound case study

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the level of recommendation and satisfaction related with sociodemographic characteristics of visitors and the loyalty they show regarding the festival. Methodology: Data from a random sample of 1397 visitors were collected from an online questionnaire after the festival occurred. In univariate analysis with application of the ANOVA test, we observe that the global satisfaction is influenced by age, marital status, educational degree, residence, if they participated in the previous edition, type of ticket and intention to return for the next edition. In the application of the factorial analysis, three distinct factors emerged: the recommendation of the festival, the satisfaction with the organization and the satisfaction with the stages. In the econometric models we highlight simultaneously the gender and the intention to return that influence the recommendation and the satisfaction. Findings: The results will be important for the framework of management and marketing of the event NOS Primavera Sound in the sense that they can be used for the visitor segmentation through the identification of sociodemographic characteristics of visitors, the levels of recommendation, satisfaction and loyalty towards the event. Originality/Value: This is the first time a post-event analysis is applied to NOS Primavera Sounds, in Portugal.B913-0565-0908 | Elvira Vieirainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparing two in-house developed SNP assays for inferring population structure in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)

The honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is under pressure globally due to several factors, one of them is the large-scale introduction of foreign queens and/or colonies which act as vectors of pathogens, and also threaten the genetic integrity of native populations. Different molecular tools have been developed to monitor the genetic integrity of the populations. SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) have been preferred because are easily transferred between laboratories, have a low genotyping error, provide high-quality data, and are suitable for automation. Here, we compared the genotyping results obtained with two medium-density-SNP assays previously developed. One of assays was designed from 88 whole genomes of Apis mellifera iberiensis and 44 C-lineage individuals (the main ancestry of commercial bees) using fixed SNPs (FST=1) distributed in the 16 honey bee chromosomes. The other assay was designed from variation in immune genes using a discovery panel of 123 whole genomes, representing seven subspecies (A. m. iberiensis, A. m. mellifera, A. m. intermissa, A. m. sahariensis, A. m. ligustica, A. m. carnica, A. m. siciliana and three lineages (A, M and C). All the samples are from the native range of each subspecies and they were taken from inside the hives, placed in absolute ethanol and stored at -20ºC until DNA extraction. The tools were compared using 473 samples from the Azores, which harbour a genetically complex honey bee population. The samples were genotyped using the iPLEX MassARRAY® MALDI-TOF system. The membership proportions of each individual (Qvalue) were calculated using ADMIXTURE considering two genetic groups (K=2), with 10,000 iterations in 20 independent runs. Our results show that both assays provide similar Q-values, with a Pearson’s correlation of 0.89. Only 9.5% of the samples have an absolute Q-value difference > 0.10. The choice of the best SNP assay depends on the subspecies and the aim of the project. While the immune assays can be applied in different subspecies the other assay was specifically designed for A. m. iberiensis. Furthermore, if there is disease data available, the immune assay caninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cytherura Purperae Ornellas et Fallavena, sp.nov., A Living Ostracoda From Mixohaline Environment, Southern Brazil

No presente trabalho é descrita uma nova espécie de ambiente mixohalino (polihalino e mesohalino) da família Cytheruridae, Cytherura purperae Ornellas et Fallavena, sp. nov. que ocorre na areia lodosa da margem do canal que liga a Lagoa de Tramandaí ao mar

Geometric contrast feature for automatic visual counting of honey bee brood capped cells

Assessment of honey bee colony strength by measuring adults or brood is often required for ecological studies. The brood has typically been estimated through a subjective mode (Lieberfelder method), although it can also be objectively determined by counting (manually or automatically) the brood cells (capped or uncapped) from digital images. The manual counting of capped cells is highly prone to errors and a time-consuming and tedious task. An automatic way to accomplish that task allows reducing those drawbacks. The main challenge for developing an automatic method is, however, the presence of intraclass color variation; it is not possible to make a reliable detection based just on the pixel color presented by the capped cells. While several researchers are using the Hough transform to solve that problem, at certain light, noise, and surface conditions the automatic detection fails. After carefully observing capped cell regions of several combs, we identified a set of geometrical relations that could be used to build a consistent contrast feature. That feature is the key to detect the capped cells with a high accuracy in our work. A functional optimizer is performing a searching on the image looking for the locations that maximize the contrast on that feature. Our experimental results are showing a good detection rate (over 96%), despite the wide intraclass color variation. This research is funded through the 2013-2014 BiodivERsA/FACCE-JPI Joint call for research proposals, with the national funders FCT (Portugal), CNRS (France), and MEC (Spain).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Forest landscape ecology and global change: what are the next steps?

In this chapter, we summarize current trends and challenges and future research directions in forest landscape ecology and in management related to global change. We discuss the available knowledge in forest landscape ecology and the possibilities of using this knowledge to support management under changing conditions. We also discuss the forest sector’s preparedness to deal with changes in management and how forest landscape ecology can guide this management. Forest landscape ecology has gathered substantial knowledge on patterns, processes, tools, and methods that can support forest and landscape management during changing scenarios. We recognize that existing knowledge is incomplete and that a substantial portion of our knowledge is uncertain, that variability in landscape conditions and various forms of error compound the problem, that we still lack considerable knowledge in some fields, and that there are likely to be knowledge gaps we are not aware of. We nonetheless face the challenge of responding to change based on the available knowledge