Response of key stress-related genes of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the vicinity of submarine volcanic vents

Submarine volcanic vents are being used as natural laboratories to assess the effects of increased ocean acidity and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration on marine organisms and communities. However, in the vicinity of volcanic vents other factors in addition to CO2, which is the main gaseous component of the emissions, may directly or indirectly confound the biota responses to high CO2. Here we used for the first time the expression of antioxidant and stress-related genes of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to assess the stress levels of the species. Our hypothesis is that unknown factors are causing metabolic stress that may confound the putative effects attributed to CO2 enrichment only. We analyzed the expression of 35 antioxidant and stress-related genes of P. oceanica in the vicinity of submerged volcanic vents located in the islands of Ischia and Panarea, Italy, and compared them with those from control sites away from the influence of vents. Reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to characterize gene expression patterns. Fifty-one percent of genes analyzed showed significant expression changes. Metal detoxification genes were mostly down-regulated in relation to controls at both Ischia and Panarea, indicating that P. oceanica does not increase the synthesis of heavy metal detoxification proteins in response to the environmental conditions present at the two vents. The up-regulation of genes involved in the free radical detoxification response (e.g., CAPX, SODCP and GR) indicates that, in contrast with Ischia, P. oceanica at the Panarea site faces stressors that result in the production of reactive oxygen species, triggering antioxidant responses. In addition, heat shock proteins were also activated at Panarea and not at Ischia. These proteins are activated to adjust stress-accumulated misfolded proteins and prevent their aggregation as a response to some stressors, not necessarily high temperature. This is the first study analyzing the expression of target genes in marine plants living near natural CO2 vents. Our results call for contention to the general claim of seagrasses as "winners" in a high-CO2 world, based on observations near volcanic vents. Careful consideration of factors that are at play in natural vents sites other than CO2 and acidification is required. This study also constitutes a first step for using stress-related genes as indicators of environmental pressures in a changing ocean.project HighGrass "High-CO2 effects on seagrass photosynthetic ecophysiology" [PTDC/MAREST/3687/2012]; MIUR Italian flagship project RITMARE; ESF COST Action "Seagrass Productivity: from genes to ecosystem management

Modelo espacial de avaliação do uso do solo em ambiente SIG: o caso da localização industrial

O planeamento do território, no qual se insere a localização industrial, obedece a um processo de classificação do uso do solo. Este diferencia o espaço territorial para um determinado tempo de vigência, devidamente regulamentado, possibilitando controlar as intervenções sobre o território. A localização de novas unidades industriais no território assume grande importância, quer do ponto de vista da sua estruturação, quer do ponto de vista do impacto ambiental causado. Assim, a escolha da sua localização deverá harmonizar diversos factores relativos às características físicas, políticas e sócio-económicas de uma dada região, de forma a conciliar os interesses dos investidores com os de uma gestão adequada do uso do solo. A apreciação da aptidão do uso do solo, quer qualitativa quer quantitativa, para a localização de novas indústrias, envolve a selecção e avaliação de um conjunto de critérios associados à decisão em causa. O modelo espacial de avaliação do Uso do Solo desenvolvido, e aqui apresentado, considera na sua formulação a perspectiva dos empresários industriais e do ordenamento do território permitindo desenvolver mapas de aptidão para um território em análise. O modelo espacial é implementado em ambiente SIG o que permite modelar e visualizar a contribuição de cada critério no processo de decisão e possibilita a identificação das áreas mais aptas para o uso industrial por comparação das diferentes alternativas espaciais existentes. O facto do modelo ser implementado em ambiente SIG torna fácil qualquer reavaliação da aptidão do território devido a alterações que impliquem variações na importância relativa dos critérios avaliados para o território em análise. A metodologia apresentada permite ainda que se obtenham diferentes mapas de acordo com diferentes estratégias associadas ao processo de decisão, alterando a importância relativa dos critérios, fazendo variar a trade-off entre critérios ou admitindo diferentes tipos de atitude perante o risco associado à decisão. Será ainda apresentado um Caso de Estudo aplicado ao município de Vieira do Minho que permitirá validar a metodologia apresentada, bem como identificar as suas potencialidades

Bond energy/eond order relationships for N-O linkages and a quantitative measure of ionicity: the rôle of nitro groups in hydrogen bonding

The nitro group is active in metabolic systems and can be found as an integral part of a number of useful curative drugs and many toxic substances. The basis for much of this activity is not fully understood. It is not necessarily caused directly by through-bond electronic effects but may also be due to direct H-bonding to nitro or to indirect interference by the nitro group with existing H-bonding. An unusual effect of a nitro substituent on kinetic results from urethane addition/elimination reactions (Scheme 1) has been ascribed to some form of self-association, which was neither specified nor quantified. To investigate self-association phenomena caused by a nitro group, a bond energy/bond order formula for N–O bonds has been developed and then used to interpret relative amounts of covalent and ionic contributions to total N–O bond energy. Calculated bond energies were then used to obtain enthalpies of formation for H-bonds to nitro groups in crystals and in solution. Similar results from solution data reveal that direct H-bonding to nitro is much weaker than in crystals, unless intramolecular H-bonding can occur. The results revealed that the 'self-association' effects observed for nitro substituents in urethanes (Scheme 1) were not caused by nitro participating directly in intermolecular bonding to NH of another urethane but by an indirect intramolecular action of the nitro group on pre-existing normal NH–O amide/amide type H-bonding

Aluminium-Based Dissimilar Alloys Surface Composites Reinforced with Functional Microparticles Produced by Upward Friction Stir Processing

Funding Information: T.G.S. and C.V. acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES) for its financial support via projects UIDB/00667/2020 and UIDP/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI). P.M.F. also acknowledges FCT-MCTES for its financial support via the PhD scholarship UI/BD/151055/2021. R.J.C.S. acknowledges national funds from FCT-MCTES in the scope of the project UIDB/50025/2020–2023 of the CENIMAT/i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Surface metal matrix composites offer an excellent solution for applications where surface properties play a crucial role in components’ performance and durability, such as greater corrosion resistance, better wear resistance, and high formability. Solid-state processing techniques, such as friction surfacing and friction stir welding/processing, offer several advantages over conventional liquid-phase processing methods. This research investigated the feasibility of producing surface composites of aluminium-based dissimilar alloys reinforced with functional microparticles through experimental validation, determined the process parameters that resulted in a more homogeneous distribution of the particles in the surface composites, and enhanced the understanding of Upward Friction Stir Processing (UFSP) technology. The production of aluminium-based dissimilar alloys (AA 7075-T651 and AA 6082-T651) surface composites reinforced with SiC particles was studied, and it was concluded that the macrography and micrography analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, microhardness measurements, and eddy currents technique reveal an extensive and homogeneous incorporation of SiC particles. In the stirred zone, a decrease of approximately 20 HV 0.5 in hardness was observed compared to the base material. This reduction is attributed to the weakening effect caused by low-temperature annealing during UFSP, which reduces the strengthening effect of the T651 heat treatment. Additionally, the presence of particles did not affect the surface composite hardness in the stirred zone. Furthermore, despite the presence of significant internal defects, SEM analyses revealed evidence of the lower alloy merging with the upper zone, indicating that the lower plate had a role beyond being merely sacrificial. Therefore, the production of bimetallic composites through UFSP may offer advantages over composites produced from a monometallic matrix. The results of the eddy currents testing and microhardness measurements support this finding and are consistent with the SEM/EDS analyses.publishersversionpublishe

Sedimentary organic carbon and nitrogen stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows in a dynamic and impacted wetland: Effects of coastal infrastructure constructions and meadow establishment time

Seagrass meadows, through their large capacity to sequester and store organic carbon in their sediments, contribute to mitigate climatic change. However, these ecosystems have experienced large losses and degrada-tion worldwide due to anthropogenic and natural impacts and they are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. When a meadow is impacted, the vegetation is partial-or completely lost, and the sediment is exposed to the atmosphere or water column, resulting in the erosion and remineralisation of the carbon stored. This paper addresses the effects of the construction of coastal infrastructures on sediment properties, organic carbon, and total nitrogen stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows, as well as the size of such stocks in relation to meadow establishing time (recently and old established meadows). Three intertidal seagrass meadows impacted by coastal constructions (with 0% seagrass cover at present) and three adjacent non-impacted old-established meadows (with 100% seagrass cover at present) were studied along with an area of bare sediment and two recent-established seagrass meadows. We observed that the non-impacted areas presented 3-fold higher per-centage of mud and 1.5 times higher sedimentary organic carbon stock than impacted areas. Although the impacted area was relatively small (0.05-0.07 ha), coastal infrastructures caused a significant reduction of the sedimentary carbon stock, between 1.1 and 2.2 Mg OC, and a total loss of the carbon sequestration capacity of the impacted meadow. We also found that the organic carbon stock and total nitrogen stock of the recent -established meadow were 30% lower than those of the old-established ones, indicating that OC and TN accu-mulation within the meadows is a continuous process, which has important consequences for conservation and restoration actions. These results contribute to understanding the spatial variability of blue carbon and nitrogen stocks in coastal systems highly impacted by urban development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Determination of Acrylamide in Portuguese Bread by UPLC-MS/MS: metrological and chemometric tools

Acrylamide (AA) is known for its potential health hazards and it is present in processed potatoes, coffee, and bread. Wheat is still the most important cereal for bread making, however, the interest in its substitution by other grains is growing due to the consumer demand for novels and healthy foods, like oat and rye flour. The aim of this study was to analyze the AA content of confectioned bread in fifty-four different pastries and make an association of acrylamide contents and the place of production to identify the quality of the flour used. There was a wide variability in AA levels among different breads and within different bread varieties. The median of AA values was 787 μg/kg for whole grain bread, 783 μg/kg for oat bread and 253 μg/kg in rye bread. With the cluster analysis, it was possible to conclude that besides the factors like baking temperature-time and fermentation time which affects AA formation in bread products, several other parameters such as the formulation, flour quality and the varieties of processing techniques, among others, play a crucial role in the AA formation.MISAGE project (LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-024172). This project has received financial support from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. This work was supported by ELEMENTARIA-2013DAN850 project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of seagrass meadows on nursery and fish provisioning ecosystem services delivered by Ria Formosa, a coastal lagoon in Portugal

This study is the first to evaluate the fish provisioning services of a whole transitional landscape (Ria Formosa lagoon, Portugal), in parallel with the enhancement of growth, survival and production of single cohorts of the most important commercial fish species by vegetated and unvegetated sub-tidal habitats. Based on monthly beach seine samples, total density and biomass of 96 species of fishes were 1.89 and 3.03 times greater in vegetated habitats than unvegetated habitats, respectively. Vegetated habitat enhanced survival in six of eight commercial species for which survival could be estimated in both habitats. The total production of all 12 commercially important species within vegetated habitat was approximately double that of unvegetated habitat, with production enhancement in 7 of 12 species ranging from 1.8 to 169-fold for the vegetated habitats. Within the lagoon, vegetated sub-tidal habitat covers an area 5-fold smaller than unvegetated habitat, yet it accounts for 27.1 % of fish production. Estimated total lifetime economic values of the single cohorts of the 12 commercial species were between 30 million and 59 million EUR. An exceptionally strong year class of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), a species with higher density and biomass in unvegetated habitat, accounts for the higher overall values per hectare for unvegetated habitat (Low natural mortality (M): EUR 32,844 ha-1; High M: EUR 16,751 ha-1) than for vegetated habitat (Low M: EUR 22,028 ha-1; High M: EUR 10,700 ha-1). These results highlight the enormous importance of temperate coastal lagoons as a nursery and source of recruits for coastal fisheries. Our evaluation of fish provisioning services based on data for individual cohorts of fish for a whole transitional landscape is a stronger and more valid approach for estimating future biomass and value than previous studies based on mean densities and biomasses of fish that did not distinguish between cohorts.ICTIORIA (Recruitment of sea breams) DG XIV C1/99/061; LA/P/0101/2020;info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New physics contributions to the forward-backward asymmetry at the Tevatron

The Tevatron has measured a discrepancy relative to the Standard Model prediction in the forward-backward asymmetry in top quark pair production. This asymmetry grows with the rapidity difference of the two top quarks. It also increases with the invariant mass of the tt pair, reaching, for high invariant masses, 3.4 standard deviations above the Next to Leading Order prediction for the charge asymmetry of QCD. However, perfect agreement between experiment and the Standard Model was found in both total and differential cross section of top quark pair production. As this result could be a sign of new physics we have parametrized this new physics in terms of a complete set of dimension six operators involving the top quark. We have then used a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach in order to find the best set of parameters that fits the data, using all available data regarding top quark pair production at the Tevatron. We have found that just a very small number of operators are able to fit the data better than the Standard Model.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figure

Monitorização in continuum da Lagoa das Sete Cidades

Nas últimas décadas, a Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Ilha de São Miguel, Açores) tem sido afectada por um lento processo de eutrofização que, recentemente, conduziu a um agravamento da sua qualidade química e ecológica. Para avaliar o estado actual da Lagoa e monitorizar a sua evolução foi implementado um sistema de monitorização in continuum, baseado numa estação remota multiparamétrica e em análises periódicas do fitoplâncton. A monitorização in continuum permitiu caracterizar a evolução sazonal dos parâmetros físico-químicos, verificando-se uma rápida transição entre os períodos de mistura e estratificação da massa de água. O desenvolvimento da estratificação térmica foi determinante na evolução da comunidade fitoplanctónica

Two-loop stability of a complex singlet extended Standard Model

Motivated by the dark matter and the baryon asymmetry problems, we analyse a complex singlet extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a Z2 symmetry (which provides a dark matter candidate). After a detailed two-loop calculation of the renormalization group equations for the new scalar sector, we study the radiative stability of the model up to a high energy scale (with the constraint that the 126 GeV Higgs boson found at the LHC is in the spectrum) and find it requires the existence of a new scalar state mixing with the Higgs with a mass larger than 140 GeV. This bound is not very sensitive to the cut-off scale as long as the latter is larger than 10^10 GeV. We then include all experimental and observational constraints/measurements from collider data, dark matter direct detection experiments and from the Planck satellite and in addition force stability at least up to the GUT scale, to find that the lower bound is raised to about 170 GeV, while the dark matter particle must be heavier than about 50 GeV