1,728 research outputs found
Microhabitat use by endangered Iberian cyprinids nase Iberochondrostoma almacai and chub Squalius aradensis
Research ArticleOver the last decade there has been a major
rise in the number of attempts at fish conservation and
management as a response to the widespread degradation
of aquatic ecosystems. The assessments involved
are rarely planned and executed with inputs
from the species life history, particularly their microhabitat
use over space and time.The seasonal and sizerelated
microhabitat use of two critically endangered
cyprinids – the Iberian nase Iberochondrostoma
almacai and Iberian chub Squalius aradensis – was
examined at seven sites across four small catchments
in southwest Portugal. Both species displayed nonrandom
microhabitat use. In autumn, nase preferred
more sheltered (>50% cover) habitats with small
substrata (organic cover and silt) than in summer,
while chub were found to occupy significantly fasterflowing
habitats areas (>10 cm/s) with coarser substrata
(>50 mm particle size) in the spring than in the
rest of the year. Size-related analyses indicated that young-of-year (yoy) nase used coarser substrata
(>5 mm particle size) and more exposed habitats
(<50% cover) than adult nase. Adult chub, on the
other hand, occupied coarser substrata (>50 mm
particle size) and faster-flowing areas (>10 cm/s)
than yoy and juveniles. Based on these findings, it
was possible to assign the species to ecological guilds
and to classify them as limnophilic (nase) and
eurytopic and lithophilic (chub). Both species generally
occupied distinct microhabitats, although resource-
use overlap was significant in summer. During
this season, overlap was found between yoy nase and
chub, juvenile nase and juvenile/adult chub, and
between adults of both species. The present study
identified key factors in the species habitat requirements
and helped develop management recommendations
for river restoration that may have a wider
application, particularly for other Mediterraneantype
river
Global sensitivity analysis of fuel-type-dependent input variables of a simplified physical fire spread model
A new global sensitivity analysis has been conducted of fuel-type-dependent input variables of the simplified physical fire spread model (PhyFire) to understand how the use of spatial averages, that is, fuel models, influences the results of PhyFire with a view to enhancing its understanding and improving its design. The model’s simplicity, the numerical techniques used, and a recent code optimisation, allow undertaking the analysis with very competitive computational times. The fuel data used correspond to grasslands, shrublands and forest in the Spanish region of Galicia. The analysis results validate the flame length sub-model proposed in the paper, which significantly improves the model’s efficiency
Monitoring fish passes using infrared beaming: a case study in an Iberian river
An application of a new automated fish counting device – the
Riverwatcher System (RW) – was used to monitor upstream
fish movements in a pool-and-weir fish pass in the River
Zeˆ zere, Portugal, for 141 days from June 2002 to May 2003.
Fish populations were also collected downstream using multimesh
gillnets (5 different mesh sizes ranging from 30 mm to
85 mm knot to knot; ratio between mesh sizes of about 1.30)
and electrofishing for comparison with fish records produced
by the RW. More than 3000 individual Iberian nase Chondrostoma
polylepis ascended the fish pass and moved through the
RW during the study period. However, only 18% of the
records produced by the RW contained silhouettes similar to
fish; no individual smaller than 15 cm TL was recorded by the
counter. Most seasonal movements (73.9%) occurred in spring
and were associated with reproduction. Displacements seemed
to occur independently of time of day. Water temperature
(range: 12–22 C) was the only significant environmental
variable (P < 0.01) influencing upstream movements of this
species. Further development of hardware and software will be
necessary to improve performance of the counter, particularly
in Mediterranean rivers, where more turbid waters and a
greater proportion of small-size species are presen
Teores De Diterpenos Em Bebidas De Café Espresso Preparadas Com Cápsulas Comerciais
The objective of this work was to quantify kahweol and cafestol diterpenes in coffee brews prepared from commercial capsules for espresso in the Brazilian market. Four types of brews, with five preparation replications, were evaluated. The capsules had differences in the amount and type of roasted and ground coffees used (blends of arabica and robusta coffee or 100% arabica coffee), and in the conditions of time and volume of extraction (dose) recommended by the manufacturer. The coffee brews presented 1.42 and 4.88 g of solids/100 mL. Concentration of solids decreased with the increase in time/volume extraction. Contents of 0.47 to 1.04 mg of kahweol and 0.38 to 0.92 mg of cafestol by dose (ranging from 35 to 120 mL) were observed. These contents corresponded to a range of 0.40 to 2.96 mg of kahweol/100 mL and 0.32 to 2.62 mg of cafestol/100 mL. The fraction of diterpenes extracted varied from 1.85 to 4.27% for kahweol and 1.87 to 4.16% for cafestol. Considering the contents of cafestol, there is no indication of a hypercholesterolemic effect due to a moderate consumption of coffee brews prepared from these commercial capsules. © 2016, Editora UFLA. All rights reserved.11227628
Home-Based Activities for Children with Speech Sound Disorders:Requirements for a Tangible User Interface for Internet of Things Artefacts
This paper presents the state of the art regarding the use of tangible user interfaces for internet of artefacts (IoA) targeting health applications, with a focus on speech and language therapy and related areas, targeting home-based interventions, including data security and privacy issues. Results from a systematic literature review, focus group, and a nationwide questionnaire have been used to determine the system requirements for an artefact prototype to be developed. The aim of this study was to understand what is the usual practice of clinicians and to contribute to a better intervention or post-intervention approach for children with Speech Sound Disorders (SSD). The literature review revealed that some studies proposed technological solutions while others used a social approach and/or gamified activities. We could conclude that more research is needed and that a unified method or framework to address SSD intervention or post-intervention tools is lacking. Clinicians need more and better tools to be able to quantify and qualitatively assess the activities developed at home
Stability of pelargonidin 3-glucoside in model solutions in the presence and absence of flavanols
The stability of pelargonidin 3-g1ucoside (Pg3g1uc), the main anthocyanin in strawberry, has been studied in model citrate solutions (PH 3.5, 25°C) in the absence and presence flavanols (catechin and procyanidin B3) and/or oxygen. Changes in the solutions were monitorized by HPLC-DAD/MS and UV-visible spectra.Governo Português e Fundo Social Europeu através da medida n.º 5/Acção nº5.3 - PRODEP (III)(referência 5.3/N/199.006/00-Doutoramento)
An update on the genera Longidorus , Paralongidorus and Xiphinema (Family Longidoridae) in Portugal
The tribe Longidorini within the subfamily Longidorinae (Longidorus spp. and Paralongidorus spp.) and the subfamily
Xiphineminae (Xiphinema spp.) are two large nematode groups with about 260 and 230 known species, respectively. They
are globally two important groups of ectoparasitic nematodes considered to be major pests because of their activity as vectors
of important plant nepovirus, with some species included in the list of quarantine pathogenic organisms in many European
countries. Knowledge of the biodiversity and occurrence of this nematode group is a prerequisite for the
establishment of sound management strategies and control measures. According to data collected from the databases (such
as EPPO, FSTA, and Web of Science) and published in specialised literature, a total of 15 Longidorus, 1 Paralongidorus
and 40 Xiphinema species have been recorded as present in Portugal. However, the taxonomic status of some species is
controversial, and thus needs to be clarified. A comprehensive review for unravelling the biodiversity and occurrence of
nematode species of the genus Longidorus, Paralongidorus and Xiphinema in Portugal is herein provided. This review
includes an updated checklist of species with information on the localities, host plants and geographical distribution. Additionally,
maps on the species distributions of Longidorinae and Xiphineminae nematodes present in Continental Portugal
and the Portuguese Macaronesian islands are provided, as well as unpublished data on authors and comments on the current
taxonomic status. Finally, new insights and directions for future research on Longidoridae in Portugal are presented
The effect of level of knowledge accuracy of results on learning of motor skills in children and adults
The level of knowledge accuracy of results (KR) is a variable that interferes with the learning of motor skills, however such interference does not work the same way in adults and children. This study examined the effects of KR in children and adults during learning of a manipulative task with target accuracy. Forty adults (female = 21.13 ± 2.26 years; male = 20.97 ± 2.17 years) and forty children (female = 9.10 ± .83 years; male = 9.70 ± .48 years) practiced a task of hitting a target placed on a table by the thrown of metal discs. There were six experimental groups and two control groups (without KR) containing 10 subjects each. Experimental groups differed according to the individual's KR (less precise KR, precise KR and very precise KR) and development level (children and adult). Performance measure was the absolute error (AE). A three-way (age × groups × blocks) and two-way (groups × blocks) analysis of variance for the stabilization and adaptation phases were used. Results showed that adults perform better than children in low and intermediate KR and in high KR adults and children showed similar performance
Chronic Q fever with no elevation of inflammatory markers: a case report
Chronic q Fever with no elevation of inflammatory markers: a case report.
Boattini M, Almeida A, Moura RB, Abreu J, Santos AS, Toscano Rico M.
SourceDepartment of Internal Medicine, St. Marta's Hospital, 1169-024 Lisbon, Portugal.
Abstract
We describe the case of a 55-year-old man with a biological prosthetic aortic valve who suffered from epigastrium and right hypochondrium pain associated with intermittent night sweats. Liver biopsy showed infectious hepatitis pattern without pathognomonic features. Coxiella burnetii serology was suggestive of chronic Q fever, and modified Duke's criteria for endocarditis were also fulfilled. The authors present a brief literature review concerning chronic Q fever, emphasizing absent previous reports of chronic Q fever with hepatitis and endocarditis and no increase in inflammatory markers
Electrochemical and structural studies of nickel (II) Schiff base complexes derived from salicylaldehyde. Structural effects of bridge substituents on the stabilisation of the +3 oxidation state
The oxidative chemistry of three Ni(II) complexes with Schiff base ligands derived from salicylaldehyde and diamines with different steric
demands, N,N9-2-methylpropane-2,3-diyl-bis(salicylideneiminate)nickel(II) (1), N,N9-1,2-cyclohexyl-1,2-dyil-bis(salicylideneiminate)- nickel(II) (2) and N,N9-2,3-dimethylbutane-2,3-diyl-bis(salicylideneiminate)nickel(II) (3), was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry in N,N9-dimethylformamide and (CH3)2SO
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