Comparison of solar radio and EUV synoptic limb charts during the present solar maximum

The present solar cycle is particular in many aspects: it had a delayed rising phase, it is the weakest of the last 100 years, and it presents two peaks separated by more than one year. To understand the impact of these characteristics on the solar chromosphere and coronal dynamics, images from a wide wavelength range are needed. In this work we use the 17~GHz radio continuum, formed in the upper chromosphere and the EUV lines 304 and 171~{\AA}, that come from the transition region (He II) and the corona (Fe IX, X), respectively. We analyze daily images at 304 and 171~{\AA} obtained by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). The 17~GHz maps were obtained by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). To construct synoptic limb charts, we calculated the mean emission of delimited limb areas with 100" wide and angular separation of $5^\circ$. At the equatorial region, the results show an hemispheric asymmetry of the solar activity. The northern hemisphere dominance is coincident with the first sunspot number peak, whereas the second peak occurs concurrently with the increase in the activity at the south. The polar emission reflects the presence of coronal holes at both EUV wavelengths, moreover, the 17~GHz polar brightenings can be associated with the coronal holes. Until 2013, both EUV coronal holes and radio polar brightenings were more predominant at the south pole. Since then they have not been apparent in the north, but thus appear in the beginning of 2015 in the south as observed in the synoptic charts. This work strengthens the association between coronal holes and the 17~GHz polar brightenings as it is evident in the synoptic limb charts, in agreement with previous case study papers. The enhancement of the radio brightness in coronal holes is explained by the presence of bright patches closely associated with the presence of intense unipolar magnetic fields.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Acccepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Piezoelectric actuators for bone mechanical stimulation: exploring the concept.

Arthroplasty is liable to cause intense changes on strain levels and distribution in the boné surrounding the implant, namely stress shielding. Several solutions have been proposed for this, namely design variations and development of controlled-stiffness implants. A new approach to this problem, with potential application to other orthopaedic problems and other medical fields, would be the development of smart implants integrating systems for bone mechanical stimulation. Ideally, the implant should presente sensing capability and the ability to maintain physiological levels of strain at the implant interface. Piezoelectric materials’ huge potential as a mean to produce direct mechanical stimulation lies on the possibility of producing stimuli at a high range of frequencies and in multiple combinations. The present in vitro and preliminary in vivo studies were a first step towards the validation of the concept

Bone mechanical stimulation with piezoelectric materials

This chapter summarized explores in vivo use of a piezoelectric polymer for bone mechanical stimulatio

Changes in saliva proteome in response to bread odour

It is widely recognized that smelling food results in a mouth-watering feeling and influences appetite. However, besides changes in volume, little is known about the effects that food odours have on the composition of saliva. The aim of the present study was to access the effects that smelling bread has on saliva proteome and to compare such effects with those of chewing and ingesting it. Besides a significant increase in saliva flow rate, together with a decrease in total protein concentration, bread odour induced changes in the proportion of different salivary proteins. The expression levels of two spots of cystatins and two spots of amylase increased due to olfactory stimulation, similar to what happened with bread mastication, suggesting that odour can allow anticipation of the type of food eaten and consequently the physiological oral changes necessary to that ingestion. An interesting finding was that bread odour increased the expression levels of several protein spots of immunoglobulin chains, which were decreased by both bread or rice mastication. This may be of clinical relevance since food olfactory stimulation of salivary immunoglobulins can be used to potentiate the oral immune function of saliva. Moreover, the effects of bread odour in the levels of salivary proteins, previously observed to be involved in oral food processing led to the hypothesis of an influence of this odour in the sensory perception of foods further ingested. Further studies are needed to elucidate this point, as well as whether the changes observed for bread odour are specific, or if different food odours lead to similar salivary proteome responses

Modelling the habitat preferences of the NE-Atlantic Sea cucumber Holothuria forskali : demographics and abundance

This work was funded by the Operational Program Mar2020 MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP-0052 “Newcumber - Avanços para o cultivo sustentável de pepinos do mar”. This work was also supported by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within the scope of the projects (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04292/2020, and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00006/2020) and the Associate Laboratory ARNET (https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0069/2020), A.C. Brito with the Scientific Stimulus Program – CEECIND/00095/2017, A.P. with the under the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Institutional Call - CEECINST/00051/2018 and Francisco Azevedo e Silva and João Trigo de Sousa through the individual grants (SFRH/BD/09563/2020 and SFRH/BDANA/02949/2023).Sea cucumbers' historical demand, together with the depletion of several traditional species in the market, has popularized new target species from new fishing grounds. Holothuria forskali is one of those emergent species in the trade market. However, it is a species for which there is no relevant information to allow sustainable stock management. Fundamental knowledge of the populations' structure and habitat preferences are key elements without which any measure is inconsequent. This work aims to fill that gap by modelling temporal and spatial patterns of abundance and demographic structure of this species in a NE-Atlantic area, as a function of environmental features. For a period of 15 months, nine regular sampling campaigns collected data on density, individual length, individual conditions of occurrence (e.g. sheltered, on sand, on algae cover) and environmental parameters (water column, sediment, substrate cover and type), using random transects throughout a costal rocky-reef, considering habitat heterogeneity and substrate types. To determine the species' habitat preferences Generalized Linear Models were used to model density and demographic structure of the species as a function of environmental conditions. The models revealed that the main drivers shaping the distribution of H. forskali are neither abiotic nor biotic parameters of the water column, but physical stressors, like current intensity and depth, and substrate type in a patchy distribution pattern. Estuarine conditions are generally avoided, although with a size-dependent opportunistic strategy. Larger individuals show temporal and spatial displacement patterns towards suitable reproductive conditions (pre-breeding aggregation) and favourable feeding grounds and smaller size-classes tend to aggregate in higher numbers in more stable environments. Sustainable sources for market supply, like aquaculture, are still a long way from commercial production. So, these results are fundamental to support effective conservation measures for stock management of H. forskaliPublisher PDFPeer reviewe

Allometric relationships to assess ontogenetic adaptative changes in three NE Atlantic commercial sea cucumbers (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea)

This study was financed by the Operational Program Mar2020 nº MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP-0052 “Newcumber—Avanços para o cultivo sustentável de pepinos-do-mar”. It received further financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia with project UIDB/04292/2020; A.C. Brito and A. Pombo through the Scientific Employment Stimulus Programmes (CEECIND/00095/2017 and CEECINST/00051/2018); and Francisco Azevedo e Silva through the individual research Grant 2020.09563.BD; Also, T. A. Marques and C. Rocha thank partial support by CEAUL (funded by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UIDB/00006/2020).Holothuria arguinensis, Holothuria mammata and Holothuria forskali are three common sea cucumber species found in the NE Atlantic, traded in international markets and susceptible to capture. Allometric relationships reveal if the scaling relationships between biometric characters are proportional with growth, being a useful tool to understand species growth strategies. Allometric relationships of the three species were estimated and compared between them and with populations from different regions. These allometric relationships revealed that the three species have negative allometric growth. However, they have different growth strategies between them and reveal different regional intra-specific growth strategies when compared to other populations, suggesting ontogenetic adaptation as a consequence of external factors. PostprintPeer reviewe

Prontidão para a tecnologia e percepção de seus benefícios como fatores de influência no atendimento às exigências do Sped – sistema público de escrituração digital / The influence of technology readiness and of perceived usefulness on compliance with Sped – Brazilian e-invoicing, e-bookkepping and e-taxation system

As empresas têm apresentado algumas dificuldades para atenderem às exigências do sistema público de escrituração digital brasileiro (Sped). Tais dificuldades têm sido descritas na literatura como derivadas de demandas específicas do Fisco e de deficiências na gestão de processos organizacionais. Elas têm sido pouco estudadas na perspectiva dos atores diretamente envolvidos nas mudanças necessárias para o atingimento da conformidade. Alguns estudos apontaram que após o Sped, os profissionais da área de contabilidade e tributos, passaram a exercer com maior frequência atividades de auditoria interna, e também aumentaram a interação com os profissionais de informática. Entretanto, não foi encontrada nenhuma pesquisa que estudasse a influência de fatores internos que abrangem crenças e percepções dos atores relacionadas à tecnologia. Este artigo busca preencher esta lacuna, tendo como objetivo averiguar se a prontidão para a tecnologia e a percepção de seus benefícios influenciam o atendimento às exigências do Sped. Para sua consecução foi feita uma pesquisa survey com profissionais de empresas em conformidade com a nota fiscal eletrônica, com o Sped contábil, com o EFD – Pis/Confins e Contribuições e com a Escrituração Contábil Fiscal. As respostas aos questionários permitiu que os respondentes fossem divididos em dois grupos: um deles com implantação mais bem sucedida.  Após a análise dos resultados, os benefícios percebidos, o otimismo com tecnologia e o apreço pela inovação emergiram como três fatores internos de influência. Em outras palavras, houve mais apreço por estes três itens, entre os respondentes pertencentes a empresas com implantação mais bem sucedida. Já os respondentes de empresas com implantação menos eficiente, demonstraram maior desconforto com a tecnologia. Os resultados confirmam e ampliam o conhecimento teórico da influência de crenças e percepções relacionadas à tecnologia na implantação de novos sistemas e processos. Este conhecimento ampliado também pode motivar o desenvolvimento de programas que incluam treinamentos, promoção de fóruns de discussão e outras ações que diminuam o desconforto dos profissionais da área contábil e fiscal e que aumentem seu  otimismo e  apreço pela inovação.

Prontidão para a tecnologia e percepção de seus benefícios como fatores de influência no atendimento às exigências do Sped – sistema público de escrituração digital / The influence of technology readiness and of perceived usefulness on compliance with Sped – Brazilian e-invoicing, e-bookkepping and e-taxation system

As empresas têm apresentado algumas dificuldades para atenderem às exigências do sistema público de escrituração digital brasileiro (Sped). Tais dificuldades têm sido descritas na literatura como derivadas de demandas específicas do Fisco e de deficiências na gestão de processos organizacionais. Elas têm sido pouco estudadas na perspectiva dos atores diretamente envolvidos nas mudanças necessárias para o atingimento da conformidade. Alguns estudos apontaram que após o Sped, os profissionais da área de contabilidade e tributos, passaram a exercer com maior frequência atividades de auditoria interna, e também aumentaram a interação com os profissionais de informática. Entretanto, não foi encontrada nenhuma pesquisa que estudasse a influência de fatores internos que abrangem crenças e percepções dos atores relacionadas à tecnologia. Este artigo busca preencher esta lacuna, tendo como objetivo averiguar se a prontidão para a tecnologia e a percepção de seus benefícios influenciam o atendimento às exigências do Sped. Para sua consecução foi feita uma pesquisa survey com profissionais de empresas em conformidade com a nota fiscal eletrônica, com o Sped contábil, com o EFD – Pis/Confins e Contribuições e com a Escrituração Contábil Fiscal. As respostas aos questionários permitiu que os respondentes fossem divididos em dois grupos: um deles com implantação mais bem sucedida.  Após a análise dos resultados, os benefícios percebidos, o otimismo com tecnologia e o apreço pela inovação emergiram como três fatores internos de influência. Em outras palavras, houve mais apreço por estes três itens, entre os respondentes pertencentes a empresas com implantação mais bem sucedida. Já os respondentes de empresas com implantação menos eficiente, demonstraram maior desconforto com a tecnologia. Os resultados confirmam e ampliam o conhecimento teórico da influência de crenças e percepções relacionadas à tecnologia na implantação de novos sistemas e processos. Este conhecimento ampliado também pode motivar o desenvolvimento de programas que incluam treinamentos, promoção de fóruns de discussão e outras ações que diminuam o desconforto dos profissionais da área contábil e fiscal e que aumentem seu  otimismo e  apreço pela inovação.

Cardiovascular dysfunction in obesity and new diagnostic imaging techniques: the role of noninvasive image methods

Obesity is a major public health problem affecting adults and children in both developed and developing countries. This condition often leads to metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. A large number of studies have been carried out to understand the pathogenesis of cardiovascular dysfunction in obese patients. Endothelial dysfunction plays a key role in the progression of atherosclerosis and the development of coronary artery disease, hypertension and congestive heart failure. Noninvasive methods in the field of cardiovascular imaging, such as measuring intima-media thickness, flow-mediated dilatation, tissue Doppler, and strain, and strain rate, constitute new tools for the early detection of cardiac and vascular dysfunction. These techniques will certainly enable a better evaluation of initial cardiovascular injury and allow the correct, timely management of obese patients. The present review summarizes the main aspects of cardiovascular dysfunction in obesity and discusses the application of recent noninvasive imaging methods for the early detection of cardiovascular alterations

Testing drivers of acoustic divergence in cicadas (Cicadidae: Tettigettalna )

Divergence in acoustic signals may have a crucial role in the speciation process of ani-mals that rely on sound for intra-specific recognition and mate attraction. The acous-tic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) postulates that signals should diverge according to the physical properties of the signalling environment. To be efficient, signals should maximize transmission and decrease degradation. To test which drivers of divergence exert the most influence in a speciose group of insects, we used a phylogenetic ap-proach to the evolution of acoustic signals in the cicada genus Tettigettalna, inves-tigating the relationship between acoustic traits (and their mode of evolution) and body size, climate and micro-/macro- habitat usage. Different traits showed different evolutionary paths. While acoustic divergence was generally independent of phyloge-netic history, some temporal variables’ divergence was associated with genetic drift. We found support for ecological adaptation at the temporal but not the spectral level. Temporal patterns are correlated with micro- and macro- habitat usage and tempera-ture stochasticity in ways that run against the AAH predictions, degrading signals more easily. These traits are likely to have evolved as an anti- predator strategy in conspicuous environments and low-density populations. Our results support a role of ecological selection, not excluding a likely role of sexual selection in the evolution of Tettigettalna calling songs, which should be further investigated in an integrative approach.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio