Drosophilasessile hemocyte clusters are true hematopoietic tissues that regulate larval blood cell differentiation

Virtually all species of coelomate animals contain blood cells that display a division of labor necessary for homeostasis. This functional partition depends upon the balance between proliferation and differentiation mostly accomplished in the hematopoietic organs. In Drosophila melanogaster, the lymph gland produces plasmatocytes and crystal cells that are not released until pupariation. Yet, throughout larval development, both hemocyte types increase in numbers. Mature plasmatocytes can proliferate but it is not known if crystal cell numbers increase by self-renewal or by de novo differentiation. We show that new crystal cells in third instar larvae originate through a Notch-dependent process of plasmatocyte transdifferentiation. This process occurs in the sessile clusters and is contingent upon the integrity of these structures. The existence of this hematopoietic tissue, relying on structure-dependent signaling events to promote blood homeostasis, creates a new paradigm for addressing outstanding questions in Drosophila hematopoiesis and establishing further parallels with vertebrate systems.Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian/Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, FCT grant: (SFRH/BD/51175/2010)

A cidade difusa e os instrumentos para o seu (re)conhecimento: o “atlas ecléctico” de Stefano Boeri

A cidade difusa é o contexto, no quadro da cidade contemporânea, de que parte o presente artigo. Apesar de comparável em certos aspectos a outras realidades urbanas mundiais, essa assume características estruturais específicas que lhe garantem uma localidade concreta, europeia, mesmo que não possa ser generalizável nesse espaço. É possível, então, descrever os seus atributos, sistematizando factos de incompreensão julgados caóticos, mas que assim se classificam – essencialmente – por recusa de ver a figura urbana que está diante dos olhos. A necessidade da sua conceptualização para, em consequência, definir um aparato técnico que lhe seja ajustado, é, contudo, condição para planear e intervir na nova realidade urbana. A noção de um “atlas ecléctico”, tal como descrito por Stefano Boeri (1997/2011) em vários textos, é pretexto para discorrer sobre a pertinência deste instrumento para o (re)conhecimento da cidade difusa, assim a legitimando como expressão urbana «plena».The diffuse city is the concept, within the contemporary city framework, from which stems this paper. Although comparable to some extent to other world urban realities, the diffuse city assumes specific structural features that grant it a concrete placement, a European rootedness, though it may not be generalized within this space as a whole. It’s therefore possible to describe some of its characteristics, pointing out its typical misunderstood aspects, broadly seen as chaotic, a classification mostly due to a refusal to see the urban figure that is before our eyes. The need of its conceptualization to define an adjusted technical apparatus is, however, a prerequisite to plan and act in the new urban reality. The notion of an “eclectic atlas”, as described by Stefano Boeri, is a pretext to discuss the relevance of this instrument for the (re)cognition of the diffuse city, thus legitimating it as full urban expression

Serenidada Sinsoidal for orchestra

1. For orchestra 2. String Quartet2. String Quarte

Hospital efficiency: directed internship: Deloitte & NOVA SBE

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsIn a context of economic recession, where resource scarcity follows every manager, efficiency is the only way out. Health Care is no exception. Continuous budgetary cuts from central authorities led to increasing pressures in hospital managers to achieve efficient results. In light of being able to quantify efficiency, this work project has the aim of identifying the best of two frontier based analysis (Stochastic Frontier Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis) by performing efficiency estimations for a single year using variables from the Portuguese reality, allowing the identification of inefficiency sources. Efficiency scores will be obtained to compare hospitals for efficiency ranks and several efficiency-seeking suggestions will be stated in the end. The scores obtained from the estimations show that some hospitals still have a rough path to endure if they are to achieve economic efficiency. From the analysis we can see that efficient hospitals vary for each model. (8 in SFA [hospitals with a score higher than 0.95] and 17 in DEA). Estimation outputs suggest that changes in hospital size or services provided should occur in order to achieve higher efficiency, which is in light with the presently taken health policies

Genetics of host-parasite interactions: towards a comprehensive dissection of Drosophila resistance to viral infection

The deposited article is a post-print version and has peer-review. There are no funders and sponsors indicated explicitly in the document. There is no public supplementary material available. This publication hasn't any creative commons license associated.One of the major challenges in evolutionary biology is to unravel the genetic basis of adaptation. This issue has been gaining momentum in recent years with the accelerated development of novel genetic and genomic techniques and resources. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Cogni et al. (2016) address the genetic basis of resistance to two viruses in Drosophila melanogaster using a panel of recombinant inbred lines with unprecedented resolution allowing detection of rare alleles and/or alleles of small effect. The study confirms the role of previously identified genes of major effect and adds novel regions with minor effect to the genetic basis of Drosophila resistance to the Drosophila C virus or the sigma virus. Additional analyses reveal the absence of cross-resistance and of epistasis between the various genomic regions. This detailed information on the genetic architecture of host resistance constitutes an important step towards the understanding of both the physiology of antiviral immunity and the evolution of host-parasite interactions.There are no funders and sponsors indicated explicitly in this uploaded article version.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fernanda Seixas, el posicionamiento de una mujer sobre la arquitectura como intervención social

This paper sheds light upon architect Fernanda Seixas (1942-2017) as a trailblazing woman in her disciplinary field in Portugal. Her archives, a set of interviews, and bibliographical research allow us to pinpoint certain characteristics that make her stand out amongst her peers, and consider her as a woman succeeding in a ‘male profession’. Trained during an era of political dissent in which she actively participated against the dictatorship of Estado Novo in the 1960s, Seixas created her own practice right after the 1974 revolution and envisaged her work as a space of socio-political activism. In the 1980s her social consciousness broadened to include environmental concerns and she became a pioneering architect on the issues of energy efficiency and bioclimatic architecture. This technical approach combined with her social ethos stand out in her planning projects and built work.Este artículo arroja luz sobre la arquitecta Fernanda Seixas (1942-2017) como una mujer vanguardista en el contexto disciplinar de Portugal. Su archivo, una serie de entrevistas y la búsqueda bibliográfica nos permiten señalar ciertas características que la hacen destacar entre sus colegas y considerarla una mujer triunfadora en una ‘profesión masculina’. Formada durante una época de disidencia política en la que participó activamente contra la dictadura del Estado Novo en la década de 1960, Seixas creó su propia práctica justo después de la revolución de 1974 y concibió su trabajo como un espacio de activismo sociopolítico. En la década de 1980, su conciencia social se amplió para incluir preocupaciones medioambientales y se convirtió en una arquitecta pionera en el tema de la eficiencia energética y la arquitectura bioclimática. Este enfoque técnico combinado con su énfasis en la conciencia social se destaca en sus proyectos de planificación y obra construida

Use of software in learning difficulties of reading: comparative analysis between digital environment and hybrid environment

The learning difficulties of the letter-sound relations are seen as a risk factor for future difficulties in learning to read. Ideally, the identification of children at risk of failure to learn reading and writing should occur in the last year of pre-school or early in the first year, so that intentional programs can be implemented to promote basic reading skills. The most promising reading learning support programs combine explicit phonological awareness training with highly structured reading instruction. This study evaluated the impact of two early intervention programs on reading learning difficulties. A program exclusively in virtual environment and a hybrid program, comprising sessions in virtual environment and in real environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Intellectual capital and performance: A case study of construction companies

Intellectual Capital Management is a key element for a company's development and value creation in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Since intellectual capital is unique in the marketplace, companies retaining and transferring internally generated knowledge can face the external environment with more agility. Due to the importance of civil construction in the Portuguese economy, this exploratory research uses a case study methodology applied to construction companies in Portugal. The findings of this research evidenced that intellectual capital management influences the performance of construction companies. By recognising the importance of intellectual capital management and how it influences the performance of companies, it is possible to trigger a set of investments in human capital that will become structural capital through the transfer of their competencies and, finally, relational capital. Therefore, higher performances are achieved without losing the knowledge acquired over the years. This research can help to understand the importance of investing in intellectual capital management competencies in civil construction companies to leverage their competitive strategic development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysis of the alterations induced by working memory tasks in the electroencephalogram

The working memory (WM) is an essential cognitive function with limited capability that allows the temporary storage and manipulation of information used in complex cognitive tasks. The Fluid Intelligence (FI) is the ability to engage and respond to new situations, regardless of previous knowledge.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reading skills promotion: Results on the impact of a preschool intervention

There is a strong correlation between preschool education skills such as phonological awareness and language and success in reading and spelling acquisition. Even though, this is still not the focus of the early intervention. This study presents the preliminary results of the impact of an intervention program developed to promote reading foundation skills. The study was conducted with 627 children in the last year of preschool education (54.2% boys), ages between 4 years and 10 months and 6 years and 1 month. Participants were divided into intervention (n = 242) and comparative (n = 385) group. Language, implicit, and explicit phonological awareness, and rime implicit awareness were assessed. The intervention group reached statistically higher values in all dimensions at the post-test, a higher magnitude effect and 80% of these children entered the first-grade overpassing cut-off criteria for reading acquisition difficulties. These results support the impact of the program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio