Temporal variations of monsoon systems

It has been proposed that the Asian-Australasian monsoon system is influenced by large-scale sea-surface temperature (SST) variability in the three tropical oceans although how this influence is manifested has remained a largely open question. Closure of this issue is important because it is needed to explain trends in monsoon precipitation and circulation that have occurred in the last 30 years. Using an atmospheric general circulation model, we run a series of experiments with different configurations of global SST relating to various epochs occurring during the last century to evaluate their influence on the monsoon. Comparisons of circulation fields show that a colder SST configuration generates a weaker large-scale monsoonal circulation. On the other hand, warmer SST states generate stronger large scale circulations with more vigorous centers of divergence and convergence. Warmer SST configurations are associated with positive anomalies of precipitation in the eastern Bay of Bengal, Eastern Indian Ocean and South East Asia. Cooler SST configurations are associated with negative anomalies of precipitation in the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula, especially at the beginning of the summer. Since SST gradients determine, to a large degree, the low level flow, they are also going to influence the transport of atmospheric moisture. Comparison of vertically integrated moisture transport fields between the different experiments show that cold SST configuration favors an increased inter-hemispheric flow of moisture but decreases in the westerly moisture flow in to the Bay of Bengal and India. Warm SST configurations, on the other hand, strengthens westerly flow into the eastern Indian Ocean. An increasing availability of moisture in a region of stronger convergence constitutes a favorable environment for the production of monsoonal precipitation. African easterly waves (AEW) constitute an important component of the African and tropical Atlantic Ocean climate during the boreal summer. An understanding of this component is essential since AEW are closely related with tropical Atlantic storm activity. We adopt an idealized modeling approach using the WRF model initialized with ERA-40 reanalysis data to study the mechanisms that trigger the formation and maintenance of AEW. The model domain includes the African continent, central and eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Indian Ocean. Experiments are designed to test the relative importance of the thermal effect of the eastern African topography and the influence of the cross-equatorial pressure gradient, induced by the sea surface temperature (SST) on the origins and maintenance of AEW. Topography and SST variation are selectively added and removed. The control experiment shows that the model reproduces many of the mean features observed during the boreal summer. Westward propagating disturbances of 3-8 day period that originate between 30 and 40E at the surface levels and in the mid troposphere are well depicted. In addition, the model provides a reasonable representation of the AEJ. When all topographic features are removed, there is a weakening of the AEJ over land and ocean, however, longitude-time sections of meridional velocity still exhibit westward propagating disturbances that reach the western African coast at the surface and at the jet level with the same 3-8 day period. Spectral analysis of meridional velocity show that the variability associated with AEWs is reduced over East Africa and West Africa at 850-hPa and is reduced west of 20E along the southern flank of the jet and over northern Africa at the jet level. Maximum amplitude of the disturbances occurs right at the coast. The spatial distribution of barotropic and baroclinic energy conversions explains the reduction in AEWs over land and the intensification of these features at the coast. When the zonal SST gradient is removed, a weaker AEJ displaces southward and a weaker monsoon flow ensues. Spectral analysis of meridional velocity displays a variance reduction in the 3-8 day band at the 850-hP a level in western and eastern Africa and at the coast. At the 650-hPa level significant changes are not observed at the latitude of the AEJ (15N), however, a decrease in the variance associated with AEW occurs at the southern flank of the jet. A southward displacement of the jet favors a weakening of the baroclinic energy conversions. Barotropic conversions also appear to be weaker when the SST gradient is removed. The present study suggests that orography plays an important role in determining the variability of meridional wind associated with AEW over Eastern Africa at the lower levels. Further, zonal SST gradients over the Atlantic favor intensification of waves when they reach the coast and the maintenance of disturbances across the Ocean. Also, results could suggest that SST gradients support genesis of AEW just off the coast of Africa.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Peter Webster; Committee Member: Annalisa Bracco; Committee Member: Judith A. Curry; Committee Member: Marshall Shepherd; Committee Member: Yi Den

The Systemic Imprint of Growth and Its Uses in Ecological (Meta)Genomics

Microbial minimal generation times range from a few minutes to several weeks. They are evolutionarily determined by variables such as environment stability, nutrient availability, and community diversity. Selection for fast growth adaptively imprints genomes, resulting in gene amplification, adapted chromosomal organization, and biased codon usage. We found that these growth-related traits in 214 species of bacteria and archaea are highly correlated, suggesting they all result from growth optimization. While modeling their association with maximal growth rates in view of synthetic biology applications, we observed that codon usage biases are better correlates of growth rates than any other trait, including rRNA copy number. Systematic deviations to our model reveal two distinct evolutionary processes. First, genome organization shows more evolutionary inertia than growth rates. This results in over-representation of growth-related traits in fast degrading genomes. Second, selection for these traits depends on optimal growth temperature: for similar generation times purifying selection is stronger in psychrophiles, intermediate in mesophiles, and lower in thermophiles. Using this information, we created a predictor of maximal growth rate adapted to small genome fragments. We applied it to three metagenomic environmental samples to show that a transiently rich environment, as the human gut, selects for fast-growers, that a toxic environment, as the acid mine biofilm, selects for low growth rates, whereas a diverse environment, like the soil, shows all ranges of growth rates. We also demonstrate that microbial colonizers of babies gut grow faster than stabilized human adults gut communities. In conclusion, we show that one can predict maximal growth rates from sequence data alone, and we propose that such information can be used to facilitate the manipulation of generation times. Our predictor allows inferring growth rates in the vast majority of uncultivable prokaryotes and paves the way to the understanding of community dynamics from metagenomic data

Responsiveness and Interpretability of the Portuguese Version of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

Improving functional capacity is a common goal when providing physiotherapy treatment to patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). In a clinical setting, clinicians and researchers are often interested in measuring change in a patient’s condition as a result of an intervention or to distinguish individual differences in response to treatment. To address change accurately in health-related outcomes, such as functional disability, clinicians need measurement tools that show responsiveness and are able to detect minimal changes in performance over time.This change must be large enough to be considered a “real” change and precise enough to detect small but important clinical changes over time considered to be important by patients and/or clinicians.The concepts of “minimal detectable change” (MDC) and “minimal clinically important difference” (MCID) have been introduced to help clinicians and researchers in assessing and interpreting patient changes. The MDC has been defi ned as the minimal amount of change that can be considered above the threshold of error expected in the measurement, whereas the MCID has been defined as the smallest change in an outcome measure that is perceived as benefi cial by the patient and that would lead to a change in the patient’s management, assuming an absence of excessive side effects and costs. The Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) is a well established functional self-report questionnaire to assess changes in function in patients with CLBP participating in rehabilitation programs. Several studies have evaluated its reliability and validity and have had good results. However, studies addressing its responsiveness are scarce, especially in samples of patients with CLBP, and there is little agreement in their fi ndings. In those studies the MDC was in the range 11.04 23 to 24.6 (95% confi dence interval [CI]: 19.9–32.4) 14 and the MCID was in the range from 5 9 to 8.5 points. Moreover, and in what concerns its interpretability, there are only a few studies that have considered the MCID in relation to the MDC. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the responsiveness of the QBPDS Portuguese version (PT) and to determine the MCID, MDC, and the floor/ceiling effects, in patients with CLBP.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diagnosis of Human Leptospirosis in a Clinical Setting: Real-Time PCR High Resolution Melting Analysis for Detection of Leptospira at the Onset of Disease:

Currently, direct detection of Leptospira can be done in clinical laboratories by conventional and by real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We tested a biobank of paired samples of serum and urine from the same patient (202 patients) presenting at the hospital in an area endemic for leptospirosis using qRT-PCR followed by high resolution melting (HRM) analysis. The results were compared with those obtained by conventional nested PCR and with the serologic gold standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Differences were resolved by sequencing. qRT-PCR-HRM was positive for 46 of the 202 patients (22.7%, accuracy 100%) which is consistent with known prevalence of leptospirosis in the Azores. MAT results were positive for 3 of the 46 patients (6.5%). Analysis of paired samples allowed us to identify the illness point at which patients presented at the hospital: onset, dissemination or excretion. The melting curve analysis of Leptospira species revealed that 60.9% (28/46) of patients were infected with L. interrogans and 39.1% (18/46) were infected with L. borgpetersenii, both endemic to the Azores. We validated the use of qRT-PCR-HRM for diagnosis of leptospirosis and for identification of the Leptospira species at the earliest onset of infection in a clinical setting, in less than 2 hours.publishersversionpublishe

An MCDM approach to the selection of novel technologies for innovative in-vehicle information systems

Driving a car is a complex skill that includes interacting with multiple systems inside the vehicle. Today’s challenge in the automotive industry is to produce innovative In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) that are pleasant to use and satisfy the costumers’ needs while, simultaneously, maintaining the delicate balance of primary task vs. secondary tasks while driving. The authors report a MCDM approach for rank ordering a large heterogeneous set of human-machine interaction technologies; the final set consisted of hundred and one candidates. They measured candidate technologies on eight qualitative criteria that were defined by domain experts, using a group decision-making approach. The main objective was ordering alternatives by their decision score, not the selection of one or a small set of them. The authors’ approach assisted decision makers in exploring the characteristics of the most promising technologies and they focused on analyzing the technologies in the top quartile, as measured by their MCDM model. Further, a clustering analysis of the top quartile revealed the presence of important criteria trade-offs.Operational Competitiveness Program – COMPETE, QREN (Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional), European Regional Development Funds (European Union), R&D project in joint-promotion (HMIEXCEL-2013-2015 36265/2013) HMIEXCEL - I&D crítica em torno do ciclo de desenvolvimento e produção de soluções multimédia avançadas para automóvelStrategic program FCT-UID/EEA/00066/2013Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (IF/00217/2013)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PD/BD/105966/2014

Early antenatal prediction of gestational diabetes in obese women: development of prediction tools for targeted intervention

All obese women are categorised as being of equally high risk of gestational diabetes (GDM) whereas the majority do not develop the disorder. Lifestyle and pharmacological interventions in unselected obese pregnant women have been unsuccessful in preventing GDM. Our aim was to develop a prediction tool for early identification of obese women at high risk of GDM to facilitate targeted interventions in those most likely to benefit. Clinical and anthropometric data and non-fasting blood samples were obtained at 15+0–18+6 weeks’ gestation in 1303 obese pregnant women from UPBEAT, a randomised controlled trial of a behavioural intervention. Twenty one candidate biomarkers associated with insulin resistance, and a targeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolome were measured. Prediction models were constructed using stepwise logistic regression. Twenty six percent of women (n = 337) developed GDM (International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria). A model based on clinical and anthropometric variables (age, previous GDM, family history of type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, sum of skinfold thicknesses, waist:height and neck:thigh ratios) provided an area under the curve of 0.71 (95%CI 0.68–0.74). This increased to 0.77 (95%CI 0.73–0.80) with addition of candidate biomarkers (random glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fructosamine, adiponectin, sex hormone binding globulin, triglycerides), but was not improved by addition of NMR metabolites (0.77; 95%CI 0.74–0.81). Clinically translatable models for GDM prediction including readily measurable variables e.g. mid-arm circumference, age, systolic blood pressure, HbA1c and adiponectin are described. Using a ≥35% risk threshold, all models identified a group of high risk obese women of whom approximately 50% (positive predictive value) later developed GDM, with a negative predictive value of 80%. Tools for early pregnancy identification of obese women at risk of GDM are described which could enable targeted interventions for GDM prevention in women who will benefit the most

Occurrence and seasonal variation of several endocrine disruptor compounds (pesticides, bisphenols, musks and UV-filters) in water and sediments from the estuaries of Tagus and Douro Rivers (NE Atlantic Ocean coast)

Funding Information: This work was supported by FEDER (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização - COMPETE 2020), from PIDDAC through FCT/MCTES project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028708-PTDC/ASP-PES/28708/2017 , by UIDB/04423/2020 and AgriFood XXI R&D&I project, operation No. NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041 , co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through NORTH 2020 ( Northern Regional Operational Program 2014/2020 ). The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) supported the contract of Sara C. Cunha (IF/01616/2015), the Ph.D. Grant of Isa Marmelo (DFA/BD/4413/2020) and the contract of Patrícia Anacleto (CEECIND/01739/2017). Other support was provided by the Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Ecology, Department of Population Studies of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto , and by the Strategic Funding UIDB/Multi/04423/2019 , UIDB/04423/2020 and LA/P/0101/2020 through national funds provided by FCT and ERDF in the framework of the programme Portugal 2020 to CIIMAR. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.Exposure of aquatic environments to emerging contaminants is a global issue, special relevant in many estuaries due to impacts from anthropogenic activity. The aim of this work was to evaluate thirty-seven endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) from four different classes (pesticides, bisphenols, polycyclic musks and UV-filters) in water and sediment samples collected during one-year in the estuaries of Tagus and Douro Rivers located into the NE Atlantic Ocean coast. EDCs analysis was achieved afterward validation of a gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method using Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) as extraction procedure for water samples, and Quick, Easy, Cheap, Efficient, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) combined with DLLME for sediments. Tagus estuary presented higher levels of contamination with pesticide residues and bisphenols (BPs) than the Douro estuary in both water and sediment samples. Contrariwise, levels and frequency of polycyclic musks (PCMs) and UV-filters (UVF) were slightly higher in Douro estuary. Levels of pesticide residues in both sediment and water samples, and levels of PCMs and UVF in water samples were higher in warmer seasons (summer and spring) than in colder ones (winter and autumn). The opposite was found in what respect levels of BPs in water and sediment samples, and PCMs and UVF levels in sediment samples. Although the levels found for each contaminant are low, usually in the order of a few ng/mL(g), the presence of a high number of toxic compounds is a source of concern and requires constant monitoring.publishersversionpublishe

Boat noise impacts Lusitanian toadfish breeding males and reproductive outcome

Anthropogenic noise is a growing threat to marine organisms, including fish. Yet very few studies have addressed the impact of anthropogenic noise on fish reproduction, especially in situ. In this study, we investigated the impacts of boat noise exposure in the reproductive success of wild Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus), a species that relies on advertisement calls for mate attraction, using behavioural, physiological and reproductive endpoints. Two sets of artificial nests were deployed in the Tagus estuary and exposed to either ambient sound or boat noise during their breeding season. Toadfish males spontaneously used these nests to breed. We inspected nests for occupation and the presence of eggs in six spring low tides (in two years) and assessed male vocal activity and stress responses. Boat noise did not affect nest occupation by males but impacted reproductive success by decreasing the likelihood of receiving eggs, decreasing the number of live eggs and increasing the number of dead eggs, compared to control males. Treatment males also showed depressed vocal activity and slightly higher cortisol levels. The assessment of oxidative stress and energy metabolism-related biomarkers revealed no oxidative damage in noise exposed males despite having lower antioxidant responses and pointed towards a decrease in the activity levels of energy metabolism-related biomarkers. These results suggest that males exposed to boat noise depressed their metabolism and their activity (such as parental care and mate attraction) to cope with an acoustic stressor, consistent with a freezing defensive response/behaviour. Together, our study demonstrates that boat noise has severe impacts on reproductive fitness in Lusitanian toadfish. We argue that, at least fishes that cannot easily avoid noise sources due to their dependence on specific spawning sites, may incur in significant direct fitness costs due to chronic noise exposure.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metabolic phenotyping by treatment modality in obese women with gestational diabetes suggests diverse pathophysiology: An exploratory study

Background and purpose: Excess insulin resistance is considered the predominant pathophysiological mechanism in obese women who develop gestational diabetes (GDM). We hypothesised that obese women requiring differing treatment modalities for GDM may have diverse underlying metabolic pathways. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the UK pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT) we studied women from the control arm with complete biochemical data at three gestational time points; at 15–18+6 and 27–28+6 weeks (before treatment), and 34–36+0 weeks (after treatment). A total of 89 analytes were measured (plasma/serum) using a targeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) platform and conventional assays. We used linear regression with appropriate adjustment to model metabolite concentration, stratified by treatment group. Main findings: 300 women (median BMI 35kg/m2; inter quartile range 32.8–38.2) were studied. 71 developed GDM; 28 received dietary treatment only, 20 metformin, and 23 received insulin. Prior to the initiation of treatment, multiple metabolites differed (p<0.05) between the diet and insulin-treated groups, especially very large density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses and constituents, with some differences maintained at 34–36 weeks’ gestation despite treatment. Gestational lipid profiles of the diet treatment group were indicative of a lower insulin resistance profile, when compared to both insulin-treated women and those without GDM. At 28 weeks’ the diet treatment group had lower plasma fasting glucose and insulin than women treated with insulin, yet similar to those without GDM, consistent with a glycaemic mechanism independent of insulin resistance. Conclusions/Interpretation: This exploratory study suggests that GDM pathophysiological processes may differ amongst obese women who require different treatment modalities to achieve glucose control and can be revealed using metabolic profiling

Impact of anthropogenic noise on the survival and development of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) early life stages

The growth of human populations has been driving an unprecedent and widespread increase in marine traffic, posing a real threat to marine biodiversity. Even though we are now aware of the negative effects of shipping noise exposure on fish, information about the impact on their early life stages continues to lack. Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is a vocal fish that uses estuaries with high levels of anthropogenic noise pollution as both breeding areas and nurseries. Here, the effects of boat noise exposure on the development and survival of meagre larvae were studied. Embryos and larvae were exposed to either noise (boat noise playback) or control treatments (coils producing a similar electric field to the speakers) and hatching rate, survival rate, morphometric traits and stress-related biomarkers, at hatching and at 2 days-post-hatching (dph) were analyzed. Results showed no conclusive effects of the impact of boat noise playback, even though there was an increased lipid droplet consumption and a decrease in body depth at 2dph larvae under this stressor. The assessment of oxidative stress and energy metabolism-related biomarkers at hatching showed a marginal decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and no changes in DNA damage or electron transport system activity (ETS), although it cannot be disregarded that those effects could only be visible at later stages of larval development. Whether these morphological and developmental results have implications in later stages remains to be investigated. Further studies with longer exposure and wild meagre could help deepen this knowledge and provide a better understanding of how anthropogenic noise can impact meagre early stagesFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio