Identity of a Tilapia Pheromone Released by Dominant Males that Primes Females for Reproduction

Knowledge of the chemical identity and role of urinary pheromones in fish is scarce, yet it is necessary in order to understand the integration of multiple senses in adaptive responses and the evolution of chemical communication [1]. In nature, Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) males form hierarchies, and females mate preferentially with dominant territorial males, which they visit in aggregations or leks [2]. Dominant males have thicker urinary bladder muscular walls than subordinates or females and store large volumes of urine, which they release at increased frequency in the presence of subordinate males or preovulatory, but not postspawned, females [3–5]. Females exposed to dominant-male urine augment their release of the oocyte maturation-inducing steroid 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (17,20β-P) [6]. Here we isolate and identify a male Mozambique tilapia urinary sex pheromone as two epimeric (20α- and 20β-) pregnanetriol 3-glucuronates. We show that both males and females have high olfactory sensitivity to the two steroids, which cross-adapt upon stimulation. Females exposed to both steroids show a rapid, 10-fold increase in production of 17,20β-P. Thus, the identified urinary steroids prime the female endocrine system to accelerate oocyte maturation and possibly promote spawning synchrony. Tilapia are globally important as a food source but are also invasive species, with devastating impact on local freshwater ecosystems [7, 8]. Identifying the chemical cues that mediate reproduction may lead to the development of tools for population control [9–11].

Valuing landscape identity of local inhabitants through a tourism discourse

Landscape, people and identity Landscape is about the interaction of a place or an area with people, which is reflected in the material interaction of people creating or shaping the landscape as well as in their mental perception, valuation and symbolic meaning of that landscape (Cosgrove 1998). This mutual and dynamic interaction forms the fundamental principle of the concept of landscape identity. Landscape identity has been described in scientific literature as a concept to bridge the physical, social and cultural aspects of landscapes. Also policy documents related with landscape and heritage (for example the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the European Landscape Convention, the Faro Convention) are mentioning identity and landscape as key concepts. In those examples, landscape identity can refer to either the landscape itself - its features that makes the landscape unique (thus the landscape character), or to the social and personal construction. However, there is an interdependency between those two perspectives that needs to be conceptualised. Landscape identity is therefore defined as the multiple ways and dynamic relation between landscape and people (Loupa Ramos et al 2016).

The marriage of João de Alarcão and Margarida Soares and the creation of a transnational Portuguese-Spanish nobility

The main aim of this chapter is to analyze the social and political effects of dynastic marriages between the Portuguese and Castilian-Aragonese crowns on the configuration of transnational, aristocratic families during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. To illustrate these questions we have chosen to follow the Soares de Alarcão family (known in Spain as Suárez de Alarcón) and the paths it took between the royal houses of Portugal and Castile for seven generations. The working hypothesis of the chapter is that the identity of the Iberian nobility during this era was characterized by a shared noble culture rather than by any particular features derived from the family’s land of origin. That assumption allows us to discuss whether the use of a particular language or culture indicates ties or political loyalties based on criteria of nationality, or, at the very least, place of birth. Therefore, this essay discusses the miscegenation of Iberian nobilities derived from dynastic marriages. It articulates the structural characteristics of this group and its political impact with the individual trajectories and historical contexts in which they developed. While these topics can be of interest for the comprehension of Portuguese early modern history, they can also help us to reflect more broadly on processes of identity construction.

Generalities of vertebrate responses to landscape composition and configuration gradients in a highly heterogeneous Mediterranean region

Aim To examine the distributional patterns of vertebrates (including birds, bats, carnivores and lagomorphs) along landscape composition and configuration gradients to better understand the effects of landscape modification on occurrence patterns at both species and community level. Location The region of Alentejo, a forest-dominated area of southern Portugal. Methods The study area was framed using 1647 hexagonal plots, each of 259 ha in size. Composition and configuration gradients were obtained for each plot by integrating the proportions of the main land cover types and their configuration patterns using multivariate analyses. Species-specific vertebrate responses were investigated using data from 75 plots in which carnivores, bats and lagomorphs were sampled, and from 135 plots in the case of birds. Community- level responses were investigated through changes in species richness and beta-diversity in 57 plots where all vertebrate groups were simultaneously sampled. At the species-level, an information-theoretic approach was used to determine the effects of landscape gradients on species’ responses. At the community level, Mantel tests were used to determine between-plot differences in species composition using the Sørensen dissimilarity index. Results We found that the occurrence patterns of most vertebrate species were best predicted by composition-related gradients, although configuration gradients were also frequently included in species-specific occurrence models. We also found a weak correlation between species richness and most landscape gradients suggesting a turnover in the identity of species, something that was corroborated by the stronger correlation between environmental gradients and beta-diversity measures. The amount of forest cover and landscape complexity (estimated as the heterogeneity in the size and number of land cover types) were the main composition and configuration gradients determining vertebrate responses at both species and community level. Main conclusions Our work contributes to a more refined understanding of the mechanisms underlying species distributional patterns in real-world human-modified landscapes. By uncovering generalities of species with multiple ecological requirements and by describing the entire landscape mosaic through landscape gradients, we also suggest that our work greatly helps to fill the gap between existing conceptual landscape models aimed to understand species distributional patterns in human-modified landscapes.

Enea Silvio Piccolomini: in search of Europe

The Italian humanist Enea Silvio Piccolomini wrote abundantly about Europe and is often viewed as a pioneer of European thought. Works previous to the treatise De Europa leave no doubt that the author pondered the subject long since. The treatise De Europa, however, has the advantage of dealing with Europe from multiple dimensions. Though the work can provide matter to make the case for an identity of Europe, Piccolomini portrays a block full of tensions and conflicts, where national languages and national identities begin to emerge. It is the historical circumstance of a Turkish threat to Europe that makes the appeal to a European identity more compelling. Still the case for European identity in Piccolomini is hardly more than an emotional response to the historical moment.

Urban Identity and tourism:different looks, one single place

‘Urban identity’ is high on the policy agenda and pervades the discourse of the planning community on the value of historical city centres. Unfortunately, there seems to be, until today, no proposal in scholarly literature of any unified conceptual framework or any tools to make identity operational. ‘Tourism’ takes advantage of this process, by seeking the qualities of the place, its authenticity and its perceived uniqueness that is grounded on the physical features as well as on the presence of local communities – their way of living and investing in the place. The interdependence between identity as perceived by tourists (external observer) and the identity of the residents rooted in the relationship with the place (in-group) are key to addressing the identity of historic urban areas. These issues are addressed in the context of the growing attractiveness of Lisbon, Portugal, using a historic neighbourhood as a case study. The findings, which are on a set of interviews with different groups of users, showed the points of convergence and divergence between the different groups’ views of the neighbourhood’s identity. This actor-oriented approach is pivotal to understanding the process and to produce knowledge for informed action.

Reflexões Estratégicas de Desenvolvimento Local no Contexto da Preservação da Identidade de Penedos (Mértola)

Resumo O trabalho de investigação que está a decorrer, tem como objeto de estudo as questões da identidade e da memória de uma aldeia alentejana, enquanto território de partilha de uma comunidade rural, tendo em conta a participação estratégica dos atores locais. Estudaremos a partir daí, a sua relação com a terra, o quotidiano, a mudança, a organização social, a ruralidade, os fatores portadores de futuro e novas propostas de desenvolvimento local, para territórios de baixa densidade. Pretende-se encontrar formas contributivas para preservar a identidade da aldeia e concomitantemente encontrar conjuntamente com os atores locais territorializados, alternativas de desenvolvimento local, capazes de contrariar a tendência de despovoamento e empobrecimento territorial. Com este trabalho de investigação, que se insere no âmbito da Sociologia da Ação, será utilizada metodologicamente o MACTOR e a sua aplicabilidade na determinação da estratégia de atores e respetivas relações de forças com o território e o que a ele diz respeito e ainda a observação participante/método de pesquisa de terreno e consequentemente o inquérito por entrevista. Pretendendo-se aprofundar e conhecer os problemas da interioridade e abandono populacional, designadamente na aldeia de Penedos que se situa na margem direita do rio Guadiana, freguesia de S. Miguel do Pinheiro e concelho de Mértola, no Baixo Alentejo. Abstract The research that is taking place, has as its object of study the issues of identity and memory of an Alentejo village, while sharing the territory of a rural community, taking into account the strategic participation of local actors. We'll look from there, his relationship with the earth, the everyday, change, social organization, rurality, the factors bearing on the future and new proposals for local development to areas of low density. The aim is to find ways contributory to preserve the identity of the village and found concomitantly in conjunction with local stakeholders territorialized, alternative local development, able to counteract the trend of depopulation and impoverishment territorial. With this research work, which falls within the Sociology of Action, will be used to methodologically MACTOR and its applicability in determining the strategy of respective actors and power relations with the territory and that he has concerns and participant observation / method of field research and thus the survey interview. Intending to go deeper and understand the problems of interiority and abandoned population, particularly in the village of Penedos which lies on the right bank of the Guadiana River, parish of S. Miguel do Pinheiro, county of Mértola, in the Baixo Alentejo.

A violência contra idosos e suas representações sociais

O trabalho de investigação documentado nesta dissertação insere-se no estudo das representações sociais da violência contra idosos. Para tanto, recorreu-se à Teoria das Representações Sociais de Serge Moscovici com o objetivo de conhecer as representações acerca da violência contra o idoso, identificando as perspectivas distintas de três grupos participantes de dois países, Portugal e EUA Realizou-se um estudo qualitativo do tipo descritivo, explorando as representações sociais acerca da violência contra idosos mas, também, de carácter comparativo já que oferece a perspectivas de três grupos distintos. Buscou-se saber dos pensamentos acerca da violência sobre o idoso nas perspectivas do próprio idoso, de famílias de idosos e profissionais da área de saúde que prestam assistência à pessoas idosas. O estudo propiciou uma discussão do fenômeno como comportamento social refletindo sobre questões epidemiológicas e psico-sociais que o caracterizam como um dos mais graves na esfera da saúde pública. As questões sócio-demográficas foram processadas através do programa estatístico SPSS e, a produção discursiva das 240 entrevistas, analisada através dos programas estatísticos ALCESTE e, IRAMUTEQ.Apesar das diferenças socio-culturais, os participantes construíram representações sociais da violência contra idosos similares, associadas à identidade social do idoso que os coloca como vítima iminente de violência. As divergências encontram-se nas expectativas de intervenção e prevenção do fenômeno; Violence against the elderly and its social representation Abstract: The research documented in this dissertation is part of a study about elderly violence, considered to be one of the most serious issues in the sphere of public health and examined here through the lens of the Theory of Social Representations. The main objective is to know the perspectives of the elderly, families and health professionals from two countries: Portugal and United States of America, on the subject of elderly violence. Using a qualitative design, this study applied both, descriptive and comparative methods interviewing 240 individuals. The demographic data were analyzed through SPSS and the lexical analysis which were performed by two software programs, ALCESTE and IRAMUTEQ. The social representations of elderly violence had similarities associating violence to the social identity of the elderly as an eventual victim despite cultural differences. Variations are identified in the expectations regarding strategies of intervention and prevention of the phenomena.

EVENTOS TURÍSTICOS E SATISFAÇÃO DO TURISTA: O CASO DA FESTA DO FIM-DO-ANO NA ILHA DA MADEIRA

The identification and analysis of the tourist satisfaction in tourism events is fundamental to maintain or improve the image of an event. The knowledge concerning the tourist level of satisfaction at an event can help the organisers to better understand tourist behaviour and intention. Tourism events, particularly those which encompass the cultural identity of a region, allow a community to celebrate its cultural singularities. Such singularities wake the tourist’s desire to experience a culture different from his/hers. The present article aims at identifying and analysing the tourist level of satisfaction at the New Year’s Eve Festivity in Madeira Island.