Adaptive strategies of two Portuguese grapevines varieties (Aragonês. syn. Tempranillo and Trincadeira) face drought: physiological and structural responses.

At Mediterranean regions and particularly in southern Portugal, it is imperative to identify grape varieties more adapted to warm and dry climates in order to overcome future climatic changes. Two Vitis vinifera genotypes, Aragonez (syn. Tempranillo) and Trincadeira, were selected to assess their physiological responses to soil water stress. Vines were subjected to four irrigation regimes: irrigated during all phenological cycle, non-irrigated during all phenological cycle, non irrigated until veraison, irrigated after veraison. Predawn leaf water potential was much higher in Trincadeira than Aragonez in non- irrigated plants. This result is in accordance with its higher stomatal control efficiency in this variety (Trincadeira). Photosynthetic capacity (Amax at saturating light intensity) decreased due to stomatal and biochemical limitations under water stress. However, recovery capacity of leaf water status after irrigation was faster in Trincadeira. Yield and yield x Brix increased when irrigation occurred after veraison, particularly in Trincadeira. These results show that Trincadeira presents a drought adaptation than Aragonez. Ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence Fv/Fm and total leaf chlorophyll related with leaf water potential for both species. Reflectance Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI705), Red Edge Inflexion Point Index and Photochemical Reflectance Index were related with irrigation treatment. Relative water content and specific leaf area were similar between varieties. In conclusion, we suggested that there is variation among the genotypes and the main physiological parameters for variety selection, for drought, were leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and reflectance indexes.

Plant/Leaf traits and adaptive strategies of Cistus species to Mediterranean drought and insolation in southern Portugal

The effects of climate change can result in dramatic consequences in specific ecosystems such as montados that are seriously threatened by the absence of cork and holm oak (Quercus suber and Q. rotundifolia) natural regeneration. Shrubs of the genus Cistus, which are among the most important elements of encroached montados, seem to promote soil rehabilitation and enhance oak regeneration (Simões et al. 2009). In this context, we compared the life strategies and evaluated the potential ability of Cistus species to adapt to the increasing drought expected for the Mediterranean region, and thus their role on the sustainability of cork oak montados.

Geochemical analysis of sediments from a polluted waterway in the vicinity of a metallurgical plant, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Mining and metallurgical industries are the most responsible for heavy metal contamination. These contaminants are often associated to poor management strategies and the lack of suitable containment areas. This is the case of one of the largest metal alloy producers in the São Francisco river basin, in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During operation, the tailings of this activity have been accumulated in the surrounding area, leading to heavy metal contamination (Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr and As), much above the critical levels, which accumulate in the sediments of the nearby waterways, in the soils of the drainage area, and in the water column. In this work we are going to discuss both the contamination level and its extent in the Consciência river, a small tributary of the São Francisco river, the longest river entirely Brazilian, by analyzing the geochemistry and mineralogy of the accumulated sediments. It will be also discuss the reclamation strategies of this site and the impact on the environment.

The incorporation of violence by women video artists

This paper examines the way in which women video artists embodied violence in their video pieces as a strategy of critique of the patriarchal regime. Since the 1960s several generations of women artists used different strategies of self-harm or explored the physical and mental limits of their bodies to express the anguish of those who are excluded from the patriarchal society on sexist and/or racist grounds. Considering the guiding line that covers three fields – art, gender, and feminist social movements – as well as their key thinkers and scholars in Sociology, Fine Arts and the Humanities, we have built the object of study of this essay, namely, the relationship between women's video art focused on the body, violence and gender along with feminist social movements in the period ranging from 1967 to 2007, in a Western context. The methodology used had as its primary goal to create a link between the micro-sociological level of expressions, body gestures and behaviours in the videos and the macro-sociological level of broader, institutionalized social forces that are at the origin of inequalities, such as dimensions of gender and «race». This study concluded that at least since the 1960s there is the denunciation by women video artists of the general circumstances women live under, while enduring violence of various kinds, such as socio-cultural, psychological and sexual violence against women.

Coordinated Scheduling of Wind-Thermal Gencos in Day-Ahead Markets

This paper presents a stochastic mixed-integer linear programming approach for solving the self-scheduling problem of a price-taker thermal and wind power producer taking part in a pool-based electricity market. Uncertainty on electricity price and wind power is considered through a set of scenarios. Thermal units are modeled by variable costs, start-up costs and technical operating constraints, such as: ramp up/down limits and minimum up/down time limits. An efficient mixed-integer linear program is presented to develop the offering strategies of the coordinated production of thermal and wind energy generation, aiming to maximize the expected profit. A case study with data from the Iberian Electricity Market is presented and results are discussed to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Bidding strategy of wind-thermal energy producers

This paper presents a stochastic mixed-integer linear programming approach for solving the self-scheduling problem of a price-taker thermal and wind power producer taking part in a pool-based electricity market. Uncertainty on electricity price and wind power is considered through a set of scenarios. Thermal units are modelled by variable costs, start-up costs and technical operating constraints, such as: forbidden operating zones, ramp up/down limits and minimum up/down time limits. An efficient mixed-integer linear program is presented to develop the offering strategies of the coordinated production of thermal and wind energy generation, having as a goal the maximization of profit. A case study with data from the Iberian Electricity Market is presented and results are discussed to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Subjective Aspects of People with Chronic Ulcers: a Qualitative Study in Brazil and Portugal

Introduction: The experience built in the process of living with chronic ulcer is marked by changes such as the inability to work, to relate socially and causes the need to adapt to a routine care. Understanding this network of meanings is important to develop techniques of individual or collective care. Objective: To understand impregnated subjectivities in the everyday experiences of Brazilian and Portuguese patients with chronic ulcers, in the light of the Oral History of life. Method: Comparative study with a qualitative approach, using Oral History as method and technique. The network of collaborators, formed by males and females, aged 39-82 years, was structured into two groups, one consisting of 06 people in Natal/RN, Brazil and another composed of 10 people in Évora/Portugal. In both groups, the narratives were collected through open questions, which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed by the technique of thematic content analysis. Results: Through the analysis, three themes were revealed: Social repercussion in Brazil and in Portugal; Trajectory of theinjured person; and Coping mechanisms. Conclusion: Changes were observed in social life, leading contributors to isolation, in addition to confronting the stigma experienced. There were also identified points as the reinterpretation of chronic wound carrier about their disease and coping strategies of their chroniccondition.

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.