Alteration of cell-wall porosity is involved in osmotic stress-induced enhancement of aluminium resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Aluminium (Al) toxicity and drought are the two major abiotic stress factors limiting common bean production in the tropics. Using hydroponics, the short-term effects of combined Al toxicity and drought stress on root growth and Al uptake into the root apex were investigated. In the presence of Al stress, PEG 6000 (polyethylene glycol)-induced osmotic (drought) stress led to the amelioration of Al-induced inhibition of root elongation in the Al-sensitive genotype VAX 1. PEG 6000 (>> PEG 1000) treatment greatly decreased Al accumulation in the 1 cm root apices even when the roots were physically separated from the PEG solution using dialysis membrane tubes. Upon removal of PEG from the treatment solution, the root tips recovered from osmotic stress and the Al accumulation capacity was quickly restored. The PEG-induced reduction of Al accumulation was not due to a lower phytotoxic Al concentration in the treatment solution, reduced negativity of the root apoplast, or to enhanced citrate exudation. Also cell-wall (CW) material isolated from PEG-treated roots showed a low Al-binding capacity which, however, was restored after destroying the physical structure of the CW. The comparison of the Al(3+), La(3+), Sr(2+), and Rb(+) binding capacity of the intact root tips and the isolated CW revealed the specificity of the PEG 6000 effect for Al. This could be due to the higher hydrated ionic radius of Al(3+) compared with other cations (Al(3+) >> La(3+) > Sr(2+) > Rb(+)). In conclusion, the results provide circumstantial evidence that the osmotic stress-inhibited Al accumulation in root apices and thus reduced Al-induced inhibition of root elongation in the Al-sensitive genotype VAX 1 is related to the alteration of CW porosity resulting from PEG 6000-induced dehydration of the root apoplast.

Stress e coping nos estudantes do ensino básico

Dissertação de mest.em Psicologia, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Escola Superior de Educação, Univ. do Algarve, 2002

Indoor air: Contemporary sources, exposures and global implications

Recent 'Global Burden of Disease' studies have provided quantitative evidence of the significant role air pollution plays as a human health risk factor (Lim et al., The Lancet, 380: 2224–2260, 2012). Tobacco smoke, including second hand smoke, household air pollution from solid fuels and ambient particulate matter are among the top risks, leading to lower life expectancy around the world. Indoor air constitutes an environment particularly rich in different types of pollutants, originating from indoor sources, as well as penetrating from outdoors, mixing, interacting or growing (when considering microbes) under the protective enclosure of the building envelope. Therefore, it is not a simple task to follow the dynamics of the processes occurring there, or to quantify the outcomes of the processes in terms of pollutant concentrations and other characteristics. This is further complicated by limitations such as building access for the purpose of air quality monitoring, or the instrumentation which can be used indoors, because of their possible interference with the occupants comfort (due to their large size, noise generated or amount of air drawn). European studies apportioned contributions of indoor versus outdoor sources of indoor air contaminants in 26 European countries and quantified IAQ associated DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) in those countries (Jantunen et al., Promoting actions for healthy indoor air (IAIAQ), European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumers, Luxembourg, 2011). At the same time, there has been an increase in research efforts around the world to better understand the sources, composition, dynamics and impacts of indoor air pollution. Particular focus has been directed towards the contemporary sources, novel pollutants and new detection methods. The importance of exposure assessment and personal exposure, the majority of which occurs in various indoor micro¬environments, has also been realized. Overall, this emerging knowledge has been providing input for global assessments of indoor environments, the impact of indoor pollutants and their science based management and control. It was a major outcome of recent international conferences that interdisciplinarity and especially a better colla¬boration between exposure and indoor sciences would be of high benefit for the health related evaluation of environmental stress factors and pollutants. A very good example is the combination of biomonitoring and indoor air, particle and dust analysis to study the exposure routes of semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). We have adopted the idea of combining the forces of exposure and indoor sciences for this Special Issue, identified new and challenging topics and have attracted colleagues who are top researchers in their field to provide their inputs. The Special Issue includes papers, which collectively present advances in current research topics and in our view, build the bridge between indoor and exposure sciences.

The effect of endophyte on the performance of irrigated perennial ryegrasses in subtropical Australia

The effect of fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium lolii) infection on the performance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) growing under irrigation in a subtropical environment was investigated. Seed of 4 cultivars, infected with standard (common toxic or wild-type) endophyte or the novel endophyte AR1, or free of endophyte (Nil), was sown in pure swards, which were fertilised with 50 kg N/ha.month. Seasonal and total yield, persistence, and rust susceptibility were assessed over 3 years, along with details of the presence of endophyte and alkaloids in plant shoots. Endophyte occurrence in tillers in both the standard and AR1 treatments was above 95% for Bronsyn and Impact throughout and rose to that level in Samson by the end of the second year. Meridian AR1 only reached 93% while, in the standard treatment, the endophyte had mostly died before sowing. Nil Zendophyte treatments carried an average of ?0.6% infection throughout. Infection of the standard endophyte was associated with increased dry matter (DM) yields in all 3 years compared with no endophyte. AR1 also significantly increased yields in the second and third years. Over the full 3 years, standard and AR1 increased yields by 18% and 11%, respectively. Infection with both endophytes was associated with increased yields in all 4 seasons, the effects increasing in intensity over time. There was 27% better persistence in standard infected plants compared with Nil at the end of the first year, increasing to 198% by the end of the experiment, while for AR1 the improvements were 20 and 134%, respectively. The effect of endophyte on crown rust (Puccinia coronata) infection was inconsistent, with endophyte increasing rust damage on one occasion and reducing it on another. Cultivar differences in rust infection were greater than endophyte effects. Plants infected with the AR1 endophyte had no detectable ergovaline or lolitrem B in leaf, pseudostem, or dead tissue. In standard infected plants, ergovaline and lolitrem B were highest in pseudostem and considerably lower in leaf. Dead tissue had very low or no detectable ergovaline but high lolitrem B concentrations. Peramine concentration was high and at similar levels in leaf and pseudostem, but not detectable in dead material. Concentration was similar in both AR1 and standard infected plants. Endophyte presence appeared to have a similar effect in the subtropics as has been demonstrated in temperate areas, in terms of improving yields and persistence and increasing tolerance of plants to stress factors.

Maximising Revenue within the NT Mud Crab Fishery by Enhancing Post-Harvest Survival of Mud Crabs

Identifying the stress factors imposed on mud crab to develop stress minimisation practices for improving survival, hence increasing revenue for the industry.

Laboratory analyses for evaluation of platelet disorders and platelet concentrates

High quality of platelet analytics requires specialized knowledge and skills. It was applied to analyze platelet activation and aggregation responses in a prospective controlled study of patients with Finnish type of amyloidosis. The 20 patients with AGel amyloidosis displayed a delayed and more profound platelet shape change than healthy siblings and healthy volunteers, which may be related to altered fragmentation of mutated gelsolin during platelet activation. Alterations in platelet shape change have not been reported in association with platelet disorders. In the rare Bernard-Soulier syndrome with Asn45Ser mutation of glycoprotein (GP) IX, the diagnostic defect in the expression of GPIb-IX-V complex was characterized in seven Finnish patients, also an internationally exceptionally large patient series. When measuring thrombopoietin in serial samples of amniotic fluid and cord blood of 15 pregnant women with confirmed or suspected fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, the lower limit of detection could be extended. The results approved that thrombopoietin is present already in amniotic fluid. The application of various non-invasive means for diagnosing thrombocytopenia (TP) revealed that techniques for estimating the proportion of young, i.e. large platelets, such as direct measurement of reticulated platelets and the mean platelet size, would be useful for evaluating platelet kinetics in a given patient. Due to different kinetics between thrombopoietin and increase of young platelets in circulation, these measurements may have most predictive value when measured from simultaneous samples. Platelet autoantibodies were present not only in isolated autoimmune TP but also in patients without TP where disappearance of platelets might be compensated by increased production. The autoantibodies may also persist after TP has been cured. Simultaneous demonstration of increased young platelets (or increased mean platelet volume) in peripheral blood and the presence of platelet associated IgG specificities to major glycoproteins (GPIb-IX and GPIIb-IIIa) may be considered diagnostic for autoimmune TP. Measurement of a soluble marker as a sign of thrombin activation and proceeding deterioration of platelet components was applied to analyze the alterations under several stress factors (storage, transportation and lack of continuous shaking under controlled conditions) of platelet products. The GPV measured as a soluble factor in platelet storage medium showed good correlation with an array of other measurements commonly applied in characterization of stored platelets. The benefits of measuring soluble analyte in a quantitative assay were evident.

European aspen and hybrid aspen under changing environment : Leaf traits, growth and litter decomposition

Understanding the responses of species and ecosystems to human-induced global environmental change has become a high research priority. The main aim of this thesis was to investigate how certain environmental factors that relate to global change affect European aspen (Populus tremula), a keystone species in boreal forests, and hybrid aspen (P. tremula × P. tremuloides), cultivated in commercial plantations. The main points under consideration were the acclimatization potential of aspen through changes in leaf morphology, as well as effects on growth, leaf litter chemistry and decomposition. The thesis is based on two experiments, in which young aspen (< 1 year) were exposed either to an atmospheric pollutant [elevated ozone (O3)] or variable resource availability [water, nitrogen (N)]; and two field studies, in which mature trees (> 8 years) were growing in environments exposed to multiple environmental stress factors (roadside and urban environments). The field studies included litter decomposition experiments. The results show that young aspen, especially the native European aspen, was sensitive to O3 in terms of visible leaf injuries. Elevated O3 resulted in reduced biomass allocation to roots and accelerated leaf senescence, suggesting negative effects on growth in the long term. Water and N availability modified the frost hardening of young aspen: High N supply, especially when combined with drought, postponed the development of frost hardiness, which in turn may predispose trees to early autumn frosts. This effect was more pronounced in European aspen. The field studies showed that mature aspen acclimatized to roadside and urban environments by producing more xeromorphic leaves. Leaf morphology was also observed to vary in response to interannual climatic variation, which further indicates the ability of aspen for phenotypic plasticity. Intraspecific variation was found in several of the traits measured, although intraspecific differences in response to the abiotic factors examined were generally small throughout the studies. However, some differences between clones were found in sensitivity to O3 and the roadside environment. Aspen leaf litter decomposition was retarded in the roadside environment, but only initially. By contrast, decomposition was found to be faster in the urban than the rural environment throughout the study. The higher quality of urban litter (higher in N, lower in lignin and phenolics), as well as higher temperature, N deposition and humus pH at the urban site were factors likely to promote decay. The phenotypic plasticity combined with intraspecific variation found in the studies imply that aspen has potential for withstanding environmental changes, although some global change factors, such as rising O3 levels, may adversely affect its performance. The results also suggest that the multiple environmental changes taking place in urban areas which correspond closely with the main drivers of global change can modify ecosystem functioning by promoting litter decomposition, mediated partly by alterations in leaf litter quality.

A proteomic view of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is a probiotic bacterium that is known worldwide. Since its discovery in 1985, the health effects and biology of this health-promoting strain have been researched at an increasing rate. However, knowledge of the molecular biology responsible for these health effects is limited, even though research in this area has continued to grow since the publication of the whole genome sequence of L. rhamnosus GG in 2009. In this thesis, the molecular biology of L. rhamnosus GG was explored by mapping the changes in protein levels in response to diverse stress factors and environmental conditions. The proteomics data were supplemented with transcriptome level mapping of gene expression. The harsh conditions of the gastro-intestinal tract, which involve acidic conditions and detergent-like bile acids, are a notable challenge to the survival of probiotic bacteria. To simulate these conditions, L. rhamnosus GG was exposed to a sudden bile stress, and several stress response mechanisms were revealed, among others various changes in the cell envelope properties. L. rhamnosus GG also responded in various ways to mild acid stress, which probiotic bacteria may face in dairy fermentations and product formulations. The acid stress response of L. rhamnosus GG included changes in central metabolism and specific responses related to the control of intracellular pH. Altogether, L. rhamnosus GG was shown to possess a large repertoire of mechanisms for responding to stress conditions, which is a beneficial character of a probiotic organism. Adaptation to different growth conditions was studied by comparing the proteome level responses of L. rhamnosus GG to divergent growth media and to different phases of growth. Comparing different growth phases revealed that the metabolism of L. rhamnosus GG is modified markedly during shift from the exponential to the stationary phase of growth. These changes were seen both at proteome and transcriptome levels and in various different cellular functions. When the growth of L. rhamnosus GG in a rich laboratory medium and in an industrial whey-based medium was compared, various differences in metabolism and in factors affecting the cell surface properties could be seen. These results led us to recommend that the industrial-type media should be used in laboratory studies of L. rhamnosus GG and other probiotic bacteria to achieve a similar physiological state for the bacteria as that found in industrial products, which would thus yield more relevant information about the bacteria. In addition, an interesting phenomenon of protein phosphorylation was observed in L. rhamnosus GG. Phosphorylation of several proteins of L. rhamnosus GG was detected, and there were hints that the degree of phosphorylation may be dependent on the growth pH.

O estresse no trabalho dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde do Município do Rio de Janeiro

O estudo das dimensões psicossociais do trabalho tem aumentado em importância nas últimas décadas, devido ao novo contexto político e econômico mundial de globalização, que determina mudanças no mundo do trabalho e expõe trabalhadores a fatores de risco ocupacional, entre eles o estresse. A categoria profissional do Agente Comunitário de Saúde (ACS), criada no contexto das reformas sanitárias atravessadas pelo Brasil desde a década de 80, tem como um dos principais propósitos atuar na reorganização do sistema de saúde do país. O ACS tem como especificidade e pré-requisitos a necessidade de ser morador da região atendida pela Equipe de Saúde da Família, fato este responsável por um aspecto único dentro do estudo na área de saúde do trabalhador. Nesse cenário o enfermeiro exerce papel de liderança e possui uma característica marcante, que é a manutenção de constante contato com a comunidade, realizando atividades de grande interação com os ACS, devendo evitar ou minimizar fatores estressores e possíveis agravos à saúde no âmbito da Saúde do Trabalhador. O presente estudo tem como objeto o trabalho do ACS como gerador de estresse ocupacional no Programa de Saúde da Família. Tem como objetivo geral discutir o estresse ocupacional na percepção dos ACS no PSF, numa Área Programática do Município do Rio de Janeiro. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo e de abordagem qualitativa. O cenário do estudo foram Unidades de Saúde da Família do Município do Rio de Janeiro, e os sujeitos 32 ACS inseridos em três módulos do PSF. A coleta de dados foi realizada através de entrevistas individuais semi-estruturadas, organizadas e analisadas utilizando a metodologia da Análise de Conteúdo, a partir da qual foram identificadas as seguintes categorias: frustração, trabalho do ACS, representação do trabalho, processo de trabalho, o estresse e relação trabalho x saúde. Os resultados identificam o baixo reconhecimento interferindo na produtividade e na auto-estima, excessiva intensidade e ritmo empregados no trabalho, valorização da burocracia na execução do trabalho, violência como fator de insegurança e reconhece a interferência do estresse na saúde tanto física quanto psíquica. A análise do trabalho do ACS atuante no PSF aponta aspectos que dificultam sua plena atuação, assim como a prática estende-se para além dos conceitos normatizados contidos nas Portarias e outros instrumentos que regulamentam suas atribuições. O trabalho real representa um universo mais complexo e rico do que o trabalho prescrito, que nesse estudo, apresentou-se como fonte geradora de tensão, adoecimento e mal estar, expresso nas vocalizações de queixas.

Environmental characteristics of the marine and estuarine habitats of Karwar: an overview

A review is made of the environmental features of Karwar coastal waters, describing the currents, waves, inshore water hydrology and bottom features of the bay. The intertidal and the estuarine environment are described, considering various environmental stress factors. Future prospects regarding man's effects on the environment, such as development projects, are discussed briefly.

沙棘(Hippophae rhamnoides L.)在低温和增强UV-B胁迫下的生态生理反应

植物生长和生产力受到自然界各种形式的生物和非生物胁迫因子的影响。这些胁迫包括低温、高温、盐碱、干旱、洪水、重金属、虫害、病害和紫外线辐射等等。而人类活动大大加剧了这些胁迫所带来的影响。由于人类污染而导致臭氧层衰减以及由此产生的地球表面紫外辐射增强已经成为全球气候变化的一个主要方面。UV-B胁迫，甚至当前的辐射水平，所带来的影响已经引起科学工作者的广泛关注。 为了生存和繁殖，植物不得不面临环境中各种潜在胁迫所带来的负面影响。然而，植物生活型的不可移动性决定了其逃避胁迫的局限性。因此，绝大多数植物都是通过对胁迫作出反应，通过修复或者更新组织来降低伤害。而植物应对环境变化的能力则是由其生长模式的种属特异性和本身的遗传组成所决定。在自然界，植物常常同时面临多种胁迫，这些胁迫所引发的植物反应可能具有叠加、协同或者拮抗作用。沙棘是一种具刺、具有固氮功能的多年生雌雄异株灌木，广泛分布于亚欧大陆的温带地区和亚洲亚热带的高海拔地区。在中国，沙棘常常被用作植被恢复中的先锋树种而大量栽培。本文采用沙棘作为模式植物，试图探索木本植物对低温，UV-B辐射增强以及其与干旱的复合胁迫的响应以及沙棘对这些胁迫响应是否具有种群差异性。 对来自南北两个种群的沙棘进行短日照和低温处理，检测了其在抗寒锻炼和抗寒性发育过程中存在的性别差异。结果表明，短日照和低温都分别能够诱导抗寒锻炼的发生，而两者同时存在对所有实验植株抗寒性的大小具有叠加效应。然而，短日照和低温所诱导的抗寒性在两个种群中都具有性别差异性，雄性植株比雌雄植株对短日照和低温更为敏感。同时，南北种群间也存在差异性，北方种群的植物比南方种群的植物对短日照和低温敏感，从而在短日照下抗寒锻炼的发生时间更早，低温诱导的抗寒性更大。短日照和低温诱导植物增加抗寒性的同时伴随着脱落酸的变化。脱落酸的变化因处理，种群和性别的不同而不同。这些生理反应表明不同的沙棘种群，不同的植株性别对同一环境胁迫可能存在不同的生存策略。 比较了来自高低两个海拔的沙棘种群对于干旱和UV-B辐射增强以及两者复合胁迫条件下的生理生态反应。干旱使两个种群中植株总的生物量，总叶面积，比叶面积，叶片含碳量，含磷量，木质素含量和碳氮比显著降低，使根冠比，粗根细根比和叶片脱落酸含量显著增加。干旱而非UV-B使得δ13C 值显著增加。但是，比较而言，来自高海拔的种群对干旱反应更为强烈，而来自低海拔的种群对UV-B更敏感。在UV-B辐射增强的处理下，干旱所诱导的脱落酸的积累被显著抑制。而且我们检测到在一些指标上存在显著的干旱×UV-B交互作用，如两个种群中在总生物量上，低海拔种群中在总叶面积，粗根细根比上，高海拔种群中在比叶面积，δ13C值，木质素含量上都存在明显的交互作用。这些结果表明这两个种群对胁迫具有不同的适应性反应，来自高海拔的种群比来自低海拔的种群更能够抵御干旱和UV-B胁迫。 室外实验表明，UV-B 去除/增补对沙棘高低两个海拔种群的影响都不大。对生物量的积累，植株高度以及一些常见的胁迫反应生理指标比如丙二醛、ABA 和游离脯氨酸都没有显著影响。UV-B 的效应比UV-A 大，植物反应在无UV 和仅有UV-A 的处理间没有什么区别。然而，UV-B 去除的两个处理和UV-B 存在的两个处理间存在显著区别。UV-B 使得两个种群都显著降低了比叶面积(SLA)，但却使长期用水效率增加。但UV-B对光合色素和光合系统II 的影响不大。总体看来，来自低海拔的种群对UV-B 更为敏感。 Plant is adversely affected by various abiotic and biotic stress factors. These stressors includelow temperature, heat, salt, drought, flooding, heavy metal toxicity, wounding by herbivores,infecting by pathogenic microorganisms, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and so on. Variousanthropogenic activities have accentuated the existing stress factors. One of the mostimportant aspects of global change is that of stratospheric ozone depletion caused by seriousanthropogenic pollution and the resulting increase in UV radiation reaching the surface of theEarth. Scientists have become concerned about the effects that considerable UV-B stress, evenat current levels. In order to survive and reproduce, plants have to be able to cope with lots of potentiallyharmful stress factors that are almost constantly present in their environment. Most plants’responses under stress are to neutralize the stress, repairing the damage or regrowing newtissue rather than to avoid it due to their sessile life style. The plant defense capacity dependson plant-specific modular growth patterns and genetic make-up that allows for flexibleresponses to changing environments. Plants usually encounter several stresses simultaneouslyunder field conditions, and the stresses may cause a variety of plant responses, which can beadditive, synergistic or antagonistic. Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), a thorny nitrogen fixing deciduously perennialshrub, which is widely distributed throughout the temperate zones of Asia and Europe and thesubtropical zones of Asia at high altitudes. It has been widely used in forest restoration as thepioneer species in China. In this paper, we used sea buckthorn as a model, tried to get some understand of how plants fight low temperature, enhanced UV-B radiation level and thatcombination of drought. And also, want to know whether does there exist some populationspecific responses to such stressors. Sexual differences in cold acclimation and freezing tolerance development of two contrastingsea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) ecotypes from northern and southern regions inChina were recorded after exposure to short day photoperiod (SD) and low temperature (LT).The results demonstrated that cold acclimation could be triggered by exposing the plants toSD or LT alone, and that a combination of both treatments had an additive effect on freezingtolerance in all plants tested. However, development of freezing tolerance was dependent onthe sex of plants under SD and LT, the males were clearly more responsive to SD and LT thanthe females in both ecotypes studied. On the other hand, development of freezing tolerancewas also ecotype-dependent, the northern ecotype was more responsive to SD and LT than thesouthern ecotype, resulting in earlier cold acclimation under SD and higher freezing toleranceunder LT. Moreover, development of freezing tolerance induced by SD and LT wasaccompanied by changes in ABA levels. These alterations in ABA levels were different indifferent treatments, ecotypes and sexes. Therefore, the differences in SD and LT-inducedphysiological responses showed that the different ecotypes and the different sexes mightemploy different survival strategies under environmental stress. Two contrasting populations from the low and high altitudinal regions were employed toinvestigate the effects of drought, UV-B and their combination on sea buckthorn. Droughtsignificantly decreased total biomass, total leaf area, specific leaf area，leaf carbon (C),phophous (P), lignin content and the ratio of C: N in both populations, and increasedroot/shoot ratio, fine root/coarse root ratio and abscisic acid content (ABA), in bothpopulations. Drought but not UV-B resulted in significantly greater carbon isotopecomposition (δ13C) values in both populations. However, the high altitudinal population wasmore responsive to drought than the low altitudinal population. The drought-inducedenhancement of ABA in the high altitudinal population was significantly suppressed in thecombination of drought and elevated UV-B. Moreover, significant drought × UV-B interactionwas detected on total biomass in both populations, total leaf area and fine root/coarse root inthe low altitudinal population, specific leaf area, δ13C value and leaf lignin content in the high altitudinal population. These results demonstrated that there were different adaptive responsesbetween two contrasting populations, the high altitudinal population exhibited highertolerance to drought and UV-B than the low altitudinal population. A field experiment was conducted to investigate effects of UV-B exclusion/supplementationon two altitudinal populations of sea buckthorn. UV-B exclusion or supplementation had littleeffects on both populations investigated. For instance, the total biomass, plant height andsome physiological index such as Malondialdehyde (MDA), ABA and free proline were notchanged significantly. The UV-B effects are more significant than that of UV-A, nodifferences were found between treatments of excluded UV and excluded UV-B. However,compared with treatments of UV-B exclusion (including absent of UV-B and all UV band),the present of UV-B (including near ambient environment and enhanced UV-B) significantdecreased specific leaf area, and increased long time water use efficiency as evaluated by δ13Cvalue. UV-B had little effects on photosynthetic pigments and Photosystem II (PSII). The lowaltitude population is more sensitive to UV-B than that of the high altitude population.

青杨(Populus cathayana Rehd)雌雄植株对锈病和干旱胁迫的生理响应及差异蛋白质组比较

雌雄异株植物对环境的不同响应一直是一个有趣而新颖的研究领域，由于雌雄个体不同的繁殖成本及不同的生存策略，使得雌雄植株在生长、存活、生殖格局、空间分布、资源配置等方面已经表现出明显的不同，在生理和分子水平上也表现出明显的性别间差异。干旱是制约农林业发展的环境因子之一，叶锈病是对杨树危害最严重的病害之一，由于长期进化的结果，不同性别的植物必然对生物和非生物胁迫有着不同的响应。本文以雌雄异株的青杨为模式植物，研究雌雄间在生理、生化、亚细胞结构和蛋白质水平上对生物和非生物胁迫的差异响应。主要研究结果如下： （1） 青杨雌雄植株对锈病胁迫的生理生化差异响应 在正常的对照组中，雄株叶片比雌株叶片有着较高的活性氧自由基产生速率、较高的SOD、POD、PPO 和较低的CAT 活性；在锈病感染的早期阶段， SOD、POD、CAT 活性、活性氧自由基产生速率、H2O2 含量、膜脂过氧化程度和细胞膜的电渗率在雌雄株中都增加，而PPO 仅在雄株中增加明显，APX 仅在雌株中增加明显，并且雌株比雄株有着更严重的锈病感染程度、细胞膜的伤害程度和光合系统II 的破坏程度，雌株有更多的净光合速率、气孔导度和叶绿素a 含量的降低，在同工酶变化上，雌雄间对锈病也显示出不同的表达模式。结果显示，雄株比雌株对锈病有着更好的抗性和更有效的ROS 清除系统。 （2） 青杨雌雄植株对干旱胁迫的生理生化及亚细胞结构的差异响应 与较好水分条件相比，干旱下雄株比雌株有着更高的A-Ci 响应参数，如Rubisco 最大羧化速率、光呼吸速率、暗呼吸速率和最大电子传递速率等。干旱显著地增加了膜脂过氧化程度和游离脯氨酸含量，并且雄株比雌株表现出较低的膜脂过氧化程度，较高的总蛋白和游离脯氨酸含量。无论是中度干旱还是极度干旱，除了CAT 外，雄株比雌株表现为较强的抗氧化酶活性，在同工酶谱带上，雌雄间表现出不同的变化模式，并且有些条带是干旱影响应的，而有些条带是性别特异性的，这些性别特异性条带能够作为鉴定性别快速而准确的标记。干旱显著地影响了线粒体、叶绿体和细胞壁的结构，尤其在中度干旱胁迫下，雄株线粒体和叶绿体比雌株呈现出较好的完整性，并且雄株细胞壁要比雌株更厚。因此， 雄株比雌株表现出更强的干旱忍耐性和更高效的抗氧化酶系统。 （3） 青杨雌雄植株对干旱胁迫的蛋白质组差异响应 用双相电泳检测到雌雄间近1000 个蛋白点，通过对比发现对照组雌雄间有54 个差异蛋白点，干旱下雌雄间有108 个差异点，其中102 个被质谱成功鉴定。对照组雌雄间的差异蛋白主要集中在与光合作用相关蛋白、抗氧化酶、胁迫防御蛋白和一些调节基因表达的蛋白；干旱胁迫下雌雄间差异蛋白明显增多，主要有参与信号转导、调节基因表达、蛋白质加工、转录产物的转录翻译后修饰的调节性蛋白蛋白和参与氧化还原平衡、抗胁迫、细胞壁合成、光合作用、能量代谢、氨基酸代谢和脂肪酸代谢等的功能性蛋白。干旱下这些蛋白的表达量在雌雄中有的表现出相同的表达模式，如干旱下雌雄株中Rubisco 激活酶、小热激蛋白等表达都增加，而有的表现出相反的表达模式，如Rubisco 大亚基的降解片段、羰酸酯酶等在雄株中表达量上调而在雌株中却是下调。因此，雌雄间在蛋白质水平上对干旱胁迫响应的差异是显著的，也是复杂的。 It is an interesting and novel topic that dioecious plants possess different responses to environmental stress. As for the different productive cost and different survive strategy, different sexual plants have shown obviously morphological, physiological and molecular differences. Drought is one of the most worldwidely important environmental stress factors that limit plant growth and ecosystem productivity. Rust disease is one of the economically important diseases in many trees. As a result of the long evolutionary process, male and female plants should show different responses to abiotic and biotic stress. In this paper, using a dioeious tree of Populus cathayana Rehd as a model, we study the sexual differences to drought and rust disease stress in physiological, biochemical, sub-cellular and proteomics levels. The main results are follows: (1) The sexual differences in physiology and biochemistry of poplar to rust disease In controls, males showed higher production of superoxide radicals, higher activities of SOD, POD, PPO and lower CAT activity. Under rust disease, the activities of antioxidant, the content of ROS and the degree of cellular member destroyed were increased in both sexes, except for PPO in diseased males and APX in diseased females. However, females showed more seriously disease severity and cellular member and PS II destroyed degrees. Net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate and chlorophyll a content were decreased more in diseased females than in males. There were also some different changes inantioxidant isozymes under rust disease. The results suggested that male poplar possessed a more effectively antioxidant system and were more resistant to rut disease than females. (2) The sexual differences in physiology and biochemistry of poplar to drought stress Under drought stress, there were higher rates of RuBP-saturated CO2 assimilation, dark respiration, photorespiratory release of oxygen, the max electron transportrate in CO2-saturated and carboxylation efficiency in males than in females. And males showed lower TBARS and higher proline content. Except for CAT, the activities of other antioxidants were higher in males than in females. Meanwhile, there were obviously differences in isozyme changes between teo sexes. Drought stress obviously destroyed the integralities of chloroplasts and mitochondria and the sexual differences in sub-cellular level were obviously under the moderate water stress. Male cell walls were more sensitive to drought stress than did female. The results suggested males were more resistant to drought stress. (3) The sexual differences in proteomics of poplar to drought stress By 2-D and MS analysis, we identified 102 different protein spots between males and females. Under control conditions, the different proteins were mainly in photosynthesis related proteins, antioxidants, stress response proteins and some gene expression related proteins. Under drought stress, the different proteins were focused on (i) regulated proteins such as signaling conduction, kinase, HSP, gene expressional regulation and protein modification, (ii) functional proteins such as photosynthesis, energy metabolism, antioxidant, redox, stress response, lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Some protein showed the same expressional pattern, while some showed contrary expressional pattern. Thus, the results suggested that sexual differences in proteomics were significant and complex.

Biological and ecological mechanisms supporting marine self-governance: The Seri Callo de Hacha Fishery in Mexico

My goal was to describe how biological and ecological factors give shape to fishing practices that can contribute to the successful self-governance of a small-scale fishing system in the Gulf of California, Mexico. The analysis was based on a comparison of the main ecological and biological indicators that fishers claim to use to govern their day-to-day decision making about fishing and data collected in situ. I found that certain indicators allow fishers to learn about differences and characteristics of the resource system and its units. Fishers use such information to guide their day-to-day fishing decisions. More importantly, these decisions appear unable to shape the reproductive viability of the fishery because no indicators were correlated to the reproductive cycle of the target species. As a result, the fishing practices constitute a number of mechanisms that might provide short-term buffering capacity against perturbations or stress factors that otherwise would threaten the overall sustainability and self-governance of the system. The particular biological circumstances that shape the harvesting practices might also act as a precursor of self-governance because they provide fishers with enough incentives to meet the costs of organizing the necessary rule structure that underlies a successful self-governance system.

Conserved histidine of metal transporter AtNRAMP1 is crucial for optimal plant growth under manganese deficiency at chilling temperatures

Manganese (Mn) is an essential nutrient required for plant growth, in particular in the process of photosynthesis. Plant performance is influenced by various environmental stresses including contrasting temperatures, light or nutrient deficiencies. The molecular responses of plants exposed to such stress factors in combination are largely unknown. 

Screening of 108 Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) accessions for reduced photosynthetic performance at chilling temperatures was performed and one accession (Hog) was isolated. Using genetic and molecular approaches, the molecular basis of this particular response to temperature (GxE interaction) was identified. 

Hog showed an induction of a severe leaf chlorosis and impaired growth after transfer to lower temperatures. We demonstrated that this response was dependent on the nutrient content of the soil. Genetic mapping and complementation identified NRAMP1 as the causal gene. Chlorotic phenotype was associated with a histidine to tyrosine (H239Y) substitution in the allele of Hog NRAMP1. This led to lethality when Hog seedlings were directly grown at 4 degrees C. 

Chemical complementation and hydroponic culture experiments showed that Mn deficiency was the major cause of this GxE interaction. For the first time, the NRAMP-specific highly conserved histidine was shown to be crucial for plant performance.

Avaliação dos níveis de ansiedade e depressão e sua correlação com a intensidade de dor em doentes oncológicos com doença avançada e progressiva

Tese de mestrado, Cuidados Paliativos, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2015