Follow-up of the sponge and asteroid populations at the station Larsen A south (PS69/724-1 and PS77/253-1), Antarctic Peninsula, between 2007 and 2011

Over 30% of the Antarctic continental shelf is permanently covered by floating ice shelves, providing aphotic conditions for a depauperate fauna sustained by laterally advected food. In much of the remaining Antarctic shallows (<300 m depth), seasonal sea-ice melting allows a patchy primary production supporting rich megabenthic communities dominated by glass sponges (Porifera, Hexactinellida). The catastrophic collapse of ice shelves due to rapid regional warming along the Antarctic Peninsula in recent decades has exposed over 23,000 km**2 of seafloor to local primary production. The response of the benthos to this unprecedented flux of food is, however, still unknown. In 2007, 12 years after disintegration of the Larsen A ice shelf, a first biological survey interpreted the presence of hexactinellids as remnants of a former under-ice fauna with deep-sea characteristics. Four years later, we revisited the original transect, finding 2- and 3-fold increases in glass sponge biomass and abundance, respectively, after only two favorable growth periods. Our findings, along with other long-term studies, suggest that Antarctic hexactinellids, locked in arrested growth for decades, may undergo boom-and-bust cycles, allowing them to quickly colonize new habitats. The cues triggering growth and reproduction in Antarctic glass sponges remain enigmatic.

Desafios 2012: a noção de número racional em alunos do 4º ano de escolaridade

Com este estudo pretendi perceber as estratégias e dificuldades que persistem em alunos que supostamente terão sido alvo de um trabalho com números racionais nos primeiros anos de escolaridade, mais concretamente perceber a noção de partilha equitativa, bem como de comparação de frações dos referidos alunos. Decorre do referido objetivo as seguintes questões de investigação: (1) Que estratégias e dificuldades apresentam os alunos na resolução de situações de partilha equitativa? (2) Que estratégias e dificuldades apresentam os alunos na comparação de números racionais? Para atingir o objetivo pretendido recorri a uma investigação de cariz interpretativo, abordagem essencialmente qualitativa e pesquisa documental, pelo que analisei as provas de Matemática realizadas por 1330 alunos de 21 agrupamentos do Distrito de Leiria, no âmbito do concurso “DESAFIOS 2012”, mais concretamente as respostas dadas a uma tarefa relativa aos números racionais. De salientar que os alunos que participaram no concurso “DESAFIOS 2012”, frequentaram o 1.º ciclo do ensino básico, já no âmbito da entrada em vigor do Programade Matemática do Ensino Básico - PMEB (ME, 2007). Os resultados levam a concluir que uma das estratégias mais usada é o recurso à modelação da tarefa para a partilha equitativa das sandes, bem como formas intuitivas de pensamento para a comparação de frações. As dificuldades prendem-se essencialmente com a modelação da tarefa e identificação das quantidades envolvidas, bem como o recurso ao pensamento diferencial para a comparação das frações.

Redeeming Faustus: Tracing the pacts of Mariken and Faust from the 1500s to the present

This dissertation uncovers and analyzes the complicated history of the devil’s pact in literature from approximately 1330 to 2015, focusing primarily on texts written in German and Dutch. That the tale of the pact with the devil (the so-called Faustian bargain) is one of the most durable and pliable literary themes is undeniable. Yet for too long, the success of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust I (1808) decisively shaped scholarship on early devil’s pact tales, leading to a misreading of the texts with Goethe’s concerns being projected onto the earliest manifestations. But Goethe’s Faust really only borrows from the original Faust his name; the two characters could not be more different. Furthermore, Faustus was not the only early pact-maker character and his tale was neither limited to the German language nor to the Protestant faith. Among others, tales written in Dutch about a female, Catholic, latemedieval pact-maker, Mariken van Nieumeghen (1515), illustrate this. This dissertation seeks to redeem the early modern Faustus texts from its misreading and to broaden the scholarship on the literature of the devil’s pact by considering the Mariken and Faust traditions together.

The first chapter outlines the beginnings of pact literature as a Catholic phenomenon, considering the tales of Theophilus and Pope Joan alongside Mariken of Nijmegen. The second chapter turns to the original Faust tale, the Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587), best read as a Lutheran response to the Catholic pact literature in the wake of the Reformation. In the third chapter, this dissertation offers a new, united reading of the early modern Faust tradition. The fourth and fifth chapters trace the literary preoccupation with the pacts of both Mariken and Faustus from the late early modern to the present.

The dissertation traces the evolution of these two bodies of literature and provides an in-depth analysis and comparison of the two that has not been done before. It argues for a more global literary scholarship that considers texts across multiple languages and one that takes into consideration the rich body of material of the pact tradition.

SRS-6, before Hurricane Wilma

http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/fce_lter_photos/1330/thumbnail.jpg

(Table 1, page 204), Minor element concentrations in nodules of lake Ontario at Glenola, Bay of Quinte

Spark source mass spectroscopy was used to analyze 61 elements in ten ferromanganese nodules found near Glenora in the Bay of Quinte at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. Most minor elements, including As, Pb, and Hg, have concentrations between 1-100 µg/g. F, S, Co, Zn, and La have concentrations in 100 µg/g range. Ba and Sr are present at levels of 1% and 0.1% respectively. Compared to similar measurements on nodules found in the Great Lakes and in other parts of the globe, values reported here are generally lower. Compared to their marine equivalents, lake nodules appear to be inferior scavengers of minor elements. Examination of all available data corroborates the postulate that marine biological material is an important source of minor elements found in oceanic nodules.

The +Contigo Project in the Voice of Eight-Grade Students

The +Contigo Project is a longitudinal research project based on a multilevel network intervention aimed at promoting mental health and well-being and preventing suicidal behaviors. Students participate in social skills training sessions on the stigma of mental disorders, adolescence, self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and wellbeing. Problem statement: To identify the qualitative impact of the +Contigo Project. Objectives: To identify the importance of the project for students, the problem situations which it helped to solve, and its impact on an individual level. Research methods: Content analysis (Bardin, 2009) with a posteriori categorical identification. Semi-structured interview guide with 5 questions. A convenience sample of 16 students, from three schools of one school cluster in the Center Region of Portugal, was used. The ethical aspects of parental consent, voluntary participation and data confidentiality were addressed. Findings: Fourteen categories emerged from the data analysis. The answers to Question 4 'How was this project important to you?' were particularly relevant. Students mentioned that it improved their self-esteem by increasing self-confidence and interpersonal skills, and that it increased their reflection and awareness on problems with which they learned how to cope during the sessions. Conclusions: All interviewees considered that the +Contigo project helped them to solve problems, improve their interpersonal skills and cope with the adolescence period. Students improved their self-esteem and self-knowledge, and were able to apply what they had learned in the sessions in their daily lives. We concluded that the project had a positive impact on the students' mental health.

Sampling strategies for characterization of neuropeptides using mass spectrometry and functional implications into cell-cell signaling

In this dissertation, there are developed different analytical strategies to discover and characterize mammalian brain peptides using small amount of tissues. The magnocellular neurons of rat supraoptic nucleus in tissue and cell culture served as the main model to study neuropeptides, in addition to hippocampal neurons and mouse embryonic pituitaries. The neuropeptidomcis studies described here use different extraction methods on tissue or cell culture combined with mass spectrometry (MS) techniques, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI). These strategies lead to the identification of multiple peptides from the rat/mouse brain in tissue and cell cultures, including novel compounds One of the goals in this dissertation was to optimize sample preparations on samples isolated from well-defined brain regions for mass spectrometric analysis. Here, the neuropeptidomics study of the SON resulted in the identification of 85 peptides, including 20 unique peptides from known prohormones. This study includes mass spectrometric analysis even from individually isolated magnocellular neuroendocrine cells, where vasopressin and several other peptides are detected. At the same time, it was shown that the same approach could be applied to analyze peptides isolated from a similar hypothalamic region, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Although there were some overlaps regarding the detection of the peptides in the two brain nuclei, different peptides were detected specific to each nucleus. Among other peptides, provasopressin fragments were specifically detected in the SON while angiotensin I, somatostatin-14, neurokinin B, galanin, and vasoactive-intestinal peptide (VIP) were detected in the SCN only. Lists of peptides were generated from both brain regions for comparison of the peptidome of SON and SCN nuclei. Moving from analysis of magnocellular neurons in tissue to cell culture, the direct peptidomics of the magnocellular and hippocampal neurons led to the detection of 10 peaks that were assigned to previously characterized peptides and 17 peaks that remain unassigned. Peptides from the vasopressin prohormone and secretogranin-2 are attributed to magnocellular neurons, whereas neurokinin A, peptide J, and neurokinin B are attributed to cultured hippocampal neurons. This approach enabled the elucidation of cell-specific prohormone processing and the discovery of cell-cell signaling peptides. The peptides with roles in the development of the pituitary were analyzed using transgenic mice. Hes1 KO is a genetically modified mouse that lives only e18.5 (embryonic days). Anterior pituitaries of Hes1 null mice exhibit hypoplasia due to increased cell death and reduced proliferation and in the intermediate lobe, the cells differentiate abnormally into somatotropes instead of melanotropes. These previous findings demonstrate that Hes1 has multiple roles in pituitary development, cell differentiation, and cell fate. AVP was detected in all samples. Interestingly, somatostatin [92-100] and provasopressin [151-168] were detected in the mutant but not in the wild type or heterozygous pituitaries while somatostatin-14 was detected only in the heterozygous pituitary. In addition, the putative peptide corresponding to m/z 1330.2 and POMC [205-222] are detected in the mutant and heterozygous pituitaries, but not in the wild type. These results indicate that Hes1 influences the processing of different prohormones having possible roles during development and opens new directions for further developmental studies. This research demonstrates the robust capabilities of MS, which ensures the unbiased direct analysis of peptides extracted from complex biological systems and allows addressing important questions to understand cell-cell signaling in the brain.

Faz o teu medo ter medo de ti : manual de atividades

Propostas para o desenvolvimento da leitura e da literacia em crianças do pré-escolar e do 1º ciclo

Pain assessment in surgical patients with impaired cognition

Pain is considered the 5th vital sign and its measurement/assessment and records are required and must be systematic. Ineffective pain management involves complications in clinical status of patients, longer hospitalization times and higher costs with health. In the surgical patient with impaired cognition, hetero measurements should be made, based on behavioural and physiological indicators. We used to determine the efficacy and efficiency of the Observer Scale, the Abbey Pain Scale and Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD). Our study is an applied, non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive and analytical research. The data collection instrument consisted of patients’ sociodemographic and clinical data, the Observer Scale, the Abbey Pain Scale (Rodrigues, 2013) and PAINAD (Batalha et al., 2012). We assessed pain at an early phase and 45 minutes after an intervention for its relief. The sample is non-probabilistic for convenience, consisting of 76 surgical patients with impaired cognition, admitted to the surgery services of a central hospital, aged between 38 and 96 years. There was a positive correlation between the results of the three scales, most evident in the initial evaluation. Pain intensity in the same patient is higher when assessed with PAINAD (OM = 2.16) and lower when assessed with the Observer Scale (OM = 1.78). The most effective and efficient scale is PAINAD. Due to the small sample size, we suggest confirmatory studies so that the results can be generalized.

How teachers' perceptions affect the academic and language assessment of immigrant children

Recent research evidences inconsistencies in teachers' practice regarding skills assessment of L2 students. Scientific evidence supports that less experienced teachers have lower orientation toward multiple task-tests for non-native students. Research questions: Whether school teachers as having different teaching training and unequal teaching experience with non-native students perceive differently a four-skills scale. Purpose of the study: This study intends to analyse the importance degree between the four skills/tasks: reading, writing, speaking and listening, in the perspective of school teachers. Method: 77 teachers, aged 32-62, with (and without) experience in teaching and adapting materials for immigrant students, divided into six groups according to their scientific domain. Assessment tools included a scale for judgement of four academic tasks adapted from the original “Inventory of Undergraduate and Graduate Level: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Tasks (Rosenfeld, Leung & Ottman, 2001). Main Findings: 1) different degrees of importance attributed by teachers on tasks that should be included in academic and language test for immigrant students; 2) perceptions of teachers are determined by predictors in this order: scientific domain, experience with multicultural classes and lower prediction from teaching service and age; 3) different results between american and portuguese samples answering the same questionnaire.

The big four skills: Teachers’ assumptions on measurement of non-native students cognition

The four-skills on tests for young native speakers commonly do not generate correlation incongruency concerning the cognitive strategies frequently reported. Considering the non-native speakers there are parse evidence to determine which tasks are important to assess properly the cognitive and academic language proficiency (Cummins, 1980; 2012). Research questions: It is of high probability that young students with origin in immigration significantly differ on their communication strategies and skills in a second language processing context (1); attached to this first assumption, it is supposed that teachers significantly differ depending on their scientific area and previous training (2). Purpose: This study intends to examine whether school teachers (K-12) as having different origin in scientific domain of teaching and training perceive differently an adapted four-skills scale, in European Portuguese. Research methods: 77 teachers of five areas scientific areas, mean of teaching year service = 32 (SD= 2,7), 57 males and 46 females (from basic and high school levels). Main findings: ANOVA (Effect size and Post-hoc Tukey tests) and linear regression analysis (stepwise method) revealed statistically significant differences among teachers of different areas, mainly between language teachers and science teachers. Language teachers perceive more accurately tasks in a multiple manner to the broad skills that require to be measured in non-native students. Conclusion: If teachers perceive differently the importance of the big-four tasks, there would be incongruence on skills measurement that teachers select for immigrant puppils. Non-balanced tasks and the teachers’ perceptions on evaluation and toward competence of students would likely determine limitations for academic and cognitive development of non-native students. Furthermore, results showed sufficient evidence to conclude that tasks are perceived differently by teachers toward importance of specific skills subareas. Reading skills are best considered compared to oral comphreension skills in non-native students.

Threatened fishes of the world: Cottus hispaniolensis bacescu-mester, 1964 (cottidae)

Cottus hispaniolensis is a critically endangered cottid fish which is endemic from the Pyrenanean Garonne river basin.

Relatório de estágio para obtenção do grau de mestre em educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1º ciclo do ensino básico

O presente relatório explana a intervenção da prática pedagógica realizada no contexto de Educação Pré- Escolar e 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, tendo como principal objectivo a partilha e a reflexão desta intervenção, nomeadamente numa sala de Pré- Escolar no Infantário «O Carrocel» e numa turma de 1º Ciclo da Escola EB1/PE do Galeão. Este apresenta as opções metodológicas e teóricas, que constituem a fundamentação da consequente intervenção educativa, ou seja, a simbiose entre a componente prática e a teórica, como forma de aquisição de aprendizagens significativas, atendendo ao ciclo sucessivo da observação, planificação, ação e reflexão. Ao longo do relatório menciono os contextos educacionais, em que decorreram a minha intervenção pedagógica, apresentando algumas das atividades desenvolvidas com os grupos de crianças e que se transformaram em espaços de reflexão sobre a minha ação educativa. A questão metodológica adotada neste relatório incide sobre a Investigação- Ação e tem como objetivo refletir sobre as mesmas, implementando estratégias conducentes à solução da problemática encontrada. Este método é apontado como suscetível de provocar uma melhoria significativa ao nível das práticas, na medida em que o mesmo decorre dum trabalho de investigação e de reflexão. Consequentemente, através da observação e da interação com os educandos surgiu a necessidade de investigar e pesquisar estratégias que contribuíssem para a resolução da problemática elencada e que se corporizou na forma como as crianças desenvolvem e adquirem competências sociais, a par e passo com o trabalho colaborativo desenvolvido no contexto escolar. Para finalizar este relatório apresento as considerações finais de toda a minha intervenção educativa nestas instituições, evidenciando os aspetos fulcrais que contribuíram para o alicerçar da minha futura profissionalidade docente.