Visualisation of spatial patterns of connectivity and runoff ages derived from a traceraided model

We thank the European Research Council ERC (project GA 335910 VEWA) for funding the VeWa project.

Integrated assessment of groundwater – surface water exchange in the hillslope – riparian interface of a montane catchment

Non peer reviewed

Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Measurements and Modelling Metabolism in Peatland Streams

Funding: This work was supported by the following sources of funding: European Research Council ERC (project GA 335910 VEWA) for funding through the VeWa project (DT); Leverhulme Trust for funding through PLATO (RPG-2014-016) (DT). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Linking high-frequency DOC dynamics to the age of connected water sources

Copyright 2016. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Financial sustainability of cooperatives: a case of portuguese olive oil cooperatives

En Portugal, como en otros países, las cooperativas agrícolas tienen un papel económico importante en el sistema alimentario. Similar a otras organizaciones económicas, las cooperativas agrícolas han sido testigos de cambios estructurales en las últimas décadas en términos de modelos de gobernación y gestión. Las cooperativas agrícolas portuguesas se han visto constreñidas por su contexto a adoptar un modelo tradicional de propiedad y control. El objetivo principal de este estudio era analizar cuestiones relacionadas con la estructura de gestión y desempeño financiero de las cooperativas, basada en los datos recogidos de cooperativas de aceite de oliva situadas en la región interior norte de Portugal. La combinación de un análisis cualitativo de la estructura y toma de decisiones, una evaluación financiera y la aplicación de un enfoque en varios criterios (PROMETHEE II), los resultados están en línea con expectativas (por ejemplo, bajos niveles de participación de los miembros, gestión no profesional, ratios de rentabilidad bajos, bajo apalancamiento y una capacidad para cumplir compromisos financieros), excepto la relación entre la gestión profesional y el desempeño financiero. La existencia de gestión profesional no conduce a mejores resultados financieros. Este resultado refuerza la creencia de que las cooperativas que están estructuradas de diferente manera tienen intereses diferentes y contradictorios a las partes interesadas.

Chemotaxonomic phytoplankton patterns on the eastern boundary of the Atlantic Ocean

Surface pigment data from a transect along the eastern boundary of the Atlantic Ocean was analysed using CHEMTAX to yield more detailed information on the composition of phytoplankton communities. Total chlorophyll a concentrations varied from 0.03 mg m(-3) in a northern oligotrophic region to 30.3 mg m(-3) in the Benguela ecosystem. Diatoms dominated the Benguela, while both diatoms and haptophytes were the major groups in the Canary ecosystem and the temperate NE Atlantic. Prochlorococcus was the most prominent group in the southern oligotrophic region (15.5 degrees S-15 degrees N) although haptophytes were also a significant component of the population. In contrast, haptophytes dominated the northern oligotrophic region (21 degrees-40 degrees N). Photo-pigment indices indicated that chlorophyll b was mainly associated with prasinophytes and chlorophyll c with diatoms. Elevated photosynthetic carotenoids were due to increased proportions of haptophytes, but also linked with diatoms and dinoflagellates. Photoprotective carotenoids were more prominently associated with Prochlorococcus and to a lesser extent to Synechococcus.

Chemotaxonomic phytoplankton patterns on the eastern boundary of the Atlantic Ocean

Surface pigment data from a transect along the eastern boundary of the Atlantic Ocean was analysed using CHEMTAX to yield more detailed information on the composition of phytoplankton communities. Total chlorophyll a concentrations varied from 0.03 mg m(-3) in a northern oligotrophic region to 30.3 mg m(-3) in the Benguela ecosystem. Diatoms dominated the Benguela, while both diatoms and haptophytes were the major groups in the Canary ecosystem and the temperate NE Atlantic. Prochlorococcus was the most prominent group in the southern oligotrophic region (15.5 degrees S-15 degrees N) although haptophytes were also a significant component of the population. In contrast, haptophytes dominated the northern oligotrophic region (21 degrees-40 degrees N). Photo-pigment indices indicated that chlorophyll b was mainly associated with prasinophytes and chlorophyll c with diatoms. Elevated photosynthetic carotenoids were due to increased proportions of haptophytes, but also linked with diatoms and dinoflagellates. Photoprotective carotenoids were more prominently associated with Prochlorococcus and to a lesser extent to Synechococcus.

Agentes etiológicos de infecções urinárias em ambulatório

As infeções do trato urinário (ITU), depois das infeções respiratórias, são as mais comuns na comunidade, sendo a Escherichia coli o principal agente etiológico. Afeta predominantemente o sexo feminino e, anualmente, estima-se que ocorram em todo o Mundo cerca de 150 milhões de episódios de ITU, sendo responsável por 15% dos antibióticos prescritos em ambulatório. Os objetivos deste estudo foram caracterizar os agentes etiológicos das ITU e determinar o seu padrão de resistência aos antimicrobianos na região litoral norte de Portugal, de modo a contribuir para o uso racional na terapêutica empírica. Foi realizado um estudo observacional, descritivo e transversal, sendo obtidos 80 967 resultados de uroculturas de um Laboratório de Análises Clínicas de prestação de serviços à comunidade, relativos ao período entre Abril de 2007 e Março de 2015. Registaram-se 13 541 bacteriúrias positivas (16,72%). Escherichia coli foi o microrganismo mais isolado (71,62%), seguida de Klebsiella pneumoniae (12,41%), Proteus mirabilis (7,84%), Enterococcus. faecalis (3,97%) e Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1,42%), tendo-se observado diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre sexos e idades. Verificou-se uma diminuição da resistência aos antimicrobianos a partir do ano de 2012. E. coli apresentou em 2015 a menor taxa de resistência respetivamente de 4,46% e 12,37% para a fosfomicina e nitrofurantoína. A combinação de amoxicilina+ácido clavulânico registou uma taxa de resistência superior a 20% (22,03%). O baixo nível de resistência à fosfomicina permite que este antibiótico se apresente como a opção terapêutica de primeira linha no tratamento empírico de ITU não complicada na mulher em ambulatório, pelo que, estes resultados permitem corroborar as indicações de 2011 da Direção Geral de Saúde sobre a substituição de fluoroquinolonas por fosfomicina.

Multi-residue analysis of 39 pesticides in surface waters of Ria de Aveiro

A multi-residue gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed in order to evaluate the presence of 39 pesticides of different chemical families (organophosphorus, triazines, imidazole, organochlorine), as well as some of their transformation products, in surface water samples from Ria de Aveiro. Ria de Aveiro is an estuarine coastal lagoon, located in the northern west region of Portugal, which receives inputs from agriculture, urban and industrial activities. The analytical method was developed and validated according international guidelines and showed good linearity, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9949 for all compounds, adequate precision and accuracy, and high sensitivity. Pesticides were chosen from the priority pollutants list of the Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy), or were selected due their common use in agricultural practices. Some of these 39 pesticides are, or are suspected to be, endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs), being capable of altering the endocrine system of wildlife and humans, causing form malfunction and ultimately health problems. Even those pesticides which are not EDCs, are known to be awfully toxic and have a recognised impact in human health. The aquatic environment is particularly susceptible to pollution due to intentional and accidental release of chemicals to water [3]. Pesticide contamination of surface water is a national issue as it is often used as drinking water. This concern is especially important in rural agricultural areas where population uses small private water supplies, regularly without any laboratory surveillance. The study was performed in seven sampling points and the results showed a considerable concern pesticide contamination of all samples.

Farrar's illustrated guide book to Moosehead Lake and vicinity, the wilds of northern Maine, and the head-waters of the Kennebec, Penobscot, and St. John rivers : with a new and correct map of the lake region, drawn and printed expressly for this book : also contains the game and fish laws of Maine (as rev. by the last Legislature), railroad, steamboat, and stage routes, time tables, tables of fares, list of hotels, prices of board, and other valuable information for the sportsman, tourist, or pleasure-seeker /

Mode of access: Internet.

A descriptive analysis of the seasonal variation of physical oceanographic characteristics in the northern region of the Todos os Santos Bay (Bahia, Brazil)

The results obtained in the August and December 2003, August 2004 and January 2005 oceanographic campaigns in the northern region of the Todos os Santos Bay (lat. 12º44.5'S; long. 038º35.00'W) between the Madre de Deus and Maré islands are analyzed. Instruments of continuous and discrete samplings were used to measure hydrographic properties currents and tides. The water mass of the northern region of the bay is forced by semidiurnal and mesotides of form number 0.08 and the lunar component M2 height was estimated at 91cm. The time series of the surface currents indicated movements in the N/S direction, forced by the tide with maximum magnitudes of 0.73 m.s-1 on the December 2003 campaign. However, in August 2004 the currents were dominated by the wind stress forcing, with a maximum speed of 1.85 m.s-1 and SE direction. Near the bottom, the influence of the tide is not as evident, with a decrease in intensity due to internal and bottom friction, with a maximum velocity of 0.17 m.s-1. The thermal and haline structures were weakly horizontally, as well as vertically stratified, with extreme values varying in the intervals 23ºC (August, 2004) to 28ºC (December, 2003) and 31.0 psu (August, 2003) to 36.0 psu (December, 2003), respectively. Some conclusions may be drawn from these results: i) The signs of the dilution of the fresh water discharges of the Caípe, Mataripe and São Paulo rivers in the region under the influence of the RLAM were observed only during the winter periods, but in the summer the region was flooded by waters of oceanic origin and the salinities above 36.0 indicated TW mass intrusion; ii) The N-S circulation near the RLAM is strongly dominated by the tide, and the importance of the M2 component was unequivocal, however, the E-W component presented some tidal modulation away from abrupt bottom topographical changes, and iii) The residual series, calculated as the difference between the original and modeled, is about ¼ of the original and confirmed its semidiurnal character.

A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SEASONAL VARIATION OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF THE TODOS OS SANTOS BAY (BAHIA, BRAZIL)

The results obtained in the August and December 2003, August 2004 and January 2005 oceanographic campaigns in the northern region of the Todos os Santos Bay (lat. 12 degrees 44.5`S; long. 038 degrees 35.00`W) between the Madre de Deus and Mare islands are analyzed. Instruments of continuous and discrete samplings were used to measure hydrographic properties currents and tides. The water mass of the northern region of the bay is forced by semidiurnal and mesotides of form number 0.08 and the lunar component M(2) height was estimated at 91cm. The time series of the surface currents indicated movements in the N/S direction, forced by the tide with maximum magnitudes of 0.73 m.s(-1) on the December 2003 campaign. However, in August 2004 the currents were dominated by the wind stress forcing, with a maximum speed of 1.85 m.s(-1) and SE direction. Near the bottom, the influence of the tide is not as evident, with a decrease in intensity due to internal and bottom friction, with a maximum velocity of 0.17 m.s(-1). The thermal and haline structures were weakly horizontally, as well as vertically stratified, with extreme values varying in the intervals 23 degrees C (August, 2004) to 28 degrees C (December, 2003) and 31.0 psu (August, 2003) to 36.0 psu (December, 2003), respectively. Some conclusions may be drawn from these results: i) The signs of the dilution of the fresh water discharges of the Caipe, Mataripe and Sao Paulo rivers in the region under the influence of the RLAM were observed only during the winter periods, but in the summer the region was flooded by waters of oceanic origin and the salinities above 36.0 indicated TW mass intrusion; ii) The N-S circulation near the RLAM is strongly dominated by the tide, and the importance of the M(2) component was unequivocal, however, the E-W component presented some tidal modulation away from abrupt bottom topographical changes, and iii) The residual series, calculated as the difference between the original and modeled, is about 1/4 of the original and confirmed its semidiurnal character.

The flora and communities Carnaubal Palm Forest in the northern region of Ceará - Brazil

The “dicótilo-palmácea” mixed forest is found in the fluvial plains (floodplains) of watercourses on the Ceará semiarid region (Brazil), distinguishing from the surrounding vegetation (caatinga) by the prevalence of larger tree species. In the river’s margins, presenting high variability in the extension of the riverbanks, arise floodplains in pedologic complexes mainly composed by neossols and argissols, resulting from the deposition of sediments. In these areas of high fertility soils and subjected to flooding during part of the year, it develops a particular type of riparian vegetation dominated by carnauba palm tree (Copernicia prunifera (Mill.) H.E. Moore) forming a particular type of riparian forest, designated by carnaubal palm forest. We aimed to carry out floristic and phytosociological surveys of carnauba palm forests located in the northern region of Ceará. The classical sigmatist method of Braun-Blanquet was applied and classification analysis (Twinspan) was perfomed. The field work occurred in March 2014 and 2016 in eight areas: Fazenda Pedra Branca (03º 37’ 10’’ S e 40º 18’ 30’’ W, 104 m asl), Vale do Rio Bom Jesus (04º 04’ 42’’ S e 39º 57’ 08’’ W, 200 m asl), Lagoa do Peixe (03º 56’ 28’’ S e 40º 23’ 23’’ W, 97 m asl), Fazenda Peixes (04º 06’ 03’’ S e 40º 32’ 43’’ W, 114 m asl), Fazenda Natividade (04º 02’ 50’’ S e 40º 29’ 03’’ W, 109 m asl), Fazenda Morro Alto (02º 53’ 42’’ S e 39º 54’ 51’’ W, 16 m asl), Fazenda Araticum (03º 04’ 58’’ S e 40º 09’ 36’’ W, 19 m asl) and Fazenda Experimental da UVA (03º 37' 04'' S 40º 18' 18'' W, 200 m asl).The floristic list consists of 170 species, distributed between 127 genera and 50 families. Twenty-seven Brazilian endemic species were identified, from which 8 are exclusive of the Caatinga biome. The Fabaceae was the most representative family, with the highest number of species (28), followed by Poaceae (17), Malvaceaea (14), Euphorbiaceae (12), Asteraceaea (9), Convolvulaceae and Rubiaceae (9). The dominant life forms were therophytes (34%), phanerophytes (30%) and chamaephytes (18%). Two communities were identified as a result of the classification analysis using the Twinspan.

Determination of the hemispheric character (i.e. southern or northern latitudinal position) of equatorial ionosonde stations as deduced from long-term recordings of the minimum height of the F-region (h ' F)

The virtual (or minimum) height of the F-region (h'F), recorded over a number of solar cycles for I I equatorial and mid-latitude ionosonde stations, was used to deduce the hemispheric (i.e. southern or northern hemisphere) character of equatorial stations. The semi-annual median monthly height (h'F) variations consist of two components: major local summer maximum and winter sub-maximum (about 5 percent of the summer maximum). This hemispheric pattern was most consistently observed for equatorial stations (within 5degrees of the geomagnetic equator) in a period centred on the local midnight (21-03 LT) but was also present, to a lesser extent, at mid-latitude stations and at other time intervals. It is evident that the physical parameter h'F defines the hemispheric character of an equatorial station which has different (sometimes opposite) geographic and geomagnetic latitudes. There is a sharp transition in the latitudinal character of the stations on both sides of the equator leading to hypothesis that the equal maxima in h'F in December and June solstices are observed at a near-equator position labelled as ionosonde deduced equator (IDE). Such a signature was observed for an American equatorial (both geographic and geomagnetic) station Talara (Peru) which is an experimental support of the hypothesis. The IDE can be another useful parameter characterising the equatorial ionosphere. This finding reveals a new application of the standard ionosonde data in defining the geophysical character of equatorial stations, being an important contribution to space climatology. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.