AFLP-based genetic mapping of the " bud-flowering" trait in heather (Calluna vulgaris)

Background: Calluna vulgaris is one of the most important landscaping plants produced in Germany. Its enormous economic success is due to the prolonged flower attractiveness of mutants in flower morphology, the so-called bud-bloomers. In this study, we present the first genetic linkage map of C. vulgaris in which we mapped a locus of the economically highly desired trait " flower type" .Results: The map was constructed in JoinMap 4.1. using 535 AFLP markers from a single mapping population. A large fraction (40%) of markers showed distorted segregation. To test the effect of segregation distortion on linkage estimation, these markers were sorted regarding their segregation ratio and added in groups to the data set. The plausibility of group formation was evaluated by comparison of the " two-way pseudo-testcross" and the " integrated" mapping approach. Furthermore, regression mapping was compared to the multipoint-likelihood algorithm. The majority of maps constructed by different combinations of these methods consisted of eight linkage groups corresponding to the chromosome number of C. vulgaris.Conclusions: All maps confirmed the independent inheritance of the most important horticultural traits " flower type" , " flower colour" , and " leaf colour". An AFLP marker for the most important breeding target " flower type" was identified. The presented genetic map of C. vulgaris can now serve as a basis for further molecular marker selection and map-based cloning of the candidate gene encoding the unique flower architecture of C. vulgaris bud-bloomers. © 2013 Behrend et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

O impacto das telenovelas brasileiras nos luandenses

Vivemos uma era em que os distintos pontos geográficos do globo se tornaram mais próximos em virtude do estreitamento proporcionado pelo profundo avanço tecnológico dos meios de transporte, mas também pela evolução vertiginosa das novas tecnologias de comunicação que têm permitido fazer com que eventos ocorridos numa determinada região do planeta sejam vistos num outro ponto geográfico, com diferença de apenas algumas horas ou mesmo em tempo real. Graças a esse avanço tecnológico e ao consequente desenvolvimento do processo comercial de transmissão e receção de sinal de televisão por satélite e/ou por cabo, a par do veloz fluxo de informação, são também disponibilizados aos recetores conteúdos de entretenimento que refletem práticas culturais com características marcadamente identitárias, de outras sociedades. Considerando que determinadas condicionantes históricas e económicas do mundo não possibilitam um fluxo bidirecional dos referidos produtos televisivos e o facto de as empresas prestadoras destes serviços se dedicarem exclusivamente à venda de produtos, cujos conteúdos retratam práticas culturais de determinados países (em melhores condições de desenvolvimento económico e tecnológico) existe a possibilidade de se estar diante de um processo de difusão cultural e de aculturação de que são alvo os cidadãos dos países recetores dos referidos conteúdos. Este trabalho pretende efetuar uma análise do impacto das telenovelas brasileiras no comportamento dos luandenses, baseando-se numa pesquisa desenvolvida nos sete municípios da Província de Luanda. Os resultados da pesquisa revelam a presença de componentes culturais brasileiras em práticas sociais dos luandenses há várias gerações e mostram o papel transformador que as telenovelas brasileiras continuam a desempenhar nesta sociedade. A ausência nos canais de televisão locais de mensagens e imagens das representações endógenas favorece a apropriação de práticas culturais exógenas emitidas pelas produções brasileiras e a sua ressignificação no quotidiano local.

The effects of ILFN-exposure on voice acoustic parameters of commercial cabin crewmembers

Background: Long-term exposure to infrasound and low frequency noise (ILFN <500 Hz, including infrasound) can lead to the development of vibroacoustic disease (VAD). VAD is a systemic pathology characterized by the abnormal growth of extracellular matrices in the absence of inflammatory processes, namely of collagen and elastin, both of which are abundant in the basement membrane zone of the vocal folds. ILFN-exposed workers include pilots, cabin crewmembers, restaurant workers, ship machinists and, in previous studies, even though they did not present vocal symptoms, ILFN-exposed workers had significant different voice acoustic patterns (perturbation and temporal measures) when compared with normative population. Study Aims: The present study investigates the effects of age and years of occupational ILFN-exposure on voice acoustic parameters of 37 cabin crewmembers: 12 males and 25 females. Specifically, the goals of this study are to: 1) Verify if acoustic parameters change over the age and years of ILFN-exposure and 2) Determine if there is any interaction between age and years of ILFNexposure on voice acoustic parameters of crewmembers. Materials and Methods: Spoken phonatory tasks were recorded with a C420III PP AKG head-worn microphone and a DA-P1 Tascam DAT. Acoustic analyses were performed using KayPENTAX Computer Speech Lab and Multi-Dimensional Voice Program. Acoustic parameters included speaking fundamental frequency, perturbation measures (jitter, shimmer and harmonicto- noise ratio), temporal measures (maximum phonation time and s/z ratio) and voice tremor frequency. Results: One-way ANOVA analysis revealed that as the number of ILFN-exposure years increased male cabin crewmembers presented significant different shimmer values of /i/ as well as tremor frequency of /u/. Females presented significantly different jitter % of /i, a, O/ (p <0.05). Lastly, Two-way ANOVA analysis revealed that for females, there was a significant interaction between age and occupational ILFN-exposure for voice acoustic parameters, namely for jitter’s mean for /a, O/ and shimmer’s (%) mean for /a, i/ (p <0.05). Discussion and Conclusion: These perturbation measure patterns may be indicative of histological changes within the vocal folds as a result of ILFN-exposure. The results of this study suggest that voice acoustic analysis may be an important tool for confirming ILFN-induced health effects.

Europeanization beyond the EU: The case of Georgia.

320 p.

Sodium hypochlorite effects on dentin bond strength and acid-base resistant zone formation by adhesive systems

Aim: To evaluate the effects of 10% NaOCl gel application on the dentin bond strengths and morphology of resin-dentin interfaces formed by three adhesives. Methods: Two etch-and-rinse adhesives (One-Step Plus, Bisco Inc. and Clearfil Photo Bond, Kuraray Noritake Dental) and one self-etch adhesive (Clearfil SE Bond, Kuraray Noritake Dental) were applied on dentin according to the manufacturers’ instructions or after the treatment with 10% NaOCl (ED-Gel, Kuraray Noritake Dental) for 60 s. For interfacial analysis, specimens were subjected to acid-base challenge and observed by SEM to identify the formation of the acid-base resistant zone (ABRZ). For microtensile bond strength, the same groups were investigated and the restored teeth were thermocycled (5,000 cycles) or not before testing. Bond strength data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p<0.05). Results: NaOCl application affected the bond strengths for One-Step Plus and Clearfil Photo Bond. Thermocycling reduced the bond strengths for Clearfil Photo Bond and Clearfil SE Bond when used after NaOCl application and One-Step Plus when used as recommended by manufacturer. ABRZ was observed adjacent to the hybrid layer for self-etch primer. The etch-and-rinse systems showed external lesions after acid-base challenge and no ABRZ formation when applied according to manufacturer’s instructions. Conclusions: 10% NaOCl changed the morphology of the bonding interfaces and its use with etch-&-rinse adhesives reduced the dentin bond strength. Formation of ABRZ was material-dependent and the interface morphologies were different among the tested materials.

Crioulização cénica: em busca de uma Identidade para o teatro cabo-verdiano

Tese de Doutoramento, Comunicação, Cultura e Artes, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Comparison of multiple intelligences in children from schools with different pedagogical models

The purpose of this research was to apply a test that measures different multiple intelligences in children from two different elementary schools to determine whether there are differences between the Academicist Pedagogical Model (traditional approach) established by the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education and the Cognitive Pedagogical Model (MPC) (constructivist approach). A total of 29 boys and 20 girls with ages 8 to 12 from two different public schools in Heredia (Laboratorio School and San Isidro School) participated in this study. The instrument used was a Multiple Intelligences Test for school age children (Vega, 2006), which consists of 15 items subdivided in seven categories: linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual, kinaesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Two-Way ANOVA) were used for the analysis of data.  Significant differences were found in linguistic intelligence (F:9.47; p < 0.01) between the MPC school (3.24±1.24 points) and the academicist school (2.31±1.10 points).  Differences were also found between sex (F:5.26; p< 0.05), for girls (3.25±1.02 points) and boys (2.52±1.30 points). In addition, the musical intelligence showed significant statistical differences between sexes (F: 7.97; p < 0.05).  In conclusion, the learning pedagogical models in Costa Rican public schools must be updated based on the new learning trends.

Efeitos da tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) e do enriquecimento por nutrientes sobre a comunidade planctônica em um lago artificial no semi-árido brasileiro

The major aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the introduction of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and the enrichment with nutrients (N and P) interact synergistically to change the structure of plankton communities, increase phytoplankton biomass and decrease water transparency of a semi-arid tropical reservoir. One field experiment was performed during five weeks in twenty enclosures (8m3) to where four treatments were randomly allocated: with tilapia addition (T), with nutrients addition (NP), with tilapia and nutrients addition (T+NP) and a control treatment with no tilapia or nutrients addition (C). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was done to test for time (t), tilapia (T) and nutrient (NP) effects and their interaction on water transparency, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, phytoplankton and zooplankton. The results show that there was no effect of nutrient addition on these variables but significant fish effects on the biomass of total zooplankton, nauplii, rotifers, cladocerans and calanoid copepods, on the biovolume of Bacillariophyta, Zygnemaphyceae and large algae (GALD ≥ 50 μm) and on Secchi depth. In addition, we found significant interaction effects between tilapia and nutrients on Secchi depth and rotifers. Overall, tilapia decreased the biomass of most zooplankton taxa and large algae (diatoms) and decreased the water transparency while nutrient enrichment increased the biomass of zooplankton (rotifers) but only in the absence of tilapia. In conclusion, the influence of fish on the reservoir plankton community and water transparency was greater than that of nutrient loading. This finding suggests that biomanipulation should be a greater priority in the restoration of eutrophic reservoirs in tropical semi-arid regions

Feeding level and frequency for freshwater angelfish

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal feeding level and feeding frequency for the culture of freshwater angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare). A randomized block design in a factorial scheme (3 × 2) with three feeding levels (30, 60 and 90 g/kg of body weight (BW)/day) and two feeding frequencies (1x and 2x/day) was set up in duplicate, representing 24 experimental units. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and the Tukey test for comparison between means. After 84 days, results indicated that both factors influenced fish performance. No interaction between these factors was, however, observed. Increased feeding level and feeding frequency resulted in increased feed intake. The feed conversion ratio was negatively affected by feeding level, but not affected by feeding frequency. Final weights were higher when fish were fed twice daily, at levels of 60 or 90 g/kg BW/day. Specific growth rate was higher when fish received 60 or 90 g/kg BW/day, regardless of the feeding frequency. Survival was not affected by any treatment, with mean survival rates higher than 90%. It is recommended that juveniles be fed at a level of 60 g/kg BW/day with a minimum of two meals per day, to attain optimal survival, growth and feed efficiency.