Morphometrics of seagrasses at species level, Moreton Bay, Australia determined from core samples collected in 2012-2013

Seagrass meadows are important marine carbon sinks, yet they are threatened and declining worldwide. Seagrass management and conservation requires adequate understanding of the physical and biological factors determining carbon content in seagrass sediments. Here, we identified key factors that influence carbon content in seagrass meadows across several environmental gradients in Moreton Bay, SE Queensland. Sampling was conducted in two regions: (1) Canopy Complexity, 98 sites on the Eastern Banks, where seagrass canopy structure and species composition varied while turbidity was consistently low; and (2) Turbidity Gradient, 11 locations across the entire bay, where turbidity varied among sampling locations. Sediment organic carbon content and seagrass structural complexity (shoot density, leaf area, and species specific characteristics) were measured from shallow sediment and seagrass biomass cores at each location, respectively. Environmental data were obtained from empirical measurements (water quality) and models (wave height). The key factors influencing carbon content in seagrass sediments were seagrass structural complexity, turbidity, water depth, and wave height. In the Canopy Complexity region, carbon content was higher for shallower sites and those with higher seagrass structural complexity. When turbidity varied along the Turbidity Gradient, carbon content was higher at sites with high turbidity. In both regions carbon content was consistently higher in sheltered areas with lower wave height. Seagrass canopy structure, water depth, turbidity, and hydrodynamic setting of seagrass meadows should therefore be considered in conservation and management strategies that aim to maximize sediment carbon content.

Direct synthesis of methanol by partial oxidation of methane with oxygen over cobalt modified mesoporous H-ZSM-5 catalyst

Peer reviewed

Supertropical $\operatorname{SL}_n$

Peer reviewed

The differential impact of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) genotypes on the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and resulting social communication deficits

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial and is likely the result of complex interactions between multiple environmental and genetic factors. Recently, it has been suggested that each symptom cluster of the disorder, such as poor social communication, may be mediated by different genetic influences. Genes in the oxytocin pathway, which mediates social behaviours in humans, have been studied with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) being implicated in ASD. This thesis examines the presence of different oxytocin receptor genotypes, and their associations with ASD and resulting social communication deficits. Methods: The relationship between four OXTR variants and ASD was evaluated in 607 ASD simplex (SPX) families. Cases were compared to their unaffected siblings using a conditional logistic approach. Odds ratios and associated 95 percent confidence intervals were obtained. A second sample of 235 individuals with a diagnosis of ASD was examined to evaluate whether these four OXTR variants were associated with social communication scores on the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R). Parameter estimates and associated 95 percent confidence intervals were generated using a linear regression approach. Multiple testing issues were addressed using false discovery adjustments. Results: The rs53576 AG genotype was significantly associated with a lower risk of ASD (OR = 0.707, 95% CI: 0.512-0.975). A single genotype (AG) provided by the rs2254298 marker was found to be significantly associated with higher social communication scores (Parameter estimate = 1.833, SE = 0.762, p = 0.0171). This association was also seen in a Caucasian only and mothers as the respondent samples. No association was significant following false discovery rate adjustments. Conclusion: The findings from these studies provide limited support for the role of OXTR SNPs in ASD, especially in social communication skills. The clinical significance of these associations remains unknown, however, it is likely that these associations do not play a role in the severity of symptoms associated with ASD. Rather, they may be important in the appearance of social deficits due to the rs2254298 markers association with enlarged amygdalas.

The “Great Masquerader" Strikes Again: Secondary Syphilis Presentation with Erythema Multiforme (EM)-Like Lesions

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease known to present with highly variable manifestations, especially when left untreated. Patients who present to Internal Medicine Departments with fever and a rash are always a diagnostic challenge since mild viral diseases and life-threatening bacterial infections may manifest themselves similarly. In the following case presentation, we describe a patient with 1 month’s duration of fever and rash on the palms of the hand and soles of the feet, in the form of erythema multiforme (EM)-like lesions. His disease was diagnosed as secondary syphilis, once again justifying its name: the “great masquerader".

Scalable semantic aware context storage

The number of connected devices collecting and distributing real-world information through various systems, is expected to soar in the coming years. As the number of such connected devices grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to store and share all these new sources of information. Several context representation schemes try to standardize this information, but none of them have been widely adopted. In previous work we addressed this challenge, however our solution had some drawbacks: poor semantic extraction and scalability. In this paper we discuss ways to efficiently deal with representation schemes' diversity and propose a novel d-dimension organization model. Our evaluation shows that d-dimension model improves scalability and semantic extraction.

Política do sinaes: significados e efeitos em IES privadas de minas gerais

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Educação, Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação, 2015.

Designing ionic liquids for absorptive cooling

A computational methodology for designing ionic liquids (ILs) with an enhanced water absorption capacity to be used in absorption-refrigeration systems is presented here. It is based on increasing the hydrogen bond (HB)-acceptor ability of the anion and combining it with a cation that presents a weak cation-anion interaction. Employing this strategy, we identified and prepared three novel dianionic ILs with an enhanced water absorption capacity, larger than LiBr.

Estudio de factibilidad para la creación del centro de emprendimiento en agronegocios en la Universidad de El Salvador.

La agricultura frente a los demás sectores como la industria y los servicios ha venido en descenso durante las últimas dos décadas afectado principalmente por la política económica manejada por el Estado y la falta de organizaciones que apoyen el desarrollo de la agricultura. El desarrollo del sector agropecuario en El Salvador es uno de temas fundamentales a enfrentar en los próximos años, es necesaria una modernización que implica la adaptación de nuevas tecnologías, reorganización productiva, recuperación y aprovechamiento de los recursos. El Programa de Fortalecimiento de la Competitividad de los Agronegocios (PFCA) del Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG), ejecutado por la empresa Agriculture Development Internacional, Inc. (ADI) con respaldo técnico de la Universidad de Texas A&M, tiene dentro de sus objetivos la creación de un Centro de Emprendimiento de los Agronegocios, a fin de facilitar la inversión en los agronegocios vinculando las actividades del Centro con fuentes de crédito, y trabajando con emprendedores. La investigación para determinar la factibilidad se realiza utilizando los procesos del Método Científico, y dentro de las principales fuentes de información utilizadas se encuentran los productores agrícolas y los estudiantes de la Universidad de El Salvador, en el proceso se manejó la investigación descriptiva y algunas herramientas como la encuestas y entrevistas. El punto de partida para el diagnóstico de los productores ha sido conocer las generalidades de las empresas encuestadas, luego de ello se pasó a determinar los factores que inciden en la competitividad, ya que es elemento importante que permite justificar la intervención de instituciones u organizaciones externas cuando esta es deficiente. En general los productores dicen tener productos que les han permitido ser competitivos en los mercados que atienden, al mismo tiempo, mencionan tener apoyo de instituciones externas en la actividad diaria y acciones puntuales como lo es el acceso al financiamiento u otras mucho más específicas como la asistencia técnica. Por otro lado, lo que es interesante para justificar e impulsar el Centro de Emprendimiento en los Agronegocios en la Universidad de El Salvador es que la gran mayoría de los productores está muy de acuerdo en que este Centro dinamice la relación entre la Academia y el Sector Productivo, ya que dicha relación les permitiría incrementar la competitividad de sus actividades económicas mediante la prestación de servicios de calidad y articulación con las unidades. Asimismo, se realizó un diagnostico a los estudiantes de las carreras universitarias que ofrece la Universidad de El Salvador que se consideran de vital importancia para los servicios, esto determina el grado de participación que tienen los estudiantes en los programas que articulan, y la relación entre la comunidad universitaria y la sociedad, al mismo tiempo se identifican los principales servicios y metodologías que deberá contemplar dicha iniciativa. En la propuesta se concluye que es viable la creación del Centro, ya que además de la recuperación de la inversión inicial se tendrá éxito en la disponibilidad de recurso humano calificado de estudiantes de las diferentes facultades que están interesados en colaborar, así como el apoyo de docentes y organismos internacionales que ven factible la creación del Centro, ya que este colaborará con el desarrollo del Sector Agrícola en El Salvador. En consecuencia se recomienda crear el Centro de Emprendimiento en los Agronegocios (CEMPREAGRO) en la Universidad de El Salvador, pues representa un paso significativo para colaborar con el desarrollo del Sector agrícola del país, así como la vinculación entre el personal que integra el Centro, los estudiantes y los productores agrícolas.

Video-produkciós projektek a marketingoktatásban

Cikkünk oktatás-módszertani fejlesztői prezentáció, két eltérő profilú felsőoktatási intézmény többéves együttműködéséből létrejövő projektsorozat bemutatása. Egyedülálló oktatási programunkban, mely a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Marketing és Média Intézete és Dunaújvárosi Főiskola (DUF) Déri János Kommunikációs Intézete, egy üzleti és egy műszaki orientációjú intézet közös munkája marketing mesterszakos közgazdász hallgatók számukra ismeretlen, nem kipróbált szerepekben rendezőként, operatőrként, vágóként, riporterként hoznak létre egy filmes produkciót. A DUF technikai háttere televíziós stúdiója, hangstúdiója, vágó és fotó stúdiói lehetővé teszik mind hallgatóink és mind oktatóink számára, hogy a ma vezető szakembereitől megkövetelt szereplési készségeket elsajátítsák – legyen az előadói verbális és nem verbális forma -, megismerjék saját nyilvános megnyilvánulásaik minőségét és fejlesztésének irányait. Előadásunk célja annak bemutatása, hogy a projekt megoldásának folyamata „csapatban megoldani egy ismeretlen komplex feladatot”, „feldolgozni egy szorosan nem szakmai értelemben vett témát” – egyben egy csapatépítő projektív kutatói technika.

Relatório Final de Avaliação Externa do Projeto EQUAL A2-EM-154/Margens de Desenvolvimento

O presente documento de avaliação do projeto Margens de Desenvolvimento (EQUAL-A2-EM-154) assume-se como uma versão definitiva do 2º e último Relatório de Avaliação disponibilizada em 11 de Janeiro de 2005, nas instalações da Rota do Guadiana-ADI, em Serpa, de acordo com o estabelecido no Protocolo de Colaboração e Contrato de Prestação de Serviços, celebrado em 28 de Novembro de 2003, entre a Rota do Guadiana-ADI e a Universidade de Évora.

Experimental Project on the Safety and the Optimization of the Use of Glyphosate-Based Herbicides in the Grain Sector.

INTRODUCTION: Glyphosate is the most widely applied pesticide worldwide and it is an active ingredient of all glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), including in the formulation “Roundup” . It is unclear if the glyphosate present in ground water can be absorbed and translocated in different parts of the pants, particularly wheat plants. This indeed represents an important aspect for productivity (being this a powerful herbicide) and organic certification of the products (the use of glyphosate is not admitted in organic farming and the ubiquitous contamination of glyphosate in water might in theory affect the level of glyphosate in the plants). Overall, epidemiological, in vivo and in vitro studies available in literature present conflicting findings on the safety of glyphosate. METHODS: The work performed for this PhD thesis aimed to experimentally test the root absorption and the eventual translocation of the glyphosate herbicide in the different parts of the wheat plant (Triticum durum) starting from ground water. Furthermore we aimed to experimentally test the effects of the exposure to GBHs at doses of glyphosate considered to be “safe”, the US ADI of 1.75 mg/kg bw/day, defined as the chronic Reference Dose (cRfD) determined by the US EPA, in in vivo models (Sprague-Dawley rats) and in vitro models (Caco2 and L929). RESULTS: All the experimental absorption studies on wheat plants performed have given negative results in terms of the presence of glyphosate or AMPA in the grain of durum wheat. On the other hand the experimental safety studies on in vitro and in vivo models highlighted different effects at doses currently considered safe for humans and with no effects in animals. CONCLUSION: Overall the integration of the findings from absorption in plants and safety studies will serve as solid evidence-base for risk assessment and productive strategies for agriculture.

Reproductive and developmental toxicity study using Sprague-Dawley rats exposed under various calendars to the weedkiller Glyphosate and commercial formulations Glyphosate-based

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most globally used herbicides raising the risk of environmental exposition. Carcinogenic effects are only one component of the multiple adverse health effects of Glyphosate and GBHs that have been reported. Questions related to hazards and corresponding risks identified in relation to endocrine disrupting effects are rising. The present study investigated the possible reproductive/developmental toxicity of GBHs administered to male and female Sprague-Dawley rats under various calendar of treatment. Assessments included maternal and reproductive outcome of F0 and F1 dams exposed to GBHs throughout pregnancy and lactation and developmental landmarks and sexual characteristics of offspring. The study was designed in two stages. In the first stage Glyphosate, or its commercial formulation Roundup Bioflow, was administered to rats at the dose of 1.75 mg/kg bw/day (Glyphosate US Acceptable Daily Intake) from the prenatal period until adulthood. In the second stage, multiple toxicological parameters were simultaneously assessed, including multigeneration reproductive/developmental toxicity of Glyphosate and two GBHs (Roundup Bioflow and Ranger Pro). Man-equivalent doses, beginning from 0.5 mg/kg bw/day (ADI Europe) up to 50 mg/kg bw/day (NOAEL Glyphosate), were administered to male and female rats, covering specific windows of biological susceptibility. The results of stage 1 and preliminary data from stage 2 experiments characterize GBHs as probable endocrine disruptors as suggested by: 1) androgen-like effects of Roundup Bioflow, including a significant increase of anogenital distances in both males and females, delay of first estrous and increased testosterone in females; 2) slight puberty onset anticipation in the high dose of Ranger Pro group, observed in the F1 generation treated from in utero life until adulthood; 3) a delayed balano-preputial separation achievement in the high dose of Ranger Pro-treated males exposed only during the peri-pubertal period, indicating a direct and specific effect of GBHs depending on the timing of exposure.