| 1. |
- Carneiro, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
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Candidate genes underlying heritable differences in reproductive seasonality between wild and domestic rabbits
- 2015
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Ingår i: Animal Genetics. - : Wiley. - 0268-9146 .- 1365-2052. ; 46:4, s. 418-425
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reproductive seasonality is a trait that often differs between domestic animals and their wild ancestors, with domestic animals showing prolonged or even continuous breeding seasons. However, the genetic basis underlying this trait is still poorly understood for most species, and because environmental factors and resource availability are known to play an important role in determining breeding seasons, it is also not clear in most cases to what extent this phenotypic shift is determined by the more lenient captive conditions or by genetic factors. Here, using animals resulting from an initial cross between wild and domestic rabbits followed by two consecutive backcrosses (BC1 and BC2) to wild rabbits, we evaluated the yearly distribution of births for the different generations. Similar to domestic rabbits, F1 animals could be bred all year round but BC1 and BC2 animals showed a progressive and significant reduction in the span of the breeding season, providing experimental evidence that reduced seasonal breeding in domestic rabbits has a clear genetic component and is not a simple by-product of rearing conditions. We then took advantage of a recently published genome-wide scan of selection in the domesticated lineage and searched for candidate genes potentially associated with this phenotypic shift. Candidate genes located within regions targeted by selection include well-known examples of genes controlling clock functions (CRY1 and NR3C1) and reproduction (PRLR).
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Rainford, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Education and training in radiation protection in Europe : an analysis from the EURAMED rocc-n-roll project
- 2022
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Ingår i: Insights into Imaging. - : Springer. - 1869-4101. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis was performed to understand the status quo of education and training in radiation protection (RP) and to develop a coordinated European approach to RP training needs based on stakeholder consensus and existing activities in the field. Fourteen team members represented six European professional societies, one European voluntary organisation, two international healthcare organisations and five professions, namely: Medical Physicists; Nuclear Medicine Physicians; Radiologists; Radiation Oncologists and Radiographers. Four subgroups analysed the "Strengths", "Weaknesses", "Opportunities" and "Threats" related to E&T in RP developed under previous European Union (EU) programmes and on the Guidelines on Radiation Protection Education and Training of Medical Professionals in the EU.Results: Consensus agreement identified four themes for strengths and opportunities, namely: (1) existing structures and training recommendations; (2) RP training needs assessment and education & training (E&T) model(s) development; (3) E&T dissemination, harmonisation, and accreditation; (4) financial supports. Weaknesses and Threats analysis identified two themes: (1) awareness and prioritisation at a national/global level and (2) awareness and prioritisation by healthcare professional groups and researchers.Conclusions: A lack of effective implementation of RP principles in daily practice was identified. EuRnR strategic planning needs to consider processes at European, national and local levels. Success is dependent upon efficient governance structures and expert leadership. Financial support is required to allow the stakeholder professional agencies to have sufficient resources to achieve a pan European radiation protection training network which is sustainable and accredited across multiple national domains.
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| 4. |
- Santos, Joana, et al.
(författare)
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Education and training in radiation protection in Europe : results from the EURAMED Rocc-n-Roll project survey
- 2023
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Ingår i: Insights into Imaging. - : Springer. - 1869-4101. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To analyse the existing radiation protection (RP) education and training (E&T) capabilities in the European Union and identify associated needs, problems and challenges.Method: An online survey was disseminated via the EURAMED Rocc-n-Roll consortium network and prominent medical societies in the field of radiological research. The survey sections analyse the RP E&T during undergraduate, residency/internship and continuous professional development; RP E&T problems and legal implementation. Differences were analysed by European geographic regions, profession, years of professional experience and main area of practice/research.Results: The majority of the 550 respondents indicated that RP topics are part of undergraduate curricula in all courses for their profession and country (55%); however, hands-on practical training is not included according to 30% of the respondents. The lack of E&T, practical aspects in current E&T, and mandatory continuing E&T were considered the major problems. The legal requirement that obtained higher implementation score was the inclusion of the practical aspects of medical radiological procedures on education (86%), and lower score was obtained for the inclusion of RP E&T on medical and dental school curriculums (61%).Conclusions: A heterogeneity in RP E&T during undergraduate, residency/internship and continuous professional development is evident across Europe. Differences were noted per area of practice/research, profession, and European geographic region. A large variation in RP E&T problem rating was also obtained.
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| 5. |
- Tavares, Julia, et al.
(författare)
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Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 617:7959, s. 111-117
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tropical forests face increasing climate risk(1,2), yet our ability to predict their response to climate change is limited by poor understanding of their resistance to water stress. Although xylem embolism resistance thresholds (for example, ?(50)) and hydraulic safety margins (for example, HSM50) are important predictors of drought-induced mortality risk(3-5), little is known about how these vary across Earth's largest tropical forest. Here, we present a pan-Amazon, fully standardized hydraulic traits dataset and use it to assess regional variation in drought sensitivity and hydraulic trait ability to predict species distributions and long-term forest biomass accumulation. Parameters ?(50) and HSM50 vary markedly across the Amazon and are related to average long-term rainfall characteristics. Both ?(50) and HSM50 influence the biogeographical distribution of Amazon tree species. However, HSM50 was the only significant predictor of observed decadal-scale changes in forest biomass. Old-growth forests with wide HSM50 are gaining more biomass than are low HSM(50 )forests. We propose that this may be associated with a growth-mortality trade-off whereby trees in forests consisting of fast-growing species take greater hydraulic risks and face greater mortality risk. Moreover, in regions of more pronounced climatic change, we find evidence that forests are losing biomass, suggesting that species in these regions may be operating beyond their hydraulic limits. Continued climate change is likely to further reduce HSM50 in the Amazon(6,7), with strong implications for the Amazon carbon sink.
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| 6. |
- Zambuzzi, Willian F., et al.
(författare)
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Nanometer Scale Titanium Surface Texturing Are Detected by Signaling Pathways Involving Transient FAK and Src Activations
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 9:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: It is known that physico/chemical alterations on biomaterial surfaces have the capability to modulate cellular behavior, affecting early tissue repair. Such surface modifications are aimed to improve early healing response and, clinically, offer the possibility to shorten the time from implant placement to functional loading. Since FAK and Src are intracellular proteins able to predict the quality of osteoblast adhesion, this study evaluated the osteoblast behavior in response to nanometer scale titanium surface texturing by monitoring FAK and Src phosphorylations. Methodology: Four engineered titanium surfaces were used for the study: machined (M), dual acid-etched (DAA), resorbable media microblasted and acid-etched (MBAA), and acid-etch microblasted (AAMB). Surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, interferometry, atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Thereafter, those 4 samples were used to evaluate their cytotoxicity and interference on FAK and Src phosphorylations. Both Src and FAK were investigated by using specific antibody against specific phosphorylation sites. Principal Findings: The results showed that both FAK and Src activations were differently modulated as a function of titanium surfaces physico/chemical configuration and protein adsorption. Conclusions: It can be suggested that signaling pathways involving both FAK and Src could provide biomarkers to predict osteoblast adhesion onto different surfaces.
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| 7. |
- Alves-Martins, Fernanda, et al.
(författare)
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Drivers of regional and local diversity of Amazonian stream Odonata
- 2019
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Ingår i: Insect Conservation and Diversity. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1752-458X .- 1752-4598. ; 12:3, s. 251-261
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large Amazonian rivers may act as dispersal barriers for animals with low dispersal abilities, limiting their distribution to certain interfluves. Consequently, the distribution of these taxa would be less affected by macroclimatic gradients. Conversely, high-dispersal taxa would be less constrained by large rivers and may track suitable climates. We evaluate whether Zygoptera and Anisoptera, two Odonata suborders with different dispersal abilities, show differences in distribution patterns across Amazonian interfluves. We further assess the relative importance of macroclimatic and habitat factors in their community assembly. We used network modularity analyses to identify biogeographic species pools and spatial buffers to define metacommunity species pools. Then, we used structural equationmodels to estimate the relative importance of multi-scale factors on species richness patterns. Zygoptera communities are more similar in species composition within than between interfluves, suggesting that large Amazonian rivers indeed limit the distribution of Zygoptera species. Conversely, the distribution of Anisoptera extends across Amazonian interfluves. Seasonality has a strong positive effect on Zygoptera and Anisoptera richness across scales. In addition, habitat integrity is negatively correlated with the regional species richness and abundance of Anisoptera and positively correlated with Zygoptera local richness. The contrasting effects of habitat integrity on Anisoptera and Zygoptera suggest that the former is favored in open habitats, whereas the latter is so in forests. Despite these differences, both suborders appear to follow similar community assembly mechanisms in Amazonia, with a strong climatic control across scales and an effect of habitat filters on local communities.
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| 8. |
- Alves, Ronaldo Adriano, et al.
(författare)
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Flood vulnerability mapping in an urban area with high levels of impermeable coverage in southern Brazil
- 2024
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Ingår i: Regional Environmental Change. - 1436-3798. ; 24:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Flooding is one of the main social impacts in urban areas, especially in larger, densely impermeable cities. Therefore, developing studies capable of identifying areas that are vulnerable to this type of event is crucial to provide early warning and a quick and effective response to reduce damages. Thus, this study sought to identify areas vulnerable to flood in the Igapó Lake Basin, a densely urbanized area in Lodrina city, southern Brazil. The methodology was based on four main steps: (1) basin characterization, (2) elaboration of the conditioning factors of the flooding by using the analysis hierarchical process (AHP), (3) vulnerability analysis in the GIS environment, (4) and model sensitivity analysis. The parameters considered in this study were as follows: flow concentration, land use, slope, distance from the discharge channel, and altimetry. The proposed methodology has proven to be robust in identifying flood-vulnerable areas. The results revealed that approximately 3.1 km2 (10.3%) of the basin are considered areas of high or very high vulnerability to flood events, affecting many residential buildings, the most abundant land use class in the investigated area. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the intricate interplay between vulnerability to flooding, land use changes, urban development patterns, and resilience measures, offering valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners striving to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events.
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| 9. |
- Alves, Ronaldo Adriano, et al.
(författare)
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Urban stormwater management from the perspective of nature-based solutions : a bibliometric review
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecohydraulics. - 2470-5357.
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study brings a systematic review that evaluated 43 articles on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) applied to stormwater management in urban areas. This review aims to establish a reference on NBS effectively applied and whose environmental, social, and economic benefits have been duly discussed. The results address 13 NBS techniques/methodologies implemented and their ecosystem benefits. Our findings suggest that the multifunctional nature of NBS makes it challenging to categorize environmental services and social benefits since there are multiple interactions and scales among the various benefits of NBS. Most studies have made greater efforts in approaches that use modeling, test benches, and/or laboratory facilities. However, although they work well for their purposes, there is no guarantee that the benefits will be maintained when applied on a full scale. We concluded that only a few studies scientifically evaluated the performance of installed NBS infrastructures, almost all in developed countries.
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| 10. |
- Anjos, Rita, et al.
(författare)
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Macular Ganglion Cell Layer and Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness in Patients with Unilateral Posterior Cerebral Artery Ischaemic Lesion : An Optical Coherence Tomography Study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Neuro-ophthalmology (Aeolus Press. 1980). - : Taylor & Francis. - 0165-8107 .- 1744-506X. ; 40:1, s. 8-15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study is to evaluate the macular ganglion cell layer (GCL) and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with unilateral posterior cerebral artery (PCA) ischaemic lesions using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A prospective, case-control study of patients with unilateral PCA lesion was conducted in the neuro-ophthalmology clinic of Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central. Macular and peripapillary SD-OCT scans were performed in both eyes of each patient. Twelve patients with PCA lesions (stroke group) and 12 healthy normal controls were included in this study. Peripapillary RNFL comparison between both eyes of the same subject in the stroke group found a thinning in the superior-temporal (p = 0.008) and inferior-temporal (p = 0.023) sectors of the ipsilateral eye and nasal sector (p = 0.003) of the contralateral eye. Macular GCL thickness comparison showed a reduction temporally in the ipsilateral eye (p = 0.004) and nasally in the contralateral eye (p = 0.002). Peripapillary RNFL thickness was significantly reduced in both eyes of patients with PCA compared with controls, affecting all sectors in the contralateral eye and predominantly temporal sectors in the ipsilateral eye. A statistically significant decrease in macular GCL thickness was found in both hemiretinas of both eyes of stroke patients when compared with controls (p < 0.05). This study shows that TRD may play a role in the physiopathology of lesions of the posterior visual pathway.
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