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The article presents abstracts of the papers submitted at the annual meeting of the International Society of Protistologists held at Lisbon, Portugal from June 20-24, 2006. They include "Studies of protistan diversity in Antarctica," "Antigenic variation in ciliates" and "Structure, evolution, and expression of Pneumocystis gene families that encode variable surface proteins."

Focuses on proceedings of the seventh international botanical microscopy meeting at the University of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal during April 11 to 18, 2003. Overview of a paper on endocytosis presented at the meeting; Assessment of developments in botanical microscopy; Appraisal of the response of audience.

Presents information and developments related to the ninth International Congress of the European Association for the Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology to be held in Lisbon, Portugal on July 13-18, 2003. Reason behind the extension of the duration of the event by one more day; Review of proposals for papers received by the Scientific and Organizational Committees; Innovations proposed by the Organizing Committee in this Congress.

The distribution and abundance of many of the 23 native fish species of the Guadiana River basin in Portugal have declined markedly in the past 20 years. This is because of increased pressure to exploit the water resources of the catchment for domestic supply, agriculture and recreation, but also as a result of general habitat degradation and the introduction of exotic species. Thirteen reservoirs have already been constructed in the region and a further 25 proposals have been put forward, mainly to supply the tourist sector in the south of the country. As a result of these activities, one species of fish, Anaecypris hispanica (Steindachner), is critically endangered. The present paper examines the status of the populations of A. hispanica in the Guadiana in Portugal, assesses the impact of water resource schemes on the stocks and general biodiversity, and suggests management options for conserving and enhancing the already degraded stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the end of the XIX century until the second half of the XX century, there is a 'hidden-stream' world of women's popular art in traditional clay work of the Barcelos region - Galegos parishes. At a time when mainstream aesthetic values in fine art are undergoing fundamental change, research into this tradition could contribute to the current status of knowledge of aesthetic value in general, particularly with regard to evaluating the aesthetic in hidden-stream art forms, and the reasons for the negative value attached to female art production. This paper documents and records visually clay figurines of these women artisans, determines how the ceramic tradition is passed on in the community, and reveals the artisans' views of its meaning, significance, and aesthetic worth. From a feminist perspective, the research will inquire into the aesthetic and other concerns of the women artisans and ascertain their audiences and their reasons for valuing or not valuing the work. Male and female responses to the products of a traditionally female ceramic occupation will be compared. There is a need to document processes of informal and continuous training made available for those who might wish to participate in the future, and to determine the extent to which this heritage is dependent on gender divisions in Portuguese society undergoing a process of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scars left by wildfires are easily visible in the Mediterranean landscape and, like any wound, even those left by fires must be treated to regenerate properly. If not managed, spontaneous vegetation regeneration will eventually cover the affected area, restoring the hydrological cycle. The reforestation of burned stands, involving ploughing the land and building terraces on steep slopes, together with fertilisation of the area, is also common. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate three post‐fire land management options for a small catchment in central Portugal. The choice of this basin relates to the implementation of terraces to create a eucalyptus forest production area 7 months after a fire completely burned the catchment. Two alternative post‐fire scenarios were designed, one simulating the spontaneous recovery of the ecosystem and the second reproducing a catchment‐scale implementation of a highly effective erosion mitigation measure (mulching). Then, the mulch scenario and the actual eucalyptus cycle were compared with the spontaneous recovery scenario to appraise the best management choice. The post‐fire and post‐terracing periods showed a satisfactory agreement between simulated and observed daily parameters. Concerning the management alternatives evaluated, mulching and terracing reduced soil loss and sediment transported in streams compared to spontaneous recovery. However, higher flow volumes and phosphorus exports were predicted under terraced conditions, likely due to increased infiltration capacity and accelerated leaching processes, raising concerns about stream water quality. These findings can be applied to other Mediterranean catchments affected by wildfires and in which post‐fire management actions are planned, making stakeholders aware of the impacts and uncertainties of post‐fire scenarios, thus improving the management of burnt areas. Highlights: Calibration of SWAT model for three different post‐fire management practices.Satisfactory model performance in simulating water quantity and quality for both periods.Spontaneous recovery evidenced high soil losses during all the simulated period.The implementation of terraces and the application of mulch reduced sediment transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]