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International audience; PURPOSE:Dogs have been proposed as spontaneous animal models of human breast cancer, based on clinicopathologic similarities between canine and human mammary carcinomas. We hypothesized that a better knowledge of the natural history and prognostic factors of canine invasive mammary carcinomas would favor the design of preclinical trials using dogs as models of breast cancer.METHODS:The 2-year outcome of 350 female dogs with spontaneous invasive mammary carcinoma was studied. The investigated prognostic factors included age at diagnosis, pathologic tumor size, pathologic nodal stage, lymphovascular invasion, histological grade, and expression of Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα), Progesterone Receptor, Ki-67, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2, basal cytokeratins 5/6, and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. Multivariate survival analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model.RESULTS:The overall survival after mastectomy was 11 months. Within 1 year post mastectomy, 41.5% of dogs (145/350) died from their mammary carcinoma. By multivariate analysis, the significant prognostic factors for overall survival included a pathologic tumor size larger than 20 mm [HR 1.47 (95% confidence interval 1.15-1.89)], a positive nodal stage [pN+, HR 1.89 (1.43-2.48)], a histological grade III [HR 1.32 (1.02-1.69)], ERα negativity [HR 1.39 (1.01-1.89)], a high Ki-67 proliferation index [HR 1.32 (1.04-1.67)], and EGFR absence [HR 1.33 (1.04-1.69)].CONCLUSION:The short natural history of spontaneous canine invasive mammary carcinomas and high rate of cancer-related death allow for rapid termination of preclinical investigations. The prognostic factors of invasive mammary carcinomas are remarkably similar in dogs and humans, highlighting the similarities in cancer biology between both species.

International audience; PURPOSE:Relevant animal models of human breast cancer are currently needed, especially for the aggressive triple-negative breast cancer subtype. Recent studies and our results (Part 1) indicate that spontaneous canine invasive mammary carcinomas (CMCs) resemble human breast cancer by clinics and pathology as well as behavior and prognostic indicators. We hypothesized that the current molecular classifications of human breast cancer, used for therapeutic decision, could be relevant to dogs.METHODS:Three hundred and fifty female dogs with spontaneous CMC and a 2-year follow-up were retrospectively included. By immunohistochemistry, CMCs were classified according to Nielsen (Clin Cancer Res 10:5367-5374, 2004) and Blows (PlosOne doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000279, 2010) into the subtypes of human breast cancer.RESULTS:Four immunophenotypes were defined either according to Nielsen classification (luminal A 14.3%, luminal B 9.4%, triple-negative basal-like 58.6%, and triple-negative nonbasal-like 17.7% CMCs); or to Blows classification (luminal 1-: 11.4%, luminal 1+: 12.3%, Core basal phenotype: 58.6%, and five-negative phenotype: 17.7%). No HER2-overexpressing CMC as defined by a 3 + immunohistochemical score was observed in our cohort. By univariate and multivariate analyses, both immunophenotypical classifications applied to CMCs showed strong prognostic significance: luminal A or luminal 1+ CMCs showed a significantly longer disease-free interval (HR = 0.46), Overall (HR = 0.47), and Specific Survival (HR = 0.56) compared to triple-negative carcinomas, after adjustment for stage.CONCLUSIONS:In our cohort, triple-negative CMCs largely predominated (76%), were much more prevalent than in human beings, and showed an aggressive natural behavior after mastectomy. Dogs are thus potent valuable spontaneous models to test new therapeutic strategies for this particular subtype of breast cancer.

International audience; Herein, we describe the synthesis of an aptadendrimer by covalent bioconjugation of a gallic acid–triethylene glycol (GATG) dendrimer with the G-quadruplex (G4) AT11 aptamer (a modified version of AS1411) at the surface. We evaluated the loading and interaction of an acridine orange ligand, termed C8, that acts as an anticancer drug and binder/stabilizer of the G4 structure of AT11. Dynamic light scattering experiments demonstrated that the aptadendrimer was approximately 3.1 nm in diameter. Both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy evidenced the interaction between the aptadendrimer and C8. Additionally, we demonstrated that the iodine atom of the C8 ligand acts as an effective intramolecular quencher in solution, while upon complexation with the aptadendrimer, it adopts a more extended conformation. Docking studies support this conclusion. Release experiments show a delivery of C8 after 4 h. The aptadendrimers tend to localize in the cytoplasm of various cell lines studied as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. The internalization of the aptadendrimers is not nucleolin-mediated or by passive diffusion, but via endocytosis. MTT studies with prostate cancer cells and non-malignant cells evidenced high cytotoxicity mainly due to the C8 ligand. The rapid internalization of the aptadendrimers and the fluorescence properties make them attractive for the development of potential nanocarriers.

Beeswax adulteration in the apiculture sector represents a growing problem worldwide due to the lack of clearly defined purity criteria, the absence of official quality (authenticity) controls, and the inconsistency of the analytical methods used for adulteration detection. Although beeswax authentication is implemented in other regulatory sectors (pharmaceutical and food industry), the classical physico-chemical analytical methods used for determination of beeswax purity exhibit inconsistencies for the detection of adulterants. In this study, an inventory was made on a comprehensive set of analytical methods and the corresponding purity criteria used for the detection of the most common beeswax adulterants (paraffin, stearin and/or stearic acid) from existing legislations and scientific literature. The selected analytical methods (classical physico-chemical, and advanced instrumental, i.e. chromatographic and spectroscopic analytical techniques) were weighted by three independent experts against two criteria: feasibility and analytical performance in detecting targeted adulterants. Classical methods for which measurement data were available (melting point and acid/saponification/ester values for paraffin-adulterated vs. non-adulterated beeswax samples) were retained and further validated by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. These methods were also validated by generating the corresponding calibration curves for paraffin detection using paraffin-beeswax mixtures containing different proportions of paraffin (ranging from 5 to 95%, w/w). The results of the ROC analysis revealed that a tentative detection of paraffin in beeswax can be achieved by a combination of at least two physico-chemical methods. However, for a reliable detection of the most common adulterants in beeswax, physico-chemical methods should be complemented with advanced analytical tools. i.e. GC-MS, HTGC-FID (MS) and/or FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, depending on the expected adulterant.

International audience; Objectives. Epidemiological data concerning third-generation cephalosporin (3GC) resistance in wild fauna are scarce. The aim of this study was to characterize the resistance genes, their genetic context, and clonal relatedness in 17 Escherichia coli resistant to 3GC isolated from wild animals. Methods. The isolates were characterized by short-read whole genome sequencing, and long-read sequencing was used for the hybrid assembly of plasmid sequences. Results. The 3GC resistance gene most identified in the isolates was the extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)-encoding gene blaCTX-M-1 (82.3%), followed by blaCTX-M-32 (5.9%), blaCTX-M-14 (5.9%), and blaSHV-12 (5.9%). E. coli isolates mainly belonged to the sequence types (STs) rarely reported from humans. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based typing showed that most E. coli genomes from wild animals (wild boars, birds of prey, and buzzards) formed clonal clusters (

The goal of most studies published on sand contaminants is to gather and discuss knowledge to avoid faecal contamination of water by run-offs and tide retractions. Other life forms in the sand, however, are seldom studied but always pointed out as relevant. The Mycosands initiative was created to generate data on fungi in beach sands and waters, of both coastal and freshwater inland bathing sites. A team of medical mycologists and water quality specialists explored the sand culturable mycobiota of 91 bathing sites, and water of 67 of these, spanning fromthe Atlantic to the EasternMediterranean coasts, including the Italian lakes and the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas. Sydney (Australia) was also included in the study. Thirteen countries took part in the initiative. The present study considered several fungal parameters (all fungi, several species of the genus Aspergillus and Candida and the genera themselves, plus other yeasts, allergenic fungi, dematiaceous fungi and dermatophytes). The study considered four variables that the team expected would influence the results of the analytical parameters, such as coast or inland location, urban and non-urban sites, period of the year, geographical proximity and type of sediment. The genera most frequently found were Aspergillus spp., Candida spp., Fusarium spp. and Cryptococcus spp. both in sand and in water. A site-blind median was found to be 89 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) of fungi per gram of sand in coastal and inland freshwaters, with variability between 0 and 6400 CFU/g. For freshwater sites, that number was 201.7 CFU/g (0, 6400 CFU/g (p = 0.01)) and for coastal sites was 76.7 CFU/g (0,3497.5 CFU/g). For coastalwaters and allwaters, themedianwas 0 CFU/ml (0, 1592 CFU/ml) and for freshwaters 6.7 (0, 310.0) CFU/ml (p < 0.001). The results advocate that beaches should bemonitored for fungi for safer use and better management. Highlights: Fungi are missing from water and sand health protection regulatory parameters; Both sand and water should be monitored for fungi; The median value of 89 CFU/g of all fungi may serve as a reference for sand regulation; Candida albicans, dermatophytes, endemic fungi and other fungi should be considered; Fungal analysis of water needs more data before reference values can be established. Acknowledgements: A. Abdillah, M. C. Esposto, J. Kabtani, K. Sarioglou, P. E. Verweij and F. Vieira for their collaboration in this study; the European Confederation of Medical Mycology for a seeding grant; the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology for some financial support; financial support from CESAM (UID/AMB/50017-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007638) and CITAB (UID/AGR/04033/2019), via FCT/MCTES, from national funds (PIDDAC), cofounded by FEDER, (PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020) and an NHMRC APP1121936 to W. Meyer; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, Special Accounts for Research Grants (SARG K.A. 70/3/6915). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold has an ecological and economic interest in Europe, but many of the planted populations have an unknown origin and infraspecific taxonomy. Six Portuguese P. nigra populations characterised with microsatellites revealed high intra-population diversity structured into two clusters with low differentiation that might suggest two provenances or infraspecific taxa. Despite compared with foreign samples from different subspecies, we were not able to infer about the origin or infraspecific taxonomy of the Portuguese populations based on the pooled microsatellite data . Many of the European Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold forests were planted with the material of unknown origin. Efforts have been made to determine their provenances and infraspecific taxonomy regarding their relevance for defining strategies of genetic resources conservation, germplasm use, forest management and genetic improvement. The Portuguese P. nigra populations are allochthonous, and their provenance and infraspecific taxonomy are unknown. With this work, we intended to characterise the Portuguese P. nigra populations regarding its genetic diversity, structure and relationships using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and/or to infer about its origin and infraspecific taxonomy by comparing the SSR patterns of foreign P. nigra samples of known taxonomic classification. A total of 224 Portuguese P. nigra individuals from six populations were characterised using 14 SSR markers developed specifically to different Pinus sp., including P. nigra, by other authors. Thirteen SSR loci were selected and showed 100% of polymorphism among individuals. The genetic diversity was higher within (95%) rather than among (5%) populations. The Portuguese individuals were structured into two main clusters (K = 2) with low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.04), and the foreign samples were genetically distant from the Portuguese individuals. The six Portuguese P. nigra populations revealed high genetic diversity and seemed to be structured into two main clusters with low differentiation suggesting two provenances or infraspecific taxa. Nonetheless, the comparative analyses with foreign samples did not allow a clear inference about its origin and/or infraspecific taxonomy. Additional foreign samples and/or molecular markers will be tested to pursue these goals.

International audience; Hazelnuts (Corylus avellanaL.) have an important role in human nutrition and health. However, they are a common cause of food allergy. Due to hazelnut varietal diversity, variety-dependent differences in the IgE-binding properties may be suspected, which could allow therapeutic strategies based on the use of hypoallergenic varieties to induce desensitization. In a proteogenomic approach, we aimed to evaluate the allergenic potential of a genetically diverse set of hazelnuts (n = 13 varieties). Minor differences were found at the level of genes encoding important allergens, namely Cor a 8, Cor a 9, and Cor a 14. Nevertheless, IgE-reactivity was similar for all varieties using sera from seven allergic individuals. The predominant IgE-reactive proteins were Cor a 9 (100%) and Cor a 1.04 (60%), with the former being the most frequently identified by a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-based proteomic approach. Therefore, it seems that the conventional exclusion diet will hold its ground for the time being.

Supplementary data to this article can be found online athttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.126123., Calcium supplements have increasingly been used at pre- and post-harvest stages for improving fruit firmness, but elevated calcium levels in grape cells were shown to reduce total anthocyanin content. In this study, we hypothesized that exogenous calcium influences specific polyphenolic compounds, and performed targeted UPLC-MS analysis in fruits collected from vines cv. Vinhão sprayed with 2% (w/v) CaCl2 throughout the fruiting season, in two consecutive vintages, and in grape cell cultures elicited with calcium. Results showed that anthocyanin content is reduced upon calcium treatment, while stilbenoid synthesis is generally stimulated, in line with UFGT and STS expression patterns. The main metabolites involved in this response were malvidin-3-O-glucoside, E-piceid, E-?-viniferin and E-resveratrol. The accumulation of phenolic acids, catechin and some quercetin derivatives was also favored by calcium, while other flavonols and flavan-3-ols were affected according to the vintage and berry developmental stage. In cell cultures, the entire flavonoid pathway was repressed., This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Scienceand Technology (FCT) in the framework of the strategic funding [UID/BIA/04050/2019, UID/AGR/04033/2019] and the projects [PTDC/AGR-PRO/7028/2014, PTDCBIA-FBT/28165/2017, PTDC/BIA-FBT/30341/2017, and SFRH/BPD/107905/2015 to V.M.]. The Région-Centre Val de Loire (France) supported this work under the grantagreement to Projects VITI'ACTIF and VINODRONE to A.L and K.B., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), due to their intrinsic resistance to various commonly used antibiotics and their malleable genome, make the treatment of infections caused by these bacteria less effective. The aims of this work were to characterize isolates of Enterococcus spp. that originated from processed meat, through phenotypic and genotypic techniques, as well as to detect putative antibiotic resistance biomarkers. The 19 VRE identified had high resistance to teicoplanin (89%), tetracycline (94%), and erythromycin (84%) and a low resistance to kanamycin (11%), gentamicin (11%), and streptomycin (5%). Based on a Next-Generation Sequencing NGS technique, most isolates were vanA-positive. The most prevalent resistance genes detected were erm(B) and aac(6')-Ii, conferring resistance to the classes of macrolides and aminoglycosides, respectively. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) analysis detected an exclusive peak of the Enterococcus genus at m/z (mass-to-charge-ratio) 4428 &plusmn, 3, and a peak at m/z 6048 &plusmn, 1 allowed us to distinguish Enterococcus faecium from the other species. Several statistically significant protein masses associated with resistance were detected, such as peaks at m/z 6358.27 and m/z 13237.3 in ciprofloxacin resistance isolates. These results reinforce the relevance of the combined and complementary NGS and MALDI-TOF MS techniques for bacterial characterization.

Wildfire is the main disturbance in forested ecosystems of southern Europe and is due to complex interactions between climate-weather, fuels and people. Warmer and drier conditions projected in this region are expected to profoundly affect wildfires, which will impact ecosystems and humans. We review the scientific literature addressing the assessment of climate change impacts on wildfires in southern Europe, with a twofold objective: (i) report the trends in wildfire danger and activity projected under warming climate in southern Europe and (ii) discuss the limitations of wildfire projections under the specific biogeographical context of southern Europe.We identified 22 projection studies that examined future wildfire danger or wildfire activity at local, regional or continental scale. Under the scenario with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, we found that projections studies estimate an increase in future fire danger and burnt areas varying, on average, from 2 to 4 % and from 15 to 25 % per decade, respectively. Fire-prone area expansion to the north and to Mediterranean mountains is a concern, while climate-induced burnt area increase might be limited by fuel availability in the most arid areas. While all studies agreed on the direction of changes, further comparisons on the magnitude of increase remained challenging because of heterogeneous methodological choices between projections studies (climate models, projection period, spatial scale and fire metrics). We then described three main sources of uncertainty that may affect the reliability of wildfire projections: climate projections, climate-fire models, and the influences of fuel load/structure and human related factors on the climate-fire relationships. We finally suggest research directions to address some of these issues for the purpose of refining fire danger and fire activity projections in southern Europe.

A novel organized di-urethane crossed-linked dodecyl/siloxane (di-alkyl-urethanesil) was synthesized by the sol–gel process and self-directed assembly, from the organosilane precursor (CH3CH2O)3-Si-(CH2)3-NHC( = O)O-(CH2)12-O(O = C)NH-(CH2)3-Si-(OCH2CH3)3, through a fine control of the reaction conditions (hyper-stoichiometric amount of water, minor amount of tetrahydrofuran, and acid catalysis; molar ratio Si:H2O:HCl:THF = 1:300:0.1:12.5). The new bridged silsesquioxane was identified by the notation d-Ut(CY)AC, where Y = 12 is the number of carbon atoms C of the bridging alkyl chains and AC represents acid catalysis. The d-Ut(C12)AC material exhibits a structured lamellar organization with medium long-range order, a texture composed of homogeneous lamellae immersed in a sponge-like matrix made of randomly distributed thin plates, and is thermally stable up to ca. 350 °C. Despite the hydrophobic nature of the dodecane chains, the weakness of the urethane–urethane hydrogen-bonded array formed led to the growth of moderately ordered assemblies of amphiphilic organo(bis-silanetriol) substructures comprising mainly all-trans conformers.

During the last decades, climate and land use changes led to an increased prevalence of megafires in Mediterranean-type climate regions (MCRs). Here, we argue that current wildfire management policies in MCRs are destined to fail. Focused on fire suppression, these policies largely ignore ongoing climate warming and landscape-scale buildup of fuels. The result is a 'firefighting trap' that contributes to ongoing fuel accumulation precluding suppression under extreme fire weather, and resulting in more severe and larger fires. We believe that a 'business as usual' approach to wildfire in MCRs will not solve the fire problem, and recommend that policy and expenditures be rebalanced between suppression and mitigation of the negative impacts of fire. This requires a paradigm shift: policy effectiveness should not be primarily measured as a function of area burned (as it usually is), but rather as a function of avoided socio-ecological damage and loss., This work was financed by national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, within the scope of project PCIF/AGT/0136/2017 (People&Fire: reducing risk, living with risk) and PTDC/AGR-FOR/2586/2014 (RurIntFIre: Fire in the Rural-Urban Interface: characterisation, risk mapping, and fuel break design). FM was funded through contract IF/01053/2015 (FCT). JMCP was supported by the Forest Research Centre, a research unit funded by Foundation for Science and Technology I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UID/AGR/00239/2019). PF work was carried under project UID/AGR/04033/2019 supported by FCT. JMM acknowledges funding from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (project CGL2016-78357-R)

The wood of Pinus nigra populations planted in Portugal, comparatively to Pinus pinaster , has higher total extractive content, lower Klason lignin and H/G ratio, and similar mechanical properties, presenting advantages for industrial purposes. P. nigra was used in the reforestation of mountainous areas in Portugal, but its wood chemical and mechanical properties were never studied. This work intends to evaluate the chemical and mechanical wood properties of the P. nigra populations planted in Portugal, to relate these properties with previously characterised physical features and to compare these data with other European P. nigra stands and species, namely, P. pinaster. Wood chemical and mechanical properties were analysed in 90 trees from six Portuguese sites, using near-infrared (NIR) spectrometry and the three-point bending test. The wood of the P. nigra populations planted in Portugal presented average values of total extractive content = 9.4%, Klason lignin = 26.69%, MORRad = 14.93 MPa and MOERad = 1200.98 MPa. Ring density showed no significant correlation with ring width. The P. nigra populations planted in Portugal presented qualitative and quantitative properties similar to P. pinaster wood, the main resinous species in Portugal. Facing the lack of raw material for wood industry due to frequent forest fires in the Mediterranean region, P. nigra could be used to reforest mountainous areas of those regions.

The technological quality of wheat flour is defined by a range of dough characteristics relevant to the breadmaking processes and practices of individual countries and for particular products. The influence of storage protein diversity on wheat quality has been widely documented in the last three decades. The present chapter focuses on several aspects of wheat quality that merit more attention. The huge genetic diversity of wheat storage proteins means that all the possible allelic combinations and their interactions are too numerous to be tested in terms of their influence on the major quality parameters. However it is still relevant to describe the variation in rheological and viscoelastic properties of gluten in relation to its component proteins, glutenin and gliadin. Although gluten plays a major role in determining the properties of dough, the abundance of the two major storage protein fractions does not solely explain the observed variation in those properties. We therefore examine the influence of some genetic factors, including those affecting the protein composition, on the variation in the glutenin polymer sizes. Some examples will be given to illustrate how end-use quality can be improved by taking advantage of the available genetic resources in parallel with molecular genome analyses with the dual aim of widening the scope of characteristics that can be harnessed in breeding and ensuring consistent wheat quality in changing agro-climatic situations. The known alleles of the major genes are highlighted in the context of the challenges that the research community is facing regarding wheat allele nomenclature, exchange of gene bank material and the numerous quality attributes of interest. Finally, important research objectives are proposed for breeding future wheats with grain protein quality and technological properties tailored for different food products.

Phlebotomine sand fly-borne pathogens such as Leishmania spp. and phleboviruses are emerging threats to humans and animals worldwide. The aim of this work was to evaluate the exposure of cats from Portugal to Toscana virus (TOSV) and Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and assess the associated risk factors. The possible association between exposure to Phlebotomus perniciosus saliva with TOSV and SFSV was also investigated. Out of 369 cats tested, 18 (4.9%, n = 365) were seropositive for TOSV, and eight (2.2%, n = 367) were seropositive for SFSV. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that cats presenting clinical signs that were compatible with leishmaniosis and antibodies to TOSV had a significantly higher risk of being SFSV seropositive. The presence of antibodies to sand fly-borne viruses in cats indicate that these animals are frequently exposed to sand flies and transmitted pathogens. Data suggest that cats can be used to qualitatively monitor human exposure to TOSV and SFSV in endemic areas. The clinical impact of SFSV in cats’ health should be investigated. The identification of the sand fly species responsible for the circulation of TOSV and SFSV in nature and the evaluation of the vectorial competence of P. perniciosus to SFSV should also be addressed.

Budbreak date in grapevine is strictly dependent on temperature, and the correct simulation of its occurrence is of great interest since it may have major consequences on the final yield and quality. In this study, we evaluated the reliability for budbreak simulation of two modeling approaches, the chilling-forcing (CF), which describes the entire dormancy period (endo- and eco-dormancy) and the forcing approach (F), which only describes the eco-dormancy. For this, we selected six phenological models that apply CF and F in different ways, which were tested on budbreak simulation of eight grapevine varieties cultivated at different latitudes in Europe. Although none of the compared models showed a clear supremacy over the others, models based on CF showed a generally higher estimation accuracy than F where fixed starting dates were adopted. In the latter models, the accurate simulation of budbreak was dependent on the selection of the starting date for forcing accumulation that changes according to the latitude, whereas CF models were independent. Indeed, distinct thermal requirements were found for the grapevine varieties cultivated in Northern and Southern Europe. This implies the need to improve modeling of the dormancy period to avoid under- or over-estimations of budbreak date under different environmental conditions. This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under the Clim4Vitis project: “Climate change impact mitigation for European viticulture: knowledge transfer for an integrated approach”, grant agreement no. 810176. It was also supported by FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/2020 and the French National Research Agency (ANR) in the frame of the Investments for the Future Program, within the cluster of excellence COTE (ANR-10-LABX-45).

Aiming to reduce the losses of biodiversity and the degradation of associated ecosystem services, the United Nations established the 2011-2020 period as the UN Decade on Biodiversity. During this period, the countries involved compromised on implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The argument is that biological diversity underpins the functioning of ecosystems and the provision of services essential to human well-being, further contributing to economic development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The purpose of this review is to present results of research and academic works carried out over several years in the Douro Demarcated Region in the field of functional agrobiodiversity, understood as the part of ecosystem biodiversity that provides ecosystem services, which support sustainable agricultural production and can also bring benefits to the regional and global environment and to society as a whole. Such studies specifically aimed to contribute knowledge about the diversity of arthropods in the vineyard ecosystem and about practices that can increase their abundance, diversity and services provided. In this context, a general characterization of the arthropod community identified in the vineyard ecosystem is conducted, complemented by information on the role played, by the taxonomic groups identified. The importance of increasing arthropod populations, the vegetation of vineyard slopes, and the existence of shrubs, forests and hedgerows next to the vineyards is discussed. The fundamental role of soil management practices is also referred, namely that of ground cover and the application of compost from winery wastes in the abundance and diversity of these organisms populations. Finally, bearing in mind the importance of the use of this information by vine growers, the measures taken for its dissemination are also presented RESUMO - Com o objetivo de reduzir a perda de biodiversidade e a degradação dos serviços ecossistémicos associados, as Nações Unidas estabeleceram o período 2011-2020 como a Década da Biodiversidade. Durante este período, os países envolvidos comprometeram-se a implementar o Plano Estratégico para a Biodiversidade, incluindo as Metas de Biodiversidade de Aichi. O argumento é o de que a diversidade biológica sustenta o funcionamento dos ecossistemas e a provisão de serviços essenciais ao bem-estar humano, contribuindo ainda para o desenvolvimento económico e a concretização dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milénio. A presente revisão tem por objetivo apresentar resultados obtidos no decurso de projetos de investigação e trabalhos académicos, desenvolvidos ao longo de vários anos na Região Demarcada do Douro, no domínio da agrobiodiversidade funcional, entendida como a parte da biodiversidade dos ecossistemas que faculta serviços essenciais à produção agrícola sustentável e que também pode proporcionar benefícios ambientais à escala regional e global e à sociedade em geral. Com estas atividades pretendeu-se, mais especificamente, obter conhecimento sobre a diversidade de artrópodes existentes no ecossistema vitivinícola e sobre práticas capazes de incrementarem a sua abundância, diversidade e serviços facultados. No contexto referido, procede-se a uma caracterização geral da comunidade de artrópodes identificados no ecossistema vitivinícola, complementada com informação sobre o papel desempenhado pelos diferentes grupos taxonómicos identificados. Discute-se a importância, no incremento das populações de artrópodes, da vegetação dos taludes da vinha, e da existência de matos, florestas e sebes na sua proximidade. Também se refere o papel fundamental desempenhado, na abundância e diversidade das populações destes organismos, das práticas de condução do solo, designadamente do enrelvamento e da aplicação de compostados provenientes dos resíduos da adega. Finalmente, e tendo em atenção a importância do uso desta informação pelos viticultores, apresentam-se as iniciativas que têm sido usadas na sua divulgação info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In this study, we present the first tree-ring chronology for the tropical tree species Copaifera lucens and its climatic signal in southeastern Brazil.Tree-ring width series were compared with local climate indices using a drought index (Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index -SPEI), in monthly, bi-monthly and four-monthly scales. We also calculated negative pointer years over the time-span of the tree-ring width. The radial growth of C. lucens showed a positive correlation with the SPEI of the current summer and autumn in all the three analyzed time scales, while the negative pointer years matched with drier years. The species was highly sensitive to very low summer precipitation, which may lead to a 49% reduction in growth.We conclude that the long-living C. lucens has a great potential for dendrochronological studies as it shows a marked climatic signal. Our study also reinforces the importance of rainfall in regulating radial growth in tropical forests and sheds light on the local climate influence on tree growth in recent decades.

Em todo o mundo, o mercado do vinho está a sofrer alterações fundamentais, cada vez mais competitivo, com a entrada de novas empresas produtoras de vinho. O vinho do Porto é um marco do vinho português. É um vinho fortificado produzido na Região Demarcada do Douro (uma das primeiras regiões vitivinícolas demarcadas e regulamentadas do mundo) em condições físicas e humanas muito específicas. O presente trabalho pretende verificar como a cultura (aferida pela nacionalidade) influencia o nível de importância dos atributos do vinho, no momento em que o consumidor decide comprar uma garrafa de vinho. Os dados primários foram obtidos através da aplicação de um questionário on-line. A amostra é constituída por 974 consumidores de vinho do Porto de seis nacionalidades diferentes: França, Espanha, Portugal, Roménia, Inglaterra e Brasil. O efeito da nacionalidade no comportamento dos consumidores, ao nível da importância dada aos atributos, é analisado recorrendo ao modelo logístico binário. Os resultados indicam que a região de origem, o prestígio da marca e o design são atributos mais importantes para os consumidores Portugueses (relativamente aos consumidores internacionais). Os consumidores internacionais estão dispostos a pagar mais por garrafa de vinho do Porto, não sendo o preço um fator influenciador determinante na escolha do vinho. os resultados suportam a necessidade de uma maior divulgação das marcas de vinho do Porto junto dos consumidores internacionais, já que este tipo de consumidores valorizam o produto através de uma maior disposição a pagar pelo mesmo. Worldwide the wine market is experiencing fundamental changes, with the entry of new wine producing companies, which generates greater competitiveness in domestic and international markets. The Port wine is a landmark of the Portuguese wine. It is a fortified wine produced in the Douro Demarcated Region (one of the first demarcated and regulated wine regions in the world) under very specific physical and human conditions. The present paper aims to ascertain how the culture (proxied by the nationality) influence the level of importance of wine attributes, when deciding to buy a bottle of wine.The primary data were gathered through an on-line questionnaire. A sample of 974 buyers/ consumers of the Port wine was obtained from six different nationalities: France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, England and Brazil. The effect of nationality on consumer behavior, in terms of importance given to attributes, was analyzed using the binary logistic model and bivariate statistics. The results indicate than origin region, the brand prestige and the design are not important attributes for the international consumers. However, international consumers are willing to pay more per bottle of Port win and price is not an influencing factor. Thus, it is necessary to increase the dissemination of Port wine brands to international consumers, since these consumers value the product through a greater willingness to pay for it. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The public health implications of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Europe have changed due to increasing numbers of hepatitis E cases and recent reports of chronic, persistent HEV infections associated with progression to cirrhosis in immunosuppressed patients. The main infectious risk for such immunosuppressed patients is exposure to undercooked infected pork products and blood transfusion. We summarised the epidemiology of HEV infections among blood donors and also outlined any strategies to prevent transfusion-transmitted HEV, in 11 European countries. In response to the threat posed by HEV and related public and political concerns, most of the observed countries determined seroprevalence of HEV in donors and presence of HEV RNA in blood donations. France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK) reported cases of transfusion-transmitted HEV. Ireland and the UK have already implemented HEV RNA screening of blood donations; the Netherlands will start in 2017. Germany and France perform screening for HEV RNA in several blood establishments or plasma donations intended for use in high-risk patients respectively and, with Switzerland, are considering implementing selective or universal screening nationwide. In Greece, Portugal, Italy and Spain, the blood authorities are evaluating the situation. Denmark decided not to implement the HEV screening of blood donations.

16 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables.-- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, A growing concern is arising to recognize that ecosystem services (ES) production often requires the integration of non-natural capital with natural capital in a process known as coproduction. Several studies explore co-production in different terrestrial ecosystems, such as agriculture or water delivery, but less attention has been paid to marine ecosystems. Coastal activities such as aquaculture, shellfish harvesting, and small-scale fishing deliver important benefits for seafood provision, but are also inextricably linked to cultural and recreational ES. The degree to which co-production can determine the provision of ES in marine systems has yet not been explored. This paper addresses this key topic with an exploratory analysis of case studies where marine ES are co-produced. We look at five small-scale fisheries that range from intensive semi-aquaculture in Galicia (Spain), to wild harvesting in Northern Portugal, and discuss to what extent co-production influences ES delivery. We find that a direct relationship exists between co-production level and ES delivery in the case of provisioning ES (e.g., fish harvest), but not necessarily in the delivery of other ES. We also find that management practices and property regimes may be affecting trade-offs between co-production and ES, LO acknowledges the financial support from Xunta de Galicia I2C program through the Postdoctoral Project ED481B 2014/051-0. EO acknowledges funding from EU H2020 ERC Starting Grant project CLOCK (grant 679812) and Xunta de Galicia (Axuda complementaria aos beneficiarios do programa StG do Consello Europeo de Investigación). CP would also like to acknowledge FCT/ MEC national funds and FEDER co-funding, within the PT2020 partnership Agreement and Compete2020, for the financial support to CESAM (Grant No. UID/AMB/50017/ 2013). EC acknowledges the European Investment Funds by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI, under Project POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-006958 and National Funds by FCT, under the project UID/AGR/04033/2013, for the financial support to CITAB. SV, GM, and CP acknowledge the financial support from the ICES Science Fund project ‘Social transformations of marine social-ecological systems

International audience; In this work, the application of the unnotched Iosipescu test for the evaluation of the radial variability of longitudinal–radial stiffness parameters of maritime pine wood was investigated. Rectangular specimens with grain at 45° were tested using the Iosipescu fixture. For this configuration both the transverse (Q22) and the shear (Q66) stiffness parameters can be simultaneously identified by the virtual fields method. Displacement fields were measured by the grid method. The strain fields were reconstructed from the raw displacement fields using a polynomial approximation scheme. For the tested wood material, it was found that both parameters decrease from the centre to about the middle radius of the stem and increase afterwards to the outermost positions. Moreover, a relatively good correlation was obtained between the patterns of radial variability of Q22 and Q66.

Changes within teaching of statistics in elementary education in Portugal, lead to this research on the attitudes of teachers towards Statistics. This study focuses on the measurement and characterization of attitudes towards Statistics of Portuguese teachers from the 1st and 2nd cycles of basic education (ages 6 to 11). With this work we hope that paths may be devised to introduce an attitudes’ pedagogy and the interventions to prevent negative attitudes and/or correct them, thus positively contributing for the professional development of teachers as well as students’ success in statistics education. The content of the poster will be presented with as much pictorial format as possible and by pointing the context, the research objectives, the methodology, the main research findings and some conclusions of this investigation. Context: nowadays statistics is recognized as a key knowledge area with gradually integration in the mathematics curriculum, and in particular in Portuguese basic and secondary school levels. Nevertheless, despite the curriculum guidelines, there are factors that may endanger its implementation. On the other hand, in Portugal, research of attitudes towards Statistics has not being done, and there was no research about Portuguese teachers’ attitudes towards statistics. So, the main objective in this study was to do a 1st assessment and characterization of Portuguese teachers’ attitudes towards statistics, of basic education. The specific objectives are: Studying this attitudes as a global measure, as well as in their components; Determine if there are significant differences between these attitudes in the two cycles; Inquire about the existence of significant relationships between teachers’ attitudes and the demographic and school training variables. The research method was a mixed study, with a stronger quantitative component, and a concurrent analysis for the countries comparisons. The instrument used is the Estrada’s Scale of Attitudes Towards Statistics, EAEE (Estrada, 2002; with a fully English presentation in Martins et al. 2012). It is an attitudes five-point Likert scale with 25 items that was specially design for teachers and presents good psychometric properties. In a cluster sampling from 3 Portuguese regions, 1135 teachers were surveyed resulting in 1098 valid questionnaires. The sample has a variety of cases relevant for the study. For the quantitative analysis the descriptive statistics were computed as well as one-dimensional parametric and non-parametric methods, multidimensional clusters analysis and factorial analysis. To do the analysis of the teachers’ explanations the content analysis was used (Martins et al., 2012). This study confirmed the high internal consistency of the instrument, with a Cronbach alpha, 0,869. The multidimensional aspects of the EAEE emerged. Teachers’ attitudes towards statistics were positive. This study highlighted in a positive way the cognitive and social components and in a less positive way the behavioural and instrumental components. The transcultural study reinforced the admissibility of these results (Estrada et al., 2010). Attitudes towards statistics of these teachers: were not significantly related with their gender and were significantly related with the cycle of teaching, the teaching experience, their training area, the training in statistics and the teaching of statistics. In conclusion, teachers have a clear conception that statistics is useful and they value its role in the citizens’ daily life and they also have a clear sense of the importance of including it in current curricula. At the same time they did not emphasize collaborative work and didn’t refer sharing statistics difficulties with other teachers. Outside the school, teachers do not see statistics as a tool in their own daily life and they express a feeling of disbelieve towards the use of statistics and the information in television. As actions to improve attitudes toward statistics we mention the improvement in training (initial and in-service) at several levels and the promotion of the collaborative work amongst teachers. It is also important to guarantee the reinforcement of statistical education in schools, from the early years, as well as in the training of future teachers and of in-service training in statistics for teachers., PEst-OE/EGE/UI4056/2014