Foundation For Science And Technology Research Articles

Preliminary study on the reproduction of the beadlet anemone Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Preliminary study on the reproduction of the beadlet anemone Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Comparison of bilayered structures of gellan gum with and without incorporation of gold nanorods for osteochondral tissue engineering

Event Abstract Back to Event Comparison of bilayered structures of gellan gum with and without incorporation of gold nanorods for osteochondral tissue engineering Raphael Canadas1, 2, Silvia Vieira1, 2, Stephanie Vial1, 2, Alexandra P. Marques1, 2, Rui L. Reis1, 2 and Joaquim M. Oliveira1, 2 1 University of Minho, 3B´s Research Group – Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, Portugal 2 University of Minho, ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Portugal Introduction: In orthopedics, the regeneration and repair of osteochondral defects after trauma, cancer, or metabolic disorders is still a major clinical challenge, usually leading to an osteoarthritic condition which is a major cause of disability during aging. By the age of 60, close to 100% of the population will have degeneration of knee cartilage[1]. In order to outperform current methods, novel tissue engineering approaches have been proposed to take advantage of the use of stem cells, growth factors and/or pre-programming the stem cells fate, bioreactors and multilayered scaffolds design. The need for simultaneous regenerate both cartilage and subchondral bone in the same scaffold, is a requirement in osteochondral defects. The incorporation of strategic cues to guide the cell fates towards chondro- and osteo-genesis, is an approach to be considered to regenerate both tissues. A previous study performed in our Group showed that the presence of gold nanorods may potentiate the effect of the osteogenic media towards osteocyte-like phenotype, with concomitant reduction of ALP activity and increased mineralization capacity[2]. In the herein presentes work gellan gum based multilayered structures were developed to recreate the bone, calcified cartilage and hyaline cartilage regions. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) and hydroxyapatite particles were incorporated as it is hypothesized its benefits for promoting the osteogenic differentiation of human fat pad adipose-derived stem cells. Materials and Methods: Bilayered sponge-like scaffolds were developed to act as a template for culturing human fat pad adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs). Bilayered spongy structures made of low acyl gellan gum (LAGG)-LAGG/hydroxyapatite (HAp) with and without incorporation of AuNRs were produced integrating cartilage- and bone-like layers (figure 1 represents the AuNRs formation and crosslinking with LAGG). The effect of AuNRs was evaluated and characterized for hASCs osteogenic differentiation following standard protocols. Likewise, the chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs in LAGG was assessed. Figure 1. AuNRs formation, with incorporation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and further crosslinking with LAGG. Results and Discussion: The freeze-dried bilayered scaffolds composed of LAGG2%(w/v)-LAGG2%/HAp30% (w/w) and LAGG/Goldnanorod 0.25mM-LAGG/Gold nanorod 0.25mM/HAp30% (w/w) have a gradient of HAp in the bone-like layer that, unlike cartilage-like layer, presented a bioactive behavior. The bilayered structures possessed about 90% porosity, 500 µm of pore size and 85% interconnectivity as determined by Micro-CT analysis. Swelling and degradation tests revealed that the structures absorb about 120% of their weight and lost 10% of their mass after 30 days in phosphate buffered saline solution (figure 2). Figure 2. Bilayered scaffolds. A) Bilayer hydrogel after crosslinking in calcium solution and prior freeze-drying; B) X-ray and micro-CT (C,D) visualization of the structure of LAGG with HAp particles in the bone-like layer; E) Alizarin red staining of HAp particles. In vitro studies with isolated hASCs from Fat Pad are being performed to compare the osteogenic and chondrogenic outcomes in the bilayered structures and the effect of the AuNRs regarding alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization. Conclusions: The described structures present the potential for orthopedic applications, namely for osteochondral tissue regeneration. Although the incorporation of AuNRs was already proved to promote the mineralization process, the mechanism seems to be an independent pathway from ALP activity and is now under investigation in this work. The incorporation of the gold nanorods changed the hydrophilicity of the structure, which can be useful also for the calcified cartilage transition zone, since cartilage present a high hydrated phenotype. This study received funding from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the project OsteoCart (PTDC/CTM-BPC/115977/2009) and from European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) for REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS. The authors also thanks FCT for the PhD scholarship provided to R. F. Canadas (SFRH/BD/92565/2013).

Biological characterization of the reproductive cycle of the sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) in the western central region of Portugal (Peniche)

Biological characterization of the reproductive cycle of the sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) in the western central region of Portugal (Peniche)

A Comparative Analysis of Dynamic Models of the Central Carbon Metabolism of Escherichia coli

The authors thank the project “Dynamics”, Ref. ERA-IB2/0002/2014, funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES. This study was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684).

The infertility trap: how defeat and entrapment affect depressive symptoms.

Does the perception of failure without a solution or way forward of infertile couples have a mediator role between the importance couples attribute to parenthood and depressive symptoms? The perception of failure without a solution or way forward, assessed by feelings of entrapment and defeat, mediates the effect of the importance of parenthood on depressive symptoms of infertile men and women. Research has documented that the heightened importance of parenthood affects infertile couples' adjustment to infertility and medical treatments. However, it remains unclear which psychological mechanisms and perceptions may underlie the association between having parenthood as a nuclear aspect of life and presenting depressive symptoms related to difficulties in accomplishing that important life goal. Although these links have been scantly addressed in infertility, previous studies have pointed to the role that perceptions of defeat and entrapment have in several psychopathological conditions. The study was cross-sectional. Couples pursuing medical treatment for their fertility problems were invited to participate by their doctors in several public and private clinics. Data collection took place between July 2009 and 2011. One hundred forty-seven infertile couples consented to participate in the study. Both couple members (147 women and 147 men) completed a set of self-report instruments for the assessment of depressive symptoms, perceptions of defeat and entrapment, importance of parenthood and rejection of a childfree lifestyle. Analyses were conducted through Structural Equation Modeling and followed a dyadic analysis strategy, allowing for controlling the interdependence of the data. The hypothesized tested model showed a very good fit to the data [(χ(2) = 68.45, P = 0.014, comparative fit index = 0.98, standardized root-mean-square residual = 0.06 and root mean square error of approximation = 0.06] and explained 67 and 58% of the variability in depressive symptoms in women and men, respectively. Results revealed that the importance of parenthood does not have a direct effect on depressive symptoms of infertile men and women, but an indirect effect, by affecting the perception of having failed and not being able to solve it or move forward [women: estimate for indirect effect: 0.38 (bias corrected (BC) 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.25; 0.56; P < 0.001); men: estimate for indirect effect: 0.23 (BC 95% CI = 0.06; 0.40; P = 0.013)]. The study was cross-sectional, which does not allow for the establishment of causality. Another limitation is the heterogeneity of the sample, as participants were recruited at various stages of their fertility care. In addition, due to the specific nature of the variables, further studies are needed to establish exactly how the relationship between defeat and entrapment and depression operates, as the mechanism may be bidirectional. This study emphasizes the role of perceptions of defeat and entrapment on the psychological adjustment to infertility and assisted reproduction. These emotional processes should be taken into consideration and targeted in psychological interventions of couples undergoing medical treatments for infertility. In fact, although parenthood may be perceived as a core purpose for many couples dealing with difficulties in conceiving, it is only when these difficulties are experienced as failures without a resolution and as inescapable, that couples are prone to develop depressive symptoms. This research has been supported by the first author Ph.D. Grant (SFRH/BD/68392/2010), sponsored by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The authors have no conflict of interests. N/A.

Chitosan Solid Polymer Electrolytes Doped with Cyano-Based Ionic Liquids

The aim of this work was to synthesize and characterize Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPEs) based on chitosan and the cyano-based ionic liquids (ILs): 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([C2mim][DCA]), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ([C2mim][SCN]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ([C4mim][SCN]) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide ([C2mim][TCM]). SPEs attract a lot of attention due to their enormous potential, mostly because of the wide range of possible applications in the energy storage field. The synthesis of a SPE is quite straightforward: it implies the dissolution of an ionic salt in a high molecular weight polymer, provided that the latter contains cation-coordinating species [1-3]. Because of its extraordinary solvating ability toward salts, poly(oxyethylene) (PEO) has been the most widely employed macromolecule to produce SPEs, but in the last few years attention has been drawn to natural polymers like cellulose, chitosan, starch, gelation, agar or DNA, because of their biodegrability, low production cost, good physical and chemical properties and good performance as SPEs [4-8]. Chitosan is obtained by deacetylation of its parent polymer chitin, a polysaccharide widely distributed in nature (e.g. crustaceans, insects and certain fungi) [9]. Along with the natural polymers, ILs gained momentum as well. Since ILs are composed only of ions they show very high ionic conductivity, non-volatility and non-flammability [10], which are valuable proprieties to the envisaged applications. The solvent-free electrolyte samples prepared in this work were characterized by means of thermal analysis (DSC and TGA), ionic conductivity, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Acknowledgements This work was supported by FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Project PEST-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 and PEST-OE/EQB/LA0004/2011, projects PTDC/CTM-NAN/121274/2010 and PTDC/QUI-QUI/117340/2010, POPH/FSE for a grant SRFH/BD/90366/2012 (R.L.) and FCT Investigator Programme (J.M.S.S.E.). M. M. Silva acknowledges CNPq, for the mobility grant provided by this institution.

Synthesis of Dehydrodipeptide and N-ethyl-dehydrodipeptide Derivatives with an &amp;#945;-Aminoisobutyric Acid Residue

Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) – Portugal and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) for financial support to Chemistry Centre of University of Minho. The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance II+ 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased in the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment; contract REDE/1517/RMN/2005, with funds from POCI 2010, FEDER and FCT.

Gilt-Teller: uma Nova Ferramenta Multimédia Ao Serviço Da Divulgação Da Ciência Da Conservação

The paper focuses on an innovative bilingual multimedia tool designed within the research project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) – Gilt-Teller, an interdisciplinary multiscale study of gilding techniques and materials in Portugal, 1500- 1800. The tool was designed with the help of the company Take the Wind Lda. (Coimbra) and is based on an online platform (www.gilt-teller.pt). It has different components, from documents of general description of the project, its team and outcomes in terms of publica-tions and conference presentation or workshop organization to the historical background of the project and short characterization of the main stylistic epoques considered under study. The three innovative components are: the bilingual glossary on gilding materials and techniques (http://www.gilt-teller.pt/index.php/glossary/index); a movie with the data on laboratory documented reconstructions of gilded composites based on Portuguese recipes (http://www.gilt-teller.pt/index.php/site/historicalReconstructions) and 11 case studies with gilded decoration from the European heritage (http://www.gilt-teller.pt/index.php/site/additionalMaterials).For the first time in Portugal an open access bilingual database including the most representa-tive altarpieces and polychrome sculptures studied within the project was made available to larger and specialized public. For the first time this multimedia tool will bring together knowledge from three different scientific areas, all related with the topic of the project: Art History (with a component of Technical Art History), Conservation and Heritage Science.

Unveiling Sambucus nigra L. berries terpenic metabolomics by comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography: On the route of bioactive compounds

Metabolomics has expanded on the study of medicinal plants namely on the secondary metabolites plant profiling, that are linked to diverse health benefits on humans, arising as a suitable approach to evaluate biochemical-mediated responses. Elderberries have been used for generations in folk medicine, with several health benefits being reported [1]. The presence of secondary metabolites that are naturally present on elderberries, namely volatile terpenic [2], and phenolic [3] compounds could explain some of the reported biological activities, and being also responsible for some aspects of elderberries quality [4]. Therefore, the characterization of these compounds is of the major interest to understand elderberries biological properties and quality. However, the inherent complexity of the natural matrices requires analytical tools that solve their complexity, exceeding the capacity of the conventional single separation processes, and thus, limiting a reliable MS identification. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography arises as a possible solution employing two orthogonal mechanisms to separate the constituents of the sample within a single analysis, thus, increasing the peak capacity. In the present study, the volatile terpenic (mono and sesquiterpenic derivatives) and norisoprenoid compounds from the three major elderberries cultivars ('Sabugueira', 'Sabugueiro' and 'Bastardeira') grown in Portugal (5 ripening stages, collected during two consecutive harvesting years), were characterized by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography. A total of 90 constituents were identified, being distributed over monoterpenic (47), sesquiterpenic (24), and norisoprenoid (19) families. From these, 65 are reported for the first time as S. nigra L. berries components. Harvesting season significantly affected the berries composition (p < 0.05), however, ripening stage and cultivars effects should also be taken into consideration. Acknowledgements: Funding is acknowledged from the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Competitive Factors Thematic Operational Program (COMPETE) and from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal, for funding the Research Units QOPNA (Research Unit 62/94 QOPNA, under projects PEst-C/QUI/UI0062/2013; FCOMP-01 – 0124-FEDER-037296), and CICECO (project Pest-C/CTM/LA0011/2013; FCOMP-01 – 0124-FEDER-037271). The authors also thank RegieFrutas – Cooperativa Agricola do Tavora/Varosa for the samples supply, and Eng. Cesar Pereira, Eng. Nuno Dias, and Eng. Joao Trindade for their technical support. Â. Salvador thanks the FCT for the PhD grant (SFRH/BD/73778/2010). Keywords: Metabolomics, elderberries, terpenic compounds, norisoprenoids, SPME, GC × GC-ToFMS

Listening Comprehension Assessment: Validity Studies of Two Vertically Scaled Tests for Portuguese Students [Evaluación de la Comprensión Oral: Estudios de Validez de Dos Tests con Versiones Escaladas Verticalmente para Alumnos Portugueses

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Homogeneous poly(L-lactic acid)/chitosan blended films

The authors acknowledge the financial support to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through funding from the SupraRelax project (PTDC/FIS/115048/2009). The authors also acknowledge the help of Rogerio Pirraco in the optical microscopy experiments.

Molecular interactions driving the layer-by-layer assembly of multilayers.

This work received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS. The work was also funded by FEDER through the Competitive Factors Operational Program (COMPETE) and by National funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the scope of the projects PTDC/FIS/115048/2009 and PTDC/CTM-BIO/1814/2012. The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Luca Gasperini (3B's Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal) for his help with the figures.

Effect of Ionic Liquid Anion Type in the Performance of Solid Polymer Electrolytes Based on Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) or ionic conductors were proposed by Gray in 1997 and are typically composed by polymer with salts in its constitution, finding applications in the areas of batteries, sensors/actuators and supercapacitors, among others. Recently, salts have been substituted by ionic liquid (ILs) due to their excellent properties, including high ionic conductivity (~10-3 – 10-2 S.cm-1), almost null volatility, null flammability, thermal stability, wide electrochemical windows (~4-6 V) and being environmental friendly [1-2].The excellent properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene), P(VDF-TrFE), as solid polymer electrolyte with (N,N,N-trimethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [N111 2(OH)][NTf2] where demonstrated in [3], where the addition of the ILs affects the microstructure, thermal stability and ionic conductivity of the polymer membrane.In this work, the effect of different anions within the ionic liquid for the development of SPE based on P(VDF-TrFE) has been investigated. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [C2mim][OAc], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium triflate, [C2mim][(CF3SO3)3], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium lactate, [C2mim][Lactate], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate, [C2mim][SNC] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate [C2mim][HSO4] have been used for this purpose and the SPE were prepared by thermaly induced phase separation (TIPS). The thermal and electrical properties of the SPE strongly depend on the selected IL through their different interactions with the polymer matrix. The room temperature ionic conductivity increasing in the following way for the different anions: [SNC] > [CF3SO3)3] > [HSO4] > [Lactate] > [OAc]. Acknowledgments This work was supported by FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011, PEST-C/QUI/UI0686/2013, PEST-OE/EQB/LA0004/2011, and grants SFRH/BD/68499/2010 (C.M.C.) and SRFH/BD/90366/2012 (R.L.). The authors also thank funding from Matepro –Optimizing Materials and Processes”, ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000037”, co-funded by the “Programa Operacional Regional do Norte” (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the “Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional” (QREN), through the “Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional” (FEDER). The authors thank Solvay for kindly supplying the high quality materials.

Synthesis of N-alkyl-Cα,α-dimethylglycine derivatives

Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) – Portugal and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) for financial support to Chemistry Centre of University of Minho. The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance II+ 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased in the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment; contract REDE/1517/RMN/2005, with funds from POCI 2010, FEDER and FCT.

Preliminary coastal vulnerability assessment for Pico Island (Azores)

ABSTRACT Borges, P., Phillips, M.R., Ng, K., Medeiros, A., Calado, H., 2014. Preliminary coastal vulnerability assessment for Pico Island (Azores). In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 385–388, ISSN 0749-0208. The SMARTPARKS project (PTDC/AAC-AMB/098786/2008), funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), aims at establishing a planning and management system for small island (SI) protected areas (PA). Diverging from traditional no-take zone protected areas this project strives to integrate human activities, economic and cultural development, and conservation objectives. Pico Island in the Azores archipelago was selected as a suitable case study site. Pico is a Natural Park with 35% of its area being classified as PAs. This paper presents the assessment of relative coastal vulnerability of Pico to erosion and coastal flooding in order to determine how...

Solid Polymer Electrolytes Based on Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and the [N1 1 1 2(OH)][NTf2] Ionic Liquid for Energy Storage Applications

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries take advantage of solid-state ionic conductors, such as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) [1, 2]. Despite the large technological potential of solvent-free SPEs, they suffer from a serious problem: a relatively low ionic conductivity. The addition of ionic liquids (ILs) to SPEs appears as a possible solution due to the enhancement of electrochemical stability (~4-6 V) and ionic conductivity (~10-3 – 10-2 S.cm-1) [3].ILs has two important features for their specific use in battery applications: high concentration of ions and high ion mobility at room temperature. The use of PVDF polymer and its copolymers together with ILs as SPEs still has to be thoroughly explored.This work shows the thermal and electrochemical properties of SPEs based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene), P(VDF-TrFE), and specific amounts (4wt% to 32wt%) of the ionic liquid N,N,N-trimethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [N1 1 1 2(OH)][NTf2]. The SPE was prepared by thermaly induced phase separation (TIPS).The addition of ILs in P(VDF-TrFE) affects the microstructure, thermal stability and ionic conductivity of the polymer membrane.The ionic conductivity increases as the ionic liquid (IL) content increases with a maximum value at room temperature of 1.7x10-5 S.cm-1for an IL composition of 32wt%. The temperature behavior of the ionic conductivity follows the Arrhenius equation and the electrical response of the membrane is well represented by a Randles modified equivalent circuit. The results prove that the developed SPEs are adequate for energy storage devices. Acknowledgments This work was supported by FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011, PEST-C/QUI/UI0686/2011, PEST-OE/EQB/LA0004/2011, projects PTDC/CTM-NAN/121274/2010 and PTDC/QUI-QUI/117340/2010, grants SFRH/BD/68499/2010 (C.M.C.) and SRFH/BD/90366/2012 (R.L.) and FCT Investigator grant (J.M.S.S.E.). The authors also thank funding from Matepro –Optimizing Materials and Processes”, ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000037”, co-funded by the “Programa Operacional Regional do Norte” (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the “Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional” (QREN), through the “Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional” (FEDER). The authors thank Solvay for kindly supplying the high quality materials.

Chitosan and Ionic Liquid Based Solid Polymer Electrolytes: The Anion Alkyl Chain Length Effect

It has been long recognized that polymer electrolytes (PEs) are potentially interesting as electrolytes for solid-state electrochemical devices 1-3 . It is also recognized that the most important properties of electrolyte solutions are non-volatility and high ionic conductivity. If the former property is easily fulfilled because polymers do not vaporize, only decompose at higher temperatures, the latter one is the major drawback that is delaying their application in commercial devices. To overcome this, the solvent-free polymer electrolytes (SPEs) community has been paying great attention to ionic liquids (ILs). Since ILs are composed only of ions, and show very high ionic conductivity, non-volatility and non-flammability 4 .Nowadays, safety, environmental issues also pose a significant concern. Because of that, some research groups have been turning their attention to natural polymers, due to their biodegradability, low toxicity and extraction from renewable sources, as fast growing plants and animals 5 . Among the extensive range of the existing natural polymers is chitosan. Chitosan is obtained by deacetylation of its parent polymer chitin, a polysaccharide widely distributed in nature (e.g. crustaceans, insects and certain fungi) 6 .This work describes the results of the characterization of polymer electrolytes using chitosan matrix doped with ionic liquids series 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dialkylphosphate [C2mim][CnPO4], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium alkylsulfonate [C2mim][CnSO3] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium alkylsulfate [C2mim][CnSO4]. This work studies the effect of increasing the alkyl chain length of the anion on the thermal, morphological and electrochemical properties of these SPEs.The samples have been characterized by thermal analysis (TGA and DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized optical microscopy (POM), complex impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Acknowledgements This work was supported by FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Project PEST-C/QUI/UI0686/2011 and PEST-OE/EQB/LA0004/2011, projects PTDC/CTM-NAN/121274/2010 and PTDC/QUI-QUI/117340/2010, grant SRFH/BD/90366/2012 (R.L.) and Investigador FCT grant (J.M.S.S.E.). References 1P.V. Wright, Br. Poly. J. 7 (1975) 319–327. 2 M. Armand, M. T. Duclot, J.M. Chabagno, In Proceedings of the Second International Meeting on Solid State Electrolytes; St. Andrews, Scotland, Sept 20_22, 1978; 1978; Extended 6.5. 3F.M. Gray, in Solid Polymer Electrolytes: Fundamentals and Technological Applications, VCH Publishers, Inc., New York, 1991. 4 H. Ohno, Electrochemical Aspects of Ionic Liquids, 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New Jersey, 2011. 5R. Leones, F. Sentanin, L.C. Rodrigues, I.M. Marrucho, J.M.S.S. Esperança, A. Pawlicka, M.M. Silva, eXPRESS Polymer Letters 6 (12) (2012) 1007. 6 R.A.A. Muzzarelli, Natural chelating polymers: alginic acid, chitin and chitosan, Pergamon Press Oxford, New York, 1973.

Chromone: A Valid Scaffold in Medicinal Chemistry

This work was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal (projects PTDC/QUI-QUI/113687/2009 and PEst-C/QUI/UI0081/2013). A.G. (SFRH/BD/43531/2008) and M.J.M. (SFRH/BD/61262/2009) thank FCT for grants.

DNA sampling from body swabs of terrestrial slugs (Gastropoda: Pulmonata): a simple and non-invasive method for molecular genetics approaches

Ph.D. Grant SFRH/ BD/77872/2011 of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)

Spawning, pelagic and metamorphosis stage duration in European flounder (Platichthys flesus): a latitudinal approach

Event Abstract Back to Event Spawning, pelagic and metamorphosis stage duration in European flounder (Platichthys flesus): a latitudinal approach Filipe Martinho1*, Henk W. Van Der Veer2, Henrique N. Cabral3 and Miguel A. Pardal1 1 Centre for Functional Ecology - CFE, Portugal 2 Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research - NIOZ, Netherlands 3 Centro de Oceanografia, Portugal The spawning, pelagic and metamorphosis stage duration were evaluated in European flounder (Platichthys flesus) along a latitudinal gradient in the European Atlantic coast. The main objective was to determine latitudinal trends in the estuarine nursery habitat colonization processes, considering a wide geographical range: from the southernmost population in the Mondego estuary (Portugal), the French coasts (Vilaine and Slack estuaries), the Wadden Sea (Netherlands) to the northern populations in the Sørfjord (Norway). Flounder 0-group juveniles were captured in June/July 2010. Otolith microstructure was used to account for the duration of each stage by analysing daily growth increments. The spawning period took place between mid-January and early-July over the species’ distribution range, with a gap of nearly two months between the Mondego estuary and the Sørfjord populations, as a consequence of warmer water temperature earlier in the season in the southern areas. Both pelagic and metamorphosis stages were longer at the middle of the distribution range, and lasted in total up to two months after hatching. Results also suggested the existence of a counter-gradient growth compensation mechanism in the northernmost populations. Apart from temperature (proxy for the latitudinal gradient), which regulates species’ basal metabolic rates, differences between sites were also related with local features, such as the extension of the continental platform and adaptations to transport and retention mechanisms. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Daniel Crespo, Dániel Nyitrai, João Rito, Cláudia Moreira, Rita Guillot and Hans Witte for the help in the sampling campaigns; to Louis Quiniou and Rachid Amara for providing flounder samples from the French estuaries; to Catarina Vinagre and Audrey Geffen for helping with the otolith reading procedures. Filipe Martinho is funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through a research contract (IF/01410/2012). Keywords: Flounder, spawning, larval development time, counter gradient growth compensation, latitudinal cline Conference: IMMR | International Meeting on Marine Research 2014, Peniche, Portugal, 10 Jul - 11 Jul, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: BIODIVERSITY, CONSERVATION AND COASTAL MANAGEMENT Citation: Martinho F, Van Der Veer HW, Cabral HN and Pardal MA (2014). Spawning, pelagic and metamorphosis stage duration in European flounder (Platichthys flesus): a latitudinal approach. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: IMMR | International Meeting on Marine Research 2014. doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2014.02.00013 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 May 2014; Published Online: 18 Jul 2014. * Correspondence: Dr. Filipe Martinho, Centre for Functional Ecology - CFE, Coimbra, 3000-456, Portugal, fmartinho@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Filipe Martinho Henk W Van Der Veer Henrique N Cabral Miguel A Pardal Google Filipe Martinho Henk W Van Der Veer Henrique N Cabral Miguel A Pardal Google Scholar Filipe Martinho Henk W Van Der Veer Henrique N Cabral Miguel A Pardal PubMed Filipe Martinho Henk W Van Der Veer Henrique N Cabral Miguel A Pardal Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.