Do seabirds dream of artificial lights? Understanding light preferences of Procellariiformes.

Seabirds, and particularly fledglings of burrow-nesting species, are greatly impacted by light pollution. During their inaugural flights from colony to sea, fledglings become grounded after encountering artificial light. Such groundings, or fallout events, affect many fledglings each year, causing mass mortality events.

One year of COVID-19: A longitudinal study of individual and relational factors of psychological adjustment of individuals living in a romantic relationship in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This longitudinal study explored the impact of COVID-19 on individuals in romantic relationships. The sample spans three waves: first confinement (n = 52), deconfinement (n = 49), and second confinement (n = 26). The study tested sociodemographic factors, psychological adjustment (anxiety, depression, stress, well-being), COVID-19 threat perception, dyadic coping, and relationship quality.

Molecular identification of the invasive subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) outside its known distribution: introduction routes and implications for pest management strategies.

Despite providing important ecosystem services, termites are also serious pests of wooden structures. Termites are highly adaptive organisms that cause concern as an invasive species. Predictions of the future spread of their distribution range due to factors such as climate change, urban growth, and global trade present new challenges to our capacity to protect our wood and wood-based materials and structures effectively.

Comparative Studies on the Photoreactivity, Efficacy, and Safety of Depigmenting Agents.

Depigmenting products are increasingly used to counteract skin hyperpigmentation and related psychosocial issues. This study aimed to compare different depigmenting agents-4-butylresorcinol; bakuchiol; tranexamic acid; ascorbyl glucoside; α-arbutin; and ascorbic acid-for photoreactivity; tyrosinase inhibition; and safety. Photoreactivity was assessed using the Reactive Oxygen Species assay.

Predictive Model of the Relationship between Positive and Negative Affect, Self-Consciousness of Appearance, and Positive Body Image in Physical Exercise Practice.

The biopsychosocial development of individuals is influenced by body image and physical exercise. This study aimed to evaluate seven hypotheses regarding the impact of positive affect, negative affect, self-consciousness of appearance, and positive body image on the practice of physical exercise. The data were processed using the statistical package SmartPLS 4.

Refining the evolutionary tree of the horse Y chromosome.

The Y chromosome carries information about the demography of paternal lineages, and thus, can prove invaluable for retracing both the evolutionary trajectory of wild animals and the breeding history of domesticates. In horses, the Y chromosome shows a limited, but highly informative, sequence diversity, supporting the increasing breeding influence of Oriental lineages during the last 1500 years. Here, we augment the primary horse Y-phylogeny, which is currently mainly based on modern horse breeds of economic interest, with haplotypes (HT) segregating in remote horse populations around the world.

Challenges for social work with older people in the first COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency in Portugal.

This article seeks to understand the needs and difficulties of intervention with older people during the first state of emergency in Portugal due to COVID-19. The results show that these professionals faced challenges they never experienced before and necessitated support to carry out their work in an emergency. The difficulties resulted, not only from the chronic vulnerabilities stemming from the disinvestment of public policies in recent years but also from the uncertainty that the pandemic brought to social interventions.

Ontogenetic exposure to light influences seabird vulnerability to light pollution.

Light pollution critically affects fledglings of burrow-nesting seabirds, leading to massive mortality events. The successful management of this pollutant depends upon a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing visual sensitivity and corresponding behaviours towards light. Factors shaping the development of the visual system could account for variation in seabirds' vulnerability to light pollution.

Microbial Hyaluronic Acid Production: A Review.

Microbial production of hyaluronic acid (HA) is an area of research that has been gaining attention in recent years due to the increasing demand for this biopolymer for several industrial applications. Hyaluronic acid is a linear, non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan that is widely distributed in nature and is mainly composed of repeating units of N-acetylglucosamine and glucuronic acid. It has a wide and unique range of properties such as viscoelasticity, lubrication, and hydration, which makes it an attractive material for several industrial applications such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

Valorization of Seaweed Wracks: Inclusion as Additive in Diets for Grass Carp ().

Macroalgae have been recently described as a potential ingredient for aquafeeds, exerting several physiological benefits. Grass carp () is a freshwater species, which has been the major fish species produced in the world in the last years. In order to determine the potential use of macroalgal wracks in fish feeding, juveniles were fed with an extruded commercial diet (CD) or the CD supplemented with 7% of a wind dried-powder (1 mm) from either a multispecific macroalgal wrack (CD + MU7) or a monospecific macroalgal wrack (CD + MO7) obtained from Gran Canaria island (Spain) coasts.

A pictorial key for identification of the hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the Madeira Archipelago.

Background: Syrphid flies are important ecological indicators and provide crucial ecosystem services, being important pollinators and biological control agents of insect pests. These charismatic insects are conspicuous and, due to their size and colourful patterns, are relatively easy to identify. However, the lack of user-friendly literature (e.

Biological activities of organic extracts and specialized metabolites from different parts of Cryptomeria japonica (Cupressaceae) - A critical review.

Forest operations and wood industry generate large amounts of residues that are discarded in the field and cause environmental pollution. However, these biomass residues are still raw materials to obtain value-added products, such as essential oils, organic/aqueous extracts and resins that are among the great natural sources of bioactive metabolites. Thus, in recent years, the scientific community is giving special attention to their valorization.

Parenting Programme Structure, Potential Barriers, and Facilitators: A Scoping Review.

Becoming a parent is a challenging transition, and stress factors may arise. This scoping review aims to map, from the literature, the structure, potential barriers, and facilitators to be considered when conducting a parenting programme for parents of children up to 3 years old. It followed the JBI methodology and included studies with parents of children up to 3 years old (Participants), studies about parenting programme structure, its potential barriers, and facilitators (Concept) in the healthcare or community setting (Context).

Iodine Intake and Related Cognitive Function Impairments in Elementary Schoolchildren.

Iodine deficiency, the most common cause of preventable mental impairment worldwide, has been linked to poorer intellectual function in several studies. However, to our knowledge, no studies have been performed in moderate iodine-deficient schoolchildren using the complete form of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III; Portuguese version). The main purpose of this study was to ascertain whether moderate iodine deficiency would affect the cognitive function of schoolchildren (7-11 years old; 3rd and 4th grades).

DNA metabarcoding of gut contents reveals key habitat and seasonal drivers of trophic networks involving generalist predators in agricultural landscapes.

Background: Understanding the networks of trophic interactions into which generalist predators are embedded is key to assessing their ecological role of in trophic networks and the biological control services they provide. The advent of affordable DNA metabarcoding approaches greatly facilitates quantitative understanding of trophic networks and their response to environmental drivers. Here, we examine how key environmental gradients interact to shape predation by Lycosidae in highly dynamic vegetable growing systems in China.

Excreted secreted products from the parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae manipulate the Drosophila melanogaster immune response.

Steinernema carpocapsae is an entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) that rapidly infects and kills a wide range of insect hosts and has been linked to host immunosuppression during the initial stages of infection. The lethal nature of S. carpocapsae infections has previously been credited to its symbiotic bacteria; however, it has become evident that the nematodes are able to effectively kill their hosts independently through their excretion/secretion products (ESPs).

Durability assessment of external thermal insulation composite systems in urban and maritime environments.

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) are multilayer solutions which provide an enhanced thermal performance to the building envelope. However, significant anomalies can be detected on ETICS facades, in some cases shortly after the application of these systems. This study intends to evaluate and compare the durability of six commercially available ETICS after two years of outdoor exposure at both urban and maritime conditions in Portugal.

Investigation of the Azorean Processing Conditions to Maximize the Theaflavin 3,3'-di--Gallate Content as a Potential Antiviral Compound.

The molecular constituents of , in particular epigallocatechin-3--gallate (EGCG) and, more remarkably, the galloylated theaflavins, mainly theaflavin-3,3'-di--gallate (TF-3,3'-DG), have been reported to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL), an enzyme required for the cleavage of its polyproteins, to produce vital individual functional proteins for viral cell replication. Our results for total catechin content revealed the values of 174.72, 200.

Dramatic changes in the structure of shallow-water marine benthic communities following the invasion by Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dictyotales, Ochrophyta) in Azores (NE Atlantic).

Biological invasions are considered one of the most important drivers of biodiversity loss. Here we use a before-after-control-impact (BACI) design to investigate the impact of Rugulopteryx okamurae on the structure of shallow-water marine benthic communities in São Miguel island, Azores. After its first appearance in 2019, R.

Whole-Genome Sequencing and Annotation of the Yeast Reveals Important Insights about Its Adaptation to the Vineyard Environment.

was recently described as a novel non- yeast species, isolated from grapes of Azores vineyards, a Portuguese archipelago with particular environmental conditions, and from Italian grapes infected with . In the present work, the genome of five strains was sequenced, assembled, and annotated for the first time, using robust pipelines, and a combination of both long- and short-read sequencing platforms. Genome comparisons revealed specific differences between strains of reflecting their isolation in two separate ecological niches-Azorean and Italian vineyards-as well as mechanisms of adaptation to the intricate and arduous environmental features of the geographical location from which they were isolated.

Marine Organisms as Alkaloid Biosynthesizers of Potential Anti-Alzheimer Agents.

The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), increases continuously demanding the urgent development of anti-Alzheimer's agents. Marine organisms (MO) have to create their own defenses due to the adverse environment where they live and so synthesize several classes of compounds, such as akaloids, to defend themselves. Therefore, the identification of marine natural products with neuroprotective effects is a necessity.