Browsing by Author "Rodrigues, Armindo"
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- Accumulation of metals in Fucus spiralis subject to increased temperature and acidity.Publication . Wallenstein, Francisco; Torrão, Daniel F.; Neto, Ana I.; Wilkinson, Martin; Rodrigues, Armindo
- Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent YearsPublication . Bernardo, Filipe; Garcia, Patrícia; Rodrigues, ArmindoThe ease of travel allowed by contemporary means of long-range transportation has brought increasingly higher numbers of visitors to remote and relatively undisturbed insular territories. In a framework of environmental conservation of the natural patrimony, sustainably accommodating touristic flooding and the associated polluting footprint poses a demanding challenge. Over the past decade, Ponta Delgada, the largest city of the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago, has become a hotspot for transatlantic cruise ship (CS) lines in spring and autumn. CSs are substantial contributors to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as hazardous sulphur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx) oxides. It is hereby retrospectively investigated whether the background levels of air pollutants were raised following the CS influx at Ponta Delgada, which conventionally displays great air quality. The daily CS traffic at the local harbor was associated with the daily concentrations of air pollutants (SO₂, O₃, NO₂, NOx, PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅), monitored by the local urban background monitoring station (~1.3 km northwards). Exceedances above daily legislated limits from 2013 until 2020 only occurred sporadically for PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅, often during episodes of natural dust storms. No major correlation was found between CS parameters with the recorded values of pollutants, although a noticeable signal of NOx increase of southern origin is observed during spring days with CS presence. Daily data suggest CS influx has not strongly influenced background air quality. A near-source, real-time monitoring network should be implemented in the city to provide the necessary spatial and temporal resolution for tracking short-term fluctuations in air pollutants during CS arrivals and departures.
- Allocation of nutrients during the reproductive cycle of Ophidiaster ophidianus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)Publication . Micael, Joana; Rodrigues, Armindo; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Alves, Maria J.; Malcolm, Jones; Costa, Ana C.The reproductive cycle of Ophidiaster ophidianus (strictly protected status) from Sa˜o Miguel Island, in the Azorean Archipelago was studied. The reproductive strategy; the energy allocation of each sex during the reproductive cycle and the nutritional condition of the population were analyzed. Gonadal index (GI) showed a clear seasonal pattern with spawning between August and October but histological examination revealed that gamete release can occur throughout the entire year. The pyloric caeca index (PCI) showed little annual variation but with an inverse relationship with the GI. Allocation of energy to the gonads and to the pyloric caeca reflected the seasonal reproductive strategy of this species. Individuals were able to simultaneously develop gonads, pyloric caeca, and quickly regenerate lost arms. There was a major expenditure of energy by females compared to males but, sexual size dimorphism was not observed. The reproductive pattern observed in O. ophidianus combining rich food availability and seawater temperatures characteristic of a temperate zone may be the key to the success of this species in the Azorean oceanic Island.
- Altered inorganic composition of enamel and dentin in mice teeth chronically exposed to an enriched mineral environment at Furnas, São Miguel (Azores)Publication . Cunha, Luís; Zanon, Vittorio; Amaral, André; Ferreira, José; Rodrigues, ArmindoActive volcanic environments pose a multifactorial stress challenge to local organisms, including the domestic mouse Mus musculus. Energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis was used to determine the elemental composition of lower incisor enamel and dentin from Mus musculus inhabiting the hydrothermal field at Furnas volcano in the Azores (Portugal). Elemental concentration for Ca, P, Na and Cl was found to be significantly different in mice from the volcanic site when compared to an unexposed group. Enamel surface was differently coloured; animals from the volcanic site showed a prominent yellow/red coloration when compared to the unexposed group, probably due to mineral deposition in the former group. These results are discussed in relation to the environment in which specimens were caught.
- Ambiente e saúde : um binómio indissociávelPublication . Rodrigues, ArmindoO que não é bom para o ambiente também o não é para a saúde e bem-estar da humanidade. O homem não é uma entidade externa à natureza nas parte integrante dela.
- Annual maturation of the perivaginal gland of Oxychilus (Drouetia) atlanticus (Pulmonata: Zonitidae): morphological and cytological approachesPublication . Rodrigues, Armindo; Martins, R.The family Zonitidae has a reproductive system, which is characterized by the presence of a perivaginal gland that, generally, surrounds the vaginal duct. The majority of works that make reference to this organ are taxonomic in nature, giving brief descriptions of the external shape of the gland and of its position in relation to other parts of the reproductive system. Rigby examined the histological structure of the perivaginal gland for the first time, studying the reproductive system of the zonitid Oxychilus cellarius (Müller). She reported that two types of glandular cells form this gland, without providing any structural or cytochemical characterization.
- Apoptosis, metallothionein, and bioavailable metals in domestic mice (Mus musculus L.) from a human-inhabited volcanic areaPublication . Amaral, André; Cabral, Carolina; Guedes, Cláudia; Rodrigues, ArmindoThe influence of extreme environments of volcanic origin over vertebrates and the cellular responses that these may give are almost unknown. The main objectives were to evaluate the exposure of mice to metals in the interior of houses of a small village settled inside a volcanic crater (Furnas, Azores), and the levels of apoptosis and metallothionein in the organs (lung, liver, and kidney) of those animals. Adult mice (Mus musculus) were captured in two areas, one with volcanic activity and the other without it over the last three centuries. In the excised organs, analysis of metals (Al, Cd, Pb, Zn), TUNEL assay for apoptosis, and immunohistochemistry for metallothionein were undertook. Mice from the area with volcanic activity presented higher levels of apoptosis and metallothionein than those from the area without volcanic activity. Such results were in agreement with the differences in metal burdens of the three organs, and interestingly these concentrations were similar to or higher than others found in heavily polluted areas outside the Azores. Thus, there may be a high risk of harmful effects for organisms, including humans, inhabiting areas with volcanism, where hazardous gases and metals in the air are very common during the entire day or even all year round.
- Assessment of molluscicidal activity of essential oils from five Azorean plants against Radix peregra (Müller, 1774)Publication . Teixeira, Tânia; Rosa, José S.; Rainha, Nuno; Baptista, José A. B.; Rodrigues, ArmindoThe molluscicidal activity of essential oils from two endemic (Juniperus brevifolia; Laurus azorica) and three introduced (Hedychium gardnerianum; Pittosporum undulatum; Psidium cattleianum) Azorean plants against the snail Radix peregra was studied under laboratory conditions. Essential oils from leaves of H. gardnerianum, L. azorica and J. brevifolia presented promising molluscicidal activity on both adults and juveniles stages of R. peregra. The molluscicidal activity of these essential oils was found to be both time and concentration dependent. Lethal concentrations (LC50) varied between 15.4 (L. azorica) and 44.6 ppm (H. gardnerianum) for juveniles and from 45.3 (H. gardnerianum) to 54.6 ppm (J. brevifolia) for R. peregra adults. Ovicidal effect, calculated as percentage of egg hatching, at 100 ppm concentration, was observed in essential oils from P. undulatum flowers (4.2% of hatching) and leaves of H. gardnerianum (4.9%), L. azorica (7.4%) and J. brevifolia (17.7%). The present study is the first attempt to assess the molluscicidal potential of some Azorean plants essential oils against a Lymnaeidae snail. In fact, the H. gardnerianum, L. azorica and J. brevifolia can offer natural alternative tools for the control of R. peregra population, but more research is needed in order to determine the mode of action of these oils and determine the side effects on the ecosystem where this freshwater snail occurs.
- Association of bovine papillomavirus type 2 (BPV-2) and urinary bladder tumours in cattle from the Azores archipelagoPublication . Resendes, Ana; Roperto, Sante; Trapani, Francesca; Urraro, Chiara; Rodrigues, ArmindoUrinary bladder tumours in cattle are caused by chronic ingestion of bracken fern and BPV-1/2 infection. The objective of the present study was to assess if BPV-2 was present in urinary bladder lesions from cattle with chronic enzootic haematuria (CEH) from the Azores archipelago (Portugal), in order to gain further information regarding the epidemiologic distribution of this virus. Samples were analysed using PCR specific primers for BPV-2 DNA and an immunohistochemistry for BPV E5 oncoprotein detection. We found a 28% incidence rate of BPV-2 DNA in different types of tumours and cystitis cases (13 out of 46 samples). Tested positive samples for PCR were also positive for the viral E5 oncoprotein; protein immunolabeling was mainly detected within the cytoplasm of urothelial cells, displaying a juxtanuclear distribution. This is the first report of BPV-2 detection in urinary bladder tumours associated with CEH in cattle from the Azores archipelago.
- Avaliação do stock de Abalones: uma pesca sustentávelPublication . Prestes, Afonso L.; Neto, Ana I.; Rodrigues, Armindo; Martins, Gustavo M.A falta de informação anterior ao início de uma exploração de uma espécie alvo é ponto comum à maior parte das pescarias. A maioria dos estudos só é iniciada após indícios claros de efeitos de um excesso de pesca. No entanto, esta situação é indicadora de que a pesca já causou alterações drásticas na estrutura das populações alvo e que, consequentemente, já não existe um ponto de referência que informe a gestão e a recuperação dos mananciais. A exploração do abalone nos Açores é virtualmente inexistente, ao contrário de muitas outras regiões onde a sua captura tem levado à ruptura dos mananciais. A espécie existente nos Açores, Haliotis tuberculata, é um recurso com elevado interesse gastronómico e económico e existem indícios de que tem sido gradualmente introduzida na gastronomia regional. Nos Açores os mananciais de H. tuberculata podem, à partida, ser considerados virgens, mas não existe informação sobre a sua abundância, biologia e ecologia. Concomitantemente, não existe qualquer tipo de restrição ou legislação regional relativamente à exploração deste marisco. O presente projecto tem como objectivo avaliar o estado actual das populações de H. tuberculata providenciando um ponto de referência para estudos futuros e garantindo deste modo uma avaliação rigorosa dos impactos de uma potencial pescaria. Neste projecto examinam-se aspectos da biologia e da ecologia de H. tuberculata que providenciarão dados úteis para garantir uma exploração sustentável deste recurso. O presente estudo providenciará também recomendações para a gestão desta pescaria baseadas na revisão bibliográfica e na informação recolhida.