Several studies have sought to understand the health effects of occupational exposure to cosmic radiation. However, only few biologic markers or associations with disease outcomes have so far been identified. In the present study, 22 long- and 26 medium-haul male Portuguese airline pilots and 36 factory workers who did not fly regularly were investigated. The two groups were comparable in age and diet, were non-smokers, never treated with ionizing radiation and other factors. Cosmic radiation exposure in pilots was quantified based on direct monitoring of 51 flights within Europe, and from Europe to North and South America, and to Africa. Indirect dose estimates in pilots were performed based on the SIEVERT (Système informatisé d'évaluation par vol de l'exposition au rayonnement cosmique dans les transports aériens) software for 6,039 medium- and 1,366 long-haul flights. Medium-haul pilots had a higher cosmic radiation dose rate than long-haul pilots, that is, 3.3 ± 0.2 μSv/h and 2.7 ± 0.3 μSv/h, respectively. Biological tests for oxidative stress on blood and urine, as appropriate, at two time periods separated by 1 year, included measurements of antioxidant capacity, total protein, ferritin, hemoglobin, creatinine and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG). Principal components analysis was used to discriminate between the exposed and unexposed groups based on all the biological tests. According to this analysis, creatinine and 8OHdG levels were different for the pilots and the unexposed group, but no distinctions could be made among the medium- and the long-haul pilots. While hemoglobin levels seem to be comparable between the studied groups, they were directly correlated with ferritin values, which were lower for the airline pilots.

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The work deals with optical and structural properties of aluminophosphate glasses from Li2O–BaO–Al2O3–La2O3–P2O5 system containing Sm3+ and Eu3+ ions. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) has been used to establish the elemental composition of these materials. The influence of Sm3+ and Eu3+ ions on the optical properties of these glasses has been investigated in relation with their structural characteristics. The optical behavior of these materials has been studied by ultra-violet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, revealing absorption maxima specific to the doping ions. Structural information via vibration modes was provided by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) absorption spectra evidenced as P–O–P symmetrical and asymmetrical stretching vibration modes, P–O–P bend, PO2- symmetrical and asymmetrical stretching vibration modes, P=O stretching vibration mode and P–O–H water absorbance. Raman spectra acquired by 514.5 nm laser excitation disclosed peaks specific to metaphosphate network. Information about the elemental compositional homogeneity of Sm3+ and Eu3+ -containing glasses as well as about the defects of the doped-glasses is revealed by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS). Fluorescence spectroscopy measurements put in evidence important fluorescence peaks found at 596 nm and 643 nm for Sm3 + ions in phosphate matrix and 611 nm and 700 nm in the case of Eu3+ -doped glass.

Extracellular electron transfer is one of the physiological hallmarks of Geobacter sulfurreducens, allowing these bacteria to reduce toxic and/or radioactive metals and grow on electrode surfaces. Aiming to functionally optimize the respiratory electron-transfer chains, such properties can be explored through genetically engineered strains. Geobacter species comprise a large number of different multihaem c-type cytochromes involved in the extracellular electron-transfer pathways. The functional characterization of multihaem proteins is particularly complex because of the coexistence of several microstates in solution, connecting the fully reduced and oxidized states. NMR spectroscopy has been used to monitor the stepwise oxidation of each individual haem and thus to obtain information on each microstate. For the structural study of these proteins, a cost-effective isotopic labelling of the protein polypeptide chains was combined with the comparative analysis of 1H-13C HSQC (heteronuclear single-quantum correlation) NMR spectra obtained for labelled and unlabelled samples. These new methodological approaches allowed us to study G. sulfurreducens haem proteins functionally and structurally, revealing functional mechanisms and key residues involved in their electron-transfer capabilities. Such advances can now be applied to the design of engineered haem proteins to improve the bioremediation and electricity-harvesting skills of G. sulfurreducens.

In this work we propose the use of Social Network Analysis to understand the positioning of the concept of Open Innovation in the literature, offering thereby a complementary approach to existing literature review up to now. The main motivation of this network analysis is to contribute to the understanding of the concept of Open Innovation, with its spread to different areas of knowledge over the years and its relationship with other concepts in the literature. Some 403 articles published in the database of the Science Direct during the years 2003 to 2011 were analyzed. The data was collected separately by year, considering the following information: journals in which the articles were published; countries of origin of the articles’ authors, keywords of these articles and year of publication. The results reveal the intense growth of the use of the words "Open Innovation" in articles from different areas of knowledge, as well as its increasing interconnection with other concepts, allowing the understanding of its diffusion in the literature.

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This paper describes a new methodology for the conception of urban plans in order for them to fit the principles of Sustainable Development. The methodology herein presented makes use of different software for designing, calculations and dynamic modelling of buildings and urban spaces. The results from these assessments are then interpreted and incorporated in the urban design solutions.
This methodology was applied in a case study in Oeiras, Portugal, in the conception phases of the Oeiras Master Plan. The overall objective of the implementation of this process in this case study was to be able to foresee the area’s final makeover and predict the impacts of the plan on the context through the integrated use of environmental analysis (ArcGIS), simulations of future scenarios (3dsMax) and 3d modelling studies (Revit, Ecotect).
Factors such as geomorphology, solar exposure, prevailing winds and rail and road traffic noise provided information on how to capitalize all favourable conditions of the site, which is a fundamental base for an appropriate land use transformation.
This methodology contributes to the control of urban design solutions and outcomes, and promotes the creation of an interface between urban planning, landscape and architecture projects. The development of a “City Information Modelling”, similar to BIM, which has been successfully applied to Architecture and Engineering projects, is therefore seen as an answer to the new challenges presented by the present and future cities.
This strategy delivers the maximum benefits at all spatial scales by embracing the logic of sustainability so that urban design can be the first tool to optimize future building and infrastructure projects.

Geobacter sulfurreducens is a sediment bacterium that contains a large number of multiheme cytochromes. The family of five c7 triheme periplasmic cytochromes from Geobacter sulfurreducens shows structural diversity of the heme core. Structural characterization of the relative orientation of the axial ligands of these proteins by 13C-paramagnetic NMR was carried out. The structures in solution were compared with those obtained by X-ray crystallography. For some hemes significant differences exist between the two methods such that orientation of the magnetic axes obtained from NMR data and the orientation taken from the X-ray coordinates differ. The results allowed the orientation of the magnetic axes to be defined confidently with respect to the heme frame in solution, a necessary step for the use of paramagnetic constraints to improve the complete solution structure of these proteins.

A look into fractional calculus and its applications from the signal processing point of view is done in this paper. A coherent approach to the fractional derivative is presented, leading to notions that are not only compatible with the classic but also constitute a true generalization. This means that the classic are recovered when the fractional domain is left. This happens in particular with the impulse response and transfer function. An interesting feature of the systems is the causality that the fractional derivative imposes. The main properties of the derivatives and their representations are presented. A brief and general study of the fractional linear systems is done, by showing how to compute the impulse, step and frequency responses, how to test the stability and how to insert the initial conditions. The practical realization problem is focussed and it is shown how to perform the input?ouput computations. Some biomedical applications are described.

Gold nanoparticles functionalized with thiol-oligonucleotides are ideal platforms for detection of specific DNA sequences. Here we evaluate the effect of single base mismatches in hybridization efficiency according to the position of the mismatch, base pairing combination and thiol-oligonucleotide density in terms of specificity and efficiency of target recognition. Hybridization efficiency and single-nucleotide polymorphism discrimination at room temperature is maximized at a density of 83 +/- 4 thiol-oligonucleotides per 13.5 nm gold nanoparticle (24 pmol/cm(2)), and when the mismatch is localized at the 3'-end of the Au-nanoprobe, i.e. away from the gold nanoparticle surface. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.