Cd and Pb and their sub-cellular distributions were determined in Cu Concentrations of Zn,, composite samples of digestive glands of the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris caught from two areas of the Portuguese coast characterised by contrasting metal contamination. Minor contents of Zn (1%), Cu (2%), Cd (6%) and Pb (7%) were found in the insoluble fraction, consisting of nuclei, mitochondria, lysosomes and microsome operationally separated from the whole digestive gland through a sequential centrifugation. A tendency for linear relationships between metal concentrations in nuclei, mitochondria, lysosomes and whole digestive gland was observed. These relationships suggest that despite low metal content organelles responded to the increasing accumulated metals, which means that detoxifying mechanism in cytosol was incomplete. Poorer correlations between microsome and whole digestive gland did not point to metal toxicity in the analysed compartments. However, the high accumulated Cd indicated that O. vulgaris is an important vehicle of this element to its predators in the coastal environment. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new clean fast (8 min) method for in-solution protein digestion Without detergent or urea for protein identification by peptide mass fingerprint and mass spectrometry-based techniques is Proposed. The new method avoids the use of time consuming desalting procedures entailing the following four steps done under the effect of an ultrasonic field provided by a sonoreactor: denaturation (1 min) in a mixed Solution of water:acetonitrile 1/1 (v/v): protein reduction (1 min); protein alkylation (1 min); and protein digestion (5 min). Five Proteins with masses comprised between 14.4 kDa and 97 kDa and the protein splitsoret cytochrome c from D. desulfuricans ATCC27774, Were Successfully identified with this procedure. No differences were found in the sequence coverage or in the number of peptides matched when the new clean method was compared to another one using urea. Twofold better signal-to-noise ratios were obtained in the MALDI spectra from protein samples prepared with the new method when comparing it with a method using urea. The new digestion method avoids the need to remove salt content and increases throughput (six samples at once) while reducing sample loss and contamination from sample handling. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is reviewed and some questions related to its effective performance are discussed. Its interpretation in terms of AM?FM modulation is done. Solutions for its drawbacks are proposed. Numerical simulations are carried out to empirically evaluate the proposed modified EMD.

We describe the use of ATP caged with [7-(diethylamino)coumarin-4-yl]methyl (DEACM) for light-controlled in vitro transcription reactions. Polymerization is blocked when DEACM is bonded to the gamma phosphate group of the ATP molecule. Controlled light irradiation releases ATP and transcription is initiated. In order to provide full control over the process, conditions involved in substrate release, nucleotide availability after release and the effect of the released coumarin in RNA polymerization were assessed in further detail. Together, our data provide the first direct evidence of control over enzymatic polymerization of nucleic acids through light. This approach may provide researchers with a unique tool for the study of biological processes at a molecular level.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is widely used in spectral codification of information at the molecular level, and can be used to generate several layers of information on a DNA chip. We used two oligonucleotides (probes) labeled with different donor (harvesting) molecules in hybridization experiments with complementary oligonucleotides labeled with four different acceptors (targets). By looking at the fluorescence response of the sample after {"}specific{"} excitation of each donor molecule (by {"}specific{"} we mean a wavelength where one of the donors is predominantly excited), we inspected the possibility t o identify the complementary oligonucleotide hybridized to the probe, in mixtures containing two donor probe/acceptor target pairs. In most samples (13 out of the 16 possible), it is trivial to identify the complementary target that is hybridized to the excited donor probe in the mixtures. The major limitations of the chosen system arise when very different concentrations of donor probe/acceptor target pairs are present in the same sample. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This report is made for the Work Package 15 of WORKS project and tries to develop more information on the Portuguese situation in the work structures changes in the recent years. It starts with an analysis of socio- economical indicators (Macro economical indicators, Employment indicators, Consumption, Technology at the workplace, Productivity), and then approaches the situation in terms of work flexibility in its dimensions of time use and New forms of work organisation. It traces employment in business functions with a sectoral and occupational approach, and analyses the occupational change in South Europe with particular relevance to Portugal (skill utilisation and job satisfaction, occupational and industrial mobility, quantitative evaluation of the shape of employment in Europe. Finaly are analysed the globalisation indicators.

This report is made for the Work Package 15 of WORKS project and tries to develop more information on the Portuguese situation in the work structures changes in the recent years. It starts with an analysis of socio- economical indicators (Macro economical indicators, Employment indicators, Consumption, Technology at the workplace, Productivity), and then approaches the situation in terms of work flexibility in its dimensions of time use and New forms of work organisation. It traces employment in business functions with a sectoral and occupational approach, and analyses the occupational change in South Europe with particular relevance to Portugal (skill utilisation and job satisfaction, occupational and industrial mobility, quantitative evaluation of the shape of employment in Europe. Finaly are analysed the globalisation indicators.

In this paper, the classic Levy identification method is reviewed and reformulated using a complex representation. This new formulation addresses the well known bias of the classic method at low frequencies. The formulation is generic, coping with both integer order and fractional order transfer functions. A new algorithm based on a stacked matrix and its pseudoinverse is proposed to accommodate the data over a wide range of frequencies. Several simulation results are presented, together with a real system identification. This system is the Archimedes Wave Swing, a prototype of a device to convert the energy of sea waves into electricity.

Portugal had only very few foresight exercises on the automobile sector, and the most recent one was a survey held in a project on work organisation systems in the automobile industry, its recent historical paths and the special strategies of location of companies (the WorTiS project). This involved several teams with different disciplinary backgrounds and from two Portuguese universities. The provisional main results of the first round of a Delphi survey held in Portugal on the automotive sector were already published, but a further analysis was not yet done. This foresight survey was done under the WorTiS project, developed in 2004 by IET – Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation (at FCT-UNL), and financed by the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology. Some of this experience on foresight analysis is also been transferred to other projects, namely the WORKS project on work organisation restructuring in the knowledge society that received the support from EC and still is running. The majority of experts considered having an average of less knowledge in almost all the scenario topics presented. This means that information on the automotive industry is not spread enough among academics or experts in related fields (regional scientists, innovation economists, engineers, sociologists). Some have a good knowledge but in very specialised fields. Others have expertise on foresight, or macroeconomics, or management sciences, but feel insecure on issues related with futures of automobile sector. Nevertheless, we considered specially the topics where the experts considered themselves to have some knowledge. There were no “irrelevant” topics considered as such by the expert panel. There are also no topics that are not considered a need for co-operation. The lack of technological infrastructures was not considered as a hindered factor for the accomplishment of any scenario. The experts’ panel considered no other international competence besides US, Jap

Portugal had only very few foresight exercises on the automobile sector, and the most recent one was a survey held in a project on work organisation systems in the automobile industry, its recent historical paths and the special strategies of location of companies (the WorTiS project). This involved several teams with different disciplinary backgrounds and from two Portuguese universities. The provisional main results of the first round of a Delphi survey held in Portugal on the automotive sector were already published, but a further analysis was not yet done. This foresight survey was done under the WorTiS project, developed in 2004 by IET – Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation (at FCT-UNL), and financed by the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology. Some of this experience on foresight analysis is also been transferred to other projects, namely the WORKS project on work organisation restructuring in the knowledge society that received the support from EC and still is running. The majority of experts considered having an average of less knowledge in almost all the scenario topics presented. This means that information on the automotive industry is not spread enough among academics or experts in related fields (regional scientists, innovation economists, engineers, sociologists). Some have a good knowledge but in very specialised fields. Others have expertise on foresight, or macroeconomics, or management sciences, but feel insecure on issues related with futures of automobile sector. Nevertheless, we considered specially the topics where the experts considered themselves to have some knowledge. There were no “irrelevant” topics considered as such by the expert panel. There are also no topics that are not considered a need for co-operation. The lack of technological infrastructures was not considered as a hindered factor for the accomplishment of any scenario. The experts’ panel considered no other international competence besides US, Japan or Ge

Chalcones possessing a hydroxyl group in position 2 cyclize to form flavylium salts in acidic media, this reaction being reversible under neutral-basic conditions. On the other hand, chalcones possessing a hydroxyl group in position 2' cyclize to form flavanones in basic media. By synthesizing 2'-hydroxyflavylium tetrafluoroborate, it was possible to obtain trans-2,2'-dihydroxychalcone that in solution can evolve to 2'-hydroxyflavanone or back to 2'-hydroxyflavylium depending on the pH. The several equilibria established in aqueous solution were fully characterized. The importance of including flavanones into the flavylitun network of chemical reactions is briefly exploited. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Electrochromic materials are characterized by their colour changes upon applied voltage. Colour can mean many things: a certain kind of light, its effect on the human eye, or the result of this effect in the mind of the viewer. Since the electrochromic materials are developed towards real life applications it is relevant to characterize them with the usual commercial colour standards. A colorimetric study of electrogenerated Prussian blue and electrogenerated polymers based on salen-type complexes of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Pd(H) deposited over transparent flexible electrodes of polyethylene terephthalate coated with indium tin oxide (PET/ITO electrodes) was carried out using the CIELAB coordinates. A cuvette with a designed adapter to allow potentiostatic control was placed on an integrating sphere installed in the sample compartment of a spectrophotometer to run the colorimetric measurements. The colour evolution in situ was measured through the transmittance of the films by potentiostatic control. Chronocoutometry/chronoabsorptometry was used to evaluate maximum coloration efficiencies for the coloration step: 184 (Pd), 161 (Cu) and 83 cm(2)/C (Ni) and for bleaching: 199 (Pd), 212 (Cu) and 173 cm(2)/C (Ni) of the Pd, Cu and Ni polymer films, respectively. The Prussian Blue/Prussian White states over the PET/ITO films were relatively reversible while the reversibility and stability of the polymers based on the metals salen-type complexes depends on the metal, Pd being the most stable. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic method with diode-array UV-vis spectrophotometric detection has been developed for the authentication of dragon's blood resins from Dracaena and Daemonorops trees. Using this method it was discovered that the flavylium chromophores, which contribute to the red colour of these resins, differ among the species and could be used as markers to differentiate among species. A study of parameters, such as time of extraction, proportion of MeOH and pH, was undertaken to optimise the extraction of the flavyliums. This method was then used to make extracts from samples of dragon's blood resin obtained from material of known provenance. From the samples analysed 7,6-dihydroxy-5-methoxyflavylium (dracorhodin), 7,4'-dihydroxy-5-methoxyflavylium (dracoflavylium) and 7,4'-dihydroxyflavylium were selected as species markers for Daemonorops spp., Dracaena draco and Dracaena cinnabari, respectively. The chromatograms from these samples were used to build an HPLC-DAD database. The ability to discriminate among species of dragon's blood using the single marker compounds was compared with a principal components analysis of the chromatograms in the HPLC-DAD database. The results from the HPLC-DAD method based on the presence of these flavylium markers was unequivocal. The HPLC-DAD method was subsequently applied to 37 samples of dragon blood resins from the historical samples in the Economic Botany Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The method identified anomalies in how samples in this collection had been labelled. It is clear that the method can be used to evaluate the provenance of samples used in different areas of cultural heritage. It also could be used to monitor the trade of endangered species of dragon's blood and the species being used in complex formulations of traditional Chinese medicine. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Helically twisted fibers can be produced by electrospinning liquid-crystalline cellulose solutions. Fiber topographies are studied by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (see figure) and polarized optical microscopy. The fibers have a nearly universal pitch-to-diameter ratio and comprise both right- and left-handed helices.

We present a new concept for the design of a polymeric conducting material that combines the chemical versatility of an organic salt ( ionic liquid) with the morphological versatility of a biopolymer ( gelatin); the resulting 'ion jelly' can be applied in electrochemical devices, such as batteries, fuel cells, electrochromic windows or photovoltaic cells.