Diplodocidae are among the best known sauropod dinosaurs. Several species were described in the late 1800s or early 1900s from the Morrison Formation of North America. Since then, numerous additional specimens were recovered in the USA, Tanzania, Portugal, and Argentina, as well as possibly Spain, England, Georgia, Zimbabwe, and Asia. To date, the clade includes about 12 to 15 nominal species, some of them with questionable taxonomic status (e.g., ‘\textit{Diplodocus}’ \textit{hayi} or \textit{Dyslocosaurus polyonychius}), and ranging in age from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. However, intrageneric relationships of the iconic, multi-species genera \textit{Apatosaurus} and \textit{Diplodocus} are still poorly known. The way to resolve this issue is a specimen-based phylogenetic analysis, which has been previously implemented for \textit{Apatosaurus}, but is here performed for the first time for the entire clade of Diplodocidae.The analysis includes 81 operational taxonomic units, 49 of which belong to Diplodocidae. The set of OTUs includes all name-bearing type specimens previously proposed to belong to Diplodocidae, alongside a set of relatively complete referred specimens, which increase the amount of anatomically overlapping material. Non-diplodocid outgroups were selected to test the affinities of potential diplodocid specimens that have subsequently been suggested to belong outside the clade. The specimens were scored for 477 morphological characters, representing one of the most extensive phylogenetic analyses of sauropod dinosaurs. Character states were figured and tables given in the case of numerical characters.The resulting cladogram recovers the classical arrangement of diplodocid relationships. Two numerical approaches were used to increase reproducibility in our taxonomic delimitation of species and genera. This resulted in the proposal that some species previously included in well-known genera like \textit{Apatosaurus} and \textit{Diplodocus} are generically distinct. Of particular note is that the famous genus \textit{Brontosaurus} is considered valid by our quantitative approach. Furthermore, “\textit{Diplodocus}” hayi represents a unique genus, which will herein be called \textit{Galeamopus} gen. nov. On the other hand, these numerical approaches imply synonymization of “\textit{Dinheirosaurus}” from the Late Jurassic of Portugal with the Morrison Formation genus \textit{Supersaurus}. Our use of a specimen-, rather than species-based approach increases knowledge of intraspecific and intrageneric variation in diplodocids, and the study demonstrates how specimen-based phylogenetic analysis is a valuable tool in sauropod taxonomy, and potentially in paleontology and taxonomy as a whole.

Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCOs) are widely used in wireless transceivers. Due to the stringent specifications regarding phase-noise, LC-VCOs are usually adopted. The need for maximizing phase-noise as well as minimizing the power consumption makes imperious the adoption of optimization-based design methodologies. For the optimization of the LC-VCO characteristics, special attention must be paid to the integrated inductor design, since its quality factor may have a strong influence in the LC-VCO phase-noise. Furthermore, designers must ensure that the higher limit of VCO operating frequency is sufficiently below the inductor resonant frequency. In this chapter, a study on the influence of the quality factor of the inductors on the LC-VCO overall behavior is presented. Then, optimization of integrated inductors by exploring the inductor geometric layout is presented. Finally, results obtained for the design of an LC-VCO in 130nm Technology using a previously optimized inductor are presented.

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The Bench 19 Bonebed at Bentiaba, Angola, is a unique concentration of marine vertebrates preserving six species of mosasaurs in sediments best correlated by magnetostratigraphy to chron C32n.1n between 71.4 and 71.64 Ma. The bonebed formed at a paleolatitude near 24°S, with an Atlantic width at that latitude approximating 2700 km, roughly half that of the current width. The locality lies on an uncharacteristically narrow continental shelf near transform faults that controlled the coastal outline of Africa in the formation of the South Atlantic Ocean. Biostratigraphic change through the Bentiaba section indicates that the accumulation occurred in an ecological time dimension within the 240 ky bin delimited by chron 32n.1n. The fauna occurs in a 10 m sand unit in the Mocuio Formation with bones and partial skeletons concentrated in, but not limited to, the basal 1–2 m. The sediment entombing the fossils is an immature feldspathic sand shown by detrital zircon ages to be derived from nearby granitic shield rocks. Specimens do not appear to have a strong preferred orientation and they are not concentrated in a strand line. Stable oxygen isotope analysis of associated bivalve shells indicates a water temperature of 18.5°C. The bonebed is clearly mixed with scattered dinosaur and pterosaur elements in a marine assemblage. Gut contents, scavenging marks and associated shed shark teeth in the Bench 19 Fauna indicate biological association and attrition due to feeding activities. The ecological diversity of mosasaur species is shown by tooth and body-size disparity and by δ13C analysis of tooth enamel, which indicate a variety of foraging areas and dietary niches. The Bench 19 Fauna was formed in arid latitudes along a coastal desert similar to that of modern Namibia on a narrow, tectonically controlled continental shelf, in shallow waters below wave base. The area was used as a foraging ground for diverse species, including molluscivorus Globidens phosphaticus, small species expected near the coast, abundant Prognathodon kianda, which fed on other mosasaurs at Bench 19, and species that may have been transient and opportunistic feeders in the area.

As people have become increasingly aware, the age of the European population is rising and the percentage of adults aged 65 years and older is expected to increase. In addition, older people spend about 20 hours per day indoors, and many of them spend essentially their time in elderly care centers (ECC). In this sense, the study of indoor environments and how elder people may be particularly at risk of adverse health effects from pollutants, even at low exposures, due to multiple underlying chronic diseases is becoming an important issue to be addressed by research. Such conditions are highly prevalent, multifactorial, and associated with multiple comorbidities and poor outcomes, such as increased disability and decreased quality of life. The importance of this topic was heightened in 2012 by the World Health Day in 2012 Ageing and health with the theme "Good health adds life to years" and also the ?European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations?. Accordingly, this project is suitable to integrate these initiatives and to ensure greater recognition of what older people bring to society and create more supportive conditions for them. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Portugal to assess effects of indoor air contaminants on health status and quality of life in older persons living in ECC. The aim of GERIA project is to carry out a risk assessment, often difficult for older people, involving the identification of multiple factors potentially affecting health and quality of life, the quantification of human exposure to pollutants, and the evaluation of the individual?s response to these stimuli. The results of this project contribute to the understanding of health effects due to indoor environment variables and to provide health benefits to ECC residents with relatively simple measures.

http://docentes.fct.unl.pt/lblm/files/jbic-2015-20-821.pdf

Let $G$ be a graph whose edges are coloured with $k$ colours, and $\mathcal H=(H_1,\dots , H_k)$ be a $k$-tuple of graphs. A \emph{monochromatic $\mathcal H$-decomposition} of $G$ is a partition of the edge set of $G$ such that each part is either a single edge or forms a monochromatic copy of $H_i$ in colour $i$, for some $1\le i\le k$. Let $\phi_{k}(n,\mathcal H)$ be the smallest number $\phi$, such that, for every
order-$n$ graph and every $k$-edge-colouring, there is a monochromatic $\mathcal H$-decomposition with at most $\phi$ elements. Extending the previous results of Liu and Sousa [``Monochromatic $K_r$-decompositions of graphs", \emph{Journal of Graph Theory}76:89-100,2014], we solve this problem
when each graph in $\mathcal H$ is a clique and $n\ge n_0(\mathcal H)$ is sufficiently large.

Neste artigo é apresentado um jogo sério que visa auxiliar a iniciação da aprendizagem do Princípio Alfabético
(discriminação auditiva dos sons das vogais) em crianças com dificuldades na aprendizagem (em particular
com alterações na consciência fonológica). Para isso são estudados vários motores de jogo e o conceito de elearning. São mostrados os vários cenários do jogo bem como as suas funcionalidades e propósitos. Este jogo
foi criado para capacitar instituições de apoio a crianças com perturbações do neurodesenvolvimento.

Abstract Biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic) acid (PLA) have been studied for biomaterials applications such as natural human ligament replacement, however these materials could be applied to other sectors as aerospace, aeronautics, automotive, food packaging. \{PLA\} presents a relatively brittle with a mode I fracture behavior, being often blend with other biodegradable or non-degradable polymers to improve its fracture energy. For some existing applications, \{PLA\} components exhibit accumulated permanent deformation resulting from dynamic mechanical inputs, resulting on failure by laxity of parts. Aiming the improvement of \{PLA\} mechanical properties, the inclusion of carbon nanofillers into \{PLA\} matrix, in particular, CNT-COOH and \{GNP\} have been developed, due to their strong sp2 carbon-carbon bondings and their geometric arrangement that enhance mechanical properties of the polymer matrix. \{PLA\} and nanocomposites were produced by melt blending followed by compression molding in a hot press, with small weight percentages of nanofillers added to the matrix. Quasi static tensile tests were performed on a mechanical testing machine (Instron™ ElectroPuls E1000) along with failure analysis of specimens with centered crack with digital image correlation, revealing strain distribution along specimens.

X-ray intensity ratios, such as the Kα2/Kα1 ratio, are parameters with a large application in atomic physics and related scientific and technological areas. D.

Glucans are polymers of D-glucose with differing linkages in linear or branched sequences. They are constituents of microbial and plant cell-walls and involved in important bio-recognition processes including immunomodulation, anti-cancer activities, pathogen virulence and plant cell-wall biodegradation. Translational possibilities for these activities in medicine and biotechnology are considerable. High-throughput micro-methods are needed to screen proteins for recognition of specific glucan sequences as a lead to structure-function studies and their exploitation. We describe construction of a glucome microarray, the first sequence-defined glycome-scale microarray, using a designer approach from targeted ligand-bearing glucans in conjunction with a novel high-sensitivity mass spectrometric sequencing method, as a screening tool to assign glucan recognition motifs. The glucome microarray comprises 153 oligosaccharide probes with high purity, representing major sequences in glucans. The negative-ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry with collision-induced dissociation was used for complete linkage analysis of gluco-oligosaccharides in linear homo and hetero and branched sequences. The system is validated using antibodies and carbohydrate-binding modules known to target α- or β-glucans in different biological contexts, extending knowledge on their specificities, and applied to reveal new information on glucan recognition by two signalling molecules of the immune system against pathogens: Dectin-1 and DC-SIGN. The sequencing of the glucan oligosaccharides by the MS method and their interrogation on the microarrays provides detailed information on linkage, sequence and chain length requirements of glucan-recognizing proteins, and are a sensitive means of revealing unsuspected sequences in the polysaccharides.