Into the unknown: The role of post-fire soil erosion in the carbon cycle.

Wildfires directly emit 2.1 Pg carbon (C) to the atmosphere annually. The net effect of wildfires on the C cycle, however, involves many interacting source and sink processes beyond these emissions from combustion. Among those, the role of post-fire enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) erosion as a C sink mechanism remains essentially unquantified. Wildfires can greatly enhance soil erosion due to the loss of protective vegetation cover and changes to soil structure and wettability. Post-fire SOC erosion acts as a C sink when off-site burial and stabilization of C eroded after a fire, together with the on-site recovery of SOC content, exceed the C losses during its post-fire transport. Here we synthesize published data on post-fire SOC erosion and evaluate its overall potential to act as longer-term C sink. To explore its quantitative importance, we also model its magnitude at continental scale using the 2017 wildfire season in Europe. Our estimations show that the C sink ability of SOC water erosion during the first post-fire year could account for around 13% of the C emissions produced by wildland fires. This indicates that post-fire SOC erosion is a quantitatively important process in the overall C balance of fires and highlights the need for more field data to further validate this initial assessment.

Evaluation of the ecological risk of pesticide residues from the European LUCAS Soil monitoring 2018 survey.

The 2018 LUCAS (Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey) Soil Pesticides survey provides a European Union (EU)-scale assessment of 118 pesticide residues in more than 3473 soil sites. This study responds to the policy need to develop risk-based indicators for pesticides in the environment. Two mixture risk indicators are presented for soil based, respectively, on the lowest and the median of available No Observed Effect Concentration (NOECsoil,min and NOECsoil,50) from publicly available toxicity datasets. Two further indicators were developed based on the corresponding equilibrium concentration in the aqueous phase and aquatic toxicity data, which are available as species sensitivity distributions. Pesticides were quantified in 74.5% of the sites. The mixture risk indicator based on the NOECsoil,min exceeds 1 in 14% of the sites and 0.1 in 23%. The insecticides imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos and the fungicide epoxiconazole are the largest contributors to the overall risk. At each site, one or a few substances drive mixture risk. Modes of actions most likely associated with mixture effects include modulation of acetylcholine metabolism (neonicotinoids and organophosphate substances) and sterol biosynthesis inhibition (triazole fungicides). Several pesticides driving the risk have been phased out since 2018. Following LUCAS surveys will determine the effectiveness of substance-specific risk management and the overall progress toward risk reduction targets established by EU and UN policies. Newly generated data and knowledge will stimulate needed future research on pesticides, soil health, and biodiversity protection. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-15. © 2024 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

How the EU Soil Observatory contributes to a stronger soil erosion community.

New policy developments have emerged in relation to soil conservation after 2020. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027, the proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law and the mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' have shaped a new policy framework at EU level, which requires updated assessments on soil erosion and land degradation. The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) successfully organised a scientific workshop on 'Soil erosion for the EU' in June 2022. The event has seen the participation of more than 330 people from 63 countries, addressing important topics such as (i) management practices, (ii) large scale modelling, (iii) the importance of sediments in nutrient cycle, (vi) the role of landslides and (v) laying the foundations for early career scientists. As a follow up, among the 120 abstracts submitted in the workshop, we received fifteen manuscripts, out of which nine were selected for publication in the present special issue. In this editorial, we summarize the major challenges that the soil erosion research community faces in relation to supporting the increasing role of soils in the EU Green Deal.

How much does it cost to mitigate soil erosion after wildfires?

Wildfires usually increase the hydrological and erosive response of forest areas, carrying high environmental, human, cultural, and financial on- and off-site effects. Post-fire soil erosion control measures have been proven effective at mitigating such responses, especially at the slope scale, but there is a knowledge gap as to how cost-effective these treatments are. In this work, we review the effectiveness of post-fire soil erosion mitigation treatments at reducing erosion rates over the first post-fire year and provide their application costs. This allowed assessing the treatments' cost-effectiveness (CE), expressed as the cost of preventing 1 Mg of soil loss. This assessment involved a total of 63 field study cases, extracted from 26 publications from the USA, Spain, Portugal, and Canada, and focused on the role of treatment types and materials, and countries. Treatments providing a protective ground cover showed the best median CE (895 $ Mg-1), especially agricultural straw mulch (309 $ Mg-1), followed by wood-residue mulch (940 $ Mg-1) and hydromulch (2332 $ Mg-1). Barriers showed a relatively low CE (1386 $ Mg-1), due to their reduced effectiveness and elevated implementation costs. Seeding showed a good CE (260 $ Mg-1), but this reflected its low costs rather than its effectiveness to reduce soil erosion. The present results confirmed that post-fire soil erosion mitigation treatments are cost-effective as long as they are applied in areas where the post-fire erosion rates exceed the tolerable erosion rate thresholds (>1 Mg-1 ha-1 y-1) and are less costly than the loss of on- and off-site values that they are targeted to protect. For this reason, the proper assessment of post-fire soil erosion risk is vital to ensure that the available financial, human and material resources are applied appropriately.

Endoplasmic reticulum membranes are continuously required to maintain mitotic spindle size and forces.

Membrane organelle function, localization, and proper partitioning upon cell division depend on interactions with the cytoskeleton. Whether membrane organelles also impact the function of cytoskeletal elements remains less clear. Here, we show that acute disruption of the ER around spindle poles affects mitotic spindle size and function in Drosophila syncytial embryos. Acute ER disruption was achieved through the inhibition of ER membrane fusion by the dominant-negative cytoplasmic domain of atlastin. We reveal that when centrosome-proximal ER membranes are disrupted, specifically at metaphase, mitotic spindles become smaller, despite no significant changes in microtubule dynamics. These smaller spindles are still able to mediate sister chromatid separation, yet with decreased velocity. Furthermore, by inducing mitotic exit, we found that nuclear separation and distribution are affected by ER disruption. Our results suggest that ER integrity around spindle poles is crucial for the maintenance of mitotic spindle shape and pulling forces. In addition, ER integrity also ensures nuclear spacing during syncytial divisions.

Suggestive Evidence for an Antidepressant Effect of Metreleptin Treatment in Patients with Lipodystrophy.

INTRODUCTION: Lipodystrophy (LD) syndromes are rare heterogeneous disorders characterized by reduction or absence of subcutaneous fat, low or nondetectable leptin concentrations in blood and impaired hunger/satiety regulation. Metreleptin treatment reverses metabolic complications and improves eating behavior in LD. Because depression in anorexia nervosa (AN), which is also characterized by hypoleptinemia, improves substantially upon treatment with metreleptin, we hypothesized that metreleptin substitution may be associated with an antidepressant effect in patients with LD, too. METHODS: In this ancillary study, 10 adult patients with LD were treated with metreleptin. To assess depressive symptoms, the self-rating questionnaire Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) was filled in at preestablished time points prior (T1) and after initiation of metreleptin (T2: 1 week; T3: 4 weeks; T4: 12 weeks) dosing. The differences between time points were tested with nonparametric Friedman's analysis of variance. Sensitivity analyses were performed upon exclusion of the BDI items addressing appetite and weight changes. RESULTS: According to their BDI scores, 4 patients had mild depression and 2 had moderate depression at baseline. Friedman's test revealed significant differences in BDI scores between the four time points. Post hoc analyses revealed that the difference between T1 and T3 was significant upon Bonferroni correction (p = 0.034, effect size r = 0.88). The sensitivity analyses upon exclusion of the appetite and weight change items again revealed a significant Friedman's test and significant Bonferroni corrected differences in the revised BDI scores between T1 versus T2 (p = 0.002, r = 0.99) and T1 versus T3 (p = 0.007, r = 0.79). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Our study for the first time revealed suggestive evidence for an antidepressant effect of metreleptin in patients with LD. Metreleptin caused a rapid drop in depression scores within 1 week of treatment. A reduction of the depression score was also observed in 2 of the 3 LD patients whose BDI scores were in the normal range before start of the treatment. The reduction in total scores of BDI was still apparent after 3 months (T4) of dosing. This observation matches findings obtained in clinical case studies of AN patients, in whom depression scores also dropped during the first week of metreleptin treatment. It needs to be noted that by the nature of this observational study without a placebo group, nonspecific treatment expectation affecting mood cannot fully be ruled out.

The role of hypoleptinemia in the psychological and behavioral adaptation to starvation: Implications for anorexia nervosa.

This narrative review aims to pinpoint mental and behavioral effects of starvation, which may be triggered by hypoleptinemia and as such may be amenable to treatment with leptin receptor agonists. The reduced leptin secretion results from the continuous loss of fat mass, thus initiating a graded triggering of diverse starvation related adaptive functions. In light of leptin receptors located in several peripheral tissues and many brain regions adaptations may extend beyond those of the hypothalamus-pituitary-end organ-axes. We focus on gastrointestinal tract and reward system as relevant examples of peripheral and central effects of leptin. Despite its association with extreme obesity, congenital leptin deficiency with its many parallels to a state of starvation allows the elucidation of mental symptoms amenable to treatment with exogenous leptin in both ob/ob mice and humans with this autosomal recessive disorder. For starvation induced behavioral changes with an intact leptin signaling we particularly focus on rodent models for which proof of concept has been provided for the causative role of hypoleptinemia. For humans, we highlight the major cognitive, emotional and behavioral findings of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment to contrast them with results obtained upon a lesser degree of caloric restriction. Evidence for hypoleptinemia induced mental changes also stems from findings obtained in lipodystrophies. In light of the recently reported beneficial cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects of metreleptin-administration in anorexia nervosa we discuss potential implications for the treatment of this eating disorder. We postulate that leptin has profound psychopharmacological effects in the state of starvation.

Astral microtubule cross-linking safeguards uniform nuclear distribution in the Drosophila syncytium.

The early insect embryo develops as a multinucleated cell distributing the genome uniformly to the cell cortex. Mechanistic insight for nuclear positioning beyond cytoskeletal requirements is missing. Contemporary hypotheses propose actomyosin-driven cytoplasmic movement transporting nuclei or repulsion of neighbor nuclei driven by microtubule motors. Here, we show that microtubule cross-linking by Feo and Klp3A is essential for nuclear distribution and internuclear distance maintenance in Drosophila. Germline knockdown causes irregular, less-dense nuclear delivery to the cell cortex and smaller distribution in ex vivo embryo explants. A minimal internuclear distance is maintained in explants from control embryos but not from Feo-inhibited embryos, following micromanipulation-assisted repositioning. A dimerization-deficient Feo abolishes nuclear separation in embryo explants, while the full-length protein rescues the genetic knockdown. We conclude that Feo and Klp3A cross-linking of antiparallel microtubule overlap generates a length-regulated mechanical link between neighboring microtubule asters. Enabled by a novel experimental approach, our study illuminates an essential process of embryonic multicellularity.

Mulching-induced preservation of soil organic matter quality in a burnt eucalypt plantation in central Portugal.

Mulching has amply proven its effectiveness to mitigate post-fire soil erosion but its impacts on soil organic matter (SOM) quality and quantity continue poorly studied. The present study addressed this knowledge gap for a eucalypt plantation in central Portugal that had been burnt and, immediately after the wildfire, mulched with 13.6 Mg ha-1 of eucalypt logging residues some five years before. This was done by performing a range of analytical techniques (elemental and isotope analyses, analytical pyrolysis and 13C NMR spectroscopy) not only on the bulk soil samples but also on their humic acids (HAs) and free organic matter (FOM) fractions. While mulching reduced soil and SOM losses with 91 and 93%, respectively, it also improved SOM quality of the topsoil, in particular in terms of HAs and FOM. At 0-4 cm depth, both HAs and FOM contents were roughly twice as high in the mulched plots as in the control plots. The effects of mulching on the molecular composition of HAs and FOM fractions, however, varied markedly. Analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) revealed that mulching had led to a noticeable accumulation of labile, aliphatic SOM constituents such as carbohydrate-derived and alkyl compounds (fatty acids and n-alkanes) but that it hardly affected the composition of HAs. Even so, solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy showed that mulching had resulted in a relative increase in aryl C in the FOM fraction, suggesting an enhanced preservation of the pyrogenic OM. Overall, the combined use of a range of analytical techniques allowed to conclude that, five years after their application, the forest logging residues had led to a greater preservation of the fire-derived pyrogenic OM (mainly aromatic compounds) in the topsoil as well as to higher contents of SOM's most labile molecular constituents (mainly carbohydrates and n-alkyl compounds). The former reflected the reduced erosion rates, while the latter was probably due to a combination of reduced erosion rates with the additional input of fresh organic matter.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Questionnaire on the Health Staff's Perceptions Regarding Doutores da Alegria's Interventions.

A confirmatory analysis was performed to validate the Questionnaire on the Health Staff's Perceptions Regarding Doutores da Alegria's Intervention, a 40-item instrument designed to assess pediatric staff's perceptions regarding the effects of Doutores da Alegria, a Brazilian hospital clowning professional organization. Eight dimensions were evaluated: the permanence of Doutores da Alegria's interventions; Doutores da Alegria's intrapersonal and interpersonal effects on their relation to health staff; themselves; staff-children; and staff-family relationships; as well as their effect on staff's cultural development; children's relation to their own disease; and families' attitude regarding their child's condition. In all, 567 health professionals from 13 Brazilian hospitals participated. The instrument's good psychometric features are acknowledged.

Ultrasound guided airway access / Acesso às vias aéreas guiado por ultrassom

Abstract Ultrasound has increasingly growing applications in anesthesia. This procedure has proven to be a novel, non-invasive and simple technique for the upper airway management, proving to be a useful tool, not only in the operating room but also in the intensive care unit and emergency department. Indeed, over the years mounting evidence has showed an increasing role of ultrasound in airway management. In this review, the authors will discuss the importance of ultrasound in the airway preoperative assessment as a way of detecting signs of difficult intubation or to define the type and/or size of the endotracheal tube as well as to help airway procedures such as endotracheal intubation, cricothyrotomy, percutaneous tracheal intubation, retrograde intubation as well as the criteria for extubation.

Resumo O uso do ultrassom em anestesia tem aumentado consideravelmente. Esse procedimento provou ser uma técnica nova, não invasiva e simples para o manejo das vias aéreas superiores, mostrou ser uma ferramenta útil não apenas em salas de cirurgia, mas também em unidades de terapia intensiva e prontos-socorros. De fato, ao longo dos anos, evidências crescentes mostraram que o papel do ultrassom no manejo das vias aéreas se destacou. Nesta revisão, discutiremos a importância da ultrassonografia na avaliação pré-operatória das vias aéreas, como forma de detectar sinais de intubação difícil ou definir o tipo e/ou tamanho do tubo endotraqueal, bem como auxiliar nos procedimentos de abordagem das vias aéreas, como intubação endotraqueal, cricotireotomia, intubação traqueal percutânea, intubação retrógrada e critérios de extubação.

[Ultrasound guided airway access]. / Acesso às vias aéreas guiado por ultrassom.

Ultrasound has increasingly growing applications in anesthesia. This procedure has proven to be a novel, non-invasive and simple technique for the upper airway management, proving to be a useful tool, not only in the operating room but also in the intensive care unit and emergency department. Indeed, over the years mounting evidence has showed an increasing role of ultrasound in airway management. In this review, the authors will discuss the importance of ultrasound in the airway preoperative assessment as a way of detecting signs of difficult intubation or to define the type and/or size of the endotracheal tube as well as to help airway procedures such as endotracheal intubation, cricothyrotomy, percutaneous tracheal intubation, retrograde intubation as well as the criteria for extubation.

Autoeficácia e sucesso na transição para o trabalho: um estudo longitudinal / Self-efficacy and transition-to-work success: A longitudinal study / Autoeficacia y éxito en la transición al trabajo: Un estudio longitudinal

O sucesso na transição do ensino superior para o trabalho é influenciado por uma multiplicidade de fatores associados ao indivíduo, ao seu contexto, bem como à interação entre ambos. O Modelo Social Cognitivo da Transição para o Trabalho organiza conceptualmente a complexidade desta transição e orienta a sua investigação. O presente estudo visa avaliar se a autoeficácia na transição no trabalho prediz o sucesso obtido nesta transição, um ano após a conclusão do curso. Os resultados evidenciam o potencial preditivo da autoeficácia relativamente à satisfação com o percurso académico-profissional e com o trabalho, o que vem salientar a pertinência de intervenções psicoeducativas com o objetivo de desenvolver a autoeficácia na transição para o trabalho em estudantes do ensino superior.

Success in the transition from higher education to work is influenced by a multiplicity of factors associated with the individual, his/her context, as well as their interaction. The Transition-to-Work Social Cognitive Model conceptually organizes the complexity of this transition and guides its research. The present study aims to evaluate if transition-to-work self-efficacy predicts the success obtained in this transition, one year after obtaining a bachelor degree. The results show the predictive potential of self-efficacy in relation to satisfaction with the academic-professional course and the work, which highlights the pertinence of psychoeducational interventions aimed at developing self-efficacy in the transition to work of students from higher education institutions.

El éxito en la transición de la enseñanza superior al trabajo está determinado por una multiplicidad de factores asociados con el individuo, su contexto y la interacción entre ambos. El Modelo Social Cognitivo de la Transición al Trabajo organiza conceptualmente la complejidad de esta transición y orienta su investigación. El presente estudio pretende evaluar si la autoeficacia en la transición al trabajo predice el éxito obtenido en esta transición, un año después de la conclusión de la carrera universitaria. Los resultados evidencian el potencial predictivo de la autoeficacia respecto a la satisfacción con la trayectoria académico-profesional y con el trabajo, lo que viene a subrayar la pertinencia de intervenciones psicoeducativas con el propósito de desarrollar la autoeficacia en la transición al trabajo en estudiantes de enseñanza superior.

First insights of peptidoglycan amidation in Gram-positive bacteria - the high-resolution crystal structure of Staphylococcus aureus glutamine amidotransferase GatD.

Gram-positive bacteria homeostasis and antibiotic resistance mechanisms are dependent on the intricate architecture of the cell wall, where amidated peptidoglycan plays an important role. The amidation reaction is carried out by the bi-enzymatic complex MurT-GatD, for which biochemical and structural information is very scarce. In this work, we report the first crystal structure of the glutamine amidotransferase member of this complex, GatD from Staphylococcus aureus, at 1.85 Å resolution. A glutamine molecule is found close to the active site funnel, hydrogen-bonded to the conserved R128. In vitro functional studies using 1H-NMR spectroscopy showed that S. aureus MurT-GatD complex has glutaminase activity even in the absence of lipid II, the MurT substrate. In addition, we produced R128A, C94A and H189A mutants, which were totally inactive for glutamine deamidation, revealing their essential role in substrate sequestration and catalytic reaction. GatD from S. aureus and other pathogenic bacteria share high identity to enzymes involved in cobalamin biosynthesis, which can be grouped in a new sub-family of glutamine amidotransferases. Given the ubiquitous presence of GatD, these results provide significant insights into the molecular basis of the so far undisclosed amidation mechanism, contributing to the development of alternative therapeutics to fight infections.

Intenção empreendedora em estudantes universitários: adaptação e validação de uma escala (QIE) / Entrepreneurial intention among university students: Adaptation and validation of a scale (QIE) / Intención emprendedora en estudiantes universitarios: adaptación y validación de un cuestionario (QIE)

O objetivo deste artigo é a validação de uma escala sobre a Intenção Empreendedora (QIE) em universitários de Portugal. Essa escala foi desenvolvida e validada na Espanha, tendo sido posteriormente validada em outros países e idiomas. O QIE se enquadra na Teoria da Ação Planificada, traduzindo-se no modelo mais amplamente utilizado para prever as intenções empreendedoras. A TAP constitui um marco teórico coerente e de aplicação geral que permite compreender e prever as intenções empreendedoras, tendo em consideração não só os fatores pessoais, mas também sociais. Neste estudo de validação participaram 326 estudantes de várias universidades do norte de Portugal. Os resultados do modelo de fatores estruturais confirmam que o QIE tem uma alta fiabilidade e validade preditiva sobre a intenção empreendedora e que é uma escala aplicável ao contexto português.

The current research aims to validate the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ) in Portugal. The scale was developed and validated in Spain, and later validated in other countries and languages though not yet in Portugal. The EIQ draws on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the most widely used model for predicting entrepreneurial intention. The TPB provides a coherent theoretical and general application framework that allows us to understand and predict entrepreneurial intentions, taking into account not only personal fators but also social ones. This validation study has involved a sample of 326 Portuguese university students. The results of the structural equation modeling confirm that the EIQ has a high reliability and predictive validity of entrepreneurship intention and, except for some items, this is a scale applicable to Portuguese context.

El objetivo de este artículo es la validación de uma escala de intención emprendedora (CIE) en Portugal. Esta escala ha sido desarrollada y validada en España, y posteriormente validada en otros países e idiomas, aunque todavía no en Portugal. El CIE se enmarca en la Teoría de la Acción Planificada, que es el modelo más ampliamente utilizado para predecir las intenciones emprendedoras. La TAP ofrece un marco teórico coherente y de aplicación general, que nos permite entender y predecir las intenciones emprendedoras, teniendo en cuenta no sólo fatores personales, sino también sociales. En este estudio de validación ha participado una muestra de 326 estudiantes universitarios portugueses. Los resultados del modelado de ecuaciones estructurales confirman que el CIE tiene una alta fiabilidad y validez predictiva sobre la intención emprendedora y que, a excepción de algunos ítems, es una escala aplicable al contexto portugués.

Intenção empreendedora em estudantes universitários: adaptação e validação de uma escala (QIE) / Entrepreneurial intention among university students: Adaptation and validation of a scale (QIE) / Intención emprendedora en estudiantes universitarios: adaptación y validación de un cuestionario (QIE)

O objetivo deste artigo é a validação de uma escala sobre a Intenção Empreendedora (QIE) em universitários de Portugal. Essa escala foi desenvolvida e validada na Espanha, tendo sido posteriormente validada em outros países e idiomas. O QIE se enquadra na Teoria da Ação Planificada, traduzindo-se no modelo mais amplamente utilizado para prever as intenções empreendedoras. A TAP constitui um marco teórico coerente e de aplicação geral que permite compreender e prever as intenções empreendedoras, tendo em consideração não só os fatores pessoais, mas também sociais. Neste estudo de validação participaram 326 estudantes de várias universidades do norte de Portugal. Os resultados do modelo de fatores estruturais confirmam que o QIE tem uma alta fiabilidade e validade preditiva sobre a intenção empreendedora e que é uma escala aplicável ao contexto português.

The current research aims to validate the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ) in Portugal. The scale was developed and validated in Spain, and later validated in other countries and languages though not yet in Portugal. The EIQ draws on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the most widely used model for predicting entrepreneurial intention. The TPB provides a coherent theoretical and general application framework that allows us to understand and predict entrepreneurial intentions, taking into account not only personal fators but also social ones. This validation study has involved a sample of 326 Portuguese university students. The results of the structural equation modeling confirm that the EIQ has a high reliability and predictive validity of entrepreneurship intention and, except for some items, this is a scale applicable to Portuguese context.

El objetivo de este artículo es la validación de uma escala de intención emprendedora (CIE) en Portugal. Esta escala ha sido desarrollada y validada en España, y posteriormente validada en otros países e idiomas, aunque todavía no en Portugal. El CIE se enmarca en la Teoría de la Acción Planificada, que es el modelo más ampliamente utilizado para predecir las intenciones emprendedoras. La TAP ofrece un marco teórico coherente y de aplicación general, que nos permite entender y predecir las intenciones emprendedoras, teniendo en cuenta no sólo fatores personales, sino también sociales. En este estudio de validación ha participado una muestra de 326 estudiantes universitarios portugueses. Los resultados del modelado de ecuaciones estructurales confirman que el CIE tiene una alta fiabilidad y validez predictiva sobre la intención emprendedora y que, a excepción de algunos ítems, es una escala aplicable al contexto portugués.

Intenção empreendedora em estudantes universitários: adaptação e validação de uma escala (QIE) / Entrepreneurial intention among university students: Adaptation and validation of a scale (QIE) / Intención emprendedora en estudiantes universitarios: adaptación y validación de un cuestionario (QIE)

O objetivo deste artigo é a validação de uma escala sobre a Intenção Empreendedora (QIE) em universitários de Portugal. Essa escala foi desenvolvida e validada na Espanha, tendo sido posteriormente validada em outros países e idiomas. O QIE se enquadra na Teoria da Ação Planificada, traduzindo-se no modelo mais amplamente utilizado para prever as intenções empreendedoras. A TAP constitui um marco teórico coerente e de aplicação geral que permite compreender e prever as intenções empreendedoras, tendo em consideração não só os fatores pessoais, mas também sociais. Neste estudo de validação participaram 326 estudantes de várias universidades do norte de Portugal. Os resultados do modelo de fatores estruturais confirmam que o QIE tem uma alta fiabilidade e validade preditiva sobre a intenção empreendedora e que é uma escala aplicável ao contexto português.

The current research aims to validate the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ) in Portugal. The scale was developed and validated in Spain, and later validated in other countries and languages though not yet in Portugal. The EIQ draws on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the most widely used model for predicting entrepreneurial intention. The TPB provides a coherent theoretical and general application framework that allows us to understand and predict entrepreneurial intentions, taking into account not only personal fators but also social ones. This validation study has involved a sample of 326 Portuguese university students. The results of the structural equation modeling confirm that the EIQ has a high reliability and predictive validity of entrepreneurship intention and, except for some items, this is a scale applicable to Portuguese context.

El objetivo de este artículo es la validación de uma escala de intención emprendedora (CIE) en Portugal. Esta escala ha sido desarrollada y validada en España, y posteriormente validada en otros países e idiomas, aunque todavía no en Portugal. El CIE se enmarca en la Teoría de la Acción Planificada, que es el modelo más ampliamente utilizado para predecir las intenciones emprendedoras. La TAP ofrece un marco teórico coherente y de aplicación general, que nos permite entender y predecir las intenciones emprendedoras, teniendo en cuenta no sólo fatores personales, sino también sociales. En este estudio de validación ha participado una muestra de 326 estudiantes universitarios portugueses. Los resultados del modelado de ecuaciones estructurales confirman que el CIE tiene una alta fiabilidad y validez predictiva sobre la intención emprendedora y que, a excepción de algunos ítems, es una escala aplicable al contexto portugués.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of GatD, a glutamine amidotransferase-like protein from Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan.

Amidation of peptidoglycan is an essential feature in Staphylococcus aureus that is necessary for resistance to ß-lactams and lysozyme. GatD, a 27 kDa type I glutamine amidotransferase-like protein, together with MurT ligase, catalyses the amidation reaction of the glutamic acid residues of the peptidoglycan of S. aureus. The native and the selenomethionine-derivative proteins were crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method with polyethylene glycol, sodium acetate and calcium acetate. The crystals obtained diffracted beyond 1.85 and 2.25 Å, respectively, and belonged to space group P212121. X-ray diffraction data sets were collected at Diamond Light Source (on beamlines I02 and I04) and were used to obtain initial phases.

Do ensino superior para o trabalho: contributo dos estágios para inserção profissional / From higher education to work: contributions of practicum training to job insertion / De la enseñanza superior al trabajo: la contribución de las prácticas para la inserción profesional

O presente trabalho visou analisar o papel dos estágios na transição para o trabalho, entendendo-se a inserção profissional como um processo temporalmente alargado constituído por três fases interdependentes: a formação académica, a procura de uma actividade remunerada e a adaptação ao mundo laboral. Mais especificamente, pretendeu-se estudar o impacto dos estágios curriculares na promoção de variáveis psicológicas centrais nesta transição - exploração vocacional, auto-eficácia e objectivos de investimento profissional - numa amostra de 337 finalistas do ensino superior português. Os resultados encontrados evidenciaram que os estudantes que tiveram a oportunidade de realizar um estágio curricular apresentaram maiores níveis de exploração vocacional, de auto-eficácia, bem como objectivos de investimento profissional mais robustos, quando comparados com aqueles que não realizaram estágio.(AU)

This study aims at analyzing the contributions of practicum training in the transition-to-work. In this study, job insertion is understood as a broad process including three interrelated phases: academic training, search for a paid job and adaptation to work. Specifically, our aim was to investigate the impact on career exploration, self-efficacy and career goals in a sample of 337 senior Portuguese students. The results showed benefits in terms of career exploration, self-efficacy and career goals with students that had a practicum experience, as compared to the ones who had not had that opportunity.(AU)

El presente trabajo trató de analizar el papel de las prácticas en la transición al trabajo, entendiéndose la inserción profesional como un proceso temporalmente prolongado constituido por tres fases interdependientes: la formación académica, la búsqueda de una actividad remunerada y la adaptación al mundo laboral. Se pretendió, más específicamente, estudiar el impacto de las prácticas curriculares en la promoción de variables psicológicas centrales en esta transición - exploración vocacional, eficacia propia y objetivos de inversión profesional - en una muestra de 337 finalistas de la enseñanza superior portuguesa. Los resultados encontrados evidenciaron que los estudiantes que tuvieron la oportunidad de realizar una práctica curricular presentaron mayores niveles de exploración vocacional y de eficacia propia, así como objetivos de inversión profesional más robustos, cuando se compararon con aquellos que no realizaron práctica.(AU)

Do ensino superior para o trabalho: contributo dos estágios para inserção profissional / From higher education to work: contributions of practicum training to job insertion / De la enseñanza superior al trabajo: la contribución de las prácticas para la inserción profesional

O presente trabalho visou analisar o papel dos estágios na transição para o trabalho, entendendo-se a inserção profissional como um processo temporalmente alargado constituído por três fases interdependentes: a formação académica, a procura de uma actividade remunerada e a adaptação ao mundo laboral. Mais especificamente, pretendeu-se estudar o impacto dos estágios curriculares na promoção de variáveis psicológicas centrais nesta transição - exploração vocacional, auto-eficácia e objectivos de investimento profissional - numa amostra de 337 finalistas do ensino superior português. Os resultados encontrados evidenciaram que os estudantes que tiveram a oportunidade de realizar um estágio curricular apresentaram maiores níveis de exploração vocacional, de auto-eficácia, bem como objectivos de investimento profissional mais robustos, quando comparados com aqueles que não realizaram estágio.

This study aims at analyzing the contributions of practicum training in the transition-to-work. In this study, job insertion is understood as a broad process including three interrelated phases: academic training, search for a paid job and adaptation to work. Specifically, our aim was to investigate the impact on career exploration, self-efficacy and career goals in a sample of 337 senior Portuguese students. The results showed benefits in terms of career exploration, self-efficacy and career goals with students that had a practicum experience, as compared to the ones who had not had that opportunity.

El presente trabajo trató de analizar el papel de las prácticas en la transición al trabajo, entendiéndose la inserción profesional como un proceso temporalmente prolongado constituido por tres fases interdependientes: la formación académica, la búsqueda de una actividad remunerada y la adaptación al mundo laboral. Se pretendió, más específicamente, estudiar el impacto de las prácticas curriculares en la promoción de variables psicológicas centrales en esta transición - exploración vocacional, eficacia propia y objetivos de inversión profesional - en una muestra de 337 finalistas de la enseñanza superior portuguesa. Los resultados encontrados evidenciaron que los estudiantes que tuvieron la oportunidad de realizar una práctica curricular presentaron mayores niveles de exploración vocacional y de eficacia propia, así como objetivos de inversión profesional más robustos, cuando se compararon con aquellos que no realizaron práctica.