University of Lisbon

About: University of Lisbon is a education organization based out in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 19122 authors who have published 48503 publications receiving 1102623 citations. The organization is also known as: Universidade de Lisboa & Lisbon University.

Genetic stability of micropropagated almond plantlets, as assessed by RAPD and ISSR markers

Abstract: Almond shoots produced by axillary branching from clone VII derived from a seedling of cultivar Boa Casta were evaluated for somaclonal variation using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis. To verify genetic stability we compared RAPD and ISSR patterns of plantlets obtained after 4 and 6 years of in vitro multiplication. A total of 64 RAPD and 10 ISSR primers gave 326 distinct and reproducible band classes, monomorphic across all 22 plantlets analysed. Thus, a total of 7,172 bands were generated, exhibiting homogeneous RAPD and ISSR patterns for the plantlets tested. These results suggest that the culture conditions used for axillary branching proliferation are appropriate for clonal propagation of almond clone VII, as they do not seem to interfere with the integrity of the regenerated plantlets. These results allowed us to establish the use of axillary branching plantlets (mother-plants) as internal controls for the analysis of somaclonal variation of shoots regenerated from other in vitro culture processes performed with clone VII (adventitious regeneration, regeneration from meristem culture, virus sanitation programs and genetic engineering).

Modelling solar potential in the urban environment: State-of-the-art review

Abstract: Cityscapes provide a complex environment, where solar radiation is unevenly distributed, especially since urban features started to propagate more and more vertically. Due to the dynamic overshadowing effects present on building surfaces, quantifying these phenomena is essential for predicting reductions in solar radiation availability that can significantly affect potential for solar energy use. Numerical radiation algorithms coupled with GIS tools are a pathway to evaluate those complex effects. Accurate representation of the terrain, vegetation canopy and building structures allows better estimation of shadow patterns. Higher spatial and temporal resolutions deliver more detailed results, but models must compromise between accuracy and computation time. In this paper, models ranging from simple 2D visualization and solar constant methods, to more sophisticated 3D representation and analysis, are reviewed. Web-based solar maps, which rely on the previous features to successfully communicate the benefits of the solar resource to the public and support in the policy-making process, are also addressed.

Research design considerations for confirmatory chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations.

Abstract: There has been an increase in the number of chronic pain clinical trials in which the treatments being evaluated did not differ significantly from placebo in the primary efficacy analyses despite previous research suggesting that efficacy could be expected. These findings could reflect a true lack of efficacy or methodological and other aspects of these trials that compromise the demonstration of efficacy. There is substantial variability among chronic pain clinical trials with respect to important research design considerations, and identifying and addressing any methodological weaknesses would enhance the likelihood of demonstrating the analgesic effects of new interventions. An IMMPACT consensus meeting was therefore convened to identify the critical research design considerations for confirmatory chronic pain trials and to make recommendations for their conduct. We present recommendations for the major components of confirmatory chronic pain clinical trials, including participant selection, trial phases and duration, treatment groups and dosing regimens, and types of trials. Increased attention to and research on the methodological aspects of confirmatory chronic pain clinical trials has the potential to enhance their assay sensitivity and ultimately provide more meaningful evaluations of treatments for chronic pain.