25/10/12
CESAM paper "Indoor and outdoor characterisation of organic and inorganic compounds in city centre and suburban elementary schools of Aveiro, Portugal" figures on the list of most downloaded articles of the journal "Atmospheric Environment".
This study investigated pollutant concentrations in and outside school buildings at different locations (city centre and suburban) in Aveiro, Portugal, between April and June 2010. This article is of the utmost importance as pollutants inside school buildings may affect children's health and influence learning performance and attendance.

23/10/12
Faculty of Law of University of Porto, 15th - 17th November 2012

The objective of the Conference is to bring together nationally and internationally renowned experts in order to discuss the implementation of the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) in the field of marine environment protection, current needs and prospects of evolution of the whole system. 

More details: http://www.direito.up.pt/Lawof.....ex_en.html 

16/10/2012
Published on  October 15th it has already been accessed by 1100 people, and originated several press releases, including a german newspaper and the scientific blog, science 20.

The study, which will be published on «BMC Evolutionary Biology» is focused on guppies (Poecilia reticulata), those small fishes that are usually present in home aquariums. 
The sexual behaviour of this species is the main question under study, and the results presented have already given raise to some controversy, originating several comments as soon as it was published online.

Additional details:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1.....5/abstract
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcevolbiol/
http://www.themunicheye.com/ne.....-hand-2208
http://www.science20.com/catar.....9#comments
http://www.cienciahoje.pt/inde.....amp;op=all

15/10/12
A  research team of CESAM has developed a topographic characterization system much faster, cheaper and effective than the traditional method.
The developed 'integrated system for high-resolution topographic monitoring' maintains the high accuracy of the method performed on foot. The system integrates a GPS and a laser distance meter, allowing all data to be received in a synchronization unit of information from which the data are processed; the systems may also operate anywhere in the globe.

More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=24966

15/10/12
There are places in the Vouga Basin contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria with high clinical relevance. The discovery of bacterial strains resistant to cephalosporins of third-generation, an antibiotic type used in most Portuguese hospitals, was made by a team of researchers of CESAM and DBio. Researchers do not know yet whether the identified strains cause infections in humans, but have already verified that they can transfer to pathogenic bacteria, without antibiotic resistance, the characteristic to render them immune to antibiotics. This scenario is even more alarming because the resistant bacterial communities were found in water used for irrigation farming and fishing.

More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/detail.asp?lg=pt&c=25034 and http://www.cienciapt.net/pt/in.....Itemid=279

Paper download: here

28/09/12
Portugal and four other member states with Atlantic front (Spain, France, Ireland and UK) won a project entitled 'European Planning cross the Atlantic' launched by the European DGMare.
The project, which begins in November, will last 18 months and has an overall budget of one million euros. The ultimate goal is to present a set of recommendations to the European Union in order to effectively contribute to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Action Plan of the Integrated Maritime Policy and the European Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/detail.asp?c=24935

09/10/12
The work of CESAM PhD student, David Silva, entitled Contributions of the ash from forest biomass combustion in the recycling of nutrients to the soil was awarded as the best poster of the 4th International Conference on Engineering for Waste and Biomass Valorisation, held this year in Porto, between 10 and 13 September.
The management of the ash resulting from the thermochemical conversion of forest biomass to energy it is an issue with relevance at the environmental, economic and public health level. The ash produced in industrial thermal units, using eucalyptus bark and branches and other forest residues as solid fuel, has different final destinations, including the landfill. In recent years, new environmental directives strongly penalize this management option. Therefore, it is urgent to study sustainable alternatives, such as the valorisation of the biomass ash on the agricultural and forestry soils.

28/09/12
The research work of Joana Lourenço, a CESAM researcher, was awarded in the international symposium 9th ISEG - 2012. In this study, and for the first time, it was identified earthworms genetic alterations caused by exposure to contaminated soil with radioactive elements and metals, including the identification of an oncogene first described in these organisms.

More details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/detail.asp?c=24926

26/09/12
Marina Cunha, researcher of CESAM, integrated the editorial board of the journal 'Scientific Reports'. Invited by Nature Publishing Group, the owner of the 'Nature' journal, the researcher is now part of the editorial board for the area of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Online and open access, Scientific Reports provides rapid publication and high visibility of research – for all areas of science.

25/09/12
Under the guidance of members from CESAM and Wildlife Unit of UA (DBio), about thirty volunteers participated in the 8th deer population census on Lousã Mountains. This event had the collaboration of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry, Lousã Municipality and other local entities. During the mornings of Saturday (22/09) and Sunday (23/09), dozens of males, females and young deer were observed in the mountain ridges and through woods and pine forests.