Interações comportamentais entre espécies nativas e invasoras de peixes

Este estudo investigou os efeitos das espécies invasoras Gambusia holbrooki e Lepomis gibbosus no comportamento e fisiologia de Squalius alburnoides sob condições basais, de densidade elevada e variação de temperatura. Ensaios em aquários mistos e de controlo analisaram interações agressivas e submissão. G. holbrooki aumentou a agressividade e as fugas de S. alburnoides, enquanto L. gibbosus não provocou alterações comportamentais significativas, mas esteve associado a uma maior proporção DOPAC/DA, o que juntamente com um aumento visual de cortisol, pode sugerir um incremento de stress. Em densidade elevada, ambos intensificaram a agressividade intraespecífica, especialmente L. gibbosus. A variação de temperatura acentuou comportamentos agressivos, principalmente na fase de temperatura máxima. As análises de cortisol e monoaminas reforçaram o impacto distinto das duas invasoras. Os resultados sublinham a importância de considerar interações entre espécies nativas e invasoras em esforços de conservação, particularmente perante alterações climáticas; - Abstract: Title: Behavioural trade-offs between native and invasive fish species This study examined the effects of the invasive species Gambusia holbrooki and Lepomis gibbosus on the behavior and physiology of Squalius alburnoides under baseline, high-density, and temperature variation conditions. Behavioral assays in mixed and control tanks analyzed aggression and submission. G. holbrooki significantly increased aggressive and evasive behaviors in S. alburnoides, while L. gibbosus showed no significant behavioral effects but was linked to an increased DOPAC/DA ratio, which together with a visual increase of cortisol may indicate a rise of stress. Under high-density conditions, both invaders intensified intra-specific aggression, especially L. gibbosus. Temperature variation further amplified aggression, notably during maximum temperature phases. Cortisol and monoamine analysis reinforced the differential impacts of these invasive species. These findings highlight the importance of understanding invasive-native interactions for conservation, particularly in light of climate change

Memorable tourism experience in the context of astrotourism

Astrotourism involves a variety of activities carried out during the night, requiring a deeper knowledge about the cognitive and emotional process that the tourist has and that leads to a memorable experience and loyalty. This study explores how (i) astrotourism stimuli are associated with cognitive states, designed by knowledge and involvement, (ii) cognitive states increase emotional states, represented by hedonism and refreshment, and (ii) emotional states generate responses, such as recommendation and loyalty. This study contributes to extending the S (stimulus) -O (organism) -R (response) framework by integrating cognitive appraisal theory and incorporating stimuli, cognitive and emotional states not used in the previous research. Recommendations for astrotourism destination managers are also discussed

The Recent Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Grasslands in Slovenia: Contribution to Their Preservation and Management

Seminatural European grasslands and pastures have a high conservation value because they provide different goods and services (meat, wool, carbon sequestration, etc.) and harbor diverse communities of plants and animals. These land use systems were created by low- and moderate-intensity use and, nowadays, face threats from both abandonment and overuse. Although less productive or less accessible areas are abandoned, triggering afforestation processes, others are subject to intensive agricultural practices with the addition of production factors and modern management schemes. Neither is comparable with the traditional uses that first formed and maintained these systems for generations, and therefore, it is fundamental to design effective policies to ensure a sustainable territorial coexistence of modern agriculture and traditional pastures and grasslands. In this work, we assessed the recent dynamics of pastures and grasslands in Slovenia. The results show distinct local changes and a nationwide general dynamic of area reduction and loss of patches. After elaborating on how such changes affect the landscape and some species according to their traits, we provide practical recommendations for policy design to contribute to protecting and promoting this land use system. We argue that the two major priorities should be to preserve the most relevant patches and to try to convert other land uses into grasslands, preferably attempting to merge separated patches and thus increasing the mean patch size of grasslands. Overall, by identifying trends, locating the different spatial changes, and complementing with a connectivity analysis, this approach can be valuable in identifying effective measures to protect and improve grasslands. Besides the concrete results obtained from the Slovenian case study, the underlying rationale and workflow can be applied elsewhere to produce similar outputs that help identify land transformation patterns and interpret specific land use category dynamics

Innovative techniques for the assessment of the degradation state of metallic artefact

Summary: The degradation of archaeological metals is largely dependent on factors such as alloy composition, microstructure, and environmental conditions Commonly, these issues are targeted within specific disciplines such as materials science, archaeometry, conservation science, archaeometallurgy, and geoarchaeology. The topic could benefit from an integrated transdisciplinary approach, combining different techniques and methods. It is of importance to consider that artefact degradation not only relates to the general soil environment of the region, but can also depend on local variations in soil conditions within an archaeological site, and it is possible to have significant variations within the same artefact. Additionally, the conditions in an archaeological site are not a fixed stable situation; rather, environmental change can have a significant impact on the future preservation of artefacts in situ. This thesis applies several methodologies on a range of scales. First of all, a Roman site in Israel is considered, where anthropogenic factors are influencing the local soil conditions. Next, we assess intra-site sample variability through the use of non-invasive techniques to identify artefact groups within an Islamic site in Spain. In the following chapter, another Roman site, in Portugal, is studied through intra site-investigations into local soil conditions and corrosion products, by analysing a large number of soil and corrosion samples in combination with digital and statistical methods. Then, 3D recording and data visualisation techniques are applied to a Chalcolithic site in Israel. On a smaller scale of analysis, fragments from a single archaeological context from a Latin site in Italy are studied, to interpret the variation of different corrosion products in the same location. The next level is the investigation of artefact-scale variety in corrosion products and elemental composition of the surface, within a 3D framework. This is done on a Chalcolithic halberd from Portugal. A more detailed technique follows; micro-CT is used to assess microstructures and corrosion morphology of a variety of samples from different sites. Finally, future considerations into the changing environments are studied, by applying environmental models involving sea level change at a Phoenician site on Sardinia. Throughout the thesis, different scales are used to combine a selection of analytical techniques and approaches, such as SEM, XRD, XRF, photogrammetry, measurements of pH and conductivity, 2D and 3D GIS, and micro-CT. This work comprises of several transdisciplinary workflows, and might serve to improve and inspire future studies related to archaeological materials

Património Cultural Imaterial: 20 anos da Convenção para a Salvaguardo do PCI

O E-book reúne diversos trabalhos em toro do Património Cultural Imaterial, incluindo reflexões sobre este património e estudos de expressões de PCI

Gestão estratégica de recursos humanos de uma empresa multinacional de componentes eletromecânicos, na região de Évora

Gestão Estratégica de Recursos Humanos de uma empresa multinacional de componentes eletromecânicos, na região de Évora. A Gestão Estratégica de Recursos Humanos caracteriza-se pelo conjunto de processos e práticas que constituem a gestão do trabalho numa empresa. Este Relatório de Estágio é resultante de um estágio curricular numa empresa multinacional de componentes eletromecânicos, na região de Évora, em que se descreve detalhadamente as atividades desenvolvidas, em conformidade com as diversas práticas de Gestão de Recursos Humanos, que o Departamento de Recursos Humanos da entidade acolhedora integra, nomeadamente: Recrutamento e Seleção, Acolhimento e Integração, Avaliação de Desempenho, Gestão da Formação, Comprometimento Organizacional e Relação com a Comunidade Local, Comunicação Interna e Gestão Administrativa e Contratual. Igualmente neste trabalho é refletido um conjunto de perspetivas e contributos teórico-conceptuais, que são indispensáveis para abordar as temáticas realizadas ao longo dos seis meses de estágio, bem como a apresentação de contribuições de melhoria. Ainda no âmbito da realização do Estágio, foi desenvolvido um projeto de cultura organizacional, assente no modelo dos valores contrastantes de Quinn e Kimberly (1983), revelando-se uma ferramenta essencial para o alinhamento estratégico da organização. A estagiária, no final deste Estágio, pode aferir que a entidade acolhedora contribuiu positivamente para o desenvolvimento da sua profissionalização, em termos de aprendizagem prática, aperfeiçoamento técnico e científico, bem como permitiu uma forte e imprescindível aprendizagem na área de Recursos Humanos; Abstract: Strategic Human Resources Management of an electromechanical components multinational company, in the region of Évora. The Strategic Management of Human Resources is characterized by the set of processes and practices that constitute the management of labor in a company. This Internship Report is the result of a curricular internship in a multinational company of electromechanical components, in the region of Évora, in which the activities developed are described in detail, following the various practices of Human Resources Management that the Department of Human Resources of the host entity integrates, namely: Recruitment and Selection, Reception and Integration, Performance Evaluation, Training Management, Organizational Commitment and Relationship with the Local Community, Internal Communication and Administrative and Contractual Management. This work also reflects a set of perspectives and theoretical and conceptual contributions, which are essential to address the themes developed during the six months of internship, as well as the presentation of contributions for improvement. Also during the internship, an organizational culture project was developed, based on the contrasting values model of Quinn and Kimberly (1983), proving to be an essential tool for the strategic alignment of the organization. The trainee, at the end of this internship, can conclude that the host entity has contributed positively to the development of her professionalization, in terms of practical learning, technical and scientific improvement, as well as allowed a strong and indispensable learning in the area of Human Resource

Where Are We? Performative Strategies of Encounter

This chapter is a visual, aural, and written iteration of the performative walk “Where are we? Performing the city, slowing down time” developed and presented by the artists Beatriz Cantinho and Susana Mendes Silva in the context of the “Elia Academy 2023: exploring situatedness” that took place in the University of Évora in May. The aesthetic focus of this performative walk was a reflection on how one can create connections with the place where one is, and how one can look and unveil lost, forgotten, or erased stories of a given territory. The territory was the city of Évora, where Cantinho and Mendes Silva wanted participants to experience its history, landscape and soundscape, and their own bodies, their own presence from a situated perspective. The authors also wanted to trigger a conscious experience that contrasted with the touristic way of experiencing this World Heritage city and its water systems

Microscopy-Based Studies

Successful colonization of plants by endophytes is the basic requirement for plant-microbe interactions. Thus, the study of plant colonization routes and niches has always been a central aspect in research on plant-microbe interaction. Endophytic microorganisms can be detected by several methods based on microscopy, thus allowing to investigate their behavior, their niches, and how they colonize their hosts. Different techniques can be applied, depending on the study objectives, to single strains or to more complex plant-microbe systems involving full or synthetic microbiomes. Furthermore, the use of microscopy-based tools allows us to track endophytes in plant tissues and to determine how they interact with each other and with their host plants, as well as how they are associated with various plant organs under different plant growth and environmental conditions either from natural or artificial environments. This chapter describes the step-by-step protocol of distinct microscopy-based methods that may be used to visualize and track endophytic microorganisms within plant tissues

1703: The Methuen Treaty

This chapter examines the Methuen Treaty signed between Portugal and England on 27 December, 1703. It analyses the context that preceded the treaty and the negative perceptions it received from the mid-eighteenth century to the present day, in terms of its impact on Portugal's economic backwardness. The Methuen Treaty is seen as a confirmation of the strategic alliance between Portugal and England, and is still considered responsible for the opening of domestic and colonial markets to the English trading communities of Lisbon and Porto. However, this chapter emphasises that the Brazilian gold cycle also contributed to the growth of other foreign merchant communities in Portugal at the time

O que pode ser uma ilha! O lugar que se desenha

Ilhas que são arquitetura? E o tempo, como arquiteto da forma e do espaço? São Miguel é um lugar-laboratório de interferência do homem na construção de pai - sagem. Assistimos ao modo como as substâncias e o processo material de formação do espaço tornam a paisagem uma espécie de energia em movimento. A pedra, maior elemento local, estabelece limites. É o elemento construtivo que transporta a primeira ideia de ocupação do solo. Constrói o lado humanizado da paisagem onde os muros participam de um desenho que parece sempre ter existido. É a partir do desenho do chão que o ilhéu cria espaços de possibilidade para a vida, numa tentativa de controlar a atmosfera, por vezes punitiva e violenta, formando uma rede de salas a céu aberto. Cada sala é um recinto, um espaço cultivado fechado, tão amplo quanto a própria paisagem, incorporando de igual modo a infinitude dos céus. São simultaneamente dentro e fora, paisagem e arquitetura, finito e infinito. Esta forma de manipulação do território, numa malha de recintos-jardins, representa a intenção abstrata e clara de sobrevivência insular, onde culturas autóctones, como a laranja, a banana, a vinha, ect encontram o lugar ideal. Um território continuamente desenhado pela agricultura. É nesta aproximação à arquitetura como rei ficação dos arquétipos do inconsciente coletivo, que a proposta enuncia um lugar de possibilidade, para o estudo e pesquisa, como uma ferramenta de investigação da agricultura e das plantas. Um espaço de produção, tratando de conceitos como a fertilidade, estética e prazer do corpo. A relação entre muros e céu desenha um esqueleto de peças elementares que dão corpo ao jardim cultivado. Um espaço que vive da ação do tempo, da materialidade, da espacialidade e do etéreo, lugar de simbiose entre jardim e arquitetura, herdeiro do estudo quer da relação entre geografia e geologia, entre culturas e tempos de produ - ção e entre a atmosfera e sistemas hídricos. O sistema de construção dos muros e dos recintos será também um sistema híbrido: uma massa de pedra, água, vegetação e vento; - ABSTRAT; WHAT COULD BE AN ISLAND. THE PLACE THAT IS DESIGNED. SÃO MIGUEL, AZORES - Islands that are architecture? And time, as the architect of form and space? São Miguel is a laboratory site for human interference in the construction of lands - cape. We witness how substances and the material process of space formation make the landscape a kind of energy in movement. The stone, the largest local element, establishes limits. It is the constructive element that conveys the first idea of land occupation. Build the humanized side of the landscape where the walls participate in a design that seems to have always existed. It is through the design of the floor that the islet creates spaces of possibility for life, in an attempt to con - trol the atmosphere, which is sometimes punitive and violent, forming a network of open-air rooms. Each room is an enclosure, a closed cultivated space, as wide as the landscape itself, equally incorporating the infinity of the heavens. They are si - multaneously inside and outside, landscape and architecture, finite and infinite. This form of manipulation of the territory, in a network of garden enclosures, represents the abstract and clear intention of island survival, where indigenous cultures, such as oranges, bananas, vines, etc. find their ideal place. A territory continually shaped by agriculture. It is in this approach to architecture as a reification of the archetypes of the col - lective unconscious, that the proposal enunciates a place of possibility, for stu - dy and research, as a tool for investigating agriculture and plants. A produc - tion space, dealing with concepts such as fertility, aesthetics and body pleasure. The relationship between walls and sky creates a skeleton of elementary pieces that give shape to the cultivated garden. A space that lives on the action of time, materia - lity, spatiality and the ethereal, a place of symbiosis between garden and architectu - re, heirs of the study of the relationship between geography and geology, between cultures and times of production and between the atmosphere and water systems . The construction system for the walls and enclosures will also be a hybrid system: a mass of stone, water, vegetation and wind