Health Promotion in Children and Youth: Contributions of Social Work in Building Collaborative Networks in Schools in Portugal

In Portugal, direct-practice with children and youth in schools was a traditional area of social work intervention especially with regard to health education. However, direct-practice by social workers in schools has significantly declined in recent years. This article presents a case study in this area highlighting the “Plataforma Saúde na Escola” (Health Platform at School), a program developed by the municipality of Cascais, located near Lisbon. The article explores new contributions for social work intervention with children and youth in schools. The program being described draws upon a collaboration of different areas and organizations in which social work is a component to promote/improve the social determinants of children’s health. The analysis of the program focuses on the methodological and ethical-political dimensions. The major finding is that the collective function of social work with children and youth people is enhanced through collaborative networks and the strengthening of empowerment, both individual and structural.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS-10) APLICADA A ASSISTENTES SOCIAIS EM PORTUGAL: ESTUDO DAS PROPRIEDADES PSICOMÉTRICAS

Objetivo: O presente estudo examina e avalia as propriedades psicométricas da versão de dez itens da Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), aplicada à classe profissional dos assistentes sociais em Portugal. Método: A amostra foi composta por 1369 assistentes sociais, maioritariamente (94,01%) do sexo feminino, com uma média etária de 39,02 anos (DP = 8.99). A consistência interna foi verificada por meio do coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach e a validade de constructo, por análise fatorial exploratória através da rotação varimax de componentes principais da PSS-10 e pela análise factorial confirmatória. Resultados: A versão da PSS-10 exibe propriedades psicométricas satisfatórias, mostrando ser um instrumento claro e confiável para mensurar os níveis de stress percecionados pelos assistentes sociais em Portugal. A análise fatorial exploratória revelou dois fatores neste estudo e a análise fatorial confirmatória produziu resultados satisfatórios. A consistência interna apresentou valor de α = 0,84.  Article visualizations

Serviço Social e Responsabilidade Social Empresarial Interna: os desafios contemporâneos dos assistentes sociais

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências Sociais na especialidade de Serviço SocialEsta pesquisa pretende compreender as representações das práticas de intervenção e os desafios contemporâneos do Serviço Social no âmbito da responsabilidade social empresarial interna. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório, indutivo e qualitativo, alicerçado num paradigma compreensivo e tendo por base os testemunhos recolhidos em vinte entrevistas a assistentes sociais inseridas profissionalmente em empresas portuguesas com práticas internas socialmente responsáveis. A intervenção do Serviço Social na responsabilidade social interna das empresas é representada em três níveis de atuação (macro, meso e micro), destacando-se o acompanhamento de casos individuais e o trabalho com grupos. Recorre a modelos de prática diversificados (centrados no colaborador, nos problemas e na empresa) e desempenha funções de investigação, planeamento e administração, desenvolvendo um conjunto de papéis multifacetados, tendo em vista a educação para a cidadania dos colaboradores e a promoção da democracia organizacional. As profissionais consideram ter um nível de autonomia operacional positivo, não identificando constrangimentos estruturais. Por último, o grande desafio contemporâneo do Serviço Social nas práticas socialmente responsáveis das empresas é a incorporação de um papel sociopolítico de educação para a cidadania no modelo de prática multifocal.This research tries to understand the representation of intervention practices and contemporary challenges of the Social Work within internal corporate social responsibility. it is an exploratory study, inductive and qualitative, based on a comprehensive paradigm and based on testimonies collected in twenty interviews with social workers, professionally inserted in Portuguese companies with socially responsible social practices. The intervention of Social Work in the internal social responsibility of companies is represented in three levels of action (macro, meso and micro), highlighting the follow-up of individual cases and group work. Uses diverse practice models (focused on the employee, the problems and the company) and performs functions of investigation, planning and administration, developing a set of multifaceted roles, to achieve citizenship education of employees and promotion of organizational democracy. Professionals believe they have a positive operational level of autonomy, without structural limitations. Finally, the great contemporary challenge of Social Work in socially acceptable practices is the incorporation of the social and political role of education for citizenship in the multifocal practice model.N/

Challenges for social work with older people in the first COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency in Portugal

This article seeks to understand the needs and difficulties of intervention with older people during the first state of emergency in Portugal due to COVID-19. The results show that these professionals faced challenges they never experienced before and necessitated support to carry out their work in an emergency. The difficulties resulted, not only from the chronic vulnerabilities stemming from the disinvestment of public policies in recent years but also from the uncertainty that the pandemic brought to social interventions. Despite all this, social workers have demonstrated their ability to protect themselves and older people and their families, thus leading to overcoming some of these challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Solid-state fermentation of Ulva Rigida for production of cellulases, xylanases and ß-glucosidase

Seaweeds are important organisms in marine ecosystems, are included on blue biorefinery category and they are rich in different polysaccharides, that can induce enzyme production by solid-state fermentation (SSF). Ulva rigida was used as substrate in SSF to produce cellulases and xylanases and to increase its protein content. The SSF were performed with previously washed and with unwashed seaweed by Aspergillus ibericus. Xylanase and cellulase activities were higher in fermented unwashed seaweed, correspondingly 359.8±6.1 U/g dry substrate and 59.9±2.4 U/g, respectively. In fermented washed U. rigida, these values achieved 212.4±17.7 U/g and 43.6±3.7 U/g, respectively. -glucosidase activity was similar in washed seaweed (6.94±0.21 U/g) and in unwashed seaweed (6.87±0.18 U/g). After SSF, protein content of unwashed seaweed was increased by 14%. Unwashed U. rigida resulted in better enzymatic activities, being a promising option to produce these commercially-valued enzymes.Helena Fernandes was supported by PhD grant SFRH/BD/131219/2017, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). José M. Salgado was supported by grant CEB/N2020 – INV/01/2016 from Project “BIOTECNORTE - Underpinning Biotechnology to foster the north of Portugal bioeconomy” (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000004). This study was partially supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006684) and BioTec-Norte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte and by the project SPO3 (Development of innovative sustainable protein and omega-3 rich feedstuffs for aquafeeds, from local agro-industrial by-products reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030377 funded by FEDER-Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improved lignocellulolytic enzyme production and antioxidant extraction using solid-state fermentation of olive pomace mixed with winery waste

Olive pomace is characterized by its low nutritional value and high phenolic content, which hinders its direct use as animal feed, fertilizer, or as a substrate in bioprocesses such as solidstate fermentation (SSF). A possible strategy for bioprocessing olive pomace by SSF is the mixture of olive mill wastes with other wastes produced in the same region, such as winery wastes. This may improve the production of bioactive compounds like enzymes and antioxidant phenolics. A simplexcentroid design was used to evaluate the use of olive mill and winery wastes alone or in combination as a substrate for SSF with Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus ibericus. Synergistic effects of combinations of crude olive pomace (COP), exhausted olive pomace (EOP), vine trimming shoots (VTS), and exhausted grape marc (EGM) were observed in the production of xylanases, cellulases, glucosidases, and in the variation in total phenolics and antioxidant activity of SFF extracts. A multiple response optimization was carried out, leading to the following optimal mixture of substrates: for A. niger, 23% (w/w) COP, 30% EGM, 33% VTS, 14% EOP; for A. ibericus, 30% EGM, 36% VTS, 34% EOP. The scaleup to tray bioreactor with optimal substrate made it possible to achieve the maximum xylanase, cellulase, and glucosidase production of 189.1 ± 26.7, 56.3 ± 2.1 and 10.9 ± 0.8 U/g, respectively. The antioxidant activity of fermented wastes was also improved 2.2fold as compared with unfermented wastes. Thus, a combination of olive mill and winery wastes in SSF is a potential strategy to increase their value and to develop a circular strategy in these industries. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.José Manuel Salgado was supported by grant CEB/N2020 – INV/01/2016 from Project ‘BIOTECNORTE – Underpinning Biotechnology to foster the north of Portugal bioeconomy’ (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004). This study was supported by SPO3 project, reference POCI-010145-FEDER-030377, funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), by the InovFeed project, reference MAR-02.01.01- FEAMP-0111. This study was supported by the FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and by the BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000004) funded by the ERDF under the scope of North 2020 – Northern Regional Operational Program. Helena Fernandes and Carolina Castro were supported by PhD grant SFRH/BD/131219/2017 and post-doctoral grant SFRH/BDP/114942/2016, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), respectivelyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gaza: da tempestade de Al-Aqsa ao genocídio

This article aims, from an anthropological and historiographical perspective, under a long-term analysis, to understand how it was consolidated and the consequences of colonialism in current Palestine. We will adopt a methodology that intersects ethnography and historiography, and we will bring a counter-polar vision, produced by Palestinian people, based on the counter-hegemonic media.Este artigo busca, a partir de uma perspectiva antropológica e historiográfica, sob uma análise de longa duração, compreender como se consolidou e quais os desdobramentos do colonialismo na atual Palestina. Adotaremos uma metodologia que intersecciona etnografia e historiografia, e traremos uma visão a contrapelo, produzida por pessoas palestinas, a partir da mídia contrahegemônica

Understanding Portuguese social workers’ values preferences

In this article, we seek to find out what values social workers in Portugal identify as critical for the profession, and we further attempt to contextualise them with the values of the Portuguese population. We adopted a quantitative and extensive methodology; used the Schwartz scale to collect data from social workers, while the values of the Portuguese population were gathered from the European Social Survey. The results indicate that social workers prefer values centered on universalism and benevolence, and yet they exercise their profession in a society that prefers values oriented towards the maintenance of tradition. It is essential that social workers have the practical wisdom to make ethical decisions based on the values of the profession, whether universal or specific, taking into account the context in which they practice. Subsequently, it is significant for professionals to understand these general societal values to enable them to define meaningful strategies to reinforce the values of social work in their professional practice

Bio-enrichment of oilseed cakes by Mortierella alpina under solid-state fermentation

"Available online 3 August 2020"Oilseed cakes have potential for new applications as substrates for solid-state fermentation (SSF), to increase their nutritional value by increasing its polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) or protein content. In this sense, it was performed a screening of oilseed cakes to be used as substrates for the production of PUFAs by Mortierella alpina Peyronel MUM 9412. Of all by-products tested, linseed cake (LSC) was the oilseed cake that achieved the highest production of total PUFAs: 153.09 ± 2.25 mg/g. Overall, the PUFAs and protein contents of fermented LSC increased 33% and 11%, respectively. Further, supplementation of the rapeseed cake with linseed oil, prior to the SSF, proved to increase the PUFAs production in about 26%. This study demonstrated the potential of SSF for improving linseed and linseed cakes nutritional composition and the positive effect of linseed oil as inductor to improve the PUFAs production by M. alpina.José Manuel Salgado was supported by grant CEB/N2020 – INV/01/ 2016 from Project “BIOTECNORTE - Underpinning Biotechnology to foster the north of Portugal bioeconomy” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004). This work was supported by the project “Development of innovative sustainable protein and omega-3 rich feedstuffs for aquafeeds, from local agro-industrial by-products”, reference POCI-01-0145- FEDER-030377, funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio