CONDIÇÕES DE TRABALHO E QUALIDADE DE VIDA NA UTILIZAÇÃO DE AGROTÓXICOS NO SETOR FLORESTAL

Qualidade de Vida é um instrumento estratégico para identificar a insatisfação pessoal e seus efeitos, visando a Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar o perfil, as condições do trabalho e analisar a Qualidade de Vida, de acordo com o ponto de vista de 136 trabalhadores florestais que atuam com o manuseio e aplicação de agrotóxicos em plantios de eucalipto, em 32 pequenas propriedades rurais localizadas na mesorregião Sul do Estado do Espírito Santo. Foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa, aplicando um questionário previamente preparado, em entrevistas individuais, a partir de uma relação fixa de questões. A avaliação da Qualidade de Vida foi realizada tendo como referência os preconizados pela metodologia WHOQOL-bref e foram identificados os atributos que caracterizam as diferentes percepções sobre o grupo estudado. A constatação das variáveis relativas à segurança no trabalho foi realizada em conformidade com as diretrizes para inspeção do trabalho florestal propostas pela Organização Internacional do Trabalho, tendo como embasamento o item 31.8 (Agrotóxicos, Adjuvantes e Produtos Afins) da Norma Regulamentadora 31 - Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho na Agricultura, Pecuária Silvicultura, Exploração Florestal e Aquicultura. Os resultados identificaram aspectos positivos, mas também apontaram pontos negativos em relação ao fornecimento e uso de equipamentos de proteção individual, manuseio, armazenamento e transporte dos agrotóxicos. Nas condições em que este estudo foi conduzido, conclui-se que: em sua maioria, os trabalhadores florestais são do sexo masculino, jovens, de origem rural, com baixa escolaridade e renda abaixo da média nacional; as condições inadequadas relativas à segurança no trabalho estão relacionadas à falta de informação, tanto técnica quanto legal; os mecanismos de capacitação são insuficientes e a atividade é insegura; o grupo estudado apresenta um nível médio de satisfação com a sua qualidade de vida (54,01%). Palavra-chave: 1. Saúde do trabalhador. 2. Segurança do trabalho. 3. Ergonomia. 4. Silvicultura. 5. Técnicas e operações florestais

O Grupo dos Onze: Repressão e Anticomunismo no Município de Muniz Freire - ES

A dissertação ora apresentada analisa a formação do Grupo dos Onze no município de Muniz Freire - ES e as consequências de sua criação, tais como: repressão política e social e a sua ligação ao comunismo. O Grupo dos Onze foi criado via rádio, a partir de novembro de 1963, por Leonel Brizola, então deputado federal do Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro (PTB), com o objetivo de organizar a população para lutar pelas reformas de base e contra possíveis tentativas de golpes de Estado. A ideia teve grande aceitação e inúmeros grupos surgiram em todo o país a partir das pregações de Brizola, inclusive no pequeno município de Muniz Freire, localizado no interior do Estado do Espírito Santo. Assim como ocorreu nacionalmente, o grupo capixaba foi associado a atividades revolucionárias e ao comunismo, o que ocasionou perseguições após o golpe de 1964. Além do golpe, a disputa política e a sociedade conservadora local também contribuíram para fortalecer o sentimento anticomunista no município, criando um clima repressivo contra os membros do Grupo dos Onze, já que os mesmos eram constantemente associados ao governo deposto de João Goulart. Nesse sentido, este trabalho percorre a história do município de Muniz Freire e seu vínculo com acontecimentos ocorridos no Espírito Santo e nacionalmente. Inquérito policial e fontes orais, bem como jornais, atas e outros documentos norteiam o seu desenvolvimento

Cyclical strain improves artificial equine tendon constructs in vitro

Tendon injuries are a common cause of morbidity in humans. They also occur frequently in horses and the horse provides a relevant, large animal model in which to test novel therapies. To develop novel cell therapies that can aid tendon regeneration and reduce subsequent re‐injury rates, the mechanisms that control tendon tissue regeneration and matrix remodelling need to be better understood. Whilst a range of chemical cues have been explored (growth factors, media etc.), the influence of the mechanical environment on tendon cell culture has yet to be fully elucidated. To mimic the in vivo environment, in this study we have utilised a novel and affordable, custom‐made bioreactor to apply a cyclical strain to tendon‐like constructs generated in 3‐dimensional (3D) culture by equine tenocytes. Dynamic shear analysis (DSA), dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to determine the mechanical and chemical properties of the resulting tendon‐like constructs. Our results demonstrate that equine tenocytes exposed to a 10% cyclical strain have an increased amount of collagen gel contraction after 7 and 8 days of culture compared to cells cultured in 3D in the absence of external strain. While all the tendon‐like constructs have a very similar chemical composition to native tendon, the application of strain improves their mechanical properties. We envisage these results will contribute towards the development of improved biomimetic artificial tendon models for the development of novel strategies for equine regenerative therapies

Supporting Spartina: Interdisciplinary Perspective Shows Spartina As A Distinct Solid Genus

In 2014, a DNA-based phylogenetic study confirming the paraphyly of the grass subtribe Sporobolinae proposed the creation of a large monophyletic genus Sporobolus, including (among others) species previously included in the genera Spartina, Calamovilfa, and Sporobolus. Spartina species have contributed substantially (and continue contributing) to our knowledge in multiple disciplines, including ecology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, biogeography, experimental ecology, biological invasions, environmental management, restoration ecology, history, economics, and sociology. There is no rationale so compelling to subsume the name Spartina as a subgenus that could rival the striking, global iconic history and use of the name Spartina for over 200 yr. We do not agree with the subjective arguments underlying the proposal to change Spartina to Sporobolus. We understand the importance of both the objective phylogenetic insights and of the subjective formalized nomenclature and hope that by opening this debate we will encourage positive feedback that will strengthen taxonomic decisions with an interdisciplinary perspective. We consider that the strongly distinct, monophyletic clade Spartina should simply and efficiently be treated as the genus Spartina

MODELLING THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASE ON THE GROWTH OF SALT MARSH PLANTS

Gradual increases in temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations have resulted from the increased human use of fossil fuels since the beginning of industrial activity. In coastal wetland ecosystems, salt marshes constitute important habitats because they play important ecological roles, acting as carbon sinks by capturing atmospheric CO2 and storing it in living plant tissue. Ecological models are important tools for understanding the results of anthropogenic impacts on a global scale. Global warming poses threats to salt marshes through different effects, e.g., increases in sea level. The objectives of this study were i) to assess how temperature increases will influence the growth of salt marsh plants, ii) to infer the carbon budget of salt marshes under temperature increase scenarios and iii) to predict how salt marsh plants will keep pace with increases in sea level. These goals were achieved by developing growth models of three different plants (Spartina maritima, Scirpus maritimus and Zostera noltei) found in the Mondego estuary. Models were developed for C3 and C4 plant species. The results suggest that a temperature increase enhances the aboveground biomass of salt marsh plants. According to the predictions of the models, the sedimentation rate of S. maritima and Z. noltei can keep pace with increases in sea level, but this is apparently not the case for S. maritimus. If S. maritimus disappears from the Mondego estuary, the carbon sequestration ability of the system should decrease due to the loss of active plant tissue. This conclusion is based on the fact that S. maritimus accumulated more than 80% of the total carbon sequestered in the tissues by the three studied species. Keywords: plant growth model, sea level increase, sedimentation, salt marsh, estuarie

Insulin-regulated aminopeptidase inhibitors do not alter glucose handling in normal and diabetic rats

Insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) co-localizes with the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in GLUT4 storage vesicles (GSV) in insulin-responsive cells. In response to insulin, IRAP is the only transmembrane enzyme known to translocate together with GLUT4 to the plasma membrane in adipocytes and muscle cells. Although the intracellular region of IRAP is associated with GLUT4 vesicle trafficking, the role of the aminopeptidase activity in insulin-responsive cells has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the inhibition of the aminopeptidase activity of IRAP facilitates glucose uptake in insulin-responsive cells. In both in vitro and in vivo studies, inhibition of IRAP aminopeptidase activity with the specific inhibitor, HFI-419, did not modulate glucose uptake. IRAP inhibition in the L6GLUT4myc cell line did not alter glucose uptake in both basal and insulin-stimulated state. In keeping with these results, HFI419 did not affect peripheral, whole-body glucose handling after an oral glucose challenge, neither in normal rats nor in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced experimental rat model of diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, acute inhibition of IRAP aminopeptidase activity does not affect glucose homeostasis.</jats:p

Microplastics as a vector for heavy metal contamination in the marine environment

The permanent presence of microplastics in the marine environment is considered a global threat to several marine animals. Heavy metals and microplastics are typically included in two different classes of pollutants but the interaction between these two stressors is poorly understood. During 14 days of experimental manipulation, we examined the adsorption of two heavy metals, copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), leached from an antifouling paint to virgin polystyrene (PS) beads and aged polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fragments in seawater. We demonstrated that heavy metals were released from the antifouling paint to the water and both microplastic types adsorbed the two heavy metals. This adsorption kinetics was described using partition coefficients and mathematical models. Partition coefficients between pellets and water ranged between 650 and 850 for Cu on PS and PVC, respectively. The adsorption of Cu was significantly greater in PVC fragments than in PS, probably due to higher surface area and polarity of PVC. Concentrations of Cu and Zn increased significantly on PVC and PS over the course of the experiment with the exception of Zn on PS. As a result, we show a significant interaction between these types of microplastics and heavy metals, which can have implications for marine life and the environment. These results strongly support recent findings where plastics can play a key role as vectors for heavy metal ions in the marine system. Finally, our findings highlight the importance of monitoring marine litter and heavy metals, mainly associated with antifouling paints, particularly in the framework of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

Co-creating Welfare:Training course material preparing professionals to co-create welfare solutions with citizens

The Co-creation Welfare training course has been developed within the European ERASMUS+ Project called “Co-creating Welfare”. The motivation for the development of the training course is a broadly political acknowledged need for reorganisation within the welfare sector in order to obtain a more sustainable and cost-effectiveness sector. Organisations that offer welfare services to citizens are often struggling with budget cut-downs, mainly due to consequences of the hardly ended worldwide financial crisis, which has pushed forward the need for looking at new ways of organizing the European welfare offers. As a response to the need for re-organisation, co-creation has started to become an acknowledged concept to create a more sustainable set-up and organisation of the welfare sector. Co-creation is a new way of thinking about public services which has the potential to deliver a major shift in the way we provide health, education, policing and other services, in ways that make them much more effective, more efficient, and so more sustainable, but professional practitioners need skills and knowledge to work with co-creation. The CCW training course material will provide these skills and knowledge.Portuguese national funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) within the framework of the CIEC (Research Center for Child Studies of the University of Minho) project under the reference UID/CED/00317/2019Action Type KA202 - Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training (EC project number: 2016-1-DK01-KA202-022342