Desenvolvimento de novos produtos alimentares enriquecidos com algas

Climate change, current agriculture production, and consumption patterns have become the most significant problems of the food industry. Several studies proved the need to develop functional food as an alternative. Seaweeds are still not commonly used in Europe, but their several health benefits could improve food habits and essential mineral intakes. Lack of iodine has been documented as a global problem since the last century, and this mineral comprises a vital part of a healthy diet. The main objectives of this work were the development of a new and accessible food product rich in iodine and other essential minerals in order to fill the gap that the current European diet has but, also with appealing sensory characteristics. To achieve these main objectives, a canned mackerel enriched with seaweeds was developed. The selected edible macroalgae were: S. latissima, L. digitata, U. pinnatifida, and C. crispus. To quantify the minerals of interest (I, Se, Na, and K) and arsenic, the samples were digested by microwave-assisted acid digestion. The quantification of As, I and Se were performed by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry; Na and K were determined by high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometer. All the characterized species exhibited high iodine levels: U. pinnatifida (64.02 ± 8.74 µg I/g ww), L. digitata (643.5 ± 13.0 µg I/g ww), S. latissima (211.6 ± 12.8 µg I/g ww) and C. crispus (239.2± 17.7 µg I/g ww). The impact of processing steps, such as rehydration and boiling, was assessed. Several canned fish samples were prepared, with and without the addition of algae, and comparisons between them were made. All samples revealed a satisfactory contribution to the recommended daily allowances of nutritionally essential minerals (K: 0.53-3.64%, I: 310.32-1780.8 %, Se: 71.1-99.9%). A sensory analysis was done after the canned samples production. The samples with macroalgae revealed the best textural aspect and aroma. Therefore, it was concluded that the sample with S. latissima has the best aroma, flavour, texture, and appearance. In conclusion, all the main objectives of the work were achieved, and a healthy product was developed. Some future work is needed to optimize the canned product and to explore further the total macroalgae and canned beneficial properties.Fatores como as alterações climáticas, agricultura intensiva e crescimento do consumo tornaram-se alguns dos problemas da indústria alimentar. Diversos estudos provam que existe uma necessidade crescente de desenvolvimento de alimentos funcionais. Apesar dos seus vastos benefícios que poderiam melhorar os hábitos alimentares europeus as macroalgas não são muito utilizadas nesta zona do globo. A deficiência do iodo na população tem sido estudada e atualmente é considerada como um problema mundial. Os principais objetivos deste trabalho são o desenvolvimento de um produto alimentar, mais barato e acessível rico em iodo e outros minerais essenciais, de modo a colmatar o défice deste mineral na dieta Europeia, mas também que apresente características sensoriais apelativas. De modo a cumprir estes objetivos projetou-se o desenvolvimento de uma conserva de cavala com macroalgas. As macroalgas edíveis escolhidas foram: S. latissima, L. digitata, U. pinnatifida e C. crispus. De forma a quantificar os minerais de interesse (I, Se, Na e K) e arsénio as amostras foram previamente digeridas por micro-ondas. A quantificação de As, I e Se foi realizada por ICPMS. Na e K por HR-CS-FAAS. Todas as macroalgas selecionadas demonstraram altos teores em iodo: U. pinnatifida (64.02 ± 8.74 µg I/g ww), L. digitata (643.50 ± 12.99 µg I/g ww), S. latissima (211.60 ± 12.79 µg I/g ww) e C. crispus (239.21± 17.69 µg I/g ww). As amostras de conservas criadas revelaram altas percentagens de contribuição para o valor diário recomendado de alguns elementos (K: 0.53- 3.64%, I: 310.32-1780.8 %, Se: 71.1-99.9%). Após a produção de conservas foi efetuada a análise sensorial. Em geral todas as amostras com a presença da macroalga revelaram uma melhor textura e aroma marinho. Em concordância concluiu-se que a melhor conserva (sabor, aroma, aspeto e textura) seria a alga com a inserção da macroalga S. latissima. Em conclusão, os principais objetivos do trabalho foram alcançados. Contudo, algum trabalho futuro é recomendado de forma a otimizar os produtos criados, testar mais amostras para validação do método e para explorar o benefício total do uso das macroalgas na conserva de cavala

Critical dialogues: slow readings of English literary texts

The reader will find gathered together in this volume a selection of articles and essays that have been separately published over the past three decades as a result of my teaching practice and research activity. In chronological terms, they span a period from 1985 until May 2008. These texts were chosen because they are considered to be representative of the type of work I usually do in my classes, undoubtedly as a result of my own academic background, based on a deliberate and specific form of approach to literary texts, my own choice of English authors and, lastly, my most recent interest in inter-art studies.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologi

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITARIAN EDUCATION collaborative actions to an integral sustainable coastal development

A transdisciplinary approach on the emancipatory dynamics of learning to live sustainably acts as a bridge that passes over the fields of educational and environmental sciences. With this approach, the research Environmental Communitarian Education: collaborative actions to an integral sustainable coastal development cooperated to environmental coastal knowledge. Considering that coastal areas encompass a diversity of human activities attracted by the ocean potentialities in a paradigm that dissociates individual, society, and nature, the emergence of the environmental issues appears as a direct result of the problematic relationship between society and nature. The present research proposes to understand how community-based collaborative actions, grounded in a holistic transformative education, can contribute to an integral sustainable coastal development, by (1) identifying concepts of traditional, local, and technical coastal knowledge; (2) promoting the dialogue among traditional, local, technical, and scientific knowledge; (3) identifying community-based praxis that support that dialogue; and (4) critically co-analyzing the community-based collaborative actions. Acknowledging inner worlds as a realm of transformation towards an integral sustainability, this research acts on a SPIRAL framework, grounded on a Critical Ethnographic methodology, resignifying the environmental paradigm to an integral coastal ecology, which places humanity and nature as essential elements. The findings of this research, among which the process that sought to explore the potential of Memories, Community, Care, Respect for different rhythms, and Sense of belonging, contributed to strengthen the knowledge of natural systems, and to promote the inter-knowledges dialogue for generating and supporting social transformation. A five-cycle model structured 20 events increasing the awareness of coastal communities' members of the interdependencies among individual, society, and nature. This theoretic-methodological approach illustrated how Slow Pedagogy promotes respect for personal and collective rhythms, boosting the potential - action and knowledge co-development, to reach integral sustainability. From this experience we soon saw that a sectoral and structured line of research, whose main concern is the external phenomena and the collective social structures, does not adequately acknowledge the importance of humans as both dependents and contributors.Uma abordagem transdisciplinar sobre as dinâmicas emancipatórias de aprender a viver de forma sustentável atua como pontes que permeiam a ciência da educação e a ciência ambiental. Sob esta abordagem, a investigação Educação Ambiental Comunitária: ações colaborativas para um desenvolvimento costeiro sustentável integral cooperou para o conhecimento ambiental costeiro. Considerando que as áreas costeiras englobam uma diversidade de atividades humanas atraídas pelas potencialidades oceânicas em um paradigma que dissocia indivíduo, sociedade e natureza, a emergência das questões ambientais surge como resultado direto da relação problemática entre sociedade e natureza. Esta investigação propõe-se a compreender como ações colaborativas de base comunitária, alicerçadas em uma educação holística e transformadora, podem contribuir para um desenvolvimento costeiro sustentável integral, por meio da (1) identificação de conceitos de conhecimento costeiro tradicional, local e técnico; da (2) promoção do diálogo entre os conhecimentos costeiros tradicional, local, técnico e científico; da (3) identificação de práxis comunitárias que apoiam esse diálogo; e da (4) co-análise crítica das ações colaborativas de fundo comunitário. Reconhecendo os mundos interiores como um domínio de transformação para uma sustentabilidade integral, esta linha de investigação atua num quadro SPIRAL, assente numa metodologia Etnográfica Crítica, ressignificando o paradigma ambiental para uma ecologia costeira integral, que coloca humanidade e natureza como elementos essenciais. Os resultados desta investigação, entre os quais o processo que ativa o potencial de Memórias, Comunidade, Cuidado, Respeito pelos diferentes ritmos e Sentido de pertença, contribuíram para fortalecer o conhecimento dos sistemas naturais e promover o diálogo interconhecimentos para gerar e apoiar a transformação social. Um modelo de cinco ciclos estruturou 20 eventos, aumentando a conscientização dos membros das comunidades costeiras para as interdependências entre indivíduo, sociedade e natureza. Esta abordagem teórico-metodológica realça a forma como a Pedagogia da Lentidão promove o respeito pelos ritmos pessoais e coletivos, elevando o potencial - ação e co-desenvolvimento do conhecimento, para alcançar a sustentabilidade integral. Desta experiência entende-se que uma linha de investigação sectorial e estruturada, cuja principal preocupação são os fenómenos externos e as estruturas sociais coletivas, não reconhece a importância do ser humano como dependente e contribuinte

Early stages in the entrepreneurship nexus: Business opportunities and individual characteristics

This thesis focuses on the individual-opportunity nexus in the early stages of the entrepreneurship process, and includes five empirical studies. The aim of Study 1 was to contribute to the explanation of cognitive maps during the early stages of entrepreneurship. Results suggest that individuals with greater entrepreneurial experience have richer, clearer and simpler cognitive maps. Study 2 sought to obtain evidence concerning the basic dimensions included in cognitive prototypes pertaining to opportunity recognition and decision to launch a new venture. For the “business opportunity” prototype these are utility and distinctiveness while for the decision to launch a new venture, the basic dimensions are feasibility and motivational aspects. The two studies mentioned above focused on the opportunity side of the nexus. For the individual side of the nexus, we focused on the entrepreneurial potential construct applied in different contexts. With Study 3, we put forward a theoretical model for the entrepreneurial potential construct. Through six research steps, this study presented the development of the Entrepreneurial Potential Assessment Inventory, which can be used to measure the entrepreneurial potential construct. Study 4 aimed to analyse the predictive capacity of entrepreneurial potential profiling among entrepreneurial team members. Our results showed that, in a venture competition context, the teams with higher results in socio-psychological aspects became finalists. Study 5 presented a methodology for the selection of potential entrepreneurs for an entrepreneurship promotion program. The main results showed that individual and business opportunity characteristics are critical dimensions. Based on these empirical studies, this thesis also describes valuable tools that can contribute towards fostering entrepreneurship in Portugal.Esta tese focaliza-se no nexus indivíduo-oportunidade durante as fases iniciais do processo empreendedor e apresenta cinco estudos empíricos. O estudo 1 contribui para compreender a evolução dos mapas cognitivos nas fases iniciais do processo empreendedor. Os resultados mostram que os indivíduos com uma maior experiência empreendedora apresentam estruturas cognitivas mais ricas, claras e simples. O estudo 2 desenvolve um modelo bi-dimensional do processo de reconhecimento de oportunidades e da consequente decisão de lançar o negócio. Os resultados sugerem que o protótipo de oportunidade de negócio inclui duas dimensões: utilidade e distintividade. Por sua vez, o protótipo da decisão para fundar o negócio inclui os aspetos relacionados com a fiabilidade e com a motivação para lançar o negócio. O estudo 3 apresenta o modelo teórico do potencial empreendedor, e o desenvolvimento do Inventário de Avaliação do Potencial Empreendedor. O estudo 4 analisa a capacidade preditiva do potencial empreendedor entre equipas empreendedoras. Os resultados sugerem que, no contexto de um concurso de empreendedorismo, as equipas com resultados mais elevados nas dimensões psicossociais do potencial empreendedor foram selecionadas como vencedoras. O estudo 5 apresenta uma metodologia para a seleção de empreendedores num programa de promoção do empreendedorismo, e os resultados mostram que algumas das dimensões do potencial empreendedor e as características da oportunidade de negócio são críticas para a seleção. Com base nestas evidências empíricas, esta tese apresenta instrumentos com aplicação prática que podem vir a contribuir para o desenvolvimento do empreendedorismo em Portugal

Determinants of Portuguese external imbalances

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsIt has been argued that real appreciation is at the root of lack of Portuguese competitiveness and consequently current account deficits. Using quarterly data from 1995q1 to 2011q4, this Work Project analyses the determinants of Portuguese's current plus capital account by constructing a VAR model and performing Granger causality tests. The results show that real exchange rate appreciation is not the cause of Portuguese external imbalances but it might have been the other way around. These findings are in accordance with the view of Campos e Cunha in his article “Is the Dutch disease pandemic in the South” (2008)

Challenges for heritage landscape management: the case of the Causses and the Cévennes

In some Mediterranean peripheral areas, highly adapted extensive traditional agro‐pastoral systems have been in place due to the existent biophysical constrains. These systems, resulting from long historical experiences and empirical knowledge progressively incorporated by generations of farmers, have strongly contributed for the existence of outstanding resultant landscapes today. Based on society’s increasingly interest in such landscapes labels such as Unesco Heritage landscape have been developed. At the same time, farmers in these peripheral areas struggle to keep their farming incomes in a globalized liberal market scenario. In the Mediterranean agro-pastoral cultural landscape The Causses and the Cévennes (World Heritage ‘Cultural Living Landscape’ in UNESCO’s list since June 2012), the traditional systems in place are under diverse changing trends, from overgrazing to extensification, indicating that the landscapes and values recognized within them are far from secured. Landscape conservation in the new rural development policy post‐2013 is now under priority, with focus on “restoring and preserving the state of European Landscapes”. The need is there to develop tools supporting effective management of heritage landscapes. As farmers stand as the ones changing more directly landscape character, through their attitudes and practices, one first step towards more effective management of heritage landscapes is to understand: how is the concept of world heritage agro‐pastoral cultural landscape seen by farmers? As a unifying concept reinforcing agro‐pastoralism importance and highlighting its opportunities? Or as a political strategic label with little effect on their ways of managing the land? The goal of the present work is to assess the opinions of farmers and other local stakeholders in regard to heritage landscape, introducing some of the challenges within land management and landscape conservation that lay ahead

Modelling the effect of nonplanarity on charge transport along conjugated polymer chains

Conjugated polymers show interesting properties that make them appropriated for nanoelectronics. Several studies of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) have suggested that each polymer chain consists of several planar segments, with conjugation length of nanoscale dimension, linked by twists or kinks. A pronounced twist between two planar segments in a PPV chain not only causes loss of main-chain conjugation but it may also alter electron and hole mobility along the chain, which has further implications for the percolation of charge through the polymer film. We used self-consistent quantum molecular dynamics calculations to provide information on the electric field needed to move the injected charges (either electrons or holes) along the planar segments of PPV and to cross the twist between two planar segments perpendicular to each other. Field-dependent charge mobility was also estimated for conjugated segments of various lengths. Our results suggest that electrons can cross the twist between adjacent planar segments for lower applied electric fields than holes if there is no more than one electronic charge (electron or hole) on the PPV chain, otherwise similar fields are needed.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia FCT) Programa Operacional “Ciência , Tecnologia, Inovação” – POCTI/CTM/41574/2001, CONC-REEQ/443/EEI/2001 e SFRH/BD/11231/200

Mesoscopic modelling of bipolar charge evolution in CN-PPV LEDs

Since various chances are possible in the molecular structure of the repeat unit, substituted poly(para-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) has ben used as active component in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to obtain light emission in a wide range of colours.A major aspect determining device performance is the competition between current flow, trapping and recombination within the polymer layer. By suitable Monte Carlo calculations, we have performed computer experiments in which bipolar charge carriers are injected at constant rate in polymer networks made of cyano-substituted PPV chains with variable length and orientation. The intra-molecular electronic properties used in these simulations were calculated by a quantum molecular dynamics method. In order to assess the influence of cyano-substitution on the properties of single-layer PPV LEDs, we have focused our attention on bipolar charge evolution in time. Specifically addressed are the differences in electric field strength needed for intra-molecular charge mobility of electrons and holes and their consequences at mesoscopic scale. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Interatividade digital do Método das 28 Palavras como motivador na aquisição da leitura em crianças portadoras de Trissomia 21: um estudo de caso

Projecto de investigação no âmbito da Pós-Graduação em Educação Especial da Escola Superior de Educação de Paula Frassinetti.O tema central desta investigação centra-se na verificação da vantagem da interatividade digital do método das 28 palavras no processo de aquisição da competência leitora em crianças portadoras de Trissomia 21. Inicialmente, exploramos as principais características destas crianças, analisamos os métodos de aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita, dando especial atenção ao método das 28 palavras e, por fim, investigamos qual a utilidade e as vantagens das TIC no processo ensino-aprendizagem. Com efeito, o estudo de caso aqui apresentado é baseado na aplicação de atividades elaboradas no software educativo Jclic apoiadas sempre no método das 28 palavras e nas caraterísticas da criança observada. Esta é portadora de Trissomia 21, tem 8 anos e encontra-se a frequentar o 1º ano de escolaridade em processo de iniciação de aprendizagem da leitura