Impactos tóxicos de nanopartículas de dioxido de titânio em Mytilus galloprovincialis expostos ao aquecimento global

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have been widely used in various industrial applications and consumer products. Due to their large production and use, they will eventually enter into aquatic environment. Once in the aquatic environment TiO2 NPs may interact with the organisms and induce toxic effects. Beside contamination, organisms are also exposed to climate change, responsible for a gradual increase in the ocean temperature, which can cause physiological and biochemical impairments in aquatic organisms as well as increased the sensibility of organisms to pollutants. Furthermore, it is already reported that warming may change the properties and toxicity of pollutants. Since the most common forms of TiO2 NPs are rutile and anatase, the present study evaluated the effects of these two forms in Mytilus galloprovincialis at control temperature and the effects of rutile NPs under warming conditions. For this, mussels were distributed into two climatic rooms to maintain organisms at two different temperatures: 18±1 and 22±1 °C. The tested concentrations of rutile and anatase NPs at 18 °C and of rutile ate 22 °C were 0 μg/L; 5 μg/L; 50 μg/L; and 100 μg/L. The experimental exposure lasted 28 days and at the end Ti concentrations, histopathological alterations and biochemical effects were evaluated. Histopathological results demonstrated that both forms of TiO2 induced alterations on gills and digestive glands along the increasing exposure concentrations regardless the temperature. Biochemical markers showed that mussels exposed to rutile NPs at control temperature maintained their metabolic capacity (assessed by the activity of the electron transport system, ETS), while the metabolism of mussels exposed rutile NPs under higher temperature increased at 5 and 50 μg/L of Ti and in mussels exposed to anatase NPs the metabolic capacity was increased. Mussels exposed to rutile NPs at control temperature increased their detoxificant defenses which, due to the low tested concentrations, were sufficient to avoid cellular damage. On the other hand, mussels exposed to anatase NPs suffered cellular damages despite the increased in antioxidant defenses which may be related to higher activity of the electron transport system. Also, mussels exposed rutile NPs under higher temperature activated the antioxidant defenses, however still cellular damage occurred under these conditions. Overall, this study showed that rutile and anatase NPs were toxic to M. galloprovincialis, with higher oxidative stress exerted by anatase form and that temperature rise may significantly increase the sensitivity of bivalves towards rutile NPs, revealing higher toxic impacts in mussels exposed to rutile NPs under warming conditions.As nanoparticulas de dioxido de titanio (NPs de TiO2) tem sido amplamente utilizadas em varias aplicacoes industriais e produtos de consumo. Devido a sua grande producao e uso, acabam por entrar nos ambientes aquaticos. Uma vez no ambiente aquatico, as NPs de TiO2 podem interagir com os organismos e induzir efeitos toxicos. Alem da contaminacao, os organismos tambem estao expostos a alteracoes climaticas, responsaveis por um aumento gradual da temperatura nos oceanos, que pode causar danos fisiologicos e bioquimicos nos organismos aquaticos e maior sensibilidade a poluentes. Alem disso, ja foi reportado que o aquecimento pode alterar as propriedades e a toxicidade dos poluentes. Como as formas mais comuns das NPs de TiO2 sao o rutilio e a anatase, o presente estudo avaliou os efeitos destas duas formas em Mytilus galloprovincialis a temperatura controlo e os efeitos das NPs de rutilio sob condicoes de aquecimento global. Para isto, os mexilhoes foram distribuidos em duas salas climaticas para manter os organismos em duas temperaturas diferentes: 18 } 1 e 22 } 1 ‹C. As concentracoes testadas de NPs de rutilio e anatase a 18 ‹C e de rutilio a 22 oC foram 0 ƒÊg/L; 5 ƒÊg/L; 50 ƒÊg /L; e 100 ƒÊg/L. A exposicao durou 28 dias e no final foram avaliadas as concentracoes de Ti no tecido dos mexilhoes, as alteracoes histopatologicas e os efeitos bioquimicos. Os resultados histopatologicos demonstraram que ambas as formas de TiO2 induziram alteracoes nas branquias e nas glandulas digestivas ao longo do aumento das concentracoes de exposicao, independentemente da temperatura. Os parametros bioquimicos mostraram que os mexilhoes expostos a NPs de rutilio na temperatura controle mantiveram a capacidade metabolica (avaliada pela atividade da cadeia de transporte de eletroes, ETS), enquanto o metabolismo dos mexilhoes expostos a NPs de rutilio a 22 ‹C aumentou quando expostos a 5 e 50 ƒÊg/L de Ti e os mexilhoes expostos a NPs de anatase tambem aumentaram a capacidade metabolica. Os mexilhoes expostos a NPs de rutilio a temperatura controlo aumentaram as defesas desintoxicantes que, devido as baixas concentracoes testadas, foram suficientes para evitar danos celulares. Por outro lado, os mexilhoes expostos a NPs de anatase sofreram danos celulares, apesar do aumento das defesas antioxidantes, o que pode estar relacionado com a maior atividade da cadeia de transporte de eletroes. Alem disso, os mexilhoes expostos a NPs de rutilio sob temperaturas mais elevadas ativaram as defesas antioxidantes, porem ainda ocorreram danos celulares nessas condicoes. No geral, este estudo mostrou que as NPs de rutilio e anatase sao toxicas para M. galloprovincialis, com maior stress oxidativo exercido pela anatase e que o aumento da temperatura pode aumentar significativamente a sensibilidade de bivalves para as NPs de rutilio, demonstrando impactos toxicos mais elevados em mexilhoes expostos a NPs de rutilio sob condicoes de aquecimentom global.Mestrado em Toxicologia e Ecotoxicologi

Cork oak and climate change: influence of drought on cork growth and chemical composition

Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais / Instituto Superior de Agronomia. Universidade de LisboaClimate scenarios in the Mediterranean predict raising temperatures and more frequent and extreme drought. We focused on analysing the effect of drought on cork growth and chemical composition to evaluate if more frequent and severe forthcoming droughts will compromise the performance of cork as a sealant for wine bottles. A few species can produce cork in a significant proportion. We initiated this research on gathering the available information to put cork oak and its cork under this general panorama. We concluded that the cork from Quercus suber is presently the only raw-material with the characteristics necessary for production of solid cork products and focused our research on it. To study the response of cork-growth to drought and the effect of phellogen age we used a dendroecological methodology and a components resilience analysis, confirming that drought reduces growth and provided extra knowledge on this subject: cork oak is very tolerant and resilient to extreme droughts but more severe droughts correspond to higher decrease of growth and more trees affected although to greater recovery performance. Nevertheless, there are other factors involved in the response: site, tree and the age of the phellogen. Regarding chemical composition the research developed brings insights into the effect of drought on the proportion of its main components. Our results show that, in general, drought does not affect it, with some exceptions. Nevertheless, the variability associated to the tree is much more relevant than the effect of drought conditions and affects all the parameters analyzed. In practical terms, the potential increased occurrence of droughts arising from climatic changes will not compromise the performance of cork as a sealant for wine bottles but cork debarking rotations should be enlarged in order to have the necessary cork plank width, namely if the drought occurs in the first 2 yearsN/

Geography teacher's professional development : a comparative study of evaluator and evaluated teachers perspetives

O desenvolvimento profissional docente (DPD) é um fator facilitador da mudança educativa que pode ser estimulado em contextos formais ou informais. A avaliação do desempenho, designadamente em casos como o português, pode ser potenciadora do DPD. Este estudo compara as perspetivas de professores avaliadores e avaliados de Geografia sobre o desenvolvimento profissional do professor de Geografia. Os dados, obtidos através da aplicação de um questionário a 60 avaliadores e 110 avaliados, sugerem não haver grandes diferenças entre as perspetivas dos dois grupos de professores acerca do DPD.The professional development of teachers (PDT) is a facilitating fator of educational change that can be fostered in both formal and informal contexts. The evaluation of teachers’ performance, in cases like the Portuguese one, can be a PDT promoter. This study compares the perspetives of evaluator and evaluated Geography teachers on the geography teacher’s professional development. Data collected through a questionnaire answered by 60 evaluators and 110 evaluated teachers suggest that no major differences appear to exist between the perspetives of the two groups of teachers on the PDT

Conselhos participativos como espaços de governança de políticas urbanas

This article aims to investigate the possible relationships between the course of urban policy development in Brazil and the implementation of a new model of governance of urban policy based on the performance of participatory councils. The research technique chosen was indirect documentation, which includes documentary and bibliographic research. The documentary research focused on official and legal documents. The bibliographic sources included academic research in the areas of urban policy, governance, and participatory councils. As a partial result, we were able to identify the diffusion of the governance model of public policy in Brazil in the form of participatory councils. However, the inclusion of urban policy in this scenario is challenging, as the path to its implementation is tortuous. The creation of a national system of councils for urban policies, with a dedicated fund could be an interesting alternative to improve governance in this area.O presente artigo possui como objetivo investigar as possíveis relações entre a trajetória do desenvolvimento de políticas urbanas no Brasil e a concretização de um novo modelo de governança de políticas urbanas, baseada na atuação dos conselhos participativos. A técnica de pesquisa escolhida foi a documentação indireta que envolve a realização de pesquisas documentais e bibliográficas. A pesquisa documental concentrou-se em documentos oficiais e jurídicos. As fontes bibliográficas incluíram pesquisas acadêmicas realizadas nas áreas de políticas urbanas, governança e conselhos participativos. Como conclusões parciais, verificou-se a difusão do modelo de governança de políticas públicas no Brasil, na forma dos conselhos participativos. No entanto, a inserção da política urbana neste cenário é desafiadora, devido a trajetória tortuosa que esta política enfrenta na sua implementação. A criação de um sistema nacional de conselhos de políticas urbanas, dotado de um fundo específico, pode ser uma alternativa interessante para incrementar a governança na área

Intervenções de Enfermagem de Reabilitação na prevenção das hérnias paraestomais

Abdominal surgery and the confection of a stoma causes trauma to the abdominal muscles.The quality of life and the adaptation of the person with ostomy are conditioned by complications that may arise in the postoperative period. Among the complications of ostomies, parastomal hernias are those with a higher incidence, making it essential to develop specifically targeted interventions for their prevention.The UK Association of Stoma Care Nurses in 2016(1) recommended that patients with a stoma undergo an appropriate abdominal exercise program after surgery to strengthen the abdominal muscles and reduce the risk of hernia.The teaching / learning process of the patients with a stoma should begin in the preoperative period, in order to achieve a more rapid adaptation to lifestyle modifications, thus ensuring a more effective management of the therapeutic regimen and, consequently, a better quality of life.La cirugía abdominal y la confección de un estoma provocan un trauma en la musculatura abdominal.La calidad de vida y la adaptación de la persona con ostomía están condicionadas por las complicaciones que puedan surgir en el periodo posquirúrgico. Entre las complicaciones de las ostomías, las hernias paraestomales son las que presentan una mayor incidencia, por lo que es esencial el desarrollo de intervenciones dirigidas específicamente a su prevención.La UK Association the Stoma Care Nurses, en 2016(1), recomendó que los ostomizados fueran sujetos a un programa de ejercicio abdominal apropiado después de la cirugía para fortalecer la musculatura abdominal y reducir el riesgo de hernia.El proceso de enseñanza / aprendizaje del ostomizado debe empezar en el periodo posquirúrgico, a fin de lograr una adaptación más rápida a los cambios necesarios en su estilo de vida, asegurando así una gestión más eficaz de su régimen terapéutico y, consecuentemente, una mejor calidad de vida.A Cirurgia abdominal e a confeção de um estoma provocam um trauma na musculatura abdominal.A qualidade de vida e a adaptação da pessoa com ostomia estão condicionadas pelas complicações que eventualmente possam surgir no período pós-operatório. Entre as complicações das ostomias, as hérnias paraestomais são as que apresentam uma maior incidência, tornando-se assim essencial o desenvolvimento de intervenções direcionadas especificamente para a sua prevenção.Grande parte das complicações podem ser evitadas com a execução de um programa de exercícios de fortalecimento da musculatura abdominal e pélvica previamente, principalmente nas pessoas com ostomias definitivas estes tipos de exercícios poderão proporcionar melhor qualidade de vida e, desta forma, diminuir as taxas de complicações e os dias de internamento.A Associação de Enfermeiras de Estomaterapia do Reino Unido em 2016(1) recomendou que os ostomizados fossem sujeitos a um programa de exercício abdominal apropriado após a cirurgia para fortalecer a musculatura abdominal e reduzir o risco de hérnia.O processo de ensino/aprendizagem do ostomizado deve começar no pré-operatório, com a finalidade de este conseguir uma adaptação mais célere às mudanças necessárias no seu do estilo de vida, assegurando assim uma gestão mais eficaz do seu regime terapêutico e, consequentemente, uma melhor qualidade de vida

Supporting childbirth knowledge acquisition and decision-making through digital communication technology: the research design of an ongoing study following a mixed-method approach

This paper describes the research design of an ongoing study that overlaps three main fields: technology, health, and social science. This transdisciplinarity approach naturally brings challenges to the methodological plan, which this paper presents, and aims to guide the creation, validation and evaluation of a digital decision aid, and its comparison to a paper-based solution. Through the data collection from different natures, it is expected to be possible to understand the different sources, channels and formats of content that can contribute for childbirth knowledge acquisition; if communication can be facilitated between expectant parents, health care professionals, and childbirth educators; and ultimately, if the tool could provide a mean to create a document regarding birth preferences.publishe

Eficácia de um treinamento neuromuscular na intensidade da dor e na incidência da síndrome da dor femoropatelar entre dançarinos

Knee problems account for 14 to 36% of complaints among dancers and over 50% of these are patellofemoral problems. The goal of this experimental study was to evaluate the efficacy of a neuromuscular training on reducing the pain intensity and on the incidence of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) in dancers in the city of Salvador. Thirty-four dancers divided in two groups (experimental and control) were monitored for pain intensity and incidence of PFPS at the beginning and at the end of a neuromuscular training program, which consisted of an 8-week program that included exercises to strengthen the muscular groups of the inferior extremity (emphasis on quadriceps muscle), and lengthening exercises for these same groups with emphasis on the iliotibial band. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the dancers in the experimental group and those in the control group regarding pain intensity after the intervention. Regarding the incidence variable, 41.2% of the dancers in the experimental group had no pain and only 11.76% of the dancers in the control group had no pain.. However, this result was not statistically significant. The result of this study suggests that an 8-week neuromuscular training intervention was efficacious for reduction of femoropatellar pain in dancers with these characteristics.O objetivo deste estudo clínico controlado foi verificar a eficácia de um programa de treinamento neuromuscular na intensidade da dor e na incidência da síndrome da dor femoropatelar entre dançarinos da cidade de Salvador. Trinta e quatro dançarinos, divididos em dois grupos, foram monitorados quanto à intensidade e à presença da dor no início e no final da intervenção. O programa de treinamento neuromuscular consistiu de exercícios para fortalecer e alongar os músculos dos membros inferiores, com ênfase nos músculos isquiotibiais e quadríceps, e alongamento da banda iliotibial, durante oito semanas. A análise estatística revelou uma diminuição significativa na intensidade da dor entre os dançarinos do grupo experimental. No entanto, a diminuição da incidência da dor não foi estatisticamente significativa, ainda que tenha sido encontrada uma redução de 41.2%, entre os dançarinos do grupo experimental, e uma redução de 11.76% no grupo controle. Pode-se concluir que um treinamento neuromuscular como o realizado pelo grupo experimental foi eficaz na redução da intensidade da dor entre dançarinos

Structural autonomy and management performance: an influence reinforced in the particular context of portuguese public secondary schools

The purpose of this research is to verify interdependencies among service innovation, structural autonomy, performance measurement systems, and organizational outcomes in a new organizational context. The relationships between these variables that structure organizational design have been studied for several decades, but it is necessary to verify the validity of those interdependencies in new geographical contexts and periods. Contingency theory was the selected framework because it argues how different scenarios can justify different organizational solutions and is appropriate in the predominant quantitative research. For data collection, surveys were sent to 526 executive heads of all Portuguese public secondary schools, obtaining 154 valid responses. Data processing was carried out using descriptive analysis, Spearman correlation, and structural equation analysis. The results reinforce previous literature, proving the influence of structural autonomy, not only on pedagogical management performance but also on resource management performance within a specific context explored for the first time in the Portuguese public sector. However, the interdependence of these variables in relation to pedagogical innovation strategy and organizational outcomes of effectiveness and efficiency was not verified in this particular setting, corroborating the basic foundations of contingency theory.Portuguese public funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the framework of the project with reference UIDB/04752/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio