Insights for litter management

Funding Information: This research was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal [grant SFRH/BD/147085/2019 to Sara Bettencourt]. Also had the support of FCT, Portugal through the strategic projects ( UIDB/04292/2020 awarded to MARE and UID/AMB/04085/2019 to CENSE) and through project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET, Portugal and financing of Fundo Azul do Ministério do Mar, Portugal through the project ALIMAR – Ação Lixo Marinho! ( FA_06_2017_081 ). Funding Information: The authors thank Diogo Freitas for statistical analysis support, all the volunteers who participated in the marine litter samplings over the two years, and the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) for kindly providing the meteorological stations data. This research was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal [grant SFRH/BD/147085/2019 to Sara Bettencourt]. Also had the support of FCT, Portugal through the strategic projects (UIDB/04292/2020 awarded to MARE and UID/AMB/04085/2019 to CENSE) and through project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET, Portugal and financing of Fundo Azul do Ministério do Mar, Portugal through the project ALIMAR – Ação Lixo Marinho! (FA_06_2017_081). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)Marine litter is a complex and multi-dimensional problem, with beach litter surveys being an important cost-effective tool for monitoring and assessing marine litter pollution. In Madeira Island (Portugal, NE Atlantic), a region awarded several times as ‘Europe's Leading Island Destination’ and with a particular orography, there is a scarce understanding of the situation of marine debris. A two-year monitoring (July 2020 to April 2022) of macro-litter was conducted on two beaches in Funchal, the largest city and capital of the island. The abundance, composition, sources, and pathways of the stranded marine litter were assessed following OSPAR guidelines. During the two years, a total of 14,265 items were recorded. The mean litter density was found to be 0.29 items/m2 and the beaches’ clean index ranged between ‘very clean’ and ‘dirty’. Cigarette butts (30.9%) and plastic objects (30.7%) were the most frequent marine litter items, followed by paper/cardboard (9.2%) and metal items (8.3%). The composition of the litter showed that most of the monitored marine debris has a land-based source, with a strong contribution from smoking-related activities and littering in streams. By characterizing the waste and identifying its source, it was possible to propose integrated management actions at a local level. Outreach and raising awareness campaigns, together with actions to limit single-use plastic items and stimulate a circular economy, could contribute to limit marine litter on the studied island but also in other regions with similar profiles.publishersversionpublishe

From awareness to action

ARNET [ LA/P/0069/2020 ] are also financed by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P., Portugal . Fundo Azul do Ministério do Mar funded through the project ALIMAR – Ação Lixo Marinho! ( FA_06_2017_081 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)Marine litter is a global problem. Education has been acclaimed as a potential tool to tackle this issue, yet, integrative, student-centered, and over weeks studies to raise awareness on the theme that compares pre- with post-intervention results are limited in the literature. Furthermore, almost no studies rely on the basis of previous experience on the theme and local reality. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational intervention to raise awareness and educate students (1st cycle to high-school) about marine litter. Different learning skills were fostered through theoretical, laboratorial, and hands-on activities and students participated in a beach clean-up to summarize the classroom's learnings in loco. Pre- and post-questionnaire results indicate that students' knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intentions changed. Identification of marine litter estimated degradation times and observation of microplastics in local sand samples were activities highly appreciated by youngsters. This intervention positively impacted schoolchildren's literacy, contributing to advancing education in marine litter and can be further adapted to other educational areas.publishersversionpublishe

Transmigration of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes through 3D cultures resembling a physiological environment

To disseminate and colonise tissues in the mammalian host, Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastogotes should cross several biological barriers. How this process occurs or its impact in the outcome of the disease is largely speculative. We examined the in vitro transmigration of trypomastigotes through three-dimensional cultures (spheroids) to understand the tissular dissemination of different T. cruzi strains. Virulent strains were highly invasive: trypomastigotes deeply transmigrate up to 50 μm inside spheroids and were evenly distributed at the spheroid surface. Parasites inside spheroids were systematically observed in the space between cells suggesting a paracellular route of transmigration. On the contrary, poorly virulent strains presented a weak migratory capacity and remained in the external layers of spheroids with a patch-like distribution pattern. The invasiveness—understood as the ability to transmigrate deep into spheroids—was not a transferable feature between strains, neither by soluble or secreted factors nor by co-cultivation of trypomastigotes from invasive and non-invasive strains. Besides, we demonstrated that T. cruzi isolates from children that were born congenitally infected presented a highly migrant phenotype while an isolate from an infected mother (that never transmitted the infection to any of her children) presented significantly less migration. In brief, we demonstrated that in a 3D microenvironment each strain presents a characteristic migration pattern that can be associated to their in vivo behaviour. Altogether, data presented here repositionate spheroids as a valuable tool to study host–pathogen interactions.Fil: Rodriguez, Matias Exequiel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Rizzi, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Caeiro, Lucas Daniel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Masip, Yamil Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Perrone, Alina Elizabeth. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Daniel Oscar. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Bua, Jacqueline Elena. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tekiel, Valeria Sonia. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentin

Identifying and overcoming obstacles to the implementation of sustainable development at universities

Although there have been proven and successful developments in the field of Higher Education for Sustainable Development over the past 15 years or so, there are still numerous challenges to be overcome. Among these challenges is the need for Higher Education Institutions to improve the integration of sustainability in the curriculum and in research, and most importantly, to integrate it holistically in their systems. This paper presents an analysis of the fundamental obstacles to the incorporation of sustainable development in universities. It reports on an empirical study performed with universities across the world, where some of the main barriers are identified. It is recommended that these barriers are viewed as obstacles and entrepreneurial opportunities, and addressed accordingly

VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad

Acta de congresoLa conmemoración de los cien años de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918 se presentó como una ocasión propicia para debatir el rol de la historia, la teoría y la crítica en la formación y en la práctica profesional de diseñadores, arquitectos y urbanistas. En ese marco el VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad constituyó un espacio de intercambio y reflexión cuya realización ha sido posible gracias a la colaboración entre Facultades de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño de la Universidad Nacional y la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba, contando además con la activa participación de mayoría de las Facultades, Centros e Institutos de Historia de la Arquitectura del país y la región. Orientado en su convocatoria tanto a docentes como a estudiantes de Arquitectura y Diseño Industrial de todos los niveles de la FAUD-UNC promovió el debate de ideas a partir de experiencias concretas en instancias tales como mesas temáticas de carácter interdisciplinario, que adoptaron la modalidad de presentación de ponencias, entre otras actividades. En el ámbito de VIII Encuentro, desarrollado en la sede Ciudad Universitaria de Córdoba, se desplegaron numerosas posiciones sobre la enseñanza, la investigación y la formación en historia, teoría y crítica del diseño, la arquitectura y la ciudad; sumándose el aporte realizado a través de sus respectivas conferencias de Ana Clarisa Agüero, Bibiana Cicutti, Fernando Aliata y Alberto Petrina. El conjunto de ponencias que se publican en este Repositorio de la UNC son el resultado de dos intensas jornadas de exposiciones, cuyos contenidos han posibilitado actualizar viejos dilemas y promover nuevos debates. El evento recibió el apoyo de las autoridades de la FAUD-UNC, en especial de la Secretaría de Investigación y de la Biblioteca de nuestra casa, como así también de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la UCC; va para todos ellos un especial agradecimiento

A cultura da paz no pensamento de Fidelino Figueiredo

O presente trabalho pretende abordar o tema da cultura da paz na perspetiva do autor português, Fidelino de Figueiredo. A sua visão encontra-se centrada no início do séc. XX, quando ocorreram as duas Guerras Mundiais. Este autor escreveu vários ensaios onde discute os problemas culturais que surgiram depois das guerras, assim como propõe soluções para ultrapassar o perigo de se iniciarem novas guerras. Realizou-se desta forma um estudo profundo dos seus dois livros: Ideias de Paz e Entre dois Universos, de forma a serem analisados dentro da disciplina de relações internacionais. Tratase de um tema que, deste ponto de vista, ainda não foi abordado anteriormente. O tema da cultura da paz é analisado neste trabalho, fazendo a comparação da opinião de Fidelino de Figueiredo com outros autores e retirando aspetos da sua atualidade; ### THE CULTURE OF PEACE IN THE THOUGHT OF FIDELINO DE FIGUEIREDO Abstract: This study addresses the issue of culture of peace in the perspective of the Portuguese author, Fidelino de Figueiredo. His vision is focused at the beginning the two World Wars happened. This author has written several essays which discusses the cultural problems that arose after the wars, as well as proposed solutions to overcome the danger of starting new wars. Was performed in this way a deep study of his two books Ideas Peace and Between two Universes in order to be analysed within the subject of international relations. This is a topic that, from this point of view, was not previously addressed. The theme of the culture of peace is analysed in this paper, by comparing the opinion of Fidelino de Figueiredo with other authors and removing aspects of its actuality

Vaccination with parasite-specific TcTASV proteins combined with recombinant baculovirus as a delivery platform protects against acute and chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Chagas’ is a neglected disease caused by the eukaryotic kinetoplastid parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Currently, approximately 8 million people are infected worldwide, most of whom are in the chronic phase of the disease, which involves cardiac, digestive, or neurologic manifestations. There is an urgent need for a vaccine because treatments are only effective in the initial phase of infection, which is generally underdiagnosed. The selection and combination of antigens, adjuvants, and delivery platforms for vaccine formulations should be designed to trigger mixed humoral and cellular immune responses, considering that T. cruzi has a complex life cycle with both intracellular and bloodstream circulating parasite stages in vertebrate hosts. Here, we report the effectiveness of vaccination with a T. cruzi-specific protein family (TcTASV), employing both recombinant proteins with aluminum hydroxide and a recombinant baculovirus displaying a TcTASV antigen at the capsid. Vaccination stimulated immunological responses by producing lytic antibodies and antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ IFNɣ secreting lymphocytes. More than 90% of vaccinated animals survived after lethal challenges with T. cruzi, whereas all control mice died before 30 days post-infection. Vaccination also induced a strong decrease in chronic tissue parasitism and generated immunological memory that allowed vaccinated and infected animals to control both the reactivation of the infection after immunosuppression and a second challenge with T. cruzi. Interestingly, inoculation with wild-type baculovirus partially protected the mice against T. cruzi. In brief, we demonstrated for the first time that the combination of the baculovirus platform and the TcTASV family provides effective protection against Trypanosoma cruzi, which is a promising vaccine for Chagas disease

TcTASV-C, a protein family in Trypanosoma cruzi that is predominantly trypomastigote-stage specific and secreted to the medium.

Among the several multigene families codified by the genome of T. cruzi, the TcTASV family was the latest discovered. The TcTASV (Trypomastigote, Alanine, Serine, Valine) family is composed of ∼40 members, with conserved carboxi- and amino-termini but with a variable central core. According to the length and sequence of the central region the family is split into 3 subfamilies. The TcTASV family is conserved in the genomes of - at least - lineages TcI and TcVI and has no orthologues in other trypanosomatids. In the present work we focus on the study of the TcTASV-C subfamily, composed by 16 genes in the CL Brener strain. We determined that TcTASV-C is preferentially expressed in trypomastigotes, but it is not a major component of the parasite. Both immunoflourescence and flow cytometry experiments indicated that TcTASV-C has a clonal expression, i.e. it is not expressed by all the parasites of a certain population at the same time. We also determined that TcTASV-C is phosphorylated and glycosylated. TASV-C is attached to the parasite surface by a GPI anchor and is shed spontaneously into the medium. About 30% of sera from infected hosts reacted with TcTASV-C, confirming its exposition to the immune system. Its superficial localization and secretory nature suggest a possible role in host-parasite interactions