Logística do Envelhecimento Ativo e Saudável: Um caso de estudo no concelho do Sabugal

No atual contexto social é, cada vez mais, uma necessidade a procura de novos e diferentes modelos e soluções de negócio, que promovam o sucesso nas Instituições do Terceiro Setor, porque estas permitem a conciliação da vida familiar com a profissional, bem como induzem a evolução social através de soluções inovadoras e tecnologicamente avançadas, que remetem os seus stakeholders para novas formas de negócio com valor económico. O envelhecimento ativo e saudável e a sua sustentabilidade é, indiscutivelmente, reconhecido pelas Instituições do Terceiro Setor como determinantes para o empreendedorismo social. Assim, o empreendedorismo social e o envelhecimento ativo e saudável são dois dos pilares da sociedade contemporânea que podem ultrapassar os aspetos mais turbulentos da mesma, tendo em consideração que os novos modelos de negócios procuram soluções cada vez mais rigorosas e inovadoras, provocando, assim, algum desequilíbrio em vários sectores como, por exemplo, no sector económico, social e ambiental. No entanto, estas Instituições do Terceiro Setor devem estabelecer alianças e parcerias de modo a promover soluções para o futuro. Nesta conjuntura, surge o presente projeto aplicado cujo foco de interesse é o Concelho do Sabugal, e que consiste em agregar as Instituições Particulares de Solidariedade Social (IPSS) desse concelho numa plataforma logística. Esta plataforma é desenvolvida através de um processo de rede integradora de conhecimentos e competências que permite aproveitar e potenciar os investimentos públicos e privados do Concelho do Sabugal. Assim, as infraestruturas e as estatísticas sobre o envelhecimento do Concelho permitem de forma equilibrada fixar a população aos territórios rurais e permitem preservar o património cultural e ambiental, bem como promover as suas atividades económicas tradicionais enquanto parceiras das novas estratégias económicas, em substituição das anteriores assentes no paradigma do mercado

Sr ISOTOPES BY LA-MC-ICP-MS PROCEDURES COUPLED WITH THE MACS3 REFERENCE MATERIAL IN A CORAL SAMPLE: A RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES: Isótopos de Sr analisados por LA-MC-ICP-MS como material de referência MACS3 em uma amostra de coral: um registro de mudanças ambientais

The main aim of this work is to demonstrate that the Laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) is a powerful tool for the analysis of strontium (Sr) isotopes in corals. This work discusses certification strategies for Sr isotopes determination, using reference material (RM) analyses and the results treatment based on detailed data acquired in biological materials, a coral sample. To obtain reliable results, it is essential to properly adjust the mass spectrometer and laser ablation system. Adjusting the equipment to its maximum intensity does not always result in correct 87Sr/86Sr ratios. Therefore, the optimization of the mass spectrometer was performed using the reference material NIST SRM-987 (solution) and adjusting the correct Sr isotope ratio to the reference material (USGS MACS3 and NIST-612, solids) before each analytical session. The protocol applied the solid reference material USGS MACS3 with an isotopic ratio 87Sr/86Sr of 0.72000. The values obtained for this RM varied between 0.7012 and 0.7014, with a correction factor calculated between 0.990 and 0.988. In order to account for potential drifts in the mass spectrometer during an analytical session, the application of bracketing correction and the use of the most convenient reference material are suggested. The analytical uncertainty of Sr data obtained by LA-MC-ICP-MS is comparable to studies carried out on other carbonate materials. The results of ablation techniques are reproducible within the analytical error, which implies that this technique produces robust results when applied to coral carbonates. In addition, several comparative measurements of different reference materials (e.g. USGS MACS3 and NIST 612) and the comparison of the 87Sr/86Sr ratios highlight the robustness of the method. The results along the coral growth axes showed a decrease in the 87Sr/86Sr ratio from the inner to the outer layer of the coral (from 0.70920 to 0.70627), which indicate variations in the availability of particulate matter during the coral growth, probably related to local marine environmental changes.- O objetivo principal deste trabalho é demonstrar que a espectrometria de massa com plasma indutivamente acoplado e ablação a laser (LA-MC-ICP-MS) é uma ferramenta poderosa para a análise de isótopos de Sr em corais. Este trabalho discute estratégias de certificação para determinação de isótopos de Sr, usando análises de material de referência e o detalhamento do tratamento dos resultados adquiridos em materiais biológicos (coral). Para obter resultados confiáveis, é essencial ajustar adequadamente o espectrômetro de massas e o sistema de ablação a laser de forma a obter a intensidade máxima e em seguida promover as correções para obter as razões 87Sr / 86Sr corretas. Nestes termos, a otimização do espectrômetro de massa foi realizada usando o material de referência NIST SRM-987 (em solução) que em sequência foi migrado para a ablação a laser com ajuste da razão isotópica Sr correta para o material de referência (NIST-612, vidro), antes de cada sessão analítica. O protocolo incluiu a utilização material de referência sólido USGS MACS3 com razão isotópica 87Sr / 86Sr de 0,72000. Os valores obtidos para esta RM variaram entre 0,7012 e 0,7014, com fator de correção calculado entre 0,990 e 0,988. A fim de contabilizar possíveis desvios no espectrômetro de massa durante uma sessão analítica, sugere-se a aplicação de correção de bracketing e o uso do material de referência com a mesma matriz. Os resultados das técnicas de ablação são reproduzíveis dentro do erro analítico, o que indica que esta técnica produz resultados robustos quando aplicada a carbonatos de coral. Além disso, várias medições comparativas de diferentes materiais de referência (por exemplo, USGS MACS3 e NIST 612) e a comparação das suas respectivas razões 87Sr / 86Sr destacam a robustez do método. Os resultados ao longo dos eixos de crescimento do coral mostraram uma diminuição na razão 87Sr / 86Sr da camada interna para a externa do coral (de 0,70920 para 0,70627). Estes resultados sugerem variações na disponibilidade de material particulado durante o crescimento do coral, provavelmente relacionado a mudanças ambientais marinhas locais. Palavras-chave: Carbonato biológico. Isótopos de Sr. LA-MC-ICP-MS. Materiais de referência. Metodologia. Ambiente marinho. &nbsp

Novel hydroxyapatite/chitosan bilayered scaffold for osteochondral tissue-engineering applications : scaffold design and its performance when seeded with goat bone marrow stromal cells

Recent studies suggest that bone marrow stromal cells are a potential source of osteoblasts and chondrocytes and can be used to regenerate damaged tissues using a tissue-engineering (TE) approach. However, these strategies require the use of an appropriate scaffold architecture that can support the formation de novo of either bone and cartilage tissue, or both, as in the case of osteochondral defects. The later has been attracting a great deal of attention since it is considered a difficult goal to achieve. This work consisted on developing novel hydroxyapatite/chitosan (HA/CS) bilayered scaffold by combining a sintering and a freeze-drying technique, and aims to show the potential of such type of scaffolds for being used in TE of osteochondral defects. The developed HA/CS bilayered scaffolds were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, micro-computed tomography, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the mechanical properties of HA/CS bilayered scaffolds were assessed under compression. In vitro tests were also carried out, in order to study the water-uptake and weight loss profile of the HA/CS bilayered scaffolds. This was done by means of soaking the scaffolds into a phosphate buffered saline for 1 up to 30 days. The intrinsic cytotoxicity of the HA scaffolds and HA/CS bilayered scaffolds extract fluids was investigated by carrying out a cellular viability assay (MTS test) using Mouse fibroblastic-like cells. Results have shown that materials do not exert any cytotoxic effect. Complementarily, in vitro (phase I) cell culture studies were carried out to evaluate the capacity of HA and CS layers to separately, support the growth and differentiation of goat marrow stromal cells (GBMCs) into osteoblasts and chondrocytes, respectively. Cell adhesion and morphology were analysed by SEM while the cell viability and proliferation were assessed by MTS test and DNA quantification. The chondrogenic differentiation of GBMCs was evaluated measuring the glucosaminoglycans synthesis. Data showed that GBMCs were able to adhere, proliferate and osteogenic differentiation was evaluated by alkaline phosphatase activity and immunocytochemistry assays after 14 days in osteogenic medium and into chondrocytes after 21 days in culture with chondrogenic medium. The obtained results concerning the physicochemical and biological properties of the developed HA/CS bilayered scaffolds, show that these constructs exhibit great potential for their use in TE strategies leading to the formation of adequate tissue substitutes for the regeneration of osteochondral defects

Paleoenvironmental implications of authigenic magnesian clay formation sequences in the Barra Velha formation (Santos Basin, Brazil)

The characterization of Mg-clays in rock samples (well P1) from the Barra Velha Formation (Early Cretaceous) allowed the establishment of mineral assemblages on the basis of their kerolite and Mg-smectite (stevensite and saponite) content. Kerolite-rich assemblages (A and B) rarely con-tain saponite. Assemblage B is composed of kerolite-stevensite mixed layers, while assemblage A consists of more than 95% kerolite. Mg-smectite-rich assemblages (C and CB) are made up of both Mg-smectites. The predominance of stevensite in the lower interval of the stratigraphic succession suggests evaporative conditions, higher salinity and pH, which would favor its authigenesis by neoformation. In the upper portion, the occurrence of thick kerolite-rich intervals suggests regular water inputs, contributing with a decreasing in salinity and pH, favoring the neoformation of kero-lite and later kerolite-stevensite mixed layering. The saponite would be the result of the transfor-mation from Al-smectite into Mg-smectite in a Mg2+ rich medium. The results indicate that lake hydrochemical processes would have allowed the establishment of a basic depositional sequence, from base to top, as follows: (i) initial lake expansion stage marked by the occurrence of saponite, (ii) later kerolite neoformation, (iii) formation of kerolite-stevensite mixed layer with increasing sa-linity, and (iv) neoformation of stevensite, marking a final stage of maximum salinity (evaporation) and alkalinity of the lak

Bioenergy from wastewater in a microbially-charged redox flow cell

Wastewater is a valuable renewable energy source to generate newest approaches for electrochemical energy conversion in bioelectrochemical system (BES) for energy storage devices. A BES to generate a bio-charging redox pair to be use as negalyte in a redox flow cell (RFC) was study. In BES 2,6-antraquinone was introduced as new redox pair (catholyte), where wastewater mixed communities were the anolyte for the generation of a bio-charged redox pair. The BES results indicated the reduction of the quinone (ca. 50 %), promoting power density ca. 10 mW m-2. A RFC with the bio-charged redox pair as negalyte and potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) as posilyte was tested, reaching ca. 100 % of coulombic efficiency, with potential and energy efficiencies ca. 60 %. Wastewater in the new microbiallycharged redox flow cell generate a clean energy that can be stored in a new landmark system.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) of UID/BIO/04469 unit ,COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) 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. The authors also acknowledge the Projects: i) POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006939 (LEPABE -Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy –UID/EQU/00511/2013),funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by nationals funds through FCT;ii) Projects"SunStorage -Harvesting and storage of solar energy", funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through COMPETE2020 -Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (OPCI), by FCT, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006939 -Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy –LEPABE, NORTE‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000005 –LEPABE-2-ECO-INNOVATION, funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 -OPCI and Operational Programme for North Region (NORTE2020) and by national funds through FCT, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030510 – SunFlow -funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 - POCI and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTESinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Glycans as Key Checkpoints of T Cell Activity and Function

The immune system is highly controlled and fine-tuned by glycosylation, through the addition of a diversity of carbohydrates structures (glycans) to virtually all immune cell receptors. Despite a relative backlog in understanding the importance of glycans in the immune system, due to its inherent complexity, remarkable findings have been highlighting the essential contributions of glycosylation in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses with important implications in the pathogenesis of major diseases such as autoimmunity and cancer. Glycans are implicated in fundamental cellular and molecular processes that regulate both stimulatory and inhibitory immune pathways. Besides being actively involved in pathogen recognition through interaction with glycan-binding proteins (such as C-type lectins), glycans have been also shown to regulate key pathophysiological steps within T cell biology such as T cell development and thymocyte selection; T cell activity and signaling as well as T cell differentiation and proliferation. These effects of glycans in T cells functions highlight their importance as determinants of either self-tolerance or T cell hyper-responsiveness which ultimately might be implicated in the creation of tolerogenic pathways in cancer or loss of immunological tolerance in autoimmunity. This review discusses how specific glycans (with a focus on N-linked glycans) act as regulators of T cell biology and their implications in disease