Parques de ciência e tecnologia e desenvolvimento regional: diagnóstico sociológico prospetivo, jogo de atores e futuros possíveis para o Tagusvalley

Tendo por base o postulado da Sociologia da Ação, questionámos através desta investigação, os futuros possíveis que o TagusValley enfrenta para 2020. Através de uma estratégia metodológica orientada para o exercício diagnóstico prospetivo, estudámos os elementos principais do sistema; posicionámos os atores relativamente aos objetivos estratégicos em curso no TagusValley; avaliámos as convergências e divergências entre estes e, por último, identificamos um conjunto de futuros possíveis para o TagusValley em 2020, na ótica de peritos e dos principais atores. As principais conclusões do trabalho referem a existência de uma grande convergência entre os atores perante os objetivos para o TagusValley (TV), ainda que se verifique a necessidade de uma maior interação e cooperação por parte desta organização com os atores e stakeholders, para que, através de uma estratégia coletiva seja possível alcançá-los. Na ótica dos peritos, se a estratégia em curso se mantiver, não será possível alcançar o “futuro desejado” pelo TV. Assim, torna-se pertinente monitorizar, avaliar e alterar a realidade em causa para que seja possível alcançar os objetivos traçados e, a longo prazo, transformar o tecnopolo num agente de desenvolvimento regional; Science and Technology Parks and Regional Development: Prospective sociological diagnosis, Actor’s Games and Possible Futures for the TagusValley Abstract: Based on the postulate of the Action Sociology, we questioned through this research, the possible futures that TagusValley faces in 2020. Through a methodological strategy, geared to the pursuit of the prospective diagnosis we studied the main elements of the system; we positioned the actors according to the strategical objectives ongoing in TagusValley; we evaluated the convergences and divergences between them and lastly, we have identified a set of possible futures for the TagusValley in 2020, in the view of experts and key actors. The main conclusions concern the existence of a great convergence between the actors toward the goals for the TagusValley (TV), although it appears the need for greater interaction and cooperation of this organization with the actors and stakeholders, so that, through a collective strategy they can reach them. In the view of experts, if the strategy remains ongoing, you can not achieve the "desired future" for TV. Thus, it is relevant to monitor, evaluate and alter the reality in question so that you can achieve the goals set in the long run, turn the technopole into a regional development agency

Diving into fish valorisation: review opportunities and analyzing azorean fish data

In response to the exponential growth in world population, there has been a striking surge in the volume of discarded fish worldwide. This surge is particularly evident in the fish processing industry, where a substantial amount of waste is generated, posing significant environmental concerns. Consequently, the repurposing and utilisation of these waste materials have emerged as pivotal processes for the preservation of marine resources. By employing innovative strategies, valuable products can be extracted from these fish by-products, offering not only economic advantages but also contributing to mitigating environmental impacts. This comprehensive literature review focuses on exploring diverse avenues for using fish waste and extracting high-value materials such as bioactive peptides, collagen, and enzymes, elucidating their potential applications across various industries. The literature review also demonstrates the possibility of extracting various bio-compounds from highly diverse fish waste. It has been observed that there is a need for optimisation of extraction protocols, as the variation in extraction methods and respective conditions significantly affects the extraction yields of the products. Moreover, considering our specific interest in the fish species endemic to The Azores, a meticulous characterisation will be conducted, as there is limited knowledge about waste utilisation processes specific to this archipelago.This research was funded by Mares Circulares coordinated by Asociación Chelonia and driven by Coca-Cola Europacific, under the scope of the project “Waste valorisation products from the Azorean fishing industry”

The Neuroprotective Action of Amidated-Kyotorphin on Amyloid β Peptide-Induced Alzheimer’s Disease Pathophysiology

Kyotorphin (KTP, l-tyrosyl-l-arginine) is an endogenous dipeptide initially described to have analgesic properties. Recently, KTP was suggested to be an endogenous neuroprotective agent, namely for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In fact, KTP levels were shown to be decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with AD, and recent data showed that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of KTP ameliorates memory impairments in a sporadic rat model of AD. However, this administration route is far from being a suitable therapeutic strategy. Here, we evaluated if the blood-brain permeant KTP-derivative, KTP-NH2, when systemically administered, would be effective in preventing memory deficits in a sporadic AD animal model and if so, which would be the synaptic correlates of that action. The sporadic AD model was induced in male Wistar rats through i.c.v. injection of amyloid β peptide (Aβ). Animals were treated for 20 days with KTP-NH2 (32.3 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.), starting at day 3 after Aβ administration) before memory testing (Novel object recognition (NOR) and Y-maze (YM) tests). Animals were then sacrificed, and markers for gliosis were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Synaptic correlates were assessed by evaluating theta-burst induced long term potentiation (LTP) of field excitatory synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) recorded from hippocampal slices and cortical spine density analysis. In the absence of KTP-NH2 treatment, Aβ-injected rats had clear memory deficits, as assessed through NOR or YM tests. Importantly, these memory deficits were absent in Aβ-injected rats that had been treated with KTP-NH2, which scored in memory tests as control (sham i.c.v. injected) rats. No signs of gliosis could be detected at the end of the treatment in any group of animals. LTP magnitude was significantly impaired in hippocampal slices that had been incubated with Aβ oligomers (200 nM) in the absence of KTP-NH2. Co-incubation with KTP-NH2 (50 nM) rescued LTP toward control values. Similarly, Aβ caused a significant decrease in spine density in cortical neuronal cultures, and this was prevented by co-incubation with KTP-NH2 (50 nM). In conclusion, the present data demonstrate that i.p. KTP-NH2 treatment counteracts Aβ-induced memory impairments in an AD sporadic model, possibly through the rescuing of synaptic plasticity mechanisms.publishersversionpublishe

The impact of digital literacy and privacy concerns on online behavior when AI is involved

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Knowledge Management and Business IntelligenceWith digital transformation and the rise of e-commerce, it is crucial to study online consumer behavior, especially when considering technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). Thus, this study intends to develop and validate an online behavior conceptual model that investigates the effects of both digital literacy and privacy concerns on online purchase intention when AI is used in e-commerce. The model is empirically tested resorting to partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), being based on an online questionnaire with 163 Portuguese participants. The results confirmed the acceptance of most of the proposed hypotheses and explained 48% of the variation in attitude and 60% of the variation in purchase intention. This study’s contributions will allow companies, policymakers and individuals to understand the impact of digital literacy and privacy concerns on consumer purchase intention

Effects of Water Temperature and Structural Habitat Complexity on the Routine Swimming Speed and Escape Response of Post-Settlement Stage White Seabream

Coastal habitats are increasingly threatened by multiple anthropogenic-related activities, which include ocean warming and loss of structural habitat complexity. These two pressures have the potential to severely affect the structure and function of marine biodiversity. Early life stages of many fish species recruit to coastal habitats at the end of their pelagic phase, benefiting from access to food, shelter and protection. However, changes in temperature have been shown to influence ecologically relevant behaviours in post-settlement stage fish, and the loss of structural habitat complexity has been related to low recruitment and deleterious behaviours of fish in coastal habitats. Here, we evaluated the individual and interactive effects of prolonged exposure to increasing temperature and changed structural habitat complexity on routine swimming speed and escape response of post-settlement white seabream, Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758). Fish were reared under different temperatures (control 19 °C; high 22 °C) and structural habitat complexity (low and high) scenarios, in a cross-experimental design, and the routine swimming and escape responses were analyzed after 6 weeks of exposure. Change in temperature did not induce alterations at the behavioural level, but loss of structural habitat complexity increased speed and distance travelled during routine swimming, and responsiveness to a stimulus during the escape response behaviour. The interaction of the two factors did not influence performance. Determining how species are affected by changes in their environment, and the mechanisms that underlie these changes, will be critical to understanding the fish recruitment and populations’ fitness and survival

A criança e a cultura regional açoriana : contributos de um olhar sobre o brincar

O Projecto de Investigação, Recolha e Análise de Tradições Açorianas: da Cultura do Brincar (P.I.R.A.T.A. - C.B.) tem o propósito de nos convidar a recuar no tempo, a fazer uma pausa no uso das tecnologias educativas, e a descobrir a magia daquilo que de mais genuíno herdámos dos nossos antepassados – o brincar, o expressar e o aprender através do recurso a jogos, a rodas cantadas e a lenga-lengas, que são parte integrante da nossa memória da infância. Analisando os recursos culturais das comunidades açorianas, no que respeita às suas produções de cariz artístico e popular, esta investigação procurará reverter a favor de uma escola que actue em pleno diálogo com a comunidade envolvente e que pense na dupla vertente da educação das crianças: individual e social. Primeiro, pelo desenvolvimento das capacidades expressiva e comunicativa; segundo, pela aquisição de conhecimento sobre o património cultural açoriano.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O Projeto P.l.R.A.T.A.-C.B.

O presente texto corresponde ao capítulo XIII do livro em apreço, redigido em co-autoria com colegas da Universidade dos Açores, no qual se apresentam alguns dos resultados do estudo realizado em torno da cultura do brincar nos Açores.O projecto de investigação, Recolha e Análise de Tradições Açorianas: da cultura do brincar PIRATA - CB) tem o propósito de nos convidar a recuar no tempo e a descobrir a magia daquilo que de mais genuíno herdámos dos nossos antepassados - o brincar, o expressar e o comunicar através das actividades que se relacionam com a infância: as danças e rodas cantadas, os jogos tradicionais infantis (com e sem lengalengas, envolvendo ou não brinquedos). Estas actividades são parte integrante da nossa memória da infância e cremos serem a base de muitas das criações açorianas. A cultura de um povo engloba "todo um património assente em valores humanos e sociais, sendo marcada por ritos profanos e religiosos que vão desde a vida à morte das pessoas, determinando e definindo essas sociedades" (Torres 1998: 22). Neste mesmo sentido, o brinquedo, e a actividade lúdica que ele gera, é também ele propriedade real ou simbólica de um povo, património do colectivo, que gera sensações, sentimentos e representações. Parafraseando Brougère (2002: 19), "Brincar torna-se o arquétipo de toda actividade cultural que, como a arte, não se limita a uma relação simples com o real". Esta investigação procurará reverter a favor de uma "Escola do Século XXI", escoa essa que deverá actuar em pleno diálogo com a comunidade envolvente e, assim, reflectir o sentido das brincadeiras de infância na educação das crianças, não só pela aquisição de conhecimento sobre o património cultural da infância e pelas interacções sociais que potenciam, mas também, e num primeiro plano, pela possibilidade de desenvolvimento das diferentes capacidades da criança: lúdica, expressiva, comunicativa e criativa. Contudo, para transmitir este património da "cultural do brincar": através da educação da/pela expressão artística e lúdica, primeiro é preciso conhecer, compreender, explicar e valorizar essa mesma cultura. Neste sentido, procurámos alargar o universo das pesquisas a uma amostra representativa das gentes açorianas, cuja identidade colectiva irmana das condições únicas a que o seu povo está sujeito, nomeadamente ao isolamento geográfico e à convivência com a dispersão em nove ilhas; à riqueza que emerge das actividades mais ligadas ao sector primário - agricultura, pecuária, actividade piscatória e transformação desses produtos; aos rituais religiosos e profanos associados às Festas Populares do Divino Espírito Santo que decorrem por todo o Arquipélago. (da Introdução

Selective membrane interactions of nucleolar-targeting peptides

Copyright ©2010 the European Peptide SocietyPartial funding and M.R. PhD grant (SFRH/BD/37432/2007) by Portuguese Ministry of Science (FCTMCTES) and by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN, grant BIO2008-04487–CO3) are acknowledge

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biochar production from a circular economy perspective

Climate change and environmental sustainability are among the most prominent issues of today. It is increasingly fundamental and urgent to develop a sustainable economy, capable of change the linear paradigm, actively promoting the efficient use of resources, highlighting product, component and material reuse. Among the many approaches to circular economy and zero-waste concepts, biochar is a great example and might be a way to push the economy to neutralize carbon balance. Biochar is a solid material produced during thermochemical decomposition of biomass in an oxygen-limited environment. Several authors have used life cycle assessment (LCA) method to evaluate the environmental impact of biochar production. Based on these studies, this work intends to critically analyze the LCA of biochar production from different sources using different technologies. Although these studies reveal differences in the contexts and characteristics of production, preventing direct comparison of results, a clear trend appears. It was proven, through combining life cycle assessment and circular economy modelling, that the application of biochar is a very promising way of contributing to carbon-efficient resource circulation, mitigation of climate change, and economic sustainability.This work was co-financed by Compete 2020, Portugal 2020 and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund—FEDER within the scope of the project WAST’AWARENESS—Technology Transfer in Waste Valorization and Sustainability (POCI-01-0246- FEDER-181304)