Living by the sea: Place attachment, coastal risk perception, and eco-anxiety when coping with climate change

Climate change poses major threats to coastal regions. In Portugal, the Aveiro district is one of the most vulnerable areas due to urbanized areas’ exposure to the dangers of rising water. The prospect of flood threats can trigger a range of cognitions and emotions that affect adaptation and mitigation measures’ success. This study sought to examine whether active and traditional place attachment is associated with residents’ active and passive coping strategies to deal with the risk of rising water levels. An additional aim was to clarify whether these relationships are mediated by risk perception and eco-anxiety. The links between individuals’ level of trust in authorities and coping mechanisms were also examined. An online questionnaire was completed by 197 Aveiro residents. The data show that active place attachment is connected to greater risk perception, eco-anxiety, and adoption of active coping strategies (e.g., problem solving). Low eco-anxiety was also found to have a positive effect on active coping strategies. Lower trust in the responsible authorities was additionally associated with active coping mechanisms. Overall, the results support the sequential mediation model for active coping but not for passive coping. The findings reinforce the need to consider cognitive factors (e.g., risk perception) and emotional factors (e.g., place attachment and practical eco-anxiety) to understand more fully how coastal residents deal with flood threats. Practical implications for policymakers are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

La defensa de la conservación de las especies: el papel de los conflictos entre las leyes y las normas de la comunidad en diversas etapas de una acción comunicativa

New laws promoting species conservation in protected sites are often contested by local communities. Conflicts between the laws and community norms may explain this; yet the literature on normative conflicts has still not examined such laws-norms conflicts. It has moreover been inconclusive regarding the (negative or positive) relationship between normative conflicts and action, and has not studied how they affect engagement in communicative actions supporting the laws. A stage model (Trans-Theoretical Model) was used to clarify how two types of conflicts — between the law and community descriptive and injunctive norms, and between the latter two — are associated with transitions from awareness to engagement in communicative action. A survey of 342 residents in Portuguese Natura 2000 sites showed stronger normative conflicts at pre-action (versus post-action) stages. Additionally, conflict between injunctive and descriptive community norms is lower and more invariant across stages than conflict between them and the law, suggesting a higher relevance of the later for (dis)engagement in communicative action. We discuss the contributions a stage perspective may offer for improving the implementation of conservation laws.laws promoting species conservation in protected sites are often contested by local communities. Conflicts between the laws and community norms may explain this; yet the literature on normative conflicts has still not examined such laws-norms conflicts. It has moreover been inconclusive regarding the (negative or positive) relationship between normative conflicts and action, and has not studied how they affect engagement in communicative actions supporting the laws. A stage model (Trans-Theoretical Model) was used to clarify how two types of conflicts — between the law and community descriptive and injunctive norms, and between the latter two — are associated with transitions from awareness to engagement in communicative action. A survey of 342 residents in Portuguese Natura 2000 sites showed stronger normative conflicts at pre-action (versus post-action) stages. Additionally, conflict between injunctive and descriptive community norms is lower and more invariant across stages than conflict between them and the law, suggesting a higher relevance of the later for (dis)engagement in communicative action. We discuss the contributions a stage perspective may offer for improving the implementation of conservation laws.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Local communities responding to ecological challenges-a psycho-social approach to the Natura 2000 Network

The institutionalization of biodiversity conservation through legal instruments has led to mixed reactions at both the individual and community levels, with conflict and resistance co-existing with support. The overall purpose of this paper is to describe how rural communities living in areas included in the Natura 2000 Network of protected sites, where local practices of land use are regulated by new legal directives, receive biodiversity conservation goals. Previous studies Suggest that this reception is strongly shaped by place identification, but their contradictory results demand further clarification. This study examines the role of psycho-social variables identified by previous studies as potentially relevant moderators of identification: (a) Vested interest in natural resources, (b) evaluation of the designation process of protected areas and (c) institutional trust. It further extends previous research by analysing the support given to contextually relevant ecological practices. Results reveal a positive link between place identification and attitudes in the high vested interest condition and show that support for conservation practices is better predicted in the high vested interest and low trust conditions. The discussion focuses on the relevance of analysing contextually relevant psycho-social moderators when attempting to understand how local communities' relation with biodiversity conservation is affected by legislative innovation

Cognitive polyphasia in the reception of legal innovations for biodiversity conservation

Cognitive polyphasia has mainly been used to address encounters between innovative scientific knowledge and local, traditional knowledge. Yet, change and innovation occur in many spheres of life, not just in the scientific one. In this paper we examine the encounter between new laws – or legal innovations – and local knowledge, and discuss how the normative force of new laws shapes communication and cognitive polyphasia. We specifically focus on the Generalisation phase of legal innovation, when new laws are translated into concrete practices, the social debate is more intense, and cognitive polyphasia is more likely to occur. We present empirical data from focus groups and interviews to illustrate how this happens for the specific case of the reception of new biodiversity conservation laws affecting communities living in protected sites. We also examine the positions of professionals from local mediating systems, illustrating how they manage the dilemmas linked to the introduction of new laws. The results illustrate the contexts of use of non-polyphasic and polyphasic interventions; they also show how polyphasia is expressed by two divergent argumentative formats (thematisation and conventionalisation), whose conjugation is indispensable for trying to contest the law while still respecting the normative meta-system. The findings are discussed taking into account the macro-societal consequences of cognitive polyphasia, trying to show how, at the societal level, it may contribute to slowing down social change. We also discuss how this is related to the enablement of emancipated representations, those where uncertainty and ambivalence more clearly emerge and sustain the negotiation of meaning

Environmental corporate social responsibility and workplace pro-environmental behaviors: Person-organization fit and organizational identification’s sequential mediation

Organizations’ environmental performance has come increasingly under scrutiny given the need for sustainable, low-carbon economies. Workers’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) can contribute to greener operations, but research on workplace PEBs is still an emerging field. This study examined how employees’ perceptions of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and practices are related to their self-reported voluntary PEBs, including person-organization fit (P-O fit) and organizational identification’s role as sequential mediators. Data were gathered from 178 workers from different organizations via an online survey. The results reveal a positive relationship between perceived environmental CSR practices and work PEBs, which are both directly and indirectly connected through P-O fit and organizational identification. Managers can thus use environmental CSR activities to capitalize on employees’ P-O fit and organizational identification, thereby fostering work PEBS.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antimicrobial functionalization of wool: assessment of the effect of Cecropin-B and [Ala5]-Tritrp7 antimicrobial peptides

This investigation provides a new strategy to impart antimicrobial properties into wool-based materials using Cecropin-B and [Ala5]-Tritrp7 antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The process was conducted using exhaustion method at 40 °C for 1–3 h. The presence of the AMPs in the modified-wool samples was confirmed by colorimetric assay of Bradford reagent and possible changes in the morphology of the fibers and damage to its surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that 1 h were long enough for the functionalization to occur effectively and that the morphology of the fibers was not influenced by the functionalization process. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of the AMPs applied on wool was assessment by JIS L 1902-2002 against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 4352). The results showed that both AMPs have a high reduction in bacterial growth (Cecropin-B resulting in 71.67% reduction against S. aureus and 85.95% against K. pneumoniae. While [Ala5]-Tritrp7 resulting in 66.74% reduction against S. aureus and 88.65% against K. pneumoniae).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Organisational climate and pro-environmental behaviours at work: The mediating role of personal norms

Organisations are currently strongly encouraged to adopt more responsible production patterns aligned with sustainable development goals. Pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) in the workplace can strengthen the expected positive impacts of organisations’ environmental performance and engender more sustainable transitions to low-carbon production. Research on PEBs at work is relatively recent, so this field still lacks studies of the role of organisational policies and practices in workers’ adoption of these behaviours and of psychosocial processes that contribute to more sustainable workplaces. The present research examined how perceptions of organisations’ environmental policies and practices (i.e. organisational climate or injunctive norms) and of coworkers’ PEBs (i.e. descriptive norms) affect employees’ self-reported voluntary PEBs. Thogersen’s norm taxonomy model was also applied to address the role of personal norms. Self-commitment to sustainable goals at work can play a fundamental role in workers’ behavioural choices, so this research further investigated whether personal norms mediate the relationship between perceived pro-environmental organisational climate and reported workplace PEBs. To test the proposed model, data were collected on 210 workers from different business sectors, who completed an online questionnaire. The analyses showed that, after controlling for the effects of tenure, education level and a management position, a pro-environmental organisational climate predicts stronger personal norms and a greater tendency to adopt PEBs at work (adjusted R squared = 0.36), providing evidence of complete mediation. Coworkers’ perceived descriptive norms also contribute directly to self-reported PEBs. The discussion of the results focuses on the importance of organisational level initiatives as a way to promote change in individuals’ behaviours, which can have positive consequences for workplaces’ transition to sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Past-present discontinuity in ecological change and marine governance: an integrated narrative approach to artisanal fishing

Today artisanal fishers working in Natura 2000 coastal protected sites face two major types of change: in marine resources, and the governance of their professions. Such transformations affect fishers’ livelihoods, identities and traditions, yet little is known about how these professionals elaborate on these changes – i.e., as continuities or discontinuities - in the narratives they produce as a group. Interviews and focus-groups with artisanal fishers and shellfish harvesters (n=36) from the Portuguese Southwest coast were subjected to a two-step analysis. First, a textual analysis with Iramuteq helped select the themes directly related to marine resources and governance. Second, three main narratives - on algae, barnacles and fish - were reconstructed. These were then explored regarding: (1) narrative formats (stability, regressive, progressive, mixed); (2) whether/how these formats elaborated changes as continuities or discontinuities; (3) the roles attributed to Self and Others, and whether and how these legitimized the laws, opening avenues for change; and (4) whether narratives were unified or fragmented. This study illustrates how transformations are presented through various combinations of narrative formats, sometimes mobilized to resist and other times to legitimate legal institutional change. It shows how institutional change can be integrated into local narratives as a positive contribution through a process that implies re-constructing the collective identity and local traditions. Through a narrative approach, this paper offers an integrated examination of fishers’ concerns towards their professions and the laws regulating them, and provides useful insight into how and when marine governance is more/less likely to be legitimized.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Preparation and characterization of electrospun double-layered nanocomposites membranes as a carrier for centella asiatica (L.)

A wide range of naturally derived and synthetic biodegradable and biocompatible polymers are today regarded as promising materials for improving skin regeneration. Alongside this, these materials have been explored in conjunction with different types of antimicrobial and bioactive agents, especially natural-derived compounds, to enhance their biological properties. Herein, a double-layered nanocomposite dressing membrane was fabricated with two distinct layers. A bottom layer from Chitosan-Sodium tripolyphosphate (CS-TPP) and Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) containing Centella asiatica (L.) (CA) was electrospun directly over a Polycaprolactone (PCL) layer to improve the biologic performance of the electrospun nanofibers. In turn, the PCL layer was designed to provide mechanical support to the damaged tissue. The results revealed that the produced double-layered nanocomposite membrane closely resembles the mechanical, porosity, and wettability features required for skin tissue engineering. On the other hand, the in vitro drug release profile of the PCL/PVA_CS-TPP containing CA exhibited a controlled release for 10 days. Moreover, the PVA_CS-TPP_CA’s bottom layer displayed the highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (99.96 ± 6.04%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) (99.94 ± 0.67%), which is responsible for avoiding bacterial penetration while endowing bioactive properties. Finally, the 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that this nanocomposite membrane was not cytotoxic for normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) cells. Therefore, these findings suggest the potential use of the double-layered PCL/PVA_CS-TPP_CA as an efficient bionanocomposite dressing material.The authors are grateful for the support given by the FibEnTech Research Unit (Project UIDB/00195/2020). Cláudia Mouro also acknowledges a PhD fellowship from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (PD/BD/113550/2015)

Emulsion Electrospun Fiber Mats of PCL/PVA/Chitosan and Eugenol for Wound Dressing Applications

In recent years, the damaging e ects of antimicrobial resistance relating to wound management and infections have driven the ongoing development of composite wound dressing mats containing natural compounds, such as plant extracts and their derivatives. e present research reports the fabrication of novel electrospun Polycaprolactone (PCL)/Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)/Chitosan (CS) ber mats loaded with Eugenol (EUG), an essential oil, known for its therapeutic properties. e electrospun ber mats were prepared via electrospinning from either water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), total porosity measurements, and water contact angle. e in vitro EUG release pro le and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were also evaluated. e obtained results proved that the EUG was loaded e ciently into electrospun PCL/PVA/CS ber mats and the two W/O and O/W emulsions prepared from the PCL/PVA/CS (7 : 3 : 1) and PCL/PVA/CS (3 : 7 : 1) revealed porosity within the ideal range of 60–90%, even when EUG was loaded. e measured contact angle values showed that the O/W emulsion exhibited a more hydrophilic character and the wettability noticeably decreased a¢er adding EUG in both emulsion blends. Furthermore, the electrospun PCL/PVA/CS ber mats demonstrated a rapid release of EUG during the rst 8 hours, which enhanced gradually a¢erward (up to 120 hours). Moreover, an e cient antibacterial activity against S. aureus (inhibition ratios of 92.43% and 83.08%) and P. aeruginosa (inhibition ratios of 94.68% and 87.85%) was displayed and the in vitro cytotoxic assay demonstrated that the normal human dermal broblasts (NHDF) remained viable for at least 7 days, a¢er direct contact with the produced electrospun ber mats. erefore, such ndings support the biocompatibility and suitability of using these EUG-loaded electrospun PCL/PVA/CS ber mats as a new innovative wound dressing material with potential for preventing and treating microbial wound infections.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio