Microplastic contamination and ecological status of freshwater ecosystems: a case study in two northern Portuguese rivers

Background: Most European rivers have not yet achieved “good” ecological status. In addition, the presence and abundance of microplastics (MPs) in freshwater is a matter of great concern to the scientific community. Methodology: This study assesses the ecological status of four sampling sites of Selho (S1–S4) and Costa-Couros (C1–C4) rivers (Guimarães, Portugal), and the abundance of MPs in sediments and benthic macroinvertebrates (Oligochaeta) from those sites. Results: All sites of both rivers under higher pressure did not reach a “good” ecological status (S2–S3, C2–C4) based on the macroinvertebrate community. High levels of nutrients were observed at all sites in both rivers (except C2), especially phosphorus. In the Oligochaeta’s gut of Costa-Couros river, the high number of MPs seems to be associated with their weight (95.25 ± 25.61 to 1069.00 ± 385.30 MPs g/fresh weight), suggesting the existence of malnutrition and digestive disorders, whereas the highest number of MPs in gut (134.00 ± 30.36 to 558.6 ± 100.70 MPs g/fresh weight) were found for the heaviest organisms of Selho. Conclusions: Thus, sites with higher ecological status do not necessarily have lower abundance of MPs. In the sediments, urbanization seems to be the main driver for MP contamination. MP contamination is pervasive across the sediments and Oligochaeta’s gut in both rivers. Since MPs have the potential to cause harm to environmental and human health, it is essential to monitor not only the ecological status of freshwaters, but also emerging pollutants such as MPs.This study was financially supported by the Guimarães City Council, by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action (Portugal) through the project “Aqualastic: Educar, Reduzir e Valorizar”, by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the POPH/FSE (Human Potential Operational Program/European Social Fund) through funds of CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020; UIDB/50017/2020; LA/P/0094/2020), and by the project comPET (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030361)

International Year of Soils 2015: oportunity to promote an integrated administration of soils in Portugal?

Resumo: Neste trabalho assinala-se o retrocesso da administração do recurso solo em Portugal ao longo dos últimos 40 anos, em contraponto com a evolução recente a nível europeu (Estratégia Temática para a Protecção do Solo) e a nível global (Parceria Global para o Solo, Dia Mundial do Solo e Ano Internacional dos Solos 2015, AIS-2015). Aproveitando o impulso internacional neste domínio apresenta-se a Parceria Portuguesa para o Solo (PPS), como mais uma iniciativa que procura inverter o processo de regressão e de dispersão de esforços na administração dos solos do país. Correspondendo aos objectivos estratégicos da PPS, também apresentados, propõem-se e justificam-se sumariamente duas acções a mais curto prazo: a harmonização da cartografia de solos do país à escala 1:250.000 ou 1:500.000 e a constituição de um Sistema Nacional de Informação de Solos (SNIS). A Carta Mundial dos Solos, revista em 2015, insta os governos nacionais a desenvolverem uma política nacional do solo, um sistema nacional de informação de solos e uma estrutura institucional para monitorizar os recursos do solo. O AIS-2015 representa uma oportunidade excepcional para despoletar a implementação de uma política (integrada) do solo em Portugal e de um SNIS como ferramenta pivô para essa política. ---------- Abstract: In this work it is pointed out the recession of the administration of soil resources in Portugal in the last 40 years, as opposed to the recent development actions at European level (Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection) and at global level (Global Soil Partnership, World Soil Day and International Year of Soils 2015, IYS-2015). Taking advantage of the international momentum in this field it is presented the Portuguese Soil Partnership (PtSP) as an initiative that aims to reverse the process of regression and the dispersion of efforts in the national administration of the soils. Accordingly with the PtSP's strategic objectives, also presented, two short-term actions are proposed: the harmonization of the country's soil maps at 1: 250,000 or 1: 500,000 scale, and the establishment of a National Soil Information System (NSIS). The World Soil Charter, revised in 2015, strongly recommends that national governments develop a national land policy, a national land information system and an institutional framework to monitor soil resources. The IYS-2015 would be an exceptional opportunity to trigger the implementation of an (integrated) soil policy in Portugal and a NSIS as a pivot tool for this policy

Brazilian guidelines for the treatment of outpatients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 : a joint guideline of the Brazilian Association of Emergency Medicine (ABRAMEDE), Brazilian Medical Association (AMB), Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery (SBACV), Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SBGG), Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases (SBI), Brazilian Society of Family and Community Medicine (SBFMC), and Brazilian Thoracic Society (SBPT)

Background: Several therapies have been used or proposed for the treatment of COVID-19, although their effectiveness and safety have not been properly evaluated. The purpose of this document is to provide recommendations to support decisions about the drug treatment of outpatients with COVID-19 in Brazil. Methods: A panel consisting of experts from different clinical fields, representatives of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, and methodologists (37 members in total) was responsible for preparing these guidelines. A rapid guideline development method was used, based on the adoption and/or adaptation of recommendations from existing international guidelines combined with additional structured searches for primary studies and new recommendations whenever necessary (GRADE-ADOLOPMENT). The rating of quality of evidence and the drafting of recommendations followed the GRADE method. Results: Ten technologies were evaluated, and 10 recommendations were prepared. Recommendations were made against the use of anticoagulants, azithromycin, budesonide, colchicine, corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine alone or combined with azithromycin, ivermectin, nitazoxanide, and convalescent plasma. It was not possible to make a recommendation regarding the use of monoclonal antibodies in outpatients, as their benefit is uncertain and their cost is high, with limitations of availability and implementation. Conclusion: To date, few therapies have demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of outpatients with COVID-19. Recommendations are restricted to what should not be used, in order to provide the best treatment according to the principles of evidence-based medicine and to promote resource savings by aboiding ineffective treatments

Os exames de qualificação realizados no mestrado profissional em matemática em rede nacional

This article analyzes the nature of the knowledge, especially that of a specialized nature, evoked in the solution of the questions that made up the National Qualification Exams (NQE), developed within the scope of the Professional Master’s Program in Mathematics in the National Network (PROFMAT), between the years 2012 and 2019. The focus of this program was based on the development of a solid education in Mathematics, which contemplates the needs arising from the daily lives of teachers in the school space and their broad needs for development and professional appreciation. Therefore, a qualitative study was developed in which, from the interpretative content analysis, a total of 62 questions were classified in the light of the conceptual-analytical model Mathematics Teachers’ Specialized Knowledge (MTSK), which composed the NQE applied in the first semester of the 8 years analyzed. The analysis carried out showed that: a) more than 70% of the questions focus exclusively on knowledge that appears in only one subdomain of Mathematical Knowledge (MK), the Knowledge of Topics, while only 5% of them address knowledge that appears in all subdomains of MK; b) Absence, in all questions, of knowledge associated with the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) domain. Thus, it is concluded that the evaluation developed through the NQE privileges knowledge that appears only in one of the six subdomains of knowledge that really support the teacher in his daily work with mathematics, which is opposed to the results of many relevant studies that emphasize the importance and impact of knowledge associated with the PCK domain in teaching.Analisa-se, neste artigo, a natureza dos conhecimentos, especialmente os de cunho especializado, evocados na resolução das questões que compuseram Exames Nacionais de Qualificação (ENQ), desenvolvidos no âmbito do Programa de Mestrado Profissional em Matemática em Rede Nacional (PROFMAT), entre os anos de 2012 e 2019. O foco nesse programa deu-se por pautar-se no desenvolvimento de uma sólida formação em Matemática, que contemple as necessidades provenientes do cotidiano dos professores no espaço da escola e de suas necessidades amplas de desenvolvimento e de valorização profissional. Para tanto, desenvolvemos uma pesquisa de cunho qualitativo em que, a partir da análise de conteúdo interpretativa, foram classificadas, à luz do modelo conceitual-analítico Mathematics Teachers’ Specialized Knowledge (MTSK), um total de 62 questões, que compuseram os ENQ aplicados no primeiro semestre de oito anos. A análise realizada evidenciou que: a) mais de 70% das questões focam exclusivamente em conhecimentos que figuram apenas em um subdomínio do Mathematical Knowledge (MK), o Knowledge of Topics, enquanto somente 5% delas abordam conhecimentos que figuram em todos os subdomínios do MK; b) Ausência, em todas as questões, de conhecimentos associados ao domínio Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Assim, conclui-se que a avaliação desenvolvida por meio do ENQ privilegia conhecimentos que figuram somente em um dos seis subdomínios do conhecimento que, realmente, ampara o professor em seu trabalho diário junto à matemática e que se contrapõe aos resultados de diversas e relevantes pesquisas que enfatizam a importância e impacto, na prática docente, de conhecimentos associados ao domínio PCK

Worldwide phylogeny of three-spined sticklebacks

Stickleback fishes in the family Gasterosteidae have become model organisms in ecology and evolutionary biology. However, even in the case of the most widely studied species in this family – the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) – the worldwide phylogenetic relationships and colonization history of the different populations and lineages remain poorly resolved. Using a large collection of samples covering most parts of the species distribution range, we subjected thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms to coalescent analyses in order to reconstruct a robust worldwide phylogeny of extant G. aculeatus populations, as well as their ancestral geographic distributions using Statistical-Dispersal Vicariance and Bayesian Binary MCMC analyses. The results suggest that contemporary populations originated from the Pacific Ocean in the Late Pleistocene, and the Atlantic was colonized through the Arctic Ocean by a lineage that diverged from Pacific sticklebacks ca 44.6 Kya. This lineage contains two branches: one that is distributed in the Mediterranean area, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Black Sea (‘Southern European Clade’), and another that is comprised of populations from northern Europe and the east coast of North America (‘Trans-Atlantic Clade’). Hence, the results suggest that the North American East Coast was colonized by trans-Atlantic migration. Coalescence-based divergence time estimates suggest that divergence among major clades is much more recent than previously estimated.Peer reviewe

Características anatômicas de Tectona grandis L.f de sítios distintos do estado do Mato Grosso

The anatomical characteristics of the wood are influenced by the quality of the sites of the material provenance, which, consequently, leads to alterations in its physical and mechanical properties. The aim of this paper was to assess and characterize the organoleptic and anatomical properties of the teak (Tectona grandis) from different sites in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Regarding the anatomical characteristics the length, width, diameter and the thickness of the wall for fiber were assessed; the length and diameter of the vessels; the length, width and frequency of the rays. The results obtained showed that the organoleptic properties do not present variations between the different sites. The effect of the site, where the teak plantation is established, produced significant variations in the parameters of the fibers (length, width of the fiber, lumen diameter and thickness of the wall) and in the rays (length, width and frequency). However, no significant vessel-related changes were seen.As características anatômicas da madeira são influenciadas pelas qualidades dos sítios de procedência do material, que por consequência leva a alterações em suas propriedades físicas e mecânicas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar e caracterizar as propriedades organolépticas e anatômicas da madeira de teca (Tectona grandis), proveniente de diferentes sítios do Estado do Mato Grosso, Brasil. Para as características anatômicas foram avaliados comprimento, largura, diâmetro e espessura da parede para fibra; comprimento e diâmetro dos vasos; comprimento, largura e frequência dos raios. Os resultados mostraram que as propriedades organolépticas não apresentaram diferenças entre os diferentes sítios. O efeito sítio, no qual estão estabelecidos os plantios de teca produziram variações significativas nos parâmetros das fibras (comprimento, largura da fibra, diâmetro do lume e espessura da parede) e nos raios (comprimento, largura e frequência). No entanto, não foram evidenciadas mudanças significativas relacionadas aos vasos

Assessment of Biomass and Biochar of Maritime Pine as a Porous Medium for Water Retention in Soils

Pinewood biomass in Portugal can be considered a major source of biochar for soil physical, chemical, and biological edaphic amendment. This work intended to evaluate the aptitude of lab produced biochar for upgrading soil moisture dynamics’ relationships considering mixtures of biochar with silica-based sand. The methodology used focused on the carbonization of pine biomass with inert atmosphere at 300 C, 400 C, 500 C and 600 C, followed by a chemical proximate and thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared analysis, numerical modeling, and characterization of biochar porosity by gas adsorption (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) and mercury porosimetry. The results showed the increased amounts of soil water retention and plant available water, evaluated through pF curves, due to biochar application. The thermogravimetric analysis mass loss patterns and FTIR transmittance, reflected major structural modifications in carbonized products by comparison with raw biomass. Mercury porosimetry showed that biochar pores between 392 and 250 micrometer and 32 and 6 micrometer gave the highest pore volume for water retention with a major increase from carbonization, by comparison with physical activation. The used methodologies allowed us to conclude that the carbonaceous feedstock can potentiate the improvement of soil water relations aiming at agricultural land use.FCT/MCTES, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superio