Fora da relação não há salvação – Um ensaio de uma teologia da salvação relacional a partir de M. Buber e J. Moltmann

This article tries to elaborate a theology of salvation based on M. Buber’s relational principle in his book I and Thou articulated with J. Moltmann’s theology. It is desired to show how creation, history and hu­mankind are integrated in a salvation process that happens through the encounter with the other.El artculo busca ensayar una soteriologa fundamentada en el principio relacional propuesto por M. Buber en su obra Yo y T, y articulada con la teologa de J. Moltmann. Se busca demostrar que la creacin, la historia y la humanidad estn integradas en un proceso salvfico que ocurre a partir del encuentro con los dems.O artigo busca ensaiar uma soteriologia fundamenta­da no princípio relacional proposto por M. Buber em sua obra Eu e Tu, e articulada com a teologia de J. Moltmann. Busca-se demonstrar que a criação, a his­tória e a humanidade estão integradas num proces­so salvífico que acontece a partir do encontro com o outro

Avaliação da eficiência de diferentes produtos enológicos na remoção de ocratoxina A de vinho

As micotoxinas são metabolitos secundários tóxicos produzidos por certos fungos, sendo a ocratoxina A (OTA) das mais importantes. A presença de OTA nos vinhos pode constituir um risco para a saúde dos consumidores, sendo por isso aconselhado que se tomem medidas para atingir níveis seguros para o consumo humano [1]. De acordo com o Regulamento n.º 1881/2006 da Comissão Europeia, o limite máximo para a OTA em vinho é de 2 µg/kg [2]. Sendo assim, foi objetivo deste trabalho conhecer a eficiência de diferentes produtos enológicos na remoção de OTA de vinhos, bem como o seu impacto nas suas características organoléticas. Foram testados onze produtos enológicos diferentes, com origem mineral, sintética, microbiana, vegetal e animal, de forma a avaliar a sua eficiência na remoção de OTA de vinhos. Os ensaios foram realizados em vinhos artificialmente suplementados com OTA numa concentração final de 10 µg/L. O produto enológico mais eficiente na remoção de OTA do vinho branco (80%) é composto por gelatina, bentonite e carvão ativado. Reduções entre 10-30% foram também obtidas com o caseinato de potássio, paredes de células de levedura e proteína de ervilha. Com a aplicação de bentonite, carboximetilcelulose, polivinilpolipirrolidona e quitosana não se verificou nenhuma remoção considerável de OTA dos vinhos brancos. Estes resultados podem fornecer informações úteis para os produtores de vinho, ajudando-os na seleção do produto enológico mais adequado para a remoção de OTA de vinhos brancos, reduzindo a toxicidade do vinho e melhorando simultaneamente a segurança alimentar e qualidade do produto final.Agradecimentos: Este trabalho foi financiado por fundos FEDER através do Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade - COMPETE e por fundos nacionais através da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia -FCT, ref. FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028029 e PTDC/AGR-TEC/3900/2012, respetivamente. Luís Abrunhosa recebeu apoio através da bolsa Incentivo/EQB/LA0023/2014 do ON.2 O Novo Norte

Non-native freshwater fauna in Portugal: a review

We present the most updated list of non-native freshwater fauna established in Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. This list includes 67 species at national level but corresponds to 84 species records, of which 53 are in the mainland, 23 in the Azores and 8 in Madeira archipelagos. We also discuss the progression of the cumulative number of introductions since 1800 and identify the most probable vectors of introduction, main taxonomic groups and their regions of origin. Furthermore, we review the existing knowledge about ecological and economic impacts, invasion risk and potential distribution of invaders, under present and future climatic conditions, and the applied management actions, including the production of legislation. Along the 20th century the number of successful introductions increased at an approximate rate of two new species per decade until the beginning of 1970s. Since then, this rate increased to about 14 new species per decade. These introductions were mainly a result of fisheries, as contaminants or for ornamental purposes. Fish and mollusks are the taxonomic groups with more established species, representing more than half of the total. Most species (>70%) are native from other regions of Europe and North America. Studies about ecological or socioeconomic impacts are more common for fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Impacts for most amphibians, reptiles and mammals are not thoroughly studied. A few studies on the impacts and management actions of health-threatening mosquitoes are also available. The potential distribution in the Portuguese territory was modelled for 26 species. Only a minority of these models provides projections of distributions under scenarios of future climate change. A comparison of the Portuguese and EU legislation shows large discrepancies in the invasive species lists. Using the EU list and a ranking procedure for the national context, we identify freshwater species of high national concern for which actions are urgently needed.This work was supported by the FRISK Project (Ref. PTDC/AAG-MAA/0350/2014) to F. Ribeiro and by the strategic plan of MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (UID/MAR/04292/2013) to F. Banha with a short term post-doc grant on the University of Evora and a small project. A. F. Filipe was supported by the FRESHING project funded by FCT and COMPETE (PTDC/AAG-MAA/2261/2014 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-356 016824). R. Sousa was supported by FRESHCO project (contract: PTDC/AGRFOR/1627/2014) funded by FCT

O impacto da emigração recente no número de nados-vivos em Portugal

A recente crise económica observada em Portugal não foi exclusiva do país e registou repercussões massivas a nível internacional. Desde 2008, em Portugal, registaram-se os mais variados cortes no investimento e despesa pública, resultando num grande aumento da taxa de desemprego. Realizaram-se algumas tentativas de minoração dos efeitos da crise económica com a institucionalização de medidas de austeridade como o Programa de Estabilidade e Crescimento (PEC), mas estas não evitaram a intervenção do Fundo Monetário Internacional (FMI), trazendo a Troika a Portugal (Alves, 2015; Ribeiro et al., 2015). Durante o seu período em Portugal (2011 – 2014), o país não conseguiu manter a capacidade para atrair novos residentes ou até de fazer regressar aqueles que tinham há muito saído em busca de melhores condições de vida, voltando a ser um país com forte emigração à semelhança do já observado no passado. Apesar desta emigração se dividir entre temporária e permanente, a verdade é que, muito provavelmente, alguns daqueles que pensaram sair do país apenas temporariamente, poderão passar a emigrantes permanentes

SousChef System for Personalized Meal Recommendations: A Validation Study

Nutrition is an essential part of our life. A healthy diet can help to prevent several chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, being influenced by social, cultural, and economic factors. Meal recommender systems are a trend to assist people in finding new recipes to cook and adopt healthier eating habits. However, food choice is complex and driven by multiple factors which need to be reflected in the personalization process of these systems to ensure their adoption. We present SousChef, a meal recommender system that can help to plan multiple meals considering an individual’s food preferences, restrictions, and nutritional needs. Our approach uses recipes rather than individual food items, limiting recommendations to tasteful and culturally acceptable food combinations. Several experiments were performed to evaluate the system from different perspectives: nutritional, food preferences, and restrictions, and the recommendations’ variability. Our results highlight the importance of using extensive and diverse content in recommendations to meet food preferences, restrictions, and nutritional needs of people with different characteristics.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support obtained from the project Future Yämmi, co-funded by Compete 2020, Lisboa 2020, Portugal 2020 and the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Elsa F. Vieira (Ref CEECIND/03988/2018) thanks FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) for funding through the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus, and to REQUIMTE/LAQV.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An in vitro dynamic model of catheter-associated urinary tract infections to investigate the role of uncommon bacteria on the Escherichia coli microbial consortium

About 9% of nosocomial infections are attributed to catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Uncommon bacteria (Delftia tusurhatensis) have been isolated in CAUTIs in combination with wellestablished pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli. Nonetheless, the reason why E. coli coexists with other bacteria instead of outcompeting and completely eliminating them are unknown. As such, a flow cell reactor simulating the hydrodynamic conditions found in CAUTIs (shear rate of 15 s-1) was used to characterize the microbial physiology of E. coli and D. tsuruhatensis individually and in consortium, in terms of growth kinetics and substrate uptake. Single-species biofilms showed that up to 48 h the CFU counts significantly increased for both species (p<0.05). After 48 h, both species stabilized with similar CFU values reaching log 6.24 CFU.cm2 for E. coli and log 6.31 CFU.cm2 for D. tsuruhatensis (p>0.05). The assessment of spatial distribution of dual-species biofilms by LNA/2´OMe-FISH revealed that E. coli and D. tsuruhatensis coexist and tend to co-aggregate over time, which implies that bacteria are able to cooperate synergistically. Substrate uptake measurements revealed that in artificial urine medium the bacteria metabolized lactic acid, uric acid (E. coli and D. tsuruhatensis) and citric acid (D. tsuruhatensis). In the consortium, D. tsuruhatensis consumed citric acid more rapidly, presumably leaving more uric acid available in the medium to be used by E. coli. In conclusion, metabolic cooperation between E. coli and uncommon species seems to occur when these species share the same environment, leading to the formation of a stable microbial community

Historical food-web changes in invaded fish communities in the lower Guadiana basin

Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly being reshaped by biological invasions, leading to biotic homogenization and biodiversity loss. However, the extent to which novel species may drive changes in food-web structure over time remains poorly understood. Clarifying changes in historical ecological processes is critical to inform conservation and restoration efforts in recipient ecosystems. Here, we address food-web changes associated with fish invasions in the Lower Guadiana Basin (LGB) over the past 40 years, by contrasting feeding relationships between museum-archived and contemporary specimens, using stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) ratios. Specifically, trophic niches of museum-archived fishes sampled throughout 1978–1987 and 1999–2004 corresponding to the initial establishment and spread of non-native fishes, respectively, were compared with those of fishes sampled in 2019, characterizing the integration of non-native species in the recipient ecosystem. We focused on five native species (Anaecypris hispanica, Cobitis paludica, Iberochondrostoma lemmingii, Squalius pyrenaicus and Squalius alburnoides) and four non-native species (Lepomis gibbosus, Australo heros facetus, Micropterus salmoides and Gambusia holbrooki) with potential to cover multiple trophic positions in the food-webs. We approached historical baseline resources using prey items in gut con tents of the museum-archived fishes and characterized primary producers and macroinvertebrates in 2019. Prior to analysis, samples were normalized for high lipid content and corrected for preservation. We found considerable asymmetries in niche partitioning among species as invasion progressed. Over time, native species tended to be displaced to lower trophic levels, while non-native species showed significantly higher trophic niches, driven mainly by increases in trophic (δ15N) range. Our study highlights that stable isotopes may provide important insights on historical food-web structure and particularly on processes underpinning ecological changes associated with anthropogenetic pressures on freshwater ecosystems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of portuguese press coverage regarding cosmetic products: a pilot test for a case study

A Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências Cosmetológicas e a Step Exhibitions têm o orgulho de anunciar um fórum para a comunicação, a colaboração, e a inovação para o Mercado Português de Cosméticos e indústrias relacionadas. O Cosmetinnov reúne os principais decisores e inovadores de todo o setor da cosmética. Durante os dois dias do evento terá a oportunidade de fazer novos contactos e realizar negócios com centenas de profissionais que procuram encontrar soluções, obter respostas e adquirir produtos e serviços fundamentais ao desenvolvimento e fabrico dos seus produtos cosméticos. Ao atrair desde pequenas e médias empresas até grandes empresas internacionais, o Cosmetinnov 2020 oferece uma oportunidade inigualável de colocar a sua empresa em contacto com pessoas chave para o seu negócio.The Sociedade Portuguesa Ciencias Cosmetológicas and Step Exhibitions are proud to announce a forum for communication and collaboration, and innovation for the Portuguese Cosmetics Market and beyond. Cosmetinnov brings together the key decision makers and innovators from across the cosmetic sector. During the two-days event you can meet, network and do business with hundreds of professionals looking to find solutions, obtain answers, and buy the products and services they need to fulfil their cosmetics development and manufacturing requirements. Ranging from SMEs through to major international corporations, Cosmetinnov delivers an unrivalled opportunity to put your business in front of the people you need to meet

Fish communities in the lower Tagus inland wetlands: from anthropogenic pressures to conservation management

Inland wetlands are important biodiversity hotspots and amongst the most impacted ecosystems worldwide. Conservation management and restauration actions in wetlands are thus urgently needed to reverse trends in species loss and habitat degradation, particularly in regions harbouring already endangered endemic species. Inland wetlands may play an important role in supporting endemic endangered fishes in the Lower Tagus basin, where anthropogenic pressures have been increasing, but there is a lack of studies on fish communities, and few areas are identified as inland wetlands. Here, we aim to identify small inland wetlands in the Lower Tagus River and their potential role in supporting fish species, constituting the first study to identify and evaluate the most important fish communities. Inland wetlands were identified through the usage of remote sensing techniques and the calculation of a Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) with Sentinel-2 imagery for the Lower Tagus region. From a total of 486 locations identified, 31 were recognized as wetlands as having potential to host fish communities, with 11 being selected for sampling after in loco assessment. Fish sampling was conducted between 6 May and 11 June 2021. Furthermore, for each wetland, we evaluated anthropogenic stressors and land use changes between 2007 and 2018, using national land use data (i.e., Carta de Uso e Ocupação do Solo). A total of 7727 fishes from eight non-native and five native species were captured. Overall, fish communities were dominated by non-native species (97% catches), but both European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and Lisbon arched-mouth nase (Iberochondrostoma olisiponense), which are globally classified as critically endangered (CR), were found in at least two wetlands. Our results suggest that, over the last 10 years, intensive agriculture decreased (on average ≈ 3%) in the areas surrounding these wetlands, being replaced by extensive agriculture or natural uses. Despite non-native fish prevalence, some wetlands may act as refuge habitats for CR fish species. These results are important for guiding the restoration of inland wetlands and promoting conservation management actions to help reverse fish diversity loss.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biodegradation of mono-, di- and trifluoroacetate by microbial cultures with different origins

This work focused on the biodegradation of three structurally related fluoroacetates (FAs), mono- (MFA), di- (DFA) and trifluoroacetate (TFA), using as microbial inocula samples collected from a site with a long history of industrial contamination and activated sludge obtained from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Biodegradation experiments were carried out under different modes of substrate supplementation, which included (i) FAs fed as sole carbon sources; (ii) FAs (only for DFA and TFA) fed in co-metabolism with sodium acetate; and (iii) mixtures of MFA with DFA or TFA. Biodegradation of the target compounds was assessed through fluoride ion release. Defluorination was obtained in the cultures fed with MFA, while DFA and TFA were recalcitrant in all tested conditions. When present in mixture, DFA was shown to inhibit biodegradation of MFA, while TFA had no effect. A total of 13 bacterial isolates obtained from MFA degrading cultures were found to degrade 20mgL-1 of this compound, as single strains, when supplemented as a sole carbon source. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that among these degrading bacteria only Delftia acidovorans had been previously reported to be able to degrade MFA. This work shows that, despite their similar chemical structures, biodegradation of the three tested FAs is very distinct and draws attention to the unknown impacts that the accumulation of DFA and TFA may have in the environment as a result of their high recalcitrance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio