From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: changes in perception and use of large marine animals

Marine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some species have been perceived as competitors of fishers for marine resources and were often actively culled. Since the 1970s, there has been a change in the perception and use of megafauna. The growth of marine tourism, increasingly oriented towards the observation of wildlife, has driven a shift from extractive to non-extractive use, supporting the conservation of at least some species of marine megafauna. In this paper, we review and compare the changes in the perception and use of three megafaunal groups, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers, with a special focus on European cultures. We highlight the main drivers and the timing of these changes, compare different taxonomic groups and species, and highlight the implications for management and conservation. One of the main drivers of the shift in perception, shared by all the three groups of megafauna, has been a general increase in curiosity towards wildlife, stimulated inter alia by documentaries (from the early 1970s onwards), and also promoted by easy access to scuba diving. At the same time, environmental campaigns have been developed to raise public awareness regarding marine wildlife, especially cetaceans, a process greatly facilitated by the rise of Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, all the three groups (cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers) may represent valuable resources for ecotourism. Strikingly, the economic value of live specimens may exceed their value for human consumption. A further change in perception involving all the three groups is related to a growing understanding and appreciation of their key ecological role. The shift from extractive to non-extractive use has the potential for promoting species conservation and local economic growth. However, the change in use may not benefit the original stakeholders (e.g. fishers or whalers) and there may therefore be a case for providing compensation for disadvantaged stakeholders. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that even non-extractive use may have a negative impact on marine megafauna, therefore regulations are needed.SFRH/BPD/102494/2014, UID/MAR/04292/2019, IS1403info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Use of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill extracts from Brazilian Caatinga as an alternative of natural moisturizer in cosmetic formulations

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was the obtainment of Opuntia fícus-indica (L.) Mill extract for the development of cosmetic formulations and in vivo evaluation of its moisturizing effects. The formulations were tested for preliminary and accelerated stability. Organoleptic characteristics, pH values and rheological behavior were assessed. The evaluation of moisturizing efficacy of the emulsions formulated with 3.0% of Polyacrylamide (and) C13-14 Isoparaffin (and) Laureth-7 containing 1.0 and 3.0% of O. ficus-indica hydroglycolic extract (EHG001) was performed using the capacitance method (Corneometer(r)) and the transepidermal water loss - TEWL evaluation (Tewameter(r)). The emulsions formulated were stable, exhibiting pseudoplastic and thixotropic behavior. The results of evaluation of moisturizing efficacy showed increased skin hydration after five hours by mainly increasing the skin barrier effect. The formulations containing 1.0 and 3.0% of EHG001 enhanced the skin barrier effect by reducing TEWL up to four hours after application. The results observed suggest that O. ficus-indica hydroglycolic extract may act through a humectant and occlusion mechanism

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Journal of Mathematical Chemistry

Texto completo. Acesso restrito. p. 317-330Concepts of functional analysis, namely, regular points, tangent subspaces, constraint surfaces, Lagrangian matrix restricted to the tangent subspace of a constraint surface, are presented in connection with the Hartree-Fock (HF) problem. The energy functional in LCAO approximation is considered to be a polynomial function of several variables subject to subsidiary conditions. General HF equations and instability conditions for the unrestricted Hartree- Fock (UHF) solutions are derived from this standpoint.Salvado

Alterações morfológicas hepáticas, com especial ênfase nas alterações dos ductos biliares e análise de sobrevivência em camundongos submetidos a infecções múltiplas por S. mansoni e a quimioterapia

In an attempt to be as close as possible to the infected and treated patients of the endemic areas of schistosomiasis (S. mansoni) and in order to achieve a long period of follow-up, mice were repeatedly infected with a low number of cercariae. Survival data and histological variables such as schistosomal granuloma, portal changes, hepatocellular necrosis, hepatocellular regeneration, schistosomotic pigment, periductal fibrosis and chiefly bile ducts changes were analysed in the infected treated and non treated mice. Oxamniquine chemotherapy in repeatedly infected mice prolonged survival significantly when compared to non-treated animals (chi-square 9.24, p = 0.0024), thus confirming previous results with a similar experimental model but with a shorter term follow-up. Furthermore, mortality decreased rapidly after treatment suggesting an abrupt reduction in the severity of hepatic lesions. A morphological and immunohistochemical study of the liver was carried out. Portal fibrosis, with a pattern resembling human Symmers fibrosis was present at a late phase in the infected animals. Bile duct lesions were quite close to those described in human Mansonian schistosomiasis. Schistosomal antigen was observed in one isolated altered bile duct cell. The pathogenesis of the bile duct changes and its relation to the parasite infection and/or their antigens are discussed.Numa tentativa de estar o mais próximo possível a pacientes infectados e tratados nas áreas endêmicas de esquistosomose (S. mansoni) e também para obter um período mais longo de seguimento, camundongos foram repetidamente infectados com um número baixo de cercarias. Dados de sobrevivência e variáveis histológicas tais como granuloma esquistosomótico, alterações portais, necrose hepatocelular, regeneração hepática, pigmento esquistosomótico, fi-brose periductal e principalmente, alterações dos ductos biliares foram analisados nos animais infectados tratados e não tratados. A terapêutica por oxamniquina nos animais repetidamente infectados prolonga a sobrevivência de maneira significante (Chi-quadrado 9,24, p = 0,0024), portanto confirmando resultados anteriores com um modelo semelhante mas com um período mais curto de seguimento. Ainda, a mortalidade decresce rapidamente depois do tratamento, sugerindo uma abrupta redução na gravidade das lesões hepáticas. O fígado foi ainda estudado sob o ponto de vista morfológico e imunohistoquímico. Fibrose portal, com um quadro que lembra a fibrose humana do tipo Symmers está presente na fase tardia da infecção. As alterações de ductos biliares são muito próximas daquelas descritas na esquistosomose mansônica humana. Antígeno esquistosomótico foi observado em uma célula isolada do revestimento alterado de duetos biliares. A patogênese das alterações ductais e sua possível relação com a infecção parasitária e/ou seus antígenos foi discutida