EU INTEGRATION AND TOURISM DESTINATION MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF PORTUGAL

The EU membership has brought many benefits to Portugal by improving the access to the European policies and funds. The tourism sector is one of the fast growing industries in the country (accounting for approximately 11% of GDP) and it has strongly benefited from the EU integration, making Portugal one of the top destinations in the world. However, the recent economic slowdown, coupled with phenomena of worldwide proportions (the 11th September and the 4th March terrorist attacks, the SARS outbreak and, most recently, the avian flu threat) have made tourism professionals question about how destinations should be managed in a more innovative, responsible and profitable way. This paper attempts to provide, on one hand, some theoretical and empirical findings on Portuguese tourism evolution during the two-decade period of EU membership, with reference to some European support schemes and their impact on Portugal as a tourist destination. On the other hand, it aims to point out critical issues that are essential to depict future trends in destination management, which can be useful to emerging tourist destinations, such as many countries in Eastern Europe. Since Romania is a fast growing country in terms of international tourist arrivals and a candidate country in the next EU enlargement process, the Portuguese experience could be an interesting case to learn from.EU Integration; Tourism; Portugal

Compostos fenólicos, capacidade antioxidante e minerais em cascas de melancias ‘manchester’ e ‘smile’ provenientes de resíduos de processamento

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Nutrição, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nutrição Humana, 2017.A melancia, Citrullus lanatus Schrad., é um fruto rico em fitonutrientes como licopeno, ácidos fenólicos e carotenóides, os quais lhe atribui uma alta capacidade antioxidante, além de vitaminas, minerais e fibras. Está entre as curcubitáceas mais consumidas no mundo e também mais visadas pela indústria de minimamente processados, porém o seu processamento está ligado à grande quantidade de resíduos gerados pelas partes consideradas não comestíveis da fruta, como as cascas e sementes. As partes usualmente consideradas não comestíveis de frutas e hortaliças como a melancia apresentam, na sua maioria, uma maior quantidade de compostos funcionais comparadas com o restante do fruto, além de uma abundante fonte de compostos antioxidantes como os polifenóis, o que justificaria o uso desses resíduos como aditivos alimentares além de diminuir o dano ambiental causado pela quantidade de resíduo orgânico produzido. Este estudo visou quantificar os compostos fenólicos e minerais além de avaliar a capacidade antioxidante das cascas das cultivares de melancia Manchester, mais cultivada no Brasil, e Smile, recém introduzida no mercado nacional. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em delineamento inteiramente casualizados, com 2 tratamentos e 30 repetições. As análises foram feitas em triplicata. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância (ANOVA) e as médias foram testadas pelo teste de Tukey ao nível de significância de 5%. As cascas das cultivares de melancias apresentaram diferenças significativas nos valores de pH, sólidos solúveis, % de inibição e fenólicos e sem diferença significativa nos valores de acidez titulável. A cultivar Manchester apresentou valores superiores de pH (5,88), sólidos solúveis (4,17 ˙Brix) e de acúcares totais (2,09 g kg -1) comparada com a cultivar Smile que obteve valor de 5,72, 1,98 e 1,55 para pH, sólidos solúveis e açúcares totais, respectivamente. Os teores de fenólicos totais na cultivar Manchester foram 10,7 vezes maior ao encontrado na cultivar Smile e a capacidade antioxidante da cultivar Smile foi significativamente inferior à Manchester, correspondendo à 20,53% e 31, 78% de proteção, respectivamente. Quanto ao conteúdo de minerais, a cultivar Smile obteve maiores concentrações nos teores de Fe (52,32 mg kg-1), Mn (23,98 mg kg -1), P (5,85 mg kg-1) e Na (1,07 mg kg-1) e a cultivar Manchester com concentrações superiores de K (81,87 g kg -1), Ca (5, 00 g kg -1) e Mg (2,34 g kg-1). Não houve diferenças significativas entre as cultivares quanto ao teor de Zn. A cultivar Manchester destacou-se em relação a cultivar Smile na maioria dos parâmetros analisados. Apenas no conteúdo de acidez e zinco não houve diferença estatística entre os tratamentos. O conteúdo de minerais de ambas as cultivares foram superiores ao encontrado em outras frutas e corresponde a um percentual considerável das Recomendações Dietéticas de Referência.The watermelon, Citrullus lanatus Schrad., is a fruit rich in phytonutrients such as lycopene, phenolic acids and carotenoids, which gives it a high antioxidant capacity, as well as vitamins, minerals and fibers. It is among the most consumed curcubitáceas in the world and also more targeted by the minimally processed industry, but its processing is linked to the large amount of waste generated by the parts considered inedible of the fruit, such as peels and seeds. The parts usually considered inedible of fruits and vegetables like the watermelon present, in the majority, a greater amount of functional compounds compared with the rest of the fruit, in addition to an abundant source of antioxidant compounds as the polyphenols, what would justify the use of these Waste as food additives in addition to reducing the environmental damage caused by the amount of organic waste produced. This study aimed to quantify the phenolic and mineral compounds in addition to evaluating the antioxidant capacity of the bark of the most cultivated Manchester watermelon cultivars in Brazil and Smile, recently introduced in the national market. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with 2 treatments and 30 replicates. The analyzes were done in triplicate. The results were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means were tested by the Tukey test at a significance level of 5%. The bark of the watermelon cultivars presented significant differences in pH, soluble solids, % inhibition and phenolics, with no significant difference in the values of titratable acidity. The highest values of pH (5.88), soluble solids (4.17 ˙Brix) and total sugars (2.09 g kg -1) were found in the Manchester cultivar, compared to the Smile cultivar, which obtained a value of 5.72, 1 , 98 and 1.55 for pH, soluble solids and total sugars, respectively. The total phenolic content in the Manchester cultivar was 10.7 times higher than that found in the Smile cultivar and the antioxidant capacity of the Smile cultivar was significantly lower than Manchester, corresponding to 20.53% and 31, 78% protection, respectively. As regards mineral content, Smile showed higher concentrations of Fe (52.32 mg kg-1), Mn (23.98 mg kg -1), P (5.85 mg kg-1) and Na 1.07 mg kg-1) and Manchester cultivar with higher concentrations of K (81.87 g kg -1), Ca (5.00 g kg -1) and Mg (2.34 g kg -1). There were no significant differences between the cultivars regarding the Zn content. The cultivar Manchester was distinguished in relation to the cultivar Smile in the majority of the analyzed parameters. Only in the acidity and zinc content there was no statistical difference between the treatments. The mineral content of both cultivars was higher than that found in other fruits and corresponds to a considerable percentage of the Dietary Reference Recommendations

Formative trajectory for distance teaching

In view of the growing number of distance learning courses, it is important to understand whether universities or government entities are properly training teachers, especially those in higher education, to work in this new type of educational programs. The main objective of this work was to analyze the learning trajectory of the teachers that teach distance learning modalities. For this purpose, a quantitative and qualitative study was carried out, developed in 2018, using the case-study methodology. Accordingly, 113 teachers from the Academic Unit for Distance Education of the State University of Bahia, who were teaching for at least two years, were approached. The goal of the study was to (i) understand how the learning trajectory of the teachers that teach distance learning course happens, (ii) the difficulties encountered in the scope of their training and practice, as well as (iii) the teacher´s perceptions of Distance Education (DE). The online questionnaire, previously validated by experts, was developed with the limeSurvey tool, was available for 2 months and reminders were sent weekly. In addition, based on a review of the literature and on the previous analysis of the results of the questionnaire, a semi-structured interview was built and conducted to 8 teachers who complemented the information about the training course for teaching in DE. From the analysis of the results of this cohort, the authors concluded that the teachers training process at a distance occurred in the absence of public policies promoted by the State, relying solely on the public and private higher education institutions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Participação, redes e capital social para a governança da água no Brasil : um olhar sobre o Conselho Nacional de Recursos Hídricos

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, 2012.As mudanças na gestão dos recursos hídricos acompanharam a trajetória de democratização das políticas públicas no Brasil, cujo marco foi a Constituição Federal de 1988. A Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos (PNRH) e o Sistema Nacional de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos (SINGREH), instituídos pela Lei Federal 9.433/1997, já nascem sob os princípios democratizantes da Carta Constitucional. Com a edição da Lei das Águas, a gestão dos recursos hídricos no Brasil deixa de ser uma questão de Governo, baseada em uma hierarquia político-administrativa, para tornar-se uma questão de Governança, em que uma multiplicidade de atores interage e participa dos processos de concepção e implementação das políticas públicas. Esta dissertação propõe uma reflexão sobre o princípio da participação na Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos e algumas de suas implicações para a governança contemporânea da água no Brasil, a partir da análise do Plenário do CNRH, órgão consultivo e deliberativo do SINGREH, com responsabilidades sobre a formulação da Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos. O texto está estruturado em dois capítulos, além da introdução e da conclusão, os quais foram desenvolvidos na forma de artigos científicos. O primeiro capítulo recorre a abordagens distintas e, por vezes, contraditórias sobre a participação na gestão de políticas públicas, para analisar a participação e o ativismo dos membros do CNRH, assim como a sua percepção sobre a influência que exercem, a abertura à inovação e a efetividade do Conselho no alcance dos objetivos da Política. O segundo capítulo relaciona os conceitos de redes, capital social e ação coletiva, no marco teórico da governança, como ponto de partida para analisar o potencial do CNRH em mobilizar capital social para a resolução de problemas de ação coletiva que desafiam a gestão dos recursos hídricos no Brasil. Além da análise dos atributos individuais dos (as) conselheiros (as), a metodologia adota a perspectiva da Análise de Redes Sociais (ARS), focando nos aspectos relacionais dos atores que compõem o Plenário do CNRH. Os resultados apontam para o fato de que criação dos espaços colegiados participativos com capacidades decisórias em relação à gestão dos recursos hídricos não significa, por si só, a mudança nos padrões decisórios tradicionalmente estabelecidos e a ampliação das perspectivas com impacto nos resultados alcançados. O design institucional e a estrutura das redes sociais que se constituem aspectos importantes a serem considerados na análise desses espaços. ______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe changes in water resources management followed the course of democratization of public policies in Brazil, established in the 1988 Federal Constitution. The National Water Resources Policy and the National System of Water Resources Management, established by the Federal Law 9.433/1997, were born under the democratizing principles of the Constitution. With the approval of the Water Law, the management of water resources in Brazil is no longer a matter of government, based on a political-administrative hierarchy to become a matter of governance, in which a multiplicity of actors interact and participate in the design and implementation of public policies. This dissertation proposes a reflection on the principle of participation in the National Water Resources Policy and some of its implications for contemporary governance of water in Brazil, based on the analysis of the Plenary of National Water Council, consultative and deliberative body of the National System of Water Resources Management, with responsibilities for the National Policy of Water Resources. The text is comprised of two chapters, besides the introduction and conclusion, which were developed in the form of scientific articles. The first chapter uses different and sometimes contradictory approaches about participation in the management of public policies, to analyze the participation and activism of the members of CNRH, as well as their perception of their influence, openness to innovation and effectiveness of the Council in achieving the objectives of the Policy. The second chapter relates the concepts of networks, social capital and collective action, the theoretical framework of governance, as a starting point for analyzing the potential of National Water Council to mobilize social capital to solve collective action problems that challenge the management of water resources in Brazil. Besides the analysis of individual attributes of the stakeholders, the methodology adopts the perspective of Social Network Analysis (ARS), focusing on the relational aspects of the stakeholders in the Plenary of CNRH. The results show that the creation of spaces with participatory decision-making capabilities for the management of water resources do not mean, by itself, changes in decision-making traditionally standards and amplification of perspectives as an impact on the results. The institutional design and the structure of social networks are important aspects to be considered in the analysis of these spaces

A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DA UNIVERSIDADE NO CONTEXTO DA SUSTENTABILIDADE SOCIOAMBIENTAL: UM POTENCIAL A SER EXPLORADO

Com o intuito de oferecer uma reflexão sobre práticas que podem propiciar bases para a transformação de uma sociedade calcada atualmente sobre o dilacerante sistema mercantilista vigente, este ensaio teórico tem como objetivo resgatar as prerrogativas que a universidade dispõe, como centro do saber e do conhecimento, aplicando-as ao desenvolvimento de políticas institucionais que prezem pela sustentabilidade socioambiental. Como metodologia utilizou-se a pesquisa bibliográfica, à luz da literatura sobre o assunto. Nos resultados da pesquisa depara-se com um quadro bastante critico que demonstra um sistema cuidadosamente montado para ludibriar a sociedade no sentido de torná-la consumista. Porém, encontra-se também como resultado latente, a forte capacidade da universidade em contribuir para mudar essa situação. A conclusão do trabalho é de ordem prática, com a sugestão de que a universidade se dedique à elaborar diretrizes de políticas institucionais no sentido de contribuir para uma nova visão de sustentabilidade socioambiental

Skeletal muscle repair following Plantar nerve relocation on an extracellular matrix seeded with mesenchymal stem cells in PEGylated fibrin gel as a treatment model for volumetric muscle loss.

textThe toll skeletal muscle injury, resulting in significant muscle mass loss, has on the patient reaches far more than physical and emotional, as the tolls are financial as well. Approximately more than 3 billion dollars is spent on the initial medical costs and on subsequent disability benefits, following a volumetric muscle loss. Skeletal muscle has a robust capacity for self-repair; this propensity for repair is hindered when skeletal muscle loss is larger than 20% of the total mass of the muscle. Previous work in our lab, has shown functional and morphological improvements following the cellular therapy, with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), as well as with nerve relocation to the extracellular matrix (ECM). To further observe the regenerative properties of the above treatments, a defect weighing approximately 307 ± 3.7 mg wet weight and measuring approximately 1x 1cm² was removed from the lateral gastrocnemius (LGAS) of male Sprague Dawley rats. Additionally, the medial branch of the plantar nerve was then relocated and implanted to the middle of the ECM. Seven days post injury bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells were injected directly into the implant using a PEGylated Fibrin hydrogel (PEG). Following 56 days of recovery, partial functional restoration was observed in the LGAS ECM seeded with MSC and implanted with the plantar nerve. The LGAS produced 86.3 ± 5.8% of the contralateral LGAS, a value that was significantly higher than ECM implantation alone (p <.05). The implanted ECM seeded with MSC and implanted with the plantar nerve showed significant increases in blood vessel density and myofiber content (p <.05). The data suggest that a volumetric injury can be repaired by neurotization of an implanted muscle-derived ECM seeded with MSCs.Kinesiology and Health Educatio

ALTE. Evento aparentemente amenazador para la vida

Los lactantes que presentan un episodio de posible amenaza a la vida son un enorme desafío para el clínico pediatra. El concepto de ALTE o episodio de posible amenaza a la vida (del inglés: Apparent Life Threatening Event), describe una multiplicidad de factores observados por la persona que cuidaba a un niño al momento de suceder el episodio. El ALTE no es una enfermedad específica en sí misma, sino la forma de presentación clínica de diversos trastornos o patologías. Se define como aquel episodio inesperado y brusco que alarma al observador pues correspondería a una situación de riesgo de muerte, caracterizado por uno o más de los siguientes signos: 1- un súbito cambio de color (palidez, cianosis o rubicundez). 2- hipotonía o menos frecuentemente, hipertonía. 3- alteraciones en la respiración (paro respiratorio aparente, ruidos bruscos o irregularidades en los movimientos respiratorios, ahogos, arcadas) que cedieron. 4- luego de realizar alguna estimulación intensa (sacudidas, respiración boca a boca), ligera o espontáneamente. Cualquier causa que impresione al observador que lleva al niño súbitamente al borde de la muerte puede considerarse como un ALTE

High-Temperature Mineral Formation after Firing Clay Materials Associated with Mined Coal in Teruel (Spain)

The production of porcelain stoneware has experienced a considerable increase. Therefore, it was necessary to undertake an investigation that would allow knowing the mineralogical evolution that porcelain stoneware undergoes during the firing process, as well as establishing the influence of the formation of mullite and other mineral or vitreous phases and their quantification. The firing transformations of mine spoils associated with mined coal in the Utrillas-Escucha-Estercuel and Ariño-Andorra areas are studied in this paper. The mineralogical composition of the bulk mine spoils is kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and smectites (in traces), with quartz and feldspar, and minor hematite, calcite, and dolomite. The main objective is to understand the generation of high-temperature mineral phases after firing, and their quantification. The formation of mullite and other high-temperature phases are studied from samples that include variable proportions of illite. Samples with a high content of illite generate mullite at 995 °C. Cristobalite was not detected as a high-temperature phase. Mullite is the most abundant mineral. The hercynite content is higher at low temperatures (995 °C), and hematite content is higher at 1150 °C. The vitreous phase represents about 50% of fired bodies. Despite observing a porous microstructure, the non-porous areas are well sintered