Local communities and sport activities expenditures and image: residents’ role in sustainable tourism and recreation

The practice of sports by resident communities is a tool for healthy lifestyles, inclusive growth and the promotion of sustainable cities. Nevertheless, the relationship between sport, tourism and recreation still remain an under researched theme. Focusing on the economic pillar of sustainability, this study intends to quantify and analyse the economic costs incurred by families in formal and informal sport practices, as well as the contribution of these activities and related events to the territory's image projection and attractiveness, by overlapping resident's and visitor's perception of sports in the destination. Applied to the municipality of Guimaraes (Portugal), this analysis of the sports consumer's behaviour contributes to filling the gap of knowledge resulting from the studies that, as a rule, exclusively evaluate the investments (supply) and/or the expenses (demand) of events and not the regular practice of sport. A total of 179 questionnaires were applied to residents throughout 2017, through the self-administrate questionnaire method. Findings reveal that residents see sports as one of the factors contributing to the identity of the municipality, underlying motivations for participation as the search for happiness, health, wellbeing, and fun. Expenditures generate multiplier effects in the local economy, allowing to compare growth scenarios. This analysis is a scientific instrument to support territorial innovation and the decision at the local level of public policies for sustainable development, in agreement with objective eight of sustainability defined by the United Nations.Funding Agency Municipality of Guimaraes/Sports Studies Centre of Guimaraesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Competitividade de Destinos Turísticos: um Modelo de Aplicação para o sul de Portugal versus as regiões Mediterrânicas de Espanha: COMPETITIVTOUR

Tourism destination competitiveness analysis benefits from a growing number of theoretical and applied developments. To support competitiveness strategies and despite the paraphernalia of competitiveness indexes available, there is not just a single set of indicators that can be used for all destinations at all times. The COMPETITIVTOUR model, developed since 2009 is applied to the south of Portugal versus the Mediterranean regions of Spain, a geographical area that aggregates 14 provinces, 20.2 million inhabitants and 180.1 million overnight stays. COMPETITIVTOUR's objective is to create and apply a territorial assessment model, adapted to the common specificities of these regions, aiming to assist in guiding the complex task of destination competiveness management, with inputs from 25 official producers of information from Portugal and Spain. The outputs are aggregated in three main topics: territory management, markets, and resources&products. Critical areas were identified, with emphasis on the growing seasonality of demand, the market demand and supply adjustment and accommodation prices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How to expand a vintage men’S grooming brand worldwide? the case of musgo real from Claus Porto/Ach Brito

Nowadays, wearing a beard and/or moustache is common and it is considered trendy – we are actually facing a “peak beard”. Bearded men adopt specific products for functional reasons. Additionally, men are increasingly involved in the purchasing decision process, looking for a store experience around their interests in sync with their styling interests, and then buying their own men’s grooming products. Within this context, the present work project aims to study how to expand the vintage men’s grooming brand Musgo Real worldwide. In order to address the above mentioned objective, an exploratory research was conducted (qualitative interviews) followed by a quantitative survey to test the hypothesis inferred from the qualitative research. The main findings are: 1) Musgo Real is considered a high-quality, aesthetic and premium grooming brand exclusively for men; 2) However, the brand is lacking awareness. 3) Bearded men do not feel that the brand is targeting them. 4) On the other hand, we consider that Musgo Real has the potential to enter successfully into the beard care segment. Specific recommendations to achieve this goal are presented in this work project

Tourism Destination Image and its Implications for Destination Branding and Competitiveness: The case of the UK Market in the Algarve

This study develops and empirically tests a model of tourism destination image in different periods of time, namely in the pre/post-visit (measuring the tourist satisfaction) and the peak/off-peak (exploring the seasonality factor). It is applied to the UK market visiting the Algarve as a tourism destination. Its aim is to contribute towards a better conceptualization of destination branding and competitiveness practices. The existence of a gap in the literature related to the field of destination marketing strategies based on knowledge of destination images was the starting point for this research. This knowledge can improve the efficient allocation of resources, particularly in the context of increasing destination competitiveness and travellers’ limitations in terms of time and money. To empirically test the model, the research applies a mixed-methods approach based on semi-structured interviews conducted with tourist stakeholders within the Algarve and questionnaires applied to tourists who visit the destination. The findings suggest that the Algarve’s image tends to be differentiated in the pre/post-visit and in the peak/off-peak, which result in establishing important aspects to distinguish the marketing strategies. The segments of the first-time and the repeaters have different preferences and characteristics regarding the type of accommodation chosen, the return intention and age profile. The Algarve image modifications are connected with the type of booking the visitors opt to make the reservation, the return intentions, the willingness to recommend the Algarve to friends and relatives and if it is the first or repeat-visit. Generally, tourists do not recognise “administrative boundaries” but rather the entire destination of the Algarve. As a consequence, the competitiveness and branding approach to the region should be global, as defended in the literature. The results are considered an on-going process, where the stakeholders must be continuously involved due to the importance of their opinion to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the Algarve as a tourism destination

A gestão do local do crime na investigação criminal em Moçambique

No âmbito desta investigação, a gestão do local do crime é conceituada como o conjunto de ações com vista a preservação da integridade do local do crime. Assim, o local do crime deve ser entendido no sentido mais amplo possível, podendo constituir um espaço físico único ou uma multiplicidade de espaços físicos delimitados. Dada a diversidade de perspetivas em que pode ser estudada a gestão do local de crime, estabelecemos limites para o nosso estudo, tendo como objetivo fundamental estudar os principais procedimentos e princípios de gestão do local do crime, sobretudo, as condutas empregues no ordenamento jurídico moçambicano pelo Serviço Nacional de Investigação Criminal (SERNIC), mais especificamente para descrever e caraterizar os princípios e procedimentos de gestão do local de crime; identificar os principais procedimentos e princípios de gestão do local de crime empregues no ordenamento jurídico moçambicano; e conhecer o modo como o SERNIC faz a gestão do local do crime e qual o seu funcionamento. Recorremos ao método das entrevistas, bem como do método de análise de conteúdo para analisar as informações recolhidas das entrevistas. Optámos, ainda, pela observação do tipo descritivo, sobretudo para a identificação e posterior análise de dados disponíveis sobre os procedimentos e princípios empregues na investigação criminal moçambicana, em particular na gestão do local de crime.Within the scope of this investigation, crime scene management is conceptualized as the set of actions aimed at preserving the integrity of the crime scene. Being the crime scene, all physical space, delimited or delimitable, where a criminal action or omission has taken place, susceptible of interacting with the environment, leaving signs or traces of its occurrence. Thus, the crime scene should be understood in the broadest possible sense and may constitute a single physical space or a multiplicity of delimited physical spaces. As there are diversity of perspectives in which crime scene management can be studied, we have established limits for our study, with the fundamental objective of studying the main procedures and principles of crime scene management, such as, the conduct employed in the legal system Mozambican by the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), more specifically to describe and characterize the crime scene management principles and procedures; identify the main procedures and principles for the management of the crime scene employed in the Mozambican legal system and; know how SERNIC manages the crime scene and how it works. We used the interview method, followed by the content analysis method, as a complement, especially to analyse the information collected from the interviews. We also opted for the observation of the descriptive type, especially for the identification and subsequent analysis of available data on the procedures and principles employed in the Mozambican criminal investigation, particularly in the management of the crime scene

Salt-tolerant plants as sources of Antiparasitic Agents for human use: A comprehensive review

Parasitic diseases, especially those caused by protozoans and helminths, such as malaria, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis, are the cause of millions of morbidities and deaths every year, mainly in tropical regions. Nature has always provided valuable antiparasitic agents, and efforts targeting the identification of antiparasitic drugs from plants have mainly focused on glycophytes. However, salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) have lately attracted the interest of the scientific community due to their medicinal assets, which include antiparasitic properties. This review paper gathers the most relevant information on antiparasitic properties of halophyte plants, targeting human uses. It includes an introduction section containing a summary of some of the most pertinent characteristics of halophytes, followed by information regarding the ethnomedicinal uses of several species towards human parasitic diseases. Then, information is provided related to the antiprotozoal and anthelmintic properties of halophytes, determined by in vitro and in vivo methods, and with the bioactive metabolites that may be related to such properties. Finally, a conclusion section is presented, addressing perspectives for the sustainable exploitation of selected species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can they manage in a sustainable way? The role of international destination awards in beach management

This study aims to reveal the perceptions of local beach destination managers about the level of sustainability in their management practices. This research puts into practice a comparative study assessing two beach destinations: Mugla, located in Turkey, which won the World Travel Award, and Algarve, located in Portugal, which is a member state of the European Union (EU) that has also repeatedly won the same award. In this context, in-depth interviews were held with tourism offices in selected destinations and qualitative data were obtained through semistructured interviews that were carried out between February and April 2020. As a study outcome, two hypotheses were elected and analysed: "the two regions' sustainable managerial practices differ " and "no difference exists between the regions. " Both regions won the same award, but the EU Algarve destination is still winning the award, whereas the non-EU Mugla destination is not. The findings can be shared with beach destination managers to create or increase their sustainability awareness. No studies were found that compared the sustainable management of award-winning EU and non-EU beach destinations. Because of this gap in the literature, this study will add value to the literature about this topic.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The medicinal halophyte frankenia laevis l. (Sea Heath) has in vitro antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase inhibition, and cytotoxicity towards hepatocarcinoma cells

This work explored the medicinal halophyte Frankenia laevis L. (sea heath) as a potential source of bioactive natural products. In this sense, methanol and dichloromethane extracts were prepared from aerial organs containing flowers, leaves and stems, and were profiled for their chemical composition using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The extracts were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant capacity using five complementary methods: enzyme inhibitory effects on enzymes related with neurodegeneration (acetyl (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE)), Type 2 diabetes (α-glucosidase and α-amylase), hyperpigmentation/food oxidation (tyrosinase), and cytotoxicity towards human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells. Fifty-one molecules were identified in the extracts, including several derivatives of phenolic acids, lignans and flavonoids, monoterpenes, and hydroxylated derivatives of linoleic acid. The methanol extract was effective in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging (EC50 = 0.25 and 0.65 mg/mL, respectively), copper chelation (EC50 = 0.78 mg/mL), and iron reduction (EC50 = 0.51 mg/mL) activities, whereas the dichloromethane extract had high iron chelating ability (EC50 = 0.76 mg/mL). Both extracts showed the capacity to inhibit α-glucosidase, especially the dichloromethane (EC50 = 0.52 mg/mL). This extract also exerted a significant selective cytotoxicity towards HepG2 cells (EC50 = 52.1 µg/mL, SI > 1.9). In conclusion, extracts from the aerial parts of sea heath were shown to be a promising source of natural products for pharmaceutical and/or food additive applications due to their high antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and cytotoxic properties.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainable valorization of halophytes from the Mediterranean area: a comprehensive evaluation of their fatty acid profile and implications for human and animal nutrition

Halophytic plants can provide an economical and environmentally sustainable source of products for human and animal feeding, in the context of the increase of worldwide emergent semi-arid landscapes. This work reports a comprehensive evaluation of the qualitative and quantitative composition of fatty acids (FA) of nineteen Mediterranean halophytes collected in southern Portugal, with the purpose of establishing their possible uses as food and feed. For FA determination, lipids and free FA were converted to the corresponding fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and analyzed by GC-MS. Beta maritima had the highest FAME levels (7.3 mg/g DW) while Suaeda vera had the lowest content (1.0 mg/g DW). The most common saturated fatty acid (SFA) across all studied species was palmitic acid. The most prevalent monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) was oleic acid. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) levels were led by linoleic acid. Less common FAMEs were also detected, namely eicosadienoic and hexadecatrienoic acids. Cotula coronopifolia, Phragmites australis and Suaeda vera displayed the best FA nutritional profiles. These species also showed bioactivities relevant for both human and animal health according to the literature and thus, collectively with this study, they could be further explored as food and feed.Agência financiadora Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Portuguese National Budget through the XtremeBio project PTDC/MAR-EST/4346/2012 Portuguese National Budget through GreenVet project ALG-01-0145-FEDER-028876 Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology SFRH/BD/81425/2011 SFRH/BD/116604/2016 IF/00049/2012 FCT Scientific Employment Stimulus CEECIND/00425/2017 Portuguese National Budget UID/Multi/04326/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A first approach for the micropropagation of the medicinal halophyte Polygonum maritimum L. and phenolic profile of acclimatized plants

Polygonum maritimum L. (sea knotgrass) belongs to a genus commonly used in folk medicine to treat inflammation-related disorders. In vitro pharmacological studies have confirmed these properties that were ascribed to bioactive flavonoids, such as myricetin and quercetin glycosides. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing a micropropagation procedure for sea knotgrass for obtaining standardized materials for its potential commercial cultivation. For that, a complete plant regeneration protocol was developed by improving shoot multiplication from nodal explants, rooting and acclimatization procedures, followed by the assessment of the phenolic profile of the in vitro-produced plants. The combination of 3 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) + 0.1 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) induced the maximum shoot formation (10.3), which was significantly increased from the first to the second cycle (18.3). The best rooting capacity was observed on shoots derived from the control medium (100%), followed by 2 mg/L kinetin (KIN) (97%) and 3 mg/L BA + 0.1 mg/L IAA (90%); however, the shoot number at the end of the rooting phase was higher on shoots derived from 3 mg/L BA + 0.1 mg/L IAA (6.16). The plant growth regulators used in the multiplication phase influenced survival in the acclimatization process, and plants derived from the control medium had the highest survival percentage (63.1%). Acetone extracts made from aerial organs of micropropagated sea knotgrass showed a predominance of the flavonoid myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside (8.135 mg/g). Overall, the halophyte sea knotgrass was successfully micropropagated showing its potential as a medicinal crop for the extraction of bioactive molecules.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio