Acuerdos de Paz y Progreso Social en Países con Conflictos Armados No Internacionales

This study analyzes the social progress of countries that have signed peace agreements in non-international armed conflicts in the following dimensions: fundamental needs, well-being, and opportunities, applied to the deployment of human potential by participating in community actions, associating, and deciding freely. From an exploratory approach, a descriptive quantitative analysis was performed on the scores and evolution of the Social Progress Index in 90 countries from 2011 to 2022. Findings showed that the progress of 43.7% of the countries was above the average population score of 57.18 and below this 56.3%, positioning Australia and Canada at a very high level and 15 African countries at a very low level.  The dimension of fundamental needs obtained the highest average score of 65.39 while the lowest was for the dimension of opportunities at 50.78. In terms of the evolution of progress, 8.05% of countries experienced a decline in their Index, while 91.95% showed improvement. Notably, 88.9% of African countries and 91.3% of Asian countries displayed positive advancements. Social progress does not follow the same direction as social evolution. The study does not make relative comparisons with different populations.Este estudio analiza el progreso social de países que han firmado acuerdos de paz sobre conflictos armados no internacionales en las dimensiones de las necesidades fundamentales, el bienestar y las oportunidades, aplicadas al despliegue del potencial humano participando en acciones comunitarias, asociándose y decidiendo libremente. Desde un enfoque exploratorio, se hizo un análisis cuantitativo descriptivo sobre los puntajes y la evolución del Índice de Progreso Social en 90 países desde 2011 hasta 2022. Los resultados indicaron que el progreso del 43,7% de los países estuvo por encima del puntaje promedio poblacional (57,18) y por debajo de este el 56,3%, de tal manera que Australia y Canadá se posicionaron en nivel muy alto y 15 países de África en uno muy bajo. La dimensión de las necesidades fundamentales obtuvo el mayor puntaje promedio (65,39) y el más bajo fue para la dimensión de oportunidades (50,78). En términos de la evolución del progreso, el 8,05% de los países mostró una desmejora en su Índice, mientras que el 91,95% lo mejoró, destacándose el 88,9% de los países africanos y el 91,3% de los asiáticos. El progreso social no sigue la misma dirección de su evolución. El estudio no realiza comparaciones relativas con poblaciones diferentes

Utilização de raios X na avaliação de danos causados por caruncho em sementes de feijão-caupi

In Brazil, the cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp], is important in the Northeast Region, where it is typically grown on family farms. The importance of the damage caused to the seed quality of this species by stored pests has been described in various studies. Using X-ray, it is possible to see the internal seed structures and identify possible changes and damage. The objective of this study was to identify the damage caused by the weevil [Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabr.)] by analyzing X-ray and evaluate its relationship to the physiological quality of the cowpea seed. Three cultivars were used (IPA-206, BRS-Pajeu and BRS-Potengi) and two lines (L 281.005 and L ESP 10). The samples were exposed to X-ray and germination test to determine the cause-effect relationship between weevil damage and seed germination. X-ray images were evaluated to determine damage severity and location in the seed. Seed damage classified as severe, located in the embryonic axis or in the cotyledons, resulted in abnormal seedlings or dead seeds. The X-ray test, therefore, is efficient for evaluating weevil damage in cowpea seeds and the damage caused to be associated with any resulting adverse germination effects.No Brasil, o feijão-caupi [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp], tem destaque na Região Nordeste, sendo uma cultura típica da agricultura familiar. A importância dos danos causados por pragas de armazenamento em sementes da referida espécie, em relação à sua qualidade, tem sido evidenciada em vários trabalhos. Através de imagens de raios X é possível visualizar as estruturas internas da semente, identificando possíveis alterações e danificações. Dessa forma, esse trabalho teve o objetivo de identificar os danos causados por caruncho (Callosobruchus maculatus) e sua relação com a qualidade fisiológica das sementes de feijão-caupi, por intermédio da análise de raios X. Foram utilizadas três cultivares (IPA-206, BRS-Pajeu e BRS-Potengi) e duas linhagens (L 281.005 e L ESP 10). As amostras foram submetidas ao teste de raios X e ao teste de germinação, a fim de determinar a relação de causa e efeito entre os danos provocados pelo caruncho e a germinação das sementes. Nas avaliações das imagens de raios X foi considerada a severidade e a localização dos danos na semente. Para os danos classificados como severos, localizados no eixo embrionário e, ou nos cotilédones, as sementes originaram plântulas anormais ou as sementes estavam mortas. Portanto, o teste de raios X é eficiente para a avaliação de danos causados por caruncho em sementes de feijão-caupi, permitindo relacionar os eventuais danos com os prejuízos causados à germinação.Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)CNP

Understanding the relation between serious surfing, surfing profile, surf travel behaviour and destination attributes preferences

Surfing is a sportingactivity that has become a major business, integrated in the leisure and tourism industries. Due to the impact of surf tourism and to the surfers’ characteristics featured by the time and effort they invest in surfingand their propensity to travel in search for the perfect wave, it is importantto understand if the six serious leisure qualities(perseverance, career, effort, benefits, ethos andidentity) are related with socio-demographic characteristics, surfing profile, surf travel behaviour and surfing destination attributes preferences. Aimingtoachieve these goals, an online survey (in the form of a questionnaire) was applied to a casual sample of 200 surfers in Portugal. The results of this study demonstrate that surfers exhibit the six serious leisure qualities and have a strong disposition to travel for surfing. Moreover, the results highlight that surfers value mainly the surfing natural conditions when choosing a surfing travel destination. Statistical tests also allowed concluding that socio-demographic variables are not good predictors of serious surfing, although serious surfingis correlated with surfing profile, surf travel behaviour and surfing destination attributes preferences.This data enables to provide important information that can be used to strengthen management strategies by surf tourism industry providers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The new centrality of water and sanitation post COVID-19

COVID-19, known for severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronavírus SARS-Cov-2 is characterized by its rapid spread. The pandemic culminated in a social isolation creating significant impacts on the economy and it has taken attention to the key aspects of water, sanitation and hygiene and the identification of the coronavírus presence in wastewater. The purpose of this article is to explain some of the aspects associated with the centrality of the water and sanitation binomial that may prove to be decisive for recovering the world economy in the post COVID-19 period, through the presentation and evaluation of statistics and scientific studies, namely:: 1) human right to water and sanitation, for guarantee life quality, productive capacity and public health, but with a challenge, especially for economically vulnerable countries; 2) relationship with the epidemiology and occurrence of the coronavírus in the sewage, drawing the attention of the scientific community, society and decision makers, even though there is still no scientific evidence of its fecal-oral transmission; 3) the relationship between water and the economy, considering it a basic resource for industrial and agricultural production and job creation. The construction of the concept ?new centrality of water and sanitation? can be considered as a key factor for the economy recovery post-COVID-19.A COVID-19, conhecida por síndrome respiratória aguda grave, causada pelo coronavírus SARS-CoV-2, por ser de rápida propagação, culminou no estabelecimento do isolamento social, causando impactos significativos à economia. Assim, a pandemia da COVID-19 tem chamado a atenção para o tema água e saneamento em aspectos relacionados à essencialidade do seu provimento, à medida preventiva de higienização das mãos e à identificação da presença do coronavírus no esgoto sanitário. O objetivo do presente artigo é, por meio da apresentação e avaliação de estatísticas e estudos científicos, explicitar alguns dos aspectos associados à centralidade do binômio água e saneamento que podem revelar-se determinantes para o relançamento da economia mundial no período pós-COVID-19, nomeadamente: 1) direito humano à água e ao saneamento, fundamentais para a garantia da qualidade de vida, da capacidade produtiva e da saúde pública, porém com uma realidade ainda desafiadora especialmente para países economicamente vulneráveis; 2) relação com a epidemiologia e ocorrência do coronavírus no esgoto sanitário, chamando a atenção da comunidade científica, da sociedade e dos tomadores de decisão, mesmo que ainda sem evidências científicas da sua transmissão feco-oral; 3) relação da água com a economia, considerando-a recurso base para produção industrial e agrícola e geração de empregos. Conclui-se assim pela construção do conceito “nova centralidade da água e do saneamento” como fator chave para a retomada da economia pós-COVID-1

Spent coffee grounds for biodiesel production and other applications

This work evaluates the possibility of using spent coffee grounds (SCG) for biodiesel production and other applications. An experimental study was conducted with different solvents showing that lipid content up to 6 wt% can be obtained from SCG. Results also show that besides biodiesel production, SCG can be used as fertilizer as it is rich in nitrogen, and as solid fuel with higher heating value (HHV) equivalent to some agriculture and wood residues. The extracted lipids were characterized for their properties of acid value, density at 15 °C, viscosity at 40 °C, iodine number, and HHV, which are negatively influenced by water content and solvents used in lipid extraction. Results suggest that for lipids with high free fatty acids (FFA), the best procedure for conversion to biodiesel would be a two-step process of acid esterification followed by alkaline transesterification, instead of a sole step of direct transesterification with acid catalyst. Biodiesel was characterized for its properties of iodine number, acid value, and ester content. Although these quality parameters were not within the limits of NP EN 14214:2009 standard, SCG lipids can be used for biodiesel, blended with higher-quality vegetable oils before transesterification, or the biodiesel produced from SCG can be blended with higher-quality biodiesel or even with fossil diesel, in order to meet the standard requirements

Lipidomics in autoimmune diseases with main focus on systemic lupus erythematosus

Autoimmune diseases (AID) are a heterogeneous group of disorders that have in common a chronic inflammation and dysregulation of the immune system. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the most frequent systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by autoimmune phenomena in multiple organs. The tests used for evolution and prognosis assessment are either non-specific or non-sensitive, impairing an adequate therapeutics. To face this drawback, lipidomics is being used to provide more knowledge and insights regarding autoimmune disorders. Through lipidomic approaches using MS, it is possible to identify and quantify the level of lipid molecular species in the biological system and this could be useful to identify biomarkers and to better understand the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases. There are some evidence that lipids and oxidized lipids can play a key role in AID pathogenesis. Although this field has been scarcely explored, there are some studies that reported variations on the lipid profile at a molecular level using lipidomic approaches based on MS in SLE. The results gathered herein showed changes mainly in the level of phospholipids, with decrease of some plasmenyl lipids, fatty acids, with reduction of PUFA, and sphingolipids, with changes in fatty acyl chain composition. These changes may be the result of lipids` modifications due to oxidation and increase of ROS. Some alterations can be associated with changes in membrane of lymphocytes and with the deregulation of the immune system. Thus, exploring the knowledge from modern lipidomic approaches in the study of the role of lipids and oxidized lipids, in oxidative stress and in inflammatory diseases, could contribute for the identification of new lipid biomarkers. Lipid biomarkers are promising tools to prognosis and treatment monitoring, tailored for the best therapeutic response and highest safety to ensure better patient care and to be used for personalized medicine.publishe

Enzymatic Potential of Filamentous Fungi as a Biological Pretreatment for Acidogenic Fermentation of Coffee Waste

This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020, and LA/P/0006/2020), and the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020). It was financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and, when appropriate, co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. Paulo C. Lemos acknowledges the support of FCT/MCTES for contract IF/01054/2014/CP1224/CT0005 and Joana Pereira thanks FCT/MCTES for her Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/130003/2017.Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are a promising substrate that can be valorized by biotechnological processes, such as for short-chain organic acid (SCOA) production, but their complex structure implies the application of a pretreatment step to increase their biodegradability. Physicochemical pretreatments are widely studied but have multiple drawbacks. An alternative is the application of biological pretreatments that include using fungi Trametes versicolor and Paecilomyces variotii that naturally can degrade complex substrates such as SCGs. This study intended to compare acidic and basic hydrolysis and supercritical CO 2 extraction with the application of these fungi. The highest concentration of SCOAs, 2.52 gCOD/L, was achieved after the acidification of SCGs pretreated with acid hydrolysis, but a very similar result, 2.44 gCOD/L, was obtained after submerged fermentation of SCGs by T. versicolor. This pretreatment also resulted in the best acidification degree, 48%, a very promising result compared to the 13% obtained with the control, untreated SCGs, highlighting the potential of biological pretreatments.publishersversionpublishe