O crime organizado em Portugal: sua caraterização e ambiguidades

O estudo do crime organizado é uma preocupação crescente na Europa e nomundo. No entanto, em Portugal pouco ou nada se fala dele ainda que muitas das nossaspolíticas de segurança sejam moldadas pelo risco e ameaça deste fenómeno. Pela análisede documentos oficiais e internacionais complementada pela realização de entrevistas aagentes de órgãos de polícia criminal, aferimos da existência desta criminalidade emterritório nacional a um nível que se começa a revelar preocupante, mormente nodomínio económico-financeiro. Ainda longe do grau de sofisticação que se encontranoutros países, o crime organizado em Portugal está em evolução mas longe de serobjetivamente conhecido.The study of organized crime is a growing concern in Europe and all over theworld. However, all though many of our security policies are shaped by the risk andthreat of this phenomenon there is little or none information about this crime inPortugal. Through the analyses of official and international reports complemented byinterviews to criminal police agents, we assess the existence of organized crimeactivities in national territory to a level that begins to reveal itself of concern, speciallythe economic and financial crime. Far from the degree of sophistication found in otherEuropean countries, organized crime in Portugal is evolving and far from beingobjectively known

Consulting to social entrepreneurship initiatives - using business skills to help solve social problems: the RUG initiative

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsThe Reutilization of Used Goods is a social entrepreneurship initiative of Carcavelos Parish Church Community Centre, which by introducing an innovative concept answers to social needs. This paper aims to empower the initiative, using business skills, in order to help it in the resolution of its main challenges and needs. Throughout an analysis it was possible to understand the initiative’s main issues and make the necessary recommendations to address them. The approach aims to increase the initiative’s efficiency enabling it to maintain the social output and increase its revenue. KEY WORDS: social entrepreneurship, empowerment, reutilization, used goods

Chironomidae (Diptera: Insecta) da ilha de Santa Maria

XIV Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Santa Maria 2009.O presente trabalho surge no âmbito da Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia da Universidade dos Açores à ilha de Santa Maria, durante a qual foram amostrados diversos ambientes aquáticos para o estudo da sua biodiversidade. O trabalho realizado possibilitou a actualização da lista de espécies de Chironomidae para a ilha de Santa Maria, tendo sido encontrados quatro novos registos para esta ilha

Investigations of Olive Oil Industry By-Products Extracts with Potential Skin Benefits in Topical Formulations

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The by-products of olive oil industry are a major ecological issue due to their phenolic content, highly toxic organic load, and low pH. However, they can be recovered and reused, since their components have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotector properties. In this work, oil-in-water creams containing three different olive oil industry by-products extracts were produced without the use of organic solvents. First, the extracts were thoroughly characterized in vitro for cytotoxicity, inhibition of skin enzymes, and antioxidant and photoprotection capacities. Safety studies were then performed, including ocular and skin irritation tests, ecotoxicity evaluation, and in vivo Human Repeat Insult Patch Test. The results obtained in this initial characterization supported the incorporation of the extracts in the cream formulations. After preparation, the creams were characterized for their organoleptic, physicochemical, droplet size and rheological properties, and microbial contamination. The results showed that all formulations were semi-solid creams, with stable pH, compatible with the skin, without microbial contamination, and with the expected droplet size range. The rheological analysis showed shear-thinning behavior with yield stress, with the viscosity decreasing with increasing shear rate. The oscillatory results suggest that the creams have a strong network structure, being easily rubbed into the skin. Finally, compatibility, acceptability and antioxidant efficacy were evaluated in vivo, in human volunteers. No adverse reactions were observed after application of the formulations on skin and the cream with the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds showed the highest antioxidant efficiency. In conclusion, the results suggest that olive oil industry by-products extracts have valuable properties that favor their re-use in the cosmetic industry. The example presented here showed their successful incorporation into creams and their impact in these formulations’ appearance, pH, and rheological performance, as well as their in vivo compatibility with skin and antioxidant efficiency.This work was supported by Sovena Portugal Consumer Goods through the project Oil4Health: From Olive to Health LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-038554, funded by the Portugal 2020 program—Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa. This research was also funded by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) through iMed.ULisboa UID/DTP/04138/2019 and UIDB/04138/2020), principal investigator grants CEECIND/03143/2017 (L. M. Gonçalves). Joana Marto is financed through FCT, I.P., under the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Institutional Call (CEECINST/00145/2018). Marta Martins is financed through FCT, I.P., under the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Institutional Call (CEECINST/00102/2018). The work was supported by the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre—MARE (UIDB04292/2020; UIDP/04292/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Refinement of animal model of colorectal carcinogenesis through the definition of novel humane endpoints

This study aimed to define appropriate humane endpoints (HEs) for an animal model of colorectal carcinogenesis (CRC). Twenty-nine male Wistar rats were divided into two control groups (CTRL1 and CTRL2) injected with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)–saline solutions and two induced groups (CRC1 and CRC2) injected with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) for seven weeks. A score sheet with 14 biological parameters was used to assess animal welfare. Groups CRC1 and CTRL1 and groups CRC2 and CTRL2 were euthanized 11 and 17 weeks after the first DMH administration, respectively. Five animals from the induced groups died unexpectedly during the protocol (survival rates of 75.0% and 66.7% for groups CRC1 and CRC2, respectively). The final mean body weight (BW) was smaller in the CRC groups when compared with that in the CTRL groups. A uniformity of characteristics preceding the premature animals’ death was observed, namely an increase of 10% in mean BW, swollen abdomen, diarrhea, and priapism. The surface abdominal temperature of group CRC2 was significantly higher, when compared with that of group CTRL2. The parameters already described in other cancer models proved to be insufficient. For the CRC model, we considered assessing the abdominal temperature, priapism, and sudden increase in the BW

Implementação em Portugal de um estudo de prevalência da demência e da depressão geriátrica: a metodologia do 10/66 Dementia Research Group

ResumoIntroduçãoA demência e a depressão têm um impacto social muito significativo. Em Portugal, escasseiam dados epidemiológicos em pessoas idosas na comunidade. Em países em desenvolvimento, o 10/66 Dementia Research Group (DRG) conduziu múltiplos estudos sobre a prevalência e a incidência destes quadros. Os protocolos de avaliação 10/66‐DRG foram validados extensivamente nesses países, havendo vantagens potenciais na aplicação em regiões europeias com populações idosas de baixa escolaridade. Neste estudo, fundamentamos e descrevemos a implementação em Portugal da metodologia 10/66‐DRG para estudo da prevalência da demência e da depressão geriátrica.Materiais e métodosO trabalho de campo desenrola‐se numa fase única, em áreas geográficas definidas, sendo avaliados detalhadamente e de forma sistemática todos os residentes de 65 anos ou mais. A informação é recolhida dos participantes e de informadores próximos (www.alz.co.uk/1066/).ResultadosSelecionámos e mapeámos uma área urbana (em Fernão Ferro) e outra rural (em Mora), definindo amostras finais de 702 e 779 pessoas, respetivamente. Os instrumentos de avaliação foram cuidadosamente traduzidos e adaptados ao contexto português. Teve lugar um treino rigoroso dos entrevistadores, assegurando a fiabilidade de cotação interobservadores.Discussão e conclusãoA aplicação dos protocolos 10/66‐DRG permitirá obter dados robustos de prevalência de demência e de depressão, com amostras comunitárias de pessoas idosas em Portugal. Dada a validade internacional da metodologia utilizada, estes resultados serão comparáveis com os de outros centros 10/66, à escala mundial.AbstractIntroductionDementia and depression have a huge social impact. In Portugal, epidemiological data is scarce regarding community dwelling elderly people with these conditions. In developing countries, the 10/66 Dementia Research Group‐DRG has conducted multiple studies on the corresponding prevalence and incidence. The 10/66‐DRG protocols for population‐based studies were extensively validated in those countries, and there is a rationale to apply them in low literacy elderly populations in Europe. We describe the implementation of the protocols related to the prevalence study (on dementia and geriatric depression) in Portuguese settings.Materials and methodsThis is a one‐phase survey, in which all people 65+ years living in defined catchment areas are comprehensively evaluated. Information is collected directly from participants and from a related informant (www.alz.co.uk/1066/).ResultsWe selected and mapped an urban area (in Fernão Ferro) and a rural one (in Mora). The final samples were n=702 and n=779 respectively. Questionnaires were carefully translated and culturally adapted. Rigorous training procedures took place to ensure inter‐rater reliability.Discussion and conclusionsThe implementation of the 10/66‐DRG protocols will lead to robust data on the prevalence of dementia and depression in community samples of elderly people in Portugal. Given the international validity of our methodology, these results will be comparable with those from other 10/66 centres around the world

Pre-neoplastic lesions associated with liver and colon responses to 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in an animal model of colorectal cancer

Background: The high incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) combined with the lack of an effective method for early diagnosis and effective treatments make CRC one of the most relevant cancers to be studied. Thus, our work aims to study the spectrum of liver and colon lesions induced in rats by the 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two control groups (CTRL1 (n = 6) and CTRL2 (n = 6)) administrated with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-saline; and two induced groups (CRC1 (n = 8) and CRC2 (n = 9)) administrated with DMH (40 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive weeks. The CRC1 and CTRL1 groups, and the CRC2 and CTRL2 groups were sacrificed 11 and 17 weeks after the first administration, respectively. A complete necropsy was performed. Liver and colon sam- ples of all animals were collected, fixed in formalin, and pro- cessed for histopathological analysis. The animals' blood and a small portion of the liver were collected to analyze serum markers of inflammation and to validate chemical induction through the comet assay, respectively. Results: Half of the animals belonging to the CRC1 group presented mild to moderate dysplasia foci (n = 3) in the colon. The incidence of neoplasia was only 16.7% (n = 1) in the CRC2 group. Moreover, one animal from the CRC2 group also exhibited severe dysplasia and two presented mild to moderate dysplasia foci. Inflammatory lesions in colon samples were present in all animals from CRC groups. Although the animals showed local inflammation, there was no evidence of systemic inflammation (normal CRP and IL-6 serum levels). Lymphoid inflammatory aggregates were observed in the liver of all animals. Furthermore, DMH induced other changes, such as hepatocyte megalocytosis and single-cell necrosis. Results from liver comet assay showed a lower genetic damage index in control groups when compared to DMH-exposed groups (p < 0.05), i.e. DMH induced DNA damage in rats’ liver. Conclusions: Once animals showed predominantly pre- neoplastic lesions, our data suggest that the disease was at an early stage. In the future, we intend to change the dose of the carcinogen and the time of exposure to observe advanced stages of CRC development. We consider that this model is useful in the study of CRC chemoprevention associated with local inflammation

Pre-neoplastic lesions associated with liver and colon responses to 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in an animal model of colorectal cancer

Background: The high incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) combined with the lack of an effective method for early diagnosis and effective treatments make CRC one of the most relevant cancers to be studied. Thus, our work aims to study the spectrum of liver and colon lesions induced in rats by the 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Materials and methods: Twenty-nine male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two control groups (CTRL1 (n=6) and CTRL2 (n=6)) administrated with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-saline; and two induced groups (CRC1 (n=8) and CRC2 (n=9)) administrated with DMH (40 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive weeks. The CRC1 and CTRL1 groups, and the CRC2 and CTRL2 groups were sacrificed 11 and 17 weeks after the first administration, respectively. A complete necropsy was performed. Liver and colon samples of all animals were collected, fixed in formalin, and processed for histopathological analysis. The animals' blood and a small portion of the liver were collected to analyze serum markers of inflammation and to validate chemical induction through the comet assay, respectively. Results: Half of the animals belonging to the CRC1 group presented mild to moderate dysplasia foci (n=3) in the colon. The incidence of neoplasia was only 16.7% (n=1) in the CRC2 group. Moreover, one animal from the CRC2 group also exhibited severe dysplasia and two presented mild to moderate dysplasia foci. Inflammatory lesions in colon samples were present in all animals from CRC groups. Although the animals showed local inflammation, there was no evidence of systemic inflammation (normal CRP and IL-6 serum levels). Lymphoid inflammatory aggregates were observed in the liver of all animals. Furthermore, DMH induced other changes, such as hepatocyte megalocytosis and single-cell necrosis. Results from liver comet assay showed a lower genetic damage index in control groups when compared to DMH-exposed groups (p<0.05), i.e. DMH induced DNA damage in rats’ liver. Conclusions: Once animals showed predominantly pre-neoplastic lesions, our data suggest that the disease was at an early stage. In the future, we intend to change the dose of the carcinogen and the time of exposure to observe advanced stages of CRC development. We consider that this model is useful in the study of CRC chemoprevention associated with local inflammation

A psicologia como neurociência cognitiva : implicações para a compreensão dos processos básicos e suas aplicações

O presente artigo procura ilustrar o modo como os desenvolvimentos das neurociências cognitivas poderão ajudar a compreender alguns dos processos psicológicos básicos e, simultaneamente, ser traduzidos para importantes domínios da psicologia aplicada, particularmente no domínio clínico. Exemplificaremos a partir de algumas linhas de investigação programática em curso nas diferentes subsecções do Laboratório de Neuropsicofisiologia da Escola de Psicologia da Universidade do Minho. As potencialidades metodológicas proporcionadas pela neurofisiologia, neuroimagiologia, neuromodelação, psicofisiologia, neurobioquímica e neurogenética serão exemplificadas nas suas aplicações à linguagem (e suas implicações para a compreensão da esquizofrenia), funcionamento sócio-cognitivo (e implicações para a compreensão das perturbações do neurodesenvolvimento), funcionamento executivo (com implicações para a compreensão das perturbações do espectro obsessivo), empatia (e implicações para a compreensão da psicoterapia), mecanismos de stress (com implicações para a compreensão das perturbações de ansiedade), e, finalmente, comportamento animal (com implicações para o conhecimento dos sistemas sensoriais e perceptuais).(undefined

Medidas para poupança de água – abordagens concretas implementadas no ISEL através do projeto de sustentabilidade MySafeWater

O Projeto MySafeWater pretendeu fomentar o uso eficiente da água através de ações concretas para uma melhor gestão dos recursos hídricos numa escola do Ensino Superior, prevenindo a produção de resíduos, diminuído a pegada ecológica. Tendo por base os objetivos, este projeto assentou em três grandes eixos de atuação que serão descritos em detalhe na comunicação a apresentar e resumidamente descritos de seguida.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio