Repositório RCAAP

O surgimento do Regime Jurídico das Águas para Reutilização (RJApR) no ordenamento jurídico veio a colmatar as falhas jurídicas do procedimento de produção e utilização de águas residuais, tornando-se um complemento e um regime sujeito ao RGGR. Para o estudo deste regime, procederei, primeiramente, à análise do conceito de água residual enquanto resíduo e a sua relação com os conceitos referidos no RGGR. Farei, também, uma análise das possibilidades, vantagens e inconvenientes associados às Águas para Reutilização (ApR), bem como uma breve comparação com a dessalinização e a criação de barragens, visto serem as alternativas que surgem quando se discutem “novas” fontes de água. Posteriormente, explorarei a forma como o legislador programou o RJApR. Para tal, é também enunciado o contexto hídrico português e o contexto histórico das Águas para Reutilização Em seguida, segue uma análise geral do RJApR com foque nas questões jurídicas que me parecem merecer uma reavaliação, como é o exemplo da inconstitucionalidade presente no art. 5.º e os conceitos de Reutilização e Reciclagem/Recirculação. O processo de licenciamento, avaliação do risco e da fiscalização será também estudado. Contextualmente importante é a análise internacional e europeia das ApR– com um balanço das leis e regimes em vigor nos Estados-membros, seguida de umas notas sobre a escolha do Regulamento para legislar a temática e algumas normas sobre o regulamento que entrará em vigor em 2023. Por fim, examinarei as ApR no âmbito da Economia Circular, do Regime Económico e Financeiro dos Recursos Hídricos e do Regime Tarifário que lhes poderá ser aplicado. Finalmente, deixarei algumas notas sobre a desclassificação dos resíduos, visto que nem o legislador português nem o europeu resolveram a questão. O RGGR rejeita a aplicação das desclassificações de resíduo às ApR e, erradamente, encontramos na lei portuguesa algumas referências às ApR enquanto sendo um subproduto (ideia que também se reflete no PEENSAR). A análise dos requisitos demonstrará que as ApR não podem ser um subproduto.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar uma visão detalhada da Alienação Parental, das suas consequências e de possíveis soluções. Sinto que não se pode ser indiferente perante a utilização de uma criança como arma de arremesso de uma guerra que não é sua. Para facilitar a compreensão de todo este tema tentei primeiramente esclarecer que Alienação Parental não é o mesmo que a Síndrome de Alienação Parental até porque acredito que esta última não existe. Decidi enaltecer ao longo do trabalho que a nível civil, no nosso ordenamento jurídico, existem normas que podem ser aplicadas aos casos de Alienação Parental. Já a nível penal é também possível responsabilizar o progenitor que cometa tais atos através da aplicação do crime de violência doméstica, do crime de maus-tratos ou do crime de subtração de menor. Considero que mais importante do que a criação de nova legislação é dar a conhecer o fenómeno da Alienação Parental para que se comece a aplicar a legislação já existente, protegendo assim ao máximo as crianças e tentando preservar uma boa relação entre estas e os seus progenitores. Apesar do número de casos de manipulação por parte de um progenitor não ser tão elevado como sugeria GARDNER isso não quer dizer que tal minoria não tenha de ser protegida.

The taxonomic concept of species has received continuous attention. A microbial species as a discrete box contains a limited number of highly similar microorganisms assigned to that taxon, following a polyphasic approach. In the 21st Century, with the advancements of sequencing technologies and genomics, the existence of a huge prokaryotic diversity has become well known. At present, the prokaryotic species might no longer have to be understood as discrete values (such as 1 or 2, by homology to Natural numbers); rather, it is expected that some microorganisms could be potentially distributed (according to their genome features and phenotypes) in between others (such as decimal numbers between 1 and 2; real numbers). We propose a continuous species concept for microorganisms, which adapts to the current knowledge on the huge diversity, variability and heterogeneity existing among bacteria and archaea. Likely, this concept could be extended to eukaryotic microorganisms. The continuous species concept considers a species to be delimited by the distance between a range of variable features following a Gaussian-type distribution around a reference organism (i.e., its type strain). Some potential pros and cons of a continuous concept are commented on, offering novel perspectives on our understanding of the highly diversified prokaryotic world, thus promoting discussion and further investigation in the field.

The transition to a low-carbon future based on renewable energy sources is leading to a new role for citizens, from passive energy consumers to active energy citizens - the so-called renewable energy (RE) prosumers. Recent EU energy policy seeks to mainstream RE prosumers in each Member State. This study carries out a cross-country comparison between the regulatory frameworks of nine countries and regions - Belgium (Flanders region only), Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands and the United Kingdom - to reveal the main challenges and opportunities that these have posed to collective RE prosumers (i.e. renewable energy communities, citizen energy communities and jointly-acting renewable self-consumers). Four countries have had more favourable frameworks for collective prosumers: France, Germany, Netherlands and United Kingdom. The results indicate that the current legal framework at the EU level represents a clear opportunity for collective prosumers. Spain and Portugal have both already shifted from a restrictive regulation to implementing in 2019 a legal framework for collectives. The study provides a starting point to distil policy implications for improving legal frameworks relevant for collective RES prosumers across Europe.

O presente estudo centra-se na satisfação conjugal e no ajustamento familiar, e tem como objectivo avaliar o impacto da infertilidade na satisfação e no ajustamento familiar. No estudo participaram 45 casais, que frequentam a consulta de infertilidade da Maternidade Dr. Alfredo da Costa. Utilizou-se a Escala de Avaliação da Satisfação em Áreas da Vida Conjugal (EASAVIC; Narciso & Costa, 1996) e a Escala de Avaliação da Adaptabilidade e Coesão Familiar (FACES II; Olson & Tiesel, 1991) para avaliar, respectivamente, a satisfação conjugal e o ajustamento familiar. Foi ainda construído um Questionário Sócio-Demográfico e Clínico para obtenção de informação sobre cada um dos elementos do casal e sobre as características da infertilidade. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que o número de anos de tratamento de infertilidade não influencia a satisfação conjugal, a coesão familiar e o ajustamento familiar, porém outras variáveis revelaram ter influência. Tendo como base a literatura discutem-se os resultados sobre as temáticas em análise. Algumas limitações a este estudo são apontadas e lançam-se hipóteses para investigações futuras.

Monitoring lakes in high-latitude areas can provide a better understanding of freshwater systems sensitivity and accrete knowledge on climate change impacts. Phytoplankton are sensitive to various conditions: warmer temperatures, earlier ice-melt and changing nutrient sources. While satellite imagery can monitor phytoplankton biomass using chlorophyll a (Chl) as a proxy over large areas, detection of Chl in small lakes is hindered by the low spatial resolution of conventional ocean color satellites. The short time-series of the newest generation of space-borne sensors (e.g., Sentinel-2) is a bottleneck for assessing long-term trends. Although previous studies have evaluated the use of high-resolution sensors for assessing lakes’ Chl, it is still unclear how the spatial and temporal variability of Chl concentration affect the performance of satellite estimates. We discuss the suitability of Landsat (LT) 30 m resolution imagery to assess lakes’ Chl concentrations under varying trophic conditions, across extensive high-latitude areas in Finland. We use in situ data obtained from field campaigns in 19 lakes and generate remote sensing estimates of Chl, taking advantage of the long-time span of the LT-5 and LT-7 archives, from 1984 to 2017. Our results show that linear models based on LT data can explain approximately 50% of the Chl interannual variability. However, we demonstrate that the accuracy of the estimates is dependent on the lake’s trophic state, with models performing in average twice as better in lakes with higher Chl concentration (>20 µg/L) in comparison with less eutrophic lakes. Finally, we demonstrate that linear models based on LT data can achieve high accuracy (R2 = 0.9; p-value < 0.05) in determining lakes’ mean Chl concentration, allowing the mapping of the trophic state of lakes across large regions. Given the long time-series and high spatial resolution, LT-based estimates of Chl provide a tool for assessing the impacts of environmental change.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are determinant for the performance of plant communities and for the functionality of terrestrial ecosystems. In natural ecosystems, grazing can have a major impact on mycorrhizal fungi and consequently on plant growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the statements referred above in Mediterranean arid areas in Tunisia. Root samples and rhizosphere soils of five dominant herbaceous plants were studied at six distinct arid sites differing on soil proprieties and grazing intensity. At each site, chemical and dynamic properties of the soil were characterized as well as the AMF colonization intensity and the soil functionality. Results showed that the mycorrhizal frequency and intensity and spore density, varied between plants in the same site and, for each plant, between sites and evidenced a positive effect of mycorrhized plants on soil microbial activity. Grazing and soil properties strongly affected AMF composition and the soil microbial and biochemical dynamics, which presented the lowest values at the sites with the highest grazing intensities. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that AMF improve soil biological properties, supporting the hypothesis that mycorrhiza and grazing compete for plant photosynthates, and highlight the importance of mycorrhizal symbiosis towards soil functionality under arid conditions.

Vitis vinifera, one of the most cultivated fruit crops, is susceptible to several diseases particularly caused by fungus and oomycete pathogens. In contrast, other Vitis species (American, Asian) display different degrees of tolerance/resistance to these pathogens, being widely used in breeding programs to introgress resistance traits in elite V. vinifera cultivars. Secondary metabolites are important players in plant defence responses. Therefore, the characterization of the metabolic profiles associated with disease resistance and susceptibility traits in grapevine is a promising approach to identify trait-related biomarkers. In this work, the leaf metabolic composition of eleven Vitis genotypes was analysed using an untargeted metabolomics approach. A total of 190 putative metabolites were found to discriminate resistant/partial resistant from susceptible genotypes. The biological relevance of discriminative compounds was assessed by pathway analysis. Several compounds were selected as promising biomarkers and the expression of genes coding for enzymes associated with their metabolic pathways was analysed. Reference genes for these grapevine genotypes were established for normalisation of candidate gene expression. The leucoanthocyanidin reductase 2 gene (LAR2) presented a significant increase of expression in susceptible genotypes, in accordance with catechin accumulation in this analysis group. Up to our knowledge this is the first time that metabolic constitutive biomarkers are proposed, opening new insights into plant selection on breeding programs.

Thyroid cancer cells demonstrate an increase in oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant action, but the effects of this increased oxidative stress on cell function remain unknown. We aimed to identify changes in the metabolism of thyroid cancer cells caused by oxidative stress, using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. Samples of thyroid cancer and healthy thyroid tissue were collected from patients undergoing thyroidectomy and analyzed with 1H-NMR spectroscopy for a wide array of metabolites. We found a significant increase in lactate content in thyroid cancer tissue compared to healthy tissue. Metabolomic analysis demonstrated significant differences between cancer tissue and healthy tissue, including an increase in aromatic amino acids, and an average decrease in citrate in thyroid cancer tissue. We hypothesize that these changes in metabolism may be due to an oxidative stress-related decrease in activity of the Krebs cycle, and a shift towards glycolysis in cancer tissue. Thus, thyroid cancer cells are able to reprogram their metabolic activity to survive in conditions of high oxidative stress and with a compromised antioxidant system. Our findings, for the first time, suggested a connection between oxidative stress and the alteration of the metabolic profile in thyroid tumors.

The objective of this review paper is to survey the state of the art on nature-based solutions (NBS) in the built environment, which can contribute to a circular economy (CE) and counter the negative impacts of urbanization through the provision of ecosystem services. NBS are discussed here at three different levels: (i) green building materials, including biocomposites with plant-based aggregates; (ii) green building systems, employed for the greening of buildings by incorporating vegetation in their envelope; and (iii) green building sites, emphasizing the value of vegetated open spaces and water-sensitive urban design. After introducing the central concepts of NBS and CE as they are manifested in the built environment, we examine the impacts of urban development and the historical use of materials, systems and sites which can offer solutions to these problems. In the central section of the paper we present a series of case studies illustrating the development and implementation of such solutions in recent years. Finally, in a brief critical analysis we look at the ecosystem services and disservices provided by NBS in the built environment, and examine the policy instruments which can be leveraged to promote them in the most effective manner – facilitating the future transition to fully circular cities.

Following publication of the original article [1], it has been brought to the authors’ attention that in their paper (Rodrigues et al. 2016) they reported the genome size based on 2C values (diploid genome) when it is more common to present it as 1C value. This has led to a misinterpretation of the percentage of the genome that was sequenced. However, none of the remaining analyses were affected.

The effect of a soil thermophilic bacteria (STB), Ureibacillus sp. 18UE/10 on the status of wheat plants was evaluated. A greenhouse assay was performed, mimicking scenarios of soil impoverishment and aridity, which included Rhizophagus irregularis, a crop enhancer AMF, for effect comparison. Treatments with strain 18, R. irregularis or both had no significant effect on biomass production, however affected plant physiology. A different partition in biomass, nitrogen and carbon content were observed, resulting in a decreased C/N ratio. Elemental analysis showed an increase in N and P content in shoots, and for treatments containing STB a decrease in the content of several toxic metals. Strain 18 had a distinct δ13C isotopic signature translating an increased stomatal conductance. ATR-IR spectroscopy revealed that root exudate influenced STB cell wall structure and increased the bacterial survival rate at 25°C. These findings show that STB can interact with a plant partner under rhizospheric conditions.

In 2005, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted the Common Agricultural Policy of ECOWAS (ECOWAP), as an instrument for implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP). The main goals of ECOWAP/CAADP were set to promote agriculture development and end hunger by 2025. In this study we focused on the Cabo Verde archipelago as one of the best performing countries within ECOWAS in terms of overall sustainable development. In this paper, the evolution of the ECOWAP implementation and of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with agriculture in Cabo Verde, were assessed by semi-quantitative (e.g., agricultural policies, agrarian periodical literature) and quantitative (modeling regression of ECOWAP implementation and Sustainable Development Goals—SDGs—performance) analyses. Our integrated results suggest that the agriculture development strategies, the signature of ECOWAP/CAADP by the national government, and political stability might explain the progress made towards poverty reduction and the improvement of food security. The results also show that agriculture-related SDGs in Cabo Verde are higher than the mean values obtained from the remaining West African countries, well above the top 25% WA countries. Nevertheless, Cabo Verde public expenditure into agriculture under the ECOWAP was generally below the targeted 10% of the national budget, with food import required to meet internal food demands.

Southern European functional urban areas (FUAs) are increasingly subject to heatwave (HW) events, calling for anticipated climate adaptation measures. In the urban context, such adaptation strategies require a thorough understanding of the built-up response to the incoming solar radiation, i.e., the urban energy balance cycle and its implications for the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Despite readily available, diurnal Land Surface Temperature (LST) data does not provide a meaningful picture of the UHI, in these midlatitudes FUAs. On the contrary, the mid-morning satellite overpass is characterized by the absence of a significant surface UHI (SUHI) signal, corresponding to the period of the day when the urban-rural air temperature difference is typically negative. Conversely, nocturnal high-resolution LST data is rarely available. In this study, an energy balance-based machine learning approach is explored, considering the Local Climate Zones (LCZ), to describe the daily cycle of the heat flux components and predict the nocturnal SUHI, during an HW event. While the urban and rural spatial outlines are not visible in the diurnal thermal image, they become apparent in the latent and storage heat flux maps – built-up infrastructures uptake heat during the day which is released back into the atmosphere, during the night, whereas vegetation land surfaces loose diurnal heat through evapotranspiration. For the LST prediction model, a random forest (RF) approach is implemented. RF results show that the model accurately predicts the LST, ensuring mean square errors inferior to 0.1 K. Both the latent and storage heat flux components, together with LCZ classification, are the most important explanatory variables for the nocturnal LST prediction, supporting the adoption of the energy balance approach. In future research, other locations and time-series data shall be trained and tested, providing an efficient local urban climate monitoring tool, where in-situ air temperature observations are not available.

Continental Portugal presents an extensive and diversified coastal zone which concentrates the main public and private infrastructures of the different economic sectors, as well as the main critical infrastructures. This area is also characterized by a high population density, being a differentiated territory in geophysical, biological and landscape terms. The wave regime is highly energetic, and storms are frequent. In the last decades, the coast of continental Portugal has been affected numerous times by overtopping and coastal flooding processes. Identifying the critical coastal typologies affected by flooding can contribute to a comprehensive flood risk management framework for the Portuguese coastal zones. Hence, a historical database of coastal flooding occurrences was created for the period 1980–2018 based on national and regional newspapers. For this period 650 occurrences were identified as well as 1708 impacts associated with them. In terms of impacts, the typologies associated with public areas, human impacts, the natural system, environmental degradation and buildings stand out. Results provide relevant temporal and spatial information about coastal historical flood occurrences related to extreme storm events and associated impacts, and contribute to the design of a risk framework.

O presente estudo foca três dimensões – stress parental, estilo de vinculação materno e estilo de vinculação da criança (percepção materna) - numa amostra não-clínica de mães. Pretende-se: (1) averiguar se as mães com estilos de vinculação seguro e inseguro se distinguem no stress parental; (2) analisar se há variações no estilo de vinculação da criança (seguro, ansioso/ambivalente e evitante) em função do estilo de vinculação da mãe; (3) determinar se o estilo de vinculação da criança é um preditor do stress parental; (4) explorar a relação do stress parental e dos estilos de vinculação da mãe e da criança com variáveis sócio-demográficas (mãe/criança). Participaram no estudo 73 mães de crianças com idades entre os 7 e os 12 anos. Utilizaram-se três instrumentos, o Índice de Stress Parental, o Questionário de Estilo Relacional, e o Inventário sobre a Vinculação na Infância e Adolescência, para avaliar, respectivamente, o stress parental, o estilo de vinculação da mãe e a percepção materna da vinculação da criança. Foi ainda construída uma Ficha de Recolha de Informação para a obtenção de dados sócio-demográficos (mãe, criança e agregado familiar). Os resultados mostram que as mães com estilos de vinculação seguro e inseguro não se distinguem significativamente no stress parental experimentado, mas distinguem-se na percepção do estilo de vinculação da criança (resultado significativo para o estilo evitante e marginalmente significativo para os estilos seguro e ansioso/ambivalente). Verifica-se ainda que a vinculação segura na criança é um preditor do stress parental (Domínio da Criança/Domínio dos Pais), sendo este menor quando há a percepção de maior recurso a comportamentos de tipo seguro. Relativamente às variáveis sócio-demográficas, o número de filhos associa-se significativamente com o estilo de vinculação materno, e o desempenho escolar com o stress parental e com o estilo de vinculação da criança.

This study investigates the differences observed in the rate of tax evasion between the Global North and South countries, with special focus on Brazil, by comparing key parameters of their tax systems, namely, tax burden, audit cost, and fines. This is achieved by extending and applying Graetz, Reinganun, and Wilde’s model using data from tax authorities from European and Latin American countries, which produced parameters that are used for Bayesian games. The results show that tax evasion is directly associated with tax burden and audit cost, but the effect of fines is unclear. Overall, findings pointed to shortcomings in the tax system of Latin American countries that create the avenue for high tax evasion.

Este capítulo começa por proporcionar uma breve panorâmica sobre as formas como as autarquias portuguesas têm vindo a lidar corl os temas da democracia participativa ao longo desta pandemia. Para facultar uma leitura mais pormenorizada das questões que se consideram fundamentais e para promover uma reflexão ao mesmo tempo crítica e de esperança neste âmbito, o capítulo debruçar-se-á sobre algumas histórias que os autores acompanharam no terreno e/ou tiveram a oportunidade de analisar mais a fundo, por meio de análise documental e entrevistas com os seus responsáveis. As histórias mostram como os municípios de Lisboa, Cascais e Valongo decidiram abrir novas vertentes de diálogo com os munícipes e de colaboração com outras instituições, capitalizando assim aprendizagens num período que se espera de forte transição.

Complement has been considered as an important factor impacting the host-pathogen association of spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, and may play a role in the spirochete's ecology. Birds are known to be important hosts for ticks and in the maintenance of borreliae. Recent field surveys and laboratory transmission studies indicated that certain avian species act as reservoir hosts for different Borrelia species. Nevertheless, our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms determining host tropism of Borrelia is still in its fledgling stage. Concerning the role of complement in avian-host tropism, only a few bird species and Borrelia species have been analysed so far. Here, we performed in vitro serum bactericidal assays with serum samples collected from four bird species including the European robin Erithacus rubecula, the great tit Parus major, the Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula, and the racing pigeon Columba livia, as well as four Borrelia species (B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. valaisiana, and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto). From July to September 2019, juvenile wild birds were caught using mist nets in Portugal. Racing pigeons were sampled in a loft in October 2019. Independent of the bird species analysed, all Borrelia species displayed an intermediate serum-resistant or serum-resistant phenotype except for B. afzelii challenged with serum from blackbirds. This genospecies was efficiently killed by avian complement, suggesting that blackbirds served as dead-end hosts for B. afzelii. In summary, these findings suggest that complement contributes in the avian-spirochete-tick infection cycle and in Borrelia-host tropism.

Grip strength (GS) is an indicator of health and vulnerability and inversely associated with depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore GS discrimination capacity for depression; and possible GS cut-off values for depression by sex and age group. Data from 2011 and 2015 on 20,598 (10,416 women) middle-aged and older adults from 14 European countries was analysed. GS was assessed by dynamometer, and depressive symptoms using the EURO-D scale. GS cut-off values for depression were calculated and logistic regression models were used to quantify the odds of having depression in 2011 and in 2015 according to being bellow or above the cut-off value. GS had a weak discriminant capacity for depression, with the area under the curve varying between 0.54 and 0.60 (p < 0.001). Sensitivity varied between 0.57 and 0.74; specificity varied between 0.46 and 0.66. GS cut-off values for discriminating depression were 43.5 kg for men and 29.5 kg for women aged 50–64 years, 39.5 kg for men and 22.5 kg for women aged ≥ 65 years. Having GS above the cut-off represents significant lower odds of depression in 2011 and 4 years later, in 2015. Healthcare practitioners and epidemiologic researchers may consider the low GS cut-off values to screen for potential depression risk. However, due to its weak discriminant values these cut-offs should not be used to identify depression.