RCAAP Repository

Physical activity is an important health determinant for people’s quality of life and wellbeing. This study intends to (1) identify how the practice of physical activity fits into families’ daily lives; and (2) verify to what extent the practice of physical activity is influenced by the urban model, family composition, and family perceptions. A survey was applied to 410 families (corresponding to 1006 individuals) in Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA), Portugal, focusing on different physical activities—gym, swimming, walking/trekking/hiking, and cycling. Results are based on descriptive and bivariate data analysis and show the existence of asymmetries in the practice of physical activity in LMA. The urban context impacts the choice and frequency of physical activity practices. The typology of family and age proved to be more differentiating factors than income, being reinforced by daily lives (e.g., daily movements, transport modes, etc.). Positive self-perceptions of quality of life and health levels are also conducive to more active practices, contrary to negative perceptions of the neighborhood that are related to practices in peripheral destinations. Conclusions highlight the need for differentiated measures of physical activity promotion according to the territories and communities’ characteristics in a multilevel approach.

Antimicrobial peptides are small molecules that display antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogens. In a previous work, by using model membranes we studied P6, a peptide that shows no antimicrobial activity, and P6.2, which exhibits antibacterial activity. In the present work we aimed to unravel the mode of action of these peptides by studying their interaction in vivo with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In this sense, to study the interactions with bacterial cells and their effect on the bacterial surface, zeta potential, spectroscopic, and microscopic methodologies were applied. P6.2 exhibits a higher affinity toward both bacterial envelopes. The ability of both peptides to disrupt afterwards the bacterial membrane was also studied. Both peptides were able to induce bacterial membrane damage, but higher concentrations of P6 were needed to obtain results comparable to those obtained for P6.2. Additionally, P6.2 exhibited faster damage kinetics. Altogether, these data allow postulating, in a physiologic model, that the lower affinity of P6 for bacterial envelope results in a minor final concentration of the peptide in the bacterial membrane unable to trigger the antimicrobial activity. Finally, the fact that the active P6.2 has the same MIC value for the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested, but not the same profile in the permeabilization assays, reinforces the question of whether cell wall components act as electrostatic barriers preventing or minimizing membrane-active AMPs lethal action at the membrane level.

Even though this pandemic is far from over, we decided that now is a good time to draw an initial conclusion: How has one year of Covid-19 changed democracy? The idea behind this book is very simple. We have asked democracy researchers from a wide range of disciplines and countries what the implications are for democracy after one year with Covid-19. What challenges and opportunities does Covid-19 pose for democratic representation, participation, and decision-making? What weaknesses and strengths of individual countries have been exposed by the pandemic? To address a broad audience, this retrospective assembles 26 brief contributions, written in German, French, Italian, and English. The book focuses on three main areas and is accordingly divided into three parts: social implications, political implications, and country-specific reports. We hope to stimulate reflections and joint discussions!

Assessing carbon storage and sequestration is key for defining effective conservation actions to mitigate climate change. Forest species changes have direct impacts on carbon stocks and may lead to undesirable climate trade-offs. In this paper, we measure aboveground biomass (AGB) and the impact of forest changes on climate regulation through three land policy scenarios by 2030 in continental Portugal. We found that a High intervention scenario, supported by an important increase in "Other coniferous trees" class, will provide 29.5% more of carbon sequestration, whereas a Low intervention scenario, in which there is a moderate increase in all forest classes, will result in an increase of 5.7%. A business as usual (BAU) scenario, supported by an increase in eucalyptus forests and a decrease in autochthonous species, will decrease carbon sequestration (-2.7%), particularly Lisboa, Algarve and North regions. Economic valuation shows that the High intervention scenario will generate the highest economic outcome for climate regulation by 2030. This study provides a spatial-based methodology for monitoring carbon sequestration and new insights about the impact of policies for Green House Gas (GHG) mitigation, supporting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals achievement.

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A conceptual model based on the balance of energy in a system composed of a burning cigarette, ambient flow and a porous fuel bed is proposed to study the burning of a single cigarette and the process of fuel bed dehydration, pyrolysis and its eventual ignition or combustion extinction. Model predictions of time to ignition and of the probability of ignition as a function of fuel bed moisture content and ambient flow velocity are compared with results obtained in laboratory ignition tests of straw fuel beds for various ambient conditions. According to this study, the main parameters influencing the models developed are the fuel bed and tobacco moisture content, as well as the flow velocity.

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Rett syndrome (RTT; OMIM#312750) is mainly caused by mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene (methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 gene; OMIM*300005), which leads to impairments in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signalling. The boost of BDNF mediated effects would be a significant breakthrough but it has been hampered by the difficulty to administer BDNF to the central nervous system. Adenosine, an endogenous neuromodulator, may accomplish that role since through A2AR it potentiates BDNF synaptic actions in healthy animals. We thus characterized several hallmarks of the adenosinergic and BDNF signalling in RTT and explored whether A2AR activation could boost BDNF actions. For this study, the RTT animal model, the Mecp2 knockout (Mecp2-/y) (B6.129P2 (C)-Mecp2tm1.1Bird/J) mouse was used. Whenever possible, parallel data was also obtained from post-mortem brain samples from one RTT patient. Ex vivo extracellular recordings of field excitatory post-synaptic potentials in CA1 hippocampal area were performed to evaluate synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP). RT-PCR was used to assess mRNA levels and Western Blot or radioligand binding assays were performed to evaluate protein levels. Changes in cortical and hippocampal adenosine content were assessed by liquid chromatography with diode array detection (LC/DAD). Hippocampal ex vivo experiments revealed that the facilitatory actions of BDNF upon LTP is absent in Mecp2-/y mice and that TrkB full-length (TrkB-FL) receptor levels are significantly decreased. Extracts of the hippocampus and cortex of Mecp2-/y mice revealed less adenosine amount as well as less A2AR protein levels when compared to WT littermates, which may partially explain the deficits in adenosinergic tonus in these animals. Remarkably, the lack of BDNF effect on hippocampal LTP in Mecp2-/y mice was overcome by selective activation of A2AR with CGS21680. Overall, in Mecp2-/y mice there is an impairment on adenosinergic system and BDNF signalling. These findings set the stage for adenosine-based pharmacological therapeutic strategies for RTT, highlighting A2AR as a therapeutic target in this devastating pathology.

L’objectif principal de cette thèse est d’étudier le développement de la structure syllabique par une enfant bilingue simultanée en portugais et français. L’analyse se centre sur les patrons d’autonomie ou d’interaction des différents constituants syllabiques, de manière à contribuer au débat sur (i) quels objets linguistiques sont sujets à interaction et (ii) quels facteurs déterminent la direction de l’interaction. Spécifiquement, le développement de plusieurs constituants syllabiques est évalué : le développement des attaques simples, des attaques branchantes, des codas médiales et des consonnes en position finale de mot. Pour chaque constituant, le développement attesté chez l’enfant bilingue est comparé à celui décrit pour les monolingues portugais et français. La base empirique de cette thèse est constituée d’un corpus de productions spontanées longitudinales d’une enfant exposée au portugais et au français dès la naissance, recueillies entre l’âge de 1 an et 3 ans 10 mois. Un des principaux résultats de cette thèse est que les interactions entre les deux langues maternelles de l’enfant sont confinées à certains domaines de la grammaire : alors que le niveau segmental ne registre pas d’interférences d’une langue sur l’autre, le niveau prosodique semble particulièrement sujet à des influences. Ainsi, le développement des consonnes en attaque simple et en position finale de mot est essentiellement autonome alors que le développement des attaques branchantes et des codas est particulièrement sujet à interaction. Un autre résultat pertinent de cette thèse est que les interactions ne peuvent être expliquées par une éventuelle langue dominante puisque celles-ci ont lieu sur la même période et sont attestées dans les deux sens. Le facteur qui semble le mieux rendre compte des patrons d’interaction attestés est l’ambigüité présente dans l’input.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune blistering disease. High potency topical and/or systemic corticosteroids as well as immunosuppressants are the current mainstay of treatment. However, long-term steroid therapy and systemic immunosuppression may result in significant morbidity and mortality. Contribution of IgE to BP pathogenesis remains under investigation, but increasing evidence supports a pathogenic significance. Omalizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody that has recently emerged as a novel promising treatment alternative for BP.

Dohm et al. (2019) describe temporal trends in the displacement of resident raptors at a single wind farm. They report the recovery of overall raptor abundances 7–8 years post‐construction, although with varying displacement trends among species (or species/groups), and this finding is used to suggest that displacement of raptors caused by wind farms may be temporary. They also state that “In the absence of longer‐term monitoring, our findings may be broadly applicable to the US wind industry”. Even though this study provides valuable long‐term data on raptor displacement by wind farms, we found weaknesses in its analysis and conclusions that warrant further discussion.

An annotated checklist of the species and subspecies of rose chafers (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) hitherto known from Angola is given. This list includes species records from recent entomological trips in that country (2014, 2015 and 2017) and from Portuguese museums and private collections. A total of 177 species and 31 subspecies are recorded for Angola, including 32 endemic species/subspecies (15.4%). Some species are represented by only the holotype specimen (some without locality) or the type series. Others were recorded based on a single specimen. Records for four genera, one subgenus, twenty nine species and four subspecies previously unknown from Angola are given. A new synonymy is established: Ruteroides Gomes Alves, 1973 is proposed as a junior synonym of Pseudinca Kraatz, 1880. Consequently, Ruteroides fradei Gomes Alves, 1973 is transferred to Pseudinca. A brief historical review, as well as some considerations on the distribution and conservation status of these beetles in Angola is also presented.

Bumblebees are undergoing strong declines in Europe caused by habitat loss and fragmentation, agricultural intensification, and climate change. Long-term records are necessary to estimate population trends precisely and to propose appropriate mitigation strategies. Based on an original database of 173,788 specimens from museum collections, scientific monitoring, and opportunistic citizen data from 1810 to 2016, we compared changes in species richness and area of occupancy of Belgian bumblebee species through three time-periods (1910–1930, 1970–1989, and 1990–2016). We also assessed if the observed trends are related to species-specific ecological traits and spatial scales (local, regional and national). Overall, species richness decreased over the last century in Belgium, but some regions retained relatively species-rich communities. A strong shift in community composition occurred. Three species remained among the “top five” in terms of species occurrence (area of occupancy) between the three time-periods (B. pascuorum, B. lapidarius, and B. pratorum), but several species that were once widespread declined drastically (B. muscorum, B. humilis, B. ruderatus, and B. veteranus), while a few species increased their distribution (e.g. B. hypnorum and B. terrestris). Habitat preferences significantly explained the observed trends, with declining species preferring open habitats and increasing species preferring wooded habitats.

Knowledge of species richness and distribution of African biodiversity comes primarily from fauna studies, despite the tremendous richness of the flora. The genus Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) is one of the most diverse plant genera, and shows a great diversity across Africa. This genus is the largest endemic plant radiation in Angola, including 82 native species with a large diversity of life forms (e.g. herbs, shrubs and trees, and several succulent species) 61% of which are endemics. Considering the great diversity of species, habitats and climatic conditions of Angola, this study aims to: (i) update the inventory of the Euphorbia in this country; (ii) investigate the distribution of these species in the Köppen–Geiger climatic regions, WWF ecoregions, and within the protected areas network; and (iii) use these new findings to devise future conservation programs to protect Angola’s high plant diversity. Our results revealed that there are 49 endemic Euphorbia species (54 endemic taxa) in Angola, most of which occur in the extensive Miombo woodlands, although some species are restricted to the arid zones of southern Angola. The representation of Euphorbia endemics in protected areas was low, with Iona National Park and the Partial Reserve of Namibe showing the best potential for species protection. Centres of diversity and endemism were found in Serra da Chela (Huíla province) and the Angolan Kaokoveld Desert (Namibe province) and must be considered of conservation importance. A re-evaluation of Angola’s protected areas network might be required to facilitate and promote effective conservation of the unique plant diversity of the country.

The South African scale insect Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi was introduced worldwide in several coastal areas with Mediterranean climate, probably through infested plants of Carpobrotus sp. Its high host specificity and its capacity to produce severe damages in the invasive Carpobrotus sp. plants makes this insect a potential biocontrol agent. To test the efficiency and host range of insects used for biocontrol, population genetic studies can help to unravel cryptic complexes and intraspecific diversity. In this study we performed a genetic analysis including native and exotic populations of P. mesembryanthemi, through Sanger sequencing of mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase I, COI) and ribosomal (D2–D3 expansion segments of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene 28S) gene fragments. Accidentally, an endosymbiont was sequenced with one of the pair of primers used. The exotic populations of the insect did not show any variability among populations for both studied genes, which suggest a common origin of all studied introduced populations. Contrastingly, native populations showed high variability and seemed to be a cryptic species complex. Moreover, the Gauteng populations (from NE South Africa) were phylogenetically the closest to the exotic ones, suggesting that the exotic populations could be original from somewhere near this area. An endosymbiont of P. mesembryanthemi was detected, and the sequenced coxA gene was similar to that of the Rickettsiaceae family from the α-Proteobacteria, and close to other insect endosymbionts. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first mention of this endosymbiont in P. mesembryanthemi, although α-Proteobacteria endosymbionts have been reported for other sap-sucking insects.

Capsule: The distribution range of the European Roller Coracias garrulus has undergone large changes over geological times, but although the species is warm-adapted, the human induced climate change is predicted to affect negatively the range of the currently large populations. Aim: Information on species-specific vulnerability to climate change is crucial not only for designing interventions and setting conservation goals, but also to inform conservation decision-making. Our goal was to map climate suitability for the European Roller in the Western Palaearctic under current climate, and for past (last glacial maximum and mid-Holocene) and future (2050 and 2070) climate scenarios. Methods: We used MaxEnt for species distribution modelling based on the reconstructed distribution map of the species. Results: Our results suggest that during glacial periods Rollers persisted in small southern refugia, and then spread and colonized northern latitudes during the mid-Holocene. In the future, our models forecast a shift in climatically suitable range towards northern latitudes and an overall small range contraction (4.5–5.5%). Warmer temperatures will increase climate suitability in northern countries where the species is currently declining or became locally extinct. On the other hand, wide suitable areas under current climatic conditions are predicted to become unsuitable in the future (35–38% by 2050 and 2070, respectively), significantly impacting large populations such as those in Romania, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary. French and Italian populations are identified to be future key populations for Roller conservation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that future climate changes will likely amplify the impacts of existing threats on the majority of large European Roller populations in Europe.

This article brings new evidence on the legacy of slavery in nineteenth-century Brazil to bear on the history of economic development. Its conclusions contribute to the debate raised by the new history of capitalism about the critical role played by slavery in the industrialization of the United States. We argue that the new history of capitalism lacks a comparative perspective. Brazil imported more slaves than any other country in the world and slavery lasted longer and was more widespread there than in the United States South. Rather than promoting economic growth and development, the evidence shows that slavery held back industrialization in Brazil. We also discuss the role of slavery in agricultural productivity and show that, as in the United States, the use of violence does not explain increases in the productivity of cotton plantations.

The following text explores a universe in continuous change. Exploiting Manuel DeLanda’s reading of Gilles Deleuze´s work and is collaborations with Felix Guattari as starting point, it is explained how and what causes this incessant processes of change. In order to establish legitimacy and rigour, reference is made to several models of scientific thought, namely, to evolutionary biology, to thermodynamics and topology, that combined with historical data, allows for the creation of philosophical concepts that explain how this processes work. Difference is affirmed as the primordial element in the creation and development of the world we inhabit. It is explained - denying the existence of aristotelian essences – how heterogeneity in populations yields evolution, how differences in intensities move matter and are the cause of circulation and transformation of energy and how trough morphogenesis and immanence – denying platonic transcendence – processes of materialization / actualization occur in our reality. It is explained how matter, through existing tensions between order and chaos, self-organizes and creates assemblages. These assemblages establish relationships between their parts and the whole from which new properties and capacities emerge. Interference is valued as the element that does not allow for stagnation and gives vitality to these structures. The concept of sabotage as an intentional and destratifing attitude is created. The ability of pattern recognition and pattern reading is stimulated and, at the end, works of art in video format are developed using processes and methodologies based on the presented ideas

Purpose This paper presents the regionalized water scarcity characterization factors (CFs) of the available water remaining (AWARE) model, which was found by a previous study, on the water scarcity in Brazil, to be the most indicative characterization model for the water-scarce regions in Brazil. We used the national database and hydrographic delimitations defined by the National Water Agency (Agência Nacional de Águas — ANA) to generate the regionalized AWARE BR CFs. Methods The CFs were regionalized by hydrographic delimitations used by ANA: (i) State Hydrographic Units (SHU) and (ii) Hydrographic Regions (HR). These AWARE BR CFs were compared with the factors originally proposed by WULCA (2018) and with the Scarcity Index used by ANA to identify the scarcest regions in the country. Finally, the AWARE and AWARE BR factors were applied to a case study of Brazilian melons, evaluating the regionalization effects on the results of water scarcity analysis. Results and discussion The AWARE BR CFs demonstrate most consistency with the regions recognized by ANA to have water scarcity problems, such as the semiarid region. Approximately 12% of the SHUs exhibited maximum water scarcity (CF = 100) during the entire year, while 11% presented minimum scarcity factors (CF = 0.1). The comparison of hydrologic data from ANA with those from WaterGAP indicated that water availability was overestimated in WaterGAP, while demand was underestimated in different basins. The comparison of AWARE BR CFs with ANA Scarcity Index values indicated more similarity (smaller residual error) than the comparison of AWARE BR CFs with AWARE. The case study regarding the impact of water scarcity on melons showed a significant difference between characterization factors and, consequently, in the values of impact. Conclusions AWARE BR factors generated with national characterization data are adapted to the different regions of Brazil, exhibiting higher sensitivity to the semiarid region. This regionalization provided a more accurate representation of the scarcity in smaller basins located in larger basins, characterized by large climate variation.