Percorrer por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "15:Proteger a Vida Terrestre"
A mostrar 1 - 10 de 199
Resultados por página
Opções de ordenação
- A cultura do arroz em Moçambique: uma perspetiva da investigação em curso no Instituto de Investigação Agrária de MoçambiquePublication . Mucasse, Nelma Marieta Custódio Tivane; Arrobas, Margarida; Joshua, CelestinaO arroz (Oryza sativa L.) é uma das culturas alimentares mais importantes em Moçambique, representando cerca de 20% da energia e 15% da proteína per capita na dieta da população. Apesar do seu papel estratégico na segurança alimentar, a produção nacional ainda é insuficiente para suprir a procura interna. Em 2024, Moçambique importou aproximadamente 700 000 toneladas de arroz, com um custo superior a 340 milhões de euros, evidenciando a necessidade urgente de fortalecer a produção interna para garantir a segurança alimentar e reduzir a dependência do mercado externo. Neste contexto, o Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM) tem desenvolvido esforços significativos para aumentar a produtividade do arroz, por meio da introdução de variedades melhoradas, da realização de ensaios de adaptabilidade e praticas agronómicas inovadoras. Com objetivo de contribuir para o desenvolvimento de soluções técnicas que melhorem o rendimento, esta dissertação concentrou-se na análise de quatro ensaios experimentais conduzidos entre 2019-2024 no IIAM com os seguintes objetivos: i) Avaliação de variedades aromáticas e híbridas. As variedades estudadas demostraram estabilidade produtiva. ii) Estudo do efeito da altura de corte na cultura principal na capacidade regenerativa da planta (rebrote). Este ensaio mostrou que o corte a 45 cm de altura contribui para o aumento significativo do rendimento da cultura. iii) Pesquisas de linhas tolerantes à salinidade em 136 genótipos. Foram identificados genótipos com diferentes níveis de resistência e sensibilidade, revelando diversidade genética promissora. As principais conclusões indicam que o uso de variedades melhoradas, o maneio adequado e a adoção de práticas como o rebrote podem aumentar significativamente a produtividade do arroz em Moçambique. O trabalho reforça a importância da investigação agrária como ferramenta para garantir a segurança alimentar.
- Abordagens eficazes para mitigar a solidão em idososPublication . Baptista, Gorete; Pereira, Fernando A.No cenário da transição demográfica a solidão entre os idosos é uma preocupação social e de saúde pública premente. A solidão tem um efeito devastador na saúde física, mental e emocional dos idosos, impactando no bem-estar individual e na coesão social como um todo. Encontrar e promover estratégias de mitigação da solidão é essencial. Apresentamos uma síntese dessas estratégias.
- Access to community pharmacies by rural populations in northeastern PortugalPublication . Costa, Carolina; Pires, Diana; Pereira, Olívia R.; Pinto, Isabel C.Background: Rural populations face significant challenges in accessing medicines and healthcare due to the increasing depopulation of rural areas and geographic isolation. Community pharmacies play a crucial role in rural areas, often serving as the first point of contact for healthcare (1,2,3). Objectives: This study aims to explore the accessibility of community pharmacies in rural areas, understand the satisfaction and identify challenges of these residents with this aspect. Methods: This is an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study, with a non-probability convenience sample of 168 people living in two villages two villages in the municipality of Alfândega da Fé, Bragança District, in northeastern Portugal. An online and paper self-completion questionnaire was used, with 3 parts: sociodemographic, pharmacies accessibility and satisfaction with accessibility. Statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel, based on the calculation of absolute and relative frequencies, measures of central tendency and dispersion. Results: The results showed that 42.3% (n=71) of the participants had stopped going to the pharmacy because of the challenges they faced, such as distance, the time needed to get to the pharmacy and the lack of transport. In addition, it was concluded that the majority of participants (78%; n=131) feel dissatisfied with the accessibility of community pharmacies. Conclusions: The results of this study reveal that the rural population is dissatisfied with access to community pharmacies and faces several difficulties and accessibility challenges. Policies must be created to facilitate access to community pharmacies for rural populations.
- Acesso às farmácias comunitárias por populações rurais no nordeste de PortugalPublication . Costa, Carolina; Pires, Diana; Pereira, Olívia R.; Pinto, Isabel C.As populações rurais enfrentam desafios significativos no acesso a medicamentos e cuidados de saúde devido ao crescente despovoamento das áreas rurais e ao isolamento geográfico. As farmácias comunitárias desempenham um papel crucial nas zonas rurais, servindo frequentemente como o primeiro ponto de contacto com os cuidados de saúde (1,2,3). Este estudo tem como objetivo explorar a acessibilidade às farmácias comunitárias em áreas rurais, compreender a satisfação dos residentes relativamente a este aspeto e identificar os desafios enfrentados.Trata-se de um estudo observacional, descritivo e transversal, com uma amostra de conveniência não probabilística de 168 pessoas residentes em duas aldeias do concelho de Alfândega da Fé, distrito de Bragança, no nordeste de Portugal. Foi utilizado um questionário de autopreenchimento, em formato online e em papel, composto por três partes: dados sociodemográficos, acessibilidade às farmácias e satisfação com a acessibilidade. A análise estatística foi realizada no Microsoft Excel, com base no cálculo de frequências absolutas e relativas, medidas de tendência central e de dispersão. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que 42,3% (n=71) dos participantes deixaram de ir à farmácia devido aos desafios enfrentados, como a distância, o tempo necessário para chegar à farmácia e a falta de transporte. Além disso, concluiu-se que a maioria dos participantes (78%; n=131) se sente insatisfeita com a acessibilidade às farmácias comunitárias. Conclusões: Os resultados deste estudo revelam que a população rural está insatisfeita com o acesso às farmácias comunitárias e enfrenta várias dificuldades e desafios de acessibilidade. Devem ser criadas políticas para facilitar o acesso às farmácias comunitárias por parte das populações rurais.
- Acute Leptospirosis Outbreak in Cattle: A Case ReportPublication . Paixão, Gustavo; Botelho‐Fontela, Sofia; Gandra, Filipe; Reis, JoanaLeptospirosis is a globally distributed re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira species. In cattle, the clinical course varies from a subclinical-chronic infection, commonly found in adult animals, to a severe acute syndrome mostly found in calves. The present study reports an outbreak of acute leptospirosis, following favourable climacteric conditions. Seven affected farms were monitored. Clinical observations from infected animals (n = 30) revealed two distinct patterns: lactating calves experienced hyperacute courses, often culminating in death, and older animals, mainly steers, displayed signs of apathy, anorexia, icterus and haemoglobinuria. Necropsies confirmed jaundice and haemoglobinuria, aligning with a presumptive diagnosis of leptospirosis. Haematology and serology results further supported this diagnosis. Pomona and Mozdok serovars were the most prevalent (62.5%) and had the highest mean agglutination titres, 1:1160 and 1:700, respectively. Antimicrobial treatment of sick animals consisted of oxytetracycline. Chemical metaphylaxis and prophylactic measures were established to control the outbreak in cohabiting animals. Environmental factors like climate change are expected to contribute to more frequent leptospirosis outbreaks. Comprehensive serological surveys are recommended to develop region-specific control measures, emphasising the importance of vaccination as a practical and effective prophylactic measure.
- Adaptive genomic variation in honey bees from arid regionsPublication . Yadró Garcia, Carlos A.; Henriques, Dora; Haddad, N.; Obeidat, W. M.; AlShagour, B.; Muz, Mustafa Necati; Arab, A.; Eissa, A. A.; Hosri, C.; Lamghari, F.; Arruda, J.; Rufino, José; Martín Hernández, R.; Nanetti, A.; Pinto, M. AliceThe Middle East is home to a large number of Apis mellifera subspecies that have evolved under extreme aridity and desertic conditions. Therefore, they represent a unique opportunity to disentangle the genetic basis of adaptation to such challenging environmental conditions. We arranged a collection of 514 drone samples (haploid males) split into two latitudinal transects. Transect 1 comprised 342 samples: 66 A. m. lamarckii (Egypt), 197 A. m. syriaca (Jordan), 30 A. m. syriaca (Lebanon), 21 A. m. meda (southeastern Turkey), and 27 A. m. anatoliaca (Anatolia, Turkey). Transect 2 comprised 173 samples: 14 A. m. jemenitica (Oman), 9 A. m. jemenitica (UAE), 75 A. m. meda (Iran), and 75 A. m. caucasia (northeastern Turkey). For all samples, whole genomes were resequenced, and environmental and bioclimatic variables were retrieved from WorldClim. For each transect, we applied three genotype–environment association methods (Samβada, pRDA, and LFMM) and one outlier-detection approach (PCAdapt) to identify SNPs associated with environmental adaptation. SNPs were annotated, and the intersection of genes between the four methods in each transect was analysed for gene enrichment. In both transects, enriched terms included genes related to biological regulation through endocrine, neuroendocrine, and neurotransmitter pathways. The regulation of gene expression was also enriched, including several transcription factors, especially HOX genes. Transmembrane and ionic transporters also seem to play a central role in environmental adaptation in these subspecies. Finally, neurogenesis, synapse establishment, and neural system development were also enriched. When gene enrichment analysis was set to exclude electronic annotations (automatically assigned, non-curated GO terms), enriched terms included processes such as behaviour, learning or memory, cognition, and associative and olfactory learning and behaviour. Our findings point to a complex suite of regulatory and sensory 62 pathways that collectively shape the environmental adaptation of honey bee subspecies that have evolved in arid environments.
- Adsorption of co2, ch4 and n2 in powder and binder-free zeolite 13xPublication . Cheikh, Ikram Ben; Silva, José A.C.The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly CO2, is a main driver of climate change, demanding effective mitigation strategies. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies, especially adsorption-based processes using porous materials, offer an efficient route to reduce CO2 emissions from industrial sources. Zeolite 13X has gained prominence due to its high surface area, well-defined pore structure, and strong affinity toward CO2. While typically synthesised in powder form, the use of commercial binder-free Zeolite 13X (13X-BF) beads may offer potential advantages over conventional structures, including improved mechanical strength, enhanced mass transfer, and a higher effective capacity due to the reduced presence of inert components. This work systematically investigates the adsorption equilibrium of CO2, CH4, and N2 on both lab-agglomerated powder (13X-P) as synthesised and commercial binder-free (13X-BF) forms of zeolite 13X. A custom fixed-bed unit was used to measure breakthrough curves at temperatures of 308,328 and 348 K and partial pressures ranging from 10 to 350 kPa to measure adsorption equilibrium isotherms. The experimental equilibrium data were rigorously fitted using the Langmuir model for N2 and CH4 and the Dual-Site Langmuir (DSL) model for CO2. The 13X-BF material exhibited a superior thermodynamic performance comparable to the pure lab-agglomerated powder (13X-P) as synthesised. Adsorption equilibrium capacities followed the order CO2 > N2 > CH4. At 308 K and 150 kPa, the maximum uptake reached 7.57 mol⋅kg−1 for 13X-BF, even outperforming the 7.11 mol⋅kg−1 observed on 13X-P. Under typical post-combustion conditions (15% CO2, 308K, 101kPa), 13X-BF achieved a superior CO2/N2 selectivity of 70, comparable to 61 observed for the 13X-P. The working capacity performance parameter (important for cyclic processes such as PSA and TSA) highlighted also a critical operational trade-off: 13X-BF exhibited a working capacity of 3.10 mol.kg−1 under aggressive deep vacuum regeneration (in the pressure range 100 to 3 kPa at 308 K) compared to 2.56 mol.kg−1 to the 13X-P. However, 13X-P performed slightly better under milder vacuum regeneration (10 kPa and 15 kPa). Overall, the results indicate that commercial binder-free Zeolite 13X preserves the intrinsic adsorption characteristics of the powder form while providing comparable adsorption capacity, selectivity, working capacity and mechanical viability, suggesting its potential suitability for adsorption processes such as PSA and VPSA for CO₂ capture and biogas purification.
- Ai for anti-money laundering: the rise of llms and agentic AIPublication . Bagashvili, Erekle; Pires, Luís; Chkareuli, VakhtangThe increasing intricacy of international finance systems has heightened the demand for effective and smart anti-money laundering (AML) solutions. Conventional AML architectures, relying essentially on rule-driven alerts and manual analysis, are under increased strain given growing volumes, non-nativelanguage documents, and complex chains of transactions. Recent developments in AI, especially LLMs and agentic AI systems, have unleashed a new paradigm that could assist-not replace-AML officers' decisions on transaction analysis, onboarding reviews, and document interpretation. This study explores whether AML professionals supported by AI perform better compared to their non-AI counterparts through an experiment conducted within the Reference banking institution in Georgia. Fifty-two employees of AML are randomly assigned to either the AI-enhanced tool group using LLMs combined with secure chatbot user interfaces or the purely traditional method group. Participants perform five common AML tasks: multilingual contract analysis, company due diligence, ownership tracing, person-of-interest profiling and onboarding risk assessment. Each task is assessed by four performance measures: time efficiency, task accuracy, user satisfaction, and confidence level. After completing the tasks, both groups are required to take a survey to assess subjective workload also we are measuring their time and correction of the tasks, perceived effectiveness of the tools at hand, and openness to integrating AI into their work. The central hypothesis is that the AI-supported group will outperform the control group across key dimensions, with striking advantages for both time-sensitive and language-dependent tasks. In addition, the study investigates whether AI use increases AML professionals' confidence in their decisions and reduces cognitive load. This is a hybrid research approach: by empirical data and participant feedback, it offers insights useful in practice for financial institutions considering implementing AI as a decisionsupport layer in compliance departments. It also adds to an emerging literature calling for humancentered design of AI in high-stakes financial environments.
- Alginate Edible Films Containing Essential Oils: Characterization and Bioactive PotentialPublication . Lopes, Ana I.; Melo, Adma; Afonso, Tiago B.; Silva, Sara; Barros, Lillian; Tavaria, Freni K.; Pintado, ManuelaEssential oils (EOs) are natural substances rich in phenolic compounds with notable antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. However, they present some limitations, such as low stability and bioavailability. Incorporating EOs into polymeric films offers a novel approach to overcome these challenges while enhancing their efficacy. In this study, we produced and thoroughly characterized alginate-based edible films incorporated with five different EOs—rosemary, eucalyptus, oregano, sage, and thyme. This is the first comprehensive investigation to include this diverse range of EOs in alginate films. Their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were also evaluated. The results demonstrated that alginate films containing EOs exhibited significant bioactive properties. Notably, the film incorporated with oregano EO completely inhibited the growth of all tested bacteria and fungi and showed the highest antioxidant activity. Based on these findings, alginate films containing EOs present promising bioactive potential and could serve as biodegradable alternatives to conventional packaging materials, reducing environmental impact. However, further studies are necessary to assess their safety profile and confirm their viability as replacements for traditional food packaging. Future research should focus on evaluating cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and the practical application of these films in food matrices.
- Alginate-based film blended with propolis loaded sporopollenin exine microcapsules: unveiling the potential of natural substances for wound healingPublication . Moreira, Maria Eduarda Soares Tofolli; Falcão, Soraia; Ribeiro, Maria Carolina; Aylanc, VolkanHealing a wound is one of the complex biological processes associated with tissue growth and regeneration, controlled by various biochemical and cellular mechanisms. In recent years, the creation of dressings using biopolymer-based materials with natural extracts has gained prominence. With this in mind, the ideal dressing should promote a moist environment while acting as a barrier against microorganisms. Its composition should include non-toxic, non-allergenic, and adherent substances, being essential to ensure easy removal and high effectiveness in protecting the wound against bacterial infections. Moreover, dressings should possess anti-inflammatory properties while promoting the overall healing process. This study explores the impact of extracts from two types of propolis on wound healing: red propolis and brown propolis. To produce the dressing, an alginate-based film was created, and propolis was incorporated into its composition through the vacuum-loading method in sporopollenin microcapsules, which are derived from bee pollen grains of Cytisus Shrub Species (Cytisus spp.). This incorporation into the film is essential for the controlled release of bioactive compounds into the wound. Spectrophotometric analyses determined that brown propolis achieved better inhibition results, which align with FTIR assays, where a higher composition of phenolic acids was observed in brown propolis samples compared to red propolis. Brown propolis films showed higher antioxidant activity (76.62% inhibition), outperforming red propolis (60.55%). The encapsulation efficiency of the microcapsules ranged from 67.35% to 74.48%, while the release rate of phenolic compounds reached up to 75% within 48 hours. Cytotoxicity tests indicated cell viability below 20% after 24 hours, evidencing toxicity at high concentrations. Therefore, it is noted that, for cellular analyses, the results were not satisfactory given that the dressings showed to be toxic to the cells because of the high value of propolis incorporated. Despite of these results, it is possible to conclude that the dressings have great potential as they are full of antioxidants and antibacterial substances. For better results less propolis and loaded SECs should be incorporated into the films. Ultimately, it was possible to develop a dressing with satisfactory quality, although broader studies are necessary for its practical use.