This article analyzes some events related to the Kimbanguist church that have taken place in Portugal and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It unearths a connection between an increasing feminization of practices and narratives within this church and the emergence of an ideology of return to Africa linked both to eschatological beliefs and to notions of 'mission,' 'example,' and 'success.' Th e article shows the advantage of a multi-sited fi eldwork in the study of transnational religion, as well as the changing nature of religious institutions in today's world, in which socio-political dynamics in the migrants' new settings both aff ect and are aff ected by what happens in the headquarters of their religious institution.
O avanco das politicas neoliberais tem colocado muitas questoes aos grupos sociais mais vulneraveis. No entanto, ao mesmo tempo em que essas politicas apresentam suas consequencias mais perversas, multiplas "taticas" criadoras de outras formas de ser e estar no mundo sao tecidas cotidianamente. Dessa forma, esse texto tem como objetivo, ao pensar com imagens e narrativas de duas experiencias de movimentos sociais de profissionais da educacao, uma no Rio de Janeiro e outra na Argentina, propor que partilhemos essas "taticas" tecidas nos multiplos cotidianos dos movimentos sociais latino-americanos e, assim, pensemos alternativas coletivas e sustentaveis para os desafios que se apresentam na atualidade. ; El desarrollo de las políticas neoliberales plantea muchas cuestiones a los grupos sociales más vulnerables. Mientras esas políticas presentan sus consecuencias más perversas, múltiples "tácticas" generadoras de otras formas de ser y estar enel mundo sontejidas cotidianamente. Ese texto tieneel objetivo de, pensando com imágenes y narrativas de dos experiencias de movimientos de profesionales de la educación, una en Rio de Janeiro y outra en Argentina, proponer que compartamos esas "tácticas" tejidas em los múltiples cotidianos de los movimientos sociales latino-americanos y, así, pensemos alternativas colectivas y sostenibles a los problemas de nuestras sociedades em la actualidad. ; The advance of neoliberal policies has posed many questions to the most vulnerable social groups. However, while these policies have their most evil consequences, multiple "tactics" which create other ways of living in the world are developed daily. So, this text aims, with images and reports of two experiences of social movements of education professionals, one in Rio de Janeiro and the other in Argentina, to propose to share these developed "tactics" in the multiple daily lives of social movements in Latin American and, then, think of collective and sustainable alternatives to the challenges that are present nowadays. ; Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación
The numerous risk factors present in the construction sector make it one of the factors with the highest number of accidents at work, and it can drive to the development of occupational diseases. So, it becomes important to comply with national and community legal provisions, namely, compliance with Decree-Law nº. 273/2003, of 29 October. The latter foresees the mandatory presence of a Health and Safety Coordinator in shipyards, with no exceptions discriminated in the legal diploma. The main objective of this study was to verify the safety and health conditions in civil construction works, analysing the compliance with the Safety and Health Plan of the construction phase and the legal requirements in force. In order to achieve the objective of this study, a verification tool was developed, divided into nineteen chapters and applied to thirty construction sites, where the number of questions in Compliance (C) and Non-Compliance (NC) was verified. After its application, it was highlighted that the chapter with the highest absolute number of NC corresponded to works at height. The presence of a Safety Coordinator on site is essential in order to guarantee the application of safety measures, namely those described in the Safety and Health Plan of the site, compliance with current legislation, and the guarantee of safety and health conditions for all workers on site ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
El presente trabajo consiste en un análisis sistemático de las características de la relación contractual entre los glovers y la empresa Glovo. Para realizar este análisis se recurren a las sentencias de diferentes Tribunales españoles y a los argumentos utilizados en las actas de la Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Además, incluye una breve introducción a la economía de plataformas y se describen las características establecidas en la legislación de los trabajadores por cuenta ajena y los trabajadores autónomos, así como las inclusiones de ambos en los diferentes regímenes de la Seguridad Social. También se tiene en cuenta las medidas legislativas, así como las resoluciones de los Tribunales que han adoptado otros países. Asimismo, se incluye la perspectiva de la Unión Europea sobre el trabajo en la economía de plataformas y las resoluciones del Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea en casos de plataformas digitales. Todo este análisis va encaminado a determinar si los glovers son trabajadores por cuenta ajena o son trabajadores autónomos. ; This research consists in a systematic analysis of the characteristics of the contractual relation between glovers and Glovo Company. To realize this analysis, I use the judgments of the different Spanish courts and the argument used in the act of Labor Inspection and Social Security. Besides, includes a breve introduction to the platform economies and describes the characteristics established in the legislation of the employers who work for someone else and the self-workers as well as the inclusions of both in the different regimes of the Social Security. Also, is considered the legislatives actions, as well as the resolutions of the Courts that other countries adopted. Likewise, it included the perspective of the European Union about the work in platform economies and the resolutions of the Justice Court of the European Union in cases of digital platforms. This analysis is focused to determinate if the glovers are workers who work for someone else or self-workers.
Corrigendum to "Biological impact of metal nanomaterials in relation to their physicochemical characteristics" [Toxicol in Vitro. 2019 Jan 29;56:172-183]. [Toxicol In Vitro. 2019]. Toxicol In Vitro. 2019 Feb 16. pii: S0887-2333(19)30110-9. doi:10.1016/j.tiv.2019.02.001. [Epub ahead of print]. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887233319301109?via%3Dihub ; Several metal and metal oxide nanomaterials (NMs), e.g., cerium dioxide NMs(CeO2), barium sulphate NMs(BaSO4) and titanium dioxide NMs(TiO2), display advantageous properties over the bulk materials and have a broad range of innovative applications in food, industry and consumer products. Whether these materials are hazardous and impact on human health or the environment remains an issue that needs to be addressed by reliable studies focused on nano-bio interactions. To contribute to the comprehensive investigation of the toxicological effects of metal NMs, we have assessed the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of benchmark NMs in human respiratory cells, concomitantly with the analysis of their secondary properties in the cellular moiety. This study shows no effects of BaSO4, while some, but not all, of the other metal-related NMs analyzed have adverse effects. Human respiratory cells were prone to CeO2 cytotoxicity and to DNA damage induction following exposure to anatase TiO2 (NM-100, NM-101 and NM-102), but not rutile TiO2. No clastogenic/aneugenic effects were ascribed to any of the tested NMs. Using correlation analysis, this work also suggests that among these TiO2, the size in the cellular moiety may be the most relevant secondary feature that determines their biological consequences. ; This work was financed by national funds through the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the project PTDC/ SAU-PUB/29481/2017. Research co-funded by European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007e2013) under the project NANoREG (A common European approach to the regulatory testing of NMs), grant agreement 310584 and by UID/BIM/00009/2013 (Centre for Toxicogenomics and Human Health – ToxOmics, Foundation for Science and Technology). ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (H2020-ERC-2017-STGGA 759853-StemCellHabitat), Wellcome Trust and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI-208581/Z/17/Z-Metabolic Reg SC fate), EMBO Installation grant (H2020-EMBO3311/2017/G2017), and by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (IF/01265/2014/CP1252/CT0004 and PD/BD/128003/2016 to MG). ; The fate and proliferative capacity of stem cells have been shown to strongly depend on their metabolic state. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell being responsible for energy production via oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) as well as for several other metabolic pathways. Mitochondrial activity strongly depends on their structural organization, with their size and shape being regulated by mitochondrial fusion and fission, a process known as mitochondrial dynamics. However, the significance of mitochondrial dynamics in the regulation of stem cell metabolism and fate remains elusive. Here, we characterize the role of mitochondria morphology in female germ stem cells (GSCs) and in their more differentiated lineage. Mitochondria are particularly important in the female GSC lineage. Not only do they provide these cells with their energy requirements to generate the oocyte but they are also the only mitochondria pool to be inherited by the offspring. We show that the undifferentiated GSCs predominantly have fissed mitochondria, whereas more differentiated germ cells have more fused mitochondria. By reducing the levels of mitochondrial dynamics regulators, we show that both fused and fissed mitochondria are required for the maintenance of a stable GSC pool. Surprisingly, we found that disrupting mitochondrial dynamics in the germline also strongly affects nurse cells morphology, impairing egg chamber development and female fertility. Interestingly, reducing the levels of key enzymes in the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA), known to cause OxPhos reduction, also affects GSC number. This defect in GSC self-renewal capacity indicates that at least basal levels of TCA/OxPhos are required in GSCs. Our findings show that mitochondrial dynamics is essential for female GSC maintenance and female fertility, and that mitochondria fusion and fission events are dynamically regulated during GSC differentiation, possibly to modulate their metabolic profile. ; publishersversion ; published
In: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety: EES ; official journal of the International Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental safety, Band 107, S. 178-185
In: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety: EES ; official journal of the International Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental safety, Band 73, Heft 4, S. 524-533
To contribute with scientific evidence to the grouping strategy for the safety assessment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), this work describes the investigation of the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of four benchmark MWCNTs in relation to their physicochemical characteristics, using two types of human respiratory cells. The cytotoxic effects were analysed using the clonogenic assay and replication index determination. A 48h-exposure of cells revealed that NM-401 was the only cytotoxic MWCNT in both cell lines, but after 8-days exposure, the clonogenic assay in A549 cells showed cytotoxic effects for all the tested MWCNTs. Correlation analysis suggested an association between the MWCNTs size in cell culture medium and cytotoxicity. No induction of DNA damage was observed after any MWCNTs in any cell line by the comet assay, while the micronucleus assay revealed that both NM-401 and NM-402 were genotoxic in A549 cells. NM-401 and NM-402 are the two longest MWCNTs analyzed in this work, suggesting that length may be determinant for genotoxicity. No induction of micronuclei was observed in Beas-2B cell line and the different effect in both cell lines is explained in view of the size-distribution of MWCNTs in the cell culture medium, rather than cell's specificities. ; The research leading to these results was co-funded by European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007e2013) under the project NANoREG (A common European approach to the regulatory testing of nanomaterials), grant agreement 310584, by NANOGENOTOX Joint Action, in the framework of the Health Programme under grant agreement 2009 21 and by UID/BIM/00009/2013 (Centre for Toxicogenomics and Human Health – ToxOmics, Foundation for Science and Technology). The authors also acknowledge Dr. José Catita (Paralab, Portugal) for the support with the DLS analysis.
COVID-19 has brought an unexpected need for change within organizations, particularly regarding human resource management. The nature of this global crisis has meant that these processes remain under-systematized. The aim of this study, which uses an exploratory design and mixed-methods analysis, is to contribute to describing the changes in human resource management practices and processes that resulted from this pandemic and to present the outlook of human resource managers for the future. One hundred and thirty-six Portuguese companies participated in the study, with the answers provided by their human resource managers. Results show that the main changes have occurred in the processes of work and safety, training, work organization, recruitment and selection, induction and onboarding, and communication. The profiles that emerged showed an association between the level of change and size of the organization. There was an increase in the use of teleworking and layoffs, and a positive assessment of the organizations' level of preparation and adaptation to this crisis. Human resource managers reported that the most evident changes in the future will be associated with the use of technology, teleworking, and work organization. These findings are of the upmost importance, as human resource managers are essential pillars in the adjustment of the organizations to this pandemic situation.
Environmental health is at the intersection between health and the environment. However, it still has a recent (and narrow) history as a scientific area, mainly addressing human biomonitoring and toxicological issues. Only recently additional environmental 'layers', other than the traditional chemical, biological and physical environmental determinants, have been considered. This broader perspective of environmental health also encompasses digital, psychosocial, political, socioeconomic and cultural determinants, all of them relevant when considering human health from a planetary health paradigm. This reflects the progressive adoption of a systemic perspective regarding the impact of gains for human health and well-being towards a sustainable environment. It also implies a multi-method and participatory approach to understand the intertwined relationship between environmental changes and human health. In this paper, the broader approach to environmental health is discussed in order to 'set the stage' for introducing the Institute of Environmental Health (ISAMB) of the Lisbon School of Medicine, Portugal. Each of the research groups and labs that compose ISAMB are presented, as well as their main lines of research. Present and planned contributions of ISAMB to advance knowledge on environmental health and for promoting human health gains in an environmentally sustainable way are also discussed.
In an unprecedented scenario, much of the research and interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which focused on young people, found themselves suspended. (1) Background: The goals of this project were to investigate (Study 1) social participation and positive development among young people in Cascais, Portugal, and to investigate (Study 2-a case study) the implementation of a program promoting active citizenship, social participation, and social entrepreneurship. At the same time, it was intended to constitute a resource and strategy to diminish the social alienation exacerbated by the pandemic. (2) Methods: SPSS v.26 software was used to analyze quantitative data from questionnaires used in the study of social participation, as well as the pre- and post-test impacts, and MAXQDA 2020 software was used to analyze qualitative data from YouTube discussions about youth needs and strategies for their problems, as well as from focus groups. (3) Results: In S1, it was evident that young people's expectations of participation in the community were not defined and that their expected participation in the community was of a weekly nature. They considered themselves to have a good sense of belonging to the community or group and had reasonable social self-efficacy. Girls showed higher scores in Expectations of Community Participation and Active Participation. In their positive development, they did not have a defined evaluation of their competence, but their connection with others was evaluated as good. Boys showed higher levels of Competence. They said that every week they make 1 h of their day available to help others, and they did not frequently report feelings of social alienation. In S2, the evaluation of the impact of the project generally showed an improvement in the action research skills of the participants. At the end, six projects were proposed. In the analysis of the participants' voices, the themes related to Substance Use, Social Capital, and Love and Sexuality stood out with higher participation and lower participation in the themes of Diversity, Culture and Housing. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest a need to encourage social participation, active citizenship, and entrepreneurship, along with their knowledge and skills for action. The promotion of debate and knowledge on issues related to young people's lives seems to be a priority, especially issues related to Diversity, Culture and Housing. The Dream Teens model may prove to be an important strategy in this work, suggesting that this project may constitute a relevant model for future work.
Natural compounds from agro-food by-products have fostered interest in food industries. The aim of this study was to unravel potential uses for Pinus pinaster bark extracts (PBE). As functional features of this type of extracts are usually attributed to phenolic compounds, the extraction process was studied. Different PBEs were achieved, with high content in phenolic compounds, using different water/ethanol combinations as a solvent. These PBEs were chemically characterized, and their bioactivity and in vitro cell viability were evaluated. Extracts obtained with hydroethanolic solvents had higher content in phenolic and flavonoid compounds. All the PBEs presented high antioxidant, antibacterial and antihyperglycemic activities. Moreover, PBEs have low cytotoxicity and a selective activity against cancer cells as these were negatively affected. These features may allow the extracts to be used in food formulation and processing (as preservatives, antioxidants or bioactive ingredients), but they showed also potential for the pharmaceutical or nutraceutical sectors. ; This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under the scope of Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, by program INTERREG V-B Sudoe (REDVALUE, SOE1/P1/E0123) and by project MOBFOOD (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024524), cofounded by PORTUGAL2020, Lisb@a2020, COMPETE 2020 and the European Union. Zlatina Genisheva is supported by the project OH2O (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029145) funded by FCT and FEDER under the scope of Programa Operacional de Competividade e Internacionalizaçao (POCI)-COMPETE 2020 and PORTUGAL2020. Pedro Santos is recipient of a fellowship supported by a doctoral advanced training (call NORTE-69-2015-15), funded by the European Social Fund under the scope of Norte2020 (NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000036). ...