Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2011-08"
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- A new strategy for the synthesis of 3-cinnamoyl-2-styrylchromones and their transformation into new xanthenodiones derivativesPublication . Pinto, Diana C. G. A.; Seca, Ana M. L.; Leal, Stephanie B.; Silva, Artur M. S.; Cavaleiro, José A. S.Chromones are a class of oxygen heterocyclic compounds widely distributed in Nature. 2-Styrylchromones are, however, a small and rare naturally occurring chromones; only three derivatives have been isolated, two from the marine blue green algae Chrysophaeum taylori1 and one from the rhizomes of Imperata cylindrical. Even so, 2-styrylchromone derivatives are associated with noticeable biological activities. Our group has also been interested in the synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-aroylflavones and found that 3’,4’,5,7-tetrahydroxy-3-(3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl)flavone is a potential antioxidant agent. As part of our continuing work on the synthesis and antioxidant evaluations of polyhydroxy-2-styrylchromones,4 we set up a program aiming the synthesis of 3-cinnamoyl-2-styrylchromone (2) bearing hydroxyl groups, features considered essential to be good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.
- A sustainable tourism in the Azores implies the environmental awareness of bothPublication . Ventura, Maria A.A set of nine “Islands’ Parks” has been created throughout the Azorean archipelago, an outmost region of the EU located in the North Atlantic Ocean. Within these parks we find the areas delimited by Natura 2000, a network based on 2 EU Directives: Habitats and Birds directives. Since these regions aim to protect Europe’s remaining natural areas, in remote and isolated islands like the Azores, this is a critical issue for they are much more susceptible to all sorts of environmental degradation (e.g. introduction of exotic species, habitat loss, pollution). At the same time they are devoted to the practice of nature based tourist activities, and nature based tourism is in Portugal among the top ten products on touristy offer, as defined in the Strategic National Plan for Tourism (SNPT). In the last two decades, Azores has registered an increase in the number of tourists that come in search of a natural experience. This is putting a growing pressure on the local ecosystems, in terms of environmental impacts resulting from the tourist activities practiced in these protected areas, both terrestrial and underwater. In order to evaluate, prevent and minimize the impacts resultant from the tourist activity in the Azores, a research project financed by FCT has been launched in the beginning of 2010 named, “Application of a model of sustainable tourism to areas of Natura 2000 in the Azores”. The project uses two islands as a case-study, S. Miguel and Flores, which differ in terms of area, population density and tourist demand. So far the preliminary surveys conducted on the environmental perception of both tourists and nature based tourism enterprises, show that some work has to be done on both sides in terms of environmental education, to prevent future environmental degradation that may compromise the fate of this kind of economic income.
- Choreonema thuretii and Pneophyllum confervicola (Corallinales, Rhodophyta), new records of coralline algae for the AzoresPublication . Couto, Ruben P.; Alquicira, Edgar; Rodrigues, Armindo; Neto, Ana I.Choreonema thuretii and Pneophyllum confervicola, two cosmopolitan species, are here recorded for the first time for the Azores. They were found during an investigation of intertidal communities in Pico Island (Azores) in the summer of 2007. Both species were found hosted in Jania rubens specimens, C. thuretii as a semi-endophytic parasite, P. confervicola as an epiphyte. They are present on other archipelagos from Macaronesia (Madeira and Canary Islands). It is likely that they have been overlooked in the Azores due to their small size and parasitic/epiphytic habit. A morphological and anatomical account is provided for both species, and it is hoped that this additional observations provided herein will alert field surveyors for their presence.
- Conception of a good-practices guide to the nature based tourism in the Azores (Portugal)Publication . Laulhe, Pierre; Caetano, Diogo; Estima, Deborah; Ventura, Maria A.Azorean archipelago, located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, is packed with natural treasures well known in most parts of the world. In order to preserve them, the Portuguese government has set up a net of protected areas in all nine islands of the archipelago, known as “Island Parks”. Within these protected landscape we find Natura 2000 network, built upon two EC Directives: the Habitats and Birds Directives. Apart from a strict conservation objective, Natura 2000 is supposed to provide some sort of income to local communities, a goal that can be achieved through tourism. But tourism and conservation can collide unless the activities practiced in those areas, follow a set of rules aimed at its preservation. Because tourism usually has impacts upon the environment where it is practiced (e.g. soil erosion, habitat destruction, pollution), more and more tourists become sensitive to environmental protection. Tourism of Nature and Ecotourism are growing sectors within Azorean tourism. Thus, our main concern is to build a field guide of good-practices, to the touristy activities practiced in the protected areas of the Azores. We will present, in pocket guidebooks, all out-door activities that can be practiced on the islands, and where they may occur within each island. According to location, rules and good practices will be explained. A parallel will be established between them and biodiversity conservation. As a result, tourists will be informed about potential dangers to endemic fauna and flora, and be aware of how to protect them by respecting those rules. Two different guides will focus marine and terrestrial activities. The marine guidebook will refer to ludic fishing, snorkeling and scuba-diving, while the terrestrial one will resume the existing trails, speleology, bicycle and climbing.
- Estimating the impacts of eliminating fisheries subsidies on the small island economy of the Azores.Publication . Carvalho, Natacha; Rege, Sameer; Fortuna, Mário; Isidro, Eduardo; Edwards-Jones, GarethA major problem affecting world fisheries today is overcapacity of which overfishing is both a cause and a consequence. There is a general consensus that fisheries subsidies cause great harm to the resource by exacerbating the problems resulting from the common resource issues of fisheries leading to overexploitation of the resource through a new set of perverse incentives. Many now advocate that subsidies should gradually be terminated, and that capacity enhancing and fuel subsidies should be terminated immediately. On account of the global fisheries crises, highly subsidised fisheries and the anticipated reforms of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy this study aimed to estimate the impact of eliminating fisheries subsidies on various macro and micro economic variables pertaining to the regional economy of the Azores using a dynamic computable general equilibrium model based on a social accounting matrix. The simulation results suggest that reduction, and in particular, elimination of fisheries subsidies would have a substantial effect on the region, however, the negative social and economic effects would be largely confined to the fishing sector. Conversely, the augmentation of fishery subsidies would benefit the fishing sector with an overall adverse effect on the rest of the economy..
- Leadership and job satisfaction among Azorean hospital nurses: an application of the situational leadership modelPublication . Furtado, Luis Carlos do Rego; Batista, Maria da Graça Câmara; Silva, FranciscoThe aim of this study was to describe nurse managers' leadership behaviours, comparing them with staff nurses' perceptions of their leader's leadership, as well as to determine if leadership components affect job satisfaction among staff nurses.
- Leadership's impact in turnover and career abandonment intention: the Azorean hospital nurses casePublication . Furtado, Luis Carlos do Rego; Batista, Maria da Graça Câmara; Silva, FranciscoThe authors aimed to identify nurse managers' leadership behaviors and determine if they had a direct impact on turnover or career abandonment intention among nurses. This descriptive and inferential study was conducted in two public hospitals in Azores (Portugal). The sample consisted of 266 individuals (22 head nurses and 244 staff nurses). Data were collected during May 2010. The most expressive leadership styles were S2 (persuading) and S3 (sharing). Nurse retention seems easier when dealing with profile S2–S3 or effective adaptability. This study brings light to a severe problem of nurse retention in Portugal.
- Referencial Curricular para a Educação Básica na Região Autónoma dos AçoresPublication . Alonso, Luísa (Coordenadora); Sousa, Francisco; Gonçalves, Lucília; Medeiros, Conceição; Carvalhinho, Cristina"[…]. Assim, como se advoga no Decreto Legislativo Regional n.º 21/2010/A, o CREB representa a continuação da aposta num currículo orientado para o desenvolvimento de competências, na linha das tendências internacionais, por um lado, e, por outro, na criação de condições para que o domínio dessas competências, por parte dos alunos, seja progressivamente melhorado. Numa lógica de escola inclusiva, fiel aos compromissos assumidos na Declaração de Salamanca, estas orientações têm de ser interpretadas à luz do princípio da maximização das oportunidades para que cada aluno, quaisquer que sejam as suas características, consiga tirar o máximo partido do seu potencial, desenvolvendo as competências ao nível mais elevado possível. A criação deste Referencial assenta, ainda, no pressuposto de que a escola básica, enquanto instituição social, possui três funções essenciais, que designamos como personalizadora, instrutiva/do conhecimento e socializadora. […]". (da Introdução)
- Operacionalização do CREB na Educação Pré-EscolarPublication . Silva, Isabel Lopes da; Santos, Ana Isabel; Freitas, Maria da ConceiçãoA abordagem das competências-chave na educação pré-escolar desenvolve-se de acordo com os fundamentos em que assentam as Orientações Curriculares para a Educação Pré Escolar: (i) considerar o desenvolvimento e a aprendizagem como vertentes indissociáveis; (ii) partir do que a criança já sabe e é capaz, como base de novas aprendizagens; (iii) alicerçar-se num trabalho pedagógico diferenciado, centrado na cooperação e desenvolvido no grupo, de modo a dar resposta a todas as crianças e (iv) promover uma construção integrada do saber, em que as diferentes áreas contribuem de forma interligada para as várias competências-chave.
- The seven impediments in invertebrate conservation and how to overcome themPublication . Cardoso, Pedro; Erwin, Terry L.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; New, Tim R.Despite their high diversity and importance for humankind, invertebrates are often neglected in biodiversity conservation policies. We identify seven impediments to their effective protection: (1) invertebrates and their ecological services are mostly unknown to the general public (the public dilemma); (2) policymakers and stakeholders are mostly unaware of invertebrate conservation problems (the political dilemma); (3) basic science on invertebrates is scarce and underfunded (the scientific dilemma); (4) most species are undescribed (the Linnean shortfall); (5) the distribution of described species is mostly unknown (the Wallacean shortfall); (6) the abundance of species and their changes in space and time are unknown (the Prestonian shortfall); (7) species ways of life and sensitivities to habitat change are largely unknown (the Hutchinsonian shortfall). Numerous recent developments in taxonomy, inventorying, monitoring, data compilation, statistical analysis and science communication facilitate overcoming these impediments in both policy and practice. We suggest as possible solutions for the public dilemma: better public information and marketing. For the political dilemma: red-listing, legal priority listing and inclusion in environmental impact assessment studies. For the scientific dilemma: parataxonomy, citizen science programs and biodiversity informatics. For the Linnean shortfall: biodiversity surrogacy, increased support for taxonomy and advances in taxonomic publications. For the Wallacean shortfall: funding of inventories, compilation of data in public repositories and species distribution modeling. For the Prestonian shortfall: standardized protocols for inventorying and monitoring, widespread use of analogous protocols and increased support for natural history collections. For the Hutchinsonian shortfall: identifying good indicator taxa and studying extinction rates by indirect evidence.