Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2020-04"
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- The relevance of god to religious believers and non-believersPublication . Leite, Ângela; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Sousa, Hélder Fernando Pedrosa e; Dias, PauloThis study presents a review about what great figures of history thought about the existence of God and a worldwide comparison between religious believers and non-believers using the World Social Survey (WSS) database, comprising a sample of 90,350 respondents. Results reveal that most people believe in the existence of God and consider that God is important and very important in their lives. Believers are mainly women; younger than non-believers; mostly married; less educated than non-believers; most of whom work, though fewer hours than non-believers; and perceive themselves as belonging to the middle class. There are more believers with no formal education than non-believers. The diversity of religious believers and non-believers, visible in the perspectives of humanity’s important personalities, mirrors the diversity of ordinary people towards the relevance of God. The results obtained point to a correlation between the belief in God and the studied sociodemographic variables but also suggest that the difference between believers and non-believers may be artificial, having resulted from the adopted methodology. The relationship found between being a believer and defending traditional values also corroborates with previous studies, suggesting that humankind needs God to give meaning to the world around them, namely, in morality and conduct terms.
- Tarab in arab music: interview with: Fayrouz KarawyiaPublication . Nagaty, Sarah
- Suitability of β-lactoglobulin micro- and nanostructures for loading and release of bioactive compoundsPublication . Simões, Lívia S.; Abrunhosa, Luís; Vicente, António A.; Ramos, Oscar L.β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) has the ability to form three-dimensional networks when heated above denaturation temperature (ca. 76 °C), since it undergoes conformational changes followed by subsequent protein-protein interactions, which allows designing stable micro- and nanostructures with affinity to bind to a wide range of molecules. In this sense, β-Lg micro (with particle size from 200 to 300 nm) and nano (with particle size ≤ 100 nm) structures were developed as a delivery system for the controlled release of hydrophilic and hydrophobic model compounds. Several concentrations of bioactive compounds were incorporated into β-Lg micro- and nanostructures and their association efficiency (AE) and loading capacity (LC) were determined. β-Lg structures were characterized in terms of structural properties, morphology, binding mechanisms, conformational changes and secondary structure. The impact of several conditions (e.g., pH, thermal processing, ionic strength and storage temperature) on the stability of β-Lg structures was also investigated. The release profile of bioactive compounds from β-Lg structures was determined in vitro using two food simulants with different hydrophobicities under different temperature conditions (at 4 °C and 25 °C). Data recorded showed that β-Lg nanostructures had the highest AE and LC comparing with β-Lg microstructures, for both bioactive compounds tested. β-Lg micro- and nanostructures with or without association of bioactive compounds showed to be stable under acidic (pH 2 to 3), neutral (pH 6) or alkaline (pH 10) conditions, thermal treatments up to 70 °C and during storage for 50 and 90 days at 25 °C and 4 °C, maintaining their particle size, PDI and surface charge (p > 0.05). The release kinetics of bioactive compounds from micro- and nanostructures fitted well the Linear Superimposition Model, being the relaxation the main release mechanism. Both compounds showed an initial burst effect followed by a slow release. All these findings provide new insights on which conditions the β-Lg micro- and nanostructures are more stable, and therefore more suitable to act as potential delivery systems for hydrophilic and hydrophobic bioactive compounds.
- Uma abordagem sui generis ao direito à educação na África Ocidental: o papel do Tribunal de Justiça da Comunidade Económica dos Estados da África OcidentalPublication . Baldé, AuaEste artigo debruça-se sobre a proteção de direitos humanos, em particular o direito à educação no contexto da Comunidade Económica dos Estados da África Ocidental (CEDEAO). O artigo procede a uma análise da evolução histórica tanto da própria CEDEAO como do seu tribunal com vista a elucidar a como se procedeu à proteção de direitos humanos na sub-região. Este escrutínio é feito através da análise da competência jurisdicional do Tribunal de Justiça da CEDEAO em matéria de direitos humanos, tendo em conta tanto os instrumentos normativos da CEDEAO como a jurisprudência do Tribunal de Justiça da Comunidade, em particular o caso SERAP v. Nigéria. Da análise resultou que um organismo sub-regional inicialmente criado com o objetivo de fomentar cooperação e desenvolvimento económico dos seus membros, transformou-se progressivamente num dos exemplos mais progressivos de proteção de direitos humanos no continente africano. Esta transformação ficou a dever-se não só a reformas, incluindo legislativas, levadas a cabo no âmbito da CE- DEAO, mas também pelo papel ativo desempenhado pelo Tribunal de Justiça da Comunidade.
- Reflections on normality and abnormality in Edmund HusserlPublication . Morujão, Carlos Aurélio VenturaIn a crisis, the world on which we base our basic beliefs becomes problematic. We feel disoriented and lost and look for a radical “solution”, in order to survive. The world is felt and lived, more than thought, as something irrational. Our beliefs do not adhere to it and it does not seem to give rise to the fulfillment of our expectations. Ultimately, the familiar becomes threatening, what seemed safe becomes dangerous. The expression “we lack the soil” reflects the feeling of living in a crisis. These ideas, which we can find in the Husserlian texts on the problem of the crisis, arose, for the first time, in a reflection on culture, but they can have other applications. Our paper, by means of an analysis of the First Part of William Faulkner’s novel The Sound and the Fury, aims to investigate the relevance of Husserl’s analysis for the understanding of the psychic crisis.
- Toxicity of recombinant necrosis and ethylene-inducing proteins (NLPs) from Neofusicoccum parvumPublication . Pour, Forough Nazar; Cobos, Rebeca; Coque, Juan José Rubio; Serôdio, João; Alves, Artur; Félix, Carina; Ferreira, Vanessa; Esteves, Ana Cristina; Duarte, Ana SofiaNeofusicoccum parvum is a fungal pathogen associated with a wide range of plant hosts. Despite being widely studied, the molecular mechanism of infection of N. parvum is still far from being understood. Analysis of N. parvum genome lead to the identification of six putative genes encoding necrosis and ethylene-inducing proteins (NLPs). The sequence of NLPs genes (NprvNep 1-6) were analyzed and four of the six NLP genes were successfully cloned, expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography. Pure recombinant proteins were characterized according to their phytotoxic and cytotoxic effects to tomato leaves and to mammalian Vero cells, respectively. These assays revealed that all NprvNeps tested are cytotoxic to Vero cells and also induce cell death in tomato leaves. NprvNep2 was the most toxic to Vero cells, followed by NprvNep1 and 3. NprvNep4 induced weaker, but, nevertheless, still significant toxic effects to Vero cells. A similar trend of toxicity was observed in tomato leaves: the most toxic was NprvNep 2 and the least toxic NprvNep 4. This study describes for the first time an overview of the NLP gene family of N. parvum and provides additional insights into its pathogenicity mechanism.
- Experiences of homeless families in parenthood: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative evidencePublication . Andrade, Filipa Maria Reinhardt; Figueiredo, Amélia Simões; Capelas, Manuel Luís; Charepe, Zaida; Deodato, SérgioThe objective of this systematic review was to identify the available qualitative data and to develop a framework to address the life experiences of homeless families in parenthood. The research was performed in the PubMed and CINAHL Complete databases, for works published in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. Studies that included qualitative data, or both qualitative and quantitative data, were considered for this research. A total of 358 articles were obtained, of which 37 were assessed for eligibility, and 26 were rejected. In the end, 11 studies were selected. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research was used. These studies were conducted mostly in the United States, in temporary/transitional shelters for nuclear or single-parent families (led by women) in a homeless situation. In this context, the area which arose as the more relevant one was mental health, followed by the social studies. Two types of dimensions emerged from the results: mediating dimensions (which include the categories “Insecurity”, “Lack of Privacy”, “Isolation”, “Stigma” and “Disempowerment”) that are responsible for difficulties related to education, and behavioural changes in both the parents and the children; and supporting dimensions (which include the categories “Context as a Facilitator”, “Relationship with Others” and “Parents’ and children’s Self”) that lead to motivation, as well as the acquisition of strategies by the parents, to resolve parenting issues. This research helps expand nursing knowledge and presents a synthesis of the life experiences of homeless families in parenthood. Nursing can respond to the vulnerable population, due to its predominant role in promoting their health.
- The Bajratari case: are all resources good enough for EU law?Publication . Queiroz, Benedita MenezesThe Bajratari case is a significant contribution of the Court of Justice of the European Union to the clarification of the meaning of the condition of sufficient resources within the regime of the Citizens Directive 2004/38 (Article 7 (1) (b)). Moreover, it is also a step towards strengthening EU citizen’s right to move and reside in another Member State. In this decision the Court held that income that results from the exercise of professional activities without a lawful residence and employment permit is not to be excluded from the condition of sufficient resources imposed by EU law to a Union citizen who is residing for more than three months in another Member State.