Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2024-10-03"
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- Discrimination regarding access to international protection : a study of the activation of the temporary protection directive in response to mass displacement from UkrainePublication . Gastal, Joana; Queiroz, Maria Benedita Menezes de Gusmão Peixoto deIn response to the mass displacement caused by the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the European Union activated for the first time the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), signaling a shift towards ensuring safe access to protection for displaced persons. However, concerns have arisen regarding differential treatment in relation to other categories of asylum seekers, and also between persons eligible to temporary protection. This study examines whether such differential treatment amounts to unlawful discrimination, focusing on access to protection. The analysis is made through an examination of legislation, literature, and case-law. While acknowledging the importance of other grounds that shape discrimination in this context, the analysis is centered on nationality and race, two interrelated and prevalent grounds of refugee discrimination. By assessing the differential treatment granted to displaced persons from Ukraine, this study aims to identify unlawful discrimination and examine how non-discrimination rules can challenge State actions. The findings contribute to an understanding of refugee discrimination and underscore the importance of doctrinal tools in addressing differentiation within the global refugee regime.
- O processo de envelhecimento tem correlação com a temperatura da pele dos calcanhares?Publication . Trento, Gabriela Fagundes; Marcolina, Julia Scalco; Soares, Rhea Silvia de Avila; Lima, Suzinara Beatriz Soares de; Alves, Paulo Jorge Pereira; Eberhardt, Thaís DreschObjetivo: avaliar a correlação entre a idade e a temperatura da pele dos calcanhares de indivíduos saudáveis e hospitalizados. Metodologia: trata-se de uma análise secundária de dados parciais de um estudo antes-depois e de um ensaio clínico randomizado (ECR) autocontrolado O primeiro estudo (outubro de 2022) investigou o impacto da aplicação de pressão por 30 minutos no microclima da pele em proeminências ósseas de adultos saudáveis. O segundo estudo (março de 2019 a fevereiro de 2020) avaliou a eficácia de coberturas na prevenção de lesões por pressão em calcanhares de pacientes cirúrgicos. A análise secundária foi realizada em agosto de 2024, sendo incluídos os dados da temperatura dos calcanhares de todos os participantes de ambas as pesquisas, no baseline. A temperatura da pele foi mensurada em ºC por meio de termômetro digital infravermelho. Para avaliar a correlação entre as variáveis quantitativas, foi realizado teste de Correlação de Spearman. Resultados: foram incluídos 25 adultos saudáveis (50 calcanhares) e 91 adultos e idosos hospitalizados no pré-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca (182 calcanhares). Identificou-se, em ambos os grupos de participantes, médias semelhantes de temperatura dos calcanhares, variando entre 26,7ºC e 27,7ºC. Identificou-se correlação estatisticamente significativa baixa entre a idade e a temperatura do calcanhar esquerdo em adultos saudáveis. Conclusões: conclui-se que não há correlação entre a idade e a temperatura da pele dos calcanhares.
- A hermenêutica bíblica e a crise ecológica : Lynn White em diálogo com as confissões de Santo AgostinhoPublication . Santos, João Marques Ferreira dos; Lamelas, IsidroA relevância da crise ecológica atual implica todos os saberes, nos quais também se inclui a teologia. O desafio das ciências à teologia impõe-se, especialmente, após a publicação do artigo de Lynn White, «The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis», em 1967, onde o autor localiza a raiz da crise ecológica nas transformações cosmológica e antropológica operadas pela hermenêutica bíblica cristã, sobretudo a de tradição ocidental, que acentuou o mandato bíblico do Homem dominar a terra (cf. Gn 1, 26). É nosso objetivo neste trabalho avaliar a tese de Lynn White a partir das Confissões de Santo Agostinho. Com efeito, sendo o Hiponense um dos principais visados da crítica de White, verificamos a necessidade de revisitar o pensamento agostiniano concernente à perspetiva ecológica, algo que tem vindo a acontecer nos últimos anos, com uma releitura das obras deste Padre da Igreja. Focamo-nos nas Confissões por nelas o Hiponense nos propor uma exegese amadurecida do Hexaemeron, bem com pelo impacto maior desta obra na tradição posterior. Tal estudo evidencia que não obstante se confirmem as transformações identificadas por White, Santo Agostinho defende a bondade da Criação, consciência que brota da exegese alegórica realizada de acordo com a regula fidei e que torna possível afirmar a reciprocidade entre o amor da Humanidade e o louvor das criaturas. Por outro lado, embora o Homem seja a única criatura imago Dei, a sua capacidade de julgar a Criação é limitada, sendo que a sua condição de fragilidade moral o leva frequentemente a trocar o amore Deo pelo amore curarum, o que contribui para a desordem na sociedade. Como tal, foi possível estabelecer um diálogo entre os dois autores, sobretudo nos fundamentos teológicos em causa, não obstante a distância temporal que os separa.
- Antimicrobial impact of essential oils on human skin colonizers and pathogens: targeting Staphylococcus speciesPublication . Lopes, Ana I.; Oliveira, Cláudia S.; Pintado, Manuela E.; Tavaria, Freni K.Background: Staphylococcus spp., one of the most abundant bacterial genera of the human skin microbiome, comprises commensal microorganisms – Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) – and opportunistic pathogens – Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Staphylococcus-caused diseases are typically treated with antibiotics, but the antimicrobial resistance underscores the need for alternative treatments. Essential oils (EOs) are natural compounds made of terpenes and terpenoid molecules. Their antimicrobial activity results from the effect upon several cell targets, making the appearance of resistances unlikely. Objective: To study the antimicrobial activity of three EOs (eucalyptus, lavender, and thyme) on two Staphylococcus species (S. epidermidis and S. aureus). Methods: To assess the antimicrobial potential of EOs against the selected bacteria, the following assays were performed: i) determination of the minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum bactericidal (MBC) concentrations; ii) inhibition curves for each oil defined for the MIC, to understand how the bacteria respond to the oils; iii) antibiofilm formation assays using MIC, ½ MIC and ¼ MIC dilutions for each oil; and iv) evaluation of the membrane damage through flow cytometry, by staining the bacterial cells exposed to the oils, with propidium iodide (PI) and thiazole orange (TO). Results: The MIC and MBC values for the selected EOs ranged from 0.078% and 2.5% (v/v). Thyme presented the lower MIC for both bacteria. The inhibition curves corroborated the MIC results for all EOs. However, thyme was the one with a bactericidal effect on both bacteria. Thyme also presented higher antibiofilm activity compared to eucalyptus and lavender. The flow cytometry assay showed that all oils were able to damage the cell membrane of both bacteria (positive PI staining), but S. epidermidis showed less cell damage than S. aureus. Conclusion: The selected EOs presented antibacterial activity against S. epidermidis and S. aureus. Thyme EO was the one with the best antibacterial activity. S. epidermidis is more resistant to the oils than S. aureus.
- Antimicrobial impact of essential oils on human skin colonizers and pathogens: targeting Staphylococcus speciesPublication . Lopes, Ana I.; Oliveira, Cláudia S.; Pintado, Manuela E.; Tavaria, Freni K.Introduction: Staphylococcus spp. is one of the most abundant bacterial genera of the human skin microbiome (Joglekar et al. 2023). It comprises commensal microorganisms – Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) – and opportunistic pathogens – Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (Imam and Luqman 2024). Staphylococci-caused diseases are typically treated with antibiotics, but the antimicrobial resistance underscores the need for alternative treatments. Essential oils (EOs) are natural compounds made of terpenes and terpenoid molecules. Their antimicrobial activity targets multiple cellular components, which reduces the likelihood of resistance development (Zuzarte et al. 2011). Objective: To study the antimicrobial activity of three EOs (eucalyptus, lavender, and thyme) on two Staphylococcus species (S. aureus and S. epidermidis). Conclusions: Eucalyptus, lavender, and thyme EOs present antibacterial activity against S. aureus and S. epidermidis. Thyme possesses the lowest MIC; the inhibition curves corroborated this result. The flow cytometry assay showed that all oils were able to damage bacterial cells; thyme oil presented the highest percentages of dead and injured cells. All EOs also showed anti-biofilm activity; thyme presented the highest anti-biofilm activity when compared to eucalyptus and lavender. S. epidermidis is more resistant to the oils than S. aureus.
- Online activism : social media and socio-political activism by young women in Saudi ArabiaPublication . Yousef, Rola Khalid Ahmad; Ribeiro, Nelson CostaIn most democratic countries around the world, ordinary citizens in general and young women in particular have access to different avenues to participate and demand social and political changes and rights. However, in Saudi Arabia, access to and participation in social and political activism were and are still highly limited and restricted, especially for women. Therefore, the emergence of "online activism", which was aided and facilitated by new communication technologies and social media platforms, offered Saudi women enormous potential for democratic exchange, to pressurize state institutions, foster political participation, and foster social change. In this regard, young Saudi women are establishing their own virtual communities and advocacy campaigns in the online sphere in order to fight for their political and social rights and the right to participate, as we witnessed in the Twitter campaign against the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia. In line with the volatile political and social situations and the authoritative environment in Saudi Arabia and based on 3500 tweets and six semi-structured interviews, this thesis explores young Saudi women's participation, activism, and usage of social media platforms to demand political and social change. In particular, it investigates the context of Saudi Arabia and its effect on Saudi women's online engagement and activism on social and political issues and the rise of the phenomenon of Saudi online feminism. This research shows that social media platforms were a potential tool for women's activism and played an unprecedented role in paving the way for Saudi young women's participation in socio-political issues in general and activism against the male guardianship system in particular despite the several obstacles that had to be dealt with within the country9s authoritarian context. The anti-male guardianship campaign's internet observation revealed that there was no set model of communication that was adhered to. The communication was informal and approachable, but because every participant made their own posts independently, it was challenging to standardize the messaging. However, the message is intended to reach men, women, and society at large, as well as political and religious organizations. Finally, this study demonstrates that Twitter, in particular, and social media in general were particularly useful tools for women living in challenging social, political, and economic contexts. By addressing the obstacles and constraints that feminism movements face and exposing the limitations and repression that the Saudi government and the general public impose on internet activism in general and women's activism in particular, this study also sheds light on another crucial fact that contradicts the first.