EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, Apr 1, 2015
Influence of obesity and sarcopenic obesity on plantar pressure of postmenopausal women
Clinical Biomechanics, Jun 1, 2010
Menopause is associated with a decrease in fat-free mass and an increase in fat mass. Sarcopenic ... more Menopause is associated with a decrease in fat-free mass and an increase in fat mass. Sarcopenic obesity is more strongly associated with physical limitations than either obesity or sarcopenia and their effect in plantar pressure is not known. Consequently, the scope of the present study was to examine the effect of obesity and sarcopenic obesity on plantar pressure of postmenopausal women, during walking. Body composition and biomechanics parameters of plantar pressure were assessed in 239 postmenopausal women. Compared to non-obese and non-sarcopenic women, obese postmenopausal women have higher peak pressure in the metatarsal areas 1, 4, 5, midfoot and lateral heel and higher absolute impulses in all metatarsal and heel areas. On the other hand, sarcopenic obese postmenopausal women presented higher peak pressure and absolute impulses under all metatarsal areas, midfoot and heels. When the absolute values of maximal peak pressures and absolute impulses were normalised to body mass, pressure increases were only perceived for midfoot. The pressure increase found in different foot areas of obese and particularly in sarcopenic obese could cause discomfort and pain in the foot. Sarcopenic obese postmenopausal women also present a higher loading during the stance phase comparing with non-sarcopenic non-obese, fact that might limit their basic daily activity tasks, such as walking.
The 2017 wildfires marked a dramatic milestone in Portuguese society, which corresponded to extre... more The 2017 wildfires marked a dramatic milestone in Portuguese society, which corresponded to extreme intensity and the inherent loss of life, property, and thousands of burned forest hectares. This high impact led to a paradigm shift regarding prevention and firefighting, highlighting the need for an integrated fire management approach and assuming as imperative the integration of wildfire risk reduction on spatial planning at the municipal level. This turning point was expressed in the prolific legislative production, namely in the guidelines for preventing and fighting wildfires, given by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers (RCM) n.º 157-A/2017; on the principles set out in the Directive for Preventing and Fighting Wildfires, defined by the RCM n.º 20/2018; in the approval of the National Plan for the Integrated Management of Wildfires (PNGIFR), emanated from the RCM n.º 45-A/2020, which established the need to implement an Integrated Management System for Wildfires (SGIFR), whose vision and objectives were defined in the RCM n.º 12/2019, and its operating rules were enacted in the Decree-Law n.º 82/2021. As such, the SGIFR establishes, at a national level, strategic guidelines with a view to risk reduction, changing the behaviour of owners, users, and other beneficiaries of the rural territory. In addition, SGIFR proposes integrating wildfire risk reduction in spatial planning through the insertion of a fire hazard map, namely in the master plan's constraints map (i.e., the map where are identified the administrative easements and public utility restrictions that may constitute limitations or impediments to any specific form of land use). The constraint map is one of the documents of the Municipal Master Plan, i.e., the fundamental legal instrument in the management of the municipal territory that defines the strategic framework for territorial development and the spatial organization model of the municipal territory. This paper identifies the weaknesses of the approach proposed by the SGIFR to promote wildfire risk reduction through spatial planning. Firstly, we used an online questionnaire answered by 175 municipalities of Portugal, in order to examine the local technicians' experience in applying the legislation of spatial planning and wildfire management policies. In a second step, we collected data from a Delphi survey with 27 experts and from a focus group with 9 experts with the aim to confirm or disconfirm the importance of each need for integration between land use planning and rural fire management, indicated by the questionnaire of 175 municipalities. One of the main weaknesses is related with the integration of the fire hazard map in the constraints map of the Municipal Master Plan, considering the high inter-annual variability of fire hazard and the long-term definition of the municipal development model. This procedure will create building permit constraints which can limit the development and continue to favour the depopulation of the rural areas. This paper contributes to bridging a critical gap in knowledge on the role of spatial planning in the reduction of wildfire hazard and exposure, given that the characteristics of fire hazard are distinctive from other natural hazards (e.g., floods, costal erosion, earthquakes).
Caídas en desgracia: desde apreciados habitantes del jardín hasta especies invasoras. La historia de dos viñas escapadas del jardín en la isla de Madeira
Scientia Insularum - Islands Science, Dec 24, 2020
The aim of the present work is to evaluate the impact of water pollution in wild fish around the ... more The aim of the present work is to evaluate the impact of water pollution in wild fish around the area of Jales Mine, in order to identify the impact of this abandoned mine in the aquatic ecosystems using histopathological lesions. On the other hand, we pretend to implement a new technology, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographycal Information System (GIS), in order to characterize the geoposition of the studied locals and facilitate the routing until these sampling points. Wild fish can be used as bioindicators of water quality in streams, and being a source of biomarkers. Fish were caught by electrofishing in different locals in Jales Mine area, in the Douro watershed (Portugal). The external observation was made to examine potential gross lesions and the liver was sampled to histopathological examination. Several lesions where found in the perturbed locals downstream the runoff of tailings. The main liver lesions observed were necrosis, hepatite, basophilic zone, and chola...
A estimativa da altura dominante média de árvores (Pinus pinaster) foi efectuada em 37 parcelas c... more A estimativa da altura dominante média de árvores (Pinus pinaster) foi efectuada em 37 parcelas circulares de 500 m2 através de 3 métodos de medição:(1) medição directa no campo com um hipsómetro de Blume Leiss (hd);(2) medição com barra de paralaxe sobre ...
The aim of this paper is to analyse facial similarity and apply it to identify the individuals de... more The aim of this paper is to analyse facial similarity and apply it to identify the individuals depicted in the mural paintings of the apse of St. Leocadia Church, located in Chaves Municipality (North of Portugal), which were painted during the first quarter of the 16th century. This study also compares the portraits of this mural paintings with the oil paintings by the Proto-Renaissance Portuguese painter Nuno Gonçalves. Through this research, the feasibility of face recognition technology is explored to answer many ambiguities about Manueline stylistic identity and iconography. Additionally, it aims to associate historical events, artistic discoveries, and the expansion of portraiture as propaganda of power during the Portuguese Proto-Renaissance and Early Renaissance. On the other hand, it focuses on the prevalence of the religious and devotional over the sacred in Manueline painting. A proposal was made to identify the characters that are fundamental to the meaning of the mural paintings. An experiment was conducted on seven characters from the paintings at St. Leocadia Church, which were then compared to Nuno Gonçalves' portraits. Facial similarity analysis was conducted on the faces portrayed in the Panels of St. Vincent, a remarkable portrait gallery from 15th-century Portugal, which has been the subject of national and international research for 130 years. Other paintings that were analysed were the oil paintings of St. Peter and St. Paul and of Infanta St. Joana, which were created by the same Quattrocento master. The purpose of the mural paintings of St. Leocadia Church could be catechetical in nature or related to the ritual practices of royal ancestor worship in royal portrait apses of the churches. It could also be associated with the Portuguese maritime expansion and the macro-imperial ideology of D. Manuel I.
Pharingomyia picta and Cephanemyia auribarbis in Wild Populations of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in... more Pharingomyia picta and Cephanemyia auribarbis in Wild Populations of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Portugal.
Brazil has emerged as the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter in recent years. In the B... more Brazil has emerged as the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter in recent years. In the Brazilian Amazon Biome, the state of Pará has become a new agricultural frontier over the last two decades due to a significant increase in soybean cultivation throughout its territory. However, it is essential to understand the associated effects on the environment at every point in the supply chain. This research aims to measure the effects on the environment of the soybean supply chain of two production poles utilising openLCA software and the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology in the northeast (Paragominas) and south (Redenção) of the state of Pará in Brazil. In addition, we determine which is the most efficient route between the shipment port and the ultimate destination. The Recipe Midpoint (H) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methods of environmental impact categories were used in accordance with the cradle-to-grave scope. The BRLUC regionalised model (v1.3...
Background This paper identifies the weaknesses of the Portuguese approach to promote wildfire ri... more Background This paper identifies the weaknesses of the Portuguese approach to promote wildfire risk reduction through spatial planning. Aims This paper contributes to bridging a critical gap in knowledge on the role of spatial planning in the reduction of wildfire hazard, given that the characteristics of fire hazard are distinctive from other natural hazards. Methods Firstly, we used an online questionnaire answered by 175 municipalities of Portugal in order to examine local technicians’ experience in applying spatial planning legislation and wildfire management policies. In a second step, we collected data from a Delphi survey with 27 experts with the aim of confirming or repudiating the importance of each need for integration between spatial planning and rural fire management indicated by the replies of the 175 municipalities. Key results, conclusions, and implications One of the main identified weaknesses relates to the integration of the National Hazard Map in the Constraints M...
Tackling climate change impacts on biodiversity towards integrative conservation in Atlantic landscapes
Global Ecology and Conservation
A Review and Analysis of Life Cycle Assessment Tendencies in the Brazilian Soybean Supply Chain
Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of supply chain Life Cycle Assessments, from l... more Recently, there has been an increase in the number of supply chain Life Cycle Assessments, from local cultivation to the final product and its disposal. Globally, the soybean supply chain has expanded. In the 2019/20 season, Brazil was the largest producer and exporter of this commodity worldwide. Currently, LCA publications addressing the environmental impacts of the Brazilian soybean supply chain are scarce, and a review with multiple results is necessary. In the current paper, we performed a search on the 'Web of Knowledge' database using the following search strings: 'Soybean Life Cycle Assessment' and 'Soybean Supply Chain Brazil Assessment'. The search initially retrieved 335 papers. Screening of the identified studies eventually reduced the sample down to 27 relevant papers. We then extracted data that included diverse system boundaries, functional units, life cycle inventories, allocation, impact assessments, and LCA interpretations from each of the studies. Interestingly, the results showed that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change method and the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions appeared most (13 times each). Additionally, the SimaPro software was used in nine studies, and the cradle-to-grave concept was addressed in 15 publications. Furthermore, due to the use of various inputs, the agricultural phase has the most significant environmental impact on the soybean supply chain, followed by the transport phase.
Vespa velutina accidentally arrived in Europe (France) in 2004, and rapidly expanded throughout t... more Vespa velutina accidentally arrived in Europe (France) in 2004, and rapidly expanded throughout the entire country. Its presence in mainland Portugal was first noticed in 2011. Being an invasive species with no natural predators in the region to control it, it has caused enormous environmental and economic damage, particularly on Apis mellifera (honeybee) colonies. Although there is already some research on this species’ biology, little is known about its adaption to European ecological conditions, specifically in terms of nest building. This type of hornet builds a primary nest in the spring to start a colony. During the summer, they build a secondary nest to develop the main colony. These secondary nests are ovoid-shaped and range in size from 18.7 cm to 45.0 cm in diameter and from 19.2 cm to 65.0 cm in length, attaining their highest development in late summer. The external appearance of these nests is characterized by alternating stripes that are beige and brown in color. The m...
The invasion by the Yellow-legged hornet: A systematic review
Journal for Nature Conservation, 2022
Contributions of Sustainable Biomass and Bioenergy in Agriculture Transitions Towards a Circular Economy
Practice, Progress, and Proficiency in Sustainability, 2022
The production of bioenergy and biofertilizers based on animal and plant biomass is a crucial pil... more The production of bioenergy and biofertilizers based on animal and plant biomass is a crucial pillar in circular economy (CE). CE conceptual model and main aims are closely related to the 3 “R” (reduce, reuse, and recycle) rule, which is to improve the use of resources, minimize waste, and assure sustainability. Although bioenergy offers many opportunities and could be an alternative to fossil fuels use, the path for a broader implementation of this type of activity is still long. This study marks the starting point or direction of research to be taken, ensuring the existence of benefits from plant and animal biomass for the production of bioenergy and biofertilizer, as well as the contributions of this type of production to the circular economy and the mitigation of the climate change impacts.
Sustainable management of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is a European Union objective s... more Sustainable management of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is a European Union objective supported on multifunctional agri-environment measures. The effectiveness of specific practices implemented to reverse declines in farmland biodiversity should be monitored using straightforward methodologies and indicators. This work outlines an innovative hybrid framework to predict the response of biodiversity indicators to farm management options. We exemplify the framework application, integrating monitoring, statistics and spatio-temporal modelling procedures with a case study using flying vertebrates' patterns for indicating biodiversity trends. The indicators considered depict significant divergences within contrasting on-farm implemented environmental management options. In fact, while birds' abundance was expected to increase within environmentally friendly options, bats passes showed fluctuating patterns. Overall, the framework and indicators selected were considered relevant for biodiversity assessments in vineyard landscapes. This approach also provides a promising baseline to support sustainable management practices and options for other agroecosystems, derived from ecological models with increased predictive power and intuitiveness to decision makers and environmental managers.
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Papers by Jose Aranha