Suchergebnisse

A existência de um conjunto de intenções de inves- timento com incidência na zona do Caia pode constituir uma oportunidade de desenvolvimento económico e so- cial para a região. Destacam-se o atravessamento da li- nha de alta velocidade Lisboa/Madrid, com uma estação na zona do Caia, a localização da plataforma logística de Elvas e a ligação ferroviária Sines/Poceirão/Évora/Elvas. No entanto, o território da zona do Caia apresenta ca- racterísticas muito específicas: está incluído no aproveita- mento hidroagrícola do Caia e possui valores naturais de relevância à escala europeia, como a Rede Natura 2000 (Sítio do Caia), encontrando-se ainda integrado nas Re- servas Ecológica e Agrícola Nacionais. Assim, a presente comunicação pretende equacionar opções territoriais alter- nativas que potenciam a cooperação transfronteiriça Elvas/Badajoz e que manifestam a preocupação de preservar os valores naturais existentes. Para o efeito, efectua-se uma análise do posicionamen- to de Elvas/Badajoz na rede de transporte de mercadorias e de logística ibérica e no sistema urbano transfronteiriço. A comunicação pretende discutir as condições de viabi- lidade de uma plataforma logística nessa área no contexto da rede ibérica e confrontar modelos de desenvolvimen- to territorial alternativos para a zona do Caia com as mais recentes opções de planeamento à escala regional e local.

Perante a atual dificuldade dos sistemas políticos e financeiros dos países europeus, em especial os do sul da Europa, em fazer face às maiores taxas de desemprego, desde que há registro na história, a via do empreendedorismo tem assumido crescente importância no quadro das políticas de incentivo ao emprego. Face à ausência de respostas no mercado assalariado, o empreendedorismo tem sido apresentado como uma das soluções mais populares na reconquista do direito ao trabalho: realidade complexa que merece uma discussão conceitual e um renovado questionamento das atuais práticas de intervenção social. Apesar de ser evidente a existência de uma relação entre desemprego e empreendedorismo, esta é fonte de grande ambiguidade entre os especialistas. Ao longo do artigo é discutido, e assumido, o caráter heurístico de um projeto tão pessoal quanto social, como a criação do próprio emprego, contextualizado na discussão crítica sobre a eficácia das práticas de intervenção social.

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of three key variables on the performance of nanoporous AM-3 and layered AM-4 titanosilicates in removing nine REEs (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, and Dy) from natural mineral water and identifies optimal operational conditions using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The experimental conditions were determined by a Box-Behnken Design of 3 factors-3 levels (pH 4, 6, and 8; sorbent dose 20, 100, and 180 mg/L; and element concentration 1, 3, and 5 μmol/L). Three-dimensional response surfaces were used to assess the linear, quadratic, and interaction influences of each factor on the REEs' removal percentage. The pH was the most significant factor in the removal process using AM-3, while the sorbent dose was more important for AM-4. The results highlighted the sorbents' strong capacity for REE removal. The optimal operating conditions obtained by RSM were applied to aqueous solutions with salinity 10 (common in coastal and transitional systems) and 30 (average seawater salinity). The results showed that AM-3 has a strong potential for removing REEs in solutions with salinity 10 and 30, while AM-4 was less efficient due to competition between REEs and other ions present in the solution.

AbstractThe release of hazardous elements by industrial effluents to aquatic ecosystems is a potential threat to the environment. Chromium (Cr) is one of the elements whose levels in several freshwater ecosystems should be reduced to promote water reuse. In recent years, magnetic materials have gained increasing interest as sorbents because of their easy removal from treated water through magnetic separation. In this study, colloidal cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) particles were investigated as magnetic sorbents for chromium-aqueous chemical species. The oxidative stress responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels exposed to 200 μg/L of Cr, resembling remediated water, were evaluated. More than 95% of Cr was removed from contaminated solutions by CoFe2O4 aqueous suspensions at pH 6 and pH 10. The kinetics of sorption experiments were examined using pseudo-1st order, pseudo-2nd order and Elovich models to evaluate which mathematical model has a better adjustment to the experimental data. The present study revealed that the levels of Cr that remained in remediated water induced limited biochemical changes in mussels, being considered safe for aquatic systems. Overall, the use of cobalt ferrite–based sorbents may constitute a promising approach to remediate contaminated water.

Abstract
Marine biofouling pollution is a process that impacts ecosystems and the global economy. On the other hand, traditional antifouling (AF) marine coatings release persistent and toxic biocides that accumulate in sediments and aquatic organisms. To understand the putative impact on marine ecosystems of recently described and patented AF xanthones (xanthones 1 and 2), able to inhibit mussel settlement without acting as biocides, several in silico environmental fate predictions (bioaccumulation, biodegradation, and soil absorption) were calculated in this work. Subsequently, a degradation assay using treated seawater at different temperatures and light exposures was conducted for a period of 2 months to calculate their half-life (DT50). Xanthone 2 was found to be non-persistent (DT50 < 60 days) at 50 μM, contrary to xanthone 1 (DT50 > 60 days). To evaluate the efficacy of both xanthones as AF agents, they were blended into four polymeric-based coating systems: polyurethane- and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based marine paints, as well as room-temperature-vulcanizing PDMS- and acrylic-based coatings. Despite their low water solubility, xanthones 1 and 2 demonstrated suitable leaching behaviors after 45 days. Overall, the generated xanthone-based coatings were able to decrease the attachment of the Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae after 40 h. This proof-of-concept and environmental impact evaluation will contribute to the search for truly environmental-friendly AF alternatives.

Notwithstanding the positive impacts of short-term rentals (STRs), it is often their negative effects that have been raising pressing questions for urban planners and public policy-makers, including changes in housing dynamics, conflicts between residents and visitors, tourism gentrification phenomena, unfair competition practices, and tax evasion, among other externalities. Because of this, short-term rental regulation has become an important item on the political agenda of municipalities that live daily with these issues. In order to contribute to a better understanding of STR regulatory approaches, this paper investigates how Lisbon (Portugal) has been responding to the effects attributed to STRs. It can be concluded that the main negative impact of STR in Lisbon is its effects on the housing prices increase and that the main STR regulation measure is focused on zoning: definition of zones for the application of differentiated STR rules and management.

Tourism Governance takes a systematic approach to reveal the varying internal and external dynamics that influence tourism policy and strategy across countries. With particular attention to the role of stakeholders and governmental scales, the book offers a broad geographic representation, highlighting the diversity of governance relationships towards tourism in Colombia, Egypt, Finland, France, India, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and United States. Two additional chapters push beyond borders to examine tourism driven nongovernmental organizations and international tourism governance. As the first and only comprehensive comparative analysis of tourism across governmental systems, Tourism Governance promises to be a platform for inspiring critical discourse on the forces that shape this global industry