Suchergebnisse

We increasingly live simultaneously immersed in physical interactions and in a world where the digital dimension is present at various levels, such as the social, economic and political ones. In this context, the relationship between the digital world and Sustainability is pivotal. This aim of this paper is to discuss, in a reasoned manner, the importance of literacy in the promotion of sustainability in a digital society. For this purpose, the results of a literature review will be mobilized, as well as our 20 years of experience in teaching and research in the fields of sociology, education and organizations, without forgetting the publications that we have on similar topics, which will be, whenever heuristically relevant, mobilized to substantiate and justify the arguments presented herein. The conclusions show that, in a reality where the digital involves many of the life dimensions—for example, in the form of Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0—the role of literacy and, in particular, digital literacy, are critical in the development of sustainability literacy. For this to be possible, significant training work must be carried out. Furthermore, it is not possible to assume that the access, the skills in its use and the benefits of this wonderful digital world will automatically be grasped and felt by all citizens, in an ideology that must be fought. Only in this way will it be possible to foster sustainability, which must necessarily be inclusive.

Mestrado em Contabilidade, Fiscalidade e Finanças Empresariais ; Este estudo tem por objectivo investigar o papel do governo das sociedades na gestão fiscal. Isto é feito analisando 103 empresas espanholas cotadas através de quatro regressões diferentes, cada uma associada a um mecanismo de governo das sociedades distinto: (1) composição do conselho de administração, (2) características do CEO, (3) estrutura compensatória dos directores e (4) estrutura de detenção. Os resultados obtidos confirmam a literatura existente sobre este tema, demonstrando que o governo das sociedades tem, de facto, um impacto importante na gestão fiscal. As conclusões mostram também que os accionistas (e não apenas os gestores) podem estar interessados em reduzir a carga fiscal das empresas, uma vez que esta é uma oportunidade para aumentar o desempenho destas e ganhar mais dinheiro. Este estudo pode ajudar a compreender como os legisladores podem reduzir as situações em que os impostos são geridos de forma excessiva e ajudar a definir as políticas corporativas das empresas. ; This paper investigates the role of corporate governance devices on tax management. This is done by analysing 103 Spanish listed firms through four different regressions models, each associated with a different corporate governance mechanism: (1) board of directors' composition, (2) CEO's characteristics, (3) directors' compensation structure and (4) ownership structure. Extending existing literature on this subject, the results support the view that corporate governance has, in fact, an important impact on tax management. The conclusions also support the idea that shareholders (and not only managers) may be interested in reducing the firms' tax burden, as it is an opportunity to improve its performance and earn more money. The present study may provide insights into how legislators may reduce situations where taxes are managed in an excessive way and help define the firms' corporate policies.

Nitric oxide (NO) has long been recognized as a multifaceted participant in brain physiology. Despite the knowledge that was gathered over many years regarding the contribution of NO to neuronal plasticity, for example the ability of the brain to change in response to new stimuli, only in recent years have we begun to understand how NO acts on the molecular and cellular level to orchestrate such important phenomena as synaptic plasticity (modification of the strength of existing synapses) or the formation of new synapses (synaptogenesis) and new neurons (neurogenesis). Post-translational modification of proteins by NO derivatives or reactive nitrogen species is a non-classical mechanism for signalling by NO. S-nitrosation is a reversible post-translational modification of thiol groups (mainly on cysteines) that may result in a change of function of the modified protein. S-nitrosation of key target proteins has emerged as a main regulatory mechanism by which NO can influence several levels of brain plasticity, which are reviewed in this work. Understanding how S-nitrosation contributes to neural plasticity can help us to better understand the physiology of these processes, and to better address pathological changes in plasticity that are involved in the pathophysiology of several neurological diseases. Linked ArticlesThis article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of the Gasotransmitters. To view the other articles in this section visit ; FEDER funds via Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE); COST action [BM1005]; Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) [PTDC/SAU-OSD/0473/2012, PEst-C/SAU/LA0001/2013-2014, PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013-2014]; Spanish-Portuguese Integrated Action grant [PRI-AIBPT-2011-1015/E-10/12]; FCT [SFRH/BD/77903/2011]; I3SNS programme (ISCIII, Spanish Government)

This article aims to understand how a group of preschool and primary school teachers view the process of educational transition between these two educational contexts, considering the consequences that these moments have on the children's school career and on their own personal and social experience, and that teachers play a key role as links between both. Methodologically, this research is based on the collection of information through a questionnaire survey, with open and closed questions, filled in by 20 preschool educators and 20 primary school teachers from the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Portugal. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results obtained allow us to conclude that there are specific differences in the way preschool teachers and primary school teachers look at educational transition, although both consider it as an important aspect of the children's educational path, highlighting the need for a closer relationship between both in the construction of a process that is intended to be continuous and smooth.

Received: 8 April 2021 / Accepted: 5 June 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

Scientific knowledge entails rigour and control, both as a process of creating a reasoned view of reality and also as the product of results that shape the dissemination of science. The publication is critical for the development of science and the career of the academic/scientist. This article discusses some aspects of writing in science, in a stance that starts from the authors' scientific area – Sociology/Social Sciences –, using the scientific publication in specialized journals as a paradigmatic case. The results allow concluding that writing in science does not provide the indication of principles to be pursued and that it is shaped as more than rigid self-sufficient rules for the production of a scientific-type text. This topic is particularly relevant in the current context, in which the process of scientific publication is undergoing a profound reformulation.

Currently, the journals in the field of social sciences seem to emphasize the preference that authors submit for evaluation and publication manuscripts in the form of research articles with empirical data, following the model of exact sciences and, preferably, with the possibility of research replication. The scholarly publication based on reasoned logical argumentation seems to be increasingly relegated to the sidelines. This letter argues that questioning preconceived ideas and contributing to thinking is critical and that its publication, after the quality and relevance of personal argumentation is assessed, should take place even without respecting the replication of the research model.

UIDB/04647/2020 UIDP/04647/2020 ; he aim of this article is to understand the symbolic representations of the assistance strategies aimed at disadvantaged children, expressed in two newspapers published on the island of Faial, in the Azores, in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries (covering the time horizon between the end of the monarchic period and the implementation of the First Republic). The technique of documentary analysis and a subsequent qualitative thematic content analysis of childcare news collected in two local newspapers were used. The discursive records produced by the press on the assistance strategies value, on the one hand, an axiological dimension and forms of charitable intervention and, on the other hand, aggregate and reconcile the discourses and techniques inherent to charitable and philanthropic models. This mutual assimilation underlies the achievement of the same objective: The moralization and integration of disadvantaged invalid childhood and, above all, the protection of the existing social order. We conclude that, perhaps contrary to what would be expected, the charitable logic articulated in a concomitant way with the philanthropic logic survived, even with the stabilization of the republican period (result of a revolution that deposed the regime of the constitutional monarchy and implemented the republican regime in 1910 in Portugal, whose political elites mobilized an official discourse that advocated the separation between the State and Religion, assigning the State the function of social assistance for children and youth). This demonstrates a certain dissociation, as well as a relative autonomy of conceptions about child and youth care between republican political ideology and current social practices, at least in this specific context. ; publishersversion ; published

The aim of this article is to understand the symbolic representations of the assistance strategies aimed at disadvantaged children, expressed in two newspapers published on the island of Faial, in the Azores, in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries (covering the time horizon between the end of the monarchic period and the implementation of the First Republic). The technique of documentary analysis and a subsequent qualitative thematic content analysis of childcare news collected in two local newspapers were used. The discursive records produced by the press on the assistance strategies value, on the one hand, an axiological dimension and forms of charitable intervention and, on the other hand, aggregate and reconcile the discourses and techniques inherent to charitable and philanthropic models. This mutual assimilation underlies the achievement of the same objective: The moralization and integration of disadvantaged invalid childhood and, above all, the protection of the existing social order. We conclude that, perhaps contrary to what would be expected, the charitable logic articulated in a concomitant way with the philanthropic logic survived, even with the stabilization of the republican period (result of a revolution that deposed the regime of the constitutional monarchy and implemented the republican regime in 1910 in Portugal, whose political elites mobilized an official discourse that advocated the separation between the State and Religion, assigning the State the function of social assistance for children and youth). This demonstrates a certain dissociation, as well as a relative autonomy of conceptions about child and youth care between republican political ideology and current social practices, at least in this specific context.

Aims: Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the upregulation of endogenous neurogenesis in the subventricular zone and in the hippocampus after injury. One of the main neurogenic pathways activated by NO is the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, downstream of the epidermal growth factor receptor. However, the mechanism by which NO stimulates cell proliferation through activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway remains unknown, although p21Ras seems to be one of the earliest targets of NO. Here, we aimed at studying the possible neurogenic action of NO by post-translational modification of p21Ras as a relevant target for early neurogenic events promoted by NO in neural stem cells (NSCs). Results: We show that NO caused S-nitrosylation (SNO) of p21Ras in Cys118, which triggered downstream activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway and proliferation of NSC. Moreover, in cells overexpressing a mutant Ras in which Cys118 was replaced by a serine-C118S-, cells were insensitive to NO, and no increase in SNO, in ERK phosphorylation, or in cell proliferation was observed. We also show that, after seizures, in the presence of NO derived from inducible nitric oxide synthase, there was an increase in p21Ras cysteine modification that was concomitant with the previously described stimulation of proliferation in the dentate gyrus. Innovation: Our work identifies p21Ras and its SNO as an early target of NO during signaling events that lead to NSC proliferation and neurogenesis. Conclusion: Our data highlight Ras SNO as an early event leading to NSC proliferation, and they may provide a target for NO-induced stimulation of neurogenesis with implications for brain repair. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 15-30. ; Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal; fellowships SFRH/BD/77903/2011 and SFRH/BD/79308/2011); I3SNS programme (ISCIII, Spanish Government, partially funded by FEDER/EDRF). I.M.A. is supported by FEDER/EDRF funds via Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE), by the FCT (grants PTDC/NEU-OSD/0473/2012, UID/BIM/04773/2013, UID/NEU/04539/2013). This work was supported by the COST action BM1005 (ENOG: European Network on Gasotransmitters), by the Spanish Government (ISCIII grants PS09/00101, PI12/00875, and PI15/00107; cofinanced by FEDER/EDRF), and by the Spanish-Portuguese Integrated Action grant PRI-AIBPT-2011-1015/E-10/12. ; Peer Reviewed

In this Letter to Editor, we put forth a reflection on the stigmatisation processes shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Received: 30 November 2020 / Accepted: 8 January 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021

UIDB/04647/2020 UIDP/04647/2020 ; In today's world, digitalization, the virtual and being permanently online become normality, corresponding to individuals' current and future expectations, with an increasing impact, without forgetting those excluded from this reality (digital divide). Society 5.0 seeks to foster this reality. As a concept initially politicalideological, Society 5.0 currently allows for the development of various analyses on this process of shaping a society where the digital is increasingly present at the service of sustainable social and economic development- A super-smart society. This paper aims to develop an analysis of the challenges that old and new potential social inequalities pose to social inclusion in this super-smart society. The methodology used in this study is qualitative. The authors carried out a search for publications in the field under study in several international databases and used the technique of content analysis. The results allow concluding that, while it is certain that the concept of Society 5.0 initially had a Japanese national dimension, it tends, with modifications considering the distinct features of several countries, to be applied by those regions of the globe that seek future sustainable development (economic, social and environmental). ; publishersversion ; published

Social media, including digital social networks, runs through a large part of society. This position paper analyses the social media centrality in identity (re)construction in higher education, seeking to add to the understanding of the social media's role in the identity, both in the individual dimension – of several higher education actors (academics and students) – and in the identity of higher education institutions. In methodological terms, a selection and review of publications addressing this topic were conducted. Results allow concluding that it is critical to consider the growing relevance of digital social networks in shaping these actors' identity, without disregarding the individual situations of great limitation or even rejection by the presence of digital social networks in identity (re)construction. Regarding the implications, at the theoretical level and according to the existing corpus of knowledge, there is a need for further studies to deepen the understanding of this topic. As a practical implication, while the presence of digital social media in human relationships is unavoidable in many instances, the intentional and relevant mobilization of these digital social media is crucial, both for higher effectiveness and efficacy of the academic-student interaction and for the dissemination and positive image of higher education institutions and academics.

This paper seeks to understand how a group of preschool and primary teachers perceive the type of use they carry out of children's literature. Thus, it analyses the type of books in the classrooms and the underlying criteria for their choice, the frequency of the activities implemented within this scope and the organisation of the educational environment for the promotion of reading skills. In terms of the methodology used, this research is based on the collection of information through a questionnaire survey, completed by 24 preschool teachers and 53 primary teachers of S. Miguel Island, The Azores, Portugal. The data collected were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The data allow concluding that, although all respondents value children's literature, there are differences between the way preschool and primary teachers use it, alerting to the need for deeper reflection on the pedagogical practices implemented.

UIDB/04647/2020 UIDP/04647/2020 ; The COVID-19 pandemic is, currently, the focus of all personal and collective actions at the social, cultural, economic, political and religious levels, among other dimensions of human life. This Letter to the Editor focuses on the overwhelming existence of fake news directly related to COVID-19, which permeate social networks and even the media, where journalists should act as gatekeepers and not fake-keepers. The methodology used in the collection and selection of data consisted of bibliographic research, in international databases, of publications on the topic under study and their content analysis. The results allow concluding that there is a need to promote scientific literacy in the general population but especially among journalists themselves. ; publishersversion ; published

Funding: The authors acknowledge the kind gift of HC7 cells by Dr. Fred H. Gage (The Salk Institute for Biological Studies). The excellent assistance of Pedro Marques Vilela in graphical artwork is acknowledged by the authors. Ana Santos and Ana Lourenço were supported by Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (FCT, Portugal; fellowships SFRH/BD/ 77903/2011 and SFRH/BD/79308/2011) and are PhD students of the PhD programme in Biomedical Sciences of the University of Algarve. Antonio Martínez-Ruiz is supported by the ISCIII from the Spanish Government (IS3SNS programme, partially funded by FEDER/ERDF). Inês Araújo is supported by FEDER/ERDF funds via Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE), by national funds via FCT (grants PTDC/NEU-OSD/0473/2012, PTDC/QUI-QFI/ 29319/2017) and by regional funds via CRESC ALGARVE 2020 (grant UID/BIM/04773/2019), by the Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC) and Loulé Municipality. This work was supported by the COST action BM1005 (ENOG: European Network on Gasotransmitters), by the Spanish Government (grants PS09/00101, PI12/00875 and PI15/ 00107 from ISCIII and RTI2018-094203-B-I00 from AEI; co-financed by FEDER/ERDF) and by the Spanish-Portuguese Integrated Action grant PRI-AIBPT-2011-1015/E-10/12. The Proteomics Service of the CBMSO is a member of ProteoRed (PRB3-ISCIII), and is supported by grant PT13/0001/0024 of Spanish Government (cofinanced by FEDER/ ERDF). ; Nitric oxide (NO) is well established as a regulator of neurogenesis. NO increases the proliferation of neural stem cells (NSC), and is essential for hippocampal injury-induced neurogenesis following an excitotoxic lesion. One of the mechanisms underlying non-classical NO cell signaling is protein S-nitrosylation. This post-translational modification consists in the formation of a nitrosothiol group (R–SNO) in cysteine residues, which can promote formation of other oxidative modifications in those cysteine residues. S-nitrosylation can regulate many physiological processes, including neuronal plasticity and neurogenesis. In this work, we aimed to identify S-nitrosylation targets of NO that could participate in neurogenesis. In NSC, we identified a group of proteins oxidatively modified using complementary techniques of thiol redox proteomics. S-nitrosylation of some of these proteins was confirmed and validated in a seizure mouse model of hippocampal injury and in cultured hippocampal stem cells. The identified S-nitrosylated proteins are involved in the ERK/MAPK pathway and may be important targets of NO to enhance the proliferation of NSC. ; publishersversion ; published