A qualidade no terceiro setor: o caso do Centro de Reabilitação Profissional de Gaia (CRPG)

O presente estudo tem por finalidade analisar o Centro de Reabilitação Profissional de Gaia (CRPG), enquanto associação que exerce a sua missão tendo por base a responsabilidade social. O CRPG foi a primeira associação em Portugal a apresentar a preocupação de demonstrar a qualidade das práticas que exerce, através da Certificação da Excelência dos Serviços Sociais. Esta certificação é efetuada segundo o sistema European Quality in Social Services (EQUASS), o qual permite o reconhecimento, garantia e certificação da qualidade às organizações que atuam no âmbito dos serviços sociais, tais como a reabilitação, a formação profissional, a assistência e cuidados às pessoas em situação de fragilidade social. Salienta-se a este propósito o cariz voluntário para a aquisição deste tipo de certificação, o que comprova, além de outras preocupações, como a garantia da qualidade dos serviços prestado, a conduta socialmente responsável do CRPG.

Exposure of Lycopersicon Esculentum to Microcystin-LR: Effects in the Leaf Proteome and Toxin Translocation from Water to Leaves and Fruits

Natural toxins such as those produced by freshwater cyanobacteria have been regarded as an emergent environmental threat. However, the impact of these water contaminants in agriculture is not yet fully understood. The aim of this work was to investigate microcystin-LR (MC-LR) toxicity in Lycopersicon esculentum and the toxin accumulation in this horticultural crop. Adult plants (2 month-old) grown in a greenhouse environment were exposed for 2 weeks to either pure MC-LR (100 μg/L) or Microcystis aeruginosa crude extracts containing 100 μg/L MC-LR. Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured, leaf proteome investigated with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF)/TOF, and toxin bioaccumulation assessed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS. Variations in several protein markers (ATP synthase subunits, Cytochrome b6-f complex iron-sulfur, oxygen-evolving enhancer proteins) highlight the decrease of the capacity of plants to synthesize ATP and to perform photosynthesis, whereas variations in other proteins (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit and ribose-5-phosphate isomerase) suggest an increase of carbon fixation and decrease of carbohydrate metabolism reactions in plants exposed to pure MC-LR and cyanobacterial extracts, respectively. MC-LR was found in roots (1635.21 μg/kg fw), green tomatoes (5.15–5.41 μg/kg fw), mature tomatoes (10.52–10.83 μg/kg fw), and leaves (12,298.18 μg/kg fw). The results raise concerns relative to food safety and point to the necessity of monitoring the bioaccumulation of water toxins in agricultural systems affected by cyanotoxin contamination.