Environmental Impacts of the Deep-Water Oil and Gas Industry : A Review to Guide Management Strategies

The authors would like to thank the leadership of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), including Lisa Levin, Maria Baker, and Kristina Gjerde, for their support in developing this review. This work evolved from a meeting of the DOSI Oil and Gas working group supported by the J.M. Kaplan Fund, and associated with the Deep-Sea Biology Symposium in Aveiro, Portugal in September 2015. The members of the Oil and Gas working group that contributed to our discussions at that meeting or through the listserve are acknowledged for their contributions to this work. We would also like to thank the three reviewers and the editor who provided valuable comments and insight into the work presented here. DJ and AD were supported by funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the MERCES (Marine Ecosystem Restoration in Changing European Seas) project, grant agreement No 689518. AB was supported by CNPq grants 301412/2013-8 and 200504/2015-0. LH acknowledges funding provided by a Natural Environment Research Council grant (NE/L008181/1). This output reflects only the authors' views and the funders cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Tolerance of juvenile Mytilus galloprovincialis to experimental seawater acidification

Coastal ocean acidification is expected to interfere with the physiology of marine bivalves. In this work, the effects of acidification on the physiology of juvenile mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were tested by means of controlled CO2 perturbation experiments. The carbonate chemistry of natural (control) seawater was manipulated by injecting CO2 to attain 2 reduced pH levels: -0.3 and -0.6 pH units as compared with the control seawater. After 78 d of exposure, we found that the absorption efficiency and ammonium excretion rate of juveniles were inversely related to pH. Significant differences among treatments were not observed in clearance, ingestion and respiration rates. Coherently, the maximal scope for growth and tissue dry weight were observed in mussels exposed to the pH reduction delta pH=-0.6, suggesting that M. galloprovincialis could be tolerant to CO2 acidification, at least in the highly alkaline coastal waters of Ria Formosa (SW Portugal).

Programas de tertulia política en Twitter: un modelo neurocomunicativo de análisis del discurso

En este trabajo aplicamos a la red social Twitter un modelo de análisis del discurso político y mediático desarrollado en publicaciones previas, que permite hacer compatible el estudio de los datos discursivos con propuestas explicativas surgidas a propósito de la comunicación política (neurocomunicación) y de la comunicación digital (la red como quinto estado, convergencia, inteligencia colectiva). Asumimos que hay categorías del encuadre discursivo (frame) que pueden ser tratadas como indicadores de habilidades cognitivas y comunicativas. Analizamos estas categorías agrupándolas en tres dimensiones fundamentales: la intencional (ilocutividad del tuit, encuadre interpretativo de las etiquetas), referencial (temas, protagonistas), e interactiva (alineamiento estructural, predictibilidad; marcas de intertextualidad y dialogismo; afiliación partidista). El corpus consta de 4116 tuits: 3000 tuits pertenecientes a los programas Al Rojo Vivo (La Sexta: A3 Media), Las Mañanas Cuatro (Cuatro: Mediaset) y Los Desayunos de TVE (RTVE), 1116 tuits de seguidores de los programas, que corresponden a 45 tuits de cada programa. Los resultados confirman que el modelo permite establecer diferentes perfiles de subjetividad política en las cuentas de Twitter.

Exploring hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial communities in the estuarine surface microlayer

Bacteria that degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the estuarine surface microlayer (SML) of the Ria de Aveiro, Portugal—which is chronically polluted with oil hydrocarbons (OH)—were isolated and characterized; Pseudomonas was dominant among the PAH-degrading bacteria. Screening for PAH dioxygenase genes detected almost identical nahAc genes (encoding the alpha subunits of naphthalene dioxygenase) in 2 phylogenetically distinct isolates: Pseudomonas sp. and an unknown species of the family Enterobacteriaceae; this suggested that horizontal transfer of nah genes might be involved in PAH degradation in the SML. We also investigated the effect of PAH contamination on the spatial variability of the bacterioneuston along a gradient of pollution in the estuarine system of the Ria de Aveiro. Culture-independent techniques—fluorescence in situ hy - bridization (FISH) and denaturing-gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)—revealed a similar structure among the bacterioneuston communities along the estuary. In contrast, we detected differences in the relative abundance and diversity of organisms of the Gammaproteobacteria, including those of the genus Pseudomonas (which belongs to the Gammaproteobacteria). This is the first insight into the hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial communities in the SML of an estuarine area polluted with hydrocarbons. Our findings highlight the importance of SML-adapted hydrocarbonoclastic bacterioneuston as a potential source of new PAH-degrading bacteria (including new pseudomonads) with potential use in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted ecosystems.

Inputs from a mercury-contaminated lagoon: impact on the nearshore waters of the Atlantic Ocean

Ria de Aveiro, a Portuguese coastal lagoon that exchanges water with the Atlantic Ocean, received the effluent from a chlor-alkali industry for over 50 years; consequently several tons of mercury had been buried in the sediments of an inner basin. To assess the importance (and seasonal variation) of the lagoon waters as carriers of mercury to the nearby coastal area, we measured total mercury levels in several compartments: in surface sediments, in surface and deep waters (including dissolved and particulate matter!, and in biota. Dissolved (reactive and total) mercury concentrations both in surface and deep waters were low (<1 to 15 ng L '). Mean mercury values in suspended particulate matter varied hetween 0.2 and 0.6 jxg g ' and in sediments between 1 and 9 ng g '. Aquatic organisms displayed levels below regulatory limits but exhibited some bioaccumulation of mercury, with concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.8 ^ig g ' Idry weight (dw)|. No seasonal pattern was found in this study for mercury-related determinations. Levels found in the estuary mouth during ebb tide provide evidence for the transport of mercury to the coastal zone. No significant changes in the partition of mercury between dissolved and particulate phases were found in the coastal waters in comparison with the values found in the estuary mouth. In spite of the high levels of mercury found inside some areas of the lagoon, the wide web of islands and channels allows some spreading of contaminants before they reach the coastal waters. Moreover, the low efficiency of local marine sediments in trapping mercury contributes to a dilution of mercury transported in suspended particulate matter over a broader area, reducing the impact in the nearby manne coastal zone.

A internacionalização de PMEs apoiada pela AIDA e um estudo do impacto de atributos de CEOs na internacionalização

O Distrito de Aveiro caracteriza-se pelo seu extenso tecido empresarial, cada vez mais consciente da importância da internacionalização. Os dados recolhidos e posteriormente analisados, permitiram concluir que entidades como a AIDA (Associações Empresariais) devem promover a internacionalização de PME com um reduzido grau de internacionalização. Desta forma, este tipo de entidades aumentarão o alcance de PMEs ao nível da divulgação e acesso facilitado a informações sobre apoios à internacionalização, assim como a informações sobre os diversos mercados de interesse para as PME. O presente trabalho também estudou o impacto de atributos de CEOs na internacionalização de PMEs. Para o seu desenvolvimento foi utilizada uma amostra de três Micro, Pequenas e Médias Empresas do Distrito de Aveiro. Os resultados, que foram obtidos pela metodologia qualitativa através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e outras informações recolhidas nas respetivas empresas, mostram evidência que: os atributos dos CEOs analisados (Idade, Nível Educacional e Experiência Internacional) relacionados com o grau de internacionalização das empresas, permitiram uma validação das hipóteses colocadas na revisão de literatura. Conclui-se, através deste estudo exploratório, que a idade [mais avançada] do CEO tem um impacto negativo na internacionalização de uma PME; que o nível educacional [mais elevado] do CEO tem um impacto positivo na internacionalização de uma PME; e, ainda, que a [maior] experiência internacional do CEO tem um impacto positivo na internacionalização de uma PME.

Isolation and structural characterization of fucoidans from the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus

agricultural, pharmaceutical, cosmetic or bioenergy applications. They contain bioactive compounds, namely, polysaccharides Fucoidan. These polysaccharides are mainly constituted by fucose residues and sulfate esters, and have been reported to possess a broad variety of bioactivities, such as anticoagulant, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antiviral and antioxidant. In this work, the fucoidans from brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus from “Ria de Aveiro” were isolated and characterized in order to add value to this natural resource of the region. The polysaccharides from the algae were extracted with hot water and fractioned by ethanol precipitation and calcium chloride salts. They were further purified by using anion-exchange chromatography, allowing to separate the neutral polysaccharides (laminaranas) from those negatively charged (sulfated fucoidans and alginate). The purified polysaccharides showed high content of fucose (41 mol%) and sulfates (50 mol%), having also galactose residues (6 mol%), which confirm the presence of only sulfated fucoidans. Glycosidic linkages analysis show the presence of high amounts of terminal fucose (25%) and (1→3,4)-Fuc (26%), allowing to infer that the fucoidans were highly branched. These fucoidans are composed also by (1→2)-Fuc (14%) and (1→3)-Fuc linkages (10-16%). In this work it was also tested an alternative extraction technology, the microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity system, where it was possible to extract sugars, although in low yields. However, this methodology allowed to extract polysaccharides, constituted mainly by fucose and uronic acids, as well as mannitol, without the need to add any solvent, obtaining at the end the dry alga. The current work allowed to characterize the structure of the fucoidans isolated from “Ria de Aveiro” F. vesiculosus. The presence of high content of sulfate residues and the high branch degree of the purified fucoidans allow to infer that these polysaccharides could have potential to be studied for biomedical applications, according to their biological activities.

European student mobility and intercultural learning at a portuguese university

The purpose of this study is to understand, impact and evaluate the development of intercultural communicative competencies among European credit-seeking exchange students and other sojourners through purposeful intercultural pedagogy. This pedagogy encompasses intentional intercultural- educational approaches which aim to support and enhance sojourners’ intercultural learning throughout the study abroad cycle (pre-departure, in-country and reentry phases). To test and validate these pedagogies a 20-hour intervention was designed and implemented among two cohorts of 31 sojourners during the in-country phase of their sojourn in Portugal. The process to develop and validate the intercultural intervention was driven by a mixed-methods methodology which combined quantitative and qualitative data to triangulate, complement and expand research results from a pragmatic stance. The mixed methods research design adopted is multi-phased and encompasses a multi-case study and an evaluative component. The multi-case component is embodied by sojourner cohorts: (1) the primary case study involves 19 incoming students at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) as participants in the European exchange program Campus Europae; (2) the second case study comprises three incoming Erasmus students and nine highly skilled immigrants at the same university. All 31 sojourners attended two intermediate Portuguese as Foreign Language classrooms where the intervention was employed. Data collection was extensive and involved collecting, analyzing and mixing quantitative and qualitative strands across four research phases. These phases refer to the: (1) development, (2) implementation and (3) evaluation of the intervention, as well as to (4) a stakeholder analysis of the external value of the intervention and of the Campus Europae program. Data collection instruments included pre and posttest questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results confirm the intercultural effectiveness of the intervention and the positive impact upon research participants’ intercultural gains. This impact was, however, greater in case study 2. Among explanatory variables, three stand out: (1) participant meaning-making abilities, (2) host language proficiency and related variables, and (3) type of sojourn or exchange programs. Implications for further research highlight the need to systematize purposeful intercultural pedagogy in sojourner populations in general, and in European credit student mobility in particular. In the latter case, these pedagogies should be part of the design and delivery of credit-bearing exchange programs in pre- departure, in-country and re-entry phases. Implications for practice point to the urge to improve intercultural practices in: macro (higher education institutions), mezzo (exchange programs) and micro (sojourner language classrooms) contexts where this research took place, and wider social scenarios they represent.

O papel do turismo desportivo no desenvolvimento sustentável das áreas costeiras

Atualmente, a rotina sedentária leva a que as pessoas procurem cada vez mais a prática da atividades diferentes, tais como a atividade desportiva, que se torna essencial como fuga a este estilo de vida. O turismo desportivo tem assim crescido nos últimos anos e, por isso, a oferta existente hoje em dia é bastante variada. No entanto, é necessário ter em atenção que o uso dos recursos naturais, muitas vezes na base destas atividades, não deve ser excessivo. Igualmente, a busca pelo desenvolvimento sustentável deve fazer parte dos planos de todos os intervenientes no desenvolvimento dos destinos turísticos. A presente dissertação foca-se num estudo exploratório, com análise qualitativa, com o objetivo de analisar a importância do turismo desportivo na região de Aveiro. Assim, pretende-se compreender se esta atividade pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento da região de Aveiro enquanto destino turístico, garantindo simultaneamente a sustentabilidade das áreas costeiras. Em concreto, esta investigação realizou-se através de um inquérito por entrevista a agentes de oferta de animação turística que oferecem atividades de turismo desportivo. A necessidade de colaboração com a comunidade local e de integração nesta, bem como a urgência de criar parcerias com empresas do mesmo sector, ou até de sectores diferentes, são dois dos pontos essenciais nesta área, que podem conduzir a um desenvolvimento do turismo desportivo nas áreas costeiras, em concreto na região de Aveiro, sem comprometimento da sustentabilidade local.

Curricular training report: 7 months as a study coordinator at Blueclinical LTD

The present report describes in detail the activities undertaken under the coordination of clinical and observational studies during the curricular internship at Blueclinical Ltd., inserted in the Master of Pharmaceutical Biomedicine. Blueclinical Ltd.company operates in three different areas: R&D consultancy, management and coordination of trial centers, and a phase I unit. The curricular internship had the duration of seven months during which I was able to perform different tasks relating to coordination of clinical trials in Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, E.P.E., (CHBV) in Aveiro, Portugal. This academic internship allowed me to develop theoretical and practical skills in the field of clinical trials and observational studies. I also had the opportunity to further the knowledge I gained throughout my academic journey. During this internship, I had the opportunity to interact with different health professionals and develop my knowledge in the field of several therapeutic indications. I also could interact with distinct monitors and sponsors. This experience allowed me to improve time management, communication and problems resolution skills.

Influência da experiência profissional e das características visuais do operador no processamento da cintigrafia de perfusão do miocárdio

A cintigrafia de perfusão do miocárdio (CPM) é uma técnica usada no diagnóstico e estratificação de risco em pacientes com suspeita ou conhecida doença arterial coronária. O processamento da CPM é realizado maioritariamente de forma semi-automática. Neste permanecem passos manuais, que envolvem: delimitação da área de reconstrução; reorientação e ajustamento dos limites do miocárdio (longo eixo vertical - LEV; longo eixo horizontal - LEH; curto eixo. O desempenho dos técnicos de Medicina Nuclear (TMN) pode ser afetado por: fatores ambientais; fatores individuais (experiência profissional e características visuais). Acredita-se que a perceção visual ao nível do processamento da CPM se encontra relacionada com o estado de visão binocular. Assim, diferentes TMN que processem os mesmos dados poderão obter diferentes estimativas dos parâmetros quantitativos. Questão de investigação: Será que a experiência profissional e as características visuais do operador interferem na determinação dos PQ no processamento da CPM? Objetivos do estudo: Avaliar a influência da experiência profissional e das características visuais dos TMN na determinação dos PQ obtidos na CPM; e Analisar a variabilidade intra e inter-operador na determinação dos PQ obtidos na CPM.

Energy efficiency and climate policy in the management of public spaces: public lighting

Public Lightning is an important part of municipality’s nighttime landscape. Lighting can be used to enhance public safety and security while improving the aesthetic appeal of the surrounding properties but with the current global financial crisis, such lighting systems must also be sustainable. Most climate policy efforts focus on the state and international level, however national governments won’t be able to meet their international commitments without local action. In Portugal, the Public Lighting is responsible for 3% of energy consumption. The problem is that the trend is to increase (about 4-5% per year) which represents very high costs for the municipal authorities. In terms of numbers are analyzed in this thesis 45 of 278 existent in Continental Portugal what represents only 16,2 % of the counties. This where the local authorities in Portugal that had a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) that had been accepted and made available in the Covenant of Mayors website until the end of year 2013. It is important that the Covenant of Mayors will increase the local authorities awareness for energy efficiency and especially to public lighting because there is still a long way to go in terms of energy consumption reduction. In future works it would be interesting to see the payback of the EolGreen post in a real scenario due to lack of energy consumption from the grid it would allow to have a pretty high initial investment even with the maintenance that those technologies need.

Ansiedade na performance musical: estudo de caso com a Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras

A ansiedade na performance musical (APM) é um distúrbio que afeta alguns músicos independentemente da sua idade, experiência, dedicação ou tipo de instrumento. A APM se faz presente em músicos de orquestras, coros e solistas e surge como um fenômeno fisiológico, psicológico, cognitivo e emocional. Este trabalho consiste em uma pesquisa acerca da ansiedade na performance musical em uma orquestra portuguesa. Através da aplicação do questionário STAI-Y comparou-se como 36 músicos da Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras se sentiram antes do concerto (ansiedade-estado) e em uma situação geral (ansiedade-traço). Além disso, correlacionou-se os dados obtidos com dados sobre a população portuguesa. Concluiu-se que os músicos da OFB não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os dois momentos e apresentaram baixos índices de ansiedade-estado e ansiedadetraço comparativamente à população portuguesa.

The eutrophication in the river Vouga basin: impacts on the quality of water for public supply

The aim of this paper is to make a characterization of water quality problems, in the river Vouga, regarding its use for public water supply. The river Vouga basin is located in a mountainous area, draining to the coastal lagoon of the Ria de Aveiro. Other medium size rivers also contribute to the load of pollution entering the estuarine system of the Ria de Aveiro. Two major impacts of the pollution in the river Vouga basin were identified. One is the eutrophication process of the lower reach of the river, including the Ria de Aveiro; the other is the occasional deterioration in the quality of the water abstracted from the medium reach of river Vouga. The causes of this deterioration are related to the enrichment of the river water with organic material. To improve the river water quality, both urban wastewater and agriculture related sources, must be controlled.

Bioremediation of phosphates in seawater: approach for recirculating marine aquaculture effluents

Marine Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) produce great volume of wastewater, which may be reutilized/recirculated or reutilized after undergoing different treatment/remediation methods, or partly discharged into neighbour water-bodies (DWW). Phosphates, in particular, are usually accumulated at high concentrations in DWW, both because its monitoring is not compulsory for fish production since it is not a limiting parameter, and also because there is no specific treatment so far developed to remove them, especially in what concerns saltwater effluents. As such, this work addresses two main scientific questions. One of them regards the understanding of the actual (bio)remediation methods applied to effluents produced in marine RAS, by identifying their advantages, drawbacks and gaps concerning their exploitation in saltwater effluents. The second one is the development of a new, innovative and efficient method for the treatment of saltwater effluents that potentially fulfil the gaps identified in the conventional treatments. Thereby, the aims of this thesis are: (i) to revise the conventional treatments targeting major contaminants in marine RAS effluents, with a particular focus on the bioremediation approaches already conducted for phosphates; (ii) to characterize and evaluate the potential of oyster-shell waste collected in Ria de Aveiro as a bioremediation agent of phosphates spiked into artificial saltwater, over different influencing factors (e.g., oyster-shell pre-treatment through calcination, particle size, adsorbent concentration). Despite the use of oyster-shells for phosphorous (P) removal has already been applied in freshwater, its biosorptive potential for P in saltwater was never evaluated, as far as I am aware. The results herein generated showed that NOS is mainly composed by carbonates, which are almost completely converted into lime (CaO) after calcination (COS). Such pre-treatment allowed obtaining a more reactive material for P removal, since higher removal percentages and adsorption capacity was observed for COS. Smaller particle size fractions for both NOS and COS samples also increased P removal. Kinetic models showed that NOS adsorption followed, simultaneously, Elovich and Intraparticle Difusion kinetic models, suggesting that P removal is both a diffusional and chemically rate-controlled process. The percentage of P removal by COS was not controlled by Intraparticle Diffusion and the Elovich model was the kinetic model that best fitted phosphate removal. This work demonstrated that waste oyster-shells, either NOS or COS, could be used as an effective biosorbent for P removal from seawater. Thereby, this biomaterial can sustain a cost-effective and eco-friendly bioremediation strategy with potential application in marine RAS.