Dramatizing the Climate Emergency

The scientific community has been warning for some time about the climate emergency. However, the population does not generally perceive it as a relevant element in their daily lives. The activities carried out in the project RESCLIMA, both from the point of view of research on social representations of climate change and from the point of view of education and communication on climate change, have made apparent the need to build new educational strategies aimed at the adult and young public. This chapter presents the steps taken in this process ranging from the development of educational activities with senior target groups in socio-cultural centers to the production of a theatrical play that allows sharing in cultural and educational centers thoughts on how to tackle challenges associated with climate change. In the latter case, the play is accompanied by complementary activities, such as theater workshops, where young people can explore utopian or dystopian futures that can help them understand the complex problem of the present state of the climate emergency.

Innovative test method for the reliable evaluation of joint sealants in concrete pavements

Joint sealants as indispensable filling systems in jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP) are permanently exposed to various stresses during their service life, which often leads to a replacement of the sealing after approx. 7 to 10 years. Aside from seasonal unsteady climatic changes, the cyclical stresses caused by traffic and the ageing of joint sealants are especially significant. Considering the rising number of damages that occur within the overall "joint" system, an increased demand for a durable solution is requested as it is a relevant element for the life cycle costs of concrete pavements. In this context, a testing and ageing method was developed which comprises of the entire "joint" system, including the saw-cut concrete joint flanks, the primer as well as the joint sealant. This procedure depicts the decisive scenarios of in-situ stresses and allows the characterization of joint sealants. For this purpose, specimens were subjected to horizontal and vertical loads (static/cyclic) as well as to various ageing effects (temperature conditioning, UV-conditioning and freeze-thaw-cycles). After conditioning, a significant influence of the artificial ageing on the residual strength was observed in the tensile/shear tests. By comparing the artificially aged samples tested in the laboratory with extracted and in-situ aged samples, a reliable correlation was determined. Considering these system tests an initial approach was established which enables the evaluation of joint sealants in both unaged and artificially aged conditions on the basis of scientific parameters and limits.

The Portuguese Hub of Companies in 1973 – Discussing the Corporate Concentration in the Portuguese Economy on the Eve of the April Revolution

The network of Portuguese companies in 1973 has been identified as a relevant element for understanding the economic structure of the country in the decade of 1970–1980. This network had been formed before 1974, during the dictatorship, but it remained after the Carnation Revolution. In spite of such research, this network has not yet been properly analysed, especially through adequate tools from network analysis. This work will detail this network, the different scores of centrality of each company, and their modular structures; it will also discuss estimates from exponential random graph models to identify significant attributes that explain the discovered flows of investment. This work will also detail the processes of vertical integration as well as the specificities of the identified oligopolies.

Effects of Price Competitiveness on Tourism Performance under Different Economic Conditions

Many scholars perceive price competitiveness as a highly relevant element of tourism competitiveness in improving tourism performance. We focused our research interest specifically to understand whether price competitiveness is an important policy instrument in attracting international tourists and their spending. Our empirical study focused on how price competitiveness behaves as a predictor of tourism performance in different economic conditions and whether price competitiveness is a significant cause of tourism competitiveness in improving tourism performance. For that purpose, we conducted empirical analysis within two stages: moderation analysis to understand how price competitiveness influences tourism performance from the point of view of inbound international tourism and how this relationship behaves in different economic conditions; and mediation analysis to understand whether price competitiveness is relevant cause for tourist competitiveness in improving tourism performance. This study has revealed different views about price competitiveness and its influence on the tourism industry. The findings indicate that price competitiveness has rather limited effects on the outcomes of the tourism industry and is not a cause of overall tourism competitiveness in improving tourism performance.

Elemental Speciation Analysis in Environmental Studies: Latest Trends and Ecological Impact

Speciation analysis is a key aspect of modern analytical chemistry, as the toxicity, environmental mobility, and bioavailability of elemental analytes are known to depend strongly on an element’s chemical species. Henceforth, great efforts have been made in recent years to develop methods that allow not only the determination of elements as a whole, but also each of its separate species. Environmental analytical chemistry has not ignored this trend, and this review aims to summarize the latest methods and techniques developed with this purpose. From the perspective of each relevant element and highlighting the importance of their speciation analysis, different sample treatment methods are introduced and described, with the spotlight on the use of modern nanomaterials and novel solvents in solid phase and liquid-liquid microextractions. In addition, an in-depth discussion of instrumental techniques aimed both at the separation and quantification of metal and metalloid species is presented, ranging from chromatographic separations to electro-chemical speciation analysis. Special emphasis is made throughout this work on the greenness of these developments, considering their alignment with the precepts of the Green Chemistry concept and critically reviewing their environmental impact.

An Approach for the Transfer of Real Surfaces in Finite Element Simulations

Virtual simulations are a relevant element in product engineering processes and facilitate engineers to test different concepts during early phases of the development. However, in tribological product engineering, simulations are hardly used because input data such as material behavior are often missing. Besides the material behavior, the surface roughness of the contacting elements is relevant for tribological systems. To expand the capabilities of the virtual engineering of tribological components such as bearings or brakes, the hereby presented approach allows for the depiction of real rough surfaces in finite element simulations. Rough surfaces are scanned by a white-light interferometer (WLI) and further processed by removing the outliers and replacing non-measured samples. Next, a spline generation creates a solid body, which is imported to CAD software and afterwards meshed with triangle and quadrilateral elements in different sizes. The results comprise the evaluation of six differently manufactured (turned, coated, and pressed) real surfaces. The surfaces are compared by the deviations of the roughness values after measuring with the WLI and after meshing them. Furthermore, the elements’ aspect ratios and skewness describe the mesh quality. The results show that the transfer is dependent upon deep cliffs and large Sz values in comparison to the lateral expansion.

Polyphenols in the Mediterranean Diet: From Dietary Sources to microRNA Modulation

It is now well established that polyphenols are a class of natural substance that offers numerous health benefits; they are present in all plants in very different quantities and types. On the other hand, their bioavailability, and efficacy is are not always well proven. Therefore, this work aims to discuss some types of polyphenols belonging to Mediterranean foods. We chose six polyphenols—(1) Naringenin, (2) Apigenin, (3) Kaempferol, (4) Hesperidin, (5) Ellagic Acid and (6) Oleuropein—present in Mediterranean foods, describing dietary source and their chemistry, as well as their pharmacokinetic profile and their use as nutraceuticals/supplements, in addition to the relevant element of their capability in modulating microRNAs expression profile.

INDICATORS OF EVALUATION OF THE VENTURE STRUCTURES DEVELOPMENT

The article has been examined the problem of formation and evaluation of the development of venture structures (on the example of a venture fund) in terms of intensification of innovation. It has been offered to estimate development of venture structures on element indicators of efficiency of functioning and element indicators of a condition and dynamics of functioning of venture structure. Generalizing is the integrated assessment of the coherence of the development of venture structure, which will help to obtain an adequate assessment of the balance of development of venture structures. Approaches to the development of venture structures by both domestic and foreign scientists have been presented. The system of indicators of estimation of development of venture structures on element indicators of efficiency of functioning and indicators of a condition and dynamics of functioning has been investigated and formed. The complexity and versatility of the concept of development, as well as the ambiguity and variability of the legislative support of venture structures, caused by rapid growth, requires the use of specific approaches to assessing their development. Given the importance of the concept of "development" and taking into account the lack of a normatively established system of indicators for assessing the development of venture structures, there is an urgent task – the formation of a coherent system of indicators for assessing the assessment of development, evaluation of development. The above actualizes the search and construction of a holistic system for assessing the development of venture structures by element indicators. The sequence of calculation of the integrated indicator of the development of venture structures should be carried out in the following sequence: to determine the main elements (indicators) of development of venture structures; to investigate the main groups of indicators and systems of indicators through which the development of venture structures is manifested in accordance with the main elements of the development of venture structures; to determine the importance of each element of the development of the venture structure; to form in accordance with each group a system of indicators of the relevant element of the development of the venture structure; to form a model of the relationship of the system of indicators of each group of the corresponding element of the development of the venture structure for the formation of an integrated assessment of the consistency of the development of the venture structure. Generalizing is the integrated assessment of the coherence of the development of venture structure, which will help to obtain an adequate assessment of the balance of development of venture structures.

Revision of the human’s occupations chronologies at the Senegalese and Mauritania sites by using marine reservoir ages corrections

The prehistoric settlement of the west coast of the Senegalese-Mauritanian basin is established from archaeological remains and coal samples collected, sometimes in a stratigraphic context. However, the chronology issued, in the Before Present (BP) age, does not take into account the taphonomic context of the sites and the local reservoir age. Therefore, this article revisits the chronologies obtained based on the 14C literature and dating(s) acquired. Changes in time and duration of human occupancy of the area are shorter or longer depending on adequate yields of local reservoir age (Ndeye, 2008), which is a relevant element for marine samples. Thus, the archaeological implications observed with the reservoir effect are the rejuvenation or ageing of the dates, the age of the sites, the duration of occupation prehistoric or historical sites studied. Using the calibration programmes, it is noted that for the site of Senegal (Khant), without taking into account the reservoir effect, the human occupation is a priori, from the fifth millennium (Ancient Neolithic) to the third millennium BC (Middle Neolithic). However, if this marine reservoir effect is applied, the chronological periodisation goes from the fourth millennium to the first millennium. For the Mauritanian sites, the reservoir age correction is necessary for the Chami site while for the Tintan site is not required. Therefore, the calibrated archaeological chronologies obtained after the application of the marine reservoir effect are more relevant.

The labor market in Latin America at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: impacts, responses and perspectives

Latin America is experiencing an unprecedented crisis in its labor markets because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is reflected in a drastic contraction of employment, hours worked, and income. The outlook is even more worrying when considering that these impacts have been unequal and that the path of recovery, which is slowly emerging in the region, could be accompanied by a widening of labor and income gaps across different population groups. This crisis, therefore, would be exacerbating the high levels of inequality that existed before the outbreak of the pandemic, even though countries have made significant efforts to rapidly implement a set of policies aimed at sustaining employment and incomes. It is crucial to strengthen the labor institutional framework, particularly with regard to active labor market policies. Likewise, occupational health and safety have become a relevant element for any recovery strategies with safe and healthy employment.