Sapientia
UAlg Scientific Repository
About Sapientia
The SAPIENTIA repository gathers an exhaustive set of Algarve University's (UAlg) teachers and researchers scientific publications with an express goal of maximising its visibility, ensure easy and universal access and amelliorate the overall public impact of the university scientific endeavors, as well as the ongoing preservation of its memory.
Recent Submissions
Putative nociceptive responses in a decapod crustacean: The Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas)
Publication . Kasiouras, Eleftherios; Hubbard, Peter; Gräns, Albin; Sneddon, Lynne U.
Nociceptors are receptors that detect injurious stimuli and are necessary to convey such information from the periphery to the central nervous system. While nociception has been extensively studied in various taxa, there is relatively little electrophysiological evidence for the existence of nociceptors in decapod crustaceans. This study investigated putative nociceptive responses in the shore crabs, specifically their response to mechanical and noxious chemical stimuli. Extracellular multi-unit electrophysiological recordings were conducted from the anterior ganglion and the circumesophageal connective ganglia to assess nociceptive responses. Soft tissues at the joints of the chelae, antennae, and walking legs were stimulated using acetic acid (noxious stimulus) and von Frey hairs (mechanical stimulus), while nearby ganglion activity was recorded. The results indicate the existence of nociceptors in the tested areas, with mechanical stimuli eliciting shorter, more intense neural activity compared with acetic acid. Although acetic acid triggered responses in all areas, the antennae and antennules did not respond to mechanical stimuli. Though we acknowledge the challenges of conducting in vivo electrophysiological recordings, future research should focus on further characterizing nociceptor activity because the results suggest the presence of nociceptors.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on non-medical workers constantly interacting with patients
Publication . Gago-Valiente, Francisco-Javier; Mariscal-Pérez, Laura; Campo-Jiménez, Angela del; Merino-Godoy, María-de-los-Ángeles; Mendoza-Sierra, María-Isabel; da Costa, Emilia; Moreno-Sánchez, Emilia
As medical staff, orderlies are at danger of showing negative signs of psychological health. They are exposed to many stresses that may have a negative impact on their personal lives, and they have also been subjected to the difficult condition of COVID-19 in their workplace. However, since they are not considered to be medical professionals, very few studies and interventions are focused on them. The aim of the present research was to detect the interactions among the work and family environments, as well as to analyze self-perceived mental health and burnout in people who worked as orderlies during the pandemic in public healthcare centers in Huelva (Spain), considering a set of sociodemographic variables. The field work was conducted between April and June 2020. Systematic random sampling was carried out. Information from 84 contributors was gathered through the SWING, MBI-HSS, and GHQ-12 forms. Univariate and bivariate analyzes and correlation tests were carried out. The data were analyzed and correlations were established. The majority of the participants obtained a negative interaction result of work over family. Those who had had contact with SARS-CoV-2 situations presented greater proportions of positive outcome in GHQ-12, bad work-family interaction, burnout, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. The men presented a worse general mental health state than the women. Orderlies of Huelva who have had contact with COVID-19 in their workplace present worse indicators of psychological health and greater negative interaction of work over family than those who have not had any contact with these circumstances.
Biological traits and population dynamics for sustainable harvesting of Carcinus maenas
Publication . Monteiro, João Nuno; Ovelheiro, Andreia; Maia, Francisco; Teodosio, Maria; Leitão, Francisco
Research focusing on the biological patterns and population dynamics of Carcinus maenas has not been conducted for the purpose of fishery management along the European coastal systems. This has led to the implementation of fisheries management policies without scientific considerations, adversely affecting fishery profitability. To addrees this gap, we studied the crab species' population dynamics, reproductive biology, and growth patterns across different Portuguese lagoons and estuaries on a monthly basis from 2019 to 2021. Surveys were performed in the Southern (Ria Formosa lagoon and Ria Alvor estuary), Central (Sado river/estuary) and Northern regions (Ria Aveiro estuary) of Portugal. Monthly biological data was used to analyse size-frequency distributions, sex ratios, spawning seasons, recruitment pulses, estimate carapace width at first maturaty and biological growth parameters. It was observed that spawning occurs almost year-round in all systems, with a peak in the colder months, between September and March. In the southern regions of the Portuguese coast, the spawning period starts earlier than in the central and northern systems, with a higher sex ratio recorded for females in all systems. The carapace width at which 50 % (CW50) of individuals reach maturity is similar for both sexes, around 30 mm, a value below to the minimum landing size enforced in Portugal. The analysis of von Bertalanffy growth curves revealed a continuous recruitment with a peak during the colder months, with individuals reaching the size at maturation after six months. The fast growth and continuous recruitment leds to the existence of between four and six growth cohorts for both sexes across all system. The findings of this study can contribute to more effective fisheries management policies for C. maenas in Portugal, such as a reduction of the minimum landing size.
Evaluation of MPA effects on small-scale fisheries: a long-term landings-based monitoring approach
Publication . Belackova, Adela; Bentes, Luis; Buhl-Mortensen, Lene; Horta e Costa, Barbara; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos
Small-scale commercial fisheries represent a significant economic activity that can be affected by coastal Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Official fishery landings data can serve as an effective means of evaluating the effects of MPAs on fisheries and harvested species, as they are available over long periods and do not incur any costs. However, the use of long-term landings as a solid baseline for pre-MPA conditions has been rare. In this study, we applied a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design to long-term landings time series to assess the economic and ecological effects of a coastal multi-zone MPA in Portugal. We compared the landings and income per unit of effort (LPUE and IPUE) inside and outside the MPA after its implementation, and within the MPA before and after the implementation. Our results showed that the MPA had a positive influence on the LPUE and IPUE of the local fleet (54 landed taxa in the assemblage), based on significant positive trends inside the MPA after imple mentation, but not before or outside. We found significant positive responses to protection in four taxa with the highest LPUE: Octopus vulgaris, Conger conger, Soleidae, and Rajidae. The MPA’s small no-take zones likely enhance species with small home ranges and their spillover, and, together with the controlled number of fishing licenses, contribute to positive MPA outcomes. However, the LPUE of Muraena helena and Diplodus vulgaris declined significantly inside the MPA between before and after MPA implementation, which could be attributed to enhanced inter-species competition. Despite encouraging LPUE trends within the MPA, the study revealed that prices evolved in a more favourable manner outside than inside the MPA, suggesting that future research in this topic may be necessary to ensure the proper valuation of fishing resources within this and other MPAs. Despite the common limitations of landings data, our study demonstrates that comparing long-term landings from pre and post-MPA periods using a BACI design can be an efficient monitoring solution for budget and data-limited coastal MPAs.
Antes da Arqueologia. As antas no imaginário popular e erudito do povo português
Publication . Cardoso, João Luís; Mataloto, Rui;
Os autores abordam a importância das antas no imaginário popular e erudito das comunidades portuguesas, muito anterior ao reconhecimento da sua relevância científica e valor arqueológico. Essa importância é evidenciada na toponímia antiga, onde abundam termos derivados da estrutura dos monumentos megalíticos ou dos montículos que, por vezes, ainda os cobriam.
São sublinhadas as primeiras publicações científicas dedicadas ao tema, onde se destaca o pioneirismo de Francisco Pereira da Costa, que em 1868 descreve os resultados de escavações realizadas em antas na região de Castelo de Vide.