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Temperature-driven suitability shifts of sea lice species under climate change and the implications for salmon farming
Publication . Mackintosh, Amy Leigh; Assis, Jorge; Costello, Mark John
Salmonids are the most valuable marine aquaculture family, worth approximately US$26.2 billion in 2022. However, the industry’s economic value is threatened by sea lice infestations, which can cause production losses and require expensive treatments to control. Climate change is driving distribution shifts in many marine species, including a potential poleward movement for several parasites. Currently, only the distribution response of the Chilean sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi has been examined under climate change conditions, while other harmful sea lice species remain unassessed. Here, we use a maximum entropy model to project the current and future thermal suitability of Lepeophtheirus salmonis, C. elongatus, and C. rogercresseyi under 3 climate change scenarios: SSP1-1.9, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. The species’ thermal niches are similar, with preferred mean temperature ranges of 7.1 to 11.1°C for L. salmonis, 6.8 to 11.9°C for C. elongatus, and 11.0 to 12.8°C for C. rogercresseyi. Thermal suitability for all 3 species shifts and intensifies polewards under progressively warmer climate scenarios. As ocean warming also facilitates poleward range shifts of many salmonid species, the overlap in host and parasite distributions indicates that salmon aquaculture at higher latitudes could face increasing lice infestations and associated challenges.
Use of aquatic organisms as flagship species in selecting priority areas for conservation
Publication . Guerrero-Moreno, Mayerly Alexandra; Silva, Everton Cruz da; Oliveira, Fernando Abreu; Nascimento, Ana Caroline Leal; Michelan, Thaisa Sala; Dias-Silva, Karina; Teodosio, Maria; Jr, James Ferreira Moura; Oliveira-Junior, José Max Barbosa; Juen, Leandro
Flagship species are widely used to garner support for conservation, but the selection of these taxa often overlooks ecological, social, and cultural criteria, which may limit the effectiveness of conservation efforts in priority areas. Furthermore, this approach often fails to adequately reflect the importance of ecosystems. A notable example is the undervaluation of aquatic environments, which are frequently neglected or assessed using terrestrial groups whose characteristics and requirements do not necessarily align with the specific demands of these ecosystems. In light of this, we conducted a scientometric analysis to map the scientific literature on the use of aquatic organisms as flagship species for selecting priority conservation areas, highlighting global trends and gaps. A total of 400 articles published between 1997 and 2024 were analyzed from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The highest number of articles published was in 2021 (n = 46; 11.5 %). Australia (n = 49) and Brazil (n = 34) were the countries most frequently studied. The most frequently researched areas were marine/ coastal protected areas (43.75 %) and unprotected natural areas (42.50 %). More than 80 % of the flagship species belonged to the phylum Chordata, with notable representation from Actinopterygii (bony fishes; 43.58 %) and Mammalia (20.18 %). The most commonly used taxon selection criteria were “conservation status” (57.17 %) and “charisma and emblematic value” (15.80 %). Despite the representation of marine ecosystems (58.63 %), freshwater habitats such as rivers (16.78 %), lakes (4.96 %), and streams (4.26 %) remain underrepresented. The most frequently employed research methods and response metrics were “abundance and density” (39.04 %) and “monitoring and observation” (38.32 %). We identified a significant bias favoring marine ecosystems and charismatic taxa, neglecting freshwater habitats and less visible but ecologically important groups. We emphasize the need to diversify conservation strategies by adopting more inclusive approaches that encompass the full range of aquatic biodiversity and habitats, particularly those that are underrepresented. Such diversification is essential for strengthening public policies and practices aimed at protecting critical ecosystems and ensuring global environmental sustainability.
Telehealth for integrated cardiovascular and diabetes management: a scoping review
Publication . Estêvão, Maria Dulce da Mota Antunes de Oliveira ; Teotónio Fernandes, Mónica Alexandra; De Sousa-Coelho, Ana Luísa; Neto Espírito-Santo, Margarida de Fátima; Nascimento, Tânia; Alfredo Caturano
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus represent major global health challenges, frequently co-occurring and mutually exacerbating. Telehealth interventions offer a promising approach for their management, with potential to improve patient outcomes, enhance access to care, and increase cost-effectiveness. This review synthesized existing evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies to evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth interventions for the management of diabetes, focusing on CVD risk, and to identify critical research gaps. A systematic literature search was conducted across major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) to identify studies meeting predefined eligibility criteria, considering digital tools for remote monitoring, consultation, education, and medication management. After the screening of 3041 articles, six studies met the inclusion criteria. Telehealth interventions utilized a range of digital health tools, including mobile applications, artificial intelligence–powered clinical decision aids, electronic consultations, and integrated remote monitoring platforms. Although direct assessment of composite cardiovascular risk was largely absent, the included studies reported several clinical parameters associated with cardiovascular health, namely, blood pressure, lipid profile, and glycated hemoglobin. Telehealth interventions implemented for individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus demonstrated promising potential in improving glycemic control and supporting self-management. However, their effectiveness in managing broader cardiovascular risk factors remains less clear due to inconsistent reporting and heterogeneous intervention designs.
The challenges of ageism and learning research
Publication . Fragoso, António
In 1969, Robert N. Butler first used the term ‘age-ism’ to draw attention to the fact that we hadoverlooked ‘age discrimination or ageism, prejudice by one age group towards other age groups’(Butler, 1969, p. 243). In the 1980’s, he defined ageism as the stereotyping and discrimination of peoplesimply because of their age (Butler, 1980), thereby adding two other important dimensions toprejudice. This tripartite definition of ageism (encompassing prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimina-tion) is the most frequently encountered in the literature (Palmore, 1999). Nevertheless, an intenseconceptual debate has taken place over the last few decades (see, for example, Iversen et al., 2009),providing researchers with the conceptual tools to analyze ageism-related phenomena. Although therelationships between these three dimensions cannot be automatically assumed to be simple (Vosset al., 2018), the time for substantive conceptual debate has apparently passed and new challenges lieahead. The aim of this text is therefore to reflect on the major challenges we face when researchingageism and learning.
The use of ChatGPT in chemistry: the bibliometric analysis
Publication . Fonseca, Custódia
ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transforme) is a recent technology developed by OpenAI that interacts in a conversational way to user prompts. This tool was released in November 2022 and was immediately seen by someone’s as a threat to integrity regarding student assessment, and by others as an ally in teaching/learning and research. This article aims to provide an overview about ChatGPT and Education through a bibliometric analysis from 2023 to January 2024. An analysis and review of ChatGPT and chemistry education is also carried out. The results show that the USA has more authors with publications on the topic and Medicine / Health is the major area. When it comes to Chemistry Education, the 12 publications on the topic consider Chat GPT a tool to be used, but the answers given in ChatGPT must be verified as there is a high percentage of errors and inaccuracies.