University of Algarve

Climate change, fossil fuel depletion, and rising global energy demand underscore the need for strategic alternatives in energy conversion. In this context, the citrus processing industry, particularly orange juice production, represents a promising pathway for bioenergy recovery. Global orange processing (17.14 million metric tons), led by Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, generates large volumes of wastes such as peel, pulp, and seeds. This study characterized the chemical and thermophysical properties of these wastes and evaluated their energy availability potential. The results revealed attractive fuel characteristics, with a heating value ( HHV db = 17.64 MJ kg −1 ) and ultimate and proximate compositions comparable to those of sugarcane bagasse, a biomass extensively used in Brazilian sugar–energy facilities. Despite the high theoretical energy potential (∼429 thousand toe), the high as-received moisture content (>80%) remains a major barrier to efficient combustion. To address this constraint, scenarios combining mechanical pressing (reducing moisture to 65%) and subsequent thermal rotary drying were evaluated in terms of net energy availability. Under these conditions, the net energy available (∼202 thousand toe) not only met the thermal demand of the juice concentration stage but also generated surplus energy for processes such as juice pasteurization or sale through cogeneration. Although the use of orange wastes as solid biofuels may not yield the highest financial returns, it presents a technically viable strategy to strengthen energy self-sufficiency, reduce dependence on external fossil fuels, and mitigate environmental liabilities in the citrus industry. • Fuel properties comparable to sugarcane bagasse used in cogeneration. • Orange waste can be applied as a solid biofuel for use in industrial boilers. • Orange residues high moisture requires pre-drying before combustion. • Mechanical pressing plus drying in rotary dryer greatly increases net energy yield.

Coastal lagoons are increasingly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures, with eutrophication emerging as a key driver of ecological degradation. In systems with restricted marine connectivity, understanding how biological communities respond to critical eutrophic events is essential for preserving ecological functions and guiding effective management strategies. This study applies a fish trait-based approach to assess the functional consequences of mass mortality events caused by eutrophication in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Western Mediterranean Sea). Based on 588 surveys, we evaluated long-term functional shifts in fish assemblages across three critical eutrophic phases -Pre-Mortality (2018-2019), Mortality (2020-2021) and Post-Mortality (2022-2023)- compared with a reference period (2002-2004). Four functional diversity indices were assessed -functional richness (FRic), specialization (FSpe), originality (FOri), and divergence (FDiv)- and compared their sensitivity with taxonomic metrics and a multi-metric fish index. FSpe and FOri were the most sensitive indices to critical eutrophic events, indicating declines in the uniqueness of traits and ecological functions. Functional homogenization and the loss of specialist taxa were widespread across the lagoon, with minimal influence from site-specific anthropogenic pressure or spatial confinement. These findings suggest limited recovery of ecological functions under and after persistent critical eutrophic conditions. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of incorporating functional diversity metrics to detect and characterize the ecological responses of fish assemblages to eutrophication and mass mortality events in transitional coastal systems.

Flatfish metamorphosis is an abrupt post-embryonic transformation driven by thyroid hormones (THs), in which a bilaterally symmetric pelagic larvae becomes an asymmetric benthic juvenile. While the craniofacial changes associated with eye migration during metamorphosis are well documented, the role of THs in central nervous system (CNS) remodelling remains poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of THs on CNS remodelling during metamorphosis of the flatfish, Solea senegalensis, by integrating high-throughput transcriptomic analysis with experimental manipulation of TH availability using an inhibitor of hormone synthesis, methimazole (MMI) or exogenous T4. Transcriptome profiling revealed 567 differentially expressed gene transcripts associated with TH-levels involved in CNS development, neuronal and glial differentiation, migration, myelination and metabolism. Key CNS-related factors such as klf9, sox9, mbp, and plp were strongly down-regulated in MMI-treated larvae. Cell proliferation assays further demonstrated increased interocular neural proliferation under hypothyroidism, consistent with impaired differentiation. Region-specific analyses of the head and body uncovered distinct patterns of TH signalling involving dio2, dio3, thra, thrb, and mct8, underscoring the spatial complexity of endocrine regulation. These results highlight that THs are crucial for both morphological remodelling and CNS plasticity during flatfish metamorphosis, underscoring their conserved role in vertebrate brain development.

Metals are a major class of legacy pollutants that end up in marine ecosystems, posing a significant threat to marine biota, including sea anemones. The current review critically synthesises studies published over the last 50years on the uptake, tissue distribution, and biological effects of 20 metals across 18 sea anemone species in both field and laboratory settings, including interactions with climate change stressors (salinity and pH). Field studies have focused on bioaccumulation and report the high capacity of sea anemones to accumulate metals, mainly iron and barium, primarily in the pedal disk. Laboratory exposure studies reveal a dose- and time-dependent accumulation and highlight that symbionts take up and store essential metals (Cu, Fe, and Mn) due to their key biological roles. Available data point to Exaiptasia pallida as a promising model for metal ecotoxicology. Across studies, metals elicit alterations at molecular to behavioural/morphological levels, including transcriptome reprogramming, oxidative stress, and detoxification failures, as well as genotoxicity, cellular injury, immune dysfunction, metabolic and morphological disruption, reproductive impairment, and bleaching, which are generally amplified by climate change stressors. Ultimately, this review identifies key knowledge gaps and outlines future research directions on metal ecotoxicity in sea anemones. Collectively, these insights position sea anemones as informative sentinels of metal contamination in marine ecosystems.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a polyglutamine (polyQ) neurogenerative disorder that results from CAG trinucleotide repeat expansions in the ATXN3 gene, leading to toxic protein aggregate formation and cellular pathway dysfunction. The dysfunction of cellular pathways also correlates with stress responses, such as the formation of stress granules (SG). Recent research suggests that SG and their components contribute to polyglutamine disease pathogenesis. We combined the analysis of two mouse models for SCA3, data from RNA sequencing, and postmortem brain tissue samples. This study intended to clarify the role of the SG component, calcium-regulated heat-stable protein 1 (CARHSP1), in SCA3. Among several SG components, CARHSP1 was found to be upregulated genetically in SCA3. The downregulation of Carhsp1 reduced the density of mutant protein aggregates, while enhancing motor function and alleviating neuropathological defects in SCA3 mouse models. The findings indicate that modulating CARHSP1 and possible other SG components may provide a molecular target for therapeutics in SCA3, emphasizing the role of SG in polyQ disorders. © 2026 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Mazkur maqolada ta’lim muassasasining iqtisodiy jarayonlarini boshqarishning nazariy va amaliy jihatlari tahlil qilingan. Unda ta’lim tashkilotlarida moliyaviy resurslarni shakllantirish, ularni samarali taqsimlash va ulardan oqilona foydalanish mexanizmlari yoritilgan. Shuningdek, byudjet va byudjetdan tashqari mablag‘lar, marketing yondashuvlari, strategik rejalashtirish hamda boshqaruvning zamonaviy usullarini qo‘llash orqali ta’lim muassasasi faoliyatining iqtisodiy samaradorligini oshirish masalalari ko‘rib chiqilgan. Tadqiqot natijasida ta’lim muassasasida iqtisodiy boshqaruv tizimini takomillashtirishga qaratilgan ilmiy xulosalar va amaliy tavsiyalar ishlab chiqilgan bo‘lib, ular ta’lim sifatini oshirish hamda muassasaning barqaror rivojlanishini ta’minlashga xizmat qiladi.

Defining literacy is essential because it establishes a baseline for education, enables robust assessment and measurement of progress, supports policy and accountability, makes domain-specific differences explicit, and can improve equity by enabling better-designed interventions to promote learning. UNESCO notes that, beyond its conventional concept as a set of reading, writing and counting skills, literacy is now understood as a means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world. Consequently, multiple domain literacies have emerged, including science, health, media, digital and financial literacy, and more recently AI literacy. While ocean literacy has gained significant traction in the last decade, for the coast an early coastal literacy framework was proposed in 2010 by CoastNet (UK charity that has since closed), but it was primarily oriented towards integrated coastal zone management. The objective of this work is thus to define coastal literacy and what it comprises.To develop a definition tailored to coastal contexts, related literacy constructs were reviewed, particularly ocean literacy, climate literacy and risk literacy. Across frameworks, literacy is commonly articulated through dimensions (for example, knowledge, awareness and attitudes) and, in some cases, through explicit principles. The Ocean Literacy Framework is a prominent example, currently comprising seven principles and 45 concepts, and defines ocean literacy as understanding the ocean’s influence on humanity and humanity’s influence on the ocean. Although coasts form part of the broader ocean system, coastal environments have distinct characteristics: they concentrate human activities, involve frequent and direct human–environment interactions, and are often exposed to hazards. Coasts also exist at the interface of multiple Earth system spheres, linking the ocean, land and atmosphere. The framework of coastal literacy was developed building on the literature review and on a two-day focus group using structured brainstorming methodologies. The proposed framework comprises seven principles: (P1) Each coast is unique and has value on its own; (P2) Coasts consist of many different and connected parts; (P3) Coasts are dynamic, changing from seconds to millennia; (P4) Human activities impact the coast, and coasts continually affect humans; (P5) Coasts are inherently hazardous environments that can place people and infrastructure at risk; (P6) Climate change is affecting coastal ecosystems and challenging future coastal use; and (P7) We share responsibility for looking after the coasts for present and future generations. A key contribution of these principles is how they frame human–coast relationships. They recognise the intrinsic coastal value independent of human use or resource exploitation (P1), position humans as part of coastal systems (P2, P4), explicitly foreground coastal risk (P5), and treat shared responsibility as a component of literacy (P7). They also embed sustainability by emphasising the need to safeguard future generations, including in the context of climate change (P6). Further work is needed to elaborate the concepts underpinning each principle and to refine the framework through additional validation; however, the principles presented here provide a structured foundation for defining and operationalising coastal literacy.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of drought and heat events in Mediterranean regions, urging the need for resilient fruit crops that link stress tolerance to relevant fruit quality traits. My PhD project focuses on the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.), an underutilised Mediterranean evergreen fruit species of considerable ecological relevance in Southern Europe, with a recognised capacity to cope with diverse abiotic and biotic constraints. The project objective is to characterise six Italian A. unedo populations in terms of physiological performance under water-limited conditions and fruit quality characteristics. The primary step is to select provenances with contrasting pedoclimatic characteristics and to use calculated climatic indices (e.g., Emberger’s Q2) across an aridity–temperature gradient. These provenances are then screened for constitutive traits under well-watered conditions combining measurements of xylem vulnerability to embolism formation (P50), water-use strategy (e.g., minimum epidermal conductance, gmin; specific leaf area, SLA), and cellular drought tolerance derived from pressure–volume analysis (turgor loss point, TLP; osmotic potential at full turgor, π₀; and modulus of elasticity, ε). After that, inducible trait modifications are tested under water stress and recovery conditions, monitoring gas exchange, plant water relations, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, hydraulic resistance, and growth. In parallel, a core component of the work investigates fruit physiological performance across different ripening stages (identified by skin colour) and during post-harvest storage. Fruits, harvested at the yellow–orange stage, are analysed for respiratory activity using a custom fruit chamber coupled to a LI-COR 6800 system. Post-harvest dynamics are monitored under two storage treatments (ambient temperature vs. 4 °C) and related to quality attributes, including colour development, soluble solids (°Brix), firmness, weight loss, pectin content, sugar profile, and polyphenol-related traits. Within this post-harvest study, the project also considers the use of edible coatings as a practical tool to modulate storage techniques and help preserve the quality attributes of this perishable fruit. Therefore, integrating provenance screening with fruit respiration and post-harvest physiology provides a practical basis for selecting A. unedo genotypes with improved drought resilience and high fruit yield and quality, thereby fostering A. unedo cultivation in Mediterranean areas under a changing climate.