University of Cape Verde

Objetivos: sintetizar o conhecimento produzido sobre acidentes domésticos na infância. Métodos: revisão integrativa da literatura conduzida em novembro 2024, na base Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e nos portais Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) e PubMed. Na LILACS foram utilizados os descritores: “Criança” AND “Prevenção de Acidentes” OR “acidentes domésticos”, no SciELO “criança” AND “prevenção de acidentes”, e no PubMed os MeSH Terms: “home accident” AND “children”. O recorte temporal foi de 2017 a 2023. Resultados: dos 122 artigos identificados na busca, 24 foram incluídos na análise. Os estudos enfocam os tipos de acidentes predominantes, o sexo e faixa etária acometida, tipos de lesões decorrentes dos acidentes, causas e fatores de risco. Conclusões: queimaduras e quedas são os principais acidentes domésticos em crianças na primeira infância, com predomínio no sexo masculino. A baixa escolaridade das mães é fator de risco para quedas, queimaduras, cortes e traumatismo crânio encefálico.

Animal morphometrics are essential for understanding a species’ life history and its ecological interactions with the environment. This study investigates the maturity status and body condition of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) across understudied areas of the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS or drones) were used to collect photogrammetry data from humpback whales in Ireland, Norway, and Cabo Verde between 2022 and 2024. Body length and condition metrics were derived from aerial imagery and analyzed using Bayesian modeling to estimate and propagate measurement uncertainty. The resulting measurements were evaluated to infer maturity status, migratory patterns, and habitat use. Photogrammetric measurements indicated potential variability in whale body length and condition across study areas, with individuals in Cabo Verde appearing larger and in better condition. In Irish waters, body length was positively correlated with offshore habitat preference, while shorter (younger) individuals tended to inhabit nearshore waters, potentially increasing their exposure to anthropogenic pressures. Additionally, body condition improved intra-seasonally at both the population and individual levels in Irish waters. These findings demonstrate the utility of UAS photogrammetry for assessing the maturity and body condition of humpback whales across diverse habitats. The observed geographical and temporal trends in condition provide valuable insights into habitat use and underscore the importance of Ireland as a feeding ground in the Northeastern Atlantic. This study also highlights the value of UAS photogrammetry in advancing our understanding of baleen whale population ecology in understudied regions, providing relevant information for species conservation and management.

A política externa da Galiza entrou numa nova fase nas suas relações com a Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa após a publicação da Lei de Acção Externa da Galiza (2021) e da Lei Paz Andrade (2014). Nesse contexto, torna-se essencial que a Galiza desenvolva este quadro normativo com o objetivo de definir uma nova estratégia para fortalecer as relações comerciais com esse grupo de países, com os quais compartilha uma afinidade cultural e histórica. Para identificar oportunidades de aprimorar essas relações comerciais, optou-se por aplicar um modelo gravitacional, considerando variáveis como o PIB e a distância entre os territórios. Os resultados revelam diferenças significativas entre os territórios analisados e em função das variáveis selecionadas. As conclusões deste estudo permitirão extrair implicações e elaborar recomendações políticas voltadas para a concepção e a inovação de uma estratégia económica futura com esses países.

Food safety concerns related to pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables have increased globally, particularly in regions where monitoring programs are scarce or inconsistent. This study provides the first multi-year evaluation of pesticide contamination and associated dietary risks in Cape Verde, an African island nation increasingly reliant on imported produce. A total of 570 samples of fruits and vegetables-both locally produced and imported-were collected from major markets across the country between 2017 and 2020 and analyzed using validated multiresidue methods based on gas chromatography coupled to Ion Trap mass spectrometry (GC-IT-MS/MS), and both gas and liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS and LC-QqQ-MS/MS). Residues were detected in 63.9% of fruits and 13.2% of vegetables, with imported fruits showing the highest contamination levels and diversity of compounds. Although only one sample exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) set by the European Union, 80 different active substances were quantified-many of them not authorized under the current EU pesticide residue legislation. Dietary exposure was estimated using median residue levels and real consumption data from the national nutrition survey (ENCAVE 2019), enabling a refined risk assessment based on actual consumption patterns. The cumulative hazard index for the adult population was 0.416, below the toxicological threshold of concern. However, when adjusted for children aged 6-11 years-taking into account body weight and relative consumption-the cumulative index approached 1.0, suggesting a potential health risk for this vulnerable group. A limited number of compounds, including omethoate, oxamyl, imazalil, and dithiocarbamates, accounted for most of the risk. Many are banned or heavily restricted in the EU, highlighting regulatory asymmetries in global food trade. These findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened residue monitoring in Cape Verde, particularly for imported products, and support the adoption of risk-based food safety policies that consider population-specific vulnerabilities and mixture effects. The methodological framework used here can serve as a model for other low-resource countries seeking to integrate analytical data with dietary exposure in a One Health context.

Taxonomic and geographic misattributions in biodiversity inventories remain a pressing issue in biogeographical research, particularly in regions with overlapping or similar place names. The Republic of Cabo Verde (also known as Cabo Verde Islands) and the Cape Verde Peninsula (Senegal) exemplify this challenge, where historical and recent studies have struggled to provide accurate species distributions due to unverified, erroneous and ambiguous records. This underscores the necessity of comprehensive, reliable datasets to delineate species occurrences across these distinct geographic areas. This study provides a rigorously verified inventory of coastal fish species occurring within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cabo Verde, focusing on depths between 0 and 200 metres. By delineating the faunal composition specific to Cabo Verde, this work addresses the recurrent confusion with species lists referencing the Cape Verde Peninsula (Senegal).A total of 393 species, distributed among 125 families and 40 orders, is documented, offering an invaluable resource for refining biodiversity assessments and providing information forconservation strategies in this biogeographically unique region. Two species, Thalassomanewtoni (Osório, 1891) and Diodoneydouxii Brisout de Barneville, 1846, are reported for the first time from Cabo Verde in this paper.

Inoculating legumes with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Bradyrhizobium, can significantly reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. To optimize this process, a suitable rhizobial strain must be carefully selected and formulated. This study aimed to develop a biopolymer blend formulation for Bradyrhizobium pachyrhizi strain BR 3262. From four commercial starches and two carboxymethylcelluloses (CMC), we developed CMC/starch blends compatibilized or not with MgO at concentrations from 0.1% to 1.0% and subjected them to autoclaving for either 30 or 60 min. The resulting inoculants were stored for 168 days. Generally, blends compatibilized with 1.0% MgO exhibited a significant decrease in cell numbers, likely due to the observed pH values of approximately 10. The best performance was observed for CMC-I/starch B blends autoclaved for 60 min, and CMC-II/starch C blends autoclaved for 30 min, both compatibilized with 0.3% MgO. These blends maintained a cell viability of 108 CFU mL−1 for approximately 130 days at room temperature. Blend optimization depends on the selection of specific interactions and quantities of each component in order to achieve a given functionality; in the conditions of this study, the capacity to maintain Bradyrhizobium cell viability for at least four months.

Coastal ecosystems are under increasing threat, with the accumulation of marine debris-particularly plastics-posing significant ecological risks. Oceanic islands are especially vulnerable due to ocean currents depositing marine debris on their exposed shores. This study presents the first assessment of marine debris accumulation on sandy beaches of Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde. Using a combination of drone-based aerial imagery and sand sampling, we quantified micro-, meso-, and macro-debris densities across 29 beaches. North- and east-facing beaches of the island showed the highest accumulation of marine debris (>85% plastics), driven by ocean currents. Mean drone-based densities varied between 5 and 2371 macro-debris items per 100m of beach length, totalling 23,085 items. As for sand samples, mean densities ranged from 0 to 1639 items/m2, totalling 4272 large microplastics, 1221 mesoplastics and 350 macroplastics. The easternmost beach, Ponta de Roque, alone accounted for 31% of the total debris recorded across all locations, with sand samples averaging 1639 items/m2 (1453 microplastics larger than 1mm), and drone-based surveys averaging 68 macro-debris items/100m2. Fishing-related items comprised ∼24% of drone-surveyed debris, suggesting input from the Northwest African coast. Plastic fragments predominated, with significant correlations between drone-surveyed macro-plastics and sand-sampled large microplastic densities. Drone surveys effectively identified marine debris hotspots, aligning with ground-based data. This study provides important baseline data for long-term monitoring in the archipelago and offers a transferable methodology for assessing plastic pollution in other island systems.

This article, which is based on qualitative research carried out in Cape Verde, aims to analyze whether there is a possible contradiction in the Cape Verdean labor market, between the legal and institutional conditions that facilitate the exercise of freedom of union and some social and political practices that limit them and are imposed on unions and workers by successive governments and companies. The situations that limit the exercise of freedom of association contribute to the reduction of the socioeconomic security of Cape Verdean workers, who face, in many moments and contexts work, situations of precariousness and informality, combined with the possibility of losing their jobs, in a context in which the unemployment level, especially in youth, is high.

The northeast Atlantic Ocean contains multiple habitats considered critical for shark conservation, including nursery areas, migratory corridors and aggregation sites. In this context, updating knowledge on shark diversity and the threats affecting them in this region is essential to defining priorities and implementing the right management and conservation measures. Here, we show that Cabo Verde, Canarias, Madeira and Azores islands are home to 78 shark species (comprising 26 families), and 56% are threatened with extinction. The Canary Islands revealed the greatest richness (with 56 species), followed by Cabo Verde (53), Madeira (52), and the Azores (45). Cabo Verde presents fewer similarities with the rest of the islands. We also found that: i) Azores share more species with the Canary Islands than Madeira (despite the greater geographical proximity with the latter), and ii) there are no oviparous species in the Cabo Verde archipelago, contrary to the Canary Islands (5), the Azores (4), and Madeira (3). Fishing and habitat degradation are the most relevant anthropogenic pressures for the region, with Cabo Verde having the highest number of endangered species (66%) and a greater magnitude and diversity of threats. As such, this archipelago presents the highest priority area for shark conservation due to the intense industrial fishing in its waters, poor management measures in combination with its greater vulnerability to climate change.

The swift decline of coral reefs stands out as a significant biodiversity challenge confronting our generation, and mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs; reefs between 30 and 150 m) have been proposed as refuge habitats that may be less affected by climate change and human impacts compared to their shallow counterparts. However, MCEs are often distinct from shallow reefs, and studies assessing how marine biodiversity changes along the depth gradient and what factors can influence marine communities in MCEs are still scarce. Here, we conducted underwater visual censuses to evaluate how fish assemblages change among islands and environmental characteristics across the shallow to mesophotic depth gradient within the Cabo Verde Archipelago. Our results show that the beta diversity of reef fish assemblages was mainly driven by depth and environmental factors such as temperature and benthic variables. A consistent trend of increasing beta diversity from the shallow to the lower mesophotic zone was observed among the islands, with the lowest variation in species composition observed between the shallow (5-30 m) and upper (31-60 m) mesophotic depths. Lower species richness and higher turnover was observed within lower MCEs (61-85 m), suggesting saturation in fish richness at small scales, possibly a result of changes in microhabitat heterogeneity. Furthermore, the effect of geography was negligible, and local-scale environment characteristics were the main drivers of differences in species assemblages. Evidence suggests that increased fishing pressure on the most populated island may reduce the biogeographic influence on fish assemblages across the archipelago.