Neste artigo aborda-se o conceito de persuasão e os seus limites – inicialmente conceptuais e, depois, ontológicos. O repto preludial da reflexão encontra-se em Nietzsche: “O que se designa de ‘retórica’ como recurso de arte consciente, sempre esteve activo como recurso de arte inconsciente na linguagem” (“Notas de Lições sobre Retórica e Linguagem”). Trata-se, pois, de alertar para o ambivalente sentido de crise da retórica, o qual se diz em termos de uma vulnerável condição de crise (krisis), tendo por fio condutor a distinção entre a "retórica da crise” e a “crise da retórica” e, a partir daí, um vislumbre pormenorizado de uma trama que entrelaça ambos os conceitos. Tal articulação constitui uma ocasião de clarificação das “transições” a que a Retórica se encontra historicamente sujeita – e às quais tem sabido sobreviver. Por fim, perante os “ecossistemas comunicacionais de complexidade crescente”, propõe-se uma análise de três “prolegómenos a toda a Retórica futura” – como antídoto da violência, uma gestão discursiva da percepção, ir a jogo de boa-fé –, procurando revisitar a clássica trilogia aristotélica logos-ethos-pathos.

Over the last few decades, we witnessed a revolution in acquiring very high resolution and accurate geo-information. One of the reasons was the advances in photonics and LiDAR, which had a remarkable impact in applications requiring information with high accuracy and/or elevated completeness, such as flood modelling, forestry, construction, and mining. Also, miniaturization within electronics played an important role as it allowed smaller and lighter aerial cameras and LiDAR systems to be carried by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). While the use of aerial imagery acquired with UAV is becoming a standard procedure in geo-information extraction for several applications, the use of LiDAR for this purpose is still in its infancy. In several countries, companies have started to commercialize products derived from LiDAR data acquired using a UAV but not always with the necessary expertise and experience. The LIDAR-derived products’ price has become very attractive, but their quality must meet the contracted specifications. Few studies have reported on the quality of outsourced LiDAR data acquired with UAV and the problems that need to be handled during production. There can be significant differences between the planning and execution of a commercial project and a research field campaign, particularly concerning the size of the surveyed area, the volume of the acquired data, and the strip processing. This work addresses the quality control of LiDAR UAV data through outsourcing to develop a modelling-based flood forecast and alert system. The contracted company used the Phoenix Scout-16 from Phoenix LiDAR Systems, carrying a Velodyne VLP-16 and mounted on a DJI Matrice 600 PRO Hexacopter for an area of 560 ha along a flood-prone area of the Águeda River in Central Portugal.

An unusual self-assembly pattern is observed for highly ordered 1500-nm-thick films of monodisperse 13-nm-sized colloidal PbSe quantum dots, originating from their faceted truncated cube-like shape. Specifically, self-assembled PbSe dots exhibited attachment to the substrate by <001> planes followed by an interconnection through the {001} facets in plan-view and {110}/{111} facets in cross-sectional-view, thus forming a cubic superlattice. The thermoelectric properties of the PbSe superlattice thin films are investigated by means of frequency domain thermoreflectance, scanning thermal probe microscopy, and four-probe measurements, and augmented by computational efforts. Thermal conductivity of the superlattice films is measured as low as 0.7 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature due to the developed nanostructure. The low values of electrical conductivity are attributed to the presence of insulating oleate capping ligands at the dots’ surface and the small contact area between the PbSe dots within the superlattice. Experimental efforts aiming at the removal of the oleate ligands are conducted by annealing or molten-salt treatment, and in the latter case, yielded a promising improvement by two orders of magnitude in thermoelectric performance. The result indicates that the straightforward molten-salt treatment is an interesting approach to derive thermoelectric dot superlattice thin films over a centimeter-sized area.

Polymer biomaterials are being considered for tissue regeneration due to the possibility of resembling different extracellular matrix characteristics. However, most current scaffolds cannot respond to physical-chemical modifications of the cell microenvironment. Stimuli-responsive materials, such as electroactive smart polymers, are increasingly gaining attention once they can produce electrical potentials without external power supplies. The presence of piezoelectricity in human tissues like cartilage and bone highlights the importance of electrical stimulation in physiological conditions. Although poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is one of the piezoelectric polymers with the highest piezoelectric response, it is not biodegradable. Poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a promising copolymer of poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) for tissue engineering and regeneration applications. It offers biodegradability, piezoelectric properties, biocompatibility, and bioactivity, making it a superior option to PVDF for biomedical purposes requiring biodegradability. Magnetoelectric polymer composites can be made by combining magnetostrictive particles and piezoelectric polymers to further tune their properties for tissue regeneration. These composites convert magnetic stimuli into electrical stimuli, generating local electrical potentials for various applications. Cobalt ferrites (CFO) and piezoelectric polymers have been combined and processed into different morphologies, maintaining biocompatibility for tissue engineering. The present work studied how PHBV/CFO microspheres affected neural and glial response in spinal cord cultures. It is expected that the electrical signals generated by these microspheres due to their magnetoelectric nature could aid in tissue regeneration and repair. PHBV/CFO microspheres were not cytotoxic and were able to impact neurite outgrowth and promote neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, PHBV/CFO microspheres led to microglia activation and induced the release of several bioactive molecules. Importantly, magnetically stimulated microspheres ameliorated cell viability after an in vitro ROS-induced lesion of spinal cord cultures, which suggests a beneficial effect on tissue regeneration and repair.

Os lípidos constituem uma porção significativa do cérebro e desempenham um papel crítico na sua função e estrutura, com alterações lipídicas importantes observadas em doenças neurodegenerativas, como a doença de Alzheimer (AD), em que os estudos implicam a via da fosfolipase D (PLD). A isoenzima PLD1 da PLD foi demonstrada ser a principal fonte de ácido fosfatídico no hipocampo, uma estrutura cerebral vulnerável à degeneração no contexto neuropatológico. Além disso, foi demonstrado que a sua ablação perturba a organização do hipocampo, afetando particularmente o lipidoma do hipocampo dorsal (DH), bem como a diferenciação da arborização dendrítica nos neurónios piramidais de CA1. Esta descoberta implica o papel da PLD1 na manutenção da estrutura do hipocampo. Dada a importância de compreender o contexto celular da atividade da PLD1 na integridade neuronal do hipocampo, surgiu a necessidade de caraterizar histologicamente as diferentes populações de células gliais no hipocampo, tanto na presença como na ausência de PLD1, bem como os processos dependentes da PLD1 nestas mesmas células. A compreensão da relação entre os neurónios e as células gliais - especificamente os oligodendrócitos e os astrócitos - na garantia da integridade neuronal através da via da PLD1 forneceria informações valiosas sobre os mecanismos celulares subjacentes à função hipocampal. No entanto, abordagens prévias não captaram totalmente a extensão da atividade da PLD1, suscitando a necessidade de métodos que não só quantifiquem a atividade da PLD1, mas também a avaliem a nível celular e subcelular. O presente estudo apresenta os desafios da aplicação de uma abordagem desenvolvido pela nossa equipa com base no método IMPACT, revelando que, embora a incubação ex vivo com 5-hexyn-1-ol tenha melhorado a distribuição espacial do álcool, o sinal inespecífico salienta a necessidade de otimizações adicionais. A análise histológica da região CA1 do DH implica que a ablação da PLD1, embora não influencie a densidade populacional de astrócitos e oligodendrócitos, afeta negativamente a sua maturação. Além disso, a ablação de PLD1 parece perturbar os processos de mielinização no CA1 do DH. Estes resultados abrem perspetivas para uma caraterização mais aprofundada da estrutura morfológica dos astrócitos e dos oligodendrócitos para compreender a extensão do papel que a PLD1 desempenha na diferenciação destas células e, em última análise, na proteção da integridade neuronal.

Leaders have a critical role in promoting working conditions that actively consider the health and wellbeing of employees. Therefore, studying the impacts leadership produce at work is key. This study analyzes the relationship between leadership and conflict management styles, specifically examining how followers’ perception of managers’ leadership readiness relates to their perception of managers’ conflict management styles. The study included 185 participants (67.6% men; 28.1% women), all employees of a metalworking company, with ages between 19 and 67 years old (M = 38.14; SD =10.94). It was evaluated leadership (cycles, styles, and antecedent factors) and conflict management styles. The results showed that: (a) followers perceived that managers should turn clearer their leadership philosophy, practice, and criteria; and (b) positive perceptions of managers’ leadership were associated with higher levels of transformational conflict management style and lower levels of hesitant and competitive conflict management styles. Overall, this study indicates that there is a gap between followers’ and managers’ perceptions of leadership and that a more positive evaluation of leadership readiness relates to more positive management styles by the leaders.

Cork and rubber are prized for their thermal and acoustic insulation, but sunlight exposure can lead to ageing. This can be mitigated by UV-filter coatings like TiO2 and ZnO, though their performance against mechanical wear remains unexplored. Three rubber substrates, differing in roughness, shape, and color, were coated with dense amorphous TiO2 films and nanocolumnar ZnO films. Tribological tests revealed the friction coefficient (CoF) depends on rubber type, influenced by film thickness and substrate roughness. Coated substrates showed lower CoF and improved wear resistance compared to uncoated ones. ZnO coatings, especially thicker ones on low roughness substrates, exhibited the lowest CoF. Strong adhesion was indicated by residue after testing and stretching, suggesting enhanced tribological performance and broader applications.

Recent advancements in biomedicine and tissue regeneration have profoundly impacted the entire healthcare spectrum. These advancements have enabled the development of applications for repairing damaged tissues, thereby restoring their functionality. One fundamental aspect of living structures is their ability to accurately respond to a specific stimulus. Due to their versatile and function-specific designs and active responses, stimuli-responsive materials have gained significant interest in the field of biomedical applications, namely for muscle tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This chapter presents different stimuli-responsive materials and their applications in the field of skeletal and cardiac muscle tissue regeneration. Additionally, it addresses some challenges associated with the clinical translation of these materials.

The present study describes macroinvertebrate assemblages in three Zostera noltei meadows, following a salinity gradient along the Aveiro lagoon (Portugal). The main environmental descriptors and Z. noltei biometrics were studied to provide a model of the multivariate macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. The macroinvertebrate assemblage structure in the meadow close to the lagoon opening was significantly different. This could be explained by its higher organic matter content and salinity values. Our model highlighted that 72% of the variation on macroinvertebrate assemblage structure was explained by the studied variables, being organic matter, salinity and sediment median grain size the most relevant factors. Moreover, the number of Z. noltei shoots, and cover of the invasive species Agarophyton aff. vermiculophyllum were also significant. The strong relationship between macroinvertebrates, environmental descriptors and Z. noltei biometrics validates the usefulness of macroinvertebrates as indicators of the seagrass condition in intertidal environments. This study provides baseline data that will be crucial to detect anthropogenic disturbances and preserve Z. noltei meadows, including their associated biodiversity. These data will also allow focusing on certain environmental factors and Z. noltei biometrics that have proved shaping the macroinvertebrate assemblages’ structure.

Athlete leadership is crucial for optimizing the functioning of sports teams. In order to do so, athletes need to be provided with opportunities to develop their leadership skills, particularly team captains. This paper proposes the Pro.Captains Program based on the Leadership Efficacy Model (Gomes, 2020). The program includes six stages: (1) pre-intervention evaluation; (2) selecting team captains; (3) challenges of team captains; (4) behaviors of team captains; (5) leadership plan of team captains; and (6) post-intervention evaluation. The ProCaptains Program can be tested in terms of efficacy and offers a practical framework for stakeholders interested in developing the leadership of team captains.