Polyoxometalates (POMs) are oxoanions of transition metal ions, such as V, Mo, W, Nb, and Pd, forming a variety of structures with a wide range of applications. Herein, we analyzed recent studies on the effects of polyoxometalates as anticancer agents, particularly their effects on the cell cycle. To this end, a literature search was carried out between March and June 2022, using the keywords “polyoxometalates” and “cell cycle”. The effects of POMs on selected cell lines can be diverse, such as their effects in the cell cycle, protein expression, mitochondrial effects, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell death and cell viability. The present study focused on cell viability and cell cycle arrest. Cell viability was analyzed by dividing the POMs into sections according to the constituent compound, namely polyoxovanadates (POVs), polyoxomolybdates (POMos), polyoxopaladates (POPds) and polyoxotungstates (POTs). When comparing and sorting the IC50 values in ascending order, we obtained first POVs, then POTs, POPds and, finally, POMos. When comparing clinically approved drugs and POMs, better results of POMs in relation to drugs were observed in many cases, since the dose required to have an inhibitory concentration of 50% is 2 to 200 times less, depending on the POMs, highlighting that these compounds could become in the future an alternative to existing drugs in cancer therapy.
This article presents an overview of the Portuguese transposition of the European Directive on Good Clinical Practice (2001/20/E) concerning scientific and academic debates on bioethics and clinical investigation. Since the Directive was transposed into Portuguese law by its National Assembly, the bureaucracy of clinical trials has been ever more complex. Despite demands for swift application processes by the Pharmaceutical industry, supported by the European Parliament, the Directive's transcription to the national law has not always delivered the expected outcome. However, this has led to an increased number of applications for clinical trials in Portuguese hospitals. In this article I revise bioethical publications and decree-laws enabling an informed appraisal of the anxieties and prospects for the implementation of the clinical trials Directive in Portugal. This article also places the European Directive in the field of sociology of bioethics, arguing that Portuguese bioethical institutions differ from those of the US, and also from Northern European counterparts. The main divergence is that those people in Portugal who claim expertise in 'legal' bioethics do not dominate either the bureaucratic structure of research or ethics committees for health. Even experts in the applied ethics field now claim that 'professional bioethicists do not exist'. The recent creation of a national Ethics Committee for Clinical Investigation (CEIC) in line with the European Directive on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) will not change the present imbalance between different professional jurisdictions in the national bioethical debate in Portugal.
This article presents a cartography of the field of research in adult learning and education (ALE) via a comparative study of academic production at doctoral level in Spain and Portugal based on a systematic documentary analysis of the summaries of doctoral theses concluded between 2006 and 2018. The aim is to advance the state of the art of research on ALE in recent doctoral theses in both Countries and highlight trends of contemporary knowledge construction in the field of continuing education of adults. Two analytical strategies are applied: i) a characterisation of the doctoral theses' abstracts by a constructed grid with general and specific categories; and ii) a quantitative strategy of identifying frequencies in the grid for 18 keywords, 6 frameworks and paradigms and 12 associated to concepts. The mapping of priorities and absences in doctoral research at Higher Education Institutions (HEI) demonstrate that in Spain, there is a tendency to present the role of ALE closely related to assisting individuals and groups to adapt to the educational system, to society and to labour demands. In Portugal an unresolved tension between the adaptation of adults to society through ALE and the conscientization of adults by ALE to transform society remains.
This chapter conceptualises the notion of overtourism by providing a systematic literature review mapping the existing research knowledge. The mapping exercise benefits from textual data from academic articles on overtourism. The study focuses on measures to counteract overtourism from a marketing perspective. Since tourism is about customers' experiences, understanding overtourism and its aspects is crucial at a time the market growth calls for measures to control this phenomenon. Using online databases and NVIVO 12 software, 66 articles were selected for bibliographic content analysis. Findings highlight the need to work the concept of overtourism in a holistic approach encompassing five dimensions: social, political & governance, marketing & customer experience, economic, and environmental. Results permitted to identify other dimensions; overtourism, symbolic, ethical-moral, cultural. Managing overtourism is challenging because whereas tourism is about customers' experiences, for policy makers overtourism encompasses strategies with collective effects.
This work results from an internship of two months at a new company of digital media, to evaluate its ‘maturity' in terms of social media performance. For pursuing this objective, it is compared with its main competitors in the area as a panel of experts. Two methods of analysis addressed two main research issues: I1) which key performance indicators are mostly used in a sample of main firms in the area in Portugal; and I2) which new strategies came from their assessment in those firms? In the period considered, the company revealed a more adaptive strategy, missing some key indicators in the area. Its efforts may not be being directed at the greatest potential of social media. It can improve the performance of its social media by monitoring engagement what helps to preserve its reputation and give followers the answers they really want. A common aspect in the compared companies is the absence of outsourcing to digital influencers. However, this practice is growing because, with the demand and speed of response currently required, in-house digital marketing lacks the resources.
This chapter examines a 30-year collection of tourism destination image (TDI) components and scale attributes sourced from tourism and hospitality studies to assess the scientific field at hand. From the 1990s, it was clear that cognitive, affective, and overall (holistic) images were involved in destination image formation. Cognitive psychology is crucial to explain tourists´ behaviour, but tourism studies are not simply a branch of cognitive psychology. This study taps into the multidisciplinary character of destination image. At stake are propositions and theories applicable in tourism such as the theory of self-congruity, self-concept, brand signal theory, destination source credibility, novelty seeking theory, and brand equity theory. The intention of the present chapter is to map its theoretical ground and underlying hypotheses by means of a systematic literature review and point out sub-studied dimensions of TDI.
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