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Between the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the pandemic crisis of Covid-19, the Anjos neighborhood in Lisbon presented a particular concentration of public spaces offering concerts, exhibitions, dance classes, bars, etc. Many of these spaces are non-profit and promote cultural democracy thus fighting gentrification. From visits to the neighborhood, document analysis and interviews with board members, volunteers and other key actors, we identify two ideal-types of these spaces' missions: the cultural-entertainment and the cultural-activist. We conclude by pointing out that both allow us henceforth to monitor the influence of the participation of these spaces in urban reconfiguration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the start of the financial crisis (2007-08) and the pandemic crisis (2020-), Lisbon was at its peak as a fashionable European tourist destination. During this period, in a singular concentration in the Portuguese capital, associations and other collectives proliferated as alternative spaces, overlapping political and cultural action. In this dossier, through a qualitative methodology of ethnographic nature, we show that these spaces form a model of urban development of their own. If, since the 1970s, alternative spaces have played a role in resisting gentrification in several western countries, the case of Lisbon stands out for its contrast with a national context of weak civic participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several non-profit cultural organisations opened up public spaces during the financial crisis in Lisbon with a particular concentration in the Anjos neighbourhood. These organisations promote different activities, ranging from debates, exibitions, traditional dancing, activist cinema to bars. This article aims to convey the transformative role they played for individuals, the neighbourhood and the city. Although facing challenges over organisational sustainability as they are not publicly funded, these organisations do seem to have reinvented the mission of the century-old recreational societies through their convivial and transdisciplinary activities. Based on documental analysis and interviews with different actors, we map this vibrant neighbourhood and show that these hybrid organisations represent what cultural democracy may today look like, while providing resilient responses to the contextual challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the democratic transition that began in Portugal in 1974 the police, too, sought to organize into unions. But this aspiration was achieved only at the beginning of the 21st century, when the path to union proliferation was opened, with 19 organizations having been reached in 2019. This article shows that the instrumentalization of the legal form by the police led to the distortion of the nature of union action. Based on interviews and document analysis, we conclude that the assessment system of union representativeness requires objective and predictable criteria to have minimum (not sufficient) conditions for social dialog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of spatial planning has seen a significant boost in recent decades in Portugal. Different occupations had earlier competed for the control of this market, exploiting a lack of regulation. In 2006, the then Planning Junior minister introduced a registration system for the coordinators of territorial management instruments, the sar, bringing together all interested professional groups. However, a ministerial reshuffling in 2009 led to the halting of the concertation process, leaving once again room for professional dispute. This paper presents this case of professional regulation, highlighting the role of the state and the challenges of the professionalization of multidisciplinary knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to discuss the contemporary activities and roles that scientific associations play in science and society. It is based on a comprehensive study of scientific associations in Portugal, relying on a multi-method, quantitative and qualitative approach. After a brief review of the (scarce) literature on associations in the social studies of science, we provide an outline of the expanding field of scientific associations in Portugal. We then proceed to present and discuss the five main roles of associations identified through the research: communication among peers, promotion of research, science dissemination, representation of professional interests and policy advice. We conclude that the external roles of associations (establishing connections between science and society) have become more important than the internal ones. Whereas the internationalisation of science has moved the communication, collaboration and competition between researchers into the transnational sphere, the links that associations forge between science and other social spheres are still deeply rooted in national settings and much dependant on specific configurations and practices by government, business and other social actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual antidepressant combination for treatment-resistant depression is a strategy well supported by literature and accepted in clinical practice. Rather, the usefulness of the combination of more than two antidepressants is controversial. This may be related to the possibility of higher side-effect burden and to doubts about its pharmacological effectiveness and therapeutic advantage compared to other standard treatment options. We report a relapse of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms with insomnia that successfully remitted after the addition of trazodone to a dual combination of paroxetine and mirtazapine (in standard effective doses) in a patient with treatment-resistant depression. We also review the literature and discuss the utility of triple antidepressant combination in treatment-resistant depression. This clinical case highlights the utility of combining trazodone as a third antidepressant for the relapse of depressive symptoms after the failure of a dual antidepressant combination. Trazodone may be advantageous in patients presenting recurrence of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms that include sleep problems and/or insomnia and may be particularly useful when benzodiazepines are not recommended. Although its use may be controversial and associated with higher risk of side-effects, more investigation is needed to determine the efficacy and safety for triple antidepressant combinations as reliable strategies for treatment-resistant depression in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Association membership in Portugal is generally low, despite the high number of associations. This article examines the practices and motivations for belonging to associations in a particular group, researchers. Based on a questionnaire survey on their participation in national and international or foreign scientific associations, issues such as memberships, motivations profiles and engagement in the associations' life are explored. Variations by sociodemographic characteristics are also analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapeutic technique mainly applied to the treatment of malignant and pre-malignant lesions, which induces cell death by the combined effect of a photosensitizer, irradiation in a proper wavelength, and molecular oxygen. One of the main limitations of PDT using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is the superficial volume of treatment, mainly due to the limited penetration of topical photosensitization. In this context, the present study investigates if a laser micromachining producing microchannels on the tissue surface could improve ALA penetration and result in an increase in the treatment depth. The laser micromachining under femtosecond regime was performed on the tissue surface of rat livers. Conventional PDT was applied and the induced depth of necrosis with or without laser micromachining was compared. The results showed an increase of more than 20% in the depth of necrosis when the femtosecond laser micromachining was performed before the treatment with the PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the role played by universities in structuring the knowledge domains that configure different occupations in the professional field of Geology. Among the various dimensions that shape a profession, the appropriation of an expertise and its application in professional practice prevails as a central dimension. The article is based on an empirical analysis of the professional field of geology in Portugal, which includes the areas of Geology and Geological Engineering and Mining Engineering. The analysis shows how the educational offer is related with the transformations in the labour market and the strategic reposition of the professional groups in the field, contributing to its hybridisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]