Territorial development in the Cape Verde archipelago under the Estado Novo dictatorship (1953–1974)

Despite Portugal's neutrality in the Second World War (1939–1945), the subsequent new world order meant that the Portuguese Government felt obliged to revise its overseas policies. A new regional awareness could be seen in the Six-Year National Development Plans launched by Estado Novo from 1953 until the revolution of 1974. The territory and its strategic potential were emphasized in the context of national policies of overseas urbanization. Interventions in Cape Verde are visible particularly in the First Development Plan, which was based on equipping the province's public facilities. The methodology of intervention involved setting up missions aimed at planning a set of specific public works which were essential to the development of existing settlements. A sharp increase in the development of the territory through the work of specialized brigades took place in the Third Development Plan, when a set of public works on road, hydraulic and electricity networks was undertaken. The planning of infrastructures that was undertaken in these years was essential to the development of the archipelago and the resulting regional and urban land-use planning of the various islands.     

Polyethylene/Polycaprolactone Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging Modified with Magnetite and Casein: Oxygen Barrier,Mechanical, and Thermal Properties

Polyethylene (PE) was modified and prepared as double-layer polyethylene/polycaprolactone (PE/PCL) film. Magnetite and casein were added to the PCL-coating film to improve barrier properties and prevent destruction of basic structure of primary polymer PE. Significant improvements were observed with regards to mechanical (tensile strength, elongation at break) and thermal properties, while barrier (O₂ permeability) properties were slightly improved. Overall migration values into acetic acid were lower (from 1 to 4.6 mg/dm²) than the upper limit set by the legislation. Specific migration of iron in PE/PCL-Fe samples is also below (µg/L) specific migration limit value set by the legislation (mg/kg).     

Selecting the Pre-Hydrolysis Conditions for Eucalyptus Wood in A Fractional Exploitation Biorefining Scheme

The operating conditions for the autohydrolysis of eucalyptus wood were optimized with a view to maximizing hemicellulose extraction while preserving the integrity of glucan. The influence of the operating conditions used in the soda–anthraquinone pulping of the solid phase resulting from the autohydrolysis process was examined. Autohydrolysis of the raw material at a liquid/solid ratio of 8 kg water/kg material at 180°C for 30 min was found to provide a commercially useful liquid phase containing most of the starting hemicellulose. The autohydrolysis treatment allowed the subsequent production of soda–anthraquinone cellulose pulp and paper with properties as good as or even better than those obtained without the pretreatment.     

The Impact of Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Surfactants in the Microstructure and Rheological Behaviour of Emulsions Made With Melted Fat From Cupuassu (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma grandiflorum</Emphasis>)

Cupuassu fat is a good candidate for partial substitution of cocoa butter in many products, including emulsions. However, for such use it is necessary to know the characteristics of the products prepared with cupuassu fat. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to characterize emulsions prepared with cupuassu fat using the surfactants Tween^® 60, Tween^® 80 and Tween^® 85 as emulsifiers. The emulsions were prepared at 43 °C with addition of 0.5 or 1.5 % (w/v) of surfactant and compared with an emulsion without surfactant. All emulsions were analysed by conductivity, stability, pH, optical microscopy, rheology and oxidative stability. It was verified that the emulsions prepared with Tween^® 60 and Tween^® 80 have higher stability, smaller droplet size and higher apparent viscosity. Also, these properties are positively influenced by the concentration of the surfactant. On the other hand, emulsions prepared with Tween 85 or without surfactant reached unsatisfactory results. The rheological behaviour of the emulsions was adequately described by both Herschel-Bulkley and Mizhari-Berki models revealing pseudoplastic character. These emulsions also present strong gel behaviour, with storage modulus higher than loss modulus. In conclusion, cupuassu fat can be used as oil phase for emulsions products and this characterization helps to understand their behaviour in order to increase their use in food industry.     

Spread or backwash: The impact on population dynamics and business performance of a new road in a rural county of Galicia (Spain)

The natural experiment provided by the opening of a section that completed the A8 motorway in Mariña de Lugo, a rural area in Galicia (Spain), offers an opportunity to identify whether spread or backwash effects in economic activity are observed. The new section directly affects only a small strip of the territory—where the transition from the inland rural areas to the more dynamic coastal area takes place. This allows us to test a separate dual inner-coastal socio-economic performance after the opening of the new road—an analysis that has rarely been performed for rural areas in developed countries. We study the impact over population growth, employment and business financial results, using the differences-in-differences approach. The results we obtain are consistent with the spread hypothesis for the nearest municipality to the new road section, while the spread effects did not disseminate to the neighbouring municipalities. These global results hide a different performance at the sector level, positive for transport and manufacturing companies, and negative for retail firms and hospitality.     

Improved electro-assisted removal of phosphates and nitrates using mesoporous carbon aerogels with controlled porosity

Three-activated carbon aerogels were synthesized by CO₂ activation of the materials prepared by the polycondensation of resorcinol and formaldehyde mixtures followed by supercritical drying. The obtained carbon aerogels were characterized and used as electrode materials for the electrosorption of sodium phosphate and nitrate. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy showed the dependence of the structural ordering of the aerogels with the resorcinol/catalyst ratio and the extent of activation. The electrosorption capacitance evaluated by cyclic voltammetry revealed large values for the activated samples containing a large contribution of mesopores, regardless the electrolyte salt. Due to an adequate combination of chemical and porous features, the desalting capacity of the activated carbon aerogel electrodes exceeded that of the as-prepared materials. The evaluation of the kinetic properties by chronocoulometric relaxation and impedance spectroscopy showed a decrease of time constant and resistances for highly mesoporous activated samples. A high deionization capacity and fast electrode discharge was detected for the deionization of sodium nitrate on the highly mesoporous activated aerogel. Data also showed the efficient electrosorption of ionic species on consecutive charge/discharge cycles, confirming the stability of the aerogel electrodes at the high applied potentials.