Short-Term Effects of Climate Change on Planktonic Heterotrophic Prokaryotes in a Temperate Coastal Lagoon: Temperature Is Good, Ultraviolet Radiation Is Bad, and CO Is Neutral.

Planktonic heterotrophic prokaryotes (HProks) are a pivotal functional group in marine ecosystems and are highly sensitive to environmental variability and climate change. This study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of increasing carbon dioxide (CO), ultraviolet radiation (UVR), and temperature on natural assemblages of HProks in the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon during winter. Two multi-stressor microcosm experiments were used to evaluate the isolated and combined effects of these environmental changes on HProk abundance, production, growth, and mortality rates.

Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Phytoplankton Primary Production in a Shallow Temperate Coastal Lagoon (Ria Formosa, Portugal).

Coastal lagoons are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, and they provide a wide range of ecosystem services and resources. In the Ria Formosa (southern Portugal), phytoplankton production has rarely been addressed. The main goal of this study is thus to evaluate the variability of phytoplankton production and photosynthetic characteristics over the seasonal cycle and in different locations (landward, urban, intermediate, and seaward boundaries) of the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, subjected to distinct natural and anthropogenic stressors.

Orthorexia nervosa in yoga practitioners: relationship with personality, attitudes about appearance, and yoga engagement.

Purpose: Disordered eating symptoms and a high prevalence of orthorexia nervosa can be found in yoga practitioners. Given that yoga is increasingly used as a complementary treatment for eating disorders (ED), understanding the relationship between yoga practice and the development of disordered eating is crucial to guide treatment recommendations. The goal of this work is, therefore, to study the relationships between orthorexia nervosa (ON) and potential risk factors for ON, in an international sample of experienced yoga practitioners.

Disordered eating behaviours and correlates in yoga practitioners: a systematic review.

Purpose: Yoga has been increasingly used as a complementary therapy for eating disorders. However, it is still not clear whether yoga is effective in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders, as some studies suggest that yoga practitioners show elevated levels of disordered eating behaviours. The goal of this systematic review is, thus, to analyse the occurrence of disordered eating behaviours and correlates in yoga practitioners.

Depression and quality of life in older adults: Mediation effect of sleep quality.

Sleep insufficiency, which affects more than 45% of the world's population, has a great importance when considering older adults. Thus, this research tested a mediation hypothesis, through a path analysis, which explains how depression relates to the quality of life considering the effects of sleep quality in older adults. A sample of 187 community-dwelling Portuguese older adults answered questionnaires about sociodemographic status (age, gender, highest level of education completed, family status, sports activities, health, and retirement status), quality of life, sleep quality, and depression.

Modern postural yoga as a mental health promoting tool: A systematic review.

Yoga has been gaining popularity as a complementary therapy for mental health conditions, but research on the efficacy of yoga is still in its beginnings. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of modern postural yoga (strong focus on physical postures) on positive mental health (PMH) indicators in clinical and nonclinical populations. The most common PMH indicators were mindfulness, affect, resilience and well-being, followed by satisfaction with life, self-compassion, empathy and others.

Phytoplankton composition, growth and production in the Guadiana estuary (SW Iberia): unraveling changes induced after dam construction.

Water quality and quantity problems in the Guadiana estuary due to a recently built dam have been predicted, including an enhancement of cyanobacteria blooms. The main goal of this work was thus to describe the present phytoplankton dynamics in relation to its environmental drivers and to evaluate the effects of damming on phytoplankton in the Guadiana estuary. Sampling campaigns were conducted during 2007-2009 in 4 locations of the Guadiana estuary, covering the salinity gradient.

Constraints on the use of phytoplankton as a biological quality element within the Water Framework Directive in Portuguese waters.

The European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD), a new regulation aiming to achieve and maintain a clean and well-managed water environment, refers to phytoplankton as one of the biological quality elements that should be regularly monitored, and upon which the reference conditions of water quality should be established. However, the use of phytoplankton as a biological quality element will result in several constraints, which are analyzed in this article with examples from Portuguese waters. Specifically, the establishment of reference conditions of water quality may be difficult in some water bodies for which no historical data exists.