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In this article, we intend to address issues relating to the relationship between Digital Law and Globalization and how it impacts States and citizens, with a main focus on the role of the internet. Specifically, we seek to bring the history of the internet and confront sovereignty with the phenomenon of globalization, in order to understand to what extent this affects the independence of national States, since in a hegemonic context of the international over the national, technology plays an important role that simultaneously empowers singularities (citizens). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates chronic conditions (CC) prevalence among children in mainstream schools, their school experience and life satisfaction in Europe. Data were collected from the 2017/2018 HBSC survey, a cross-national study using self-reported questionnaires administered in classrooms. Nationally representative samples of children aged 11, 13, and 15 years in mainstream schools from 19 European countries (n = 104,812) were used. School experience was assessed using four variables: low school satisfaction, schoolwork pressure, low teacher support, and peer-victimization, which were related to life satisfaction. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify patterns of school experience among students with CC. The prevalence of CC varied from 8.4 (Armenia) to 28.2% (Finland). Children with CC (n = 17,514) rated their school experience and life satisfaction lower than children without CC. LCA identified three school experience patterns: "negative on all items" (37%), "negative on all items, except school pressure" (40%) and "overall positive" (23%). The distribution of subgroups varied across countries—in countries with a higher proportion of children with CC in mainstream schools, children reported more negative school experiences. Compared to the "overall positive" group, low life satisfaction was highest for students classified as "negative on all items" (relative risk (RR) = 2.9; 95% CI 2.2–3.8) with a lesser effect for "negative on all items, except school pressure" (RR) = 1.8; 95% CI 1.4–2.4). These findings provide cross-national data documenting the diversity in inclusive educational practices regarding school placement and school experiences, and suggest that efforts are still needed to allow a fully inclusive environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Portuguese Poison Information Center (from Portuguese—CIAV) is a call center that offers medical assistance in case of possible intoxication with any kind of product, including medicines. This center´s main goal is to inform and guide the general public and health professionals. This work aimed to analyze and compare data corresponding to the telephone calls from the Algarve region (South of Portugal), received by CIAV during 2019 and 2020, regarding potential intoxications with medicines. To this end, data provided by CIAV on possible cases of medication intoxication in the Algarve region were collected, including the number of calls received, the place of origin of the call, the age group and sex of the intoxicated individual, the route of exposure to the drug, the circumstances of contact with the substance, the existence of symptoms, and the drug or drugs involved in the potential intoxication. The results showed that the number of cases slightly decreased in 2020 (n = 1261) compared with 2019 (n = 1340), with a high number of cases of intoxication in children between one and four years old in both years (21.2%; n = 152 in 2019; 16.4%; n = 115 in 2020). The drugs belonging to the locomotor system group (paracetamol and ibuprofen) were the main drugs involved, followed by the central nervous system pharmacotherapeutic group, namely benzodiazepines (diazepam and alprazolam). Paracetamol was the main drug responsible for the calls to CIAV (n = 71 in 2019; n = 63 in 2020), while for the remaining drugs there were fluctuations in their positions between both years. In some cases, this swinging may be explained by the possible changes in therapy due to potential interactions with drugs used for the treatment of symptoms of COVID-19 or perhaps related to misleading information released by the media about the use of some drugs, such as ibuprofen, during lockdown periods. Although there has been a decrease in calls to report possible drug intoxication in the Algarve region, the profile of calls was very similar. Paracetamol was the drug with the highest number of reported cases and the group of psychotropic drugs showed the largest increase between 2019 and 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive Youth Development (PYD) model is a strength-based perspective of transition to adulthood derived from developmental systems theory. Developmental assets (DAs) framework describes the individual and contextual resources that may promote PYD. This work aims to analyze the associations between internal and external DAs and PYD, as well as examining gender differences, in Spanish youth. Data of students enrolled in 10 high schools and universities, collected in the PYD Cross-National Project in Spain through a self-report instrument, were used. Structural equation modeling showed that DAs were positively related to PYD. Some gender differences were observed in PYD, such that male students presented higher scores in confidence and competence, and female students showed more connection, caring, and character. Results of partial mediation modeling indicated that these gender differences in PYD may be partly explained by gender differences in DAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial assessment of physical fitness (PF) is associated with daily duty tasks/performance, and health-indicators (risk of injury/illnesses) of police officers. This research aimed to characterize the demographic, sports practice, PF, and metabolic profile of Elite Portuguese Public Security Police recruits. This cross-sectional study included 32 participants (age 30.1 ± 2.7 years old). The following data were collected: demographic, sports practice, PF (e.g. muscular resistance [pull/sit/push-ups], cardiorespiratory fitness [Cooper Test]), and metabolic measures (e.g. blood pressure [systolic/diastolic]). A robust PF and metabolic profile was observed: sit-ups 79.6 ± 11.6 rep.; push-ups 65.4 ± 17.3 rep.; VO2max prediction 49.6 ± 4.7 ml/kg/min; Body Mass Index 23.5 ± 2.1 kg/m2; fat mass 10.7 ± 2.3%; systolic blood pressure 134.0 ± 12.0 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure 74.6 ± 12.5 mm Hg. Deeper knowledge on initial PF and its impact on health may be relevant for policing policy, allowing one to define assessment guidelines and implement regular training to optimize PF throughout police officers´ lives and careers, with potentially general health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To analyse the clinical and histological characteristics from a series of oral leukoplakias, leukoerythroplakias, erythroplakias and actinic cheilitis diagnosed in a 14‐year period. Methods: The files were reviewed and all cases diagnosed as leukoplakia, leukoerythroplakia, erythroplakia and actinic cheilitis were selected. Clinical information was obtained from the biopsy submission forms, and histological review was performed in all cases. Results: Final sample included 953 lesions, mostly affecting females (534, 56%), and 87.5% of the patients were 41 to 80 years old. The most commonly affected regions were the lower lip (20.1%), tongue (18.1%) and buccal mucosa (16.9%). Leukoplakias, actinic cheilitis, leukoerythroplakias and erythroplakias represented, respectively, 74.6%, 15.2%, 9.3% and 0.8% of the sample. Most cases presented no dysplasia (42.1%) or mild dysplasia (33.5%). Lesions in the tongue, floor of mouth and lower lip, as well as lesions that presented hyperparakeratosis, showed higher frequencies of moderate dysplasia and severe dysplasia/carcinoma in situ. The most common histological criteria were the increase in number and size of nucleoli, loss of polarity of the basal cells and variations in cellular size and shape. Classification by the binary system showed that 7% were high‐risk lesions. Conclusion: All histological criteria for classification of oral epithelial dysplasia recommended by the World Health Organization showed increased frequency as grading increased. Additional criteria seem to be useful in grading oral epithelial dysplasia, such as the presence of normal and abnormal superficial mitotic figures and endophytic epithelial proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation to shifting temperatures is crucial for the survival of the bacterial pathogen Vibrio cholerae. Here, we show that colony rugosity, a biofilm-associated phenotype, is regulated by temperature in V. cholerae strains that naturally lack the master biofilm transcriptional regulator HapR. Using transposon-insertion mutagenesis, we found the V. cholerae ortholog of BipA, a conserved ribosome-associated GTPase, is critical for this temperature-dependent phenomenon. Proteomic analyses revealed that loss of BipA alters the synthesis of >300 proteins in V. cholerae at 22°C, increasing the production of biofilm-related proteins including the key transcriptional activators VpsR and VpsT, as well as proteins important for diverse cellular processes. At low temperatures, BipA protein levels increase and are required for optimal ribosome assembly in V. cholerae, suggesting that control of BipA abundance is a mechanism by which bacteria can remodel their proteomes. Our study reveals a remarkable new facet of V. cholerae's complex biofilm regulatory network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a liberating education is to recognize that knowledge is a process of collective discovery, mediated by dialogue between teacher and student. Educating in a liberating perspective presupposes attending the singularity of each student, in a process of curricular development in which the evaluation assumes a formative function. We present a study, of a qualitative nature, developed in a group of schools, located in the North of Portugal, with the main objectives of evaluating the effects of a project to combat school failure, in basic education; and to know the dynamics that, in the opinion of the teachers, contributed to the success of the project. The instrument of data collection was the semi-structured interview, which was carried out with 10 teachers who held coordination positions during the duration of the project. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The results emphasize that the success of the project was mainly due to the cooperation dynamics of the education officers with the school. It has proved important to consolidate the flexibility of the curriculum, which allows the student to occupy the centrality in the process of curriculum development; and to encourage dialogue between teacher and student, particularly through feedback mechanisms, tracing a path of reflective and emancipatory evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the chest computed tomography (CT) findings in immunocompetent children under 36 months of age with pulmonary tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive case series conducted in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between January 2004 and July 2013, involving 20 young children who underwent CT after undergoing chest X-rays that did not provide a definitive diagnosis. Results: All of the participants had lymph node enlargement and consolidations. In 15 cases (75%), the consolidations were accompanied by atelectasis. Pulmonary cavitation was seen in 10 cases (50%), and cavitation within consolidations was seen in 7 (35%). The areas of cavitation and parenchymal destruction were not seen on conventional chest X-rays. Conclusion: The radiological presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis in young children differs from that described in older children and adults. CT is an effective method for the early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in immunocompetent infants, allowing the rapid institution of specific treatment, which is crucial for halting disease progression, as well as for preventing local and systemic complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living with a chronic disease (CD) in adolescence involves new multifaceted challenges. This study aims to conduct a psychosocial characterization of a group of adolescents with chronic diseases in a hospital setting and to compare such dimensions for the total group and for different diseases. A cross-sectional study included 135 adolescents with chronic diseases (51.9% boys; 48.1% girls), having an average age of 14±1.5 years (SD=1.5) and attending a paediatric outpatient department in a hospital setting. Statistically significant differences were found among the different chronic diseases for the variables self-regulation (adolescents with diabetes had significantly higher competencies) and multiple psychosomatic symptoms (adolescents with neurologic diseases reported significantly more complaints). Boys presented both better health-related quality of life and psychosomatic health when compared to girls. No statistically significant differences were observed for health-related quality of life, psychosomatic health, resilience, and social support. These findings bring important suggestions especially while planning interventions, which must take into account the promotion of a healthy psychosocial development, through an inclusive perspective (covering different chronic diseases), that take into consideration specific and gendered approaches. Such suggestions might help healthcare professionals to better plan interventions in order to increase their effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was focused to characterize the digestive proteases in Macrobrachium carcinus adults using biochemical and electrophoretic techniques. Our results showed that the alkaline proteolytic activity from males and females did not show significant differences (P > 0.05) between them, the optimum pH for digestive proteases is 8, and is very stable to changes in alkaline pH (8 and 10). The optimum temperature for alkaline proteases is 45°C and is stable from 25 to 45°C. The activity was totally inhibited with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), additionally the inhibition with trypsin soybean inhibitor 1 (SBT1) and tosyl-lysine-methyl ketone (TLCK) indicate high effect over serine proteases. Eight active bands were found using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) zymogram (range 17.8-94.0 kDa), which were partially inhibited with ovalbumin (Ovo), SBT1, phenanthroline (Phen), tosyl-phenylalanine-methyl ketone (TPCK), TLCK and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), indicating an omnivorous digestive capacity, which remarks that the mainly alkaline protease in M. carcinus hepatopancreas are trypsin like enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the scarcity of studies concerning the impact of school entry age on school skills and on personal/social skills of children in Portugal, it is pertinent to study this phenomenon. This study aims to describe and compare school skills and personal/social skills in two groups of students with different school entry ages, 5 and 6 years old, respectively. A total of 153 Portuguese children (51% boys) aged between 7 and 8 years, with a mean of 7.30 ± 0.46 years old participated in the study. The results showed that no statistically significant differences were found for the variable school skills in its dimensions: spatial relationships, constancy of form, spatial orientation and total scale. However, significant differences were observed in the dimensions verbal comprehension and quantitative concepts: children with school entry age of 5 years old presented statistically significant lower results than children with school entry age of 6 years old, for those same dimensions. Regarding personal/social skills, there were no statistically significant differences between the two age groups. The present results, which generally suggest similarities (more than differences) between the two age groups in terms of school skills and personal/social skills, can lead to a final reflection that reinforces the idea of children entering the school at age 6 (age defined by the actual Portuguese law), and not, early. However, more research is needed to increase knowledge concerning this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing deployment of solar systems in buildings in urban environments, a future scenario of high photovoltaic penetration is expected to produce impacts on the distribution grid. One of the challenges relates to the power balance at the power transformers, which might not have sufficient spare capacity to accommodate the solar electricity feed in. In this work, we estimate the power balance at the transformers in a small urban area of Lisbon, Portugal, considering full deployment of PV, installed on rooftops and building façades. The PV potential is estimated through two different approaches: the simplified Peak power method , which considers the typical peak power of a module and the available area, and the more labour-intensive Irradiance method that accounts for hourly time step solar irradiance and demand data or simulations. The main findings of this work point out that the Peak power method has limited success if PV facades are to be considered. Moreover, a high PV penetration scenario leads to a locally less resilient grid, hence a solar PV factor was proposed to account for future deployment of PV systems in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality and are considered to be at epidemic levels worldwide. This is a cross-sectional multi-country study based on data from the European Social Survey round 7, 2014, comprising 30,826 participants (14,813 men) with mean age 50.4 ± 18.0. Physical activity and chronic diseases were self-reported. Men and women who practiced physical activity more often had lower odds of having heart problems, breathing problems, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Engaged in physical activity 2–4 times/week and ≥5 times/week decrease the odds of having heart problems, high blood pressure, breathing problems, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, compared with men and women who engaged in physical activity 1 or less times per week. For the women, the practice of physical activity ≥5 times/week was significantly and negatively associated with having cancer, when compared with women who engaged in physical activity 1 or less times per week. Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases, in particular: heart problems, high blood pressure, breathing problems, allergies, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Furthermore, even small amounts of weekly physical activity seem to decrease the risk of chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To investigate the effects of spectral overlays on reading performance of Brazilian elementary school children. Methods: Sixty-eight children (aged 9–12 years) enrolled in the 5th and 6th grade were included in the study. The Rate of Reading Test (RRT – Brazilian Portuguese version) was used to evaluate reading speed and the Irlen Reading Perceptual Scale was used to allocate the sample according to reading difficulty/discomfort symptoms and to define the optimal spectral overlays. Results: A total of 13% of the children presented an improvement of at least 15% in reading speed with the use of spectral overlays. Pupils with severe reading difficulties tended to have more improvement in RRT with spectral overlays. Children with severe reading discomfort obtained the highest gains in RRT, with an average of 9.6% improvement with intervention, compared to a decrease of –8.2% in the control group. Participants with severe discomfort had an odds ratio of 3.36 to improve reading speed with intervention compared to the control group. Conclusion: The use of spectral overlays can improve reading performance, particularly in those children with severe visual discomfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The postponement of parenthood may increase the number of couples experiencing infertility and prolonged time to pregnancy. Previous research has revealed that childless people are not well informed regarding fertility, which may threat their childbearing intentions. This study aimed to examine fertility knowledge and childbearing intentions held by Portuguese people and their use and perceived usefulness of information sources on fertility. Methods: Participants were recruited using a random-route domiciliary approach. A total of 2404 individuals aged 18-45 were asked to complete a structured questionnaire evaluating socio-demographic characteristics, childbearing intentions, fertility knowledge and information-gathering sources regarding fertility. Results: In total, 95.5% of the participants indicated the desire to have children in the future, and 61.7% reported that having children would contribute to life satisfaction. Most of the participants expressed the desire to have two children in the future. The discrepancy between the numbers of planned and desired children was higher in men, in participants with lower education levels, in professionally active participants and in the unemployed participants. Relationship stability seemed to be more important in influencing childbearing decisions than financial stability or family support. Participants' knowledge regarding fertility was poor. Women, the participants who were older than 25, the participants with longer education and the participants with higher income exhibited the greatest levels of knowledge of fertility, although this knowledge was only slightly enhanced in these subgroups. Also, the participants overestimated both the chances of spontaneous pregnancy and the success rates of assisted reproduction techniques. Finally, the results revealed that websites were the main information sources used by the participants and only 18.0% of the participants had previously discussed fertility issues with their doctors. Conclusions: Although Portuguese men and women reported the desire to have children in the future, their knowledge regarding fertility and infertility risk was poor. In addition, participants used more general sources of information, such as website, but not specialized sources, such as their doctors. There is a real need to work with general practitioners to empower them to provide adequate fertility information to every childless patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals. The disease affects many areas of the world, often causing extensive epizootics in livestock, mostly farmed cattle and swine, although sheep, goats and many wild species are also susceptible. In countries where food and farm animals are essential for subsistence agriculture, outbreaks of FMD seriously impact food security and development. In highly industrialized developed nations, FMD endemics cause economic and social devastation mainly due to observance of health measures adopted from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). High morbidity, complex host-range and broad genetic diversity make FMD prevention and control exceptionally challenging. In this article we review multiple vaccine approaches developed over the years ultimately aimed to successfully control and eradicate this feared disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, which is frequently maintained in adolescent and adult age. It presents great clinical heterogeneity, significantly affecting the functioning of those who suffer it. Although drug treatments obtain results by themselves, the approach should be multidisciplinary and be adapted to the specific needs of each patient and his/her family. Given the variety of drugs currently available to treat ADHD, there are diverse opinions on the most effective way to approach this disorder. The objective of this work is to study the opinion of an expert clinical panel and to know the professional criteria used to define key concepts and therapeutic guidelines of ADHD in Spain. Methodology. The project was carried out in four phases: 1) Constitution of a Scientific Committee, responsible for the preliminary biographic review and the formulation of the questionnaire; 2) selection of an expert panel of specialists with special interest and/or experience in the treatment of ADHD; 3) Likert type structured survey (online platform) in two rounds with interim processing of opinions; and 4) collection and final analysis of results. Results. The experts' panel achieved a consensus in 55 of the 58 items making up the questionnaire, finding 3 items in which sufficient unanimity of criteria was not achieved because of the high number of experts were found in positions of non-certainty. Conclusions. Overall, the experts of this study reached a high level of agreement in the criteria proposed in the survey, which could be generalized as indications for the clinical practice in the management of ADHD. Similarly, and given the dispersion of the results in some of the items and the lack of consensus in others, some points remain as object of discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The literature reports on high-frequency audiometry as one of the exams used on hearing monitoring of individuals exposed to high sound pressure in their work environment, due to the methods greater sensitivity in early identification of hearing loss caused by noise. The frequencies that compose the exam are generally between 9 KHz and 20KHz, depending on the equipment. Objective This study aims to perform a retrospective and secondary systematic revision of publications on high-frequency audiometry on hearing monitoring of individuals exposed to occupational noise. Data Synthesis This systematic revision followed the methodology proposed in the Cochrane Handbook, focusing on the question: "Is High-frequency Audiometry more sensitive than Conventional Audiometry in the screening of early hearing loss individuals exposed to occupational noise?" The search was based on PubMed data, Base, Web of Science (Capes), Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), and in the references cited in identified and selected articles. The search resulted in 6059 articles in total. Of these, only six studies were compatible with the criteria proposed in this study. Conclusion The performed meta-analysis does not definitively answer the study's proposed question. It indicates that the 16 KHz high frequency audiometry (HFA) frequency is sensitive in early identification of hearing loss in the control group (medium difference (MD = 8.33)), as well as the 4 KHz frequency (CA), this one being a little less expressive (MD = 5.72). Thus, others studies are necessary to confirm the HFA importance for the early screening of hearing loss on individuals exposed to noise at the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2050, population aged >65 years is expected to be more than 2.5 times that of the population aged 0–4 years. The onset of age-related ailments, such as neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases, will lead to unprecedented challenges in the health-care systems of all affected countries. Aging has been well accepted as a natural process; yet, the study of aging is very much a maturing science. The study currently focuses on understanding the physiological changes occurring in “normal” aging and the molecular multimechanistic processes involved during senescence. The contributing factors have not been fully understood and omics , namely transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, are at the forefront of this research. Herein, we provide an overview of some of the most recent works focusing on aging through different omics and the related bioinformatic tools, and we discuss how these can contribute toward elucidating one of the most baffling aspects of human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ideal extraction method should be swift, yield quantitative recovery without degradation, and the extracts should be easily separated from the solvent. The development and application of alternative green technology to replace conventional extraction methods with improved extraction efficiency and low environmental impact for the determination of natural bioactive compounds is therefore, highly important. Supercritical fluid technology offers features that overcome many limitations of conventional extraction methods. This review presents an analytical overview regarding the application of supercritical fluids in the extraction of bioactive compounds and their operative extraction conditions, along with the investigation of further improvements on the extraction efficiency and the applied techniques for the structural characterization and identification of such bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed spatial data concerning land cover constitutes valuable information not only for urban design and planning but also to support informed decisions toward urban sustainable development. Obtaining such information from satellite imagery, with quality compatible with cartographic and thematic standards, is still a challenging task. Until recently, very high-resolution (VHR) satellites acquired data with high spatial resolution (1 m or less) but with only four spectral bands, typically in the visible and infrared regions. WorldView-2 (WV-2) offers improved spectral capability by acquiring data in an additional set of spectral bands.Using Lisbon as the case study, this research tests the contribution of the new bands ofWV-2 sensor for extracting vegetation information in urban landscapes with different levels of plant heterogeneity. The methodology is based on an automated feature extraction procedure, followed by an object-based accuracy assessment. Results show that including the new WV-2 bands coastal and yellow(bands 1 and 8), along with the standard four-band set, increases the overall accuracy by 1-6%.However, the magnitude of improvement depends on the homogeneity of plants species present in the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Most children in the world attend school, hearing screening at schools is an opportunity to follow up newborn hearing screening and minimize the learning damage caused by hearing loss. The World Health Organization emphasizes the importante of hearing during the course of life. In Brazil, the Health Program in the school takes place with the interaction of the Primary Health CareTeams and the Education Teams, in the planning, execution and monitoring of prevention, promotion and evaluation of the health conditions of the students. Actions are planned according to the level of education, in Component I are forecast actions related to hearing health. Objective: To evaluate the performance of hearing screening in school of the national territory, based on DATASUS data. Method: Assessments of the students registration according to the school census of primary care of public education, compared with the Datasus Hering screening in school (0211070360) of the period between 2008 and 2021 Results: Students who went through school screening: 2008 (0.15%), 2009 (0.09%), 2010 (0.07%), 2011 (0.06%), 2012 (0.89%), 2013 (0.79 %), 2014 (0.84%), 2015 (0.06%), 2016 (0.05%), 2017 (0.51%), 2018 (0.10%), 2019 (0.06%), 2020 (0.01%), 2021 (0.03%). Conclusion: The results show that over the years there was no significant investment. School hearing screening is mandatory only in some parts of the world and there is a shortage of published data, studies highlight the urgency of global standardized school hearing screening protocols that would improve the robustness and potential impact of this intervention. Hearing screening, learning, health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the differences in the psychological well-being of Portuguese adolescents' (1) living with a chronic condition (CC) and (2) living with a CC and feeling it affects/not affects school participation.Methods: There were 5050 Portuguese adolescents as participants of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children/WHO.Results: Adolescents without CC often feel rarely or never ‘sad/depressed’, ‘irritated/bad humour’, ‘nervous’, ‘fearful’ or ‘so sad that it seems I can't take it’, compared with their healthy peers. Young people living with CC and feeling that it does not affect participation in school, often feel rarely or never ‘sad/depressed’, ‘fearful’ or ‘so sad that it seems I can't take it’, comparing with the ones with CC and feeling it affects school. All of these symptoms were higher in adolescents living with a CC.Conclusions: Adolescents living with a CC and feeling that it affects participation in school can be at a higher risk for a healthy psychological well-being. Future early interventions based on a ‘health assets’ approach should be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – One current trend in burner technology is to obtain high efficiency while keeping low levels of NOx emissions. A swirling flow in combustion ensures a fixed position of a compact flame. Therefore, it is necessary to design efficient swirlers. Flow patterns are simulated for the different swirl devices proposed in this work. Two axial-swirlers are studied: one based on curve-vanes consisting of a straight line with an arc of a circle as the trailing edge and the other is the common flat-vanes. The purpose of this paper is to assess the accuracy of different swirl generators using a well-known benchmark test case. Design/methodology/approach – This work deals with modelling the swirler using two approaches: the general purpose Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver Ansys-Fluent® and the suite of libraries OpenFOAM® to solve the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations, showing there is a slight deviation between both approaches. Their performance involves analyzing not only the Swirl number but also the size of the recirculation zones in the test chamber. A subsequent process on the flow patterns was carried out to establish the intensity of segregation which provides insight into the quality of mixing. Findings – CFD models are feasible tools to predict flow features. It was found that numerical results tend to reduce the inner recirculation zone (IRZ) radial size. Further, an increase of the swirl number involves larger IRZ and a smaller outer recirculation zone (ORZ). The curved swirler displays a better axi-symmetric behaviour than flat vanes. There is weak influence of the chord vanes on the swirl number. The number of vanes is a compromise of head loses and guidance of the flow. Originality/value – The paper offers two different approaches to solve turbulent swirling flows. One based in a general contrasted commercial tool and other using open source code. Both models show similar performance. An innovative set up for an axial swirler different from the conventional flat vanes was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastics can be found in food packaging, shopping bags, and household items, such as toothbrushes and pens, and facial cleansers. Due to the high disposability and low recovery of discharged materials, plastics materials have become debris accumulating in the environment. Microplastics have a dimension <5 mm and possess physico-chemical properties (e.g., size, density, color and chemical composition) that are key contributors to their bioavailability to organisms. This review addresses the analytical approaches to characterization and quantification of microplastics in the environment and discusses recent studies on their occurrence, fate, and behavior. This critical overview includes a general assessment of sampling and sample handling, and compares methods for morphological and physical classification, and methodologies for chemical characterization and quantification of the microplastics. Finally, this review addresses the advantages and the disadvantages of these techniques, and comments on future applications and potential research interest within this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expression of pathways for dissimilation of toxic aromatic compounds such as (methyl)phenols interfaces both stress-response and carbon catabolite repression control cascades. In P seudomonas putida, carbon catabolite repression is mediated by the protein Crc - a translational repressor that counteracts utilization of less-preferred carbon sources as growth substrates until they are needed. In this work we dissect the regulatory role of the 5′-leader region (5′- LR) of the dmpR gene that encodes the master regulator of (methyl)phenol catabolism. Using deletion and substitution mutants combined with artificial manipulations of Crc availability in P . putida, we present evidence that a DNA motif within the 5′-leader region is critical for inhibition of the output from the Pr promoter that drives transcription of dmpR, while the RNA chaperone Hfq facilitates Crc-mediated translation repression through the 5′-leader region of the dmpR mRNA. The results are discussed in the light of a model in which Hfq assists Crc to target a sequence within a loop formed by secondary structure of the 5′- LR mRNA. Our results support the idea that Crc functions as a global translational inhibitor to co-ordinate hierarchical carbon utilization in Pseudomonads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted a growing interest in the development and fabrication of sensors and biosensors for several applications. MNPs can be integrated into the transducer materials and/or be dispersed in the sample followed by their attraction by an external magnetic field onto the active detection surface of the (bio)sensor. This review describes and discusses the recent applications of MNPs in sensors and biosensors, taking into consideration their analytical figures of merit. This work also addresses the future trends and perspectives of sensors and biosensors based on MNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Heparanase is the only known mammalian glycosidase capable of cleaving heparan sulfate chains. The expression of this enzyme has been associated with tumor development because of its ability to degrade extracellular matrix and promote cell invasion. Methods: We analyzed heparanase expression in lung cancer samples to understand lung tumor progression and malignancy. Of the samples from 37 patients, there were 14 adenocarcinomas, 13 squamous cell carcinomas, 5 large cell carcinomas, and 5 small cell carcinomas. Immunohistochemistry was performed to ascertain the expression and localization of heparanase. Results: All of the tumor types expressed heparanase, which was predominantly localized within the cytoplasm and nucleus. Significant enzyme expression was also observed in cells within the tumor microenvironment, such as fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and inflammatory cells. Adenocarcinomas exhibited the strongest heparanase staining intensity and the most widespread heparanase distribution. Squamous cell carcinomas, large cell carcinomas, and small cell carcinomas had a similar subcellular distribution of heparanase to adenocarcinomas but the distribution was less widespread. Heparanase expression tended to correlate with tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging in non-small cell lung carcinoma. Conclusion: In this study, we showed that heparanase was localized to the cytoplasm and nucleus of tumor cells and to cells within the microenvironment in different types of lung cancer. This enzyme exhibited a differential distribution based on the type of lung tumor. General significance Elucidating the heparanase expression patterns in different types of lung cancer increased our understanding of the crucial role of heparanase in lung cancer biology. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Matrix-mediated cell behaviour and properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Vocal warm-ups are essential for the technical training of the singer, for good speech and performance, as well as essential for good vocal health and a long-lasting career. Objective: To analyze the theory and practice of the vocal warm-up in classical singing, from the perspective of different professionals in the voice field including: teachers, speech therapists and singers. Method: descriptive search, quantitative in nature, cross-sectional, with a questionnaire for voice teachers, singers and audiologists. The sample consisted of 165 subjects: 86 voice teachers, 64 speech pathologists, and 15 singers. Results: Teachers of Singing (97.7 %), singers (95.3 %) and students (93.3 %) use the vocal warm-up. Conclusion: From the results we can infer that most of the professionals surveyed point to the importance of the implementation of the vocal warm-up before a performance, and the strategy used by most voice instructors, speech therapists and singers is vocalization, i.e. aesthetic warm-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collection of 46 avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) isolates was examined for the presence of mutators by determining the rate of mutation to rifampicin resistance. The collection included 34 E. coli isolates obtained in pure culture from chronic lesions of salpingitis and peritonitis in 34 broiler breeders, of which 12 were associated with the development of secondary septicemia. Twelve additional isolates were obtained from a clonal outbreak (ST95) of E. coli peritonitis syndrome (EPS), the lesions of which changed gradually over time into a subacute/chronic form. The hypothesis of the present study was that mutation rates would be higher for chronic infection isolates than for isolates from acute infections/exacerbations. The distribution of mutation rates followed a pattern similar to that found for other clinical isolates of E. coli, with a modal/median value of 1.47×10−8. Of the 46 isolates, 24% (n =11) were weakly hypermutable (2.00×10−8 ≤ μ <2.00×10−7), however, no strong mutators were detected (μ ≥2.00×10−7). Chronic salpingitis isolates had the highest proportion (45%, P =0.001) of weak mutators and also, significantly higher mutation rates (P =0.003) compared to isolates that caused septicemia (4%). In addition, mutation rates were significantly lower among ST95 isolates (P <0.0005), and among isolates from the same clonal group as ST95 (P =0.027), when compared to isolates from other groups. Although a clear association with the time phase of infection (as lesions of EPS became more chronic) could not be observed (ρ =0.523, P =0.081), a higher frequency of weak mutators among chronic infection isolates suggests that increased mutation rates play a role in adaptation of APEC to long-term persistence in an infected host environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Because "things aren't"» is a text that summarizes some observations and experiences that took place during five years of frequency of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Oporto (FAUO). In these lines, I grouped stories and thoughts that hardly would reach the public domain because they took place in the closed space of a classroom. Starting with the motto, "The Teaching of History of Art in FAUO after the April Revolution", I assumed the position that I had until now - the student's position - and, therefore, in this document, I put in practice a (self-)exercise of oral history about "The Learning of History of Art in FAUO after the September 2007 Revolution". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference of the contralateral acoustic reflex (AR) threshold between adult subjects with hearing within clinically normal limits, with and without tinnitus. Method: The study sample in this exploratory, descriptive, and comparative study comprised 40 female subjects who were evaluated: 20 had tinnitus and 20 formed the control group. The contralateral AR threshold was evaluated at the frequencies of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz. Results: Elevated or absent AR thresholds were found only in subjects with complaints of tinnitus. At all frequencies and in either ear, the median AR threshold was higher in the group that complained of tinnitus (100.0 dB; range = 95.0-100.0 dB) compared with the control group (90.0 dB; range = 86.3- 95.0 dB; p < .01). There was a statistically significant difference ( p < .05) in the group with tinnitus, in each of the frequencies studied and in both the right and left ear. Conclusion: The results suggest that evaluation of the efferent system, through AR, could be an important tool for the differential diagnosis of tinnitus in patients whose hearing was within clinically normal limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference of the contralateral acoustic reflex (AR) threshold between adult subjects with hearing within clinically normal limits, with and without tinnitus. Method: The study sample in this exploratory, descriptive, and comparative study comprised 40 female subjects who were evaluated: 20 had tinnitus and 20 formed the control group. The contralateral AR threshold was evaluated at the frequencies of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz. Results: Elevated or absent AR thresholds were found only in subjects with complaints of tinnitus. At all frequencies and in either ear, the median AR threshold was higher in the group that complained of tinnitus (100.0 dB; range = 95.0-100.0 dB) compared with the control group (90.0 dB; range = 86.3- 95.0 dB; p < .01). There was a statistically significant difference ( p < .05) in the group with tinnitus, in each of the frequencies studied and in both the right and left ear. Conclusion: The results suggest that evaluation of the efferent system, through AR, could be an important tool for the differential diagnosis of tinnitus in patients whose hearing was within clinically normal limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data obtained through Volunteered Geographical Information (VGI) have gradually been used to monitor and support planning mainly in urban contexts. Regarding recreational activities in peri-urban green and natural areas, VGI has been used to map, measure use intensity, profile users, and evaluate their preferences and motivations. Given their extensive use, it is now worthwhile to assess the value of VGI data to (1) compare recreational uses, profile users and map recreational activities in different contexts (metropolitan vs. rural areas), and (2) evaluate outdoor and adventure tourist products such as Grand Routes (GR). Data from former GPSies (AllTrails nowadays), one of the most popular web-share services, were used to assess recreational uses in Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA) and southwest Portugal (SWPT). A set of 22,031 tracks of "on foot" and "on wheels" activities, submitted by 3297 national and foreign users, covering 12 years, was analysed within a GIS modelling environment. Results indicate that, although there are many more submissions in the LMA, the influence of foreigners in the SWPT is higher (11% vs. 19%). The existing GR in SWPT concentrates the foreign use for hiking (71% of foreign vs. 28% of national users), demonstrating its attractiveness. For the favourite activity in both areas—Mountain biking—results show a higher spatial dispersion, yet part of the activity in SWPT still conforms to the GR (16% of foreign and 20% of national use). This study proves other applications for VGI, showing its usefulness for assessing recreational uses in both metropolitan and rural areas. Spatial knowledge about recreational uses is a valuable tool to evaluate and monitor such activities, and to know what users like to do, and where, and is also useful information when designing recreational products considering their tourist potential, thus adding value to these offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish-associated microorganisms are known to be affected by the environment and other external factors, such as microbial transfer between interacting partners. One of the most iconic mutualistic interactions on coral reefs is the cleaning interactions between cleaner fishes and their clients, during which direct physical contact occurs. Here, we characterized the skin bacteria of the Caribbean cleaner sharknose goby, Elacatinus evelynae, in four coral reefs of the US Virgin Islands using sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. We specifically tested the relationship between gobies' level of interaction with clients and skin microbiota diversity and composition. Our results showed differences in microbial alpha- and beta-diversity in the skin of gobies from different reef habitats and high inter-individual variation in microbiota diversity and structure. Overall, the results showed that fish-to-fish direct contact and specifically, access to a diverse clientele, influences the bacterial diversity and structure of cleaner gobies' skin. Because of their frequent contact with clients, and therefore, high potential for microbial exchange, cleaner fish may serve as models in future studies aiming to understand the role of social microbial transfer in reef fish communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silica monoliths have been used for more than half a century in a wide variety of applications, such as stationary phases for microextraction fibers, capillary columns for chromatography, in the encapsulation of biomolecules for affinity chromatography and for microfluidic or microarray chips and, more recently, and less well known for wastewater treatment. The main objective of this review article is to specifically overview the strategies that use silica monoliths for the removal of chemical pollutants from wastewater effluents or prepared solutions. The discussion of advantages and drawbacks of such strategies will be supported with the main studies carried out so far which have been performed in laboratory environment only. The application and potential research interest in several strategies using composites and biocomposites based silica monoliths as cleaning systems are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Strategies for enhancing the analytical performance of nanomaterial-based sensors. [•] The influence of nanomaterials characteristics on analytical performance. [•] Appropriate calibration models overcome the device-to-device variation. [•] Advantages and limitations of integrating nanomaterials on sensing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Healthcare is the combination of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of any disease in humans, which is being constantly improved with efficient, rapid, useful point-of-care (POC) technologies as molecular diagnostic devices. In this way, biosensors based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been developed and used in recent years, due to their high sensitivity, specificity, rapidity in analysis, low cost, and ease of use. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the analytical performance of emerging technologies in the form of POC biosensors based on CNTs, which can be implemented in the clinical area, mainly for the detection of cancer biomarkers and glucose (analytes associated with two of the most common diseases in developed world, cancer and diabetes). This review also addresses the synthesis, the properties and the areas of application of CNTs and the characteristics and the clinical importance of POC testing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The genetic relatedness and virulence profiles of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli that caused salpingitis and peritonitis in 68 broiler breeders from 21 Danish farms were determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field-gel-electrophoresis (PFGE), ECOR phylogrouping, and PCR-based virulotyping. Phylogroups A, B1, B2, and D accounted for 19.1%, 5.9%, 52.9%, and 22.1% of the isolates, respectively. Overall, a total of five main MLST-based clonal groups (3–38 isolates) were identified, comprising 85.3% of the isolates. The most common sequence type (ST) was ST95 (n =12), followed by the ST428-, ST23- and ST350-clonal complexes (CCs) (n =8, n =7 and n =6, respectively). The emerging, antimicrobial resistance-associated clones, ST131 and ST648, were represented by five and three isolates, respectively, whereas ST352 and the ST168 CC comprised four isolates each. Phylogroup-B2 isolates showed a greater prevalence of nine virulence genes (P <0.05). One specific clonal group was significantly associated with phylogroup-B2 isolates (P <0.001), and with isolates that induced secondary septicemia (P =0.001). PFGE analysis revealed 12 clusters of genetically related strains (2–12) sampled from unrelated and geographically distant farms, indicating the widespread distribution and recent vertical transmission of particular APEC lineages. Certain lineages showed more diversity, substantiating that long-term, endemic transmission has been maintained. In conclusion, endemic lineages of E. coli that cause salpingitis and peritonitis in broiler breeders, although diverse, tend to be phylogenetically related, and demonstrate conserved virulence genotypes that might be associated with greater pathogenic potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Functional foods (FFs) are food products to be consumed as part of a balanced diet. They provide physiological benefits or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions. Functional foods containing probiotics and/or prebiotics have gained much interest in recent years due to their health-promoting capacity. The main objective of this review is to discuss the analytical strategies that have been used to validate FFs associated with dairy products containing probiotics and/or prebiotics. In these products, the biochemical events, carried out by enzymes of different sources (milk, bacteria, rennet) leading to the transformation of milk to diverse products (e.g., yoghurt and cheese), are glycolysis, proteolysis and lipolysis. We present the analytical methodologies used to study the microbial probiotic flora and to evaluate the biochemical transformations, the associated functionality in terms of intestinal microbiome and the safety of such FFs. We address the analytical figures of merit. We cover the advantages and the disadvantages of such analytical methodologies and comment on future applications and potential research interest within this field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]