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This research note investigates how different sources of economic information affected citizens’ approval of the government in Portugal from 2001 to 2018. It compares the predictive power of the revised and most accurate data on GDP growth with other economic indicators that were available to the public at the time, such as the first estimates of recent growth and the forecasts of future growth. It finds that approval is best predicted by information about forecasted growth for the current year. These results provide further indirect evidence that the state of the economy, as it plays out directly in people’s lives and experiences, may be less consequential for evaluations of the government than the mediated information about it that is conveyed to the public.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has wrought negative consequences concerning quality of care for stroke patients since its onset. Prospective population-based data about stroke care in the pandemic are limited. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stroke profile and care in Joinville, Brazil.MethodsA prospective population-based cohort enrolled the first-ever cerebrovascular events in Joinville, Brazil, and a comparative analyzes was conducted between the first 12 months following COVID-19 restrictions (starting March 2020) and the 12 months just before. Patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke had their profiles, incidences, subtypes, severity, access to reperfusion therapy, in-hospital stay, complementary investigation, and mortality compared.ResultsThe profiles of TIA/stroke patients in both periods were similar, with no differences in gender, age, severity, or comorbidities. There was a reduction in incidence of TIA (32.8%; p = 0.003). In both periods, intravenous thrombolysis (IV) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) rates and intervals from door to IV/MT were similar. Patients with cardioembolic stroke and atrial fibrillation had their in-hospital stay abbreviated. The etiologic investigation was similar before and during the pandemic, but there were increases in cranial tomographies (p = 0.02), transthoracic echocardiograms (p = 0.001), chest X-rays (p < 0.001) and transcranial Doppler ultrasounds (p < 0.001). The number of cranial magnetic resonance imaging decreased in the pandemic. In-hospital mortality did not change.DiscussionThe COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a reduction in TIA, without any influence on stroke profile, the quality of stroke care, in-hospital investigation or mortality. Our findings show an effective response by the local stroke care system and offer convincing evidence that interdisciplinary efforts are the ideal approach to avoiding the COVID-19 pandemic's negative effects, even with scarce resources.

Can governments succeed in making courts politically compliant without undermining the public’s overall confidence in the judicial system? Many studies show a positive relationship between judicial independence and citizens’ trust in courts, suggesting the answer should be negative. However, most of those studies have focused on contemporary correlations between institutions and attitudes, without assessing what happens when court curbing is actually implemented. Additionally, they also indicate that factors such as citizens’ education level and political preferences may moderate the consequences of attacks on judicial independence. We use Europe as a laboratory to analyze the repercussions on public opinion of the assaults on judicial independence conducted by populist governments in Turkey, Hungary, and Poland over the past decade. Employing data from the Eurobarometer and a difference-in-differences approach, we find evidence of an adverse effect of court curbing on judicial trust. However, such effect emerges as stronger and more consistent among those citizens who are most ideologically distant from their governments. These findings coincide with experimental evidence indicating the apathy of large segments of public opinion towards the prospects of democratic backsliding, suggesting that many citizens may fail to change their trust in the courts even when governments make them politically subservient.

The aim of this study is to explore the role of populism on national identity, moderated by the a priori levels of populist attitudes. Specifically, it aims to test the hypotheses that populist speeches increase national identification, especially for those with a priori lower levels of populist attitudes.

The aim of this study is to explore the role of populism on national identity. Specifically, it aims to test the hypotheses that populist speeches increase both national identification and collective narcissism.

Supplemental Material for Beyond the Myth of Legality? Framing Effects and Public Reactions to High Court Decisions in Europe by Pedro C. Magalhães, Jon K. Skiple, Miguel M. Pereira, Sveinung Arnesen, and Henrik L. Bentsen in Comparative Political Studies

The aim of this study is to conduct a scoping review of the available quantitative research regarding the association between populism and psychological variables related to national identity. This project contains additional documents. Appendix I describes the full search strategy adopted by the team to conduct the searches for quantitative research on the relationship between populism and national identity. Appendix II contains a draft of the extraction form to be piloted and used in the data extraction phase.

Corruption scandals and their investigation have been shown to undermine support not only for the allegedly involved public officials but also for political actors and institutions more generally. However, we know little about what happens when those investigations end up failing to result in punishments. Is citizens’ trust in the legal authorities in charge of prosecuting and punishing corruption undermined? Do those effects spill over to political actors, institutions, and even the political regime? We address these questions by taking advantage of an April 2021 judicial decision to drop corruption charges against former Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates during the fieldwork of a public opinion survey. We show that the decision had a substantial negative impact on public trust in the courts. Furthermore, although political trust was not immediately affected, its overall levels also became lower in comparison to periods before the judicial decision, suggesting a spillover effect.

The aim of this study is to select speeches that vary in their ability to make more or less salient populist attitudes.

This study is a repetition of Pilot Study 2 but with new comparison between speeches. The aim is still to select speeches that vary in their ability to make more or less salient populist attitudes.

We explore variation in risk aversion among elected officials. Previous studies suggest that systematic gender differences in risk-taking attitudes may explain why female legislators are less likely to engage in corruption. However, empirical evidence for this argument comes exclusively from non-elite samples. We test this argument in a survey experiment with Portuguese MPs. Additionally, the study explores whether risk preferences vary when elected officials make personal or public financial decisions.

We test whether women politicians are more risk averse than their male counterparts.

The aim of this study is to select speeches that are considered high and low on populism (dimensions of Manichean worldview, popular sovereignty, anti-elitism, and homogeneity) by experts in Political Science.

The purpose of the study is to replicate on Norwegian respondents a survey experiment fielded among a national representative sample of the Portuguese population. The survey experiment examines how the presentation of different framings concerning the determinants of judicial decisions affect the public's propensity to accept those decisions, above and beyond citizens' agreement with the decisional outcome itself. Subjects will be presented with three alternative frames about a hypothetical decision in constitutional review of a government enacted policy by a court: "legalistic" - decision results from examination of the extent to which the reviewed decision respects legal/constitutional commands and legal precedent; "principled" - decision results from examination of the extent to which reviewed decision balance general constitutional principles; "partisan" - decision results from partisan balance of power within the court. The study poses that presentation of these frames affects perception of procedural fairness of judicial decision-making and public acceptance of court rulings. The specific context is of a hypothetical decision of the Norwegian Supreme Court in constitutional review of a government enacted policy to continue search for oil in the Barents Sea. The experiment is conducted in a nationally representative survey of the Norwegian adult population.

Testing the impact on public attitudes of different ways of framing the performance of the judicial system in dealing with alleged corruption cases. We examine whether the emphasis on different potentially relevant considerations leads to different attitudes about the political and judicial systems.

Cross-national survey experiment on support for majoritarianism vs consensualism, as the outcome of vignette treatments, respondent traits, and country

The movement of personnel between roles in regulation, politics, and regulated industries is thought to affect the risks of politicization and industry capture of independent regulatory agencies. To test whether such movements are better explained by formal rules or by sector-specific patterns, we employ an original dataset of the 152 appointees to eleven IRAs in Portugal over the last three decades. We find that variations in the formal independence of agencies have been of little consequence. Instead, revolving doors abound in the financial sector, with a disproportionate share of regulators of that sector coming from, and moving back, to the industry. In turn, appointment of regulators with political links to Portuguese IRAs seems related with legacies of sectoral public control.

Survey experiment testing the effect of the salience of radical right discourse regarding social benefits and subsidies on the level of agreement with a discriminatory item in a double list experiment

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an independent determinant to increase the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. MetS prevalence in Portugal is high, however an update is needed since the latest Portuguese epidemiological report is from 2017. Thus, this study aims to examine MetS prevalence and its components in the adult and older Portuguese sub-population (Bragança district). Methods: A retrospective observational cross-sectional was conducted with a community sample collected from two Portuguese primary health care centres between January 2019 and December 2020. A total of 6570 individuals aged 18–102 years were included for analysis, among which 3865 women (57.37 ± 18.67 years) and 2705 men (59.97 ± 16.76 years). MetS was defined according to HARM2009 statement and binary logistic regression was performed to analyse the prevalence across sex and age. Results: MetS prevalence in Bragança district was 54.51%. MetS prevalence was higher in men (61.63%) than women (49.52%). Men are 1.53 (95% OR: 1.37–1.72, p < 0.001) times more likely of having MetS compared to women. MetS risk increases with age (OR: 2.68–42.57, p < 0.001) with a decline from the eighties onwards (OR: 27.84, 95% CI: 19.19–40.38, p < 0.001). Men presented higher prevalence of overweight (48.50%) and obesity (28.06%) and women have higher prevalence of abdominal obesity (62.07%). Conclusion: This study reported high prevalence of MetS in the Portuguese sub-population (Bragança district). A quasi-linear increase across age was verified in the MetS prevalence for both sexes with a decline from the eighties onwards. A síndrome metabólica (SM) assume-se como um determinante independente para o aumento do risco de doenças metabólicas e cardiovasculares. A prevalência de SM em Portugal é elevada, contudo o último relatório epidemiológico realizado na população portuguesa reporta-se a 2017 e carece de atualização. Por conseguinte, este estudo pretende examinar a prevalência da SM e dos seus componentes numa subpopulação portuguesa de adultos e idosos do distrito de Bragança. Métodos: O estudo observacional, retrospetivo e transversal foi realizado com uma amostra comunitário proveniente de dois centros de saúde primários portugueses entre janeiro de 2019 e dezembro de 2020. A análise inclui um total de 6570 indivíduos, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 102 anos, sendo 3865 mulheres (57,37 ± 18,67 anos) e 2705 homens (59,97 ± 16,76 anos). A SM foi definida de acordo com critérios HARM2009, tendo-se realizada uma regressão logística binária para analisar a sua prevalência por sexo e idade. Resultados: A prevalência de SM no distrito de Bragança foi de 54,51%. A prevalência de SM foi mais elevada nos homens (61,63%) do que nas mulheres (49,52%). Os homens têm 1,53 (95% OR: 1,37–1,72; p < 0,001) vezes maior probabilidade de SM em comparação com as mulheres. O risco de SM aumenta com a idade (OR: 2,68–42,57; p < 0,001), observando-se um declínio a partir dos oitenta anos (OR: 27,84, 95% IC: 19,19–40,38; p < 0,001). Os homens apresentaram maior prevalência de excesso de peso (48,50%) e obesidade (28,06%), enquanto que as mulheres apresentam maior prevalência de obesidade abdominal (62,07%). Conclusão: O presente estudo observou uma elevada prevalência de SM numa subpopulação portuguesa do distrito de Bragança, apresentando um aumento quase linear ao longo da idade para ambos os sexos com um declínio a partir dos oitenta anos. Nste projeto foi apoiado pelos Fundos Nacionais através da FCT - Fundação Portuguesa para a Ciência e Tecnologia (UIDB/DTP/04045/2020) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In this study, we investigate how socioeconomic status is related to people's commitment to liberal democracy. Based on sociological and psychological theories of social conflict and dominance, we argue that those who enjoy a more privileged position in the social hierarchy tend to develop stronger preferences for the existing social and political order. Conversely, people in underprivileged positions tend to be less supportive of that order. Hence, we expect the relationship between socioeconomic status and commitment to liberal democracy to be context-specific: positive in liberal democracies but negative in autocracies. Furthermore, we argue that income inequality amplifies these dynamics, widening the gap between low and high status individuals. We test our hypotheses using the fifth wave of the World Value Surveys.

Two findings stand out in the literature on public attitudes vis- a-vis courts. The first is that judicial independence increases public trust. The second is that ‘to know courts is to love them’. In this study, these stylised facts are used as a starting point to ask three questions. First, is there also a role for judicial accountability in fostering public trust, above and beyond that played by independence? Second, could it be that only the most aware citizens are sensitive to such properties of the judicial system? Third, is the notion that ‘to know courts is to love them’ limited to systems with high levels of judicial independence and accountability? Using recently available macro-level indicators of judicial independence and accountability and the high-quality survey data collected by the European Social Survey in 32 countries throughout more than a decade, this study provides evidence that the answers to these questions are positive.

[PT] Atualmente os níveis de atividade física (AF) das crianças têm vindo a diminuir, uma vez que o transporte ativo é cada vez menos frequente, assim como o tempo despendido em atividades lúdicas de caráter motor. Por outro lado, tem ocorrido um aumento dos comportamentos sedentários, verificando-se um aumento do tempo despendido a ver televisão e a jogar vídeo jogos. Foi objetivo deste estudo caracterizar os níveis diários de AF, o tempo de exposição ao ecrã, horas de sono e o aporte calórico dos lanches (manhã e tarde), de crianças que integram o programa PéAtivo. Este promove a prática de AF (sessões lúdico motoras duas vezes por semana), o transporte ativo (deslocação a pé) para o jardim de infância e uma alimentação saudável (worshops direcionadas às crianças/encarregados de educação). Averiguamos também a existência de diferenças entre sexos. A amostra foi de 163 crianças (4,49 anos ♂ e 4,60 anos ♀), das quais 85 eram meninos e 78 meninas. Verificaram-se diferenças significativas entre sexos nos níveis de AF, durante a semana (p=0,021) e durante os dias de transporte ativo (p=0,017), sendo os meninos mais ativos do que as meninas. O tempo despendido em atividades de ecrã foi superior ao fim de semana (3,79h ♀ e 3,59h ♂) comparativamente com os dias de semana (2,31h ♀ e 2,24h ♂), mas não se verificaram diferenças entre sexos (p>0,05). A média das horas de sono dos meninos foi de 10,19±0,80h e das meninas de 10,20±2,00h, (p=0,989). Nos lanches, não se verificaram diferenças entre sexos (lanche da manhã p=0,305; lanche da tarde p=0,307). Podemos concluir que os meninos se mostraram mais ativos do que as meninas. Neste sentido, as intervenções de promoção comportamentos ativos em crianças em contexto escolar, devem ser diferenciadas e dar especial atenção às estratégias a adotar para as meninas., Este trabalho foi apoiado pela FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia no âmbito do Projeto UIDB/05777/2020.

Orientadores: Rolf Dieter Illg, Nicolas Delabays Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia Resumo: A malária é ainda uma das grandes causas de mortalidade e morbidade no mundo. No Brasil, chegam a ocorrer 500 mil casos de malária por ano. A doença, causada pelo protozoário Plasmodium, tem sido agravada desde que espécies de Plasmodium passaram a adquir resistência às drogas tradicionais, cloroquina emefloquina. O estudo de novos medicamentos resultou no descobrimento das propriedades antimaláricas de uma lactona sesquiterpênica, chamada Qinghaosu ou Artemisinina, extraída das folhas da Artemísia annua L., da família Asteraceae. Compostos derivados da artemisinina são ainda de maior eficácia e vem sendo comercializados na China. Assim, a tecnologia de produção e a validação destes medicamentos no ocidente, são de grande interesse. O objetivo principal das pesquisas que compuseram esta Tese foi de contribuir para a produção dos princípios ativos da espécie Artemisia annua L., favorecendo a obtenção dos medicamentos antimalájicos. As pesquisas realizadas na MEDIPLANT (Suíça) e no CPQBA-UNICAMP (Brasil) envolveram: aspectos da biologia da reprodução; seleção e obtenção de híbridos para cultivo no Brasil; fertilização nitrogenada e ensaios de extração aquosa da artemisinina. Os resultados indicaram que a espécie, embora possua flores completas, apresenta taxa de a 1 oogamia superior a 80%. Assim, através de cruzamentos controlados entre genótipos selecionados nas populações de base, originais da China e do Vietnam, obteve-se a homogeneidade das populações e significativo ganho genético. A exploração da variabilidade em biomassa e em teores de artemisinina, esta última conhecida por monitoramento analítico, possibilitou passar de 5Kg de artemisinina /há nas populações de base, para aproximadamente 30Kg de artemisinina/ha nas populações melhoradas. A propagação vegetativa, por cultura de teci dos ou por estacas, foi também utilizada no programa de melhoramento genético, principalmente para a manutenção dos progenitores e a fixação de caracteres desejáveis. Dois genótipos, Pl.39 e Pl. V, foram selecionados para cultivo em fotoperíodo curto, (11-12 horas de luz) conforme as condições do Brasil. Os teores de artemisinina e as produções de raízes e de folhas, em estirpes cultivadas em fitotrons, foram maiores na faixas de temperatura ambiente de 22 a 26°C, em comparação com os rendimentos obtidos na faixa entre 25 a 31°C. A produção de raízes foi diretamente relacionada com os teores de artemisinina nas folhas de A annua L.. Os primeiros trabalhos de seleção, conduzidos em local onde as condições de fotoperíodo não induzi am o florescimento da espécie, permitiu a seleção de genótipos mais produtivos em biomassa por expressarem todo seu potencial vegetativo. A avaliação, no Brasil, do híbrido Ch. x Viet 55, atingiu rendimentos de aproximadamente 30Kg de artemisinina /há /corte, sendo possível a realização de 2 cultivos por ano, na mesma área o cultivo deste híbrido foi tecnicamente viável e altamente competitivo, devido aos rendimentos alcançados. A aplicação de fertilizantes nitrogenados na dose de 90Kg de nitrogênio / há proporcionou um aumento dos rendimentos de artemisinina que variou entre 28 e 40%, em função de maior biomassa. A forma nitrato foi a mais favorável. Um possível deslocamento do estádio de maior concentração de artemisinina é sugerido. Extrações aquosas, a partir de folhas ricas em artemisinina, apresentaram fração contendo 50% do princípio ativo. Sugere-se que tal procedimento possa servir de base para novas pesquisas farmacológicas e toxicológicas sobre a atividade anti-malárica de infusões. Os estudos com a A. annua L. resultaram no estabelecimento de um programa de melhoramento genético no CPQBA Abstract: Malaria is still one of the greatest causes of mortality in the world; in Brazil there are over 500.000 reported cases per year. Malaria, caused by the protozoa Plasmodfum, has been aggravated by the increasing resistance of Plasmodfum to the traditional drugs cloroquine and mefloquine. The study of new drugs resulted in the identification of antimalarial activities of an endoperoxide sesquiterpene lactone, called Qinghaosu or Artemisinin, extracted from the leaves of A. annua L., from the Asteraceae family. Compounds derived from artemisinin are highly efficient and are being commercialized in China. The production technology and validation of these drugs in the occidental world are of great interest. The main objective of this thesis was to contribute to the production of the chemical compounds of the species A. annua L., in order to allow the production of anti malarial drugs. The research work developed at MEDIPLANT (Switzerland) and CPQBA-UNICAMP (Brazil) involved: biological aspects of reproduction; selection of hybrids for production in Brazil; nitrogen fertilization and assays of extraction in water of artemisinin. The results indicated that the species, although having complete flowers, presents an alogamy rate superior to 80%. Through controlled hybridization between selected genotypes from China and Vietnam, population uniformity and genetic gain was obtained. Through the analysis of biomass and artemisinin contents (estimated by analytical monitoring), it was possible to increase the artemisinin production of 5Kg/ha for the base population to approximately 30Kg/ha for the genetically bred population. Vegetative propagation, through tissue culture ar stakes, was also utilized in the genetic breeding program, mainly for maintenance of progenitors and fixation of desirable qualities. Two genotypes, Pl.39 and Pl.V were selected for cultivation under short day photoperiod (11-12 hours of light), according to Brazilian conditions. The artemisinin content and the production of roots and leaves in strains cultivated in fitotrons were higher under temperatures ranging from 22 to 26°C, when compared to those cultivated between 25 and 31°C. The root production was directly related to the contents of artemisinin in the leaves of A. annua L.. The first breeding trial, conducted where local photoperiodic conditions did not induce flowering, also allowed the selection of more productive genotype in biomass. In the evaluation for Brazil, the hybrid Ch. X Viet 55 produced approximately 30Kg of artemisinin /ha /cut, with 2cuts possible per year. The cultivation of this hybrid was technically viable end highly competitive, due to the production obtained. The application of Nitrogen fertilizers (90Kg/ha) increased the artemisinin contents in the range of 28 to 40% due to increase in biomass. The nitrate form was the most favorable. It is possible that the period of highest concentration of artemisinin had been delayed. The water extraction of leaves rich in artemisinin produced a fraction containing 50% of active compound. It is suggested that this procedure can be utilized as a base for new pharmacology and toxicology investigations on the antimalarial activity of infusions. The studies with A. annua L. resulted in the establishment of a genetic breeding program at CPQBA Résumé: Le paludisme est aujourd'hui encore l 'une des grandes causes de mortalité et de maladie dans le monde. Au Brésil, i l peuty avoir jusqu'à 500 mille cas de paludisme par ano La maladie, provoquée par le protozoaire Plasmodium, s'est aggravée depuis que l es especes de Plasmodium ont acqui s une rési stance aux remedes traditionnels, chloroquine et mefloquine. L'étude de nouveaux produits a abouti à la découverte des propriétés anti paludéennes d'une lactone sesquiterpenique, appelée Qinghaosu ou Artemisinine, extraite des feuilles de l 'Artemisia annua L., de l a famille dês Asteraceae. Dês composés derives de l 'artémisinine sont encore plus efficaces et sont commercialisés en Chine. Ainsi, la technologie de production et la validation de ces médicaments en Occident sont d'un grand intérêt. L'objectif principal des recherches qui ont composé cette these a été de contribuer à la production des principes actifs de l'espece A. annua L., favorisant ainsi l 'obtention dês médicaments anti-paludéens. Les recherches réalisées à MEDIPLANT CSuisse) et au CPQBA-UNICAMP CBrésil) ont inclus: des aspects de la reproduction, la selection et l¿obtention d¿hybrides pour la culture au Brésil, la fertilisation nitrogén''e et dês tentatives d¿extraction aqueuse de l 'artémisinine. Les résultats ont indiqués que l 'espece, bien que possédant des fleurs completes, présente un taux d'alogamie supérieur à 80%. Ainsi, à travers des croisements controles entre des génotypes sélectionnés dans les populations de base originaires de (hine et du Vietnam, a-t-on obtenu l 'homogénéité des populations et un gain génétique significatif. L'exploitation de la variabilité en biomasse et en teneur d'artémisinine, cette derniére étant connue par controle analytique, a permis de passer de 5Kg d'artémisinine lha pour les populations de base, à 30Kg d'artémisinine lha pour lês popul at i ons amél i orées. La propagat i on végétat i ve, pa r cul ture de tissus ou par boutures, a également été utilisée pour lê programme d'amélioration génétique, essentiellement pour l 'entretien dês progéniteurs et l a fixation des caracteres souhaitables. Deux génotypes, Pl .39 Et P 1 . V , ont été sélectionnés pour la culture en photopériode courte (11 à 12 heures de lumiere), conformément aux conditions du Brésil. Les teneurs en artémisinine et les productions de racines et de feuilles, dans les lignées cultivées en phytotron, ont été plus grandes pour des températures variant entre 22°( et 26°(, par rapport aux rendements obtenus pour des températures variant entre 25°( et 31°(. Le développement des raciness a été directement proportionnel aux teneurs d'artemisine dans les feuilles d'A. annua L.. Les premiers travaux de sélection, menés en des endroits ou les conditions de photopériode n'induisaient pas la floraison de l'espece, a permis la sélection de génotypes plus productifs en biomasse du fait qu'ils expriment tout leur potentiel végétatif. Au Srésil, 1 'évaluation de 1 'hybride Ch. x Viet 55 a attei nt des rendements approximatifs e 30 kg d'artémisinine/ha et par récoltes, deux récoltes par an étant possibles sur une même aire. La culture de cet hybride a été techniquement viable et hautement compétitif grâce aux rendements btenus. L'application de fertilisants azotes àune dose de 90Kg d'azote/ha a augmenté de 28 à 40% es rendements d'artémisinine en fonction de l 'augmentation de la biomasse. La forme nitrate s'est révél ée l a pl us favorabl e. Un possible déplacement de l ' ét a t de plus forte concentration de l 'artémisinine est suggéré. Des extractions aqueuses à partir de feuilles riches en artémi si ni ne présentent une fracti on contenant 50% du pri nci pe actif. On suggere que ce procédé puisse être employé comme pré processus pour des extractions industrielles, ou même servir de base à de nouvelles recherches sur l 'activité anti ¿paludéenne d'infusions. Les études de l'Artemisia annua ont eu pour consequence l ' établ i ssement d'un programme d'amélioration génétique au CPQSA Doutorado Doutor em Ciências

OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to measure the global impact of the pandemic on the volumes for intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), IVT transfers, and stroke hospitalizations over 4 months at the height of the pandemic (March 1 to June 30, 2020) compared with two control 4-month periods. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study across 6 continents, 70 countries, and 457 stroke centers. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes and/or classifications in stroke databases. RESULTS There were 91,373 stroke admissions in the 4 months immediately before compared to 80,894 admissions during the pandemic months, representing an 11.5% (95%CI, -11.7 to - 11.3, p

Supplemental Material, sj-docx-1-ppq-10.1177_1354068818797367 for New forms of mobilization, new people mobilized? Evidence from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems by Pedro C Magalhães, John H Aldrich and Rachel K Gibson in Party Politics

Summary Methods The incidence of obesity is increasing worldwide, especially in countries with accelerated economic growth. We determined the prevalence of and associations between overweight/ obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in pre-pubertal (seven- to 11-year-old) schoolchildren (both genders, n = 198) in Luanda, Angola. Biochemical (fasting blood) and clinical examinations were obtained in a single visit. Data are reported as prevalence (95% confidence intervals) and association (r, Pearson). Results Prevalence of overweight/obesity was 17.7% (12.4–23.0%), high blood pressure (BP < 90% percentile) was 14.6% (9.7–19.5%), elevated glucose level was 16.7% (11.5–21.9%) and total cholesterol level < 170 mg/dl (4.4 mmol/l) was 69.2% (62.8–75.6%). Significant associations between body mass index (BMI) and systolic and diastolic BP (r = 0.46 and 0.40, respectively; p < 0.05) were found. No association between BMI and elevated glucose or cholesterol levels was found. Conclusion The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was high in pre-pubertal schoolchildren in Angola and fat accumulation was directly associated with blood pressure increase but not with other cardiovascular risk factors.

On the fortieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, it is pertinent to ask how Portuguese citizens understand their transition to democracy. In this article, some of the main findings concerning the meanings and legacies of 25 April 1974 are presented, drawing on the findings of two surveys focusing on Portuguese attitudes towards 25 April and fielded in 2004 and 2014, respectively, to a representative sample of the Portuguese population. Here we focus on the degree to which the transition is viewed positively and its social and economic legacies. In the final sections, the main findings of the articles in this special issue are discussed through a presentation of the main questions they answer and the new ones they raise.

The metal construction market in Brazil has grown significantly over the past few years. The weight reductions and performance increase of mechanical pieces obtained by using optimization techniques are significant to the point that currently its use is critical to define that competitiveness of the metal-mechanical engineering industries, and its undeniable importance in reducing costs. The optimization applied in the mechanical part design consists of using computational methods for dimensions, shape or optimal topology of parts. This study aims to propose a study methodology to analyse the stress distribution thought the use of mathematical software and photoelasticity techniques, to propose a new structural profile, lighter and more efficient, which may be used as solution to overcome the current constructive limitations.

Supplemental Material, pp-2018-0008-File012 for New forms of mobilization, new people mobilized? Evidence from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems by Pedro C Magalhães, John H Aldrich, and Rachel K Gibson in Party Politics

Dificilmente se encontrará ideia mais difícil de estudar, quanto mais de definir, do que a de representação. Com efeito, a representação testa os limites da imaginação humana, ao sugerir um estado de coisas em que presença e ausência não se excluem mutuamente., ISSN 2184-4445

Em sentido lato, pode dizer-se que o conceito de legitimidade subjaz a todo o pensamento político enquanto indagação sobre o problema da ordem e da aceitação desta tanto pelos governantes como, sobretudo, pelos governados. A história das ideias políticas seria, sob este ponto de vista, a história das ideias de legitimidade política, das respostas à exigência de justificação do poder e das hierarquias em que este necessariamente se traduz. No presente ensaio, procuraremos, em primeiro lugar, reconstruir o caminho percorrido pelas palavras legítimo e legitimidade até à ideia de legitimidade política formulada na sua máxima amplitude. Com efeito, se esta, como vimos, pode ser retrospectivamente rastreada até a um longínquo passado mitológico, a verdade é que o uso dos termos legítimo e legitimidade, em sede quer de reflexão político-filosófica quer de polémica político-ideológica, não remonta além do século XVIII. Num segundo momento, tendo por base essa reconstrução histórico-filológica, faremos incidir o foco da análise na complexa relação entre as ideias de legitimidade e legalidade., Magalhães, P. T. “Legitimidade”. Dicionário de Filosofia Moral e Política (2018), 2.ª série, coord. António Marques e André Santos Campos. Lisboa: Instituto de Filosofia da Nova, URL: ., ISSN 2184-4445

Fig. S1. Analysis of possible xylose isomerase codifying genes in the genome of P. acidipropionici. [a]: possible operon containing the gene PACID_ 03490; [b]: possible operon containing the gene PACID_ 34,060; [c]: possible operon containing the gene PACID_34150 [d]: possible operon containing the gene PACID_33980. The xylA candidate genes are represented in green, closely related genes are represented in blue. Fig. S2. Agarose gel electrophoresis of xylA amplification from cDNA. BT was used as a negative control and RNA translation of xylA gene can be observed with amplification of BTXIPa and BTXI2.0 samples. Table S1. XI expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (DOC 610 kb)

In this article we analyze the evolution of the attitudes towards Europe of Portuguese parliamentary elites in the context of the sovereign debt crisis. Our analysis relies on interviews to a total of 227 MPs in the context of the ENEC project in 2014 and of the Intune Project in 2009 and 2007. Our principal finding is that an important gap has risen between the attitudes of the MPs and of the masses. Indeed, while the Portuguese are becoming increasingly less pro-European, this is not the case of their deputies. We show that, in 2014, the percentage of deputies that believed that EU membership benefited the country has decreased a little, but it stays as high as 89%. Our data, however, show that MPs now exhibit lower levels of trust towards the European institutions. Interestingly, the drop in the levels of trust towards EU institutions does not affect all institutions equally: trust towards the European Parliament remains constant regarding 2007, whereas the levels of trust in the remaining two institutions decrease. Finally, we show that it is in the Socialist Party (PS) that there is the steepest decline in the level of overall trust, which is rooted in declining levels of confidence in the European Commission. Given that PS has traditionally portrayed itself as the most pro-Europe of the Portuguese parties, this is solid evidence of a growing discontent with the European Commission.

Agradecimentos: The authors would like to thank PETROBRAS and UNICAMP for their financial support. We also thank Espaco da Escrita, Coordenadoria Geral da Universidade, UNICAMP, for the language services provided Abstract: Baccharis dracunculifolia is a shrub native to Brazil and an important botanical source for propolis production. The essential oil from the leaves of B. dracunculifolia DC (Asteraceae), popularly known as broom oil, presents pharmacological activities and is a raw material in the perfumery and cosmetics industries. The isolation of its major constituent, nerolidol, to a high purity (92.5-93.7%) was possible through the countercurrent chromatography technique. The countercurrent chromatography biphasic solvent system chosen was a mixture of hexane: methanol: water (5: 4: 1, v/v/v). Isocratic elution was conducted in a tail-to-head manner FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO AMAPÁ - FAPEAP Fechado

Comunicación presentada a la conferencia "Political Consequences of the Economic Crisis: Voting and Protesting in Europe" celebrada en Washington del 17 al 18 de Abril de 2012.

Although a large body of research has been produced both on semi-presidential regimes and patterns of electoral change from general elections to midterm or other non-general elections, the study of presidential elections in semi-presidential regimes remains, to quote one of the few exceptions in this regard, “uncharted territory” in the political science literature. Using a dataset on election results and turnout levels in all semi-presidential democracies since 1945, we test several hypotheses about changes in turnout levels and government parties and coalitions’ gains and losses in presidential elections. We show that while semi-presidential democracies with weaker presidencies do approximate the patterns predicted by the “second-order” model, that is clearly not the case where presidents hold more considerable powers, where government losses are explained by “negative voting” and “balancing” theories. The implications of these findings for the very definition of “semi-presidentialism” and the consequences of these regimes are also discussed.

Reliability is essential at commercial vehicles development: crucial for brand reputation and to avoid financial losses due to inoperative machinery. Vehicle suspension purpose is absorbing track roughness and ensure a comfortable and safe ride. The damper is an essential component of this system and its support must withstand typical loads, especially impacts, since the efforts are proportional to event velocity. The aim of this work is predict rear damper support life at one durability missions of product’s validation plan: Rough Road. The loads histories are crucial for reliable durability result and were reconstructed from strain measurements at strategic point, optimized to assure correlation between virtual and experimental results. Keywords: Load reconstruction, Failure probability, CAE, Fatigue, Pseudoinverse

A study of pump control focusing on active residential grid-connected solar domestic hot water (SDHW) photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) systems was conducted. The main goal was to determine how the two main pump controls for this segment compare, namely the differential temperature static two-level hysteretic control (DTSTLHC) and the differential temperature static saturated hysteretic-proportional control (DTSSHPC), given the dual outputs of PV-T technology: heat and electricity. In order to do so, a dynamic PV-T collector model was developed for use in transient simulations and incorporated into a SDHW PV-T system model. A substantial number of annual simulations for each of the various locations selected were conducted to encompass the best performances using each control, with emphasis on multiple combinations of controller setpoints and mass flow rates. The results show PV-T systems using DTSSHPC and optimised for maximum auxiliary energy savings consistently outperforming those using DTSTLHC and optimised using the same criterion, though the opposite was true when seeking to optimise the electrical efficiency, with those using DTSTLHC performing best. However, the advantages at best correspond to single-digit percentages of the annual thermal energy demand, and less than 0.1% of the annual electrical efficiency. Similarly low performance advantages were reached from the standpoint of primary energy efficiency and load provision cost-effectiveness by using DTSSHPC, though not consistently due to the inability to reconcile electrical, thermal and parasitic performance advantages over DTSTLHC. Moreover, the advantages presented by DTSSHPC are low enough to be offset by one additional maintenance operation, which systems using this control are likelier to require first due to its complexity and higher switching frequencies. Finally, a study on setpoint selection for differential temperature controllers, namely DTSSHPC and DTSTLHC, for use in PV-T systems was also conducted using steady-state methods, which revealed marginal differences between setpoint selection for hybrid and non-hybrid systems.

Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disease, develops and progresses for 10-15 years before the clinical diagnostic symptoms of the disease are manifested. Furthermore, several aspects of PD pathology overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) linked to alpha-synuclein aggregation, also called synucleinopathies. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover and validate early diagnostic and prognostic markers that reflect disease pathophysiology, progression, severity, and potential differences in disease mechanisms between PD and other NDDs. The close association between alpha-synuclein (aSyn) and the development of pathology in synucleinopathies, along with the identification of aSyn species in biological fluids, has led to increasing interest in aSyn species as potential biomarkers to detect PD and differentiate it from other synucleinopathies. In this review, we 1) provide an overview of the progress toward mapping the distribution of aSyn species in the brain, peripheral tissues, and biological fluids; 2) present comparative and critical analysis of previous studies to measure total aSyn as well as specific forms of monomeric, modified and aggregated forms of aSyn in different biological fluids; and 3) highlight conceptual and technical gaps and challenges that could hinder the development and validation of reliable aSyn biomarkers and outline a series of recommendations to address these challenges. Finally, we propose a combined biomarker approach based on integrating total aSyn levels with specific biomarkers based on the biochemical features (posttranslational modifications), aggregation and structure of aSyn, in addition to other biomarkers of neurodegeneration. We believe that capturing the diversity of aSyn species is essential to developing robust assays and diagnostics for early detection, patient stratification, monitoring of disease progression, and differentiation between synucleinopathy subtypes. This could transform clinical trial design and implementation, accelerate the development of new therapies, and improve clinical decisions and treatment strategies.

Orientador: Maria Angela de Almeida Meireles Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos Resumo: Os compostos bioativos têm sido alvo de estudos, devido aos seus benefícios comprovados como fonte primária na prevenção de doenças, através da ingestão de alimentos funcionais. Algumas espécies utilizadas como fonte destes compostos são encontradas na alimentação diária, compondo as especiarias e plantas aromáticas e corantes naturais. Dentre as diversas espécies conhecidas cita-se a cúrcuma (Curcuma longa L.) e a falsa melissa (Lippia alba M.), que apresentam atividades farmacológicas comprovadas como atividade anticâncer, antiinflamatória e anticolinasterase, utilizadas no tratamento de câncer e Alzheimer, respectivamente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar os parâmetros de processo da extração com fluido supercrítico (SFE) para maximização do rendimento de extratos da Curcuma longa L. e Lippia alba M., e comparar a outras metodologias convencionais de extração como hidrodestilação (HD), soxhlet (SoE) e extração com solventes orgânicos a baixa pressão (LPSE). Para a avaliação dos processos foram utilizadas as taxas de extração, tempo de processo, rendimento global de extração e perfil fitoquímico dos extratos, propriedades funcionais como atividade antiproliferativa e antimicobacteriana. Os experimentos foram conduzidos numa unidade de Extração Supercrítica (SFE) com extrator de leito fixo com diâmetro de 2,74×10¿2 m e comprimento de 0,375 m. Para a cúrcuma os experimentos foram realizados a 30 ºC e 300 bar; a mistura de etanol e isopropanol, na proporção 1:1, foi usada como co-solvente. Foram estudados os efeitos da variação da geometria do leito, ou seja, da relação altura/diâmetro do leito (HB/DB), da extração acelerada com solvente e período estático, e extração fracionada. Os extratos foram analisados por CG-DIC, CCD e Espectrofotômetro-UV. Na razão HB/DB de 1,8 obteve-se o maior rendimento em curcuminóides; maiores rendimentos em curcuminóides também foram obtidos com o uso de 50% de co-solvente com período estático de 30 minutos. O maior rendimento obtido na extração supercrítica de falsa melissa foi de aproximadamente 7 % (massa), as extrações a baixa pressão e por Soxhlet obtiveram altos rendimentos (17 e 20%, respectivamente), porém muitas substâncias indesejáveis foram co-extraídas. Para a obtenção dos compostos de interesse da falsa melissa, as melhores condições da SFE foram 80 bar/ 45 ºC para a obtenção de carvona (80%, massa) e 120 bar/45 ºC para a obtenção de limoneno (17%, massa); para todas as metodologias testadas a extração supercrítica promoveu a melhor extração de carvona e a hidrodestilação a extração do limoneno. O amido residual do processo de extração de oleoresina de cúrcuma e gengibre, que podem ser utilizados como amidos especiais, foram observados quanto às suas características físico-químicas e comparados, com amidos comerciais. A fração volátil do extrato de cúrcuma apresentou atividade antiproliferativa seletiva para as células cancerosas de mama e ovário, pulmão, próstata e cólon. A atividade antimicobacteriana foi identificada em todos os extratos de cúrcuma, independente da concentração dos curcuminóides Abstract: Bioactive compounds have been target of studies due to benefits proved as primary source to prevent diseases, through the intake of functional foods. Some species used as compounds bioactive source are presents in dairy foods, which are inside the category of spices, aromatic plants and natural colors. Among many species known, there are turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and ¿falsa melissa¿ (Lippia alba M.), that have pharmacological activities as anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anticolinasterase activities used on cancer and Alzheimer treatments, respectively. The objective of this work was identify the process parameters of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for maximization of the extracts yield of Curcuma longa L. and Lippia alba M., and to compare to other conventional methodologies of extraction as hydrodistillation (HD), Soxhlet (SoE) and low pressure solvent extraction (LPSE) with organic solvents. As a methodology to evaluate the process, some process parameters were used as extraction rate, process time, global extraction yield and phytochemical profile of extracts, some functional properties as antiproliferative and antimycobacterial activities. The essays were conducted in the SFE Unity with fix bed extractor (2.74×10¿2 m of diameter and 0.375 m of length). The turmeric essays were made at 30 ºC and 300 bar; the mixture of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol was used (1:1) as cosolvent. The effects of the bed geometry were studied, in other words, the ratio of bed height / bed diameter (HB/DB); the accelerated solvent extraction and fractioned extraction as well as the effects of the static period were also studied. The extracts were analyzed using GC-FID, TLC and Spectrophotometer ¿ UV. The essay done with HB/DB =1.8 showed the largest yield in curcuminoids; using 50% of cosolvent and static period was also possible to obtain higher contents of curcuminoids. The maximum extract yield obtained for SFE from the ¿falsa melissa¿ was approximately 7% (mass), the LPSE and Soxhlet extraction had very high yields (17 and 20%, respectively), but many undesirable compounds were extracted. To obtain the target compounds of ¿falsa Melissa¿, the best conditions for SFE were 80 bar/45 ºC to obtain large amounts of carvona (80%, mass) and 120 bar/45 ºC to obtain large amounts of limonene (17%, mass); the highest yield in carvone was obtained by the SFE process while the largest yield in limonene was obtained in the hydrodistillation process. The residual starch from SFE process used to obtain turmeric and ginger oleoresins, which can be used as special starches, were observed with their chemical and physical characteristics and compared to industrial starches. The volatile fraction of turmeric extracts showed antiproliferative activity selective for cancers cells of breast and ovary, lung, prostate and colon. The antimycobacterial activity was identified among all turmeric extracts, independently of curcuminoids concentration Doutorado Doutor em Engenharia de Alimentos

Orientador: Simone Liliane Kirszenzaft Shepherd Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia Doutorado Doutor em Biologia Vegetal

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A Geografia Eleitoral definida como a análise da interação entre o espaço, o lugar e os processos eleitorais, compreende fundamentalmente três domínios: padrões de voto, influências geográficas nas eleições e a geografia da representação. A Geografia Eleitoral conta uma longa história, ao ponto de já ter tido um status próprio no âmbito da disciplina. Depois ter aparecido nos anos 70 e 80 com algum vigor no contexto português, esta abordagem dos fenómenos eleitorais tem sido relativamente negligenciada nos anos. Neste trabalho, conjugando as metodologias espaciais-analíticas mais tradicionais com um conjunto de novas tecnologias - como os Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG) e os Self- Organizing Maps (SOM) -, pretendemos dar uma nova ênfase à Geografia Eleitoral nacional, realçando o seu caráter explicativo e abrindo portas a abordagens multidisciplinares dos dados eleitorais. Com base nos resultados das eleições legislativas portuguesas realizadas no período compreendido entre 1991 e 2011, analisamos neste trabalho os seguintes tópicos: a distribuição espacial dos resultados, em conjunto e individualmente, dos cinco partidos com representação parlamentar; a distribuição dos resultados deste conjunto de partidos por região, considerando uma das propostas de divisão administrativa referendada em 1998 e analisando a região da Estremadura e Ribatejo como um estudo de caso; os padrões gerados pela distribuição do bloco constituído pelos dois principais partidos (PS e PPD/PSD); o comportamento espacial dos blocos Direita/Centro-Direita e Esquerda/Centro- Esquerda; a abstenção eleitoral, confrontando os valores registados em cada freguesia com o resultado nacional; a comparação entre diferentes tipos de eleições; a distribuição dos resultados por partido nos dois principais distritos (Lisboa e Porto) que em conjunto representam mais de 40% da população portuguesa; o comportamento do Bloco de Esquerda, o mais jovem dos partidos considerados; e os mapeamentos das freguesias “sociais-democratas” e “socialistas”. Os resultados deste trabalho comprovam de forma geral, de que a georreferenciação dos dados eleitorais nacionais geram uma cartografia que permite confirmar aquilo que outras análises têm vindo a mostrar sobre o comportamento eleitoral dos portugueses. No entanto, existem aspectos específicos da distribuição espacial deste mesmo comportamento eleitoral que permitem aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a interacção entre o espaço e os processos eleitorais.