Search

Aim: This scoping review aimed to identify and appraise the effectiveness and impact of breastfeeding promotion interventions conducted across Portuguese- speaking sovereign countries. Methods: Using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched 14 electronic databases for publications published through 31 July 2023. The search terms were designed to find studies promoting breastfeeding or exclusive breastfeeding in pre- defined Portuguese- speaking countries. Results: Of the 5263 papers initially retrieved, 30 interventional studies on breastfeeding met the inclusion criteria across three countries: Brazil (N = 26), Portugal (N = 2) and Guinea Bissau (N = 2). Participants ranged from pregnant women, mothers, mother-infant pairs, healthcare professionals, and school children. Overall, the interventions increased exclusive breastfeeding and better breastfeeding practices, such as a higher duration of breastfeeding. The interventions positively affected maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, knowledge and perception. Only four studies used a theoretical framework. Conclusion: While the results were often statistically significant, no study had an outcome close to the recommended UNICEF and WHO goal of 70% breastfeeding at six months. The need to determine what works for the recommended six months postpartum period is critical for maximising children's health in Portuguese- speaking countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a modified Susceptible‐Infected‐Quarantine‐Recovered (mSIQR) model, for the COVID‐19 pandemic. We start by proving the well‐posedness of the model and then compute its reproduction number and the corresponding sensitivity indices. We discuss the values of these indices for epidemiological relevant parameters, namely, the contact rate, the proportion of unknown infectious, and the recovering rate. The mSIQR model is simulated, and the outputs are fit to COVID‐19 pandemic data from several countries, including France, US, UK, and Portugal. We discuss the epidemiological relevance of the results and provide insights on future patterns, subjected to health policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future of physiology has been a recurrent concern for physiologists and Physiological Societies within post-Bologna Europe and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Our paper provides an overview of Physiology teaching and research in Portugal, an EU member state and part of the EHEA. A descriptive study was designed to analyze data publicly available from the National Higher Education Directorate agency (DGES) from September to November 2022 to find all Portuguese syllabi containing at least one discipline related to human Physiology. A detailed database was established, including teaching staff, with a total of 365 courses/degrees and 764 Physiology disciplines. A bibliometric analysis of the identifiable lecturers' scientific production between 2017 and 2022 was made using Web of Science and PUBMED databases. Physiology is part of all health-related professions. However, universities and technical colleges differ greatly in programs, staff backgrounds, and scientific profiles. Medical schools were found to provide the most complete formation. Noteworthy, the profession of Physiologist has practically no expression within the EHEA, compared with the USA-UK realities. A better knowledge and understanding of these Physiology modalities in teaching and research within the EHEA will be instrumental to defining a stronger identity for European Physiology in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Portuguese community in Toronto is the largest in North America; however, its immigrant population is now aging. This paper addresses senior immigrants who had a transnational "later life" and discusses this practice in the transatlantic context, using a lifecycle model of transnational migration. Later life is a life stage that is highly feasible for transnational migration, as seniors are mostly disentangled from various obligations, such as work, child rearing, and caregiving for parents. Transnational senior migrants in Europe and North America can be categorized into four groups: Intra‐Europe Rich, Intra‐Europe Immigrant, North American Snowbird, and Trans‐Atlantic Immigrant. Trans‐Atlantic Immigrant seniors, the target group of this paper, differ from the other groups on several points, including seasonal preference for transnational migration, motivations, and legal regulations. The paper considers the questions of why senior Portuguese immigrants choose to stay in Portugal for an extended period each year, while mainly living in Canada, and how their later life is structured between the two countries. Transnational later life is a strategic practice of senior Portuguese immigrants in Canada in the last stage of their lifecycle, allowing them to maximize government pension payments while simultaneously enjoying the highest quality of life possible in both countries. Key Messages: Immigration from Portugal to Canada accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s, and this immigrant population is now aging.The senior Trans‐Atlantic Immigrant is significantly different from other transnational senior groups in Europe and North America, in terms of seasonal preference for transnational migration, motivations, and legal regulations.Transnational later life is a strategic practice of senior Portuguese immigrants in Canada in the last stage of their lifecycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, with the dissemination of curriculum autonomy policies, teachers tend to be more involved in curriculum reforms as curriculum designers. In Portugal, in 2016, the government unprecedently commissioned eighteen teachers' associations to define a curriculum benchmark – 'Essential Learning'. Studies have shown the difficulties felt by teachers in their role as curriculum designers due to a lack of the knowledge and skills required to enact collaborative curriculum design. However, few studies have investigated the kind of knowledge, skills and support teachers need for curriculum design. This paper aims to present a theoretical model of the knowledge and skills required for curriculum design at the macro‐level, verify to what extent the eighteen associations master them, and describe the type of support that teachers need to design the curriculum. For data collection, the focus group technique was applied to the teachers' associations and to two curriculum experts hired by the Ministry of Education to support them. The results show that the associations had difficulties in three domains of knowledge and skills, regarding curriculum design expertise, pedagogical content knowledge, and knowledge required to create external curriculum consistency, presenting some guidelines to increase the quality of curriculum design in future curriculum changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was a clinical validation of the NANDA‐I nursing diagnosis "Impaired Resilience (00210)" in people under fertility treatment and determination of the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the defining characteristics. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted between September 2019 and June 2020. A total of 104 patients were recruited through fertility‐related websites, and they answered an online questionnaire after giving informed consent. The Rasch model was used for statistical analysis. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee. Findings: The "Impaired Resilience (00210)" had a prevalence of 15.4% in the sample, and seven defining characteristics confirmed as representative are "decreased interest in vocational activities," "depression," "impaired health status," "ineffective coping strategies," "low self‐esteem," "renewed elevation of distress," and "social isolation." No item showed differential item functioning. "Renewed elevation of distress" and "low self‐esteem" were the most sensitive defining characteristics and had the highest negative predictive value. "Shame" was the most specific one. Conclusions: The nursing diagnosis "Impaired Resilience (00210)" was validated, and results may improve its accuracy in people going through fertility treatment. Implications for nursing practice: This paper contributes by raising knowledge regarding NANDA‐I nursing diagnosis and enhancing the quality of nurses' critical judgment and clinical reasoning. A more effective assessment will allow early recognition of patients struggling with adversity during fertility treatment and enhance a nursing resilience approach in the reproductive field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between academic inbreeding in Portugal and research collaboration, using co‐authored publications as proxies. As previous research has shown that inbreeding is detrimental for research collaborations, it is hypothesised that academic inbreeding will lead to smaller research networks and, consequently, to fewer co‐authored publications outside the institution of affiliation. Relying on a large data set which merged information on academics, their inbreeding status and their publications, binomial negative and fractional models were estimated to test the hypothesis. Findings show that inbred academics have smaller research networks; while they publish most co‐authored papers, the relative weight of publications written in collaboration with institutional colleagues is the highest. In contrast, non‐inbred academics with foreign PhDs have larger co‐authorship networks. However, they publish most single‐authored papers and the weight of their international co‐authorships is heaviest. Abstrato: Este artigo pretende analisar a relação entre a endogamia académica e a colaboração na investigação, partindo das publicações em coautoria. Dado que alguns estudos mostraram que a endogamia é prejudicial para as colaborações na investigação, a hipótese deste artigo é a de que a endogamia académica está associada a redes de investigação mais pequenas e a menos publicações em coautoria fora da instituição de afiliação. Recorrendo a uma base de dados que combina informação sobre académicos, o seu estatuto de endogamia e as suas publicações, foram estimados modelos binomiais negativos e fracionários para testar a hipótese. Os resultados mostram que os académicos endogâmicos têm redes de investigação menores; embora publiquem a maioria dos artigos em coautoria, o peso relativo das publicações escritas em colaboração com colegas institucionais é superior. Em contraste, os académicos não‐endogâmicos, com doutoramentos obtidos no estrangeiro, têm redes de coautoria maiores. No entanto, são também estes que mais publicam artigos sozinhos e o peso das suas coautorias internacionais é superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra (OGAUC) was officially created in 2013 after merging of two historical institutions: the Astronomical Observatory and the Geophysical Institute. As a result of almost 200 years of observations and research in astronomy and geophysical sciences, the OGAUC possesses a unique and valuable collection of long-term observational and instrumental records. These data have an indispensable value in current geophysical and climatic studies, being among the most complete and significant in Portugal and the world. The OGAUC's data collections are complemented by a vast technical-scientific production such as reports, research memoranda, articles, books, and instruments. This archive is largely not inventoried and poorly studied (particularly concerning meteorological, geomagnetic, and seismological data). This paper highlights the importance of the OGAUC's extensive data collection and discusses the difficulties and barriers related to its inventorying, preservation, and dissemination to the scientific community, policymakers, stakeholders, and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short‐term rentals (STRs) emerged as holiday accommodations, disrupting the hospitality industry in the decade before COVID‐19. Mainstream explanations for their growth revolved around digital tourism platforms like Airbnb as market disruptors and the sharing economy rationale. At the same time, critical scholars explored the capitalisation of greater rent gaps in urban central locations. However, these explanations are insufficient to explain the growth of STRs. We supplement them by building bridges between the urban political economy and the geographies of financialisation through the cases of Lisbon and Porto before the pandemic. The paper focuses on tourism‐induced housing investment, taking a closer look at the profile of investors in association with STR property managers in the context of the late‐entrepreneurial urban regime. We conclude that tourism development has allowed opportunities for housing financialisation through STR professionalisation, enhancing the allocation of interest‐bearing capital in tourism‐oriented real estate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the atypical wear observed on the anterior teeth of an enslaved African adult female (age‐at‐death: 47.62 ± 3.36 years), exhumed from Valle da Gafaria, Lagos, Portugal (15th–17th centuries). All teeth of this individual (n = 31) were macroscopically observed to score dental wear and caries. A more accentuated wear was observed on the lingual surface of the maxillary anterior teeth, with dentine exposure until the cement‐enamel junction. Although many individuals of this osteoarchaeological assemblage present intentional dental modifications, the location and characteristics of these wear facets are not compatible with such cultural practices. Interdental attrition caused by overbite was also excluded due to the inexistence of corresponding lingual or labial wear on any lower teeth. Also, the relatively unpolished appearance of the wear facets does not favor the hypothesis of perimolysis due to regurgitation. Instead, the observed wear pattern is consistent with lingual surface attrition of the maxillary anterior teeth (LSAMAT). Regarding the aetiology, in this particular case, two possible causes are suggested: extra‐masticatory behaviors and/or consumption of abrasive carbohydrates, namely, a starchy plant. Although this individual presents several carious lesions, which favor the hypothesis of a carbohydrate‐rich diet, these processes can act simultaneously. Therefore, it would be unwise to favor one aetiological factor over the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital competence is among the basic key competences for digital learning and employability. For this reason, its acquisition and development should be on the agenda of higher education institutions (HEIs) who wish to prepare their students to thrive in an ever faster evolving digital labour market. However, the existence of a valid instrument that can help HEIs measuring and further integrating digital competence into pedagogical and organisational practices with sufficient precision is yet to be accomplished. This article provides a valid and reliable instrument to measure higher education students' digital competence on the basis of the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens, also known as DigComp. The instrument was applied to a sample of 411 students from a mid‐large public HEI and the results attest its validity and reliability. In addition, the study explores proficiency differences among students from different fields of education and training, and gender. Results demystify the idea that ICT students are more digitally competent than those in other fields of study, but suggest males score higher than females, which feeds into the ongoing debate of gender differences in relation to digital technologies and the readiness of females for the digital labour market. The results lead to clear implications for research and practice. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicDigital competence is critical for higher education (HE) students to benefit from digital learning, strive in a digital society and increase employability prospects.There is a lack of valid instruments to measure higher education (HE) students' digital competence and facilitate the identification of digital competence gaps.Few studies focus on the relationship between HE students' digital competence, gender and fields of education and training (FET).What this paper addsA valid and reliable instrument based on a common European framework for digital competence.HE students lack the necessary digital competences to effectively cope with digital environments.Digital proficiency is particularly low regarding "Safety", "Problem solving" and "Digital content creation" competence areas.ICT students show less proficiency than those from other FET.Male students score higher than females.Implications for practice and/or policyThe instrument can be adopted by different stakeholders to assess students/future job seekers' digital competence.HE institutions could benefit from such an instrument as a diagnosis to design specific teaching and learning strategies and target students' proficiency and particular needs.Tackling specific FET and competence areas can better support the development of students' digital competence and facilitate their employability prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of multifunctionality permeates European agriculture. Pastoralism is not spared and is valued as a vector of environmental management of the mountainous areas. Multifunctionality is nonetheless connected to entrepreneurial agriculture. Although entrepreneurship is disseminated in the European agricultural sector, little is known about the entrepreneurial evolution within traditional mountain pastoralist communities. This ethnographic paper builds on the case study of mountain sheep pastoralists in Braganza, Portugal, to augment this knowledge. It dives into the dynamics of production of sheep farming to uncover the cultural drivers of traditional pastoralism in Northern Portugal. Results show that pastoralists are unresponsive to the entrepreneurial narratives of multifunctionality as they respond to the occupational identity of shepherds in a moral economy of subsistence ethics. Pastoralists nevertheless exercise valuable environmental agency grounded in their condition as rural dwellers. Tailored narratives to their subsistence ethic are then required to rapidly address and valorize this environmental agency as new fire regimes progress and traditional pastoralism stands at the brink of extinction in Portugal. These results may ultimately contribute to the global literature and policy making on pastoralism, multifunctionality and environment: worldwide pastoralist communities share holistically cultural features and convergent historical trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence of patterns of decline or stagnation in developed countries has led to a renewed interest in the study of less developed regions. This renewed interest is informed by a variety of approaches, which range from studies on the unequal distribution of economic power and resources to analysis of regional endowments, such as human capital or quality of institutions. However, a persistent misconception in some of this literature is that the primary factor explaining levels of development is innovation happening within firms. In particular, this narrative fails to consider the role of national and international agents and processes, the impact of value chain management on value appropriation, and the challenges to diversification within peripheral regions. This paper will contribute to this debate by developing these matters theoretically and by drawing on an analysis of three wine regions in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation‐related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomic metabolism dynamics are relevant to identify (un)sustainable development pathways in different economies, particularly if the evolution of resource productivity of critical economic sectors can be quantified. This paper offers a four‐step methodological framework to quantify these dynamics for an economy in a way that can be replicated for a series of years and countries. This methodological framework is based on the compilation of economic and physical flows in the form of input‐output tables in a time series, making use of publicly available data. The data download and processing were automatized using Python, creating an expedited analysis process. The results characterize the flows through and within a country and allow the user to identify structural changes in the economy by tracking both monetary and physical flows for 17 material groups and up to 37 economic sectors. The application of the methodological framework is illustrated in a case study covering the 2008 economic crisis in Portugal, in which the socioeconomic metabolism, the underlying structural changes, and the corresponding environmental impacts are characterized. The use of this information for the design of decoupling policies is discussed, in view of promoting sustainable dematerialization during periods of economic prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: To understand the use of psychoactive substances, one must consider the context and the social circumstances in which the substance use occurs. This paper discusses alcohol use from a socio‐cultural perspective, based on the use of alcoholic beverages among the Portuguese servicemen who fought in the Portuguese Colonial War (1961–74). Method: In‐depth interviews were carried out with 17 former Portuguese soldiers. Simultaneously, extensive bibliographic and documentary research was carried out based on a broad set of biographical and autobiographical texts by former military personnel. Finally, an on‐line survey (n = 210) was conducted among ex‐combatants of the Portuguese Colonial War. Results: Alcohol drinking among Portuguese servicemen was high during the Portuguese Colonial War. Socio‐cultural factors (such as regarding alcohol consumption as therapeutic and affirming masculinity) explain why alcohol drinking was so intense and frequent, and why repeated drunken behaviour was tolerated and undervalued by the military authorities, who considered it normal and not a health problem or disorder. Conclusion: The use of alcohol in the Portuguese Colonial War is an empirical example of how what is considered 'acceptable', 'normal' or 'pathological' may depend more on socio‐cultural norms than on objective and measurable criteria, including clinical criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scars left by wildfires are easily visible in the Mediterranean landscape and, like any wound, even those left by fires must be treated to regenerate properly. If not managed, spontaneous vegetation regeneration will eventually cover the affected area, restoring the hydrological cycle. The reforestation of burned stands, involving ploughing the land and building terraces on steep slopes, together with fertilisation of the area, is also common. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate three post‐fire land management options for a small catchment in central Portugal. The choice of this basin relates to the implementation of terraces to create a eucalyptus forest production area 7 months after a fire completely burned the catchment. Two alternative post‐fire scenarios were designed, one simulating the spontaneous recovery of the ecosystem and the second reproducing a catchment‐scale implementation of a highly effective erosion mitigation measure (mulching). Then, the mulch scenario and the actual eucalyptus cycle were compared with the spontaneous recovery scenario to appraise the best management choice. The post‐fire and post‐terracing periods showed a satisfactory agreement between simulated and observed daily parameters. Concerning the management alternatives evaluated, mulching and terracing reduced soil loss and sediment transported in streams compared to spontaneous recovery. However, higher flow volumes and phosphorus exports were predicted under terraced conditions, likely due to increased infiltration capacity and accelerated leaching processes, raising concerns about stream water quality. These findings can be applied to other Mediterranean catchments affected by wildfires and in which post‐fire management actions are planned, making stakeholders aware of the impacts and uncertainties of post‐fire scenarios, thus improving the management of burnt areas. Highlights: Calibration of SWAT model for three different post‐fire management practices.Satisfactory model performance in simulating water quantity and quality for both periods.Spontaneous recovery evidenced high soil losses during all the simulated period.The implementation of terraces and the application of mulch reduced sediment transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]