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Inorganic nitrate (NO3−) and nitrate-rich foods have been shown to exert antioxidative effects and lower blood pressure in experimental animal models and human clinical studies. The specific handling of nitrate, including its enterosalivary recirculation, secretion into saliva, oral microbial reduction to nitrite (NO2−), and the pH-dependent nitrosative capacity in the stomach have all been recognized as being important for nitrate's beneficial effects. Obesity is of major health concern worldwide and associated with increased cardiovascular risk; whether nitrate lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function in this setting has not been investigated. We here tested the hypotheses that i) nitrate elicits cardiovascular benefits in overweight women; and ii) these beneficial effects would be diminished in women who underwent bariatric Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. Our controlled clinical trial included 15 women with prior RYGB surgery and 15 overweight female controls. All participants received a single dose of 0.1 mmol/kg/day nitrate in the form of a beetroot extract for 14 days. Blood collection, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements and endothelial function tests were performed before and after nitrate treatment. Plasma nitrite, nitrate, and S-nitrosothiol (RSNO) concentrations were determined by ozone-based reductive chemiluminescence while thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured using plate-reader based assays. Nitrate reduced blood pressure and improved endothelial function in controls, but not in women with prior bariatric surgery. Nitrate also increased circulating nitrate/nitrite and RSNO levels in controls, but the latter was blunted following RYGB surgery despite even larger increases in nitrite concentrations. Similarly, nitrate increased antioxidant responses in controls but not in women with prior bariatric surgery. This is the first study to show that nitrate exerts beneficial cardiovascular effects in obesity and that the morphological/functional modifications elicited by RYGB surgery abrogates nitrate's effectiveness by preventing gastric RSNO formation.

Higher education institutions have a role to play in developing sustainability skills and changing students' attitudes and behaviour towards sustainability issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of higher education students towards sustainability and understand how these vary in line with gender, age, level of education, the field of study and familiarity with the SDGs. A questionnaire survey was carried out among higher education students. A sample of 716 students from different European countries and Türkiye was obtained. The results show that the relationship between students' knowledge of sustainability and their behaviour towards sustainability issues is partly mediated by their attitudes towards sustainability. The practical implications of this study are that it highlights the need to strengthen education on sustainable development and the SDGs in all areas and at all levels of higher education and to provide sound training in this field from the moment students enter higher education. Although knowledge and attitudes towards sustainability are well developed, higher education institutions must train students to change their behaviour.

Em Portugal, o suicídio nas Forças de Segurança atingiu valores superiores aos da população em geral, provocando a necessidade de procurar soluções. O presente estudo teve como objetivos compreender a problemática do suicídio na Guarda Nacional Republicana através da identificação das causas e consequências, da compreensão da intervenção realizada neste âmbito, e da identificar da pósvenção como um eixo da prevenção. Recorrendo à abordagem qualitativa, através da análise fenomenológica interpretativa, realizaram-se nove entrevistas semiestruturadas a militares da Guarda Nacional Republicada e a entidades exteriores. Como conclusões foi dado maior enfoque ao fortalecimento da resposta institucional, em termos de prevenção do suicídio, sobretudo na pósvenção. No entanto, torna-se necessário a otimização de recursos para a formação e para a pósvenção.

Exposure and vulnerability analysis are valuable tools for wildfire management, especially important for local communities that suffer from very destructive events and that require mitigation approaches adjusted to their abilities and needs. We present a methodological procedure to analyze wildfire exposure levels, social vulnerability conditions and coping capacity at the local scale, for villages or small human settlements. The procedure was developed using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and programming tools in R and Python, which can be adapted and updated depending on the data available. The development of accessible procedures and easily replicable methodologies facilitates knowledge transfer and supports the application of mitigation and adaptation strategies, tailored to the conditions of the exposed areas. • A step-by-step procedure for the assessment of Exposure, Vulnerability, and Coping Capacity, using Python and R programming language. • Automated processes, easily replicable and adjustable to other areas. • Indications for adapting the methodology using European/international databases.

Na página 5, 3º parágrafo, linha 7, onde se lê, (a vermelho): “(...) considering the international recommendation (1:10 000)8” Deverá ler-se (a azul): “(...) considering the international recommendation (0.5:10 000)8” Ainda na página 5, 5º parágrafo, linha 8, onde se lê, (a vermelho): “(...) in the 40 - 50-year age group” Deverá ler-se (a azul): “(...) below the 40 - 50-year age group” Na página 8, legenda da Tabela 1, linha 5, onde se lê, (a vermelho): “1: PORTATA 2021;” Deverá ler-se (a azul): “1: PORDATA 2021;” Artigo publicado com erros: https://www.actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/20321

Abstract Background Physical end emotional changes during pregnancy may not only affect pregnant womens’ quality of life, but also how instruments assessing quality of life perform in such populations. To date, there is insufficient evidence on psychometric properties for both generic and condition-specific instruments measuring quality of life during pregnancy. The aim of this study was thus to examine the structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity of the WHOQOL-BREF in a sample of pregnant women. Methods A convenience sample of 1015 pregnant women in Sweden completed the WHOQOL-BREF online. We examined the psychometric properties of the instrument using principal component analysis (PCA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach’s alpha, item-domain correlations, correlations with overall QOL and general health, and multiple linear regression with items on overall QOL and general health as outcomes. Results Principal Component Analysis in a random subsample (n = 502) supported a four-factor model, encompassing the domains physical, psychological, social and environmental quality of life, but with four of the items originally in the environmental domain relocated to the other domains. The proposed domain structure showed good fit in confirmatory factor analysis in the other random subsample (n = 513). The physical and psychological domains showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.885 and 0.826 respectively), while the social and environmental domains were weaker in this regard. All domains showed significant positive correlations with items on overall QOL and general health. The physical and psychological domains were the most evident predictors in the regression models. Conclusions We find the Swedish version of the WHOQOL-BREF to have good psychometric properties to be used in samples of pregnant women, and propose an alternative domain structure that might be even more useful for assessing quality of life during pregnancy. The physical and psychological domains showed good internal consistency and construct validity.

Introduction: Human resources in ophthalmology have recently received particular attention, and it has been questioned whether there is a sufficient number of workers. The aim of this study was to analyze and characterize Portugal’s ophthalmologist population. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was sent to all ophthalmologists registered with the Portuguese College of Ophthalmology in December 2021. Information on the following variables was collected and analyzed: demographic factors, professional qualifications, professional activity, weekly professional activity and medium-term plans. Results: Among the 910 registered ophthalmologists, a response rate of 64.7% was achieved. There were 0.9 ophthalmologists for every 10 000 inhabitants, 0.45:10 000 working in the public sector (0.35:10 000 full-time equivalent). Among the respondents, 57.6% were over 50 years old (59.6% male), 97.3% were Portuguese, 46.7% completed their residency in the Lisbon region, 27.3% complemented their programme with additional training, 9.5% had a PhD and approximately 58% lived and worked in large urban centres. Regarding professional activity, 58.5% of the respondents worked in the public sector (4.2% exclusively), while 67.9% worked in different economic sectors. The median number of weekly working hours reported was 45 hours, with those in the public sector reporting 35 hours. Private/social sector work and public sector work accounted for 12 926 hours/week and 10 808 hours/week, respectively. It was found that 31.4% of the respondents provided emergency medical services and that 52.8% performed surgical procedures more than once a week. Looking ahead, 38.7% of the ophthalmologists intended to reduce their workload within the next five years due to family reasons, fatigue and demotivation. The projected rate of retirement or cessation of activity in the next five years was estimated to be 1.7%, while an average of 20 new ophthalmologists are expected to enter the profession annually, resulting in a generational balance of 0.8%. Conclusion: While the number of ophthalmologists in Portugal meets the international recommendations, there is a shortage in the public sector and most ophthalmologists work in large urban centres. The number of ophthalmologists in Portugal is expected to be stable for the next five years.

Resumo A promoção e garantia do Direito Humano à Alimentação Adequada (DHAA) é ponto central do combate à fome e à desnutrição infantil no Brasil, agravada pela situação da pobreza extrema, permitindo um aumento da expectativa de vida. O Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) foi criado por Amartya Sen para transformar a ideia reducionista do desenvolvimento econômico, a fim de ampliar a concepção de progresso humano a partir da expansão das capacidades e das liberdades no capitalismo. O objetivo deste estudo foi relacionar as condições de pobreza, fome e desnutrição infantil à promoção da alimentação saudável, a partir do conceito de desenvolvimento como liberdade descrito na obra de Amartya Sen. A saúde e o desenvolvimento humano interligam-se e, quando analisados pela situação da extrema pobreza, intensificam os seus efeitos restritivos ao acesso à alimentação saudável. Urge a compreensão de que as políticas públicas precisam atuar em sinergia entre as áreas de saúde, alimentação, educação, renda, entre outros, considerando a intersetorialidade da segurança alimentar e nutricional.

IntroductionIn Portugal, the 2017 fire season was particularly extreme, leading to an unprecedented large number of fatalities, injured people, destruction of houses and infrastructures. These dramatic outcomes have contributed to raise awareness regarding the importance of ensuring the safety of people and assets from high intensity uncontrollable wildfires. It is crucial to identify the settlements at higher risk and the most suitable mitigation actions that can maximize the protection of people and assets.MethodsWe developed a simple methodology that combines exposure and vulnerability to estimate wildfire risk at the local level. Exposure was estimated using a fire spread simulation approach that was used to determine the probability of (i) a wildfire generating firebrands that could affect a settlement and (ii) a high intensity wildfire occurring adjacent to a settlement. Exposure was estimated using two fuel scenarios created to represent the current year of 2023 (short-term scenario) and 2030, assuming that no fuel management nor large fires occur in the meantime (medium-term worst-case scenario). Vulnerability was determined by the (i) Index of Total Dependence (IDT), and (ii) evacuation difficulty. Exposure and vulnerability metrics were normalized in percentiles, distributed into quadrants and combined to provide six levels of wildfire risk. For each vulnerability\exposure combination, we proposed a set of priority mitigation actions. The methodology was applied to three areas in Portugal where the risk estimates were analyzed and compared with the implementation rate of two risk mitigation programs already in place.ResultsResults showed that 8.7% of the settlements had “very high” wildfire risk and about 19.5% had “high” wildfire risk, potentially affecting 8,403 and 34,762 inhabitants, respectively. The spatial distribution of settlements at higher risk was very heterogeneous across the study areas and the total fraction ranged between 14% in Coimbra to 36% in Barlavento Algarvio. The overall implementation of mitigation programs in the study areas is very low, with only around 1% of the settlements in “very high” risk having any of the mitigation programs implemented. Conversely, our results also suggest that the implementation rate in settlements classified in lower risk classes is disproportionately high.DiscussionThe application of this risk analysis methodology can be used to assess the implementation status of mitigation actions, and contribute to tailor the actions that maximize the protection of people and assets according to the specific conditions found in each targeted area.

Este artigo tem como objetivo avultar e compreender a produção de conhecimento e o desenvolvimento do mesmo sobre a Modelagem na Educação Matemática nas pesquisas de Teses e Dissertações nos Programas de Pós-Graduação no Brasil no período de 2017-2022, através de uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Trata-se de uma pesquisa com cunho qualitativo, numa perspectiva indiciária e os dados foram levantados na BDTD- Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações, entre os anos de 2017 a 2022. Foram levantados 29 estudos para o recorte, e deles indicados 7 trabalhos para a análise, tendo em conta os critérios de inclusão e exclusão estabelecidos, onde foram descritos os quantitativos destas pesquisas, suas abordagens, seus desenvolvimentos, suas práticas educacionais, seus pressupostos teóricos e epistemológicos, seus níveis de ensino e suas contribuições e as suas dificuldades relatadas. Verificamos um crescimento das pesquisas na área de Modelagem na Educação Matemática com mais ênfase no ensino superior e os resultados mostram que a Modelagem na Educação Matemática pode potencializar a interdisciplinaridade, o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico, a autonomia, o diálogo e integração de tecnologias de comunicação e informação no ensino.

Nearly half of the natural disasters in the world are due to hydro-geomorphological hazards. Therefore, rainfall forecast is a key parameter for the implementation of landslides and flash-floods early warning systems. In this work we developed a routine in R software that enables the validation of a 3-day rainfall forecast by comparison with the daily rainfall data recorded in 101 automatic meteorological stations available in mainland Portugal. The routine integrates the pre-processing of base data, the matching between the 3-day rainfall forecast and the daily rainfall registered in the automatic meteorological stations based on sequence of days, the estimation of the difference between the forecasted and the real rainfall values and the computation of error measures, such as the bias, the mean absolute error, the mean absolute percentage error and the root mean square error. The results from the error measures, estimated for the 101 automatic meteorological stations, are then exported to an excel file. The routine is implemented for mainland Portugal and tested using data from February 2015, however, the spatial and temporal data can be easily updated for other regions. • A routine to validate the rainfall forecast at the regional scale using R programming language is implemented. • The automated routine can be easily updated and adapted with different spatial and temporal scales.

The complex nonlinear behaviour of unreinforced masonry (URM), along with the interaction between structural elements, still represents a challenge for the seismic assessment of existing URM buildings. A large variety of mathematical tools have been developed in the last decades to address the issue. The numerical work herein presented attempts to provide some insights into the use of FEM models to obtain reliable results from nonlinear dynamic analyses conducted with explicit methods. Through plane stress elements, two in-plane mechanisms were studied to identify optimal parameters for unreinforced masonry elements subjected to dynamic actions. The results were then compared with outcomes generated by an implicit solver. Subsequently, these parameters were used in nonlinear dynamic analyses on a building section for the seismic assessment in both unreinforced and reinforced conditions. The element type, hourglass control, damping, and bulk viscosity influence the dynamic response, mainly when the nonlinearities become larger. The hourglass control techniques employ a scaling factor to suppress the occurrence of spurious modes. Values ranging from 0.01 to 0.03 have shown effective results. When the stiffness-damping parameter for Rayleigh damping is of a similar order of magnitude or lower than the time increment without damping, the time increment remained in feasible ranges for performing analysis. Additionally, the bulk viscosity can stabilise the response without causing substantial alterations to the time increment if the values are under 1.00.

This article delves into an explanatory model of interpersonal behavior based on alexithymia and internet dependence, demonstrating how these factors affect interpersonal relationships in a sample of university students. Alexithymia refers to a persistent difficulty in identifying, describing, and expressing emotions, which can hinder emotional connection with others. Internet addiction can lead to a neglect of interactions and social isolation, thereby reducing interpersonal relationships. The results of this study suggest that both alexithymia and internet addiction can have a negative impact on interpersonal relationships by interfering with the expression of emotions, communication and social engagement.

Abstract The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), a vector of dengue, Zika and other diseases, was introduced in Europe in the 1970s, where it is still widening its range. Spurred by public health concerns, several studies have delivered predictions of the current and future distribution of the species for this region, often with differing results. We provide the first joint analysis of these predictions, to identify consensus hotspots of high and low suitability, as well as areas with high uncertainty. The analysis focused on current and future climate conditions and was carried out for the whole of Europe and for 65 major urban areas. High consensus on current suitability was found for the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, Italy and the coastline between the western Balkans and Greece. Most models also agree on a substantial future expansion of suitable areas into northern and eastern Europe. About 83% of urban areas are expected to become suitable in the future, in contrast with ~ 49% nowadays. Our findings show that previous research is congruent in identifying wide suitable areas for Aedes albopictus across Europe and in the need to effectively account for climate change in managing and preventing its future spread.

Cocoa fields in West Africa traditionally kept other tree species to provide shade for cocoa trees and obtain food and other products. Measuring other trees is paramount to monitoring environmental conditions in cocoa agroforests, but it has been difficult to apply at a large scale. This study presents the results of a rapid assessment method applied in Ghana, developed to measure non-cocoa tree characteristics based on easily observed parameters using sample surveys and mapping tools. We collected data from over 8700 cocoa farms and evaluated their biodiversity performance based on 6 indicators classified according to recommended thresholds to benefit biodiversity conditions. Our results show that species richness, shade cover, and potential for tree succession have the lowest proportions of fields with the recommended levels, with variations among regions and districts. The methodological procedure allowed us to identify priority areas and indicators falling behind desirable thresholds, which can inform training and management approaches regarding biodiversity-friendly practices in cocoa fields tailored to the needs of the farmers. The analysis procedure was developed with open-access automated routines, allowing for easy updates and replication to other areas, as well as for other commodities, enabling comparisons at different spatial scales and contributing to monitoring biodiversity over time.

Wildfire susceptibility maps are a well-known tool for optimizing available means to plan for prevention, early detection, and wildfire suppression in Portugal, especially regarding the critical fire season (1 July − 30 September). These susceptibility maps typically disregard seasonal weather conditions on each given year, being based on predisposing variables that remain constant on the long-term, such as elevation. We employ logistic regression for combining wildfire susceptibility with a meteorological index representing spring conditions (the Seasonal Severity Rating), with the purpose of predicting, for any given year and ahead of the critical fire season, which areas will burn. Results show that the combination of the index with wildfire susceptibility slightly increases the capability to predict which areas will burn, when compared with susceptibility alone. Spring meteorological context was found better suited for predicting if the following summer wildfire season will be more severe, rather than predicting where wildfires will effectively occur. The model can be updated yearly after the critical wildfire season and can be applied to optimize the allocation of human and material resources regarding the prevention, early detection and suppression activities, required to reduce the severity of wildfires in the country.

Mecanismos como selos, marcas e certificados são utilizados por organizações que objetivam informar ao consumidor elementos relacionados aos sistemas produtivos dos produtos alimentares. Assim, informações atreladas aos sistemas produtos agroalimentares tais como origem, características de comunidades específicas (agricultura familiar, agricultura agroecológica, indígenas, quilombolas, etc.), práticas ambientais, paisagem, história, tradição, fatores econômicos e sociais precisam ser comunicados, e neste sentido, selos e certificados são utilizados para informar ao consumidor tais características. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo identificar se a percepção dos consumidores de produtos com selos, marcas ou certificados de reputação (geográfica ou social/ambiental) em canais de distribuição longos de produtos agroalimentares está vinculada às discussões sobre a chamada virada da qualidade. Foi realizado um survey com 195 consumidores em supermercados e 140 consumidores em lojas especializadas nos municípios do estado de São Paulo, que adquirem produtos agroalimentares com selos, marcas ou certificados de reputação (geográfica ou social/ambiental). Os resultados indicaram que os consumidores aoadquirir esses produtos levam em conta as convenções de qualidade em cadeias curtas (doméstica, cívica e estima), ou seja, consideram características relacionadas ao local de produção, ao processo de produção, à sociedade e ao produtor. No entanto, o reconhecimento desses atributos é mais representativo no canal de lojas especializadas. Apesar dos selos, marcas ou certificados de reputação serem considerados em vários estudos como eficientes instrumentos de comunicação ao consumidor a respeito das características intangíveis de seus produtos, se faz necessário que, em canais longos como supermercados, outros instrumentos de comunicação com o consumidor sejam elaborados para o seu reconhecimento.

Introduction: Xerostomia is the subjective sensation of dry mouth; it occurs when less saliva is secreted than the amount of water lost through evaporation and absorption from the oral mucosa. It has multiple consequences for the general and oral health of people in a palliative situation, and quality of life. Objective: To examine and map the interventions implemented to relieve xerostomia of the person in palliative situation. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Data search was performed in the following databases: CINAHL COMPLETE®, PUBMED®, MEDLINE COMPLETE®, SCOPUS® and SciELO®. Results: A total of 707 articles were identified, and 19 were extracted for final analysis. This scoping review considered the studies focused on people with advanced and irreversible chronic disease, in a palliative situation and at the end of life, aged 18 years or more. Interventions for the control of xerostomia are: non-pharmacological, assessment of the oral cavity, acupuncture, saliva substitutes, saliva stimulants and oral hygiene education programmes; pharmacological parasympathomimetic: pilocarpine and bethanechol chloride. Conclusion: Xerostomia is a health condition that can cause social embarrassment and chronic discomfort, with a great impact on people's quality of life. Grouping the available evidence, within this theme, can help health professionals to incorporate it into care practice, contributing to the increase in the person’s quality of life and the relief of suffering.

ABSTRACT: The present study intends to reflect on the effectiveness of the Human Right to Adequate Food in the Brazilian Democratic Rule of Law and in the light of the theory of justice, this last one understood as the development of the human capacities. The study aims to analyze the constitutionality of the Brazilian Provisional Measure no. 870, published on January 1, 2019, which revoked the provisions of Law n. 11346/06 on the attributions and composition of the Brazilian Council for Food and Nutrition Security (CONSEA), a governamental body of dialogue and social participation, which is one of the pillars of the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Security (SISAN). The research develops the qualitative approach from the critical literature review. We claim that the administrative reorganization of the new government by a provisional measure is legitimate, but the extinction of the body would imply in the infeasibility of the National System of Food and Nutritional Security by not transferring to another entity its competences, violating the organizational dimension of Fundamental Rights. In the scenario of strong inequalities, in an environment of low social participation, the threats could deconstruct the idea of Justice from the logic of social welfare, affecting the implementation of the Human Right to Adequate Food.

The article rescues the process of permanent fiscal adjustment underway in Brazil, since the 1988 Constitution, which follows neoliberal progress in all countries in a context of capital crisis. It analyzes the impact of this economic policy on the health, Social Security and Social Assistance policies that make up Social Security in Brazil through budget pieces, government plans and legislation. Finally, it points out challenges and possibilities in the face of the conservative and regressive situation we live in.

Commuting flows and long-distance travel are important spreading factors of viruses and particularly airborne ones. Therefore, it is relevant to examine the association among diverse mobility scenarios and the spatial dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 cases. We intended to analyze the patterns of virus spreading linked to different mobility scenarios, in order to better comprehend the effect of the lockdown measures, and how such measures can be better informed. We simulated the effects of mobility restrictions in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 amongst the municipalities of two metropolitan areas, Lisbon (LMA) and Porto (PMA). Based on an adapted SEIR (Suscetible-Exposed-Infected-Removed) model, we estimated the number of new daily infections during one year, according to different mobility scenarios: restricted to essential activities, industrial activities, public transport use, and a scenario with unrestricted mobility including all transport modes. The trends of new daily infections were further explored using time-series clustering analysis, using dynamic time warping. Mobility restrictions resulted in lower numbers of new daily infections when compared to the unrestricted mobility scenario, in both metropolitan areas. Between March and September 2020, the official number of new infections followed overall a similar timeline to the one simulated considering only essential activities. At the municipal level, trends differ amongst the two metropolitan areas. The analysis of the effects of mobility in virus spread within different municipalities and regions could help tailoring future strategies and increase the public acceptance of eventual restrictions.

Landscape patterns and composition were identified as key drivers of fire risk and fire regimes. However, few studies have focused on effective policymaking aimed at encouraging landowners to diversify the landscape and make it more fire-resilient. We propose a new framework to support the design of wildfire mitigation policies aimed at promoting low-risk fire regimes based on land use/land cover choices by landowners. Using the parishes of a fire-prone region in central Portugal as analysis units, a two-step modelling approach is proposed, coupling an agent-based model that simulates land use/land cover choice and a logistic model that predicts fire regimes from a set of biophysical variables reported as important fire regime drivers in the literature. The cost-effectiveness of different policy options aimed at promoting low-risk fire regimes at the parish level is assessed. Our results are in line with those of previous studies defending the importance of promoting landscape heterogeneity by reducing forest concentration and increasing agricultural or shrubland areas as a measure to reduce the risk of wildfire. Results also suggest the usefulness of the framework as a policy simulation tool, allowing policymakers to investigate how annual payments supporting agricultural or shrubland areas, depending on the policy mix, can be very cost-effective in removing a substantial number of parishes from high-risk fire regimes.

We characterize fire regimes in central Portugal and investigate the degree to which the differences between regimes are influenced by a set of biophysical drivers. Using civil parishes as units of analysis, we employ three complementary parameters to describe the fire regime over a reference period of 44 years (1975–2018), namely cumulative percentage of parish area burned, Gini concentration index of burned area over time, and area-weighted total number of wildfires. Cluster analysis is used to aggregate parishes into groups with similar fire regimes based on these parameters. A classification tree model is then used to assess the capacity of a set of potential biophysical drivers to discriminate between the different parish groups. The results allowed us to distinguish four types of fire regime and show that these can be significantly differentiated using the biophysical drivers, of which land use/land cover (LULC), slope, and spring rainfall are the most important. Among LULC classes, shrubland and herbaceous vegetation play the foremost role, followed by agriculture. Our results highlight the importance of vegetation type, availability, and rate of regeneration, as well as that of topography, in influencing fire regimes in the study area, while suggesting that these regimes should be subject to specific wildfire prevention and mitigation policies.

Fire regimes in Mediterranean countries have been shifting in recent decades, including changes in wildfire size and frequency. We sought to describe changes in fire regimes across two periods (1975–1995 and 1996–2018) in a fire-prone region of central Portugal, explore the relationships between these regimes and territorial features, and check whether these associations persisted across periods. Two independent indicators of fire regimes were determined at parish level: fire incidence and burn concentration. Most parishes presented higher values of both indicators in the second period. Higher values of fire incidence were associated with lower population densities, lower proportions of farmland areas and higher proportions of natural vegetation. Higher levels of burn concentration were associated with smaller areas of farmland and natural vegetation. These associations differed across periods, reflecting contrasting climatic and socio-economic contexts. Keeping 40% of a parish territory covered by farmland was effective to buffer the increased wildfire risks associated with different management and climate contexts. The effectiveness of higher population densities in keeping fire incidence low decreased in the last decades. The results can improve the knowledge on the temporal evolution of fire regimes and their conditioning factors, providing contributions for spatial planning and forest/wildfire management policies.

Biodiversity is recognized as an essential part of sustainable development efforts, however reducing biodiversity loss is a key global challenge that requires updated data on biodiversity status at different scales. Cocoa agroforests include tree species besides cocoa, a practice beneficial to biodiversity, ecosystem conservation and farming households. We present a stepwise procedure to test and select a method that rapidly assesses biodiversity in cocoa agroforests based primarily on species richness and counts of non-cocoa trees. Three rapid assessment methodologies (RapidBAM) with different sampling procedures were tested in three phases: calibration, testing and evaluation. Results showed the method using the lowest number of sample plots with a minimum area coverage and a consistent sampling time (regardless of farm context) provided the most accurate and straightforward assessment. Farmers accurately reported qualitatively on species, complimenting quantitative data produced by RapidBAM. Collecting biodiversity data with RapidBAM proved valuable to collect data at large-scales and is applicable to different landscapes. Monitoring biodiversity with fewer required resources than conventional methods is a relevant outcome, which can help defining efficient biodiversity-friendly farming practices.

Wildfire risk assessment provides important tools to fire management, by analysing and aggregating information regarding multiple, interactive dimensions. The three main risk dimensions hazard, exposure and vulnerability, the latter considered in its social dimension, were quantified separately at the local scale for 972 civil parishes in central mainland Portugal and integrated into a wildfire risk index. The importance of each component in the level of risk varied, as assessed by a cluster analysis that established five different groups of parishes, each with a specific profile regarding the relative importance of each dimension. The highest values of wildfire risk are concentrated in the centre-south sector of the study area, with high-risk parishes also dispersed in the northeast. Wildfire risk level is dominated by the hazard component in 52% of the parishes, although with contrasting levels of magnitude. Exposure and social vulnerability dominate together in 32% of the parishes, with the latter being the main risk driver in only 17%. The proposed methodology allows for an integrated, multilevel assessment of wildfire risk, facilitating the effective allocation of resources and the adjustment of risk reduction policies to the specific reality in each parish that results from distinct combinations of the wildfire risk dimensions.

A freguesia de Alvares, no concelho de Góis, foi muito afetada pelos incêndios de junho de 2017, tendo ardido 70% da sua área. Para melhorar a proteção das comunidades locais e aumentar a sua capacidade de resposta, é fundamental avaliar o nível de exposição das povoações a grandes incêndios. Neste sentido, foi avaliado o nível de exposição das povoações da freguesia, combinando a densidade dos elementos expostos com probabilidade de arder. O nível de exposição foi calculado em duas vertentes: estrutural (baseado no número de vezes ardido desde 1980) e dinâmico (baseado em simulações de probabilidade de arder para diferentes cenários de gestão de combustíveis). Também foi estimada a vulnerabilidade social, tendo em conta características sociodemográficas dos residentes, assim como as características e condições de manutenção dos edifícios. Os resultados sugerem que: 1) as povoações localizadas a norte e nordeste da freguesia estão mais expostas a incêndios rurais; 2) quase metade das povoações apresentam vulnerabilidade elevada ou muito elevada; 3) a fração das povoações com exposição muito elevada diminui até 80% com a implementação de faixas de gestão de combustível. Estes resultados, à escala da povoação, podem contribuir para uma melhor hierarquização de ações de proteção e emergência, ajustando as estratégias e medidas de prevenção e mitigação de incêndios às características da população e da paisagem.

The presente article analyses the use of neuroscientific methods as an evidence resource in criminal process.

Large volumes of data are becoming increasingly available and can be very valuable for the analysis of different phenomena. These data can originate from multiple sources and be recorded in diverse formats, requiring preliminary scrutiny in order to be further used in scientific analyses. This first crucial phase of filtering and cleansing data is usually a cumbersome and time-consuming task, but automated routines can be developed to help researchers. A routine created with the R language is here presented, to screen, harmonize and aggregate international trade data, representing the trade flows between countries for specific products, in a timeframe that covers monthly flows for at least 15 years for most countries. The R script implementing these routines is provided, being easily adapted to other datasets with similar issues.• A step-by-step procedure for cleansing and harmonizing international trade data, using R programming language, is presented• Automated routines are very effective in obtaining robust and filtered data inputs to integrate in scientific models• Spatial and temporal patterns of worldwide trade relations can be explored to enhance our understanding of various associated phenomena

No município de Itambacuri-MG, em 2011, aproximadamente 300 famílias de agricultores familiares foram atingidas pela falta de água. Várias nascentes secaram e andar em “lombos de animais” ou “garupas” de motos para buscar água para consumo é uma realidade constante. Neste cenário, elaborou-se um plano de intenções, construído a partir do diagnóstico sócio-ecológico das comunidades afetadas pela falta de água e consensuado com os diversos atores sociais do município e da região. Na metodologia utilizou-se de técnicas de Diagnóstico Rápido Participativo, aplicação de questionários estruturados junto a população afetada (a partir de uma amostra pré-definida) e seminário para socialização e validação de informações e propostas. Como resultado, observa-se um amplo processo de sensibilização e mobilização a respeito do problema da falta de água, além de informações a respeito das questões sócio-ecológica, isto permitiu construir e consensuar um plano de intenções com propostas, responsabilidades e prazos.

The soil organic carbon (SOC) stock is an important attribute in the maintenance of ecosystem services by natural and agricultural ecosystems. In the humid tropics, slash-and-burn cultivation for food production and establishment of pastures has frequently led to soil degradation. In the eastern Brazilian Amazonia, we assessed impacts of different land-use systems on the SOC stock and some chemical properties of soils. Four land-use systems were studied: shifting cultivation (SC), pasture (PA), mixed fallow (MF) and secondary forest (SF). In the soils studied, most nutrients were not significantly influenced by land-use changes, and the chemical fertility was low. Similarly, SOC concentration was low, ranging, in the 0-10 cm layer, from 9.54 g kg−1 in PA to 12.73 g kg−1 in MF. In the 0-100 cm layer, the SOC stock varied from 42.1 Mg ha-1 in SC to 53.3 Mg ha−1 in MF, without significant differences between the land-use systems. The SOC stock in the 0-30 cm layer represented 50-56% of that in the 0-100 cm layer. The soils studied have the lowest SOC stocks measured in the Amazonia region. The low organic matter content, associated with soil acidity, a small sum of exchangeable bases and low extractable P, can constrain the productivity and the sustainability of these cropping systems.

É comum na literatura da área de ensino de química a discussão da importância que o livro didático apresenta nas salas de aula. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo analisa os livros didáticos de química brasileiros indicados pelo Plano Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD). Procuramos investigar como a história da ciência é empegada nessas obras, especificamente na temática quantidade de matéria. Discutimos a importância de incluir a história da ciência nos livros didáticos de forma que o educando compreenda a natureza do conhecimento científico. Para tal pesquisa, nos alicerçamos nas categorias criadas por Laurinda Leite (2002) e adaptadas por Vidal (2009) e também nos resultados encontrados anteriormente por Rogado (2000). Podemos perceber que é constante a busca dos órgãos competentes governamentais pela melhoria da qualidade dos livros didáticos distribuídos nas escolas públicas brasileiras, entretanto, mesmo nenhuma das obras tendo deixado de tratar do assunto, os livros didáticos apresentam um debate historiográfico sobre a temática bastante tímido, sendo a história da ciência apresentada a partir de uma abordagem histórica parcial, considerada na maioria das vezes em recortes do texto principal e figuras dos pesquisadores.

Abstract Background Brachial hemiparesis is one of the most frequent sequelae of stroke, leading to important functional disability given the role of the upper limb in executing activities of daily living (ADL). The Stroke Upper Limb Capacity Scale (SULCS) is a stroke-specific assessment instrument that evaluates functional capacity of the upper limb based on the execution of 10 tasks. The objective of this study is the transcultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Portuguese version of the SULCS. Methods A Portuguese version of the SULCS was developed, using the process of forward-backward translation, after authorisation from the author of the original scale. Then, a multicentre study was conducted in Portuguese stroke patients (n = 122) to validate the psychometric properties of the instrument. The relationship between sociodemographic and clinical characteristics was used to test construct validity. The relationship between SULCS scores and other instruments was used to test criterion validity. Results Semantic and linguistic adaptation of the SULCS was executed without substantial issues and allowed the development of a Portuguese version. The application of this instrument suggested the existence of celling effect (19.7% of participants with maximum score). Reliability was demonstrated through the intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.98. As for construct validity, SULCS was sensible to muscle tonus and aphasia. SULCS classification impacted the scores of the Motor Evaluation Scale for Upper Extremity in Stroke (MESUPES) and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). Conclusions The present version of SULCS shows valid and reliable cultural adaptation, with good reliability and stability.

O artigo é resultado de um recorte da pesquisa de doutorado (OLIVEIRA, 2015) defendida no início de 2015 em articulação com pesquisa desenvolvida (FABRIS, 2013-2016) em um programa de pós-graduação em Educação no Brasil. O estudo busca dar visibilidade a alguns elementos que compõe as práticas de iniciação à docência a partir do uso do diário de campo por um grupo de licenciandas em Pedagogia vinculadas ao primeiro programa brasileiro de bolsa de iniciação à docência (Pibid). Apoiado nos campos teóricos dos Estudos em Docência e dos Estudos Foucaultianos e fazendo uso da ferramenta teórico-metodológica da subjetivação como operador analítico, o exercício recorreu a um conjunto de materiais produzidos por meio de um questionário semiestruturado e de diários de campo produzidos pelos sujeitos pesquisados. Resultados indicam o diário de campo como um potente instrumento para a formação de professores. Por meio de uma formação alicerçada nos fios constitutivos do saber, do poder e da ética, tal instrumento torna-se uma tecnologia humana produtiva de formas específicas e contingentes de subjetividades docentes.

Introdução: A hipertensão arterial (HTA) secundária corresponde a cerca de 5-10% dos casos de hipertensão. Perante uma hipertensão em adultos jovens deve-se suspeitar de causas secundárias e proceder a uma investigação clínica, laboratorial e imagiológica adequada. Em adultos jovens (19-39 anos) as causas mais frequentes de HTA secundária são as disfunções tiroideias, a displasia fibromuscular da artéria renal e as doenças do parênquima renal. Relata-se um caso clínico de uma jovem, na qual o estudo de hipertensão secundária revelou hipertiroidismo auto-imune. Descrição do Caso: Utente do sexo feminino, 19 anos de idade, que recorreu a consulta de saúde de adultos por palpitações, taquicardia (FC média: 117 bpm), e tensão arterial elevada (TA média: 154/86 mmHg), objetivadas em ambulatório desde há um mês. Constatou-se ainda ansiedade, insónia inicial, irritabilidade e polifagia. Ao exame objetivo confirmou-se HTA grau 1 e taquicardia, bem como palpação de bócio difuso, indolor e simétrico, sem nódulos aparentes, tendo sido medicada com propranolol. Do estudo efetuado confirmou-se hipertiroidismo de etiologia auto-imune, anemia microcítica e hipocrómica, aspetos sugestivos de tiroidite na ecografia, bem como bócio difuso com captação aumentada na cintingrafia tiroideia, sugestivo de Doença de Graves. A utente foi medicada com metibasol 5 mg 12/12h e referenciada para consulta de Endocrinologia. Verificou-se melhoria da sintomatologia, estabilização tensional e normalização da função tiroideia. Comentário: Este caso clínico pretende ilustrar a abordagem diagnóstica e terapêutica da HTA no adulto jovem, nos cuidados de saúde primários. Visa ainda fomentar o espírito crítico na interpretação dos exames auxiliares de diagnóstico perante uma dissociação clínico-imagiológica. O hipertiroidismo é uma causa comum de hipertensão sistólica isolada e o seu diagnóstico e tratamento atempados podem prevenir a emergência de complicações e influenciar o prognóstico. Para tal, é fundamental uma boa articulação entre os cuidados de saúde primários e secundários. Palavras-Chave: Hipertensão arterial, Hipertensão secundária, Hipertiroidismo, Doença de Graves, Jovem

Objetivos: Caracterizar a referenciação à consulta de memória pelos cuidados primários, nomeadamente os motivos de referenciação, o estudo diagnóstico realizado ao nível dos cuidados primários e o tempo decorrido até à consulta hospitalar. Tipo de estudo: Estudo observacional, transversal, descritivo. Local: Hospital de Braga. População: Utentes referenciados pelos cuidados de saúde primários à consulta de memória do hospital de Braga, com primeira consulta entre maio de 2011 e dezembro de 2015. Métodos: Estudo realizado entre fevereiro e junho de 2016. Foram consultadas as referenciações informáticas dos utentes selecionados. As variáveis analisadas foram género, idade, profissão, escolaridade, estado civil, antecedentes de risco, motivos de referenciação, presença de defeito cognitivo, estudo diagnóstico analítico e imagiológico prévio e tempo decorrido até à referenciação e à consulta hospitalar. Resultados: Foram identificadas 290 referenciações, maioritariamente de utentes do género feminino (69%), idade média de 75 anos, reformados (81%), com menos de quatro anos de escolaridade (51%). Cinquenta e oito por cento dos casos foram referenciados por perda de memória. Sessenta e oito por cento das referenciações indicavam antecedentes pessoais de risco e 10% antecedentes familiares de demência, 17% mencionavam a avaliação breve do estado mental, 51% indicavam realização prévia de tomografia computorizada cerebral e 32% de estudo analítico. A referenciação demorou mais de 24 meses (55%) e a consulta hospitalar entre sete a 12 meses (55%). O principal motivo de referenciação está de acordo com outros estudos. As referenciações revelaram-se incompletas relativamente aos antecedentes de risco, ao rastreio cognitivo e à investigação diagnóstica prévia. As referenciações e a resposta hospitalar são efetuadas tardiamente. Conclusão: Este estudo revelou lacunas na informação das referenciações que devem ser aperfeiçoadas, de modo a melhorar a articulação dos cuidados de saúde. Estes dados sugerem que pode haver limitações à abordagem destes doentes nos cuidados primários.

Este artigo relata, em detalhe, a ocorrência de uma anomalia no comportamento de uma grande barragem de terra-concreto, em operação há onze anos na região Nordeste do Brasil. Em meados de 2014, com o rebaixamento do nível do reservatório devido à estiagem, foi observada uma trinca vertical no concreto do muro de abraço do bloco 13 do vertedouro. A demora na tomada de ações para a correção da anomalia fez com que o fato chegasse ao conhecimento da população, através da imprensa, ocasionando grande temor da população residente a jusante no vale do rio Jaguaribe. O órgão proprietário da barragem, DNOCS, contratou empresa de consultoria técnica especializada para elaboração do diagnóstico e proposição de medidas para a correção da anomalia. Ao final, são apresentados os resultados dos estudos realizados pela empresa e as medidas corretivas propostas.

The postharvest losses index for fruits in Brazil is high. To attend the quality exigencies and minimize those losses, it is initially necessary to detect the problems on the commercialization chain. Because of that, this study aimed to evaluate the postharvest losses in table grapes during the operations carried out in packinghouses of firms located in Petrolina-Pernambuco State/Juazeiro-Bahia State region and during the com- mercialization in Mercado do Produtor de Juazeiro. The study was carried out in three packinghouses and in three sell places of the Mercado do Produtor de Juazeiro. In the packinghouses, it was observed one day of ac- tivity, following the normal procedures. For sampling, the wasted fruits were weighted, characterized according the kind of loss and quantified before doing another weighting for each identified category. In Mercado do Pro- dutor de Juazeiro, the study was carried out in a similar way, including the same evaluations. Because of the rigorous quality criteria, the percentage of losses in table grapes in packinghouses was 3.9%. This percentage was higher than the value observed in Mercado do Produtor de Juazeiro, which was 1.5%. The main cause of postharvest losses in grapes was mechanical injury in both studied conditions.

Given the suffered difficulties by the social protection in exacerbation times of the capital crisis this article has as principal goal to show a methodology of critical analysis of the public budget in addition the traditional manual of public finance. The article is organized in four sections. The first section evidences the concept of public fund and public budget, emphasizing the active presence of public resource in the scope of the productive accumulation and the assurance of social policy. The second section shows relevant criteria for the analysis of budget expenditures, especially social spending. The third section addresses the financing of social policies in the critical perspective that seeks an analysis of all costs of the social spending. In the end, highlights the importance of the democratic control of the budget and the public fund. It is an analytical perspective corroborates with the delineation of trends about the condition of social and human rights.

Introdução: O acidente vascular cerebral é uma das principais causas de mortalidade e morbilidade em todo o mundo, associando-se a considerável incapacidade funcional. Atualmente sabe-se que tanto técnicas de neuroimagem como determinados biomarcadores fornecem informações úteis acerca da etiologia, decisão terapêutica, follow-up e prognóstico em doentes com acidente vascular cerebral isquémico. Assiste-se, porém, a um interesse particular na previsão do prognóstico vital em detrimento do prognóstico funcional. Antecipar o prognóstico funcional permitiria definir um programa de reabilitação adequado, objetivo e individualizado, com uma alocação de recursos mais eficiente. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo rever o conhecimento atual acerca do papel da neuroimagem e dos biomarcadores sanguíneos em fase aguda na previsão da recuperação funcional dos doentes que sobrevivem a um acidente vascular cerebral isquémico. Material e Métodos: Revisão da literatura publicada entre 2005 e 2015, em língua inglesa, utilizando os termos “ischemic stroke”, “neuroimaging” e “blood biomarkers”. Resultados: Foram selecionados nove artigos com base na leitura dos resumos. Discussão: Técnicas de neuroimagem como a tomografia computorizada, a ecografia doppler transcraniana, a angiografia cerebral e a imagem de difusão por ressonância magnética apresentam potencial preditivo do prognóstico funcional do acidente vascular cerebral, nomeadamente através da avaliação do fluxo sanguíneo e do volume e localização da lesão, sobretudo quando usados em associação com a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Vários biomarcadores têm sido estudados como potenciais marcadores de diagnóstico, estratificação de risco e previsão de prognóstico no acidente vascular cerebral, em particular a S100 calcium binding protein B, a proteína C-reativa, as metaloproteinases de matriz e o peptídeo natriurético cerebral. Conclusão: Apesar de alguns biomarcadores e técnicas de neuroimagem revelarem capacidade preditiva, nenhum dos estudos com estas metodologias, isoladamente ou em associação, é capaz de sustentar a validação de um potencial modelo clínico preditivo de funcionalidade, revelando-se assim insuficientes na determinação precisa, nas primeiras horas após o acidente vascular cerebral, do prognóstico funcional aos três meses. Considera-se que são necessários mais estudos nesta área para o seu esclarecimento.

Há décadas os braquetes autoligados vem chamando a atenção dos ortodontistas de todo o mundo e ganhando o renome de ter eficácia superior em relação ao sistema convencional. O mercado ortodôntico tem deixado este produto cada vez mais acessível à prática clínica, fazendo com que os ortodontistas tirem suas próprias conclusões. Conclusões que podem ser equivocadas se avaliar um número pequeno de casos. Isso fez com que os mais variados tipos de mitos envolvessem a utilização desse sistema no tratamento ortodôntico: menor tempo de cadeira, menor intensidade de dor, tratamento mais rápido, menor acúmulo de placa, tratamento sem extrações, maior eficiência nas mecânicas de alinhamento, nivelamento e deslizamento. Diante disto, este trabalho teve como objetivo procurar evidências na literatura ortodôntica disponível sobre a eficiência dos braquetes autoligados no tratamento ortodôntico. Pode- se determinar com o presente estudo que, o atrito gerado por este tipo de sistema é menor, contudo existe a necessidade de mais pesquisas sobre os aparelhos autoligados para podermos confirmar sua maior eficiência.

Background: The Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2) is internationally established as one of the major instruments available for clinical diagnosis and scientific research, being frequently used as an auxiliary tool in the selection of therapeutic interventions. Aims: 1) To describe the methodological aspects of the adaptation of the OPD-2 into Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil). 2) To assess inter-rater agreement for the different axes of the instrument when scoring clinical interviews. Method: The cross-cultural adaptation involved translation of the instrument by different independent translators, whose versions were compared in discussion groups in order to develop a final Portuguese version. In the presence of discrepancies regarding the translation of original concepts, the authors of the original instrument were contacted for clarification. Five interviews were used to assess inter-rater agreement. Each subject participated in two interviews, conducted by an experienced clinical psychologist. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and then analyzed by the principal investigator and by three independent examiners. Results: Axis IV (Structure) presented the highest inter-rater agreement (78%). Axes I (Experience of illness and prerequisites for treatment) and III (Conflict) showed the lowest inter-rater agreement results (66 and 57.7%, respectively). Conclusions: Our results point in the same direction as previous studies conducted in other countries. In our sample, the OPD-2 presented an acceptable inter-rater agreement; however, further studies are needed to assess the instrument's reliability.Introdução: O Diagnóstico Psicodinâmico Operacionalizado (OPD-2) constitui-se internacionalmente como um dos principais instrumentos de diagnóstico clínico e de investigação científica, sendo frequentemente utilizado como uma ferramenta auxiliar na seleção de intervenções terapêuticas. Objetivos: 1) Descrever os aspetos metodológicos do processo de adaptação transcultural do OPD-2 para a língua portuguesa (Portugal e Brasil). 2) Avaliar a concordância inter-avaliadores para os diferentes eixos do instrumento na cotação de entrevistas clínicas. Método: A adaptação transcultural envolveu a tradução do instrumento por vários tradutores independentes. As versões resultantes foram confrontadas em grupos de discussão para a redação da versão final do instrumento em português. Na presença de divergências relacionadas à tradução de alguns conceitos originais, os autores do instrumento original foram contactados para esclarecimento. Para a avaliação da concordância inter-avaliadores, foram utilizadas entrevistas de cinco sujeitos. Cada um dos sujeitos participou de duas entrevistas, conduzidas por uma psicóloga com experiência clínica. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas e posteriormente analisadas pela investigadora principal e por três examinadores independentes. Resultados: O eixo IV (Estrutura) apresentou a maior concordância inter-avaliadores (78%). Os eixos I (Vivência da doença e pré-requisitos para o tratamento) e III (Conflitos) obtiveram a menor concordância inter-avaliadores (66 e 57,7%, respectivamente). Conclusão: Nossos resultados apontam na mesma direção de estudos anteriores realizados em outros países. Na nossa amostra, o instrumento obteve razoável concordância inter-avaliadores, porém novos estudos são necessários para investigar a confiabilidade do instrumento.

The transformation felt today among the Internet is creating a new paradigm for communication channels in general and in particular for advertising communication. If we combine the sense that the decline in recent years in advertising spending in traditional media, we found a turning point in how the communication re-aches the potential consumers. And consequently how it is distributed. In this sense, the study attempts to understand how today’s consumer, before this transformation, moves and how it is influenced and influences the advertising strategy of a brand. We understand that today we find a consumer who is increasingly involved in internet communication and distribution of information and relationships. Although the performance of brands follows the trends, the study described here also wants to see how the tools can help webmarketing, draw the consumer’s attention and basically take you to positive action. Consequently, the strategy of brands has become the place to give what is called "Brand Entertainment."This concept has created a new way for brands can reach consumers in an informal way, as it means the inclusion of advertisements in the content demanded by consumers. And one of the most known are Advergames, games created for brands that provide advertising spend fun. We understand that the growing implementation of advertising strategies in Advergames brands can create involvement by your target audience. Studies such as Wise et al (2008) show the positive effect of using this type of medium. The authors found advantages in the use of Advergames in regarding to the relationship established between mark and player. Freitas (s / d) believes are beneficial for fixing and awareness of the brand or product and, ulti- mately, help brands to create loyalty and rememberance. This type of advertising has strong acceptance and is considered less intrusive by nature, but strongly associated with the entertainment game. With these factors combined, the effect of Advergame can be achieved by creating the player feeling of immersion, through entertainment and commitment. The request made consumer attention is so striking achieved that which is detrimental to the viewing application, for example a television commercial of 30 seconds. The indicated effects are likely to generate meaning and relation creating due to the amount of time that the consumer is exposed to brand message. If we put the fun time of interaction with the branded product, then we can be creating retention and brand image in the background positive attitude towards it. ("Brand Awareness’) The study also looks at how the Advergames can prolong the feeling of gratification and distribute this knowledge. We therefore support the study of phenomena such as the "Word of Mouse"(Womo), ie, in a way that the consumer can distribute advertising content in your social network online and offline explaining the fun that got on your blog, promoting on Twitter, etc..

A obra da autoria conjunta do Departamento de Comunicação e Artes da Universidade da Beira Interior, da Covilhã, Portugal e do Departamento de Ciências da Comunicação da Universidade Jaume I, de Castellón, Espanha, pretende ao longo de sete capítulos dar a conhecer os ensaios criados no ano lectivo 2009-2010 sobre as mais variadas temáticas da Publicidade e das Relações Públicas...

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade dos bulbos de duas variedades de cebola colhidos em três estádios de maturação da planta. Bulbos das variedades Texas Grano e Baia Periforme foram colhidos em 2006 no campo experimental da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, de plantas com 10% de estalo natural, 10% de estalo induzido e 50% de estalo natural. Na colheita foram avaliados a massa da matéria fresca total, o diâmetro, a cor (L*, a* e b*), o teor de massa da matéria seca, os sólidos solúveis totais e o teor relativo de água da polpa e das películas externas do bulbo. No cultivar Texas Grano, a massa da matéria fresca total, o diâmetro e os teores de sólidos solúveis totais foram maiores nos bulbos colhidos com 10 e 50% de estalo natural. O teor relativo de água das películas externas de bulbos variedade Texas Grano foi maior somente quando colhidos com 10% de estalo natural, o que representa bulbos com películas mais úmidas. Bulbos colhidos com 10% de estalo natural e 10% de estalo induzido tiveram valores de L* maiores do que aqueles colhidos com 50% de estalo natural, indicando que a antecipação da colheita reduz a intensidade da cor das películas. O menor valor de b* para a película do bulbo da Texas Grano, colhido com 10% estalo natural, decorre do amarelo menos intenso da casca. No cultivar Baia Periforme, os índices de maturação não influenciaram a massa da matéria fresca total, o diâmetro, teor de massa da matéria seca, o teor de sólidos solúveis totais e os índices de cor a* e b*. O estádio de maturação da planta, na colheita, não influencia o tamanho e o teor de sólidos solúveis dos bulbos na variedade Baia Periforme. Para a Texas Grano, bulbos maiores, com películas mais amareladas e menor teor de umidade são obtidos quando a colheita é realizada com 50% de estalo natural.

The experiment was executed to evaluate the temperature and pH influence on activity of peroxidase (POD) in two sweet basil (Ocimum sp.) genotypes, grown in Viçosa, MG, Brazil, the 'Large Leaf' or 'Basilicão' and 'Purple'. It was evaluated the peroxidase activity at pH's 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and the remaining activity at 80 oC treated for 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes. Each experiment was repeated three times. The 'Purple' genotype had higher POD specific activity. Higher and lower activities, for both genotypes, were present at pH 5 to 7 and pH 3 and 9, respectively. The heat treatment at 80 oC for 20 minutes reduced the enzyme activity by 86.28% and 100% for the genotype 'Pulple' and 'Large Leaf', respectively.

INTRODUÇÃO: O cobre é um nutriente essencial para os humanos, e a manutenção dos seus níveis é importante, uma vez que seu metabolismo está envolvido com estresse oxidativo e patologias, como a Doença de Wilson. Neste trabalho, um método de espectrofotometria visível (espectrofotometria Vis) foi validado, aplicado em indivíduos jovens e comparado com espectrometria de absorção atômica com chama (EAA-chama). MÉTODOS: Concentrações séricas de cobre foram medidas por EAA-chama e por espectrofotometria Vis, através da reação de cobre com batocuproína, l = 484 nm. Curvas analíticas em solução aquosa e com adição de padrão foram efetuadas para verificar linearidade, recuperação e precisão do método espectrofotométrico. Amostras de sangue de 12 indivíduos (média de idade 22 anos) foram analisadas por ambos os métodos e comparadas entre si. Os resultados foram expressos em média ± desvio-padrão. RESULTADOS: As curvas com adição de padrão e aquosa (n = 5) apresentaram coeficientes de regressão superiores a 0,99 e de variação inter e intradia inferiores a 15%. Os valores de cobre sérico encontrados para o método espectrofotométrico foram 1,17 ± 0,39 e 0,73 ± 0,14 mg/l para mulheres e homens, respectivamente. Para EAA-chama foram encontrados 1,13 ± 0,43 e 0,59 ± 0,13 mg/l para mulheres e homens, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram correlação de Pearson significativa (r = 0,946; p < 0,05). Os níveis séricos de cobre foram significativamente maiores em mulheres do que em homens (p < 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: O método espectrofotométrico visível demonstrou ser linear, reprodutível e aplicável, oferecendo uma alternativa confiável à quantificação de cobre por EAA-chama. Além disso, é uma técnica simples, rápida e barata, que pode ser utilizada na rotina laboratorial clínica.BACKGROUND: Copper is an essential nutrient for humans and maintenance of its adequate levels is important, since its metabolism is involved with oxidative stress and patolologies, such as Wilson's disease. In this work, a visible spectrophotometric method was validated, applied in young subjects and compared to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) in serum copper levels determination. METHODS: Serum copper concentrations were measured by FAAS and by spectrophotometry, through copper reaction with bathocuproine, l = 484 nm. Aqueous curves and spiked serum curves were realized to verify linearity, recovery and precision of the visible spectrophotometric method. Blood samples from 12 subjects (mean 22 years) were analyzed in both methodologies and compared to each other. The results were expressed by mean ± standard deviation. RESULTS: Spiked serum and aqueous curves (n = 5) showed coefficient of regression superior to 0.99 and inter and intra-day coefficient of variation lower than 15%. The serum copper values found to Vis spectrophotometric method were 1.17 ± 0.39 and 0.73 ± 0.14 mg/l to women and men, respectively. To FAAS 1.13 ± 0.43 and 0.59 ± 0.13 mg/l were found to women and men, respectively. Both results showed a significant Pearson correlation (r = 0.946; p < 0.05). Besides, serum copper levels were significantly higher in women than in men (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Vis spectrophotometric method demonstrated to be linear, reproducible and applied, offering a reliable alternative to FAAS copper quantification. Moreover, Vis spectrophotometry is a simple, quickly and not expensive technique, and it could be widely used as routine in clinical laboratory.

Neste trabalho, objetivou-se avaliar o efeito do etileno exógeno na longevidade e sensibilidade de helicônias ‘Golden Torch’ armazenadas em condições ambiente. As inflorescências foram colhidas com duas brácteas expandidas e uma fechada, em área de produção comercial localizada em Petrolina-PE. Os tratamentos consistiram de doses de ethephon (0; 0,1; 1; 10; 100 e 1.000 mg L-1) e datas de avaliação das hastes (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 e 10 dias, a 20,4 ± 3,7 ºC e 49 ± 11% UR). O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, em fatorial 6 x 6, com 4 repetições de 4 hastes. Foram observadas perdas de massa fresca, aparência, luminosidade e croma das brácteas com o aumento das concentrações de ethephon e do tempo de armazenamento. O ângulo Hue das brácteas que receberam 100 e 1.000 mg L-1 de ethephon indicou coloração menos laranja. O consumo de água pelas inflorescências decresceu com o tempo de armazenamento, independente dos tratamen­tos com ethephon. A longevidade de inflorescências somente foi reduzida com as doses mais altas: 100 e 1.000 mg L-1 de ethephon, que a restringiram a dois e quatro dias, respectivamente. Por tais razões, as hastes de helicônias ‘Golden Torch’ caracterizaram-se como pouco sensíveis ao etileno exógeno.