Gifted and talented girls : are they different in career choice?

Ao estudarmos a problemática da sobredotação e dos talentos verificamos que o reconhecimento das jovens sobredotadas e talentosas, bem como o desenvolvimento da sua carreira constituem tópicos que devem ser aprofundados dada a especificidade deste grupo de alunas. Ao longo deste trabalho apresentamos uma revisão da literatura e descrevemos os dados de um estudo exploratório realizado com um grupo de 14 alunos (sete rapazes e sete raparigas), os quais participaram num programa de orientação vocacional ao frequentarem o 9º ano de escolaridade, apresentando uma idade média de 14,6 anos e avaliados num estudo anterior como alunos mais capazes. Analisamos os dados face às expectativas profissionais e opções de prosseguimento de estudos, verificando-se alguma diferenciação entre os rapazes e as raparigas. Terminamos com algumas considerações sobre estudos futuros e práticas educativas que promovam o desenvolvimento integral destas jovens para que possam converter-se em mulheres realizadas.As we study giftedness and talent issue, we realize that both the recognition of gifted and talented girls and their career’s development are themes that should require further study because of the specificity of this students group. Throughout this work, we present a literature review and we describe the data of an exploratory study that was conducted on a group of 14 students (seven boys and seven girls), who attended a vocational guidance programme when they were in 9th grade, with an average age of 14,6 years old and evaluated in a previous study as high ability students. We analyze the data concerning job expectations and future academic studies options and we find some differentiation between boys and girls. We end this paper with some considerations on future studies and educational practices that promote the full development of female youngsters which allow them to become fulfilled women

Chemical composition and anti-diabetic properties of Cytisus multiflorus

Bakground and aims: The interest on plants with potential medicinal properties has been increasing worldwide. In the Iberian Peninsula there are some endemic species known by the population for their pharmacologic activity with valorization potential that have not been yet characterized. The white Spanish broom (Cytisus multiflorus) is described as having anti-diabetic effect [1] and in a preliminary the hypoglycemic and hyper-insulinemic effect of an aqueous extract has been shown [2]. The aim of this work was to fractionate and analyse the composition of the aqueous extract of C. multiflorus flowering parts and evaluate its potential as an anti-diabetic agent. Materials and methods: The aqueous extract was primarily fractionated by SPE using water:methanol (W:Me) eluent (a 10% step-wise gradient W:Me from 100:0 to 0:100) followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The most relevant fraction were analysed by LC-MS to determine the chemical composition. Total fenol content was determined by a modified Folin-Ciocalteau method and the anti-oxidant activity was evaluated by the DPPH mehod. Finally, the hipoglicemic potential was evaluated in vivo using glucose intolerant rats (GIR). Results: Eleven fractions of the bulk extract were obtained. Seven of these fractions (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 e 80% Me) were found to have a relevant compounds, mostly flavonoid compounds, namely, rutin (50, 60 and 70% Me fractions), ferrulic acid (30% Me), referred as having hypoglicemic effect. The fractions obtained with 50 and 70% Me showed the highest content in phenol equivalents and the highest anti-oxidant effect were found in the 50 and 60% Me fractions. The 30 and 60% Me fraction had no effect on the post-prandial glicemia. Conclusions: The 30, 50, 60 and 70% Me fractions, due to their chemical composition and anti-oxidant effects were the most promising to have anti-diabetic effect. However, the 30 and 60% Me were found to be ineffective. The 50% Me fraction showed both a high content of flavonoid compounds and the highest anti-oxidant power which suggest that it may constitute the most promising one. The anti-diabetic properties of this fraction should be investigated. [1] Camejo-Rodrigues J. et al. (2003). J. Ethnopharmacol, 89, 199-209 [2] Célia M. Antunes, Laurinda R. Areias, Inês P. Vieira, Ana C. Costa, M. Teresa Tinoco, & Júlio Cruz-Morais (2009). Rev. Fitoterapia 9 (Supl.1): 91

How to break access control in a controlled manner

The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) integrates heterogeneous information within a Healthcare Institution stressing the need for security and access control. The Biostatistics and Medical Informatics Department from Porto Faculty of Medicine has recently implemented a Virtual EMR (VEMR) in order to integrate patient information and clinical reports within a university hospital. With more than 500 medical doctors using the system on a daily basis, an access control policy and model were implemented. However, the healthcare environment has unanticipated situations (i.e. emergency situations) where access to information is essential. Most traditional policies do not allow for overriding. A policy that allows for Break-The-Glass (BTG) was implemented in order to override access control whilst providing for non-repudiation mechanisms for its usage. The policy was easily integrated within the model confirming its modularity and the fact that user intervention in defining security procedures is crucial to its successful implementation and use

Inclusão no Ensino Superior: percepções de professores em uma Universidade Portuguesa

As universidades enfrentam desafios crescentes com a democratização do ensino e o ingresso de alunos com necessidades especiais. Neste trabalho, analisamos as percepções dos professores do ensino superior sobre a inclusão desses alunos nesse nível de ensino. Os participantes são 10 docentes, diretores de curso do 1º ciclo, com uma idade média de 41,5 anos, sendo seis homens e quatro mulheres. Os dados foram recolhidos por meio de entrevista semiestruturada e analisados utilizando-se a abordagem da grounded theory. Os resultados apontam para percepções favoráveis ao processo de inclusão educativa, condicionado por fatores ideológicos e instrumentais, e para uma noção alargada de necessidades educativas especiais, destacando-se a necessidade de recursos tecnológicos e humanos para apoio à inclusão, pelo que tecemos algumas apreciações, que se podem refletir em termos de intervenção ou de estudos futuros.Universities face increasing challenges related to the democratisation of education and the dmission of students with special needs. In this paper, we analyzed the teachers’ perceptions about the inclusion of these students at this level of education. The participants are 10 teachers, 6 males and 4 females, with an average age of 41.5 years old. All teachers are also Degree Directors of 1st training courses. Data collection was carried out using a semi-structured interview and data analysis was done based on grounded theory approach. The results reveal positive perceptions of the inclusive educational process, which is conditioned by ideological and instrumental factors, and a broad concept of special educational needs, highlighting the need for technological and human resources to support inclusion. The concluding section presents some reflections that may have implications for future research and intervention

Diversity of plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with sugarcane

The sugarcane (Saccharum spp) presents economic importance, mainly for tropical regions, being an important Brazilian commodity. However, this crop is strongly dependent on fertilizers, mainly nitrogen (N). This study assessed the plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) associated with sugarcane that could be used as a potential inoculant to the crop. We evaluated the genetic diversity of PGPB in the plant tissue of sugarcane varieties (RB 867515, RB 1011, and RB 92579). The primer BOX-A1R was used to differentiate the similar isolated and further sequencing 16S rRNA ribosomal gene. The 16S rRNA gene showed the presence of seven different genera distributed into four groups, the genus Bacillus, followed by Paenibacillus (20%), Burkholderia (14%), Herbaspirillum (6%), Pseudomonas (6%), Methylobacterium (6%), and Brevibacillus (3%). The molecular characterization of endophytic isolates from sugarcane revealed a diversity of bacteria colonizing this plant, with a possible biotechnological potential to be used as inoculant and biofertilizers

High resolution forecasts of wind in rough orography and in coastal conditions

The increase of the share of wind energy in total electrical power requires the development of reliable forecasts of wind power at different time scales, from minutes to days, on a regional and national basis. That development is multidisciplinary, involving meteorological and engineering components. In the present stage, though, it is thought that for time scales beyond 3 hours, the largest improvements are expected from the meteorological side, if meteorological forecasts are able to deal with mesoscale flow. In this paper three case studies of mesoscale modeling are analyzed and compared against wind observations in sites selected for their high potential for wind energy. Two cases deal with flow in the Islands of Madeira and San Jorge (Azores), characterized by rough orography, where measurements were made at the top of elevated plateaus. In these two cases, the large scale flow is obtained from ECMWF analysis and the mesoscale flow is computed, for one summer and one winter month, with two mesoscale models at resolutions between 6 and 0.5 km. In the third case, one full year of simulationis Continental Portugal is performed at resolutions between 27 and 3km, using boundary conditions from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and the MM5 model. Results indicate the interest of high horizontal resolution for wind forecasts in complex terrain but also some difficulties in the representation of boundary layer effects in conditions of large thermal forcing.

Avaliação e Caraterização da Ação Inibitória de Iminociclitóis na Atividade α-Glucosidase de Enterócitos de Mamífero

A diabetes, em particular a diabetes mellitus tipo 2, constitui um distúrbio metabólico que se carateriza por glicemias aumentadas resultantes de diminuição da libertação e/ou ação da insulina. Os inibidores das α-glucosidases surgem como agentes de elevado interesse terapêutico uma vez que podem contribuir para a diminuição da absorção intestinal de glicose e, consequentemente, para um desagravamento da hiperglicemia. Alguns compostos da família iminociclitol são inibidores das α- glucosidases [1] e têm vindo a ser sintetizados diversos compostos novos que podem ser promissores e cuja ação sobre a atividade α-glucosidase de mamífero ainda não foi estudada. Neste trabalho procurou-se estudar a ação de alguns novos compostos da família iminociclitol (figura 1) na atividade α-glucosidase de enterócitos de mamífero, tendo-se também avaliado o grau de toxidade. O efeito dos pares dos enantiómeros foi também estudado

Hypertension prevalence in Portugal: results from the first Portuguese Health Examination Survey 2015

O estudo teve como objetivo estimar a distribuição da prevalência de hipertensão, seu conhecimento (awareness), tratamento e controlo na população portuguesa em 2015. Realizou-se um inquérito nacional com uma amostra representativa de 4911 indivíduos, com idade compreendida entre 25 e 74 anos e residentes em Portugal há mais de 12 meses. O inquérito foi realizado por profissionais de saúde com treino específico nos procedimentos do estudo e compreendeu a realização de uma entrevista, exame físico e colheita de sangue. A medição da tensão arterial (no braço direito, três medições, com um minuto de intervalo) e as definições adotadas foram efetuadas de acordo com os procedimentos do European Health Examination Survey. A prevalência de hipertensão arterial, seu conhecimento, tratamento e controlo foi estratificada por sexo, grupo etário e região de saúde. Estimou-se uma prevalência de hipertensão arterial de 36,0% (IC95%:34,3-37,7), tendo sido observados valores mais elevados no sexo masculino [39,6%; (IC95%:36,5- 42,8)] e no grupo etários dos 65 aos 74 anos [71,3%; (IC95%:65,7-76,4)]. Entre os indivíduos hipertensos, 69,8% (IC95%: 64,8-74,3) referiu ter conhecimento da sua condição de saúde, 69,4% (IC95%:65,2-73,3) estava sob tratamento e destes, 71,3% (IC95%:67,6-74,7) tinha valores normais de tensão arterial. Quando comparados com estudos anteriores realizados em Portugal, (PAP, 2003; PHYSA, 2011-2012), estes resultados sugerem uma redução na prevalência de hipertensão arterial e um melhor controlo dos valores tensionais dos indivíduos com hipertensão arterial. No entanto, foram encontradas diferenças na prevalência da hipertensão arterial entre grupos específicos da população.The aim of this study was to estimate the distribution of prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hyper tension in the Portuguese population in 2015. A National survey using a representative sample of 4911 individuals, living in Portugal for more than 12 months and aged between 25 and 74 years old, was implemented. Trained nurses per formed a health inter view and a physical examination, which comprised blood pressure measurement (right arm, 3 measurements, 1- minute intervals). Parameters’ estimates were defined according to the European Health Examination Survey procedures. Prevalence of hyper tension, awareness, treatment and control were stratified by sex, age group and health region. The overall hyper tension prevalence was 36.0% (IC95%:34.3-37.7). Highest values were observed in males [39.6%; (IC95%:36.5-42.8)] and in individuals aged between 65 and 74 years old [71.3%; (IC95%:65.7-76.4)]. Among the hyper tensive individuals, 69.8% (IC95%:64.8-74.3) were aware of their condition, 69.4% (IC95%:65.2-73.3) were under treatment and of these, 71.3% (IC95%:67.6-74.7) were controlled. Results suggest a reduction in hyper tension prevalence and a more effective control, when comparing to similar previous studies per formed in Portugal (PAP, 2003; PHYSA, 2011-2012). However, important differences in hyper tension prevalence were found between specific population groups.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeito Hipoglicemiante de um Extracto Aquoso de Cytisus multiflorus

Efeito Hipoglicemiante de um Extracto Aquoso de Cytisus multiflorus I. P. Vieira1, A. C. Costa1,2, D. M. Teixeira1,2,3, C. M. Antunes1,4 & J. Cruz-Morais1,2 1Departamento de Química; 2Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), 3Laboratório Hércules, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7000 Évora; 4Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular (CNC), Universidade de Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra; [email protected] Actualmente o interesse pelas plantas medicinais tem vindo a aumentar pois estas apresentam diversas actividades farmacológicas, entre as quais se inclui o efeito anti-diabético. A flora nativa portuguesa inclui várias plantas às quais se atribuem propriedades hipoglicemiantes, sem que estas tenham, no entanto, sido ainda cientificamente demonstradas. O objectivo deste trabalho foi estudar a possível acção hipoglicemiante de Cytisus multiflorus, uma planta da flora portuguesa tradicionalmente usada como agente etnofarmacológico no tratamento da diabetes. O efeito do extracto aquoso de C. multiflorus foi avaliado em roedores que apresentaram anomalias das curvas de tolerância à glicose oral, seleccionados duma colónia de ratos Wistar. Com este ensaio, determinaram-se as insulinemias pós-prandiais e foram avaliados alguns indicadores serológicos e histológicos de toxicidade [1]. Em resposta a este tratamento com o extracto de C. multiflorus, observou-se uma diminuição significativa das glicemias pós-prandiais dependente da dose. Observou-se também, um aumento dependente da dose das insulinemias pós-prandiais. Deste modo, o extracto aquoso teve um efeito hipoglicemiante, provavelmente devido à estimulação da secreção de insulina, comprovando-se a sua validade como agente etnofarmacológico para o controlo da diabetes tipo 2 [1]. Perante estas evidências, procedeu-se ao fraccionamento do extracto de C. multiflorus, de forma a caracterizá-lo e a identificar as principais famílias de compostos nele presentes. Além disso, pretende-se também avaliar in vitro a potencial acção das fracções, identificando assim a(s) fracção(ões) activa(s) no controlo da diabetes tipo 2. Futuramente, estas fracções irão ser testadas em linhas celulares secretoras de insulina (BRIN-BD11) e/ou estudos in vivo, para avaliar o possível efeito insulinotrópico bem como os mecanismos de acção do extracto. Uma vez identificadas as fracções activas, proceder-se-á à identificação dos principais princípios activos que possam ser responsáveis pela actividade hipoglicemiante e/ou insulinotrópica, utilizando técnicas analíticas como Cromatografia Líquida de Elevada Eficiência (HPLC) com detecção de Diode Array (HPLC-DAD) e de Espectrometria de Massa (LC-MS). [1] C.M. Antunes, L.R. Areias, I.P. Vieira, A.C. Costa, M.T. Tinoco, & J. Cruz-Morais (2009). Rev. Fitoterapia 9 (Supl.1): 91 (Abstract)

Anti-proliferative effects of compounds derived from glucopyranuronamide

Chemotherapy is a major cancer treatment option. The synthesis of new compounds with better anti-proliferative properties and higher specificity is a current challenge in drug discovery today. Our goal with this work was to develop compounds derived from D-glucuronic acid and to evaluate their anti-proliferative properties. We have synthetized a library of hydroxyamide derivatives of D-glucuronic acid using amines and aminoalcohols. The synthesis of these compounds were based on the work of El-Nezhawy's group, who have designed some novel D-glucuronic acid acetylated and deacetylated derivatives, which showed interesting results with breast cancer cell lines. Anti-proliferative activity of the newly synthesized compounds was examined against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and human colon carcinoma (MDST8) cell lines. Cell growth and viability was analysed by the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. The chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluoroacil was used as a positive control, allowing one to estimate the maximal anti-proliferative action expected in both carcinoma cell lines. All the compounds were studied in the 10-9-10-5M range. The compound N-(ethanol)-α/β D-glucopyranuronamide presented the best anti-proliferative potential with an IC50 (concentration of the compound causing 50% decrease in net cell growth) of 1.4x10-7M in MCF-7 cells. The 1-pheny-l-2-hydroxy-ethane-2-yl and the 1-propanol derivatives evoked weak anti-proliferative effects in MCF-7, with slight growth inhibition of 37% and 35%, respectively, for the highest concentration used (10-5M). On the contrary, the MDST-8 cell growth was not affected by these compounds. On the contrary, the 1-hydroxy-2-isopropyl-ethane-2-yl and 3-phenyl-1-hydroxy-propane-2-yl derivatives, exhibited weak anti-proliferative effects (22% and 40%, respectively) at 10-5M, in the MDST8 cell line, without affecting MCF-7 cell growth. None of the compounds exihibited toxic effects, at least up to 72h exposure, in the concentration range studied. These results show that the ethyl substituent was the most effective N-substituent for glucopyranuronamide for anti-proliferative actions in MCF-7 cell line, whilst in the case of the MDST8 cells, 3-phenyl-1-hydroxy-propane-2-yl was the most effective N-substituent. Moreover, all the glucopyranonamide compounds studied presented selective anti-proliferative effects for the different carcinoma cell lines used