Considering restrictions on political liberty and individual autonomy

For the past decade, a new form of paternalism has been emerging on the policy stage. Unlike ‘traditional paternalism’, which sought to make people conform to religious or moralistic notions of goodness, this form of ‘new-paternalism’ seeks to make people better off by their own judgement. For the better part of fifty years, behavioural sciences have been challenging assumptions of human behaviour and rationality. As such, the neo-paternalists seem to use behavioural economics and psychology’s insights to justify and legitimize their paternalistic interventions. Behavioural Law and Economics are now involved in the process of policymaking, contributing to the relatively new field of Behavioural Public Policy. Libertarian Paternalism has become one of the most famous forms of this so called ‘new-paternalism’. Its advocates claim their proposal of soft paternalism is libertarian, in the sense that it does not restrict freedom of choice and action, it does not coerce nor force, but rather it “nudges” citizens on their subjectively preferred path. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse these claims by assessing the ‘new’ paternalistic assumptions, by studying some of their proposed initiatives and the possible implications that those might have on political liberty and decisional autonomy focussing on some liberal ideas from John Stuart Mill and Isaiah Berlin

Structure of ß-cinnamomin, a protein toxic to some plant species

Phytophthora and Pythium species are among the most aggressive plant pathogens, as they invade many economically important crops and forest trees. They secrete large amounts of 10 kDa proteins called elicitins that can act as elicitors of plant defence mechanisms. These proteins may also induce a hypersensitive response (HR) including plant cell necrosis, with different levels of toxicity depending on their pI. Recent studies showed that elicitins function as sterol carrier proteins. The crystallographic structure of the highly necrotic recombinant -cinnamomin ( -CIN) from Phytophthora cinnamomi has been determined at 1.8 A Ê resolution using the molecularreplacement method. -CIN has the same overall structure as -cryptogein ( -CRY), an elicitin secreted by Phytophthora cryptogea, although it shows a different surface electrostatic potential distribution. The protein was expressed in Pichia pastoris and crystallized in the triclinic space group with two monomers in the asymmetric unit. The interface formed by these two monomers resembles that from -CRY dimer, although with fewer interactions

Production, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of CTP: inositol-1-phosphate cytidylyltransferase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus

Brito, J. A.Archaeoglobus fulgidus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, accumulates di-myo-inositol phosphate (DIP) in response to heat stress. Recently, the pathway for biosynthesis of DIP has been elucidated in this organism and involves a bifunctional enzyme that contains two domains: CTP:inositol-1-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (IPCT) as a soluble domain and di-myo-inositol-1,3'-phosphate-1-phosphate synthase (DIPPS) as a membrane domain. Here, the expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the IPCT domain from A. fulgidus in the apo form are reported. The crystals diffracted to 2.4 A resolution using a synchrotron source and belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 154.7, b = 83.9, c = 127.7 A.publishe

Natural and semi-natural habitats in the design of urban open spaces – an approach to the challenges of contemporary cities

The introduction of potential vegetation in the urban space is a fundamental feature both in the cities’ identity and in the intensification of ecological efficiency. Its use, as part of a landscape structure in the urban space, is supported by contemporary cities’ strategy with the following objectives: promote wellbeing, be sustainable, be resilient and adaptive facing future uncertainty, namely regarding climate change.Considering the contemporary city sustainable planning and recent studies on urban spaces, ecological systems and their aesthetical values, the aim of this essay is the inclusion of natural and semi-natural habitats of Community Interest (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC), based on potential natural vegetation assessment, in innovative design approach to the city's open spaces. It is defined by the ecological systems, working with the site ecological conditions, aiming at improving the efficiency of multifunctional land uses (production, protection and leisure) and increasing biodiversity. This design approach simultaneously ensures the articulation of these spaces with urban interfaces bringing the natural processes near to the «urbanscape». The connection with nature is also promoted, improving the wished sense of identity and belonging. The use of this methodology in the design of a landscape infrastructure to the city of Évora, that assures the articulation with its open spaces and the connection between them and the countryside, had an experimental character with development of a pilot project, which implied the introduction of several non-generalizable, site-specific variables

Competência motora em crianças do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o nível de competência motora (CM) de crianças do 1.º CEB. Para aferir o nível de competência motora, foi usada a bateria de testes MOBAK – 1. A amostra foi constituída por 179 crianças (7,84 ± 0,91 anos), dos 6 aos 9 anos de idade (84 raparigas e 95 rapazes). A análise dos dados foi realizada através de estatística descritiva de tendência central e de dispersão. Os resultados indicaram que na área do “objeto” os rapazes apresentaram melhores resultados comparativamente às raparigas. Em traços gerais, conclui-se que as crianças do sexo masculino apresentaram melhores resultados dos testes que compõem a bateria MOBAK, o que sugere melhores níveis de competência motora em comparação com as crianças do sexo feminino. Este aspeto merece investigação mais aprofundada, considerando a necessidade de monitorização concomitante

Do temporal changes in facial expressions help identify patients at risk of deterioration in hospital wards? A post hoc analysis of the Visual Early Warning Score study

Objectives: To determine whether time-series analysis and Shannon information entropy of facial expressions predict acute clinical deterioration in patients on general hospital wards. Design: Post hoc analysis of a prospective observational feasibility study (Visual Early Warning Score study). Setting: General ward patients in a community hospital. Patients: Thirty-four patients at risk of clinical deterioration. Interventions: A 3-minute video (153,000 frames) for each of the patients enrolled into the Visual Early Warning Score study database was analyzed by a trained psychologist for facial expressions measured as action units using the Facial Action Coding System. Measurements and Main Results: Three-thousand six-hundred eighty-eight action unit were analyzed over the 34 3-minute study periods. The action unit time variables considered were onset, apex, offset, and total time duration. A generalized linear regression model and time-series analyses were performed. Shannon information entropy (Hn) and diversity (Dn) were calculated from the frequency and repertoire of facial expressions. Patients subsequently admitted to critical care displayed a reduced frequency rate (95% CI moving average of the mean: 9.5–10.9 vs 26.1–28.9 in those not admitted), a higher Shannon information entropy (0.30 ± 0.06 vs 0.26 ± 0.05; p = 0.019) and diversity index (1.36 ± 0.08 vs 1.30 ± 0.07; p = 0.020) and a prolonged action unit reaction time (23.5 vs 9.4 s) compared with patients not admitted to ICU. The number of action unit identified per window within the time-series analysis predicted admission to critical care with an area under the curve of 0.88. The area under the curve for National Early Warning Score alone, Hn alone, National Early Warning Score plus Hn, and National Early Warning Score plus Hn plus Dn were 0.53, 0.75, 0.76, and 0.81, respectively. Conclusions: Patients who will be admitted to intensive care have a decrease in the number of facial expressions per unit of time and an increase in their diversity

Advance care planning in older hospitalised patients following an emergency admission: A mixed methods study.

INTRODUCTION: Although advance care planning may be beneficial for older adults in the last year of life, its relevance following an emergency hospitalisation requires further investigation. This study quantifies the one-year mortality outcomes of all emergency admissions for patients aged 70+ years and explores patient views on the value of advance care planning following acute hospitalisation. METHOD: This mixed methods study used a two-stage approach: firstly, a quantitative longitudinal cohort study exploring the one-year mortality of patients aged 70+ admitted as an emergency to a large multi-centre hospital cohort; secondly, a qualitative semi-structured interview study gathering information on patient views of advance care planning. RESULTS: There were 14,260 emergency admissions for 70+-year olds over a 12-month period. One-year mortality for admissions across all conditions was 22.6%. The majority of these deaths (59.3%) were within 3 months of admission. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated higher one-year mortality with increasing age and male sex. Interviews with 20 patients resulted in one superordinate theme, "Planning for health and wellbeing in the spectrum of illness". Sub-themes entitled (1) Advance care planning benefitting healthcare for physical and psycho-social health, (2) Contemplation of physical deterioration death and dying and 3) Collaborating with healthcare professionals to undertake advance care planning, suggest that views of advance care planning are shaped by experiences of acute hospitalisation. CONCLUSION: Since approximately 1 in 5 patients aged 70+ admitted to hospital as an emergency are in the last year of life, acute hospitalisation can act as a trigger for tailored ACP. Older hospitalised patients believe that advance care planning can benefit physical and psychosocial health and that discussions should consider a spectrum of possibilities, from future health to the potential of chronic illness, disability and death. In this context, patients may look for expertise from healthcare professionals for planning their future care

Plano de negócios da Florestainvest – Sociedade Gestora de Investimento Florestal

Mestrado em Ciências EmpresariaisO presente trabalho propõe a criação de uma Sociedade Gestora de Investimento Florestal (SGIF) que terá como objetivo servir de veículo para o investimento florestal, fornecendo aos seus clientes uma alternativa de investimento rentável e sustentável, que caracteriza os ativos florestais. Num país em que a floresta ocupa uma área superior a 3 milhões de hectares, mas em que a rentabilização individual das propriedades é muito difícil, derivado essencialmente da sua estrutura fundiária, a SGIF apresenta-se como solução para esta questão, promovendo uma gestão conjunta, profissional e sustentável dos espaços florestais e tornando assim acessível a todos um recurso natural valioso, que é a floresta do nosso país. O trabalho seguiu uma metodologia de plano de negócios segundo a abordagem de Kuratko (2009b) e teve como objetivos principais delinear a estratégia de implementação da SGIF, avaliar a viabilidade do negócio e, de modo a verticalizar a análise, estudar o potencial de rendibilidade de três ativos florestais, como produto a oferecer aos clientes da SGIF. Comprovou-se com este trabalho que, do ponto de vista estratégico, a SGIF tem condições para ser uma solução para esta alternativa de investimento, desenvolvendo uma atividade rentável, de acordo com os indicadores do VAL e da TIR apurados, e oferecendo, através dos ativos florestais, uma rendibilidade potencial mínima bastante competitiva, assegurando a procura por este tipo de investimento.This paper proposes the creation of a Timberland Investment Management Organization (TIMO), which will serve as a vehicle for forestry investment, providing its clients with a profitable and sustainable investment alternative that characterizes forest assets. In a country, as Portugal, where the forest occupies an area of more than 3 million hectares, but where the individual profitability of forestry properties is difficult, due mainly to its land structure, TIMO appears as the solution to this issue, promoting a joint, professional and sustainable management of the forest areas and thus making accessible to all a valuable natural resource, which is the Portugal forest. The work followed a business plan methodology according to Kuratko (2009b) approach and its main objectives were to outline the TIMO implementation strategy, evaluate the feasibility of business and to study the potential profitability of three forest assets, as a product to be offered to TIMO's customers. It was proved with this project that, from a strategic point of view, TIMO can be the solution to this investment alternative, developing a profitable activity, according to the NPV and IRR indicators, and offering, through forestry assets, a very competitive potential yield, ensuring the demand for this type of investment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio