Physical activity levels in Portuguese high school physical education

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the physical activity (PA) levels of high school Portuguese students during physical education (PE) and investigate the association of PA levels with students’ goal orientation and intrinsic motivation. Forty-six students from three high schools participated. Heart rate telemetry and pedometry were used to assess PA and the Borg rate of perceived exertion scale was used to measure perceived exertion. Thirty PE lessons were monitored. The results indicated that high school PE lessons involve low levels of PA. Students engaged in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) only in about one-third (29.7 minutes) of the official PE scheduled time (90 minutes) and perceived exertion as light. In general, students seemed to be positively motivated toward PE and mainly task goal orientated. Boys felt more enjoyment/interest and perceived their competence in more positive ways than girls. The number of steps and the rate of perceived exertion were associated with levels of PA measured by heart rate telemetry. Intrinsic motivation and goal orientation were not related with MVPA

Experimental approaches to archaeological fire features and their behavioral relevance

The uses and functions of fire in early human adaptations are commonly debated and at times very controversial topics. It is important to recognize under what circumstances and conditions specific fire-related traces can be produced and preserved in the archaeological record. Currently, a growing body of data is emerging on the application of experimental research to the study of archaeological hearths and their residues. In this review, I draw together aspects of such available experimental data, particularly those pertaining to the sedimentary expression and components produced during simple campfires. I highlight not only what one can find in ideal preservation conditions but also what type of indirect alteration proxies can be expected to survive in the archaeological record. I then discuss the implications of such data for analyzing anthropic fire features, their timing, and their meaning in terms of behavioral complexity in the use and manufacture of fire during the Paleolithic.Max Planck Societyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The evolution of pyrotechnology in the Upper Palaeolithic of Europe

Pyrotechnology, the ability for hominins to use fire as a tool, is considered to be one of the most important behavioural adaptations in human evolution. While several studies have focused on identifying the emergence of fire use and later Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal combustion features, far fewer have focused on modern human fire use. As a result, we currently have more data characterizing the hominin fire use prior to 50,000 years before present (BP), than we do for Upper Palaeolithic of Europe. Here we review the available data on Upper Palaeolithic fire evidence between 48,000 and 13,000 years BP to understand the evolution of modern human pyrotechnology. Our results suggest regional clustering of feature types during the Aurignacian and further demonstrate a significant change in modern human fire use, namely in terms of the intensification and structural variation between 35,000 and 28,000 years BP. This change also corresponds to the development and spread of the Gravettian technocomplex throughout Europe and may correspond to a shift in the perception of fire. Additionally, we also show a significant lack of available high-resolution data on combustion features during the height of last glacial maximum. Furthermore, we highlight the need for more research into the effects of syn- and post-depositional processes on archaeological combustion materials and a need for more standardization of descriptions in the published literature. Overall, our review shows a significant and complex developmental process for Upper Palaeolithic fire use which in many ways mirrors the behavioural evolution of modern humans seen in other archaeological mediums.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Correction to: The evolution of pyrotechnology in the Upper Palaeolithic of Europe

Correction to: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciencesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Open archival information systems for database preservation

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

Thermo-microstratigraphy of shells reveals invisible fire use and possible cooking in the archaeological record

The archaeological visibility of hearths related to shellfish cooking methods is limited, particularly in pre-ceramic shell midden contexts. Important evidence for use of fire is the thermal alteration of components, namely the identification of burnt shells. Mollusk shells that mineralize as aragonite are particularly indicative of burning due to the conversion of aragonite to calcite through recrystallization at known temperature thresholds. However, roasting temperatures needed to open bivalves, do not necessarily cause thermal alterations in the cooked shell. This complicates the significance of shell mineralogy by itself to recognize cooking, and discerning pre-depositional from in situ heating. To distinguish between cooking and burning, we combine micromorphological analyses with microscopic Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy to investigate mineralogical thermo-alterations alongside microstratigraphic formation studies. Experimentally heated specimens of Cerastoderma edule and Scrobicularia plana are used to identify the temperature thresholds of biogenic calcium carbonate phase alteration at the micro-scale. These results are then used to interpret mineral alterations in deposits from two Mesolithic shell midden contexts from Portugal. Micro-stratigraphically controlled mineralogy proved to be particularly useful to distinguish between pre-depositional heating from in situ heating, configuring a novel methodology for recognition of traces of cooking shellfish versus traces of fire used for other purposes. Mapping the mineral phase conversion at a micro stratigraphic scale also allows us to identify instances of in situ fire events that were invisible macroscopically. This combined microstratigraphic and mineralogical methodology considerably increases our capacity of deciphering intricate shell midden stratigraphy and occupational events.SEArch 101003409; BES-2012-053695; HAR2011-29907-C0300; HAR2014-51830-Pinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Application of Geoarchaeological and Micromorphological Perspectives to Issues of Hominin Behavior in the Late Pleistocene

It is commonly accepted that several processes come into play in the formation of the archaeological record, and often the challenge of reconstructing past human behaviors and activities is dependent on the interpretation of the sedimentary context of the archaeological remains. In archaeological sites, in addition to geogenic and biogenic depositional and post-depositional processes commonly referred to in geology, humans play important roles as well as agents of sedimentation and transformation of the sedimentary record. This Ph.D. thesis takes a geoarchaeological perspective on the study of archaeological sediments and features using micromorphology, or the microscopic study of soils and sediments, to reconstruct formation processes at Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco (Chapter 2), and to study anthropogenic-derived sediments associated with fire use at early anatomical Modern humans occupations in Africa (at Contrebandiers Cave - Chapter 3) and Neanderthal populations in Europe (Roc de Marsal Cave - Chapter 4). North Africa has several important, well-stratified archaeological sites that provide evidence for the understanding of early modern humans\u27 adaptations and behavior. However, little is known on the formation processes and the degree of preservation of many of the archaeological assemblages there. In this thesis, the sedimentary history of Contrebandiers Cave is reconstructed taking into consideration the overall evolution of the cave\u27s surroundings. The results show that gravity-driven and aeolian inputs contributed greatly for the fairly rapid fill of the cave during the last Interglacial (Marine Isotopic Stage 5). Since diagenesis played a minor role, the archaeological assemblages are mainly affected by mechanical disturbance related to bioturbation. The micromorphology study of fire residues showed that the combustion features from Contrebandiers Cave are poorly preserved, with common mechanical disturbance by biological activity, and the presence of natural features that might be mistaken as fire evidence. The displacement of some of the fire residues is, in addition, attributed to human action of ranking out hearth deposits. On the other hand, micromorphology observations of fire derived sediments at Roc de Marsal attest to the well-preserved nature of the hearths in this site, which suffered little or no post-depositional displacement. Despite this almost `pristine\u27 preservation, the developed study highlights the difficulty of tracing past human activities in association with each of the identified hearths. Such results suggest that is often impossible to access the degree of contemporaneity between different combustion events and, consequently, to distinguish between temporally separated prehistoric occupations at an archaeological site

O impacto da perturbação de personalidade borderline na decisão clínica e na relação com os profissionais de saúde

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2016Introdução: A perturbação de personalidade borderline (PPB) é das perturbações de personalidade mais comuns na prática clínica. É caracterizada por impulsividade, desregulação emocional, instabilidade das relações interpessoais e ideação suicida crónica. O comportamento dos pacientes com PPB constitui um desafio para os profissionais de saúde, afectando as suas percepções e atitudes quando interagem com este grupo de pacientes. Objectivo: Esta revisão da literatura averiguou o impacto da PPB nos recursos humanos no sistema de saúde e avaliou particularmente as implicações clínicas e as atitudes e comportamentos dos profissionais de saúde em relação aos pacientes com PPB. Metódos: Foi realizada uma pesquisa literária nas bases de dados Pubmed, PsychoInfo e B-on e introduzidas as palavras-chave: "borderline personality disorder", "health staff attitudes", "suicide", "self-mutilation" e "hospitalization". Os artigos que abordavam a PPB e a comorbidade com perturbação bipolar ou outras perturbações psiquiátricas foram excluídos da análise. Resultados: O diagnóstico de PPB influencia as percepções e reacções dos profissionais de saúde em relação aos pacientes, revelando mais atitudes negativas em comparação com pacientes com esquizofrenia ou depressão. Também exibem mais raiva e rejeição social, menos empatia e optimismo em relação aos pacientes com PPB. As relações difíceis com este grupo de pacientes leva a sentimentos de frustração e desesperança dos profissionais de saúde. A maioria dos profissionais inquiridos mostraram-se interessados em aprender mais sobre o tratamento destes pacientes. Conclusões: Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos profissionais desenvolveu atitudes negativas, como menos optimismo e empatia, em consequência do comportamento dos pacientes com PPB. Os profissionais consideram que estes pacientes frequentemente recebem cuidados inadequados e expressam interesse em melhorar as suas capacidades e atitudes através da participação em workshops sobre PPB. Estudos futuros devem explorar as atitudes dos psiquiatras e a decisão clínica de internar.Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most common personality disorder in the clinical practice. It is characterized by impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, instability of interpersonal relationships and chronic suicidality. The behavior of BPD patients are a challenge for health staff, which affects their perceptions and attitudes when they interact with this group of patients. Aims: This literature review examined the impact of BPD to human resources in health system and evaluated particularly the clinical implications and health staff attitudes and behaviors toward patients with BPD. Methods: It was performed a literature research on the Pubmed, PsychoInfo and B-on databases and entered the keywords: "borderline personality disorder", "health staff attitudes", "suicide", "self-mutilation" and "hospitalization. Articles approaching BPD with comorbid bipolar disorder or other psychiatric disorders were excluded from the analysis. Results: The BPD label influenced the health staff's perceptions and reactions toward patients, revealing more negative attitudes compared to a patient with schizophrenia or depression. They also exhibited more anger and social rejection, less empathy and optimism toward BPD patients. The difficult relationships with this group of patients may lead to health staff's frustration and hopelessness feelings. Most of the health professionals inquired were interested in learning more about the treatment of these patients. Conclusions: Results show that the majority of the health professionals developed negative attitudes, such as less optimism and empathy, in consequence of BPD patients' behavior. Staff considered that these patients frequently receive inadequate care and expressed an interest in improving their skills and attitudes through the participation on workshops regarding BPD. Future studies should explore psychiatrists' attitudes and clinical decision of hospitalization