Coral Reefs of Miskitus Cays, Nicaragua

The Miskitus Cays, on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, consist of eighty mangrove and two sand and gravel cays, surrounded by seagrass beds, octocoral gardens, patch reefs, reef crests, extended algae platforms, short reef walls, and two marginal reefs around the sand cays. Seventy sites were inspected and eighteen sites were selected for rapid assessments in order to determine the status of the coral reefs. Linear transects and the intercept point methods were used to determine the relative benthic cover, and the density, size and health of coral colonies was estimated following the AGRRA protocol. Water was highly turbid due to the shallowness of the reefs and high wave energy. Northwest reefs, closer to the Coco river mouth, were affected by terrestrial sediments and were overgrown by algae whereas storm damage was evident in the eastern reef crest fronts. In total, 39 stony coral species were found and 12 new species were reported for Cayos Miskitus. Mean live coral cover was high (43.4%), but it was still lower than the algae cover (54.2%). Mean coral diameter (59.7 cm) and height (4.2 cm) were high but total mortality (27.9%), bleaching (4%) and diseases (3%) were low. Reefs of Nicaragua are in the best condition of the Caribbean region of Central America but good management of the fisheries, the marine reserve, and the Coco river basin are urgent to maintain reef quality

Mathematical model for the assessment of fracture risk associated with osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass. It is considered a worldwide public health problem that affects a large number of people, in particularly for women with more than 50 years old. The occurrence pattern of osteoporosis in a population may be related to several factors, including socio-economic factors such as income, educational attainment, and factors related to lifestyle such as diet and physical activity. These and other aspects have increasingly been identified as determining the occurrence of various diseases, including osteoporosis. This work proposes a mathematical model that provides the level of osteoporosis in the patient. Preliminary numerical results are presented.The authors would like to thank the financial support from FEDER COMPETE and FCT Project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022674

Una propuesta para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de los sistemas de numeración

En este artículo se exponen algunas reflexiones sobre la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de las matemáticas escolares de grado sexto. Dichas reflexiones se refieren específicamente a la experiencia vivida al planear, diseñar y desarrollar una unidad temática sobre los sistemas de numeración, para estudiantes de grado sexto del colegio

The reflex of the past : the role of youth victimisation trauma on the interpersonal reactivity

Abstract in proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of CiiEM: Health, Well-Being and Ageing in the 21st Century, held at Egas Moniz’ University Campus in Monte de Caparica, Almada, from 3–5 June 2019.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

No evidence so far on the protective effect of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 : comment by Joob and Wiwanitkit

Copyright © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. This article is made freely available for use in accordance with BMJ’s website terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may use, download and print the article for any lawful, non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all copyright notices and trade marks are retained. https://bmj.com/coronavirus/usageWe read with interest the comment by Joob and Wiwanitkit on the letter published by Monti et al in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (ARD). In it, the authors state that there are no reported cases of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with COVID-19 and suggest that this may be due to a protective effect of hydroxychloroquine, a mainstay treatment taken by most patients with SLE. A similar suggestion had already been made earlier this month in the ARD by colleagues from Italy, the first hardly-hit western country, and was reinforced by yet another recently published letter.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The role of youth victimization trauma on the interpersonal reactivity

Poster presented at the 4th International Congress of CiiEM – “Health, Well-being and Ageing in the XXI Century.” 2-5 June 2019, Campus Egas Moniz, Monte de Caparica, PortugalN/

Surface functionalization of cuttlefish bone-derived biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds with polymeric coatings

Cuttlefish bone (CB) has been explored as biomaterial in the bone tissue-engineering field due to its unique porous structure and capacity of the aragonite mineral to be hydrothermally converted into calcium phosphates (CaPs). In the present study, undoped and ion (Sr2+, Mg2+ and/or Zn2+) doped biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) scaffolds were prepared by hydrothermal transformation (HT, 200 °C, 24 h) of CB. The obtained scaffolds were sintered and then coated with two commercial polymers, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly(DL-lactide) (PDLA), and with two synthesized ones, a poly(ester amide) (PEA) or a poly(ester urea) (PEU) in order to improve their compressive strength. The scaffolds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) coupled with structural Rietveld refinement, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrate that CB could be entirely transformed into BCPs in the presence or absence of doping elements. The initial CB structure was preserved and the polymeric coatings did not jeopardize the interconnected porous structure. Furthermore, the polymeric coatings enhanced the compressive strength of the scaffolds. The in vitro bio-mineralization upon immersing the scaffolds into simulated body fluid (SBF) demonstrated the formation of bone-like apatite surface layers in both uncoated and coated scaffolds. Overall, the produced scaffolds exhibit promising properties for bone tissue engineering applications.publishe

Thienylpyrrole azo dyes: synthesis, solvatochromic and electrochemical properties

The synthesis and the evaluation of solvatochromic and electrochemical properties of new donor-acceptor-substituted thienylpyrrole azo dyes 3 are described. These derivatives exhibit dramatic changes in both their electronic and redox properties in comparison with thienylpyrroles 1. In agreement with the solvatochromic and electrochemical studies of push-pull derivatives 3 the new compounds prepared, may find application in the manufacture of new materials with notable non-linear optical properties.Fundação para a Ciència e Tecnologia - POCTI/QUI/37816/2001

Synthesis of formyl-thienylpyrroles : versatile building blocks for NLO materials

Several formyl-substituted 1-alkyl(aryl)-2-(2´-thienyl)pyrroles 3-7 were synthesized by functionalization of the pyrrole or thiophene ring of thienylpyrroles 2 using different methods: Vilsmeier formylation or metalation followed by reaction with DMF.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi