205 research outputs found

    Representing the Future: The Interests of Future Persons in Representative Democracy

    Get PDF
    UIDB/00183/2020 UIDP/00183/2020As a reaction against contemporary democracy's inherent short-sightedness in solving problems that are likely to affect distant future generations, there has been a recent increase in proposals for different kinds of democratic representation of future persons. This article shows that even though there can be no such thing as political representation of future persons, the relevant affected interests of the as-yet unborn can still be taken into consideration in political decision making. This aim is achieved by focusing on the political representation of children as special cases of semi-future members of the class of the represented.publishersversionpublishe

    Responsibility and Justice in Aristotle’s Non-Voluntary and Mixed Actions

    Get PDF
    Aristotle develops his theory of moral responsibility mainly in part III of the Nicomachean Ethics, where he claims we are held responsible for our voluntary actions and thus liable to either praise or blame, whereas for our involuntary actions we may be liable to either pardon or pity. However, he recognizes how difficult it is to present general criteria allowing a clear-cut distinction between voluntary and involuntary actions. That is why he presents two other types of action that are somehow in-between voluntariness and involuntariness: non-voluntary and mixed actions. Notwithstanding, he fails to state exactly what should be the appropriate response to such moral actions. In this article, the author tries to show that the only way to effectively make sense of moral responsibility in non-voluntary and in mixed actions is to consider the ensemble of praise, blame, pardon and pity as constituting not two pairs of alternative responses to voluntary and involuntary actions, respectively, but rather one single scale in different degrees of the same kind of moral responsibility – with praise at the top, pity at the bottom, and several grey areas in-between. Moral responsibility in non-voluntary and mixed actions is set in those grey areas.

    Impact of amoeba and scuticociliatidia infections on the aquaculture European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) in Portugal

    Get PDF
    In this work, a survey of sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, for amoebae and scuticociliatidia infections was carried out to evaluate their effects on the aquaculture of this fish species. The study was conducted in two different fish farms, one using seawater and the other brackish water. Infection with parasitic amoebae was found to be fairly high (prevalence: 43-73%), being more frequent in sea bass from the brackish water system. Although it was never found to cause outbreaks of disease or mortality in the surveyed fish, amoebic gill disease (AGD) histopathological signs, i.e., hyperplasia, secondary lamellae fusion and cavity formation (interlamellar vesicles), were observed in fish manifesting no macroscopic lesions. Furthermore, some evidence was found that amoebae affects the fish's general state of health and growth rate. These results indicate that cautious and detailed surveys to detect this sort of infection, and thus carefully plan its control, are fully justified. Compared with amoebic infection, the prevalence of scuticociliatosis was found to be low (7-13%). No outbreaks of disease or mortality were ever recorded, even when scuticociliatidia was present in turbot raised in the same water system, leading to serious outbreaks of disease and mortalities in that species. This suggests that sea bass is far more resistant than turbot to such infections, and if this is the case, the former fish may be a good farming alternative when scuticociliatidia is present

    An innovative thermal protective clothing system for firefighters

    Get PDF
    Nowadays, despite the evolution of personal protective equipment (PPE), the number of firefighters injured and burned during fire extinguishing operations is still very high, leading in some cases to loss of life. Therefore, the research and development of new solutions to minimize firefighters' heat load and skin burns, with consecutive improvements of commercial firefighters' suits, is of extreme importance. The integration of phase change materials (PCMs) in a protective clothing system has been used to significantly reduce the incoming heat flux from the fire environment. This study consists in the development of a protective clothing system composed by a vest, specially designed to protect the torso (back, chest and abdomen) with a layer of PCM pouches, to be worn over a fire-resistant jacket - selection and design based on numerical models' predictions. Therefore, several mockups were made, varying the number of PCM pouches and their distribution in the vest, allowing the creation of air ducts to increase the breathability of the vest. The most promising solutions are being evaluated in a real controlled environment, at a Portuguese National School of Firefighters (ENB) simulation site, using a fire manikin and thermocouples to monitor vest temperature during heat and flame exposure, and consequently to verify PCMs influence in heat protection. Results regarding the development of a PCM vest will be presented, focusing on the integration of PCM pouches and the thermal performance of the most promising solutions

    Butyrylcholinesterase Genetic Variants: Association with Cocaine Dependence and Related Phenotypes

    Get PDF
    Objective: the search for genetic vulnerability factors in cocaine dependence has focused on the role that neuroplasticity plays in addiction. However, like many other drugs, the ability of an individual to metabolize cocaine can also influence susceptibility to dependence. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) metabolizes cocaine, and genetic variants of the BChE gene (BCHE) alter its catalytic activity. Therefore, we hypothesize that cocaine users with polymorphisms in BCHE can show diverse addictive behaviors due to differences in effective plasma concentrations of cocaine. Those polymorphisms might also influence users to prefer one of the two main preparations (crack or powder cocaine), despite having equal access to both. the present work investigates polymorphisms in BCHE and if those genetic variants constitute risk factors for cocaine dependence and for crack cocaine use.Methods: A total of 1,436 individuals (698 cocaine-dependent patients and 738 controls) were genotyped for three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BCHE: rs1803274, rs4263329, and rs4680662.Results: for rs4263329, a nominal difference was found between cases and controls. for rs1803274 (the functional SNP), a statistically significant difference was found between patients who used crack cocaine exclusively and those who used only powder cocaine (P = 0.027; OR = 4.36; 95% CI = 1.18-16.04). Allele frequencies and genotypes related to other markers did not differ between cases and controls or between the two cocaine subgroups.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the AA genotype of rs1803274 is a risk factor for crack cocaine use, which is more addictive than powder cocaine use. Further studies are needed in order to confirm this preliminary result and clarify the role of BCHE and its variants in cocaine dependence.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ São Paulo, Sch Med, Dept & Inst Psychiat LIM 23, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Med, Lab Genet & Mol Cardiol LIM 13, Heart Inst InCor, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Clin Neurosci Lab, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Natl Inst Alcohol & Drug Policies, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Clin Neurosci Lab, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Natl Inst Alcohol & Drug Policies, São Paulo, BrazilCNPq: 141762/2008-0Web of Scienc

    ANALYSIS OF THE RELIABILITY OF TWO FORCE PLATFORMS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS COLLECTION OF KINETICS VARIABLES

    Get PDF
    The bilateral force asymmetry between lower-body limbs is seen as one of the major causes of injury and decreased performance in sport. The diagnosis can be done through many measuring methods, instruments and protocols. One of the most validated methods in literature is the vertical jump with countermovement performed on a force platform. Many studies show measurement protocols of jumps performed on a force platform where the jumps are carried out in a unipodial or bipodial manner and the data collection takes place in an alternated or sequential way. This study intends to assess the reliability of two force platforms measuring (maximum force and impulse) simultaneously. The results have indicated that the method used is reliable for the collection of the mentioned variables

    Trophic relationships among fish assemblages in a mudflat within Brazilian marine protected area

    Get PDF
    Resumo O presente estudo visa verificar as variações temporais na dieta e das guildas tróficas das espécies de peixes dominantes em uma planície de maré, durante as estações seca e chuvosa. A composição da dieta e a organização trófica de 17 espécies foram estudadas no estuário do rio Mamanguape, Nordeste do Brasil, identificando os itens dominantes e verificando os efeitos da sazonalidade sobre a organização das guildas. A dieta variou pouco entre as espécies e as estações durante a estação chuvosa a dieta das espécies apresentou-se mais heterogênea. De acordo com a importância de presas nas dietas foram identificados cinco guildas alimentares principais: (1) Detritívora, (2) Zooplanctívora, (3) Zoobentívora-epifauna, (4) Zoobentívora-infauna, e (5) Piscivora. A maioria dos peixes predou uma variada gama de itens alimentares, que se baseou fortemente em presas do zooplâncton. Alguns peixes apresentaram tendência para uma dieta especializada, mas quase todas as espécies mostraram algum grau de alimentação oportunista. Um alto grau de sobreposição de dieta foi encontrado entre as espécies; no entanto, a ocorrência de competição na exploração não foi observada.Abstract The present study on the temporal variations in diet and the trophic guilds of dominant fish species in a tidal mudflat, during the dry and rainy seasons. We aimed at classifying the diet composition of 17 species in the Mamanguape river estuary, northeastern Brazil, identifying the dominant food components and evaluating the effects of seasonality on the guild organization. Diet varied little between species and seasons; during the rainy season, the diets seemed to be more heterogeneous. According to the importance of prey in the diets, 5 primary feeding guilds were identified: (1) Detritivore, (2) Zooplanktivore, (3) Zoobenthivore-epifaune, (4) Zoobenthivore-infaune, and (5) Piscivore. Most fishes fed on a diverse range of food items but relied heavily on the zooplankton preys. Several fish species showed a tendency for a specialised diet, with almost all species showing some degree of opportunistic feeding. A high degree of diet overlap was found among some species; however, the presence of exploitative competition could not be determined

    Trophic relationships among fish assemblages on a mudflat within a Brazilian Marine protected area

    Get PDF
    The present study deals with the temporal variations in diet and the trophic guilds of dominant fish species on a tidal mudflat during the dry and rainy seasons. We sought to classify the diet composition of 17 species in the Mamanguape river estuary, northeastern Brazil, identifying the dominant food components and evaluating the effects of seasonality on the guild organization. Diets varied little between species and seasons, though they seemed to be more heterogeneous during the rainy season. Five primary feeding guilds were identified, in accordance with the importance of prey in the diets: (1) Detritivore, (2) Zooplanktivore, (3) Zoobenthivore-epifaune, (4) Zoobenthivore-infaune, and (5) Piscivore. Most fishes fed on a diverse range of food items but relied heavily on zooplankton prey. Several fish species showed a tendency to a specialised diet, with almost all species showing some degree of opportunistic feeding. A high degree of diet overlap was found among some species; however, the presence of exploitative competition could not be determined.O presente estudo visa verificar as variações temporais na dieta e nas guildas tróficas nas espécies de peixes dominantes em uma planície de maré, durante as estações seca e chuvosa. A composição da dieta e a organização trófica de 17 espécies foi estudada no estuário do rio Mamanguape, Nordeste do Brasil. Foram identificados os itens dominantes e verificado os efeitos da sazonalidade sobre a organização das guildas. A dieta variou pouco entre as espécies e as estações; durante a estação chuvosa, a dieta das espécies apresentou-se mais heterogênea. De acordo com a importância de presas nas dietas, foram identificadas cinco guildas alimentares principais: (1) Detritívora, (2) Zooplanctívora, (3) Zoobentívora-epifauna, (4) Zoobentívora-infauna, e (5) Piscivora. A maioria dos peixes predou uma variada gama de itens alimentares, mas fortemente baseados em presas do zooplâncton. Alguns peixes apresentaram tendência para uma dieta especializada, com quase todas as espécies mostrando algum grau de alimentação oportunista. Um alto grau de sobreposição de dieta foi encontrado entre as espécies; no entanto, a ocorrência de competição por exploração não foi observada

    Modulatory effects of cAMP and PKC activation on gap junctional intercellular communication among thymic epithelial cells

    Get PDF
    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated the effects of the signaling molecules, cyclic AMP (cAMP) and protein-kinase C (PKC), on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) between thymic epithelial cells (TEC).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Treatment with 8-Br-cAMP, a cAMP analog; or forskolin, which stimulates cAMP production, resulted in an increase in dye transfer between adjacent TEC, inducing a three-fold enhancement in the mean fluorescence of coupled cells, ascertained by flow cytometry after calcein transfer. These treatments also increased Cx43 mRNA expression, and stimulated Cx43 protein accumulation in regions of intercellular contacts. VIP, adenosine, and epinephrine which may also signal through cyclic nucleotides were tested. The first two molecules did not mimic the effects of 8-Br-cAMP, however epinephrine was able to increase GJIC suggesting that this molecule functions as an endogenous inter-TEC GJIC modulators. Stimulation of PKC by phorbol-myristate-acetate inhibited inter-TEC GJIC. Importantly, both the enhancing and the decreasing effects, respectively induced by cAMP and PKC, were observed in both mouse and human TEC preparations. Lastly, experiments using mouse thymocyte/TEC heterocellular co-cultures suggested that the presence of thymocytes does not affect the degree of inter-TEC GJIC.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall, our data indicate that cAMP and PKC intracellular pathways are involved in the homeostatic control of the gap junction-mediated communication in the thymic epithelium, exerting respectively a positive and negative role upon cell coupling. This control is phylogenetically conserved in the thymus, since it was seen in both mouse and human TEC preparations. Lastly, our work provides new clues for a better understanding of how the thymic epithelial network can work as a physiological syncytium.</p

    Forecasting incidence of tuberculosis cases in Brazil based on various univariate time-series models

    Get PDF
    Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world\u27s deadliest infectious disease and is a serious public health problem. Control for this disease still presents several difficulties, requiring strategies for the execution of immediate combat and intervention actions. Given that changes through the decision-making process are guided by current information and future prognoses, it is critical that a country\u27s public health managers rely on accurate predictions that can detect the evolving incidence phenomena. of TB. Thus, this study aims to analyze the accuracy of predictions of three univariate models based on time series of diagnosed TB cases in Brazil, from January 2001 to June 2018, in order to establish which model presents better performance. For the second half of 2018. From this, data were collected from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS), which were submitted to the methods of Simple Exponential Smoothing (SES), Holt-Winters Exponential Smoothing (HWES) and the Integrated Autoregressive Moving Average (ARIMA) model. In the performance analysis and model selection, six criteria based on precision errors were established: Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) and Theil\u27s U statistic (U1 and U2). According to the results obtained, the HWES (0.2, 0.1, 0.1) presented a high performance in relation to the error metrics, consisting of the best model compared to the other two methodologies compared here
    • …
    corecore