Análise do comportamento térmico de paredes de taipa

As paredes em taipa apresentam uma elevada inércia térmica que dadas características climáticas do sul de Portugal, poderá melhorar o comportamento térmico dos edifícios que a integram. Porém a alta condutibilidade térmica da taipa é um ponto importante a melhorar de forma a tornar a taipa uma solução de envolvente exterior vertical opaca que cumpre o Regulamento das Características de Comportamento Térmico dos Edifícios (RCCTE). Neste trabalho procurou-se reduzir este componente com a incorporação de dois tipos de materiais isolantes: argila expandida e granulado de cortiça. Para tal, foram preparadas diversas composições de terra com a incorporação de argila expandida e de granulado de cortiça sem comprometer a necessária resistência mecânica. Cada uma destas composições foi depois submetida a ensaios para medição da condutibilidade térmica e da resistência à compressão. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com os valores recomendados por normas e documentos de referência; ## Abstract The rammed-earth-walls construction possesses an high thermic inertia. As the southern of Portugal clime is characterized by extreme hot summers and reasonable cold winters, use of mud based materials (taipa) in its buildings would benefit from its thermic performance. However, the mud as an undesirable high thermic conductivity. Here we have tried to reduce this parameter by using two types of insulating materials: expanded clay and granulated cork. In case the thermic conductivity can be reduced than the buildings that adopt mud as external covering vertical opaque solution, would comply with the Portuguese Thermic Performance Building Regulation (RCCTE). For this, we have prepared several bricks with different compositions by incorporating soil, expanded clay and granulated cork without compromising the required mechanical strength. Tests were conducted to measure the thermal conductivity and to measure the compressive strength. The results were compared with values and recommended by standards and specialized reference documents

Traditional ploughing is critical to the conservation of threatened plants in Mediterranean olive groves

Arable plant diversity has been dramatically declining due to agriculture intensification, with several arable species currently included in national Red Lists. This is particularly relevant in the case of plant communities of the traditional Mediterranean agricultural systems. Despite the current knowledge about the factors affecting this diversity, it is not clear how these communities, which have likely evolved under the pressure of ploughing for millennia, depend on this regular soil disturbance. This is an important issue nowadays, because current management practices focused on the conservation of the ground vegetation cover, to protect soil and other biological groups, often exclude ploughing. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that traditional ploughing is favourable to more specialist arable plants, predictably more dependent on the regular soil disturbance. We address this issue in a Mediterranean agricultural system, the traditional olive groves of Southern Portugal, which is characterized by the annual ploughing of soil. A total of 90 plots containing 1350 sampling quadrats were sampled, and all plant species identified. We categorized plants in four target groups of conservation interest, and then used a joint species distribution model to model their occurrence in relation to three management practices: ploughing, cultivation and low-intensity grazing, using abandoned olive groves as reference level. Results suggest that ploughing is a key factor for the maintenance of arable plant diversity. Ploughing had a positive effect on the occurrence of rare arable plants, archaeophytes and on several Red listed species. In order to conserve these high value plant communities and endangered plant species, we recommend incentivizing ploughing using reduced tillage techniques (e.g. chisel ploughing) on these traditional Mediterranean agricultural systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Escola e família: da inevitabilidade da comunicação à construção de uma realidade relacional (estudo exploratório no 1º ciclo do Ensino Básico)

Com esta investigação procurou-se aprofundar o conhecimento sobre o processo comunicacional que se estabelece entre a escola e a família ao nível do 1º ciclo do ensino básico, e mais especificamente descrever as práticas e apreender e compreender o significado que os professores conferem a essas práticas. Numa primeira fase foram inquiridos 132 professores do 1º ciclo do ensino básico do Funchal através de um questionário traduzido e adaptado (Montandon, 1989), através do qual se procuraram identificar as práticas de contacto individual e colectivo e as suas circunstâncias. Numa segunda fase promoveu-se a discussão em dois focus groups distintos de modo a compreender o significado que os agentes no terreno e os peritos em educação, quer na área governativa quer na área formativa, conferiam às práticas comunicacionais. Os resultados indicaram que os professores preferem os contactos individuais e informais com os pais, de quem têm em geral uma representação negativa, e cuja principal finalidade é o conhecimento da criança. O factor essencialmente diferenciador das práticas dos professores foi o tempo de serviço nas suas dimensões pessoais, profissionais e sociais. Neste contexto, a formação de professores, inicial ou contínua, é sublinhada como uma forma de promover a comunicação entre pais e professores.Ana Paula Pais Rodrigues da Fonseca Relva

Abortion counselling according to healthcare providers: A qualitative study in the Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal

Objective To gain a deeper understanding of healthcare providers’ perceptions on the abortion counselling they provide and its usefulness. Method We conducted in-depth interviews with 16 healthcare providers working in the Lisbon metropolitan area. The interviews were then subjected to content analysis. Results We identified the following themes on abortion counselling description: receiving the woman and understanding her request; providing information; supporting decisionmaking; managing emotional and psychological issues; addressing contraception; managing third-party involvement; offering psychological counselling; informing about the State’s support and offering social counselling. All participants described counselling as useful but valued different aspects of it: information provision; addressing contraception to prevent future unplanned pregnancy/abortion; emotional support; decision-making support; addressing emotional issues beyond abortion; enticing women to seek healthcare in the future; preventing poor emotional post-abortion adjustment. Counselling was considered of no use to change the woman’s abortion decision. Conclusion The abortion counselling provided in Portugal is in tune with the latest literature on the subject, following a client-centred approach focused on the provision of information and emotional support. It can be improved, however, particularly in what concerns the staff’s communication and counselling skills. Further research is needed to improve the provision of abortion care in Portugal

Paternity assessment in free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) - Are littermates full-sibs?

Multiple paternity within litters occurs in various groups of mammals exhibiting different mating systems. Using seven genetic markers (i.e., microsatellites) we investigated the paternity of littermates in free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) in a Mediterranean habitat. Using the software CERVUS 2.0 we estimated the probability of detecting multiple paternity across all loci (D), the probability of paternity (W) and a statistic ∆ that allows the assignment of paternity to the most likely male with strict and relaxed levels of confidence. Multiple paternity was inferred for one of the nine analysed litters at the 80% confidence level. This suggests that a single male may control the access to receptive adult females and it shows that multiple paternity is not very common in the studied free ranging wild boar population. Despite the possible occurrence of sperm competition and/or female cryptic choice, mate guarding seems to play a significant role in sexual selection. To better understand the wild boar’s mating strategies further studies analysing the reproductive success of both sexes and under different environmental conditions should be conducted

Empoderamento da pessoa com Diabetes tipo 2

Dissertação de mestrado em Enfermagem - Saúde Comunitária, orientada por Maria Miquelina da Fonseca Pena, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Escola Superior de Saúde

Bis(triphenyl­guanidinium) tetra­chlorido­cuprate(II)

The structure of the title compound, (C19H18N3)2[CuCl4], consists of square-planar [CuCl4]2− anions and triphenyl­guanidinium cations. The CuII ion occupies a crystallographic inversion centre. In the cation, the dihedral angles between the phenyl rings and the plane defined by the central guanidinium fragment are in the range 51.9 (4)–64.4 (3)°. N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds assemble the ions into infinite chains running along the b axis

Hidden Consequences of Living in a Wormy World: Nematode‐Induced Immune Suppression Facilitates Tuberculosis Invasion in African Buffalo

Most hosts are infected with multiple parasites, and responses of the immune system to co-occurring parasites may influence disease spread. Helminth infection can bias the host immune response toward a T-helper type 2 (Th2) over a type 1 (Th1) response, impairing the host’s ability to control concurrent intracellular microparasite infections and potentially modifying disease dynamics. In humans, immune-mediated interactions between helminths and microparasites can alter host susceptibility to diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. However, the extent to which similar processes operate in natural animal populations and influence disease spread remains unknown.We used cross-sectional, experimental, and genetic studies to show that gastrointestinal nematode infection alters immunity to intracellular microparasites in free-ranging African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Buffalo that were more resistant to nematode infection had weaker Th1 responses, there was significant genotypic variation in nematode resistance, and anthelminthic treatment enhanced Th1 immunity. Using a disease dynamic model parameterized with empirical data, we found that nematode-induced immune suppression can facilitate the invasion of bovine TB in buffalo. In the absence of nematodes, TB failed to invade the system, illustrating the critical role nematodes may play in disease establishment. Our results suggest that helminths, by influencing the likelihood of microparasite invasion, may influence patterns of disease emergence in the wild

Guanidinium 4-amino­benzoate

In the title compound, CH6N3 +·C7H6NO2 −, the cation and anion lie on crystallographic mirror planes. The 4-amino­benzoate anion is almost in a planar conformation with a maximum deviation of 0.024 (2) Å for the N atom. The bond length in the deprotonated carboxyl group is inter­mediate between those of normal single and double Csp2=O bonds, indicating delocalization of the charge over both O atoms of the COO− group. In the crystal, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds assemble the ions in layers propagating in the bc plane. This structure is very similar to that of guanidinium benzoate

Characterization of the Oral Microbiome of Medicated Type-2 Diabetes Patients

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that is becoming a significant global health care problem. Several studies have shown that people with diabetes are more susceptible to oral problems, such as periodontitis and, although the causes are still inconclusive, oral microbiota is considered to play a major role in oral health. This study aimed to characterize the oral microbiome of a sample representing T2DM patients from Portugal and exploit potential associations between some microorganisms and variables like teeth brushing, smoking habits, average blood sugar levels, medication and nutrient intake. By sequencing the hypervariable regions V3-V4 of the 16S rRNA gene in 50 individuals belonging to a group of diabetes patients and a control group, we found a total of 232 taxa, from which only 65% were shared between both groups. No differences were found in terms of alpha and beta diversity between categories. We did not find significant differences in the oral microbiome profiles of control and diabetes patients. Only the class Synergistia and the genus TG5, which are related to periodontitis, were statistically more frequent in the control group. The similar microbiome profiles of medicated diabetics and the control group indicates that the relationship between the T2DM and the oral microbiome might be more related to either the lifestyle/diet rather than diabetes per se. Moreover, this study provides, for the first time, insights into the oral microbiome of a population with a high prevalence of diabetes.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Grant Agreement Number 857251. LP-P was funded by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. MG-V was funded through UID/BIA/50027/2019 from FCT