Children’s right to participate in early childhood education: From rights to empirical evidence

Children’s right to participate has gained recognition in society in general, and in various areas of scientific research in particular. Children’s right to participate refers to children’s right to be heard, and to have their perspectives considered, influencing decisions affecting them. The promotion of children’s participation is recommended from an early age, namely in early childhood education (ECE) settings, and it is considered an important criterion for assessing the quality of these settings. Nonetheless, little empirical evidence exists on children’s right to participate in ECE. Therefore, our goal was to provide new insights on this topic. For this purpose, we first conducted a systematic review of the literature on children’s right to participate in ECE, mapping research conducted in this field. Further, we developed measures to assess children’s ideas, and ECE teachers’ ideas and practices towards the promotion of participation. Finally, we documented children’s and teachers’ ideas about children’s participation in ECE, and investigated associations between teachers’ ideas and practices, and children’s perceptions of their participation. Our findings highlight the associations between teachers’ ideas and practices, and children’s perceived participation, suggesting the importance of both objective and subjective properties of ECE settings in promoting children’s participation. We provide an integrative discussion of the theoretical, practical, and policy implications of our findings.O direito de participação das crianças ganhou reconhecimento na sociedade, em diversas áreas do conhecimento e na investigação. A participação das crianças refere-se ao direito de serem ouvidas e terem as suas perspectivas consideradas, influenciando as decisões que lhes dizem respeito. A participação é recomendada desde cedo, nomeadamente em contextos de educação de infância, sendo descrita como um importante critério para a avaliação da qualidade destes contextos. No entanto, existe pouca evidência sobre o direito de participação das crianças em contextos de educação de infância. Com base em quatro estudos, procurou-se investigar e expandir o conhecimento sobre este tema. Realizou-se uma revisão sistemática de literatura sobre o direito de participação das crianças em contextos de educação de infância, mapeando a investigação existente. Desenvolveram-se medidas para avaliar as ideias das crianças bem como as ideias e práticas dos/as educadores/as de infância sobre o direito de participação. Foram documentadas as ideias de crianças e de educadores/as de infância sobre a participação, e investigadas as associações entre as ideias e práticas dos/as educadores/as e as percepções das crianças sobre a sua participação. Os resultados salientam o papel crucial das ideias e das práticas dos/as educadores/as para a participação das crianças, realçando a importância das propriedades objetivas e subjetivas dos contextos. Os resultados são discutidos atendendo às suas implicações teóricas, práticas e políticas

Children’s Right to Participate: The Lundy Model Applied to Early Childhood Education and Care

Children have the right to express their views in all matters affecting them, and to have them considered and given due weight. Children’s participation is most meaningful when rooted in children’s everyday lives, and its promotion should be encouraged from the youngest ages, especially in early childhood education and care (ecec). In this paper we apply the Lundy model of participation, widely used in policy, practice and professional development initiatives, to the ecec context. Based on examples provided by ecec professionals from Belgium, Greece, Poland, and Portugal, we illustrate the implementation of the elements of space, voice, audience and influence, proposed by the Lundy model. We also discuss the interrelations among these elements and the need for organisational and contextual support to enhance children’s participation. This paper adds to existing literature, highlighting theoretical and practical issues associated with the promotion of children’s right to participate in ecec.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tratamento trombolitico do acidente vascular cerebral isquémica.

Mestrado Integrado em MedicinaMaster Degree in Medicin

An immunomodulatory miniaturized 3D screening platform using liquefied capsules

A critical determinant of successful clinical outcomes is the host's response to the biomaterial. Therefore, the prediction of the immunomodulatory bioperformance of biomedical devices following implantation is of utmost importance. Herein, liquefied capsules are proposed as immunomodulatory miniaturized 3D platforms for the high-content combinatorial screening of different polymers that could be used generically in scaffolds. Additionally, the confined and liquefied core of capsules affords a cell-mediated 3D assembly with bioinstructive microplatforms, allowing to study the potential synergistic effect that cells in tissue engineering therapies have on the immunological environment before implantation. As a proof-of-concept, three different polyelectrolytes, ranging in charge density and source, are used. Poly(L-lysine)-, alginate-, and chitosan-ending capsules with or without encapsulated mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are placed on top of a 2D culture of macrophages. Results show that chitosan-ending capsules, as well as the presence of MSCs, favor the balance of macrophage polarization toward a more regenerative profile, through the up-regulation of anti-inflammatory markers, and the release of pro-regenerative cytokines. Overall, the developed system enables the study of the immunomodulatory bioperformance of several polymers in a cost-effective and scalable fashion, while the paracrine signaling between encapsulated cells and the immunological environment can be simultaneously evaluated.publishe

Association between self-reported and accelerometer-based estimates of physical activity in Portuguese older adults

Accurate assessment of physical activity (PA) is crucial in interventions promoting it and in studies exploring its association with health status. Currently, there is a wide range of assessment tools available, including subjective and objective measures. This study compared accelerometer-based estimates of PA with self-report PA data in older adults. Additionally, the associations between PA and health outcomes and PA profiles were analyzed. Participants (n = 110) wore a Xiaomi Mi Band 2® for fifteen consecutive days. Self-reported PA was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Yale Physical Activity Survey (YPAS). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to compare self-reported and accelerometer-measured PA and associations between PA and health. Bland–Altman plots were performed to assess the agreement between methods. Results highlight a large variation between self-reported and Xiaomi Mi Band 2® estimates, with poor general agreement. The highest difference was found for sedentary time. Low positive correlations were observed for IPAQ estimates (sedentary, vigorous, and total PA) and moderate for YPAS vigorous estimates. Finally, self-reported and objectively measured PA associated differently with health outcomes. Summarily, although accelerometry has the advantage of being an accurate method, self-report questionnaires could provide valuable information about the context of the activity.This research was funded by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038. This article has been developed under the scope of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). This work was also supported by the project grants MEDPERSYST (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016428) and GIRO (RESEARCH4COVID, 1st edition, project n. 078) by FCT, and the 2CA-Braga Grant for the 2017 Clinical Research Projects. CD was supported by a combined Ph. D. scholarship from FCT and the company iCognitus4ALL-IT Solutions, Lda, Braga, Portugal (grant number PD/BDE/127831/2016)

Engineering immunomodulatory hydrogels and cell-laden systems towards bone regeneration

The well-known synergetic interplay between the skeletal and immune systems has changed the design of advanced bone tissue engineering strategies. The immune system is essential during the bone lifetime, with macrophages playing multiple roles in bone healing and biomaterial integration. If in the past, the most valuable aspect of implants was to avoid immune responses of the host, nowadays, it is well-established how important are the crosstalks between immune cells and bone-engineered niches for an efficient regenerative process to occur. For that, it is essential to recapitulate the multiphenotypic cellular environment of bone tissue when designing new approaches. Indeed, the lack of osteoimmunomodulatory knowledge may be the explanation for the poor translation of biomaterials into clinical practice. Thus, smarter hydrogels incorporating immunomodulatory bioactive factors, stem cells, and immune cells are being proposed to develop a new generation of bone tissue engineering strategies. This review highlights the power of immune cells to upgrade the development of innovative engineered strategies, mainly focusing on orthopaedic and dental applications.publishe

Referenciação para consulta de reumatologia baseada na aplicação de um questionário de rastreio da artrite psoriática a doentes com psoríase

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2022Introdução/objetivo: A artrite psoriática é uma doença inflamatória, crónica, imunomediada, com acometimento articular periférico e axial, geralmente associada a psoríase cutânea e ungueal. A maioria dos doentes desenvolve psoríase anos antes de ser diagnosticado com artrite psoriática, criando uma janela de oportunidade para proceder ao rastreio da artrite psoriática entre os doentes com psoríase. De forma a auxiliar os médicos no rastreio da artrite psoriática, foram desenvolvidos vários instrumentos neste âmbito com destaque para o questionário EARP (Early Psoriatic Arthritis Screening Questionnaire) dado constituir um método de rastreio fácil e rápido de aplicar. O objetivo primário deste estudo foi estimar a percentagem de doentes com psoríase que, de acordo com o score total obtido no questionário EARP, têm indicação para referenciação para a especialidade de reumatologia. Materiais e métodos: Neste estudo observacional, transversal e descritivo, doentes com psoríase seguidos na consulta externa de dermatologia do Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, foram convidados a responder a um questionário que incluía especificações sociodemográficas, dados de caracterização da psoríase, a versão portuguesa do questionário EARP e informação complementar sobre sintomas músculo-esqueléticos relacionados com a artrite psoriática. Resultados: Um total de 28 doentes (11 [39,3%] do sexo feminino e 17 [60,7%] do sexo masculino) com uma idade média de 46,5 ± 15,4 anos, foram incluídos no estudo. A percentagem estimada de doentes com potencial indicação de referenciação para a especialidade de reumatologia foi de 17,9% (5 doentes), baseada na aplicação do questionário EARP (cut-off de 3). Conclusão: O questionário EARP representa um instrumento de rastreio simples e rápido de aplicar que providencia uma orientação na avaliação dos sintomas músculoesqueléticos de artrite psoriática, selecionando doentes que beneficiam de observação por um reumatologista.Background/aim: Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory, chronic, immune-mediated arthropathy that affects the peripheral and axial skeleton, usually associated with skin and nail psoriasis. Most patients develop psoriasis years before being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, raising an opportunity to screen for psoriatic arthritis among patients with psoriasis. To help clinicians screen for psoriatic arthritis, several screening tools have been developed with reference to EARP questionnaire (Early Psoriatic Arthritis Screening Questionnaire) as an easy and fast screening method. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the percentage of the patients with psoriasis recruited, who should be referred to rheumatology, based on the total score obtained from the application of EARP questionnaire. Materials and methods: In this observational, cross sectional, descriptive study, psoriatic patients attending dermatology consultations at Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, were invited to answer a questionnaire which includes sociodemographic characteristics, data on psoriasis, the portuguese version of EARP screening questionnaire and complementary data of musculoskeletal symptoms related to psoriatic arthritis. Results: A total of 28 patients (11 [39,3%] female, 17 [60,7%] male) with a mean age of 46,5 ± 15,4 years, were enrolled in the study. The estimated percentage of the psoriatic patients recruited who should be referred to rheumatology, based on the application of EARP questionnaire (cut-off of 3) was 17,9% (5 patients). Conclusion: The EARP questionnaire is a simple and fast screening tool for psoriatic arthritis which provides a guide to assess musculoskeletal symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, selecting the group of patients who would benefit further assessment by a rheumatologist

Anxiety and social support as predictors of student academic motivation during the COVID-19

In this study we examined whether parents’ perceptions of students’ anxiety as well as perceived support from both teachers and classmates were predictive of changes in students’ academic motivation during the first wave of COVID-19. To this end, we used a retrospective pretest-posttest design together with a latent change score model to analyze our data. From April to May of 2020, 394 Portuguese parents of students in grades 1–9 participated in this study. Our results showed that students’ anxiety and teachers’ social support, as perceived by parents, were highly significant predictors of academic motivation changes. Specifically, we found a negative effect of anxiety and a positive effect of teachers’ social support on students’ academic motivation. Our results did not show, however, a significant predictive role of classmates’ social support. This study provides an important contribution to further understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that are associated with the decline of students’ academic motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pivotal role of teachers in sustaining students’ academic motivation and other relevant educational implications for the ongoing pandemic are discussed

Lisboa : cidade turística no cinema : abordagem de narrativas fílmicas com imagética de relevo da cidade de Lisboa

O processo de formação da imagem do destino turístico pode ser influenciado pelo meio cinematográfico, visto a representação de um território no grande ecrã possibilitar a divulgação das suas paisagens e dos seus atributos, salientando aspetos cativantes para os turistas. Assim, esta dissertação reflete sobre a relação entre turismo e cinema, tendo por objetivo analisar as potencialidades turísticas de representações da cidade de Lisboa nos filmes Dans la Ville Blanche (1983) de Alain Tanner e Lisbon Story (1994) de Wim Wenders. Para tal, efetuou-se o levantamento da literatura disponível acerca da imagem do destino turístico, com incidência na influência das fontes de informação não comerciais. Posteriormente, adotou-se uma análise de conteúdo, tomando as referidas produções cinematográficas como fontes primárias de pesquisa e, sempre que possível, o seu cotejamento com dados da atividade turística na capital portuguesa. A consulta à base de dados Internet Movie Database (IMDb) permite demonstrar a ampla distribuição das obras no estrangeiro e a sua presença no circuito dos festivais de cinema. O enquadramento de Lisboa nestes filmes e a sua difusão internacional revela que as produções fílmicas podem constituir meios poderosos e eficazes de promoção da cidade. Relativamente aos dados disponibilizados pelo Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), os mercados turísticos lisboetas correspondem, na sua maioria, aos países onde os filmes estrearam e o fluxo turístico nos anos da sua divulgação tende a registar um acréscimo no número de hóspedes. Todavia, os dados apurados são inconcludentes, pois é difícil determinar com precisão a influência das obras na atividade turística da cidade. A análise dos filmes revela representações distintas da urbe, mas ambas as produções conseguem despertar o interesse de diversos perfis de turistas, pelo que elas, quer como descobertas pessoais, quer pelo seu sentido de aventura, permitem aos espetadores explorar a sua própria Lisboa, dando pistas sobre o destino, sem nunca condicionar a experiência de cada potencial visitante.The building of an image of a tourist destination may be influenced by the cinematographic medium, since the representation of a territory on the big screen allows the distribution of its landscapes and attributes. In so doing, it emphasizes captivating aspects for tourists. Thus, the present dissertation is a reflection on the relationship between the fields of tourism and cinema, aiming at analysing the tourist potential of the representation of the city of Lisbon in the films Dans la Ville Blanche (1983) by Alain Tanner and Lisbon Story (1994) by Wim Wenders. In order to do this, the state of the art literature on the tourist destination’s image was researched, focusing especially on the influence of non-commercial sources. Subsequently, these films were approached as primary sources of research and, whenever possible, their comparison with data about the tourist activity in the Portuguese capital. The query to the database Internet Movie Database (IMDb) allows us to verify the wide distribution of these films abroad, as well as their presence in the circuit of film festivals. The cinematographic framing of Lisbon in these films, in tandem with their international diffusion, proves that film productions can act as powerful and effective means of promoting the city. The data provided by Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), the tourist markets in Lisbon corresponds mostly to the countries where the films had their debut, and the capital’s tourist flow in the films’ premiere years tends to register an increase in the number of guests. However, the compiled data are not conclusive, due to the difficulty in determining with precision the influence of the films on the tourist activity of the city. The analysis of the cinematographic works points to different representations of the city, though both productions were able to capture the interest of several tourists’ profiles. The films, as personal discoveries, or because of their sense of adventure, pave the way for the spectators to explore and to discover their own Lisbon, giving clues about the destination without ever conditioning the experience of each potential visitor

European portuguese version of the User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire (USEQ): transcultural adaptation and validation Study

BACKGROUND: Wearable activity trackers have the potential to encourage users to adopt healthier lifestyles by tracking daily health information. However, usability is a critical factor in technology adoption. Older adults may be more resistant to accepting novel technologies. Understanding the difficulties that older adults face when using activity trackers may be useful for implementing strategies to promote their use. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a transcultural adaptation of the User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire (USEQ) into European Portuguese and validate the adapted questionnaire. Additionally, we aimed to provide information about older adults’ satisfaction regarding the use of an activity tracker (Xiaomi Mi Band 2). METHODS: The USEQ was translated following internationally accepted guidelines. The psychometric evaluation of the final version of the translated USEQ was assessed based on structural validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Construct validity was examined using divergent and discriminant validity analysis, and internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach α and McDonald ω coefficients. RESULTS: A total of 110 older adults completed the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the conceptual unidimensionality of the USEQ (χ(2)(4)=7.313, P=.12, comparative fit index=0.973, Tucker-Lewis index=0.931, goodness of fit index=0.977, root mean square error of approximation=0.087, standardized root mean square residual=0.038). The internal consistency showed acceptable reliability (Cronbach α=.677, McDonald ω=0.722). Overall, 90% of the participants reported excellent satisfaction with the Xiaomi Mi Band 2. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the use of this translated USEQ as a valid and reliable tool for measuring user satisfaction with wearable activity trackers in older adults, with psychometric properties consistent with the original version