Building Bio-Districts or Eco-Regions: Participative Processes Supported by Focal Groups

Over the years, rural areas have faced a number of problems and difficulties, such as an increase in the average age of the population, desertification, loss of employment and the abandon‐ ment of rural and agricultural activities, which have led to the emergence of new initiatives aimed at revitalizing these territories from a social, economic and environmental perspective, such as the successful Bio‐districts or Eco‐regions (e.g., Bio‐district of Cilento). Understanding and establishing a proper framework for each territory based on agroecology and participatory methodologies is still a challenge. In this sense, based on the analysis of two European examples—Cilento, Italy and São Pedro do Sul, Portugal—we described each of the building processes and defined a set of drivers that might constitute guiding principles to serve as a basis for the creation of Bio‐districts or Eco‐ regions. The drivers’ matrix identified was discussed in three focus groups carried out in Portugal in 2020. Such drivers included a technical and environmental component (the quality of the envi‐ ronment and landscape, the food system and the implementation of organic farming and agroeco‐ logical practices), a social and economic component (valorization of the farmers, products and ter‐ ritories and a set of different stakeholders—farmers, consumers, schools, tourism entities and res‐ taurants, local authorities) and a political component (the governance model). Most participants agreed that the recognition of a Bio‐district or Eco‐region should be informal, bottom‐up, with farm‐ ers as the main pillar, with a fair and representative participation, namely family farmers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Survival analysis of women with cervical cancer treated at a referral hospital for oncology in Espírito Santo State, Brazil, 2000-2005

Uterine cervical cancer is a leading cause of death from cancer in the female population worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyze survival of women with cervical cancer treated at the Santa Rita de Cássia Hospital/Women's Association for Cancer Education and Control (HSRC/AFECC) in Espírito Santo State, Brazil, from 2000 to 2005 and to describe associated prognostic factors. This was a cohort study using retrospective secondary data with a sample of 964 cases. The Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox model were used to evaluate survival and for multiple logistic analysis. There were 421 deaths (43.6%) during the minimum 5-year follow-up, with an overall 5-year survival of 58.8%. Risk factors were place of residence in the Serrana Region of the State (HR: 1.94; 95%CI: 1.09-3.45) and advanced staging. Women with stages III and IV at diagnosis showed an increased risk of 4.33 (95%CI: 3.00-6.24) and 15.40 (95%CI: 9.72-24.39), respectively, for lower survival when compared to stage I. The results show that early diagnosis and treatment are essential for reducing mortality from cervical cancer

Liderança e motivação no contexto organizacional

Context: Leadership and motivation are two essential themes for the success of organizations, as the correct exercise of leadership can contribute to greater motivation. Indeed, through the study of organizational motivation we can infer about the influence of leadership on it. Leadership is seen as a connection between leaders and followers, which presupposes increasing levels of organizational motivation. In this context, it is considered pertinent to study and analyse the influ-ence of leadership on the motivation of employees in organizations. Research question and objectives: Leadership and motivation in an organisational context were delimited as topics, with the following research question: what is the role of the leader in the motivational context of the employees? And as the specific objectives, the following: to carry out a sociodemographic characterization of the respondents; to assess the level of motivation of em-ployees and the importance they attribute to the leader for this motivation; to measure the degree of importance attributed to motivating factors according to hierarchical position, gender and age; to identify the most and least relevant motivational factor for each dimension; to characterize the current and the effective leader; to check if there are similarities between the characterization of the current and the effective leader; to assess the most and least identified characteristics of leaders according to gender, age and hierarchical position; to define the most and least identified leadership style; to realize if there are similarities in the perceptions of employees and leaders regarding the characteristics of the leaders. Research design: This is a descriptive, quantitative study. We chose to investigate collaborators from organizations. The data were collected through a survey questionnaire, applied to the em-ployed population over 18 years of age. 117 valid participations were collected. Results: The results show that most participants are motivated and believe that their leader has an important role in their motivation. It appears that the motivational factors that stand out are: career advancement, the salary is adequate for the function, the loyalty of the responsible for the employees, a work environment where there is trust and respect, good working conditions and recognition for the work done. The data also demonstrate that the most expressive leadership styles in the participants' answers are the task-oriented leadership style and people-oriented lead-ership style. Contributions: Based on the evaluation of the employee's motivational matrix, his/her behavior can be predicted. The motivational structure will serve as the basis for the elaboration of the motivational profile, where the most relevant motivations and goals will be determined. Having knowledge of the aspects in which employees are motivated or unmotivated and the factors con-sidered most relevant, the organization can act in order to increase motivation. Refining identified strategies or critical factors, refers to a contribution to studies in this area. Portuguese organiza-tions, namely their leaders, should pay attention to some important characteristics or behavior for their effective leadership.Contexto: A liderança e a motivação constituem dois temas essenciais para o sucesso das orga-nizações, pois o correto exercício de liderança poderá contribuir para uma maior motivação. Com efeito, através do estudo da motivação organizacional podemos inferir acerca da influência da liderança na mesma. A liderança é vista como uma conexão entre líderes e liderados, que pres-supõe o aumento dos níveis de motivação organizacional. Nesse contexto, considera-se perti-nente estudar e analisar a influência da liderança na motivação dos colaboradores nas organiza-ções. Pergunta de investigação e objetivos: delimitou-se como temáticas a Liderança e motivação em contexto organizacional, tendo como pergunta de investigação: qual o papel do líder no contexto motivacional dos colaboradores? Assim, desenha-se como objetivo geral: estudar o papel do líder no contexto motivacional dos colaboradores. E como os objetivos específicos os seguintes: realizar uma caracterização sociodemográfica dos inquiridos; aferir o nível de motivação dos co-laboradores e a importância que estes atribuem ao líder para essa motivação; aferir o grau de importância atribuída aos fatores de motivação segundo o cargo hierárquico, sexo e idade; iden-tificar o fator motivacional com maior e menor relevância por cada dimensão; caracterizar o líder atual e eficaz; Verificar se existe semelhanças entre a caracterização do líder atual e eficaz; aferir as características mais e menos identificadas dos lideres segundo o Sexo, Idade e cargo hierár-quico; definir o estilo de liderança mais e menos identificado; Perceber se há semelhanças nas perceções dos colaboradores e lideres quanto ás características dos lideres. Desenho de investigação: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, de natureza quantitativa. Optou-se por investigar colaboradores das organizações. Os dados foram recolhidos através de um inqué-rito por questionário, aplicado à população com mais de 18 anos, empregada. Recolheram-se 117 participações válidas. Resultados: Os resultados mostram que a maioria dos participantes se encontram motivados e acreditam que o seu líder tem um papel importante para a sua motivação. Verifica-se que os fatores motivacionais que se destacam são: progredir na carreira, o salário seja adequado à função, a lealdade dos responsáveis para com os empregados, um ambiente de trabalho onde exista confiança e respeito, boas condições de trabalho e o reconhecimento pelo trabalho reali-zado. Os dados mostram também que os estilos de liderança mais expressivos nas respostas dos participantes são o estilo de liderança orientado para a tarefa e o estilo de liderança orientado para as pessoas. Contributos: A partir da avaliação da matriz motivacional do colaborador poderá prever-se o seu comportamento. A estrutura motivacional servirá de base para a elaboração do perfil motivacio-nal, onde serão determinadas as motivações e metas mais relevantes. Tendo conhecimento dos aspetos em que os colaboradores estão motivados ou desmotivados e os fatores considerados mais relevantes, a organização poderá atuar por forma a aumentar a motivação. Apurar estratégias ou fatores críticos identificados, remete-se para um contributo para estudos nesta área. As organizações portuguesas, nomeadamente os seus líderes, deverão ter em atenção algumas características ou comportamento importantes para a sua liderança eficaz

Criar pontes entre agricultura familiar e biológica através da formação no local de trabalho

A agricultura familiar, como forma de garantir a produção agrícola, gerida por uma família com base em mão-de-obra familiar não assalariada, tem um papel fundamental nas zonas rurais. Das 570 milhões de explorações agrícolas do mundo, mais de 500 milhões são explorações familiares. Em Portugal representam 96% das cerca de 280 mil explorações do continente. Diversos modelos de desenvolvimento da agricultura familiar incorporam a agricultura biológica como elemento chave, com impacto direto no aumento do rendimento das famílias. Através da agricultura biológica, assente em princípios como alimentar o solo para nutrir a planta ou manter relações de proximidade com o mercado, a agricultura familiar pode atingir novos patamares de sucesso. O conhecimento e a capacidade técnica são essenciais para a adoção da agricultura biológica, pelo que é essencial identificar as necessidades de formação dos agricultores familiares, de forma a disponibilizar ferramentas de aprendizagem que permitam melhorar a sua capacidade de intervenção e inovação. Assim, caraterizaram-se as práticas agrícolas utilizadas por agricultores familiares dos concelhos de Viseu, Braga e Barcelos e avaliou-se a proximidade com os itinerários técnicos utilizados em agricultura biológica através da aplicação de uma checlist a 30 agricultores de cada concelho, respeitando os seguintes critérios: dimensão da exploração igual ou inferior a 2 hectares, mão-de-obra familiar e rendimento maioritariamente proveniente da exploração. Verificou-se que algumas técnicas adotadas pelos agricultores familiares coincidem com práticas fundamentais em agricultura biológica: diversidade e consociações culturais, rotação de culturas, adição de matéria orgânica de origem animal e vegetal, desfolhas manuais ou utilização de luta física e genética no combate a pragas e doenças. Estes resultados permitirão definir áreas e ferramentas de aprendizagem à distância e em contexto de trabalho (e- e m-learning), que contribuam para capacitar estes agricultores, bem como novos agricultores que queiram converter-se ou iniciar uma exploração em agricultura biológica.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modulation of osteoclastogenesis by antihypertensive drugs

Despite its rigid structure, bone is a dynamic tissue that is in constant remodeling. This process requires the action of the bone-resorbing osteoclasts and the bone-synthesing osteoblasts. One of the adverse effects attributed to some antihypertensive agents is the ability to alter normal bone metabolism. However, their effective actions on human bone cells remain to be clarified. In this work, the effects of five calcium channel blockers, a class of antihypertensive drugs (AHDs), were investigated on osteoclastic differentiation. Osteoclastic cell cultures were established from precursor cells isolated from human peripheral blood, and were maintained in the absence (control) or in the presence of 10-8-10-4 M of different AHDs (amlodipine, felodipine, diltiazem, lercanidipine and nifedipine). Cell cultures were characterized throughout a 21 day period for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, number of TRAP+ multinucleated cells, presence of cells with actin rings and expressing vitronectin and calcitonin receptors, and apoptosis rate. Also, the involvement of several signaling pathways on the cellular response was addressed. It was observed that the tested AHDs had the ability to differentially affect osteoclastogenesis. At low doses, amlodipine and felodipine caused an increase on osteoclastic differentiation, while the other drugs inhibited it. At higher doses, all the molecules caused a decrease on the process. The tested AHDs also showed different effects on the analysed signaling pathways. In conclusion, AHDs appeared to have a direct effect on human osteoclast precursor cells, affecting their differentiation. Interestingly, some of them increased while others inhibited the process. Unraveling the mechanisms beneath these observations might help to explain the adverse effects on bone tissue described for this drug class

Negative modulation of human osteoclastogenesis by antiepileptic drugs

Bone is constantly being molded and shaped by the action of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. A proper equilibrium between both cell types metabolic activities is required to ensure an adequate skeletal tissue structure, and it involves resorption of old bone and formation of new bone tissue. It is reported that treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can elicit alterations in skeletal structure, in particular in bone mineral density. Nevertheless, the knowledge regarding the effects of AEDs on bone cells are still scarce, particularly on osteoclastic behaviour. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of five different AEDs on human osteoclastic cells. Osteoclastic cell cultures were established from precursor cells isolated from human peripheral blood, and were maintained in the absence (control) or in the presence of 10-8-10-4 M of different AEDs (valproate, carbamazepine, gabapentin, lamotrigine and topiramate). Cell cultures were characterized throughout a 21-day period for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, number of TRAP+ multinucleated cells, presence of cells with actin rings and expressing vitronectin and calcitonin receptors, and apoptosis rate. Also, the involvement of several signaling pathways on the cellular response was addressed. All the tested drugs were able to affect osteoclastic cell development, although with different profiles on their osteoclastogenic modulation properties. Globally, the tendency was to inhibit the process. Furthermore, the signaling pathways involved in the process also seemed to be differentially affected by the AEDs, suggesting that the different drugs may affect osteoclastogenesis through different mechanisms. In conclusion, the present study showed that the different AEDs had the ability to negatively modulate the osteoclastogenesis process, shedding new light towards a better understanding of how these drugs can affect bone tissue

Oculomotor evaluation in patients with peripheral vestibular dysfunction

AIM: To assess whether or not the parameters of fixed and randomized saccadic movements, of pendular tracking and of optokinetic nystagmus in the digital vectonystagmography may show abnormalities in patients with possible diagnosis of peripheral vestibular dysfunction. METHOD: 60 patients with dizziness of peripheral vestibular origin, from 12 to 82 years of age, males and females, were evaluated in the Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Ocular movement parameter findings were compared to a normal pattern. RESULTS: Fixed saccadic movements were altered in 100% of the cases as to latency, and in 35.0% of the cases as to speed; the randomized saccadic movements were altered in 100% of the cases as to latency, in 78.3% as to precision, and in 1.7% as to speed; the pendular tracking showed a gain alteration in the frequencies of 0.1 Hz in 15% of the cases, 0.2 Hz in 21.7%, and 0.4 Hz in 13.3%; the optokinetic nystagmus showed an alteration of the angular speed in the slow component in 1.7% of the cases, and in gain in 5.0%. CONCLUSION: Fixed saccadic movement latency and speed, randomized saccadic movement latency, precision and speed, pendular tracking gain, slow component angular speed, and optokinetic nystagmus gain in the digital vectonystagmography may show abnormalities in patients with possible diagnosis of peripheral vestibular dysfunction.OBJETIVO: Verificar se os parâmetros dos movimentos sacádicos fixos e randomizados, do rastreio pendular e do nistagmo optocinético na vectonistagmografia digital podem apresentar alterações em pacientes com hipótese diagnóstica de disfunção vestibular periférica. MÉTODO: Foram avaliados 60 pacientes, de ambos os sexos, com tontura de origem vestibular periférica e idade entre 12 e 82 anos. Os achados foram comparados com um padrão de normalidade para os parâmetros dos movimentos oculares estudados. RESULTADOS: Os movimentos sacádicos fixos estavam alterados em 100% dos casos quanto à latência e em 35% quanto à velocidade; os randomizados estavam alterados em 100% quanto à latência, em 78,3% quanto à precisão e 1,7% quanto à velocidade; o rastreio pendular apresentou alteração do ganho nas freqüências de 0,1Hz em 15%, 0,2Hz em 21,7% e 0,4Hz em 13,3%; o nistagmo optocinético apresentou alteração da velocidade angular da componente lenta em 1,7% e do ganho em 5%. CONCLUSÕES: A latência e a velocidade dos movimentos sacádicos fixos; a latência, a precisão e a velocidade dos movimentos randomizados; o ganho do rastreio pendular; a velocidade angular da componente lenta e o ganho do nistagmo optocinético na vectonistagmografia digital podem apresentar alterações em pacientes com hipótese diagnóstica de disfunção vestibular periférica.UNIFESP-EPMUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Differential effects of antiepileptic drugs on human bone cells

Antiepileptic drugs (AED) have been associated to in vivo deleterious consequences in bone tissue. The present work aimed to characterize the cellular and molecular effects of five different AED on human osteoclastogenesis and osteblastogenesis. It was observed that the different drugs had the ability to differentially modulate both processes, in a way dependent on the identity and dose of the AED. Shortly, valproic acid stimulated either osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis, whereas carbamazepine, gabapentin, and lamotrigine revealed an opposite behavior; topiramate elicited a decrease of osteoclast development and an increase in osteoblast differentiation. This is the first report describing the direct effects of different AED on human primary bone cells, which is a very important issue, because these drugs are usually consumed in long-term therapeutics, with acknowledged in vivo effects in bone tissue.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diabetes Mellitus - Estudo de AEQ dos Parâmetros Glicose e HbA1c (2008-2012)

Segundo o Internacional Diabetes Federation (IDF) (2012), a Diabetes atinge 371 milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo, correspondendo a 8,3% da população mundial. Estima-se que em cerca de 50% dessas pessoas a diabetes ainda não foi diagnosticada. Em 2012 morreram devido à diabetes 4,8 milhões de pessoas, sendo que metade tinha idade inferior a 60 anos. Segundo a IDF, Portugal posiciona-se entre os países europeus com maior taxa de prevalência de diabetes. A prevalência de diabéticos em Portugal em 2011, numa população entre os 20 e 79 anos foi de 12.7%, sendo que 7,2% diziam respeito a prevalência de diabetes diagnosticada e 5,5% a diabetes não diagnosticada. Em 2009, a percentagem de diabéticos em Portugal rondava os 11,7% e em 2010 os 12,4%. Dado a incidência a nível mundial da Diabetes Mellitus, torna-se de elevada importância avaliar toda a sua envolvência e estudar bem quais os critérios a ter em consideração. Propusemo-nos estudar os parâmetros bioquímicos relacionados com esta patologia - Glicose e Hemoglobina Glicada A1c (HbA1c), recorrendo à análise dos resultados dos últimos cinco anos (2008-2012) dos ensaios interlaboratoriais e metodologias utilizadas do Programa Nacional de Avaliação Externa da Qualidade, do Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (PNAEQ-INSA), Lisboa, Portugal

The sociocultural constructions of nature and environment: preliminary outcomes of a systematic literature review

The recognition of Nature and the Environment as sociocultural constructions is key to enhance a transformational socio-ecological change. That means understanding the production of their different socio-cultural meanings, how societies tackle them, and to what extent different understandings can condition the implementation of a deep socio-ecological change. To the authors' knowledge, no studies have systematized the evidence regarding this diversity of perceptions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio