The design features of environmental taxes

This dissertation aimed at assessing what environmental taxes are. It was argued clear policy guidelines for their design follow from understanding them as regulatory instruments aimed at environmental policy goals. Empirical evidence drawn from institutional practices in Denmark (waste tax), Portugal (energy tax) and Sweden (energy tax, CO2 tax, sulphur tax and the NOx charge) showed that compliance with such guidelines, which allow the distinction between environmental taxes and environmentally-related taxes, are paramount to the environmental effectiveness of these instruments. Both environmental taxes and pollution taxes or environmentally-related taxes are raised on polluting tax bases and highlight inefficiencies in abatement and opportunities for technological progress by putting a positive price on pollution, hence raising awareness and sharing responsibility. However, they are substantially different. Their underlying normative tax design is different following the different objectives they pursue. The more environmentally targeted tax design of environmental taxes makes them perform better than pollution taxes as instruments of environmental policy, producing stronger and quicker environmental effects than environmentally-related taxes raised on the same tax bases. Environmental taxes aim only or primarily at fulfilling precise environmental objectives via behavioural change and technological progress and must be ruled by environmental criteria. Their design induces behavioural change by promoting tax awareness and tax avoidance, as well as by adopting a ‘forward looking’ approach provided by its reference to the opportunity for improvement rather than mere pollution amounts. Therefore, they must be raised on specific polluting emissions or a proxy for them. Their tax rate needs to be referred to pollution abatement costs or relative polluting impacts taking into account a specific pollutant, and be set at the level required to induce the behavioural change necessary to attain the environmental objective pursued. And they must be charged to polluters who control the cause sine qua non of pollution and still did not explore all their opportunities for environmental improvement

Reatividade cruzada entre penicilinas e cefalosporinas: mudança de paradigma

Allergic reactions to beta-lactam antibiotics are the most common cause of allergic drug reactions. The incorrect diagnosis prevents patients from receiving a highly effective therapy. The potential cross-reactivity between penicillin and cephalosporin has very significant therapeutic implications. Penicillins and cephalosporins share a common beta-lactam ring and side chains. A number of studies indicate that the R1 side chain, rather than the ring itself, is the determining factor for cross-reactivity. Herein is presented a review of the immunologic mechanisms implicated in penicillin and cephalosporin cross-reactivity and a practical approach to the use of cephalosporins in patients allergic to penicillin.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diagnostic Practices of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Brazil

In Brazil, in spite of over half a million students with special needs in primary education, little research has been conducted about ASD diagnostic practices. This involves learning about the training that professionals are receiving, what diagnostic practices are being implemented on the field, and whether those are being contextualized according to the Brazilian culture. Students with special needs are directly affected by the results of diagnostic practices, since identifying the individuals is one of the first steps. Lack of understanding about that stage may lead to the problematic realities of underidentification or overidentification, exclusion of children who should receive that special intervention and inclusion of some who do not need them. Precision in diagnosis, that considers cultural factors, is a highly desired and continuous goal for special educators. Therefore, students with ASD are directly affected by the results of this research. The purpose of this study is 1) to determine the knowledge and training of professionals that diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder in Brazil (Audiologists, Neurologists, Pediatricians, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and others), 2) to determine if those professionals are using diagnostic practices similar to the US, 3) to investigate which procedures and instruments are used in the diagnosis of a child suspected of having an Autism Spectrum Disorder in Brazil; and 4) to determine what happens after diagnosis. This research can be placed within the context of studies focused on three complementary areas: conceptual, historical, and cross-cultural. The first area is related to the overall conceptual understanding of cultural factors in the diagnosis of ASD. The second one considers the historical influences in the diagnostic practices of children with ASD in Brazil, including government policies. The last one adopts a cross-cultural approach to the study of autism with emphasis on comparative studies. The survey instrument specifically designed for this study is The Autism Spectrum Disorders Assessment Survey comprised of thirteen questions (single and multiple choice items, and Likert-type items) designed to collect information in regards to demographic characteristics of the participant, description of the diagnostic team, procedures, instruments used for diagnosis, and knowledge about characteristics necessary to identify a child as having an ASD. The survey received 236 responses from professionals that diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorders from every state and the Federal District in Brazil. The results of this research suggest the need to invest in the training of professionals. Another related suggestion is to develop specific criteria and common diagnostic protocol for professionals in Brazil. Finally, providing access to inclusive education to people with autism would also provide them a more adequate opportunity for development

Patterns of selection against centrosome amplification in human cell lines.

The presence of extra centrioles, termed centrosome amplification, is a hallmark of cancer. The distribution of centriole numbers within a cancer cell population appears to be at an equilibrium maintained by centriole overproduction and selection, reminiscent of mutation-selection balance. It is unknown to date if the interaction between centriole overproduction and selection can quantitatively explain the intra- and inter-population heterogeneity in centriole numbers. Here, we define mutation-selection-like models and employ a model selection approach to infer patterns of centriole overproduction and selection in a diverse panel of human cell lines. Surprisingly, we infer strong and uniform selection against any number of extra centrioles in most cell lines. Finally we assess the accuracy and precision of our inference method and find that it increases non-linearly as a function of the number of sampled cells. We discuss the biological implications of our results and how our methodology can inform future experiments

How health activities view man and how man rethinks them: an anthropological analysis of Chagas disease control.

Estudo antropológico sobre a percepção cultural de um grupo de residentes no Município de Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brasil, em relação à experiência de doença de Chagas e ao impacto das ações de saúde na vida social. Foi realizada uma pesquisa etnográfica baseada no instrumento de entrevista aberta, buscando identificar a percepção individual de 35 habitantes de Bambuí (chagásicos e não) que viveram na região desde os anos quarenta, quando as ações de saúde foram promovidas para combater a doença de Chagas. Dentro de uma ampla análise da percepção social do efeito das ações de saúde implementadas, procurou-se observar as representações culturais do processo do adoecer. O estudo pretende contribuir para que as intervenções de saúde possam atuar de forma integral, incluindo os aspectos sócio-culturais com a população à qual se dirigem. A perspectiva cultural assume um importante papel para evitar sofrimento social

DETERMINATION OF GEO-INFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS IN THE USER INTERACTION WITH A SYSTEM FOR BETTERMENT TAX CALCULATION

In this paper, we present some results of research work that seeks to determine how the characteristics of geoinformation should be considered and included in the design of users' interfaces for a geoinformation system. Through well-known techniques of requirements engineering, we collected and documented the information obtained from potential users of a geoinformation system designed to be used for calculation of betterment taxes. Furthermore, we analyzed the users’ requirements to determine the characteristics of geoinformation in this particular case of tax calculation. We try to define how those geoinformation characteristics can be included in the requirements specification and how to consider them to help designing better geoinformation systems interfaces

Is it possible to “find space for mental health” in young people? effectiveness of a school-based mental health literacy promotion program

Lack of knowledge regarding, and the stigma associated with, mental disorders have been identified as major obstacles for the promotion of mental health and early intervention. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention program focused on the promotion of mental health literacy (MHL) in young people (“Finding Space for Mental Health”). A sample of 543 students (22 classes), aged between 12 and 14 years old, participated in the study. Each class of students was randomly assigned to the control group (CG; n = 284; 11 classes) or the experimental group (EG; n = 259; 11 classes). MHL was assessed using the Mental Health Literacy questionnaire (MHLq), which is comprised of three dimensions—Knowledge/Stereotypes, First Aid Skills and Help Seeking, and Self-Help Strategies. The scores on these dimensions can also be combined to give an overall or total score. Participants from the EG attended the MHL promotion program (two sessions, 90 min each) delivered at one-week intervals. Sessions followed an interactive methodology, using group dynamics, music, and videos adapted to the target group. All participants responded to the MHLq at three points in time: pre-intervention assessment (one week prior to the intervention), post-intervention assessment (one week after the intervention) and follow-up assessment (six months after the intervention). The intervention effectiveness and the differential impact of sociodemographic variables on the effectiveness of the program were studied using a Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE). Results revealed that participants from the EG demonstrated, on average, significantly higher improvement in MHL from pre-intervention to follow-up when compared to participants from the CG. Different sociodemographic variables affected the effectiveness of the program on distinct dimensions of the MHLq. Overall, “Finding Space for Mental Health” showed efficacy as a short-term promotion program for improving MHL in schools.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O desporto como contexto para a aprendizagem e ensino de competências de vida: programas de intervenção para crianças e adolescentes

[Excerto] Introdução: Hoje em dia, a probabilidade dos adolescentes se envolverem em comportamentos de risco, que afectam o bem-estar individual, é cada vez maior, surgindo assim a necessidade de intervir no sentido de os ajudar a serem bem sucedidos durante a adolescência, juventude e, posteriormente, enquanto adultos (Danish, 1997). Neste sentido, Danish e colaboradores (1992a, 1992b) desenvolveram dois programas de intervenção psicológica que visam ensinar crianças e jovens entre os 10 e os 14 anos a serem bem-sucedidos em vários domínios e contextos das suas vidas: o programa «Going for the Goal» (GOAL) e o programa «Sports United to Promote Education and Recreation» (SUPER). Estes programas têm vindo a ser desenvolvidos e implementados pelo Centro de Competências de Vida da Universidade da Virgínia (EUA), desde o início dos anos 90. O programa «GOAL», por exemplo, já foi implementado e ensinado a mais de 25.000 jovens, não só nos EUA, mas também na Austrália e Nova Zelândia. Actualmente, está também a ser traduzido e adaptado em Espanha, Portugal e Hungria. Em 1996, foi o vencedor do prémio de prevenção atribuído pela «Associação Americana de Saúde Mental», tendo também sido homenageado pelo Departamento norte-americano de Saúde e Serviços Humanos para a Prevenção da Violência. [...

Metastatic congenital neuroblastoma associated with in situ neuroblastoma: case report and review of literature

Although neonatal tumors are rare, neuroblastoma is the most common neoplasia among them. These tumors, which usually involve children in early infancy, are derived from neural crest cells of adrenal gland medulla or sympathetic ganglia. Even though congenital metastatic neuroblastoma presents a favorable prognosis, it may lead to death if not recognized and treated early on. The authors report the case of a 2-month-old child who was born from in vitro fertilization, and whose diagnosis was made after birth. The form of presentation of this case as a metastatic disease concerning this age group is noteworthy

A força na incerteza: experimentos de reflexão crítica e de criação poética

Resenha do livro Sobre poesia: outras vozesOrg. Celia Pedrosa e Ida Alves7 Letras, 2016