Rehabilitation of abandoned villages through tourism: a solution for sustainable heritage development?

Villages which have been abandoned during recent decades as a result of migration from rural areas constitute a serious problem which is all too common in many European countries. The aim of this paper is to examine the problem in Portugal and conduct a comparative study of four villages, set in a range of geographical and socio-economic contexts, which have been rehabilitated. These villages are associated with: different types of vernacular architecture; different types of traditional landscape; contrasting topographic contexts; and different causes of rural abandonment. The findings of this study point to the main requirements for improvement and recommendations are made for suitable developments in terms of the heritage in its broadest sense, including the surrounding landscape. Heritage character is not only important for the preservation of local identity but may also be associated with products and services which are marketed and is thus an essential factor for the socio-economic sustainability of rehabilitated villages.CIDEHUS centre and IIFA institute of Évora University , European Union FEDR, COMPETE and QREN, Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)

Assessment of 'cool' and 'hot' executive skills in children with ADHD: the role of performance measures and behavioral ratings

Executive dysfunction is an underlying characteristic of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Therefore, this study explored which measures of executive functions (EF) may lead to a better diagnostic prediction and evaluated whether participants were adequately assigned to the ADHD group based on the identified predictors. Seventeen 6- to 10-year-old children with ADHD were matched with 17 typically developing peers (TD) by age, gender, and non-verbal intelligence. Performance-based measures and behavior ratings of ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ EF were used. As expected, there was a significant group effect on the linear combination of measures, indicating that children with ADHD showed significant difficulties with EF compared to the TD group. In fact, significant differences were found in measures of short-term and working memory, planning, delay aversion, and EF-related behaviors, as reported by parents and teachers. However, the discriminant function analysis only revealed three significant predictors: the General Executive Composite of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Parent and Teacher Forms) and the Delay of Gratification Task, with 97.1% correct classifications. These findings highlight the importance and contribution of both behavioral ratings and ‘hot’ measures of EF for the characterization of ADHD in children

Os novos actores colectivos no campo da saúde: o papel das famílias nas associações de doentes

Ao longo dos últimos anos tem sido dada importância crescente à análise de movimentos que têm emergido, sobretudo nos países europeus, no domínio da saúde. Genericamente definidos como movimentos sociais em saúde, estes movimentos podem assumir diferentes formas mais ou menos institucionalizadas: desde as organizações de saúde e associações de doentes, a formas de activismo terapêutico, a movimentos de utentes dos serviços de saúde, movimentos pela justiça ambiental, colectivos emergentes associados a ameaças à saúde pública, iniciativas para a promoção e defesa do direito à saúde e seus serviços. Ainda neste domínio, a própria mobilização colectiva provou ser uma forma de trazer enquadramentos alternativos para os problemas no espaço público, abrindo novos lugares de controvérsia. Neste texto procuramos reflectir sobre uma forma particular de movimentos neste domínio, as associações de doentes, tendo como contexto de análise privilegiado a sociedade portuguesa. Para tal, recorremos a parte dos resultados de trabalho realizado no âmbito de um projecto europeu. Ao procurar analisar esta diversidade de características, actividades e transformações associadas a este fenómeno, a nossa investigação centrou-se em três eixos principais: a) as relações das associações com os profissionais de saúde e o envolvimento em práticas de investigação; b) o seu papel social e político; c) as formas de internacionalização, sobretudo à escala europeia e a formação de redes associativas

Aldeias abandonadas, património imaterial e desenvolvimento local: estudos de caso na Área Metropolitana de Lisboa

O abandono e desertificação de aldeias é um problema europeu que se tem vindo a acentuar a partir da segunda metade do século XX. Portugal é, em conjunto com outros países do Sul da Europa, um dos mais afectados por esta problemática que atinge todo o território nacional. A tese parte uma pergunta: existem aldeias abandonadas na Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (AML), área com maior número de habitantes e de desenvolvimento económico em Portugal? Esta questão levou-nos a realizar o primeiro levantamento de aldeias abandonada na AML e, foram escolhidas para estudos de caso, a aldeia das Broas no concelho de Mafra e a Aldeia de A-dos-Rolhados no concelho de Sintra. Para cada um dos casos de estudo foram propostas medidas de revitalização e reabilitação das aldeias numa perspectiva holística que integra conceitos diversos como desenvolvimento local e património imaterial. Não foi possível encontrar um modelo único de reabilitação e revitalização de aldeias, na medida em que o património cultural (material e imaterial) de cada aldeia, as suas gentes e o seu território são diferenciados e, como tal, cada projecto é único também. Na nossa perspectiva, só num quadro económico multifuncional envolvendo actividade agrícolas, pequena manufactura e turismo cultural, é possível reverter o abandono e desertificação de aldeias, estabelecendo parcerias entre governo, população e todos os actores sociais interessados no projecto a aplicar em cada aldeia.The abandonment and depopulation of villages is an European problem that has been increasing since the second half of the twentieth century. Portugal is, along with other countries of Southern Europe, one of the most affected by this problem that affects the entire national territory. The thesis starts with a question: are there abandoned villages in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) area with the highest number of inhabitants and economic development in Portugal? This question led us the first survey of abandoned villages in AML and for case studies were chosen the village of Broas at Mafra's county and village of A-dos-Rolhados at Sintra's county. For each case study it has been proposed the revitalization and rehabilitation of the villages in a holistic way that integrates diverse concepts as local development and intangible heritage. It wasn't possible to find a unique model of rehabilitation and revitalization for all villages, for the cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) of each village, its people and its territory are each one quite unique and so each project has to be unique too. In our point of view, only in an economic activity involving multifunctional agriculture, small manufacturing and cultural tourism, it is possible to reverse the abandonment and depopulation of the villages, establishing partnerships between government, population and all social actors interested in the project to be implemented in each village

N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase expression during early mouse embryonic development

N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase (GalNAc4S-6ST) is an enzyme which is known to help build up the GlcA beta 1-3GalNAc(4,6-bisSO(4)) unit of chondroitin sulfate E (CSE). This enzymatic activity has been reported in squid cartilage and in human serum, but has never been reported as an enzyme required during early mouse development. On the other hand, CSE has been shown to bind with strong affinity to Midkine (MK). The latter is a heparin-binding growth factor which has been found to play important regulatory roles in differentiation and morphogenesis during mouse embryonic development. We have analyzed the expression pattern of the GalNAc4S-6ST gene during early mouse embryonic development by whole mount in situ hybridization. The results show that GalNAc4S-6ST is differentially expressed in the anterior visceral ectoderm at stage E5.5 and later becomes restricted to the embryonic endoderm, especially in the prospective midgut region. During the turning process, expression of GalNAc4S-6ST gene is detected in the forebrain, branchial arches, across the gut tube (hindgut, midgut and foregut diverticulum), in the vitelline veins and artery and in the splanchnopleure layer. These results open the possibility of a role for GalNAc4S-6ST during early mouse development

A tributação das sociedades gestoras de participações sociais em Portugal (regime comparativo com o RETGS)

Mestrado em FiscalidadeEste trabalho visa tratar a evolução das Sociedades Gestoras de Participações Sociais (adiante designadas abreviadamente por SGPS) entre o período de 2005 e 2014, fazendo uma caraterização evolutiva desde o início (2005) até aos dias de hoje (2014). Analisaremos em particular a importância que as SGPS têm na nossa sociedade e a gestão de participações sociais de outras sociedades, como forma indireta de exercício de atividades económicas. Analisaremos ainda as diferenças entre as SGPS e o Regime Especial de Tributação dos Grupos de Sociedade (adiante designado abreviadamente por RETGS) e qual a sua aplicação em sede de IRC e em sede de IVA nos diversos anos com referência há legislação que regula esta matéria. A ideia final deste trabalho é que o leitor consiga saber a utilidade e a função das SGPS e estabelecer uma comparação com o RETGS ao longo dos anos acima referenciados.The main objective of this work is to address the evolution of Shareholdings Management Companies (designated also as SGPS in this work) between the period of 2005 and 2014, doing an evolutionary characterization since the beginning (2005) until the present days (2014). We analyze in particular the importance that the SGPS, have in our society and is the management of social participations in other societies as an indirect form of economic activities. Also we analyze the differences between the SGPS and the Special Tax Regime for Company Groups (designated also as RETGS in this work) and what their application for IRC and for VAT in several years and which law governs this matter. The final idea of this work is to make the reader able to know the usefulness and function of SGPS and establish a comparison with the RETGS over the years referenced above