San Pedro leucogranite from A Coruña, Northwest of Spain: Uses of a heritage stone

San Pedro leucogranite from A Coruña, in the Northwest of Spain, has been a building stone widely used in the Middle Ages. Colour, rarity, appearance and petrophysical properties have led to the use of this leucogranite. Monuments such as churches, tombstones and the basement of the Hercules Tower lighthouse, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, make it an ideal candidate for designation as a Global Heritage Stone Resource

Mineral profiling of muscle and hepatic tissues of Australian Merino, Damara and Dorper lambs: Effect of weight loss

Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is a major constraint to extensive animal production systems. The Australian sheep production is based on merino sheep, a European breed not tolerant to SWL. Tolerant alternative breeds such as the fat-tailed Damara and the Dorper have been increasingly used in Australia and elsewhere, due to their robustness. The aim of this study was to understand the mineral profile of muscle and liver tissues of Australian Merino, Damara and Dorper, when subjected to SWL in order to understand SWL-tolerance physiology. Twenty-four lambs were divided randomly between growing (control) and nutritionally restricted groups for each breed. The trial lasted 42 days. Animals were weighed bi-weekly and at the end of the trial, lambs were slaughtered. Liver and muscle samples were taken immediately after slaughter. Mineral assessment was carried out using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry. Analysis of variance showed mineral concentrations were generally increased in the muscle of restricted animals, mainly because of fat tissue mobilization. An increase in Zn and Fe concentrations indicates an increase of enzymatic activity in the liver of restricted sheep as well as differential abundance of Fe-containing proteins. High concentrations of Cu in the liver of Dorper indicate higher ability to accumulate this element, even under SWLinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Era uma vez... o mar. O mar como recurso educativo no 1º ciclo: o contributo do projeto iLit

Esta publicação é financiada por fundos nacionais através da FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, no âmbito do projeto "Entre a terra e o mar: um projeto de integração de literacias" (iLit) (PTDC/CPE-CED/117923/2010).O livro “Era uma vez…O mar. O mar como recurso educativo no 1º ciclo: O contributo do projeto iLit” foi desenvolvido no âmbito do projeto “Entre a terra e o mar: um projeto de integração de literacias”, que teve como principal objetivo o desenvolvimento de tarefas de investigação, focadas em situações reais do dia-a-dia, que promovem a integração de diferentes literacias. Estas investigações envolvem a exploração integrada de diferentes contextos de aprendizagem, dentro da sala de aula, em instituições de educação não formal, como museus de ciência e laboratórios de investigação, e o trabalho de campo. O livro encontra-se organizado em duas partes. A primeira parte inclui a fundamentação teórica, perspetivando recursos exteriores à escola como contextos de aprendizagem, e a integração das visitas de estudo no trabalho realizado em sala de aula, de acordo com ideias chave sobre a aprendizagem e as recomendações atuais na educação em ciência, assim como os resultados de investigação sobre a implementação das tarefas, tendo em conta o seu impacto nas aprendizagens dos alunos. A segunda Parte inclui as tarefas testadas pelos professores do 1º ciclo e alguns exemplos de trabalhos realizados pelos alunos.FC

Hypovitaminosis D and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents with severe obesity

Background/Objectives. Obesity is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and with Vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between 25(OH)D concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents with severe obesity. Subjects/Methods. A cross-sectional clinical assessment (body mass index, fat mass index, fat-free mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and blood pressure) and metabolic study (triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, calcium, phosphorous, calcidiol, and PTH) were carried out in 236 adolescents diagnosed with severe obesity (BMI z-score > 3.0, 99th percentile), aged 10.2–15.8 years. The criteria of the US Endocrine Society were used for the definition of Vitamin D status. Results. Subjects with Vitamin D deficiency had significantly elevated values (p < 0.05) for BMI z-score, waist circumference, waist z-score, body fat percentage, fat mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, and PTH than subjects with normal Vitamin D status. There was a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) of serum 25(OH)D levels with body fat percentage, FMI, systolic BP, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, and PTH. Conclusions. Low Vitamin D levels in adolescents with severe obesity were significantly associated with some cardiometabolic risk factors, including body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass index, high blood pressure, impaired lipid profile, and insulin resistance

Large Group Work: Identity Development and Its Significance for Achieving Race Equality

This article examines and analyses the effectiveness of experiential large group work (between 24–35 students) in delivering community and youth work training at Goldsmiths1. It specifically focuses on students’ development and experience in their understanding of racism and identity. The training has refined a model of learning and teaching that combines large group work and experiential learning. It is in this arena that students explore and critically reflect on their life and work experiences. They learn to process and articulate their feelings and understandings across a wide range of issues that come from learning how to inwardly reflect and to develop an awareness of themselves and change. The article explores the experience of group work training and the significance of students’ development of their racial identity in effectively addressing racism. It draws on both the work of Paulo Freire (1972; 1995) on education and Pat de Maré (1975; 1991) on large groups. The article begins by examining some of the literature on both race and large groups followed by an exploration of racial identity and its development in the group work process in terms of distinct phases. It then discusses the importance of the large group and its relevance to development of racial identities. It concludes by highlighting the significance of the issue of racial identity in addressing racism

A bilateral whitish lesion on the mucosa of the cheek

An 8-year-old girl with no medical history presented with a bilateral whitish lesion on the mucosa of the cheek, evident since early childhood. There was no relevant family history, and her parents had not presented similar lesions. They reported a progressive growth of the lesion in the last months, for which she had been evaluated by maxillofacial surgery, the lesion being oriented as a frictional keratosis. However, the use of occlusal splint was not associated with any improvement. She was otherwise asymptomatic. Physical examination revealed a bilateral, whitish, well-demarcated cheek mucosal plaque, which partially coincided with the dental occlusion line. The lesion did not detach with scratching (Figure 1). No other alterations were observed in the oral cavity or in the systematic physical examination

Petrología aplicada a la Conservación del Patrimonio

El grupo de Petrología Aplicada a la Conservación del Patrimonio (PAP) está constituido por investigadores del CSIC y de la UCM, que pertenecen al Instituto de Geociencias. Este instituto, creado en 2011, es una transformación del antiguo Instituto de Geología Económica (CSIC-UCM), del cual procede este grupo de investigación con más de 25 años de experiencia en la conservación del patrimonio cultural, principalmente del patrimonio arquitectónico y arqueológico realizado en piedra. El grupo participa en los estudios previos y en los realizados durante la fase de ejecución del proyecto de diferentes intervenciones encaminadas a la restauración y conservación del patrimonio (www.conservacionpatrimonio.es)