Does the centrality of human values in the lisbon treaty promise more than it can actually offer? Biometrics law and policy as a case study

DINÂMIA'CET, Agosto de 2010The adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon and the granting to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the same legal force as the Treaty lent a new impulse to the consideration of fundamental human values by the European Union (EU). The question remains, however, of how this legal discourse centred on human values is actually shaping the EU regulatory framework in specific policy domains. The aim of this paper is to critically appraise the ways that certain values rendered explicit through the Charter’s rights and principles are being construed in the context of EU policy and law on biometrics, an ethically and morally sensitive security technology whose development and use are being actively promoted by the EU. We conclude that the interpretation of the pertinent Charter’s rights and principles as well as their balancing owes to a great deal to the goals of EU policies, shaped largely by political and economic considerations. In respect of biometrics, research priorities, combined with those of EU security policy, then tend to prevail over ethically or morally based legal claims.FC

Dermatoses Específicas da Gravidez

During pregnancy immunological, metabolic, hormonal and vascular changes occur, and can cause specific skin diseases. The specific dermatoses of pregnancy have undergone numerous changes in nomenclature and classification, partly due to advances in the knowledge of the pathogenesis of these skin diseases. Currently the following diseases are considered specific dermatoses of pregnancy: pemphigoid gestations, polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and atopic eruption of pregnancy. Timely diagnosis and specific and safe treatment are essential to prevent complications which, although rare, may be associated with significant maternal-fetal comorbidity

Mobilidade em cidades de média dimensão: o caso da cidade de Faro

Recentemente em Portugal, finais 2013, através do projeto de investigação INLUT - “Integração dos usos do solo e transportes em cidades de média dimensão”, que está a ser desenvolvido em parceria por quatro Universidades Portuguesas (IPCB, FAUTL, UTAD e UALG) e financiado pela FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, realizaram-se inquéritos gerais à mobilidade em quatro cidades de média dimensão (Faro, Santarém, Vila Real, e Castelo Branco) com o principal objetivo de se analisar a relação entre os usos do solo e os padrões de deslocação da população residente. Com o presente artigo pretende-se apresentar a metodologia seguida, e uma síntese dos resultados obtidos nos 1257 inquéritos à mobilidade realizados à população residente no perímetro urbano de Faro e Montenegro/Gambelas, nas seguintes variáveis: dados da amostra, identificação das áreas homogéneas da área de estudo, distribuição espacial dos inquiridos por local de residência, sexo e estrutura etária dos inquiridos, habilitações literárias, situação face ao mercado de trabalho, potencial de mobilidade, posse de veículos, número de viagens em um dia, hora de início da primeira viagem, apresentação das atitudes (perfil do inquirido), rendimento mensal liquido do aglomerado, cadeia de atividades, taxa de imobilidade, número médio de viagens, tempo médio gasto em viagens, os motivos, as cadeias de atividades realizadas, o modo de transporte escolhido, principais razões da escolha do modo de transporte, número de transbordos efetuados, entre outras. Dado que em Portugal, nas últimas duas décadas, têm vindo a ser realizados inquéritos à mobilidade geral em duas cidades de grandes dimensões: a cidade de Lisboa e a cidade do Porto com a finalidade de estudar os padrões de deslocação dos residentes e visitantes e melhorar a oferta de transportes públicos nas áreas metropolitanas destas duas grandes cidades, apresenta-se também uma breve análise comparativa entre os padrões de mobilidade da cidade de Faro, com os padrões de mobilidade da grande cidade de Lisboa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transformation of a Cutaneous Follicle Center Lymphoma to a Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma—An Unusual Presentation

Primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (PCFCL) is characterized by a proliferation of follicle center cells in the skin. A definitive diagnosis is frequently delayed because of difficulties in interpretation of the histopathologic findings. It has an excellent prognosis with a 5-year survival over 95% and its risk of transformation has not been established. We describe a case report of man with a gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) referred to our clinic because of nodules in the back that had gradually developed over a period of 10 years. A biopsy performed 3 years before was interpreted as reactive follicular hyperplasia. A new skin biopsy revealed a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements from the initial skin biopsy (PCBCL) and the DLBCL gastric biopsy were studied by polymerase chain reaction and an identical clonal rearrangement was detected which was highly suggestive of a transformation lymphoma

The economic and financial crisis in judicial discourse: Perspectives from social systems theory

A presente comunicação insere-se no contexto do projecto de investigação “A Crise nos Tribunais: Uma Análise ao Processo Decisório em Contexto de Crise Económico-Financeira”, no âmbito do qual identificámos e analisámos um conjunto de 557 decisões judiciais dos tribunais superiores nacionais, proferidas ao longo de 10 anos (2008-2017), na perspectiva de identificar eventuais efeitos da crise na jurisprudência portuguesa. A questão de pesquisa directiva foi enquadrada em termos luhmannianos do ponto de vista das relações entre sistemas sociais diferenciados: como é que o sistema judicial reage à «irritação» fáctica da crise? Esta comunicação pretende dar a conhecer algumas das linhas interpretativas que construímos a partir dos dados na perspectiva específica do funcionalismo sistémico luhmannianoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Non-axisymmetric accretion on the classical TTS RW Aur A

(Abridged) High-resolution spectroscopic monitoring of RW Aur A was carried out in 1996, 1998 and 1999 with simultaneous B, V photometry. A multicomponent spectrum is revealed with a veiled photospheric spectrum, broad emissions, narrow emission lines of helium, and accretion, wind and shell features. Periodic modulations in many spectral features were found. The photospheric absorption lines show sinusoidal variations in radial velocity with an amplitude of +-6 km/s and a period of about 2.77 days. The radial velocities of the narrow emission lines of He vary with the same period but in anti-phase to the photospheric lines. The equivalent widths of the narrow emissions vary with a phase-shift with respect to the velocity curve. The strength of the red-shifted accretion components of Na D and other lines is also modulated with the same period. The broad emission lines of metals vary mostly with the double period of about 5.5 days. One unexpected result is that no correlation was found between the veiling and the brightness, although both varied in wide ranges. This is partly due to a contribution of the shell absorption to the photospheric line profiles, which make them vary in width and depth thus simulating lower veiling. Most of the observed features can be interpreted in the framework of non-axisymmetric magnetospheric accretion. We consider two possible models. In the first the asymmetry is induced by orbital motion of an invisible, low mass secondary, which also influences the gasflows around the star, the second considers rotational modulation of a single star with an inclined or asymmetric magnetosphere

The Angular Momentum Content and Evolution of Class I and Flat-Spectrum Protostars

We report on the angular momentum content of heavily embedded protostars based on our analysis of the projected rotation velocities (v sin i s) of 38 Class I/flat spectrum young stellar objects presented by Doppmann et al (2005). After correcting for projection effects, we find that infrared-selected Class I/flat spectrum objects rotate significantly more quickly (median equatorial rotation velocity ~ 38 km/sec) than Classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs; median equatorial rotation velocity ~ 18 km/sec) in the Rho Ophiuchi and Taurus-Aurigae regions. The detected difference in rotation speeds between Class I/flat spectrum sources and CTTSs proves difficult to explain without some mechanism which transfers angular momentum out of the protostar between the two phases. Assuming Class I/flat spectrum sources possess physical characteristics (M_*,R_*,B_*) typical of pre-main sequence stars, fully disk locked Class I objects should have co-rotation radii within their protostellar disks that match well (within 30%) with the predicted magnetic coupling radii of Shu et al (1994). The factor of two difference in rotation rates between Class I/flat spectrum and CTTS sources, when interpreted in the context of disk locking models, also imply a factor of 5 or greater difference in mass accretion rates between the two phases.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal (tentatively for June 2005 edition

Acute kidney injury, long-term renal function and mortality in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a cohort analysis

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is frequent during hospitalization and may contribute to adverse consequences. We aimed to evaluate long-term adverse renal function and mortality after postoperative AKI in a cohort of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of adult patients who underwent major non-vascular abdominal surgery between January 2010 and February 2011 at the Department of Surgery II of Hospital de Santa Maria-Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal. Exclusion criteria were as follows: chronic kidney disease on renal replacement therapy, undergoing renal replacement therapy the week before surgery, death before discharge and loss to follow-up through January 2014. Patients were categorized according to the development of postoperative AKI in the first 48 h after surgery using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes classification. AKI was defined by an increase in absolute serum creatinine (SCr) ≥0.3 mg/dL or by a percentage increase in SCr ≥50% and/or by a decrease in urine output to 6 h. Adverse renal outcomes (need for long-term dialysis and/or a 25% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate after hospital discharge) and mortality after discharge were evaluated. Cumulative mortality was analysed with the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test and outcome predictive factors with the Cox regression. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 390 selected patients, 72 (18.5%) developed postoperative AKI. The median follow-up was 38 months. Adverse renal outcomes and death after hospital discharge were more frequent among AKI patients (47.2 versus 22.0%, P < 0.0001; and 47.2 versus 20.5%, P < 0.0001, respectively). The 4 year cumulative probability of death was 44.4% for AKI patients, while it was 19.8% for patients with no AKI (log-rank test, P < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, AKI was a risk factor for adverse renal outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio 1.6, P = 0.046) and mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.4, P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: AKI after major abdominal surgery was independently associated with the risk of long-term need for dialysis and/or renal function decline and with the risk of death after hospital discharge