Family variables and drug addiction

Este trabalho teve como objectivo avaliar o impacto das variáveis familiares: coesão, adaptabilidade, recursos familiares, satisfação familiar e exaustão familiar no toxicodependente e família, no sentido de contribuir para a elaboração de futuros programas de intervenção na área da educação para a saúde. Para o efeito foi utilizada uma amostra constituída por 208 indivíduos: 113 toxicodependentes e 95 familiares, divididos em 3 grupos: primeira vez em tratamento, recaídas e reabilitados. Os dados foram recolhidos no Projecto Homem em Braga. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: “Escala da Adaptabilidade e Coesão Familiar” (Faces II) de Olson, Portner & Bell (1982); “Questionário Satisfação Familiar” (FSS) de Olson & Wilson (1982) e “Questionário Recursos Familiares” de Olson, Larsen & McCubbin (1982). Verificamos maior nível de coesão, adaptabilidade, satisfação familiar e mais recursos familiares nos toxicodependentes reabilitados. Os familiares dos toxicodependentes reabilitados percebem a família como mais adaptável quando comparados com os outros dois grupos. Por sua vez, os toxicodependentes percepcionam menos satisfação familiar, coesão e recursos do que o seu familiar. As implicações dos resultados são abordadas.The current project assesses the impact of family variables: cohesion, adaptability, family strengths, family satisfaction, burden assessment in drug users and families with the intent of contributing to elaborate future intervention programs in the field of health education. The sample of our study is composed of 208 subjects: 113 drug users and 95 family members, divided into 3 groups: drug users who were in treatment for the first time, relapsed drug users and rehabilitated drug users. The data was gathered at “Projecto Homem” in Braga. The following instruments were used: “Family Cohesion and Adaptability Scales” (Faces II) by Olson, Portner & Bell; “Family Satisfaction Scale” (FSS) by Olson & Wilson (1982) and “Family Strengths” by Olson, Larsen & McCubbin (1982). Results showed greater level of cohesion, adaptability, family satisfaction and more family resources in the rehabilitated drug users. Family members of rehabilitated drug users perceive more adaptability in the family than family members from the other two groups. Drug users perceive less family satisfaction, cohesion and resources than their family member. Implications of results are addressed

A problemática da respiração no ensino da natação

A aquisição por parte de um aluno de habilidades motoras aquáticas específicas, o sucesso dessa apropriação dependerá da prévia aquisição de determinadas habilidades motoras aquáticas básicas (Barbosa, 2000; 2001; Queirós e Barbosa, 2002). De entre essas habilidades será de realçar a importância do equilíbrio (Queirós e Barbosa, 2002), da propulsão (Barbosa e Queirós, no prelo), das manipulações e da respiração

An integrative assessment to determine the genotoxic hazard of estuarine sediments: combining cell and whole-organism responses

The application of the Comet assay in environmental monitoring remains challenging in face of the complexity of environmental stressors, e.g., when dealing with estuarine sediments, that hampers the drawing of cause-effect relationships. Although the in vitro Comet assay may circumvent confounding factors, its application in environmental risk assessment (ERA) still needs validation. As such, the present work aims at integrating genotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage induced by sediment-bound toxicants in HepG2 cells with oxidative stress-related effects observed in three species collected from an impacted estuary. Distinct patterns were observed in cells exposed to crude mixtures of sediment contaminants from the urban/industrial area comparatively to the ones from the rural/riverine area of the estuary, with respect to oxidative DNA damage and oxidative DNA damage. The extracts obtained with the most polar solvent and the crude extracts caused the most significant oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells, as measured by the formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG)-modified Comet assay. This observation suggests that metals and unknown toxicants more hydrophilic than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be important causative agents, especially in samples from the rural part of the estuary, where oxidative DNA damage was the most significant. Clams, sole, and cuttlefish responded differentially to environmental agents triggering oxidative stress, albeit yielding results accordant with the oxidative DNA damage observed in HepG2 cells. Overall, the integration of in vivo biomarker responses and Comet assay data in HepG2 cells yielded a comparable pattern, indicating that the in vitro FPG-modified Comet assay may be an effective and complementary line-of-evidence in ERA even in particularly challenging, natural, scenarios such as estuarine environments

A problemática da respiração no ensino da natação

Uma dificuldade com que se depara um sujeito nos primeiros contactos com o meio aquático relaciona-se com a respiração. A impossibilidade de utilizar o mecanismo respiratório habitual no meio aquático, especialmente quando se encontra em decúbito ventral, implica a necessidade de aquisição de novos automatismos. Assim sendo é objectivo deste trabalho apresentar os pressupostos essenciais à aquisição desse novo mecanismo respiratório durante o processo de adaptação ao meio aquático

Effect of ferulic acid on the performance of soy protein isolate-based edible coatings applied to fresh-cut apples

The economic importance of fresh-cut fruit market is becoming progressively more significant, while the food industry shows increased interest in innovation of products bringing health benefits. The objective of this work was to assess the potential of incorporating ferulic acid (antioxidant with reported bioactivity that can act as cross-linking agent) in soy protein-based edible coating formulations in order to increase the quality and shelf life of fresh-cut apples (cv. Golden). Glycerol was used as plasticizer and ferulic acid was incorporated in concentrations between 1.0 and 4.0 g L?1. The properties of fresh-cut apples were analysed during seven days of storage at 10 °C. A common commercial antioxidant (sodium ascorbate at 10 g L?1) was tested for comparison. Uncoated apples and apples dipped into antioxidants solution were used as controls. The results emphasized the need to incorporate this phenolic antioxidant in a biopolymer matrix, due to its hydrophobic characteristics and consequently a poor dispersion along the surface of the fruit. They also indicate that the efficiency of the coatings incorporating ferulic acid is highly dependent on pH. The formulation with ferulic acid at 4.0 g L?1 and pH 7.0 has demonstrated potential application in extending the shelf life of fresh-cut apples.Thanks are due to the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (SusFoFlex, collaborative project number 289829, KBBE.2011.2.3-03). LAQV/REQUIMTE received financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 (reference UID/QUI/50006/2013 - POCl/01/0145/FEDER/007265).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN URBAN AREAS: EFFECTS OF INTRODUCING HYBRID CARS IN MADRID AND BARCELONA METROPOLITAN AREAS (SPAIN)

On-road traffic represents the largest source of pollutants’ emissions in urban areas. In southern Mediterranean countries exceedances of the NO2 and PM10 European air quality targets are observed in urban environments. Moreover the budget of urban emissions contributes to the emissions of O3 precursors (mainly NOx) in a region where the concentration of photochemical pollutants still remains a problem especially during summertime. Air quality modeling, used as a management tool, permits to test abatement emissions strategies in advance. Nowadays, the substitution of vehicles by introducing new technologies (e.g. cleaner fuels, hybrid vehicles, fuel cells) or alternative fuels (e.g. biofuels, natural gas or hydrogen) is a common practice in conurbations around Europe. This work focuses on the assessment of the impacts on air quality due to the introduction of hybrid cars in the largest urban areas of Spain: Madrid (within a more continental environment), and the urban coastal city of Barcelona. The WRFARW/ HERMES/CMAQ modeling system has been implemented and validated with a high resolution (1 km2 and 1 hr) thanks to the calculation power of the MareNostrum supercomputer (94.21 TFlops peak). Due to the complex topography and climatic particularities of the study areas it becomes necessary to use high spatial and temporal resolution and to have a highly-disaggregated emission inventory of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter (HERMES model developed specifically for Spain). The model was applied during a representative summertime polluted episode. The introduction of a 10% or a 30% of hybrid cars in substitution of the oldest petrol and diesel cars of both cities proved to be effective to reduce NO2, SO2 and PM10 concentrations in the conurbations (i.e. a 37% reduction in NO2 24-hr average concentration occurs in Madrid and a 18% in Barcelona when introducing a 30% of hybrid vehicles; moreover 24-hr average PM10 decreases up to 12% and 14% in Madrid and Barcelona, respectively). Nevertheless the O3 concentrations slightly arise (being the 8-hr average concentration a 3% higher in Madrid and a 24% in Barcelona respect to the base case). The selected domains present a similar behavior with respect to their impacts, with a noticeable reduction of ground-level NOx in downtown areas and an increase in the tropospheric ozone concentration in the VOC-limited areas. In downwind locations the precursors’ emissions control causes a reduction of O3 levels. The air quality modeling system proves to be a suitable and useful tool to manage urban air quality, especially when applied with this high resolution

a collaboration among refugee newcomers, migrants, activists and anthropologists in Berlin

In 2015, Germany entered what would later become known as the ‘refugee crisis’. The Willkommenskultur (welcoming culture) trope gained political prominence and met with signifi cant challenges. In this article, we focus on a series of encounters in Berlin, bringing together refugee newcomers, migrants, activists and anthropologists. As we thought and wrote together about shared experiences, we discovered the limitations of the normative assumptions of refugee work. One aim of this article is to destabilise terms such as refugee, refugee work, success and failure with our engagements in the aftermath of the ‘crisis’. Refugee work is not exclusively humanitarian aid directed towards the alleviation of suff ering but includes being and doing together. Through productive failures and emergent lessons, the collaboration enhanced our understandings of social categories and the role of anthropology

A strategy to increase and assess vaccine coverage in the north of Portugal

In the Northern Health Region of Portugal, vaccine coverage is measured by checking and studying individual vaccination records in health centres. Each year from 2001-2004, birth cohorts who were over 2, 6 and 14 years of age were selected for assessment. Data collection occurred on January the following year and meetings with district immunisation coordinators took place every March. For all vaccines and birth cohorts considered, vaccine coverage values observed in the north of Portugal were excellent. In this paper, we make comparisons with published international data on vaccine coverage and discuss validity issues; we believe that no serious biases have affected the validity of our vaccine coverage data but comparisons with international data must be addressed with caution; the methods we used have been useful in increasing vaccination coverage

Breve caracterização da flora da Ilha Graciosa

XI Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Graciosa 2004.Uma breve caracterização da flora vascular espontânea da ilha Graciosa é feita a partir da análise do seu catálogo de plantas vasculares (Pereira et al. 2004). A flora vascular Graciosense compreende no momento 437 espécies, 283 géneros e 98 famílias. O número de espécies introduzidas representa 67,3% do total de espécies presentes, enquanto a percentagem de espécies nativas se cifra apenas pelos 22,2%. A distribuição das espécies nos grandes grupos taxonómicos (Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledoneae e Monocotyledoneae) difere com significado estatístico entre as espécies nativas e introduzidas. A contribuição das espécies introduzidas é maior a nível das dicotiledóneas e menor a nível dos pteridófitos quando comparada com a distribuição das espécies nativas.ABSTRACT: A short characterization of the spontaneous vascular flora of Graciosa Island is made from the analysis of it’s checklist of vascular plants (Pereira et al. 2004). At the moment 437 species, 283 genus and 98 families are recorded. The number of introduced species represents 67.3% of the total species while the native species correspond only to 22,2 % of the vascular flora. The species distribution on the main taxonomic groups (Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledoneae e Monocotyledoneae) is significantly different between native and introduced species. The contribution of introduced species is superior in the Dicotyledoneae and inferior in the Pteridophyta when compared with the native species

Seed origin drives differences in survival and growth traits of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) populations

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) has a high ecological and social value and supplies raw materials for the cork industry, a relevant contributor to the economies of Mediterranean countries. Understanding the adaptation potential of cork oak populations to cope with different environmental conditions is a key issue of forest management, particularly for selecting the most adapted genetic material for (re)forestation and assuring the long-term sustainability of the cork industry. Intraspecific variation in fitness surrogate traits (survival, height and stem diameter) was investigated in thirty-five cork oak populations sampled from the entire range of the natural distribution of the species. The study was conducted in two provenance field trials, established in Portugal under different edaphoclimatic conditions. Each trial was surveyed at four tree ages (two ages, 11 and 14 years, were sampled simultaneously in both trials). The trial located at a lower altitude, which had higher mean winter and annual temperatures, exhibited higher growth and survival rates. In both trials, significant genetic variation among cork oak populations was observed for the analyzed traits and evaluated ages. Moroccan populations displayed a higher probability of survival and higher growth rates, while local populations exhibited an intermediate performance. Low to moderate correlations were found between the analyzed traits and the environmental variables of seed origin, suggesting that factors other than climate are likely to be relevant for cork oak adaptation. Moderate to high values of population mean-basis broad-sense heritability (H2≥0.44) and high genetic correlations between traits (0.88–0.95) were found for growth traits. This information is crucial for the establishment of a breeding program for the species. With this study, we have improved the knowledge regarding how cork oak performs for fitness surrogate traits in different environments.The cork oak provenance field trials were funded by European (FAIR1-CT-95-0202) and national foundations (PBIC/AGR/2282/95, PAMAF 4027, PRAXIS/3/3.2/Flor/2110/95). The growth and survival measurements were assessed with the support of the European project: “CREOAK: Conservation and restoration of European cork OAK woodlands: a unique ecosystem in the balance” (QLK5–CT–2002–01594); and the “Repovoamento com sobreiro: Variabilidade genética e biologia da semente conservada (POCTI/41359/AGG/2001) national project. Research activities were also funded by Forest Research Centre (CEF), a research unit funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UID/AGR/00239/2013). Teresa Sampaio was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal through a doctoral grant under the SUSFOR Doctoral Programme (PD/ BD/52402/2013). The authors are thankful to Maria Carolina Varela who setting up the EU-concerted action on cork oak, FAIR I CT 95 0202 and to Carla Faria, Carla Leite and Regina Chambel that collaborated on the establishment of the Portuguese genetic trials. We also thanks to Ana Margarida Nunes, Lurdes Marçal, Madalena Silva, Maria João Lourenço and Sara Rocha for their support in field work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio