Cultivar Mindfulness em contexto educacional : As abordagens baseadas em Mindfulness na promoção de competências socioemocionais e do bem-estar, nos alunos e nos professores

Dados recentes evidenciam um crescente número de crianças e jovens em idade escolar que, em Portugal, apresentam problemas emocionais, comportamentais e/ou de saúde mental comprometendo, entre outros fatores, o desempenho académico. Outros estudos têm alertado para o elevado risco de stress e burnout1 da classe docente com impacto negativo na sua saúde ocupacional e desempenho profissional. Várias décadas de investigação demonstraram que as intervenções precoces, focadas nos mais jovens, como a aprendizagem sócio-emocional, podem ser eficazes em atrasar ou prevenir o aparecimento de transtornos mentais, emocionais e comportamentais, com claros benefícios ao longo da vida. Relativamente aos professores, as competências socioemocionais têm também sido referidas como fator de proteção associado à promoção da sua saúde e do seu bem-estar. Recentemente, uma nova abordagem educacional, a educação contemplativa, tem vindo a ganhar relevo na promoção de competências socioemocionais dos alunos. Uma das práticas contemplativas mais estudadas em contexto educacional é a mindfulness. Em linha com os vários estudos realizados sobre a eficácia das abordagens baseadas em mindfulness, é importante avaliar o seu impacto no bemestar dos alunos, para além dos afetos positivos e negativos e de outras variáveis relativas aos problemas associados ao mal-estar tanto dos alunos como dos professores (e.g., afetos negativos, burnout). A presente dissertação pretendeu contribuir para o aprofundamento do conhecimento científico sobre a eficácia das abordagens de promoção de competências socioemocionais baseadas em mindfulness nos alunos e nos professores. Os seus objetivos são: (1) avaliar os efeitos do programa MindUp (desenvolvido especificamente para crianças) nos alunos e nos professores que o aplicaram; (2) avaliar os efeitos do programa Atentamente (desenvolvido especificamente para professores) nos professores, no clima de sala de aula, e nos seus alunos; (3) avaliar a estabilidade dos efeitos a médio prazo do programa Atentamente, nos professores e nos alunos; (4) explorar o papel mediador da mindfulness no impacto da intervenção no bem-estar, autoeficácia e burnout dos professores, em follow-up; (5) avaliar as qualidades psicométricas de um instrumento de avaliação do bem-estar (Mental Health Continuum - Short Form) em duas amostras independentes (crianças e pré-adolescentes). Estes objetivos foram operacionalizados em quatro estudos. O Estudo 1 teve como objetivo traduzir, adaptar, implementar e explorar os efeitos do programa MindUp, aplicado a alunos do 3º e 4º ano de escolaridade do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico pelos seus professores, num grupo piloto de alunos e professores. Os participantes deste estudo incluíram 363 alunos e os seus 19 professores. Os resultados indicaram um aumento significativo das competências socioemocionais dos alunos e uma diminuição dos seus comportamentos antissociais e uma melhoria significativa das competências de gestão de sala de aula dos professores. No Estudo 2 foram avaliados os efeitos do programa MindUp nos alunos e, de modo exploratório, os seus efeitos nos professore através de um desenho quase experimental com dois momentos de recolha de dados. O grupo experimental (GE) integrou 223 crianças, do 3º ano e do 4º ano de escolaridade e os seus 13 professoras. O grupo de controle (GC) incluiu 231 crianças, do 3º ano e do 4º ano de escolaridade e os seus 7 professores. Os resultados mostraram que no pós-teste 58% das crianças que integraram o programa MindUP pontuaram acima da média do grupo de controlo no afeto positivo e 57% no sentido de humanidade partilhada, enquanto 58% pontuaram abaixo no afeto negativo e na regulação emocional por supressão. Por seu lado, 91% dos professores que implementaram o MindUP obtiveram pontuação acima da média do grupo de controlo na observação, 86% na realização pessoal e 82% no calor/compreensão. O Estudo 3 avaliou as qualidades psicométricas da versão curta e adaptada para português do Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) em duas amostras independentes de crianças e pré-adolescentes. A amostra 1 incluiu 208 crianças e da amostra 2 fizeram parte 216 pré-adolescentes. Os resultados confirmaram a estrutura tridimensional do bem-estar subjetivo nas duas amostras. As três subescalas do MHC – SF revelaram alta consistência interna e os resultados do HTMT85 indicaram validade discriminante. O teste de invariância entre três grupos de idades diferentes (7-8 anos, 9-10 anos e 11-14 anos) confirmou a invariância métrica completa e a invariância escalar parcial do MHC-SF. No Estudo 4 foram avaliados os efeitos do programa Atentamente, um programa baseado em mindfulness dirigido aos professores, nestes, no clima de sala de aula, e nos seus alunos, a estabilidade dos efeitos a médio prazo, e o papel mediador da mindfulness nos impactos da intervenção nos professores, através de um desenho experimental com três momentos de recolha de dados. Os participantes do GE incluíram 112 professores do 1º ciclo do ensino básico, os seus 1381 alunos e os pais dos mesmos (n = 1271), enquanto do GC fizeram parte 93 professores do 1º ciclo do ensino básico, os seus 1121 alunos e os respectivos pais (n = 914). Os resultados mostraram que após a intervenção os professores do GE, em comparação com os professores de GC, relataram um aumento significativo nas competências de mindfulness e regulação emocional, autoeficácia e bem-estar e uma diminuição significativa dos sintomas de burnout. Da mesma forma, foi encontrada uma melhoria significativa nos comportamentos em sala de aula dos professores do GE relacionados com o envolvimento dos alunos. Além disso, também foram encontradas melhorias significativas nas percepções dos alunos do GE sobre a qualidade do envolvimento dos seus professores nas relações em sala de aula, nas competências de regulação emocional, no bem-estar e nas competências sociais percebidas pelos pais. Por fim, a mindfulness mediou os efeitos da intervenção na despersonalização e no bem-estar dos professores evidenciados três meses após a intervenção (follow-up). Os resultados destes estudos dão um contributo para o aprofundamento do conhecimento sobre o papel desempenhado pelas intervenções baseadas em mindfulness na redução dos sintomas de stress dos professores e na promoção das suas competências socioemocionais e bem-estar, na promoção de um clima de sala de aula positivo e na promoção das competências socioemocionais e do bem-estar dos alunos. Adicionalmente, reforçam a importância de integrar na formação contínua dos professores e no currículo académico dos alunos do 1º ciclo do ensino básico intervenções baseadas em mindfulness tendo em vista a promoção das suas competências socioemocionais e do seu bem-estar.Fundação BIAL - projeto Bial nº 114/16

Savoring : uma forma de promover o bem-estar? : a relação entre as crenças, as estratégias de savoring e o bem-estar pessoal nos adolescentes : um estudo exploratório

Tese de mestrado, Psicologia (Stress e Bem-Estar - Intervenção na Família, na Escola, e no Trabalho), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, 2009A investigação sobre os processos de adaptação indica que numa situação de stress também se pode experienciar eustress (Nelson, D. L. & Simmons, B. L., 2003), mas poucos estudos foram feitos sobre como é que se desfrutam as experiências emocionais positivas. Bryant e Veroff (2007) salientam que a forma de verdadeiramente desfrutar a nossa vida passa por, apreciar, aumentar e atender a experiências positivas e apresentam-nos um modelo para estudar este processo designado savoring. Para estes autores este processo constitui um mediador da relação entre as condições objectivas da nossa vida e a frequência da experiência de emoções positivas, ou seja o savoring é um meio para promover o bem-estar. Este estudo centra-se no modelo de savoring e tem como objectivos: traduzir e adaptar para português as escalas Savoring Beliefs Inventory (SBI) e Ways of Savoring Checklist (WOSC) e explorar as relações existentes entre as crenças e as estratégias de savoring e o nível de Bem-Estar nos adolescentes, medido através da Escala de Bem-Estar Psicológico para Adolescentes - EBEPA (Bizarro, 1999). O estudo das características psicométricas dos instrumentos na amostra revelou resultados encorajadores para a investigação, em adolescentes, das estratégias de savoring e das crenças sobre a capacidade para desfrutar um acontecimento positivo. Entre os resultados encontrados destaca-se o efeito indirecto, positivo e significativo, da crença relativa à capacidade para desfrutar um acontecimento positivo no Bem-Estar através da estratégia de partilha com os outros.Studies have shown that during a stressful event people may also experience eustress (Nelson, D. L. & Simmons, B. L., 2003), but little research has been done on how people savor these positive emotional experiences. Bryant e Veroff (2007) proposed a model to explain how we attend to, appreciate and enhance positive experiences entitled the savoring process. Also, the authors consider this process as a key moderator of the relationship between one‟s life conditions and the frequency of positive emotions. We can say that, savoring is a way to promote well-being. In this study we translated and adapted to Portuguese the Savoring Beliefs Inventory (SBI) and Ways of Savoring Checklist (WOSC), and made used of the savoring model to understand the relationship between savoring strategies and beliefs, and adolescent well-being (AWB), evaluated with Adolescent‟s Psychological Well-Being Scale EBEPA (Bizarro, 1999) A preliminary analysis of the psychometrics aspects of the instruments has revealed promising results that support further research on the evaluation of savoring beliefs and strategies among adolescents. Specifically, our results show the indirect, positive and significant effect of the belief in being able to savor positive experience on well-being, through sharing with others

A new method for yeast phagocytosis analysis by flow cytometry

Herein we developed a method based on the quenching effect of propidium iodide over Sytox-Green fluorescence to assess yeast phagocytosis by flow cytometry. It allows accurate quantification of living from dead phagocytes; internalized from non-internalized cells, maintaining yeast fluorescence within phagocytes; and the different associations between phagocytes and fungal cells. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This research was supported by FEDER Funds through the Operational Programme COMPETE and national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), in the scope of project PEst-OE/BIA/ UI4050/2014.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Participation of Candida albicans transcription factor Rlm1 in cell wall biogenesis and virulence

Candida albicans cell wall is important for growth and interaction with the environment. RLM1 is one of the putative transcription factors involved in the cell wall integrity pathway, which plays an important role in the maintenance of the cell wall integrity. In this work we investigated the involvement of RLM1 in the cell wall biogenesis and in virulence. Newly constructed C. albicans Δ/Δrlm1 mutants showed typical cell wall weakening phenotypes, such as hypersensitivity to Congo Red, Calcofluor White, and caspofungin (phenotype reverted in the presence of sorbitol), confirming the involvement of RLM1 in the cell wall integrity. Additionally, the cell wall of C. albicans Δ/Δrlm1 showed a significant increase in chitin (213%) and reduction in mannans (60%), in comparison with the wild-type, results that are consistent with cell wall remodelling. Microarray analysis in the absence of any stress showed that deletion of RLM1 in C. albicans significantly down-regulated genes involved in carbohydrate catabolism such as DAK2, GLK4, NHT1 and TPS1, up-regulated genes involved in the utilization of alternative carbon sources, like AGP2, SOU1, SAP6, CIT1 or GAL4, and genes involved in cell adhesion like ECE1, ALS1, ALS3, HWP1 or RBT1. In agreement with the microarray results adhesion assays showed an increased amount of adhering cells and total biomass in the mutant strain, in comparison with the wild-type. C. albicans mutant Δ/Δrlm1 strain was also found to be less virulent than the wild-type and complemented strains in the murine model of disseminated candidiasis. Overall, we showed that in the absence of RLM1 the modifications in the cell wall composition alter yeast interaction with the environment, with consequences in adhesion ability and virulence. The gene expression findings suggest that this gene participates in the cell wall biogenesis, with the mutant rearranging its metabolic pathways to allow the use of alternative carbon sources.This work was supported by CBMA (Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology) through the FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) project PEst-C/BIA/UI4050/2011. Yolanda Delgado-Silva was supported by an ALbAN scholarship (No E07D400922PE), and Alexandra Correia by SFRH/BD/31354/2006 fellowship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Deciphering the contribution of biofilm to the pathogenesis of peritoneal dialysis infections: characterization and microbial behaviour on dialysis fluids

Infections are major complications in peritoneal dialysis (PD) with a multifactorial etiology that comprises patient, microbial and dialytic factors. This study aimed at investigating the contribution of microbial biofilms on PD catheters to recalcitrant infections and their interplay with PD related-factors. A prospective observational study was performed on 47 patients attending Centro Hospitalar of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho to whom the catheter was removed due to infectious (n = 16) and non-infectious causes (n = 31). Microbial density on the catheter was assessed by culture methods and the isolated microorganisms identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight intact cell mass spectrometry. The effect of conventional and three biocompatible PD solutions on 16 Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (CNS) and 10 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains planktonic growth and biofilm formation was evaluated. Cultures were positive in 87.5% of the catheters removed due infectious and 90.3% removed due to non-infectious causes. However, microbial yields were higher on the cuffs of catheters removed due to infection vs. non-infection. Staphylococci (CNS and Staphylococcus aureus) and P. aeruginosa were the predominant species: 32% and 20% in the infection and 43.3% and 22.7% in the non-infection group, respectively. In general, PD solutions had a detrimental effect on planktonic CNS and P. aeruginosa strains growth. All strains formed biofilms in the presence of PD solutions. The solutions had a more detrimental effect on P. aeruginosa than CNS strains. No major differences were observed between conventional and biocompatible solutions, although in icodextrin solution biofilm biomass was lower than in bicarbonate/lactate solution. Overall, we show that microbial biofilm is universal in PD catheters with the subclinical menace of Staphylococci and P. aeruginosa. Cuffs colonization may significantly contribute to infection. PD solutions differentially impact microbial species. This knowledge is important for the development of infection diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies.This work received support from a Sociedade Portuguesa de Nefrologia (http://www.spnefro.pt) research grant to AR and a Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (http://www.fct.pt) post doc grant (SFRH/BPD/73663/2010) to MM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Habitar a metrópole: os apartamentos quitinetes de Adolf Franz Heep

The restructuring of the housing market and the emergence of a new housing typology in Sao Paulo from the mid-1940s, the kitchenette apartment, coincided with changes in the parameters that guided disciplinary discourse and architectural practice in Brazil. Analyze the moment the new typology was formulated, their initial motivations and subsequent developments, allows not only to recover the trajectory of the German architect Adolf Franz Heep (1902-1978) as investigate the dialogue between European architectural avant-garde, the North-American experiences, the local architectural production and the local demands

estudos artísticos

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Dysregulation of autophagy and stress granule-related proteins in stress-driven Tau pathology

Imbalance of neuronal proteostasis associated with misfolding and aggregation of Tau protein is a common neurodegenerative feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other Tauopathies. Consistent with suggestions that lifetime stress may be an important AD precipitating factor, we previously reported that environmental stress and high glucocorticoid (GC) levels induce accumulation of aggregated Tau; however, the molecular mechanisms for such process remain unclear. Herein, we monitor a novel interplay between RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and autophagic machinery in the underlying mechanisms through which chronic stress and high GC levels impact on Tau proteostasis precipitating Tau aggregation. Using molecular, pharmacological and behavioral analysis, we demonstrate that chronic stress and high GC trigger mTOR-dependent inhibition of autophagy, leading to accumulation of Tau aggregates and cell death in P301L-Tau expressing mice and cells. In parallel, we found that environmental stress and GC disturb cellular homeostasis and trigger the insoluble accumulation of different RBPs, such as PABP, G3BP1, TIA-1, and FUS, shown to form stress granules (SGs) and Tau aggregation. Interestingly, an mTOR-driven pharmacological stimulation of autophagy attenuates the GC-driven accumulation of Tau and SG-related proteins as well as the related cell death, suggesting a critical interface between autophagy and the response of the SG-related protein in the neurodegenerative potential of chronic stress and GC. These studies provide novel insights into the RNA-protein intracellular signaling regulating the precipitating role of environmental stress and GC on Tau-driven brain pathology.We would like to thank Professor Juergen Gotz, (University of Queensland, Australia) for the kind offer of eGFP-P301LTau SH-SY5Y cells and Dr. Bruno Almeida for his technical assistance. J.M.S. was granted with a PhD fellowship (SRFH/BD/88932/2012) by Portuguese Foundation for Science & Technology (FCT); I.S. is holder of FCT Investigator grants (IF/01799/2013), C.D. is a recipient of PhD fellowship of PHDoc program and co-tutelle PhD student of UMinho-UPMC universities. This work was funded by FCT research grants "PTDC/SAU-NMC/113934/2009" (I.S.), the Portuguese North Regional Operational Program (ON. 2) under the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN), through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) as well as the Project Estrategico co-funded by FCT (PEst-C/SAU/LA0026/2013) and the European Regional Development Fund COMPETE (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037298) as well as the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). In addition, this work was partly funded by Canon Foundation in Europe. This work has been also funded by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145FEDER-007038. This study was also supported to BW by grants from NIH (AG050471, NS089544, and ES020395), the BrightFocus Foundation, the Alzheimer Association and the Cure Alzeimer Foundation. Human brain tissue was generously provided by the National Institute of Aging Boston University AD Center (P30AG13846).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multinational data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (N = 51,404) to test the predictive efficacy of constructs from social, moral, cognitive, and personality psychology, as well as socio-demographic factors, in the attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic. The results point to several valuable insights. Internalized moral identity provided the most consistent predictive contribution—individuals perceiving moral traits as central to their self-concept reported higher adherence to preventive measures. Similar results were found for morality as cooperation, symbolized moral identity, self-control, open-mindedness, and collective narcissism, while the inverse relationship was evident for the endorsement of conspiracy theories. However, we also found a non-neglible variability in the explained variance and predictive contributions with respect to macro-level factors such as the pandemic stage or cultural region. Overall, the results underscore the importance of morality-related and contextual factors in understanding adherence to public health recommendations during the pandemic.Peer reviewe

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.publishedVersio