Exploring the social representations of vulnerable populations being helped

Resorting to Social Representation Theory, the aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of help recipients about Help, namely in terms of the shared representations about Helping Institutions, the self-perceptions of aid recipients and the potential Social Status Distance with regard to their helpers. Twenty-five members of vulnerable groups that benefited from help programs offered by Non-Profit Institutions/Organizations, aged between 18 and 70-years-old, responded to semi-structured interviews. Following the theoretical-methodological orientation of the structural approach of Social Representation Theory (Abric, 1984), the 800 free evocations and 149 words produced during the interviews, underwent a prototypical analysis with open-EVOC software (2000). In addition to contributing to Social Representation Theory by considering the theme of helping relations, the results of the present study showed – in contrast to the literature on orientations toward help (Nadler, 1997; 1998; 2002; 2015) – the importance, at different levels, of both autonomy and dependency orientations (and not just the latter). This study showed the importance, for the recipients of help, of being protagonists, active and autonomous in the process of improving their psychological and material situation; together with the importance of enjoying material goods, even if it means depending on an institution. Results are discussed as a potential contribution to designing help programs that might provide greater benefits and well-being to help recipients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Low temperature dielectric relaxation in ordinary perovskite ferroelectrics: enlightenment from high-energy x-ray diffraction

Ordinary ferroelectrics exhibit a second order phase transition that is characterized by a sharp peak in the dielectric permittivity at a frequency-independent temperature. Furthermore, these materials show a low temperature dielectric relaxation that appears to be a common behavior of perovskite systems. Tetragonal lead zirconate titanate is used here as a model system in order to explore the origin of such an anomaly, since there is no consensus about the physical phenomenon involved in it. Crystallographic and domain structure studies are performed from temperature dependent synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurement. Results indicate that the dielectric relaxation cannot be associated with crystallographic or domain configuration changes. The relaxation process is then parameterized by using the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann phenomenological equation. Results allow us to hypothesize that the observed phenomenon is due to changes in the dynamic behavior of the ferroelectric domains related to the fluctuation of the local polarization.Postprint (author's final draft

Aplasias Medulares Congénitas

Las aplasias medulares congénitas constituyen un grupo heterogéneo de enfermedades que se caracterizan por insuficiencia medular, asociadas frecuentemente a una o más anomalías somáticas y con riesgo elevado de neoplasias.Son enfermedades raras, generalmente diagnosticadas en la edad pediátrica, y con una mortalidad prematura importante. Los autores presentan 11 casos de aplasia medular congénita,8 deanemia de Fanconiy 3 de disqueratosis congénita. Estos casos fueron diagnosticados en los últimos 14anõs en el Hospital de Dona Estefânia

A protein profiling strategy for periodontal disease applications: the Perio-SalivaPRINT

Objectives: It is known that several clinical situations have characteristic molecular deregulations. Some molecular data underlying these deregulations can be found in saliva and have been annotated in databases (SalivaTecDB). Strategies are needed to identify the phenotypes characteristic of these deregulations. Our group has developed a strategy that allows the establishment of saliva protein profiles reflecting different conditions (health and disease). These profiles can be integrated to clinical data (SalivaPRINT Toolkit). The present work aims to identify the Periodontal Diseases (PD)-specific protein profiles. Methods: Unstimulated whole saliva was collected from a group of healthy subjects and a group of PD patients (with gingivitis, periodontitis or periimplantitis). Salivary proteins were separated by the Experion™ automated capillary electrophoresis. The protein profiles of each condition were integrated with the corresponding protein data retrieved from our in-house database (SalivaTecDB). Results: The strategy used enabled the determination of a total protein profile from saliva characteristic of each PDs -the Perio-SalivaPrint. The use of the SalivaPrint Toolkit allowed the identification of molecular weight ranges altered in PD. Using SalivaTecDB we were able to suggest proteins potentially involved in the underlying dysregulated mechanisms of the disease. Conclusions: This approach enabled the determination of a Perio-SalivaPrint – protein profiles specific for gingivitis, periodontitis or periimplantitis - that could empower the use of saliva as a simple and less expensive diagnostic and monitoring fluid. The strategy presented could be an important tool for future applications in the early diagnostic/ screening of Periodontal Disease patients with applications in chairside monitoring.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modelling storm responses on a high-energy coastline with XBeach

The XBeach model has been used to simulate the morphological impacts of storms on sandy and gravel beaches. Taking as a case study Rossbeigh Spit located on the high-energy coast of western Ireland, the study reported here tests the capacity of XBeach to reproduce barrier breaching during a storm in December 2008. It demonstrates that predictions of the breaching event agree reasonably well with observations. However, the main focus of the paper is to establish using the model results, site-specific critical wave and water level conditions giving rise to dune erosion, overwashing and breaching. By deriving simple-to-use expressions to define hydrodynamic thresholds the study advances the ability to predict the impacts of infrequent and rarely observed storm events and is considered to provide useful coastal management tool for assessing the vulnerability of sandy barriers to breaching high-energy during storms

Osteopathy and Mental Health: An Embodied, Predictive, and Interoceptive Framework.

Globally, mental and musculoskeletal disorders present with high prevalence, disease burden, and comorbidity. In order to improve the quality of care for patients with persistent physical and comorbid mental health conditions, person-centered care approaches addressing psychosocial factors are currently advocated. Central to successful person-centered care is a multidisciplinary collaboration between mental health and musculoskeletal specialists underpinned by a robust therapeutic alliance. Such a collaborative approach might be found in osteopathy, which is typically utilized to treat patients with musculoskeletal disorders but may arguably also benefit mental health outcomes. However, research and practice exploring the reputed effect of osteopathy on patients with mental health problems lack a robust framework. In this hypothesis and theory article, we build upon research from embodied cognition, predictive coding, interoception, and osteopathy to propose an embodied, predictive and interoceptive framework that underpins osteopathic person-centered care for individuals with persistent physical and comorbid mental health problems. Based on the premise that, for example, chronic pain and comorbid depression are underlined by overly precise predictions or imprecise sensory information, we hypothesize that osteopathic treatment may generate strong interoceptive prediction errors that update the generative model underpinning the experience of pain and depression. Thus, physical and mental symptoms may be reduced through active and perceptual inference. We discuss how these theoretical perspectives can inform future research into osteopathy and mental health to reduce the burden of comorbid psychological factors in patients with persistent physical symptoms and support person-centered multidisciplinary care in mental health

Etiologia infecciosa da mastite ovina em diferentes lactações.

A inflamação da glândula mamária conhecida como mastite tem origem principalmente infecciosa. Essa doença tem sido responsável por grandes prejuízos na produção de ovinos, pois pode levar à diminuição da produção de leite das fêmeas, alterações nas composições químicas e físicas do leite, além de alterações no tecido glandular, que acarretam o descarte prematuro de ovelhas e interferem diretamente no desenvolvimento dos cordeiros. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo investigar os agentes etiológicos isolados de casos de mastite ovina dos mesmos animais em duas lactações diferentes, de forma a acompanhar a manutenção de fontes de infecção no rebanho. Foram colhidas 132 amostras de leite provenientes de 33 ovelhas da raça Santa Inês oriundas do rebanho da Embrapa Pecuária Sueste, localizada na cidade de São Carlos, São Paulo, com um total de 66 amostras em cada lactação. As amostras de leite foram colhidas em duplicatas de cada glândula mamária, semeadas sobre placas de Petri com agar base com sangue ovino e incubadas por 24 a 48 horas a 35ºC. Em seguida, os microrganismos foram isolados e identificados. Do total de animais estudados, 63,3% não apresentaram mastite infecciosa nas duas lactações, 12,1% apresentaram mastite somente na primeira lactação, 15,2% tiveram a doença apenas na segunda lactação. Quando a mastite foi constatada apenas em uma das lactações, estafilococos coagulase negativa e spp foram os agentes etiológicos causadores da doença. Um percentual de 9,4% dos animais apresentaram a doença nas duas lactações estudadas, sendo que em um animal a doença foi causada por nas duas lactações. Em dois animais, estafilococos coagulase negativa foram os agentes etiológicos isolados na primeira lactação, porém, na lactação seguinte, leveduras e coliformes foram os microrganismos identificados como causadores da mastite. A mastite foi causada por diferentes microrganismos, o que torna importante o conhecimento da etiologia da mastite infecciosa. Isso contribuirá na implementação de medidas de controle dos microrganismos comuns ao rebanho levantado, auxiliando na redução dos prejuízos na produção de ovinos de corte

Accessibility adaptation of a building in a historical city centre

This paper will discuss the accessibility adaptation of an old building located in the historical centre of Guimarães, Portugal. The city of Guimarães is located in the region of Minho, in the northwest of Portugal. The history of Guimarães is close related with the foundation of the Portuguese nationality. The city old centre has a unique atmosphere of old buildings, narrow streets and squares giving a meaning to the cultural heritage, which is the everyday reality for the local population. In 2001 the historical centre received the UNESCO World Heritage award. Having in mind transforming this old and historical building in a place more convenient to receive and provide support for handicapped persons, a study was performed in order to verify the possibilities of changing its accessibility. To carry out that study, an inquiry of the needs and expectations of the users was done. Several accessibility technologies and technics were checked in order to verify their adequacy with the regulations and space possibilities for their adoption. The architectural integration of the technically adequate solutions was considered and thus the range of usable solutions was even more restricted. Finally, the remaining two possible solutions were detailed studied in terms of project design and financial costs. The selected solution was not the less expensive but the one that can be implemented quicker and with less interference with the architecture