Futures of Lisbon: transportation, mobility and accessibility

Physical mobility needs energy: this is an unquestionable platitude. The hydrocarbons that have so strongly conditioned life in the last century have allowed a growing percentage of humankind to make disruptive dreams of dizzying speeds, and have induced "modern" urbanized societies to quasi-comatose states of drunkenness from consuming cheap energy. A little man will not have a clear conscience over this, but a Big Man has an obligation to integrate in his calculations the basic assumption that three tablespoons of crude is sufficient to obtain the energy of eight hours of manual labour, and that the energy present in the full fuel tank of a motor vehicle is equivalent to two years of "blood motor" activity that we are made of. It is therefore reasonable for the Little Big Man to choose the notion of "energy crisis" as a problematic pillar of analysis.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

To believe or not believe in a just world? The psychological costs of threats to the belief in a just world and the role of attributions

WOS:000332270600001Belief in a Just World (BJW) research has typically studied how individuals maintain and defend their beliefs from possible threats. However, none of this work has examined the psychological costs of threats to one's BJW. In the present research we tested its consequences on self-esteem. Focusing on threats related to relevant in-groups, we aimed to (1) understand the role of group identification in these processes and (2) identify the psychological mechanisms that can counteract their possible negative effects. In two studies we found that for individuals who were highly identified with the involved groups, perceiving a threat to their BJW led to low self-esteem. Conversely, we did not find such effects for low identifiers. Finally, we also found that causal attributions have a protective role in these processes. Results showed that in the face of a threat to BJW, making weaker internal attributions mitigates its harmful impact on self-esteem.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The legitimation of wife abuse among women: the impact of belief in a just world and gender identification

Past research has found that when victims are ingroup members, observers' social identification interacts with general belief in a just world (GBJW) to predict judgments about those victims. In this correlational study (N = 284 women, ages from 18 to 80) we aimed to test whether and how women's explicit endorsement of BJW, both personal belief in a just world (PBJW) and GBJW, interacts with their identification as women to predict wife abuse legitimization. We predicted and found that the interaction between PBJW and social identification predicted legitimization of wife abuse. Specifically, for highly identified women, PBJW was positively associated with wife abuse legitimization, for less identified women, PBJW was not associated with wife abuse legitimization. This interaction was significant above and beyond other variables associated with this phenomenon: hostile and benevolent sexism, empathy (cognitive and emotional), and social desirability. On the contrary, the interaction between GBJW and social identification was a nonsignificant predictor of legitimization of wife abuse. These results contribute to reconceptualize the role of PBJW and GBJW on judgments about victims and to highlight the importance of considering the victimization situations in the social context and the social groups in which they actually occur.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Uncommon Kingella Kingae Lytic Bone Lesions in Children

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clear as daylight: analysis of diurnal raptor pellets for small mammal studies

Claro como el agua: análisis de las egagrópilas de aves rapaces diurnas para los estudios sobre pequeños mamíferos Los métodos no invasivos se investigan y se aplican cada vez más en los estudios de comunidades de pequeños mamíferos, ya que son más rentables en cuanto a sus costos y evitan los problemas relacionados con la conservación y el bienestar animal. Sin embargo, las egagrópilas de aves rapaces diurnas rara vez se han utilizado para estos fines. En este trabajo se evaluó el potencial que tienen las egagrópilas del aguilucho lagunero (Circus aeruginosus) como un método no invasivo para estudiar las comunidades de pequeños mamíferos, mediante la comparación de los resultados con los obtenidos en las trampas de tipo Sherman y las de caída (pitfall). Los tres métodos se utilizaron simultáneamente en un complejo formado por tierras agrícolas y humedales en el noroeste de Portugal. Las estimaciones de la riqueza, la diversidad, la uniformidad y la abundancia de especies y la proporción de cada una de ellas dentro de la comunidad mostraron diferencias significativas entre los tres métodos. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la utilización de las egagrópilas del aguilucho lagunero es más eficaz para inventariar las especies de pequeños mamíferos que cualquiera de los dos tipos de trampas, al mismo tiempo que evita la muerte involuntaria de animales asociada con el muestreo de pequeños mamíferos no voladores. Además, el análisis de las egagrópilas fue el método más rentable. Entre los dos métodos de captura, la muerte involuntaria de animales fue mayor en las trampas de caída que en las trampas de tipo Sherman. Se discuten las ventajas y los inconvenientes de los tres métodos tanto desde una perspectiva técnica como conservacionista.Non–invasive approaches are increasingly investigated and applied in studies of small mammal assemblages because they are more cost–effective and bypass conservation and animal welfare issues. However, pellets of diurnal raptors have rarely been used for these purposes. We evaluated the potential of marsh harrier pellets (Circus aeruginosus) as a non–invasive method to sample small mammal assemblages, by comparing the results with those of sampling using Sherman live–traps and pitfalls. The three methods were applied simultaneously in an agricultural–wetland complex in NW Portugal. Estimates of species richness, diversity, evenness, abundance, and proportion of each species within the assemblage showed significant differences between the three methods. Our results suggest that the use of marsh harrier pellets is more effective in inventorying small mammal species than either of the two kinds of traps, while also avoiding any involuntary fatalities associated with the sampling of small non–volant mammals. Moreover, the analysis of pellets was the most cost–effective method. Comparison of the two trapping methodologies showed involuntary fatalities were higher in pitfalls than in Sherman traps. We discuss the advantages and flaws of the three methods, both from technical and conservational perspectives.Claro como el agua: análisis de las egagrópilas de aves rapaces diurnas para los estudios sobre pequeños mamíferos Los métodos no invasivos se investigan y se aplican cada vez más en los estudios de comunidades de pequeños mamíferos, ya que son más rentables en cuanto a sus costos y evitan los problemas relacionados con la conservación y el bienestar animal. Sin embargo, las egagrópilas de aves rapaces diurnas rara vez se han utilizado para estos fines. En este trabajo se evaluó el potencial que tienen las egagrópilas del aguilucho lagunero (Circus aeruginosus) como un método no invasivo para estudiar las comunidades de pequeños mamíferos, mediante la comparación de los resultados con los obtenidos en las trampas de tipo Sherman y las de caída (pitfall). Los tres métodos se utilizaron simultáneamente en un complejo formado por tierras agrícolas y humedales en el noroeste de Portugal. Las estimaciones de la riqueza, la diversidad, la uniformidad y la abundancia de especies y la proporción de cada una de ellas dentro de la comunidad mostraron diferencias significativas entre los tres métodos. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la utilización de las egagrópilas del aguilucho lagunero es más eficaz para inventariar las especies de pequeños mamíferos que cualquiera de los dos tipos de trampas, al mismo tiempo que evita la muerte involuntaria de animales asociada con el muestreo de pequeños mamíferos no voladores. Además, el análisis de las egagrópilas fue el método más rentable. Entre los dos métodos de captura, la muerte involuntaria de animales fue mayor en las trampas de caída que en las trampas de tipo Sherman. Se discuten las ventajas y los inconvenientes de los tres métodos tanto desde una perspectiva técnica como conservacionista

An overview of portuguese chemical engineering undergraduate laboratories

The UNESCO’s World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century, Vision and Action (1998) states in its paragraph “Innovative educational approaches: critical thinking and creativity”: “[…] New pedagogical and didactical approaches should be accessible and promoted in order to facilitate the acquisition of skills, competencies and abilities for communication, creative and critical analysis, independent thinking and team work […]”. The importance of teaching laboratories for students to acquire competencies and abilities especially in creative and critical analysis and teamwork is recognized. On the other hand it is generally recognized in all the EU countries that undergraduate labs are generally badly equipped, badly taught, badly organized and high budget consumers. To make things worse, the traditional education labs consume lots of reactants, produce lots of environmentally aggressive effluents, consume lots of students' time and have a modest output. Under this framework what should be changed? Would it be easy to do? Or are we condemned to live with bad labs and bad lab classes? Isolated efforts of laboratory professors and head of departments have been tried within each Portuguese University. Now it's time to involve all partners, head of departments, course directors, laboratory professors and students, of all schools, and make an effort to conquer a quantitative improvement of the undergraduate laboratories and dynamize an inter-school collaboration. The first step in this direction will be done, precisely, at this congress. Five experiences on main five Portuguese Universities (FEUP, IST, UA, UM, UC and UNL) are described, giving a picture of the effort being played in these institutions to improve the experimental education

CD26/DPPIV and response to hepatitis B vaccination

The prevention of hepatitis B is important, since it is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality around the world. Unfortunately, hepatitis B vaccine does not always induce protective immunity. The lack of immune response to vaccine (non-responders) can depend on individual characteristics. The objective of this study was to correlate the CD26/DPPIV cellular expression and DPPIV serum activity with HBV vaccine response and its possible role as an indicator of immune competence acquisition. We also determined the cellular expression of CD3, CD19, CD56 and CD25 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes. Blood samples were obtained from 28 healthy human volunteers who were enrolled with a vaccination program. There were "responders" (RM = 13) and "non-responders" (NRM = 15), after vaccination. The lymphocyte populations were identified by flow cytometry. DPPIV serum activity was measured fluorimetrically. CD26 expression in responders (55.9 +/- 7.7%) versus in non-responders (51.9 +/- 7.0%) did not show a significant difference. The DPPIV serum activity in responders compared to in non-responder subgroup (59.9 +/- 8.4/50.3 +/- 10.6U/L) showed, however, a significant difference (P < 0.05). The expression of CD3, CD19 and CD56 on peripheral lymphocytes was similar between responders and non-responders. The expression of CD3CD26 (52.2 +/- 8.6%) and CD3CD25 (10.9 +/- 3.8%) in responders versus the expression of CD3CD26 (48.0 +/- 5.7%) and CD3CD25 (8 +/- 4.6%) in non-responders did not show statistically significant difference. CD25 referred as a marker of T lymphocyte activation was increased in responders (15.8 +/- 4.5%) versus in non-responders (10.1 +/- 4.8%), showing a significant difference (P = 0.003). It was, however, impossible to demonstrate an increase in CD3CD25 and CD3CD26 in the responder subgroup. This suggests that different lymphocyte subsets other than T cells are implicated in the response to hepatitis B vaccination

Obtenção de calos em estaminoides de cupuaçuzeiro cultivados in vitro.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo induzir calos in vitro em estaminoides de cupuaçuzeiro retirados de botões florais e cultivados em meio de cultura DKW e WPM. Os explantes foram inoculados no meio de cultura DKW para crescimento primário de calos. Os tratamentos diferiram na concentração dos reguladores de crescimento usados, os quais foram TDZ e 2,4-D, T1: 0,0025 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 1 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D; T2: 0,005 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 2 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D; T3: 0,01 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 4 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D; T4: 0,015 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 6 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D; T5: 0,02 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 8 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D; T6: 0,02 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 4 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D e T7: 0,01 mg.L-1 de TDZ e 8 mg.L-1 de 2,4-D. Após 14 dias, foram transferidos para meio de cultura WPM e avaliados ao final de 150 dias. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos nos tratamentos T1, T2 e T6, devido a qualidade dos calos