NEETs in a rural region of Southern Europe: perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, educational expectations, and vocational expectations

The aim of this research is to understand the influence of demographic and professional experience factors on the self-efficacy and perceived barriers of rural Portuguese youths not in employment, education or training (NEET), as well as on their educational and vocational expectations at age 35. These indicators are involved in the compromise mechanism of choice of the circumscription and compromise theory, a construct that describes the reason why certain vocational alternatives are progressively restricted among young adults. Most of the participants (n?=?137) were female (62%) and their age ranged from 18 to 30 (M?=?24.88; SD?=?2.30). Findings show that the participants' self-efficacy was positively affected by having a previous job contract, and negatively influenced by longer unemployment periods (>24 months). Longer unemployment periods also increase the perception of barriers. Educational expectations at age 35 were significantly higher among participants who had completed middle school and marginally lower for those living with their parents, while vocational expectations at age 35 were more conservative among those who had concluded high school. Recommendations are made regarding employment policies as well as training and vocational guidance interventions for NEETs in rural regions

The general dielectric tensor for bi-kappa magnetized plasmas

In this paper we derive the dielectric tensor for a plasma containing particles described by an anisotropic superthermal (bi-kappa) velocity distribution function. The tensor components are written in terms of the two-variables kappa plasma special functions, recently defined by Gaelzer and Ziebell [Phys. Plasmas 23, 022110 (2016)]. We also obtain various new mathematical properties for these functions, which are useful for the analytical treatment, numerical implementation and evaluation of the functions and, consequently, of the dielectric tensor. The formalism developed here and in the previous paper provides a mathematical framework for the study of electromagnetic waves propagating at arbitrary angles and polarizations in a superthermal plasma.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics of Plasma

Single Stellar Populations in the Near-Infrared - I. Preparation of the IRTF spectral stellar library

We present a detailed study of the stars of the IRTF spectral library to understand its full extent and reliability for use with Stellar Population (SP) modeling. The library consist of 210 stars, with a total of 292 spectra, covering the wavelength range of 0.94 to 2.41 micron at a resolution R = 2000. For every star we infer the effective temperature (Teff), gravity (logg) and metallicity ([Z/Zsun]) using a full-spectrum fitting approach in a section of the K band (2.19 to 2.34 micron) and temperature-NIR colour relations. We test the flux calibration of these stars by calculating their integrated colours and comparing them with the Pickles library colour-temperature relations. We also investigate the NIR colours as a function of the calculated effective temperature and compared them in colour-colour diagrams with the Pickles library. This latter test shows a good broad-band flux calibration, important for the SP models. Finally, we measure the resolution R as a function of wavelength. We find that the resolution increases as a function of lambda from about 6 angstrom in J to 10 angstrom in the red part of the K-band. With these tests we establish that the IRTF library, the largest currently available general library of stars at intermediate resolution in the NIR, is an excellent candidate to be used in stellar population models. We present these models in the next paper of this series.Comment: 17 pages, 19 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

FOPI/FOPID Tuning Rule Based on a Fractional Order Model for the Process

This paper deals with the design of a control system based on fractional order models and fractional order proportional-integral-derivative (FOPID) controllers and fractional-order proportional-integral (FOPI) controllers. The controller design takes into account the trade-off between robustness and performance as well as the trade-off between the load disturbance rejection and set-point tracking tasks. The fractional order process model is able to represent an extensive range of dynamics, including over-damped and oscillatory behaviors and this simplifies the process modelling. The tuning of the FOPID and FOPI controllers is achieved by using an optimization, as a first step, and in a second step, several fitting functions were used to capture the behavior of the optimal parameters of the controllers. In this way, a new set of tuning rules called FOMCoRoT (Fractional Order Model and Controllers Robust Tuning) is obtained for both FOPID and FOPI controllers. Simulation examples show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy based on fractional calculus

Relationship between optimism, disease variables, and health perception and quality of life in individuals with epilepsy.

Epilepsy Behav. 2007 Aug;11(1):33-8. Epub 2007 May 29. Relationship between optimism, disease variables, and health perception and quality of life in individuals with epilepsy. Pais-Ribeiro J, da Silva AM, Meneses RF, Falco C. Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Manuel Pereira da Silva, 4200-392 Porto, Portugal. [email protected] Abstract Epilepsy is a relatively frequent chronic condition with an important impact on the health perception and quality of life (QOL) of patients. The aim of the present study was to identify variables related to health status perception and QOL in persons with epilepsy. Participants were 200 persons with epilepsy, 53.5% of whom were males. The mean age was 39.6; 95% had seizures, and 99% were taking antiepileptic medication. The self-report questionnaire administered assessed four types of variables: demographic, disease, epilepsy-specific optimistic attitude, and outcome variables. Results demonstrated that an optimistic orientation is related to better perception of physical and mental health status and better perception of QOL. The variables that best predict positive outcomes are optimistic orientation, perception of cognitive functioning, and perception of seizure control. These results question the importance attributed to seizure characteristics for everyday functioning and everyday life of individuals with epilepsy, and stress the importance of facilitating an epilepsy-specific optimistic orientation. PMID: 17537679 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLIN

Efeito de óleo essencial de alfavaca cravo (Ocimum gratissimum) no controle de parasitos monogenóides de tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus).

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a eficácia do óleo essencial de Ocimum gratissimum para o controle de monogenóides em tilápias (O. niloticus). O ensaio in vitro foi inteiramente casualizado com 5 tratamentos e 3 repetições : controle 1 (água de confinamento), controle 2 (água + álcool 70%), tratamento 1 (40 mg/L de óleo de alfavaca cravo), tratamento 2 (160 mg/L de óleo) e tratamento 3 (320 mg/L de óleo) utilizando 5 monogenóides por tratamento. A mortalidade dos parasitas foi avaliada durante 5 horas. Para o Cl50, o teste definitivo utilizou 18 recipientes, 4 peixes em cada e durou 96 horas. Foi utilizado delineamento inteiramente casualizado (DIC) com 5 concentrações de óleo de alfavaca cravo (20, 40, 60, 80 e 100 mg/L) e um controle, e 3 repetições por concentração. A mortalidade foi avaliada a cada 6 horas com a remoção dos peixes mortos. Para o ensaio in vivo foram utilizadas 4 concentrações: 9 mg/L de alfavaca cravo, 40 mg/L (em banhos longos), 160 e 320 mg/L em banhos terapêuticos curtos. As tilápias foram distribuídas em 15 aquários de 90 l, contendo 5 peixes em cada. Foi utilizado DIC com 5 tratamentos (sendo 1 controle) e 3 repetições. Os banhos terapêuticos longos duraram 48 horas, e os curtos 3 tardes consecutivas com duração de 5 minutos (320 mg/L) e 10 min (160 mg/L). Para avaliar a eficácia 15 peixes do controle e 3 de cada tratamento foram sacrificados para retirada de brânquias e fixadas em formol 10%. A quantificação dos monogenóides foi feita com auxílio do estereomicroscopio e os resultados foram utilizados para calcular a prevalência, intensidade média de infestação, total de parasitas, sobrevivência bem como a eficácia. No in vitro a concentração mais eficiente no controle de monogenóides foi 320 mg/L, o CL5o foi de 40,70 mg/L e no ensaio in vivo a melhor eficácia foi no tratamento 320 mg/L (88,73%) e a infestação foi menor no 320 e 160mg/L, sendo as concentrações indicadas para o controle de monogenóides em tilápias

The oblique firehose instability in a bi-kappa magnetized plasma

In this work, we derive a dispersion equation that describes the excitation of the oblique (or Alfv\'en) firehose instability in a plasma that contains both electron and ion species modelled by bi-kappa velocity distribution functions. The equation is obtained with the assumptions of low-frequency waves and moderate to large values of the parallel (respective to the ambient magnetic field) plasma beta parameter, but it is valid for any direction of propagation and for any value of the particle gyroradius (or Larmor radius). Considering values for the physical parameters typical to those found in the solar wind, some solutions of the dispersion equation, corresponding to the unstable mode, are presented. In order to implement the dispersion solver, several new mathematical properties of the special functions occurring in a kappa plasma are derived and included. The results presented here suggest that the superthermal characteristic of the distribution functions leads to reductions to both the maximum growth rate of the instability and of the spectral range of its occurrence