Web navigation for individuals with dyslexia: An exploratory study

In this paper, we present an exploratory study of the web navigation experiences of dyslexic users. Findings indicate that dyslexics exhibit distinctive web navigation behaviour and preferences. We believe that the outcomes of this study add to our understanding of the particular needs of this web user population and have implications for the design of effective navigation structures

Supporting Interaction and Co-evolution of Users and Systems

Interactive systems supporting people activities, even those designed for a specific application domain, should be very flexible, i.e., they should be easily adaptable to specific needs of the user communities. They should even allow users to personalize the system to better fit with their evolving needs. This paper presents an original model of the interaction and coevolution processes occurring between humans and interactive systems and discusses an approach to design systems that supports such processes. The approach is based on the “artisan’s workshop” metaphor and foresees the participatory design of an interactive system as a network of workshops customized to different user communities and connected one another by communication paths. Such paths allow end users and members of the design team to trigger and actuate the co-evolution. The feasibility of the methodology is illustrated through a case study in the medical domain

Matéria orgânica, densidade e porosidade do solo submetido à trituração de capoeira em porto velho, Rondônia.

A queimada como meio para preparar áreas para plantio é considerado um método prático, rápido e barato de limpeza. Por causa do impacto ambiental e a diminuição da fertilidade do solo, tanto a médio como a longo prazo, outros métodos vem sendo estudados para diminuir os danos ambientais acarretados pelo uso do fogo. Deste modo, o manejo da capoeira por meio de corte e trituração pode ser uma opção. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da trituração de capoeira na densidade e na porosidade do solo no município de Porto Velho, Rondônia. O experimento foi realizado em três locais no município de Porto Velho, Rondônia. Foram avaliadas, logo após a trituração da capoeira, a matéria orgânica, a densidade e a porosidade do solo, em diferentes camadas de solo, em áreas com capoeira contínua e em áreas submetidas à trituração. A matéria orgânica, a densidade e a porosidade do solo não foram alteradas pela trituração da capoeira. Portanto, concluiu-se que não houve impacto negativo do uso do equipamento, para a trituração da capoeira, na matéria orgânica, densidade e porosidade do solo

Phosphorus efficiency in brazilian soybean cultivars.

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the phosphorus uptake and use efficiency in Brazilian soybean cultivars, besides root morphology and architecture characteristics related to phosphorus uptake, carrying out two greenhouse experiments. The experiment 1 was completely randomised, with 56 treatments (soybean cultivars) and 3 replicates. Experiment 2 was completely randomised design with three replicates, and the ten cultivars (greater and lower efficiency) were selected for this assay according to their ability to absorb phosphorus less available determined in experiment 1. The study was carried out at Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Brazil, between February 2011 and August 2012. The isotopic dilution technique was used in the first experiment to assess the phosphorus availability in the soil and to determine the ability of plants to access labile phosphorus by measuring the specific activity of plants grown in soil labeled with radioactive phosphorus. Nine cultivars showed greater phosphorus uptake and used efficiency. The second experiment evaluated the root morphology and architecture. The cultivars with greater uptake efficiency have root morphology and architecture characteristics that favour acquisition of phosphorus from soil compartments that are inaccessible to other cultivars. Phosphorus uptake by plants was not affected by soybean seeds phosphorus content. Identification of these cultivars is very important because it could enable soybean farming in low fertility soils, reducing fertiliser dependence

Caracterização Biofísica de Sistemas Agroflorestais em Vale do Anari, Rondônia, Brasil.

Os sistemas agroflorestais representam uma saída promissora para os pequenos agricultores da Amazônia, pois permite retornos econômicos e possibilita uma conservação maior dos solos, rios e florestas da região. Este tipo de uso do solo se constitui em um conjunto de tecnologias e sistemas de uso da terra onde espécies lenhosas perenes (árvores, arbustos, palmeiras), são cultivadas deliberadamente numa mesma área com culturas agrícolas e/ou animais, dentro de um arranjo espacial ou uma seqüência temporal. Esse estudo objetivou realizar a caracterização biofísica de cinco sistemas agroflorestais no município de Vale do Anari, Rondônia, Brasil. Foram estudados cinco sistemas onde foi avaliada altura total, diâmetro a altura do peito (DAP) das árvores, bem como características químicas e físicas do solo da área. Os dados denotam existência de espécies florestais de valor comercial tais como bandarra ou paricá, seringueira, freijó, cedro, ipê, parapará, teca e garrote. As análises dos solos mostram diferenças na fertilidade e propriedades físicas. Os resultados apontam que as áreas com melhor desempenho do ponto de vista químico são as que estão em Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo. Foi possível constatar que existe sinal de compactação do solo nas áreas com Latossolo Amarelo mas não nas de Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo

Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Arterial Hypertension: Is There Any Good News?

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs), including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and its derivatives eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are “essential” fatty acids mainly obtained from diet sources comprising plant oils, marine blue fish, and commercially available fish oil supplements. Many epidemiological and retrospective studies suggested that ω-3 PUFA consumption decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, but results of early intervention trials have not consistently confirmed this effect. In recent years, some large-scale randomized controlled trials have shed new light on the potential role of ω-3 PUFAs, particularly high-dose EPA-only formulations, in cardiovascular prevention, making them an attractive tool for the treatment of “residual” cardiovascular risk. ω-3 PUFAs' beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes go far beyond the reduction in triglyceride levels and are thought to be mediated by their broadly documented “pleiotropic” actions, most of which are directed to vascular protection. A considerable number of clinical studies and meta-analyses suggest the beneficial effects of ω-3 PUFAs in the regulation of blood pressure in hypertensive and normotensive subjects. These effects occur mostly through regulation of the vascular tone that could be mediated by both endothelium-dependent and independent mechanisms. In this narrative review, we summarize the results of both experimental and clinical studies that evaluated the effect of ω-3 PUFAs on blood pressure, highlighting the mechanisms of their action on the vascular system and their possible impact on hypertension, hypertension-related vascular damage, and, ultimately, cardiovascular outcomes

Características Químicas do Solo Como Resultado do Corte e Trituração de Capoeira em Porto Velho, Rondônia.

A queimada do roçado causa efeito direto sobre a estrutura do solo, agindo diretamente sobre os atributos químicos, atuando na saúde nutricional do solo bem como sua resposta às exigências por nutrientes essenciais para as plantas. Foi avaliado a influencia do corte e da trituração da capoeira comparando com os métodos convencionais de queima sobre os atributos químicos do solo. O estudo foi realizado em Porto Velho, num Argissolo VermelhoAmarelo álico, utilizando três sistemas de manejo da capoeira: contínua, triturada e queimada. O sistema de manejo com corte e trituração da capoeira propiciou maiores teores de potássio trocável e menores teores de alumínio trocável, em relação ao sistema com queima da capoeira. O sistema de manejo com queima da capoeira propiciou aumento de cálcio trocável e da saturação por bases do solo e diminuiu a acidez potencial (H+Al), em relação aos sistemas com capoeira continua e com capoeira triturada. Os sistemas de manejo não propiciaram diferenças de pH em água, fósforo extraível (Mehlich), magnésio trocável e matéria orgânica do solo. Os teores de cálcio e magnésio trocáveis e matéria orgânica e a saturação por bases do solo foram maiores na camada superficial do solo (0-5 cm) e menores na camada de 20 a 40 cm, independentemente, do sistema avaliado

Lipoprotein(a): Just an Innocent Bystander in Arterial Hypertension?

Elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a relatively common and highly heritable trait conferring individuals time-dependent risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Following its first description, Lp(a) triggered enormous scientific interest in the late 1980s, subsequently dampened in the mid-1990s by controversial findings of some prospective studies. It was only in the last decade that a large body of evidence has provided strong arguments for a causal and independent association between elevated Lp(a) levels and CVD, causing renewed interest in this lipoprotein as an emerging risk factor with a likely contribution to cardiovascular residual risk. Accordingly, the 2022 consensus statement of the European Atherosclerosis Society has suggested inclusion of Lp(a) measurement in global risk estimation. The development of highly effective Lp(a)-lowering drugs (e.g., antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNA, both blocking LPA gene expression) which are still under assessment in phase 3 trials, will provide a unique opportunity to reduce “residual cardiovascular risk” in high-risk populations, including patients with arterial hypertension. The current evidence in support of a specific role of Lp(a) in hypertension is somehow controversial and this narrative review aims to overview the general mechanisms relating Lp(a) to blood pressure regulation and hypertension-related cardiovascular and renal damage