non-linear relationships in children 6-10 years

Background: Given the concern for health?related consequences of an elevated body mass index (BMI; obesity), the potential consequences of a low BMI in children are often overlooked. The purpose was to evaluate the relationship between the BMI across its entire spectrum and motor coordination (MC) in children 6?10 years. Methods: Height, weight, and MC (K?rperkoordinationstest f?r Kinder, KTK test battery) were measured in 1,912 boys and 1,826 girls of 6?10 years of age. BMI (kg/m2) was calculated. KTK scores for each of the four tests were also converted to a motor quotient (MQ). One?way ANOVA was used to test differences in the BMI, individual test items, and MQ among boys and girls within age groups. Sex?specific quadratic regressions of individual KTK items and the MQ on the BMI were calculated. Girls and boys were also classified into four weight status groups using International Obesity Task Force criteria: thin, normal, overweight, and obese. Differences in specific test items and MQ between weight status groups were evaluated by age group in each sex. Results: Thirty?one percent of the sample was overweight or obese, whereas 5% was thin. On average, normal weight children had the highest MQ in both sexes across the age range with few exceptions. Overweight/obese children had a lower MQ than normal weight and thin children. The quadratic regression lines generally presented an inverted parabolic relationship between the BMI and MC and suggested a decrease in MC with an increase in the BMI. Conclusion: In general, BMI shows a curvilinear, inverted parabolic relationship with MC in children 6?10 years.4811-99FE-2ECD | Luis Paulo Rodriguesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Correlates of children's physical activity during the COVID-19 confinement in Portugal

Objectives: The aim of the study was to understand the role of household variables on the percentage of physical activity (%PA) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) confinement in Portugal. Study design: A cross-sectional study design using an anonymous online survey was launched to assess how Portuguese families with children aged younger than 13 years adjusted their daily routines to the confinement. Methods: Separate analyses of variance were performed to investigate how factors such as the number of children, age, sex, the housing characteristics, and the adults' job situation can affect the percentage of time for PA (%PA). Results: Findings, based on data from 2159 children, indicate that (1) boys and girls did not differ in the %PA on any of the age-groups; (2) children with an outdoor space and who had other children in the household were significantly more active (P < .001); (3) children from families with all adults working from home showed lower levels of %PA; and (4) being younger, having a big outdoor space, having other children in the household, and having at least one adult free from working from home were significant positive predictors of children's %PA, explaining 21% of the overall variance. Conclusion: Time allocated for PA during this period is reduced compared with what is usually reported on normal days. It is necessary to find strategies to increase children's PA, especially in families in which both parents are working and have no outdoor space.4811-99FE-2ECD | Luis Paulo RodriguesN/

Modelação da qualidade da Água do Rio Ferreira : avaliação preliminar de riscos ambientais

A presente comunicação apresenta os resultados da aplicação de um modelo de qualidade da água no rio Ferreira. O estudo foi desenvolvido com base na plataforma AQUASIM e, após um processo de calibração com dados experimentais, foram simulados cenários prospectivos para analisar o impacte de condições hidrológicas extremas, designadamente períodos de estiagem. O modelo mostrou-se adequado perante esse tipo de fenómenos e permitiu avaliar, nessas condições, os riscos ambientais resultantes de descargas de águas residuais. Efectuou-se, ainda, uma análise de sensibilidade do modelo.Compagnie Générale des Eaux - Portugal.Câmara Municipal de Valongo

Seismic behaviour analysis and retrofitting of a row building

Rammed earth is one of the oldest building materials in the world and is present in Portugal with a particular focus in the South of the country. The mechanical properties and the structural behavior of rammed earth constructions have been the subject of study of many researchers in the recent years. This study is part of a broader research on vernacular seismic culture in Portugal. Numerical analyzes were carried out to assess the influence of different retrofitting solutions in the behavior and seismic performance of an rammed earth building representative of the vernacular heritage of Alentejo region. Understating the structural fragilities of this type of constructions allowed determining the most appropriate retrofitting solutions.Project ‘SEISMIC-V –Vernacular Seismic Culture in Portugal’ (PTDC/ATP-AQI/3934/2012), from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT

Casimir torque between corrugated metallic plates

We consider two parallel corrugated plates and show that a Casimir torque arises when the corrugation directions are not aligned. We follow the scattering approach and calculate the Casimir energy up to second order in the corrugation amplitudes, taking into account nonspecular reflections, polarization mixing and the finite conductivity of the metals. We compare our results with the proximity force approximation, which overestimates the torque by a factor 2 when taking the conditions that optimize the effect. We argue that the Casimir torque could be measured for separation distances as large as 1 $\mu{\rm m}.$Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, contribution to QFEXT07 proceeding

Reproductive biology of Oxychilus(Atlantoxychilus) spectabilis (Milne-Edwards, 1885) (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) : a gametogenic approach

The taxonomic status and anatomy of Oxychilus (Atlantoxychilus) spectabilis (Milne-Edwards, 1885), an endemic land snail from Santa Maria Island, Azores, has been subject of detailed study, yet information about its life history is wanting. This study describes the reproductive cycle of O. (A.) spectabilis and assesses the validity of three morphometric shell parameters as maturation diagnostic characters. Our results indicate that individuals are reproductively more active from May to November. However, the availability of spermatozoa throughout the year and the residual values of mature oocytes during the remaining months seem to provide minimum conditions for reproduction all year round. The snail has a functional protandric tendency and gonadal maturation is initially triggered by photophase and after regulated by temperature. The positive correlation between gonadal maturation and morphometric shell characters indicate that these parameters might be a useful tool for the diagnosis of snail’s maturation

A synthetic biology approach to engineer "therapeutic" bacteria

The high incidence and mortality of solid tumors like breast cancer makes the development of novel therapeutic agents a high priority. Curcumin, a natural substance from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, has captured the attention of the scientific community. Pre-clinical trials and extensive research has demonstrated its ability to prevent cancer. Indeed, curcumin has been shown to target critical genes involved in angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell cycle and metastasis, and consequently to inhibit cell growth. Currently, the clinical use of curcumin is mainly limited by its poor bioavailability which implies repetitive oral doses in order to achieve the therapeutic concentrations inside the cell. The idea of the present work is to design a strategy that could link the common technique used to treat solid tumors (ultrasound) with the therapeutic effects of curcumin. The plan is to use the temperature increase (consequence of ultrasound treatment) to trigger the in situ expression of curcumin by engineered bacteria. Escherichia coli was chosen as the model organism in which the genes involved in the curcumin pathway will be cloned. Those genes (4-coumarate: CoA ligase, diketide-CoA synthase and curcumin synthase) were successfully cloned under the control of a temperature sensitive promoter (dnaK). The proof-of-concept that the dnaK promoter can be induced by a temperature increase, leading to the expression of the 3 necessary genes, is currently being tested, using several biochemical assays. Moreover, several knockouts (KO) of specific genes from the E. coli K-12 MG1655 genome were performed in order to maximize the production of curcumin. The deletion strategy, as well as the definition of the non-essential genes to be KO, was determined in silico. This strategy included one single KO (gnd gene) and the multiple KO of five non-essential genes for aerobic growth (fumA, fumB, fumC, ccmA and argO) and serA gene for anaerobic growth. After optimizing the genes expression under the control of the temperature inducible promoter, the several KO will be transformed with this construction to confirm the improvement of curcumin production

Obtaining high purity silica from rice hulls

Many routes for extracting silica from rice hulls are based on direct calcining. These methods, though, often produce silica contaminated with inorganic impurities. This work presents the study of a strategy for obtaining silica from rice hulls with a purity level adequate for applications in electronics. The technique is based on two leaching steps, using respectively aqua regia and Piranha solutions, which extract the organic matrix and inorganic impurities. The material was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis by laser diffraction (LPSA) and thermal analysis

Development of novel magnetoliposomes containing nickel ferrite nanoparticles covered with gold for applications in thermotherapy

Multifunctional nanosystems combining magnetic and plasmonic properties are a promising approach for cancer therapy, allowing magnetic guidance and a local temperature increase. This capability can provide a triggered drug release and synergistic cytotoxic effect in cancer cells. In this work, nickel ferrite/gold nanoparticles were developed, including nickel ferrite magnetic nanoparticles decorated with plasmonic gold nanoparticles and core/shell nanostructures (with a nickel ferrite core and a gold shell). These nanoparticles were covered with a surfactant/lipid bilayer, originating liposome-like structures with diameters below 160 nm. The heating capacity of these systems, upon excitation with light above 600 nm wavelength, was assessed through the emission quenching of rhodamine B located in the lipid layer. The developed nanosystems show promising results for future applications in thermotherapy.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding of CF-UM-UP (UID/FIS/04650/2019) and through the research project PTDC/QUI-QFI/28020/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028020), financed by European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER), COMPETE2020, and Portugal2020. The magnetic measurements were supported by projects UTAP-EXPL/NTec/0046/2017, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-028538, and PTDC/FIS-MAC/29454/2017. I.S.R.R. acknowledges FCT for a research grant under CF-UM-UP Strategic Funding (UID/FIS/04650/2019)

Feromônios de insetos: tecnologia e desafios para uma agricultura competitiva no Brasil

Pheromones are chemical compounds used by species to communicate intra and inter specifically. As strategy of integrated pest management (IPM), the use of these compounds allows the monitoring of target insects that results in more reliable interventions and consequently avoiding unnecessary use of pesticides. In certain crops these compounds are used as a control measure, not only monitoring. The Brazilian agriculture has a portfolio of 49 major crops that are attacked by 447 species of insects. Of this total, 103 species have already been the subject of study in the research with pheromones. Currently, in the Brazilian market, 28 pheromone products are indicated for the control of 19 insect pests. However, these products are not used regularly in major crops of the country. This stems from the lack of implementation of IPM of these crops. While the research focused on the main species of agribusiness pests, marked of pheromones products is serving to more marginal crops like apples and peaches at the expense of major crops like soybean and corn