Professional situation of prosthetics and orthotics recent graduates in ESTeSL 2004/2005 to 2012/2013: a sociographic portrait

Introduction – Nowadays the high unemployment rate and the emigration of young graduated population is the reason why this population has been insecure about their career and professional future in their home country. By some way the existence of a reflexive analysis about their actual professional situation could clarify the future for students and recently-graduated in prosthetics and orthotics area. Objectives – Quantifying the professional situation of the graduated population in prosthetics and orthotics on Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa (ESTeSL) and also create a reflection tool about future professional perspectives. Methodology – Application of a questionnaire through the platform LimeSurvey® to the universe of prosthetists and orthotists graduates in ESTeSL and characterize by the quantitative data. Results/Discussion – The majority of the graduates are young and females. 78.3% of the inquired are working on the prosthetics and orthotics area and the unemployment rate is 8.7%. It’s notice a geographical mobility to the district of Lisbon to study and to work. Conclusion – The unemployment rate in prosthetics and orthotics graduates is lower than the national average. In opposition with another graduated health groups, the National Health System is a minor employer of these population. It was noticed a desertification of the big urban centres, in what concerns to the first job and actual jo

Encapsulation of Nanostructures in a Dielectric Matrix Providing Optical Enhancement in Ultrathin Solar Cells

The incorporation of nanostructures in optoelectronic devices for enhancing their optical performance is widely studied. However, several problems related to the processing complexity and the low performance of the nanostructures have hindered such actions in real-life devices. Herein, a novel way of introducing gold nanoparticles in a solar cell structure is proposed in which the nanostructures are encapsulated with a dielectric layer, shielding them from high temperatures and harsh growth processing conditions of the remaining device. Through optical simulations, an enhancement of the effective optical path length of approximately four times the nominal thickness of the absorber layer is verified with the new architecture. Furthermore, the proposed concept in a Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell device is demonstrated, where the short-circuit current density is increased by 17.4%. The novel structure presented in this work is achieved by combining a bottom-up chemical approach of depositing the nanostructures with a top-down photolithographic process, which allows for an electrical contact.This work was funded in part by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under Grants IF/00133/2015, PD/BD/142780/2018 and SFRH/BD/ 146776/2019. The authors also want to acknowledge the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme through the ARCIGS-M project under Grant 720887, the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University, the FCT through the project NovaCell (PTDC/CTM-CTM/28075/ 2017), and InovSolarCells (PTDC/FISMAC/29696/2017) co-funded by FCT and the ERDF through COMPETE2020. The authors also want to acknowledge Sandra Maya for the production of images used in this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Heme catabolism by heme oxygenase-1 confers host resistance to Mycobacterium infection

Heme oxygenases (HO) catalyze the rate-limiting step of heme degradation. The cytoprotective action of the inducible HO-1 isoform, encoded by the Hmox1 gene, is required for host protection against systemic infections. Here we report that upregulation of HO-1 expression in macrophages (M) is strictly required for protection against mycobacterial infection in mice. HO-1-deficient (Hmox1(-/-)) mice are more susceptible to intravenous Mycobacterium avium infection, failing to mount a protective granulomatous response and developing higher pathogen loads, than infected wild-type (Hmox1(+/+)) controls. Furthermore, Hmox1(-/-) mice also develop higher pathogen loads and ultimately succumb when challenged with a low-dose aerosol infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The protective effect of HO-1 acts independently of adaptive immunity, as revealed in M. avium-infected Hmox1(-/-) versus Hmox1(+/+) SCID mice lacking mature B and T cells. In the absence of HO-1, heme accumulation acts as a cytotoxic pro-oxidant in infected M, an effect mimicked by exogenous heme administration to M. avium-infected wild-type M in vitro or to mice in vivo. In conclusion, HO-1 prevents the cytotoxic effect of heme in M, contributing critically to host resistance to Mycobacterium infection.European Community 6th Framework grant: (LSH-2005-1.2.5-1), FCT fellowships: (SFRH/BD/29257/2006, SFRH/BPD/25436/2005), Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Universidade do Minho, ICBAS

Project goals, target selection, and stellar characterization

The detection of habitable worlds is one of humanitya-s greatest endeavors. Thus far, astrobiological studies have shown that one of the most critical components for allowing life to develop is liquid water. Its chemical properties and its capacity to dissolve and, hence, transport other substances makes this constituent a key piece in this regard. As a consequence, looking for life as we know it is directly related to the search for liquid water. For a remote detection of life in distant planetary systems, this essentially means looking for planets in the so-called habitable zone. In this sense, K-dwarf stars are the perfect hosts to search for planets in this range of distances. Contrary to G-dwarfs, the habitable zone is closer, thus making planet detection easier using transit or radial velocity techniques. Contrary to M-dwarfs, stellar activity is on a much smaller scale, hence, it has a smaller impact in terms of both the detectability and the true habitability of the planet. Also, K-dwarfs are the quietest in terms of oscillations, and granulation noise. In spite of this, there is a dearth of planets in the habitable zone of K-dwarfs due to a lack of observing programs devoted to this parameter space. In response to a call for legacy programs of the Calar Alto observatory, we have initiated the first dedicated and systematic search for habitable planets around these stars: K-dwarfs Orbited By habitable Exoplanets (KOBE). This survey is monitoring the radial velocity of 50 carefully pre-selected K-dwarfs with the CARMENES instrument over five semesters, with an average of 90 data points per target. Based on planet occurrence rates convolved with our detectability limits, we expect to find 1.68 ± 0.25 planets per star in the KOBE sample. Furthermore, in half of the sample, we expect to find one of those planets within the habitable zone. Here, we describe the motivations, goals, and target selection for the project as well as the preliminary stellar characterization. © 2022 EDP Sciences. All rights reserved

Current and Future Drug Targets in Weight Management

Obesity will continue to be one of the leading causes of chronic disease unless the ongoing rise in the prevalence of this condition is reversed. Accumulating morbidity figures and a shortage of effective drugs have generated substantial research activity with several molecular targets being investigated. However, pharmacological modulation of body weight is extremely complex, since it is essentially a battle against one of the strongest human instincts and highly efficient mechanisms of energy uptake and storage. This review provides an overview of the different molecular strategies intended to lower body weight or adipose tissue mass. Weight-loss drugs in development include molecules intended to reduce the absorption of lipids from the GI tract, various ways to limit food intake, and compounds that increase energy expenditure or reduce adipose tissue size. A number of new preparations, including combinations of the existing drugs topiramate plus phentermine, bupropion plus naltrexone, and the selective 5-HT2C agonist lorcaserin have recently been filed for approval. Behind these leading candidates are several other potentially promising compounds and combinations currently undergoing phase II and III testing. Some interesting targets further on the horizon are also discussed

Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors—Network (PLaTO-Net): terminology, taxonomy, and ontology

Background: A recent dialogue in the feld of play, learn, and teach outdoors (referred to as “PLaTO” hereafter) demonstrated the need for developing harmonized and consensus-based terminology, taxonomy, and ontology for PLaTO. This is important as the feld evolves and diversifes in its approaches, contents, and contexts over time and in diferent countries, cultures, and settings. Within this paper, we report the systematic and iterative processes under‑taken to achieve this objective, which has built on the creation of the global PLaTO-Network (PLaTO-Net). Methods: This project comprised of four major methodological phases. First, a systematic scoping review was conducted to identify common terms and defnitions used pertaining to PLaTO. Second, based on the results of the scoping review, a draft set of key terms, taxonomy, and ontology were developed, and shared with PLaTO members, who provided feedback via four rounds of consultation. Third, PLaTO terminology, taxonomy, and ontology were then fnalized based on the feedback received from 50 international PLaTO member participants who responded to≥3 rounds of the consultation survey and dialogue. Finally, eforts to share and disseminate project outcomes were made through diferent online platforms. Results: This paper presents the fnal defnitions and taxonomy of 31 PLaTO terms along with the PLaTO-Net ontol‑ogy model. The model incorporates other relevant concepts in recognition that all the aspects of the model are interrelated and interconnected. The fnal terminology, taxonomy, and ontology are intended to be applicable to, and relevant for, all people encompassing various identities (e.g., age, gender, culture, ethnicity, ability). Conclusions: This project contributes to advancing PLaTO-based research and facilitating intersectoral and inter‑disciplinary collaboration, with the long-term goal of fostering and strengthening PLaTO’s synergistic linkages with healthy living, environmental stewardship, climate action, and planetary health agendas. Notably, PLaTO terminology, taxonomy and ontology will continue to evolve, and PLaTO-Net is committed to advancing and periodically updating harmonized knowledge and understanding in the vast and interrelated areas of PLaTO