Changes in Fitness, physical activity, fatness, and screen time: A longitudinal study in children and adolescents

*_Objective:_* To analyze whether changes in Physical Activity Index (PAI), sedentary time (ST; TV and PC use), and Body Mass Index (BMI) made a significant contribution to longitudinal changes in Physical Fitness (PF) of children and adolescents. Additionally, we analyzed interaction between baseline fitness level and changes in fitness. 

*_Methods:_* This is a three years longitudinal study of 345 high school students aged 11-19 years. Students were invited to perform tests from Fitnessgram battery for strength (curl-ups, push-up), and Cardiorespiratory fitness (20m-shuttle run). PAI and ST were evaluated using a standard questionnaire. Standardized scores of physical fitness tests were summed (ZPF). Changes over time, were calculated Δ1 (TP1 minus TP0), Δ2 (TP2 minus TP1), and Δ~total~ (TP2 minus TP0). 

*_Results:_* Changes in PAI were positively and independently associated with changes in ZPF in Δ1, Δ2, and Δ~total~. No significant associations of ΔST and ΔZPF were found. ΔBMI was negative associated with ΔZPF in Δtotal. Participants with higher fitness levels at baseline were those who showed positive changes in PAI over Δ~total~, decreased screen time and had the lowest increase in BMI over three years compared with those who were low-fit at baseline. Conclusions: Changes in PAI were the best predictor for changes in Fitness in children and adolescents in each year and over the three years of evaluation. BMI changes were associated with longitudinal changes in PF

A Livelihood and Farming System approach for effective conservation policies in Protected Areas of Developing Countries: The case study of the Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique

Effective conservation requires that conservation policies and management decisions first target local actors who are dependent on natural resource use in Protected Areas (PA) of Developing Countries (DC). In rural areas of DCs, these actors are mainly farmers who also rely on off-farm activities such as harvest of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to complement their livelihoods. Here, we propose a novel approach to support the development of policy interventions aimed at achieving conservation goals through the sustainable development of local people in PAs of DCs. The approach consists in identifying the main Livelihood and Farming Systems (LFS) and select those that are more conservation-friendly, and that may contribute to solve conservation and development problems such as Human-wildlife conflict. Identifying the existing LFS can also help in searching for conservation-relevant improvements that can contribute to local people wellbeing, considering the existing FS as the starting point for a sustainable development strategy in PAs of DC. Data from the Niassa National Reserve (NNR), the largest PA in Mozambique, were used to develop this LFS approach. Measures of effort applied in harvesting NTFPs and in managing agricultural inputs and outputs were collected from 329 households through a structured survey. Cluster analysis was performed to identify and characterise the main LFS in the NNR. Based on the cluster results, we have identified four livelihood systems (LS): gatherers, hunters, farmers and employees; four farming systems (FS): specialized in maize, rice and sorghum, and a mixed FS. A Multinomial Logistic Model was also applied to understand the drivers of LFS choice. Livelihood systems were mainly driven by householdlevel socio-economic factors, while FS were driven by village-level biophysical conditions. Households who were employed and had diversified farming and off-farm activities were better off and more resilient to climate change and crop-raiding animals. Intensification appears to occur gradually but has found to be limited by rainfall availability. Based on our findings, we propose that conservation experts and policy-makers should use a LFS approach to re-frame the conservation narrative in PAs of DCs and promote the existing practices that can better protect biodiversity while improving livelihood and welfare of local peopleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dataset from 55 experts engaged in nature conservation in Mozambique

Data ArticleThe data of this article is related to the original article entitled “An expert-based approach to assess the potential for local people engagement in nature conservation: The case study of the Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique” [1], published in Journal for Nature Conservation. The dataset is from an online and selfadministrated survey with 55 experts aware of conservation policies and incentives under implementation in the Niassa National Reserve (NNR), the largest protected area in the country and thirdlargest in Africa. The survey included four sections of both compulsory and non-compulsory questions, mostly in closedended Likert-scale. In the first section, experts were asked about the main practices that threaten biodiversity conservation in the NNR, the actors who are directly and indirectly responsible for each practice, and the reasons for local people's involvement with those practices. The second section was about the effectiveness and limitations of the current compensation measures to engage local residents with conservation-friendly practices. In the third section, respondents were asked to select new measures to enhance the current conservation status and engage local people more effectively in conservation. The last section was about the socio-economic profile of respondents. The survey was conducted from June to September 2017. The paper includes the survey itself, raw data in an Excel spreadsheet, descriptive analysis, crosstabulation and Post Hoc cellwise tests (goodness of fit). Data are provided for public use and can serve as a benchmark for collaboration in order to conduct more comprehensive research, comparative analysis as well as panel data can be derived. This data can also have applications in other fields such as mathematics, statistics, and computationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Experimental Validation of a Double-Deck Track-Bridge System under Railway Traffic

This article describes the experimental and numerical evaluation of the dynamic behaviour of the Cascalheira bridge, located on the Northern Line of the Portuguese railway network. The bridge has a short span formed by two filler-beam half-decks, each one accommodating a railway track. The study includes the development of a finite element numerical model in ANSYS® software, as well as in situ dynamic characterization tests of the structure, namely ambient vibration tests, for the estimation of natural frequencies, modes shapes and damping coefficients, and a dynamic test under railway traffic, particularly for the passage of the Alfa Pendular train. The damping coefficients’ estimation was performed based on the Prony method, which proved effective in situations where the classical methods (e.g., decrement logarithm) tend to fail, particularly in the case of mode shapes with closed natural frequencies, as typically happens with the first vertical bending and torsion modes. The updating of the numerical model of the bridge was carried out using an iterative methodology based on a genetic algorithm, allowing an upgrade of the agreement between the numerical and experimental modal parameters. Particular attention was given to the characterization of the ballast degradation over the longitudinal joint between the two half-decks, given its influence in the global dynamic behavior of this type of double-deck bridges. Finally, the validation of the numerical model was performed by comparing the acceleration response of the structure under traffic actions, by means of numerical dynamic analyses considering vehicle-bridge interaction and including track irregularities, with the ones obtained by the dynamic test under traffic actions. The results of the calibrated numerical model showed a better agreement with the experimental results based on the accelerations evaluated in several measurement points located in both half-decks. In the validation process the vertical stiffness of the supports, as well as the degradation of the ballast located over the longitudinal joint between half-decks, was demonstrated to be relevant for the accuracy and effectiveness of the numerical models.This work has been supported by the projects IN2TRACK2 and IN2TRACK3 funded by the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No. 826255 and No. 101012456, respectively. Moreover, this work was also financially supported by Base Funding—UIDB/04708/2020 and Programmatic Funding— UIDP/04708/2020 of the CONSTRUCT—Instituto de I&D em Estruturas e Construções—funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). Finally, the second and fourth authors acknowledge Grant No. 2020.00305.CEECIND from the Stimulus of Scientific Employment, Individual Support (CEECIND)—3rd Edition provided by “FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia” and project operation NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000027 by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Social Fund (ESF), respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CONTRIBUIÇÃO DE JOGOS DIGITAIS PARA O ENSINO-APRENDIZAGEM DA CARTOGRAFIA NAS ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS DE PINDORETAMA-CEARÁ

A cartografia compõe a disciplina de geografia e apresenta dificuldades na sua aprendizagem nas séries finais. Essa realidade foi constatada a partir de pesquisas realizadas em duas escolas localizadas no município de Pindoretama - CE. Dessa forma, este artigo enfatiza a importância das ferramentas digitais no ensino e na alfabetização cartográfica, tendo em vista a proximidade desses recursos ao estilo de vida da juventude atual. A metodologia foi desenvolvida a partir da aplicação de um questionário em duas escolas do referido município, são elas respectivamente: EMEF Olga Vale Albino e EEM Julia Alenquer Fontenele. Foram realizadas palestras abordando os conceitos chaves da cartografia e apresentou-se o jogo digital “Pedrinho e Pedrita conhecendo o mapa”. Com as ações pedagógicas realizadas, notou-se que 65 % dos alunos do 6°ano desconhecem o que é cartografia, e 71% dos alunos de 1° ano do ensino médio desconhecem a linguagem cartográfica. Desse modo, analisando os dados obtidos, é perceptível a necessidade de intervenções no ensino desse conteúdo

Staphylococcus aureus in former Portuguese colonies from Africa and the Far East: missing data to help fill the world map

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage among patients and healthcare workers in Angola (ANG), São Tomé and Príncipe (STP), Cape Verde (CV) and East Timor (ET), and to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility, virulence content and population structure of all S. aureus. Despite the importance of MRSA as a major human pathogen, data from these former Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia are scarce. A total of 2065 nasal swabs recovered between 2010–14 were included in the study. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular characterization of S. aureus showed: (i) a very high MRSA prevalence in ANG (61.6%), moderate in STP (25.5%), low in CV (5.6%) and null in ET; (ii) a high prevalence of Panton–Valentine leukocidin in STP (36.8%), ET (29.2%) and CV (28.3%) contrasting with ANG (7.9%); (iii) ST5-SCCmecIVa, ST8-IV/V and ST5-VI were the major MRSA clones in ANG (65.2%), STP (44.8%) and CV (50%), respectively; (iv) a high resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in ANG (66.5%) and STP (50.9%), to rifampin in ANG (77.3%), and to tetracycline in STP (26.3%) and ET (20.8%); (v) three major methicillin-susceptible S. aureus clones (ST15, ST508, ST152) were present in all four countries. Age <18 years (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.24–3.31), previous surgery (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.24–4.83), no smoking (OR 4.04, 95% CI 1.05–15.50), and longer hospitalization (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.49–4.28) were risk factors for MRSA carriage. This study provided the first comprehensive overview on MRSA in former Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia, missing data in the world map

O PAPEL DO RIO ARAGUAIA E DA PECUÁRIA PARA A OCUPAÇÃO E EMANCIPAÇÃO DO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO GERALDO DO ARAGUAIA-PA

O presente artigo analisa a importância do rio Araguaia e da pecuária, além das atividades e atores sociais dependente de ambos, no município de São Geraldo do Araguaia, sudeste do Pará. Traz à tona a importância do citado rio como fator principal das ocupações econômicas pioneiras nesse município e demonstra o papel da pecuária nas transformações socioespaciais e nas relações comerciais. Esse trabalho partiu de leituras sobre obras relacionadas ao tema aqui tratado e conversas com alguns dos pioneiros ainda presentes no município são-geraldense e o mesmo visa discutir e relacionar o rio e a atividade pecuária com a ocupação e emancipação do citado município. O Araguaia permitiu a ocupação inicial da região onde hoje se encontra a cidade e depois veio à atividade pecuária a partir da abertura da rodovia implantada pela tão falada integração nacional arquitetada pelos militares, apesar da participação do segundo fator se sobressair, principalmente, no que tange a dinâmica econômica e ao fluxo migratório para a região é inegável a importância do rio para a cidade, pois o mesmo serve como representatividade da natureza e símbolo de dinâmicas locais pioneiras.Thi