Caso Clínico de una Niña con Algoneurodistrofia

A clinical case of a 12-year-old female child with anxiety symptoms and a diagnosis of Algoneurodystrophy in the left hand is presented. The psychological assessment was carried out using the following instruments: observation, psychological interview, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III), State/Trait Anxiety Questionnaire for children, and Conners Scales for parents and teachers. The intervention aimed to reduce anxiety levels, promote self-esteem, and alleviate the child's grief. For this purpose, a cognitive-behavioral intervention was carried out with the child and their parents. Through education, the child's parents were alerted to the need to express the feeling of loss, providing an environment for the resolution of the grieving process of all family members. Furthermore, they were also warned about the maintenance factors of the child's anxiety symptoms, such as the issue of high parental demand. As a result, it can be concluded that good therapeutic gains were seen, translating into the resolution of the child's problems and, consequently, increasing their psychological well-being.Se presenta el caso clínico de una niña de 12 años con síntomas de ansiedad y diagnóstico de algoneurodistrofia en la mano izquierda. La evaluación psicológica se realizó mediante los siguientes instrumentos: observación, entrevista psicológica, Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler para Niños (WISC-III), Cuestionario de Ansiedad Estado/Rasgo para niños y Escalas de Conners para padres y profesores. La intervención tuvo como objetivo reducir los niveles de ansiedad, promover la autoestima y aliviar los sentimientos de dolor. Para ello, se realizó una intervención cognitivo-conductual con la niña y los padres.  A través de la educación, los padres de la niña fueron alertados sobre la necesidad de expresar el sentimiento de pérdida, brindando un entorno para la resolución del proceso de duelo de todos los miembros de la familia. Además, también se les advirtió sobre los factores de mantenimiento de los síntomas de ansiedad de la niña, como el tema de la alta demanda de los padres. Como resultado, se puede concluir que se apreciaron buenos avances terapéuticos, que se tradujeron en la resolución de los problemas de la niña y, en consecuencia, en un aumento de su bienestar psicológico

Dilemas implicativos e ajustamento psicológico: um estudo com alunos recém-chegados à Universidade do Minho

Neste artigo apresentamos uma investigação focalizada no ajustamento psicológico e na experiência pessoal de alunos recém-chegados à Universidade. O nosso objectivo consistiu, por um lado, em analisar as dificuldades no ajustamento psicológico que estes alunos manifestam, quer através da presença de sintomatologia psicopatológica quer através das dificuldades na resolução de problemas de vida, e por outro, analisar se estas dimensões estão relacionadas com a presença de dilemas implicativos. Participaram neste estudo 48 alunos que frequentavam pela primeira vez a Universidade do Minho. Os dilemas implicativos foram identificados através da grelha de repertório (Kelly, 1955), os sintomas psicopatológicos foram avaliados através do SCL-90-R (Derrogatis,1977) e as dificuldades na resolução de problemas foram identificadas com o Inventário de Resolução de Problemas (Vaz-Serra, 1989). Os resultados indicam uma correlação negativa e altamente significativa entre a presença de sintomatologia psicopatológica e as competências de resolução de problemas. Os resultados sugerem, ainda, que a relação entre a presença de dilemas e a sintomatologia psicopatológica, e a relação entre presença de dilemas e dificuldades na resolução de problemas, embora não significativas, são no sentido esperado. Discutimos as implicações destes resultados para a compreensão dos desafios que a transição para a Universidade pode constituir no ajustamento psicológico dos estudantes.This descriptive transversal study presents a research about the psychological adjustment and personal experience of first-year students at the University. The first goal was to analyse if psychological symptoms and difficulties in problem solving skills manifested by these students are related. Secondly we were interested in analysing if these dimensions are, each of them, related to the presence of implicative dilemmas. Forty eight students completed a Kelly Repertory grid technique, the SCL-90-R, and a Problem Solving Inventory. Results showed that difficulties in problems solving skills were associated with highest levels of psychological symptoms. However, associations between implicative dilemmas and sychological symptoms, on one hand, and problem solving skills, on the other, were not significant. Still they were on the expected direction. Implications of these results for understanding the challenges of transition to University in Psychological adjustment of students are discussed.En este artículo se presenta una investigación centrada en el ajuste psicológico y en la experiencia personal de alumnos recién llegados a la Universidad. El objetivo fue, por un lado, analizar las dificultades en el ajuste psiclógico que manifestan estos alumnos, tanto a través de lapresencia de sintomatología psicopatológica como a través de las dificultades en la resolución de problemas vitales y, por otro, analizar asi estas dimensiones se relacionam con la presencia de dilemas implicativos. En este estudio descriptivo transversal participaron 48 alumnos que aistían por primera vez a la Universidad de Minho. Los dilemas implicativos se identificaron por medio de la Regilla de Repertorios de Kelly, los síntomas psicopatógicos se evaluaron con el SCL-90-R y las difiltades en la resolución de problemas se identificaron mediante el Inventario de Resolución de Problemas. Los resultados indican una correlación negativa y altamente significativa entre la presencia de sintomatología psicopatógica y las competencias de resolución de problemas. Admás, los resultados sugieren que la relación entre presencia de dilemas e la sintomatología, así como la relación entre presencia de dilemas y dificultades en la resolución de problemas, a pesar de no ser significativas, muestran la relación esperada. Se discuten las implicaciones de estos resultados para la comprensión delos desafíos que el ingreso en la Universidad supone en el ajuste psicológico de los estudantes.Centro de Investigação em Psicologia da Universidade do Minho

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of COVID-19 Infections in Mainland Portugal

Silva, M., Betco, I., Capinha, C., Roquette, R., Viana, C. M., & Rocha, J. (2022). Spatiotemporal Dynamics of COVID-19 Infections in Mainland Portugal. Sustainability, 14(16), 1-28. [10370]. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610370------This work was financed by national funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the framework of the project ‘TRIAD-Health Risk and Social Vulnerability to Arboviral Diseases in Mainland Portugal’ (PTDC/GES -OUT/30210/2017) and by the Research Unit UIDB/00295/2020 and UIDP/00295/2020. M.S. was supported by ABS-Covid-Anthropogenic Base Factors of Spreading COVID project, CERU, Council of Europe, EUROPA Major Hazards Agreement. C.C. was funded through FCT, I.P., under the program ‘Stimulus of Scientific Employment—Individual Support’ within the contract CEECIND/02037/2017.The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic disease on 12 March 2020. Currently, this disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains one of the biggest public health problems in the world. Thus, it is essential to apply methods that enable a better understanding of the virus diffusion processes, not only at the spatial level but also at the spatiotemporal one. To that end, we tried to understand the spatial distribution of COVID-19 pathology in continental Portugal at the municipal level and to comprehend how mobility influences transmission. We used autocorrelation indices such as Getis-Ord (with Euclidian distance and commuting values), Local Moran, and a new hybrid approach. Likewise, aiming to identify the spatiotemporal patterns of the virus propagation by using Man–Kendall statistics, we found that most hotspots of infected individuals occur in the municipalities of metropolitan areas. The spatiotemporal analysis identified most of the municipalities as oscillating hotspots.publishersversionpublishe

Application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and orthogonal projections to latent structures/partial least squares regression for estimation of procyanidins average degree of polymerisation

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has being emphasised as a widespread technique in the quick assess of food components. In this work, procyanidins were extracted with methanol and acetone/water from the seeds of white and red grape varieties. A fractionation by graded methanol/chloroform precipitations allowed to obtain 26 samples that were characterised using thiolysis as pre-treatment followed by HPLC-UV and MS detection. The average degree of polymerisation (DPn) of the procyanidins in the samples ranged from 2 to 11 flavan-3-ol residues. FTIR spectroscopy within the wavenumbers region of 1800-700 cm(-1) allowed to build a partial least squares (PLS1) regression model with 8 latent variables (LVs) for the estimation of the DPn, giving a RMSECV of 11.7%, with a R(2) of 0.91 and a RMSEP of 2.58. The application of orthogonal projection to latent structures (O-PLS1) clarifies the interpretation of the regression model vectors. Moreover, the O-PLS procedure has removed 88% of non-correlated variations with the DPn, allowing to relate the increase of the absorbance peaks at 1203 and 1099 cm(-1) with the increase of the DPn due to the higher proportion of substitutions in the aromatic ring of the polymerised procyanidin molecules.The authors gratefully acknowledge Pedro Vasco (Universidade de Aveiro) and Eng. A. Dias Cardoso, Eng. José Carvalheira, and all staff from Estac¸ ão Vitivinícola da Bairrada, Portugal, for the technical support and raw material provided. Thanks are also due to Adega Cooperativa de Pinhel for providing the seed from red grapes. This work was supported by the Research Unit 62/94 QOPNA and project POCTI/EQU/47533/2002. Cláudia Passos was supported by a PhD grant by FCT, SFRH/BD/19072/2004.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of atomic layer deposited TiO2 on the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2/w-VA-CNT nanocomposite materials

Titanium oxide (TiO2) has been widely investigated as a photocatalytic material, and the fact that its performance depends on its crystalline structure motivates further research on the relationship between preparation methods and material properties. In this work, TiO2 thin films were grown on non- functionalized wave-like patterned vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (w-VA-CNTs) via the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed that the structure of the TiO2/VA-CNT nanocomposites varied from amorphous to a crystalline phase with increasing deposition temperature, suggesting a “critical deposition temperature” for the anatase crystalline phase formation. On the other hand, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies revealed that the non-functionalized carbon nanotubes were conformally and homogeneously coated with TiO2, forming a nanocomposite while preserving the morphology of the nanotubes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided information about the surface chemistry and stoichiometry of TiO2. The photodegradation experiments under ultraviolet (UV) light on a model pollutant (Rhodamine B, RhB) revealed that the nanocomposite comprised of anatase crystalline TiO2 grown at 200 ?C (11.2 nm thickness) presented the highest degradation efficiency viz 55% with an illumination time of 240 min. Furthermore, its recyclability was also demonstrated for multiple cycles, showing good recovery and potential for practical applications.publishe

Usefulness of genetic characterization of narcolepsy and hypersomnia on phenotype definition: a study in Portuguese patients

The determination of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genotype is widely used to confirm the diagnosis of narcolepsy with or without cataplexy. The HLA genotyping is reliable, easy to perform and reassures the clinician. It is also less invasive than other methodologies and is in accordance with the autoimmune hypothesis for the origin of narcolepsy. AIM. To assess the usefulness of genetic markers (HLA) in the differential diagnosis between different sleep disorders and their relevance in the context of our population

Green Space Typologies in the City of Porto – Portugal: Identifying Nodes and Links for Greenway Planning

In the XIX century, Porto was a small and compact urban centre surrounded by a large belt of agriculture and forest. Since the mid XX century, as a consequence of the industrial revolution, the city sprawled throughout the rural fringes up to its administrative limits creating an urban continuum with the adjacent municipalities. As a result, the current green structure of the city lacks a long-term planning strategy with resulting breakdown of the rural matrix, fragmentation and discontinuity of main green systems. Functioning as habitat and corridors, urban greenways are very effective strategies for minimizing overall impacts of ecological fragmentation: habitat loss and habitat isolation. A greenway system articulates ecological structure and function, providing simultaneously recreational opportunities, biodiversity protection and assuring present and future open space needs (Ahern, 2002). Currently, greenways are being established in cities worldwide, proving their relevance, especially in rapidly changing urban contexts. Supported by these assumptions and the results of current studies on Porto green structure, this work aims at proposing a greenway network for the city, grounded on an integrated and coherent system of multifunctional green areas. The adopted approach relies on the premise that a structure of green nodes and links (corridors) should act as the framework for that greenway system

Os diplomados em Ciências da Documentação e Informação da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa: Empregabilidade 2008-2017

Objetivo: O objectivo do presente trabalho é analisar a empregabilidade dos diplomados do Mestrado em Ciências da Documentação e Informação da Universidade de Lisboa. Metodología: O presente estudo, como qualquer estudo de índole científica, assenta numa metodologia de investigação que nos permite apresentar resultados válidos e legitima o próprio trabalho. Neste sentido, o trabalho foi realizado completando as seguintes fases (Quivy & Campenhoudt, 1992): Elaboração da Pergunta de partida; Revisão da Literatura; Problematização; Instrumento de Análise; Recolha de Dados; e Análise dos Dados. É, ainda, um estudo exploratório de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, suportado, sobretudo na revisão da literatura, pelo método de pesquisa documental (Saint-Georges, 1997:15). Resultados: Em termos absolutos, os valores da empregabilidade apresentados nos três momentos que foram inquiridos – à data de candidatura, à data de conclusão e atualmente, são de, respetivamente, 83%, 82% e 87%. Estes valores são ainda firmados pelo facto de 65% dos adjetivos utilizados sobre a formação do Mestrado ser: boa, abrangente, interessante, pertinente, atual, excelente, relevante, diversificada, prática, útil, enriquecedora, científica, eficiente, fundamental e rigorosa. Em suma, o presente estudo evidencia uma elevada empregabilidade dos diplomados em Ciências da Documentação e Informação pela Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa, entre 2008 e 2017.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

A empregabilidade como fator da sustentabilidade: os diplomados em Ciências da Documentação e Informação pela Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa

O objetivo do presente trabalho é analisar a empregabilidade dos diplomados do Mestrado em Ciências da Documentação e Informação da Universidade de Lisboa. O presente estudo, como qualquer estudo de índole científica, assenta numa metodologia de investigação que nos permite apresentar resultados válidos e legitima o próprio trabalho. Neste sentido, o trabalho foi realizado completando as seguintes fases (Quivy & Campenhoudt, 1992): Elaboração da Pergunta de partida; Revisão da Literatura; Problematização; Instrumento de Análise; Recolha de Dados; e Análise dos Dados. É, ainda, um estudo exploratório de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, suportado, sobretudo na revisão da literatura, pelo método de pesquisa documental (Saint-Georges, 1997:15).Objective: The objective of this work is to analyze the employability of graduates of the Master in Documentation and Information Sciences at the University of Lisbon. Methodology: The present study, like any study of a scientific nature, is based on a research methodology that allows us to present valid results and legitimizes the work itself. In this sense, the work was carried out completing the following phases (Quivy & Campenhoudt, 1992): Elaboration of the starting question; Literature revision; Problematization; Analysis Instrument; Data collection; and Data Analysis. It is also an exploratory study of a qualitative and quantitative nature, supported, above all, in the literature review, by the documentary research method (Saint-Georges, 1997:15).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The impact of woody biochar on microbial processes in conventionally and organically managed arable soils

Although environmental impacts of biochar are well characterized, impacts on soil quality, nutrient availability and crop productivity, still remain a challenge due to the diverse response of different soil types to different types of biochar, namely those obtained at low temperature. The impact of an alkaline woody biochar (two doses 5% and 10%) obtained at 280°C, on soil enzyme activity, soil microbial respiration rate, mineral nitrogen (N) availability and ammonia volatilization was studied in one conventionally and one organically managed soils, with and without the addition of urea or composted farmyard manure. Biochar additions had different effects on soil enzyme activity in both soils, suggesting lower decomposing microbial activity processes promoted by biochar. Both soils showed a similar decreasing trend regarding soil respiration rates for all treatments, and significant relationships were observed between the treatments with different rates of applied biochar, but not constant for the entire incubation period. Urea application increased soil mineral N concentrations, especially nitrate concentrations when biochar was applied as well. Biochar decreased ammonia volatilization from conventionally managed soil fertilized with urea, but did not have a significant effect when compost was added to the organically managed soil. Biochar altered microbial behavior in soil, and was affected by previous soil management. So, the impact of biochar produced at low temperatures on soil biological processes is similar to those obtained at high temperature, thus proving that there is no need to increase the energy expenditure to produce biochar, to obtain a good product