Modelagem 3D e geovisualização aplicada a desastres naturais. Uma proposta de laboratório de ensino e pesquisa para monitoramento e previsão de escorregamentos.

Landslides have a high degree of uncertainty, requiring new methods for their analysis, monitoring and forecasting. In Brazil, Cemaden is responsible for actions related to natural disasters. Recently, it started, with partner institutions, a project sponsored by FINEP in order to monitor ten landslide prone areas located in different regions of the country. This paper presents the proposal of REDEGEO to implement a modeling and geovisualization laboratory to study landslide processes in urbanized areas. The laboratory consists of three parts: (A) Field surveys to obtain high resolution images from unmanned aerial vehicles, and utilizing geophysics methods (Resistivity and Ground Penetrating Radar – GPR) to obtain internal geometry of outcrops; (B) 3D modeling using the software Geovisionary®, which allows the analysis of image and geophysical datasets in different formats, considering their volumetric properties; (C) Geovisualization and Virtual Reality (VR), allowing images obtained in the field to be observed from a human-machine interface, so that researchers can have full immersion in the selected areas. The creation of a laboratory related to natural disasters, including geovisualization and VR capabilities, stimulates the active participation of research teams and creates mechanisms for participation by technology developers, managers, civil defense agents and even the population living in risk-prone areas

Satisfaction with Life Scale among adolescents and young adults in Portugal: extending evidence of construct validity

The paper presents three empirical studies designed to extend the test of the construct validity of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) among Portuguese students. In the first study, the responses of 461 elementary and secondary education students were submitted to a principal component analysis. A solution of one single factor was chosen, accounting for 55.7 % of the total variance, with Cronbach alpha coefficient and inter-item correlation above .70 and .20, respectively. The second study used a sample of 317 undergraduate students and registered a similar factor solution for SWLS (/pq = 0.99), which accounted for 65.6 % of the total variance (Cronbach alpha .89 and inter-item correlation above .20). A test–retest analysis registered coefficients of .70 (T2) and .77 (T3) and no significant statistically differences between T2, T3 and T1. The third study used a sample of 107 foster care youths from elementary and secondary education. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate adequate fit indexes for the one-factor solution (v2/df = 2.70, GFI = .96, CFI = .96), which showed convergent validity, reliability and homogeneity. In conclusion, there is psychometric evidence for the one-factor structure of the SWLS in Portugal.FCTCOMPET

Workshop on the design and use of clinical trials with multiple endpoints, with a focus on prevention of RSV

A meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal, in February 2023 focused on critical aspects of clinical trial design for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preventative therapies. The meeting addressed two primary areas: enhancing the efficiency and success of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for RSV preventative therapies and designing RCTs to better inform post-licensure decision-making. Topics included the selection of primary endpoints, innovative approaches to incorporating multiple endpoints and historical data, and the challenges and benefits of sequential trial designs. The discussion also touched on meta-regression models for obtaining more robust, context-specific estimates of vaccine efficacy. Overall, the meeting underscored the importance of balancing efficiency and robustness in RSV vaccine trial design, while recognizing the need for further discussions involving regulatory and advisory bodies