Associação da competência motora com a atividade física: estudo longitudinal em crianças

Analisar longitudinalmente a influência da proficiência em habilidades motoras e dos níveis de coordenação motora nos níveis de atividade física (AF) das crianças. Métodos: Estudo longitudinal que decorreu entre o ano de 2009 e 2012, com uma amostra de 98 crianças (6 a 8 anos de idade no início do estudo), que realizaram avaliações anuais da AF (pedómetro), da coordenação motora (KTK) e de habilidades motoras fundamentais (TGM D-2). Para a análise dos dados recorreu-se à modelação hierárquica, com o intuito de determinar os preditores da AF, através do sucessivo ajustamento de cinco modelos. Resultados: O nível de AF das crianças diminuiu significativamente ao longo do tempo em ambos os sexos. No início do estudo as raparigas tinham um nível de AF significativamente inferior ao dos rapazes. A magnitude das diferenças no nível de AF entre rapazes e rapa rigas não se alterou significativamente ao longo das observações. Os níveis de coordenação motora e a proficiência das habilidades de controlo de objetos não foram preditores da AF, enquanto que a proficiência das habilidades de locomoção foi o único preditor significativo da AF. Conclusões: As habilidades motoras de locomoção foram um preditor significativo da AF das crianças

Using cost of quality to select alternative suppliers and determine incoming inspection in dynamic contexts

Process quality planning should establish the incoming quality inspection plan to achieve the desired quality level with minimum Cost of Quality (CoQ). Additionally, the selection of alternative suppliers must be defined, and, in a dynamic context, the best solution may vary. The purpose of this study is to, through a simulation approach, minimize the total CoQ of two related decisions: i) supplier selection and ii) incoming quality inspection selection. We will determine the CoQ of alternative suppliers and determine the CoQ of alternative incoming inspections that are associated with such decisions. The inputs to the model are components costs, inspection costs, proportion of defectives from incoming lots, Type I and Type II inspection errors, alternative control methods, and the cost of delivering defective components to the manufacturing system. The uncertainty of some inputs is modelled through probability distributions and the dynamic context is modelled through different scenarios. The results from simulations estimate the total CoQ of each alternative decision. This model allows to determine the CoQ of the alternative scenarios and to define a best supplier and incoming quality inspection plan. A numerical example based on a manufacturing process demonstrates the applicability of this model and the results indicate that the optimal solution may vary when the model parameters are updated.(undefined

Patrones de diversidad de Araneae en un gradiente de prácticas de cultivo en olivares: vinculados entre patrones del paisaje, prácticas de gestión e interacciones entre especies

Trabalho apresentado em XIX Jornadas del Grupo Ibérico de Aracnología, 4-6 outubro 2019, Priego, Espanha.N/

Functional responses of three guilds of spiders: Comparing single- and multiprey approaches

Spiders are successful natural enemies of pests occurring throughout the different strata of an agroecosystem. The study of their functional responses can provide information related to the potential effectiveness of different species and guilds on reducing a pest population. However, multiple prey availability may change the functional response of a predator. In this study, the functional responses of three species of spiders in single-prey and multiple-prey experiments were modelled. The spider species Haplodrassus rufipes, Araniella cucurbitina and Synema globosum were chosen as being representatives of ground runners, orb-weavers and ambushers, respectively. Three prey species were selected: a target prey, the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata and two alternate prey species, the flour moth Ephestia kuehniella and the house cricket Acheta domesticus. When the selected target prey C. capitata was supplied in the single-prey experiments, the most and the least efficient spider species were H. rufipes and S. globosum, respectively. However, opposite results were obtained when alternative preys were supplied. Also, A. cucurbitina significantly changed its functional response with the presence of alternative prey species. Considering the prey preference during the multiple-prey experiments, A. domesticus, used as representative of a heavy, long-sized and highly motile prey, was avoided whereas C. capitata, the target pest used as representative of light, small-sized and moderately motile prey was preferred by the three species of spiders. Ephestia kuehniella, used as representative of light, medium-sized and low motile prey was occasionally consumed. Each guild could include efficient predators against pests according to its hunting strategies and the ecological exploited niches. Orb-weavers could be efficient predators against flying pests; ambushers such as S. globosum could contribute to the reduction of the populations of flower-visiting pests, whereas active ground hunters may also play an important role preying on pests that develop a part or all of its life cycle in the ground. However, further research on feeding behaviour such as prey switching is needed for a better understanding of the effectiveness of spiders as natural enemies.This work was funded by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the project EXCL/AGR-PRO/0591/2012 “Olive crop protection in sustainable production under global climatic changes: linking ecological infrastructures to ecosystem functions” and by the project ReNATURE – Valorization of the Natural Endogenous Resources of the Centro Region” funded by Centro 2020 (Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000007). Jacinto Benhadi-Marín is grateful to the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology for financial support through the Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/97248/2013. This manuscript is part of Jacinto Benhadi-Marín's Ph.D. thesis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Distribution of the spider community in the olive grove agroecosystem (Portugal): potential bioindicators

Spiders are successful natural enemies in different crops. Research on the role of spiders as natural enemies within agroecosystems needs to address the distribution of their communities across different spatial scales, as well as the dominant species. We studied the spatial distribution of the community of spiders of the olive agroecosystem in Northeastern Portugal and investigated potential species that could be used as bioindicators of agricultural management in the olive grove. We found nine functional groups (ambushers, foliage runner hunters, ground hunters, orb-web builders, sheet web builders, sensing web-builders, space web builders, stalkers and wandering sheet/tangle weavers) encompassing a community that changed significantly across the horizontal and vertical gradient. We propose Thanatus vulgaris Simon, 1870 as potential bioindicator for the ground of the olive grove central area and Ozyptila pauxilla (Simon, 1870) for the ground of the olive grove peripheral area. Adjacent shrubland areas could play an important role in biological control of pests, allowing the exchange of species and individuals with the olive crop. The role of agrobiont species as indicators of agricultural managements deserves further investigation towards the enhancement of the effectiveness of spiders within low-impact crop management in arable landscapes.Thisworkwas funded byCentro 2020 (Centro-01-0145-FEDER- 000007) through the project ‘ReNATURE – Valorization of the Natural Endogenous Resources of the Centro Region’. The authors are indebted to all of the farmers who allowed access to their olive groves. Jacinto Benhadi-Marín is grateful to the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/97248/2013. This manuscript is part of Jacinto Benhadi-Marín’s PhD thesis. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Topological field theories in n-dimensional spacetimes and Cartan's equations

Action principles of the BF type for diffeomorphism invariant topological field theories living in n-dimensional spacetime manifolds are presented. Their construction is inspired by Cuesta and Montesinos' recent paper where Cartan's first and second structure equations together with first and second Bianchi identities are treated as the equations of motion for a field theory. In opposition to that paper, the current approach involves also auxiliary fields and holds for arbitrary n-dimensional spacetimes. Dirac's canonical analysis for the actions is detailedly carried out in the generic case and it is shown that these action principles define topological field theories, as mentioned. The current formalism is a generic framework to construct geometric theories with local degrees of freedom by introducing additional constraints on the various fields involved that destroy the topological character of the original theory. The latter idea is implemented in two-dimensional spacetimes where gravity coupled to matter fields is constructed out, which has indeed local excitations.Comment: LaTeX file, no figure

Chemical characterization of “Alcaparras” stoned table olives from Northeast Portugal

Commercial stoned table olives named "alcaparras" from Trás-os-Montes (Portugal) were chemically characterized. During three consecutive years (2004-2006) 30 samples (10 per year) were examined for their nutritional value (moisture, crude protein, total fat, ash, carbohydrates, and energy), with a detailed report of the fatty acids and tocopherols composition. Water was the major constituent (72.5 ± 5.5%), followed by fat (14.6 ± 5.1%). The average amount of protein and ash were 1.1% and 3.4%, respectively, reporting unusual ash values for table olives, related to the technological process. One hundred grams of fresh stoned table olives presented an average energetic value of 156 kcal, lower than most table olives. The lipids are rich in oleic acid (average of 77.7 ± 2.0%), followed by palmitic acid and linoleic acid. Samples showed an average of total tocopherols of 1.2 mg/100 g of fresh weight, being α-tocopherol the most abundant. Table olives are important sources of MUFA, as olive oil, recognized as a preventive factor in diseases in which free radicals are implicated, complemented by the amounts of vitamin E, with both antioxidant and vitamin action.The authors are grateful to INTERREG III A Program, Project PIREFI for financial support of this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Digital Learning Is an Educational Format towards Sustainable Education

The year 2020, due to the pandemic, was a milestone in the history of digital technology in the education sector, allowing a sustainable education although the world was facing a pandemic crisis without precedents. Therefore, in a few days occur a transformation from traditional classroom teaching to online teaching and consequently forced to use digital learning. Nevertheless, more researches are needed to know how was this experience and if there is the intention to maintain the online format. The main goal of this article is to study how digital learning can be an educational format focused on sustainable education. This paper presents a systematic literature review on digital learning through PRISMA methodology, based on a literature search and field research aimed to analyze the significant predictors related to the digital learning experience on the likelihood of choosing to “keep” the online format in the next academic year. An online survey was conducted with 173 university students. The results obtained showed that the significant predictors were factor 1-”Characteristics of online classes; factor 2-”Support from the School and Professors; factor 3-”Online classes vs. face-to-face classes” and gender. The probability of choosing to keep online classes increases exponentially with the characteristics of online classes, with Support from school and teachers; Online classes vs. Face-to-face classes, and keeping factors 1, 2, and 3 constant the probability if a man chooses the online format compared to a woman is higher. This online format thus acquires central importance in the contemporary sustainability debate. The kind of life, education, and society we will have in the future will depend on the quality, depth, and extent of the learning processes we can create and exercise individually and socially. Education, and educators in particular, who concentrate on the tasks of designing and implementing social teaching and learning models, have a unique responsibility in this process. Although the reduced sample size the present work can provide strategic information for university staff, contributing to designing and implementation a sustainable education.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The C677T polymorphism in MTHFR is not associated with migraine in Portugal

Migraine is a debilitating disorder affecting a large proportion of the population. The effect of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (GeneID: 4524) polymorphisms in migraine etiology and development has been a theme of great interest. Several populations were evaluated with contradictory results. In this case-control study, we investigated the effect of the C677T polymorphism in MTHFR, as a genetic risk factor for migraine, in the Portuguese population. We observed that, overall, there was no significant difference in the frequencies of MTHFR C677T genotypes or of the T-allele among the Portuguese migraineurs when compared to controls. There was also no association of migraine with aura with MTHFR genotypes or with the T-allele, in contrast with previous studies. Regarding the risk of the T-allele homozygote carriers, there was an equal probability to develop migraine with aura over migraine without aura in our patients. Thus, we conclude that the C677T MTHFR polymorphism, responsible for a reduction of the MTHFR activity in folate metabolism, is not a major genetic susceptibility factor for migraine in the Portuguese population.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (POCTI-034390/99/FCT) and A.F. (SFRH/BD/ 1288/2000), M.-J.C. (POCTI-034390-PR332009-BTI), M.S. (SFRH/BD/9111/2002), C.L. (SFRH/BD/17761/ 2004