Marginalized narratives

This issue of CITAR (Journal of Arts Science and Technology) is especially devoted to what we designated as Marginalized Narratives. It is a special issue that collects studies published upon the 5th Colloquium on Narrative, Medium and Cognition, held at the University of Algarve in November 2018, and which was focused on that topic. In line with what the colloquium proposed, the works now published share a broad understanding of the concept of narrative.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemical and physical pretreatments of microalgal biomass

Non-axenic microalga Chlorella sorokiniana was cultivated in batch cultures, and its total sugar composition was determined. The microalga under study showed a total sugar concentration of 21.44 ± 0.46% (w/w). The effects of freeze-drying, oven-drying, freezing and thawing, chemical and the combination of hydrothermal and chemical pretreatments were evaluated. In the combined pretreatment different concentrations of H2SO4 and reaction times were also optimized. It was possible to determine that the sugar extraction yields more significant were 59.5% for the lyophilization, 6.2% with 6 cycles of freeze and thawing and around 100% for 2 and 4% (v/v) of H2SO4 at 121 °C for 30 min. Some of the methods that were described in this study are interesting to facilitate cost-efficient conversion of microalgal biomass into biofuels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cultural aspects of the trees in selected European countries

This publication is derived from the Outputs of Working Group One (WG3) of the EU COST ACTION E42 VALBRO with the contribution of Ana Maria Carvalho from ESA/IPB and CIMO to this theme in particular.This paper describes how a particular group of broadleaved trees – known as “valuable broadleaved trees” because of their special value as timber and their general rarity in terms of timber supply – have had a special place in the cultural landscapes and cultural life of a number of countries in Europe. The paper is an output of Cost Action E42 – VALBRO - Valuable Broadleaved Trees in Europe. The countries presented here reflect those which took part in the action, although conveniently they represent a good range of different regions – from Finland in the North to Greece in the south and from Ireland in the west to Poland in the east. Not all of the trees are found in each country and in some they are planted but not native. The cultural values and associations therefore vary but there are also some great similarities in the way trees have played a role – economically, providing a range of products both timber and non-timber; as elements that identify place and help establish place identity; as sources of folklore, myths, legends and superstitions. These values are on the point of being lost to most cultures because they are associated with traditional, rural ways of life. As Europe becomes more urbanised such cultural heritage is at risk of becoming lost forever. Trees become either utilitarian sources of products of economic value or are used as aesthetic objects in landscape design.COST Office 200

Terminological Methods in Lexicography: Conceptualising, Organising, and Encoding Terms in General Language Dictionaries

Os dicionários de língua geral apresentam inconsistências de uniformização e cientificidade no tratamento do conteúdo lexicográfico especializado. Analisando a presença e o tratamento de termos em dicionários de língua geral, propomos um tratamento mais uniforme e cientificamente rigoroso desse conteúdo, considerando também a necessidade de compilar e alinhar futuros recursos lexicais em consonância com padrões interoperáveis. Partimos da premissa de que o tratamento dos itens lexicais, sejam unidades lexicais (palavras em geral) ou unidades terminológicas (termos ou palavras pertencentes a determinados domínios), deve ser diferenciado, e recorremos a métodos terminológicos para tratar os termos dicionarizados. A nossa abordagem assume que a terminologia – na sua dupla dimensão linguística e conceptual – e a lexicografia, como domínios interdisciplinares, podem ser complementares. Assim, apresentamos objetivos teóricos (aperfeiçoamento da metalinguagem e descrição lexicográfica a partir de pressupostos terminológicos) e práticos (representação consistente de dados lexicográficos), que visam facilitar a organização, descrição e modelização consistente de componentes lexicográficos, nomeadamente a hierarquização das etiquetas de domínio, que são marcadores de identificação de léxico especializados. Queremos ainda facilitar a redação de definições, as quais podem ser otimizadas e elaboradas com maior precisão científica ao seguir uma abordagem terminológica no tratamento dos termos. Analisámos os dicionários desenvolvidos por três instituições académicas distintas: a Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, a Real Academia Española e a Académie Française, que representam um valioso legado da tradição lexicográfica académica europeia. A análise inicial inclui um levantamento exaustivo e a comparação das etiquetas de domínio usadas, bem como um debate sobre as opções escolhidas e um estudo comparativo do tratamento dos termos. Elaborámos, depois, uma proposta metodológica para o tratamento de termos em dicionários de língua geral, tomando como exemplo dois domínios, GEOLOGIA e FUTEBOL, extraídos da edição de 2001 do dicionário da Academia das Ciências de Lisboa. Revimos os termos selecionados de acordo com os princípios terminológicos defendidos, dando origem a sentidos especializados revistos/novos para a primeira edição digital deste dicionário. Representamos e anotamos os dados usando as especificações da TEI Lex-0, uma extensão da TEI (Text Encoding Initiative), dedicada à codificação de dados lexicográficos. Destacamos também a importância de ter etiquetas de domínio hierárquicas em vez de uma lista simples de domínios, vantajosas para a organização dos dados, correspondência e possíveis futuros alinhamentos entre diferentes recursos lexicográficos. A investigação revelou que a) os modelos estruturais dos recursos lexicais são complexos e contêm informação de natureza diversa; b) as etiquetas de domínio nos dicionários gerais da língua são planas, desequilibradas, inconsistentes e, muitas vezes, estão desatualizadas, havendo necessidade de as hierarquizar para organizar o conhecimento especializado; c) os critérios adotados para a marcação dos termos e as fórmulas utilizadas na definição são díspares; d) o tratamento dos termos é heterogéneo e formulado de diferentes formas, pelo que o recurso a métodos terminológicos podem ajudar os lexicógrafos a redigir definições; e) a aplicação de métodos terminológicos e lexicográficos interdisciplinares, e também de padrões, é vantajosa porque permite a construção de bases de dados lexicais estruturadas, concetualmente organizadas, apuradas do ponto de vista linguístico e interoperáveis. Em suma, procuramos contribuir para a questão urgente de resolver problemas que afetam a partilha, o alinhamento e vinculação de dados lexicográficos.General language dictionaries show inconsistencies in terms of uniformity and scientificity in the treatment of specialised lexicographic content. By analysing the presence and treatment of terms in general language dictionaries, we propose a more uniform and scientifically rigorous treatment of this content, considering the necessity of compiling and aligning future lexical resources according to interoperable standards. We begin from the premise that the treatment of lexical items, whether lexical units (words in general) or terminological units (terms or words belonging to particular subject fields), must be differentiated, and resort to terminological methods to treat dictionary terms. Our approach assumes that terminology – in its dual dimension, both linguistic and conceptual – and lexicography, as interdisciplinary domains, can be complementary. Thus, we present theoretical (improvement of metalanguage and lexicographic description based on terminological assumptions) and practical (consistent representation of lexicographic data) objectives that aim to facilitate the organisation, description and consistent modelling of lexicographic components, namely the hierarchy of domain labels, as they are specialised lexicon identification markers. We also want to facilitate the drafting of definitions, which can be optimised and elaborated with greater scientific precision by following a terminological approach for the treatment of terms. We analysed the dictionaries developed by three different academic institutions: the Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, the Real Academia Española and the Académie Française, which represent a valuable legacy of the European academic lexicographic tradition. The initial analysis includes an exhaustive survey and comparison of the domain labels used, as well as a debate on the chosen options and a comparative study of the treatment of the terms. We then developed a methodological proposal for the treatment of terms in general language dictionaries, exemplified using terms from two domains, GEOLOGY and FOOTBALL, taken from the 2001 edition of the dictionary of the Academia das Ciências de Lisboa. We revised the selected terms according to the defended terminological principles, giving rise to revised/new specialised meanings for the first digital edition of this dictionary. We represent and annotate the data using the TEI Lex-0 specifications, a TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) subset for encoding lexicographic data. We also highlight the importance of having hierarchical domain labels instead of a simple list of domains, which are beneficial to the data organisation itself, correspondence and possible future alignments between different lexicographic resources. Our investigation revealed the following: a) structural models of lexical resources are complex and contain information of a different nature; b) domain labels in general language dictionaries are flat, unbalanced, inconsistent and often outdated, requiring the need to hierarchise them for organising specialised knowledge; c) the criteria adopted for marking terms and the formulae used in the definition are disparate; d) the treatment of terms is heterogeneous and formulated differently, whereby terminological methods can help lexicographers to draft definitions; e) the application of interdisciplinary terminological and lexicographic methods, and of standards, is advantageous because it allows the construction of structured, conceptually organised, linguistically accurate and interoperable lexical databases. In short, we seek to contribute to the urgent issue of solving problems that affect the sharing, alignment and linking of lexicographic data

Reasons for not using ecstasy: a qualitative study of non-users, ex-light users and ex-moderate users

Background: Although ecstasy is often consumed in the electronic music scene, not everyone with the opportunity to use it chooses to do so. the objective of this study was to understand the reasons for non-use or the cessation of use, which could provide information for public health interventions.Methods: A qualitative reference method was used. Our snowball sample group consisted of 53 people who were split into three subgroups: non-users (NU, n = 23), ex-light users (EX-L, n = 12) and ex-moderate users (EX-M, n = 18). Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed and subjected to content analysis with the aid of NVivo8.Results: Adverse health effects and personal values were given as reasons for non-use in the three groups. Non-users (NU) and ex-light users (EX-L) provided reasons that included fear of possible effects as well as moral, family and religious objections. Ex-moderate users (EX-M) cited reasons related to health complications and concomitant withdrawal from the electronic music scene. However, most of the ex-moderate users did not rule out the possibility of future use.Conclusions: Potential effects and undesirable consequences appear to guide the decisions within the different groups. Prevention might target these motivations. Individuals who have used ecstasy indicate that social and environmental factors are the most important factors.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)UNIFESP Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUNIFESP Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Physiological responses of a halophytic shrub to salt stress by Na2SO4 and NaCl: oxidative damage and the role of polyphenols in antioxidant protection

Salt stress conditions lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells. Halophytes have the ability to reduce these toxic ROS by means of a powerful antioxidant system that includes enzymatic and non-enzymatic components. In this research, we used the halophytic shrub Prosopis strombulifera to investigate whether the ability of this species to grow under increasing salt concentrations and mixtures was related to the synthesis of polyphenolic compounds and to the maintenance of leaf pigment contents for an adequate photosynthetic activity. Seedlings of P. strombulifera were grown hydroponically in Hoagland's solution, gradually adding Na2SO4 and NaCl separately or in mixtures until reaching final osmotic potentials of −1, −1.9 and −2.6 MPa. Control plants were allowed to develop in Hoagland's solution without salt. Oxidative damage in tissues was determined by H2O2 and malondialdehyde content. Leaf pigment analysis was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet, and total phenols, total flavonoids, total flavan-3-ols, condensed tannins, tartaric acid esters and flavonols were spectrophotometrically assayed. Treatment with Na2SO4 increased H2O2 production and lipid peroxidation in tissues and induced a sharp increase in flavonoid compounds (mainly flavan-3-ols) and consequently in the antioxidant activity. Also, Na2SO4 treatment induced an increased carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio, which may represent a strategy to protect photosystems against photooxidation. NaCl treatment, however, did not affect H2O2 content, lipid peroxidation, pigments or polyphenols synthesis. The significant accumulation of flavonoids in tissues under Na2SO4 treatment and their powerful antioxidant activity indicates a role for these compounds in counteracting the oxidative damage induced by severe salt stress, particularly, ionic stress. We demonstrate that ionic interactions between different salts in salinized soils modify the biochemical and morpho-physiological responses of P. strombulifera plants to salinity.Fil: Reginato, Mariana Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Castagna, Antonella. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Furlan, Ana Laura. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Stella Maris. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Ranieri, Annamaria. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Luna, Maria Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentin

The alkaline transition of cytochrome c revisited: Effects of electrostatic interactions and tyrosine nitration on the reaction dynamics

Here we investigated the effect of electrostatic interactions and of protein tyrosine nitration of mammalian cytochrome c on the dynamics of the so-called alkaline transition, a pH- and redox-triggered conformational change that implies replacement of the axial ligand Met80 by a Lys residue. Using a combination of electrochemical, time-resolved SERR spectroelectrochemical experiments and molecular dynamics simulations we showed that in all cases the reaction can be described in terms of a two steps minimal reaction mechanism consisting of deprotonation of a triggering group followed by ligand exchange. The pK a alk values of the transition are strongly modulated by these perturbations, with a drastic downshift upon nitration and an important upshift upon establishing electrostatic interactions with a negatively charged model surface. The value of pK a alk is determined by the interplay between the acidity of a triggering group and the kinetic constants for the forward and backward ligand exchange processes. Nitration of Tyr74 results in a change of the triggering group from Lys73 in WT Cyt to Tyr74 in the nitrated protein, which dominates the pK a alk downshift towards physiological values. Electrostatic interactions, on the other hand, result in strong acceleration of the backward ligand exchange reaction, which dominates the pK a alk upshift. The different physicochemical conditions found here to influence pK a alk are expected to vary depending on cellular conditions and subcellular localization of the protein, thus determining the existence of alternative conformations of Cyt in vivo.Fil: Oviedo Rouco, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Maria Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Álvarez Paggi, Damián Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Spedalieri, Ana Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Tortora, Verónica. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Tomasina, Florencia. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Radi, Rafael. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Murgida, Daniel Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentin

Editorial

This issue of CITAR (Journal of Arts Science and Technology) is especially devoted to what we designated as Marginalized Narratives. It is a special issue that collects studies published upon the 5th Colloquium on Narrative, Medium and Cognition, held at the University of Algarve in November 2018, and which was focused on that topic

Dor e estresse em crianças hospitalizadas na percepção das crianças e das mães

O objetivo deste estudo foi examinar associações entre a experiência de dor em crianças, tanto na autopercepção quanto na percepção das mães, e os indicadores de estresse de ambas. A amostra foi composta por 30 crianças de seis a 12 anos internadas e suas mães. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: Escala de Faces-Revisada, Escala de Stress Infantil e Inventário de Sintomas de Stress para Adultos. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística descritiva e correlacional. Em relação à dor, quanto maior a intensidade de dor avaliada pela criança, maior o estresse e as reações fisiológicas e psicológicas das crianças. Quanto maior a dor relatada pela criança, maior era o julgamento da mãe sobre a dor na criança. Observou-se que 70% das mães apresentaram indicadores clínicos de estresse. O suporte psicológico durante a hospitalização das crianças deve considerar o manejo da dor e estresse das crianças, assim como o estresse materno.El estudio examinó las asociaciones entre la experiencia del dolor en los niños, considerando la auto-percepción y la percepción de las madres, y los indicadores de estrés en los niños y sus madres. La muestra abarcó a 30 niños hospitalizados de 6-12 años y sus madres. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: Escala de Caras Revisada, Escala de Estrés Infantil e Inventario de Síntomas de Estrés para Adultos. Para analizar los datos, fueron utilizados los análisis estadístico descriptivo y correlacional. Respecto al dolor, cuanto mayor es la intensidad del dolor evaluado por el niño, mayores son el estrés y las reacciones fisiológicas y psicológicas de los niños. Cuanto mayor es el dolor percibido por el niño, mayor es la percepción de la madre acerca del dolor en sus niños. El 70% de las madres muestran indicadores clínicos de estrés. El apoyo psicológico durante la hospitalización de los niños debe tratar del manoseo del dolor y el estrés experimentado por el niño, así como del estrés de las madres.The present study aimed to examine the associations between pain experiences in children with respect to self-perceptions and mother perceptions and stress indicators. The study sample included 30 hospitalized children of 6-12 years of age and the children’s mothers. The Faces Scale-Revised, Child Stress Scale, and Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults instruments were used. A data analysis is performed via descriptive statistics and correlation analyses. The results showed that higher pain intensities in children was associated with higher stress, psychological and psychophysiological reactions in children. Higher pain intensities in children also increase mothers’ perceptions of pain in children. Seventy percent of the mothers studied in the sample presented clinical indicators of stress. Psychological support during child hospitalization should address the management of pain and stress in children and stress in mothers

Avaliação da força de preensão da mão, força dos membros inferiores e capacidade funcional em idosos activos e sedentários

Introdução: A prática de exercício físico regular tem impacto na melhoria da aptidão física global dos idosos. Objectivos: O objectivo deste estudo descritivo foi analisar se a prática de exercício físico regular influencia a força de preensão global da mão, a força dos membros inferiores e a capacidade funcional em indivíduos residentes no concelho de Loures, com idade superior a 60 anos de idade. Metodologia: Através de um questionário de caracterização da população foi seleccionada, uma amostra de 60 indivíduos habitantes do concelho de Loures (de idades entre 60 e 91 anos), dos quais 30 praticam exercício físico regular e 30 não praticam qualquer tipo de exercício físico. A força de preensão da mão foi avaliada através de um dinamómetro portátil, a força dos membros inferiores através do teste de sentar e levantar da cadeira (TSLC), a capacidade funcional através do teste de 6 minutos de marcha (T6MM) e a percepção subjectiva de esforço (RPE), segundo a escala de Borg. Resultados: Para esta amostra concluiu-se que a prática regular de actividade física influencia o Peak Force (PF) da mão direita (p=0,037), o PF da mão esquerda (p=0,022), a Endurance (ED) da mão esquerda (p=0,017), o número de execuções correctas no TSLC (p=0,00), a distância total percorrida no T6MM (p=0,00) e a RPE durante o T6MM (p=0,00). O Time to Peak (TTP) da mão direita e esquerda (p=0,574 e 0,630, respectivamente) não apresentam diferenças significativas entre os grupos, bem como a ED da mão direita (p=0,219). Conclusão: poderá concluir-se que a prática de exercício físico, nesta amostra, contribui para uma melhor aptidão física que permite uma maior performance a nível da capacidade funcional e da força com menores índices de fadigabilidade