Automated Fact Checking in the News Room

Fact checking is an essential task in journalism; its importance has been highlighted due to recently increased concerns and efforts in combating misinformation. In this paper, we present an automated fact-checking platform which given a claim, it retrieves relevant textual evidence from a document collection, predicts whether each piece of evidence supports or refutes the claim, and returns a final verdict. We describe the architecture of the system and the user interface, focusing on the choices made to improve its user-friendliness and transparency. We conduct a user study of the fact-checking platform in a journalistic setting: we integrated it with a collection of news articles and provide an evaluation of the platform using feedback from journalists in their workflow. We found that the predictions of our platform were correct 58\% of the time, and 59\% of the returned evidence was relevant

Angola: as políticas adotadas no sentido de combater a imigração ilegal

Este trabalho insere-se na temática da globalização e das migrações internacionais, tendo como pano de fundo a problemática da imigração ilegal em Angola. O objectivo geral desta dissertação prende-se com o conhecimento das políticas adoptadas pelo governo angolano no sentido de combater a imigração ilegal. Para a concretização deste objectivo, foi adoptado o método de abordagem da investigação indutivo, recorrendo-se a pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, disponível em livros, jornais e revistas e na Internet, bem como na biblioteca electrónica da Universidade de Évora. A investigação permitiu afirmar que as migrações internacionais são um fenómeno global e inevitável, tanto pelo seu volume quanto pelas ameaças que arrastam consigo. As políticas adoptadas pelo governo angolano no sentido de combater a imigração ilegal, estão contidas no Plano de Estabilização e de Desenvolvimento do Ministério do Interior para o período de 2012-2017. Estas são condicionadas pela aceleração do processo de globalização, que dilui as fronteiras políticas, o acréscimo dos intercâmbios transnacionais e a intensificação dos processos e das atividades que fazem do mundo cada vez mais um único lugar. O aumento exponencial da imigração ilegal em Angola começou em 2002, com o fim da guerra, e é resultado de processos de globalização na qual o Estado angolano é parte integrante, para a reconstrução e para o desenvolvimento do país, recorrendo – se na abertura das fronteiras para o investimento estrangeiro, fluxos de capitais e mercadorias, na necessidade da mão-de-obra estrangeira e na interação com os Estados para a manutenção da segurança interna e externa. Assim, os processos de desenvolvimento para o país contribuíram para dinamizar outras interações que promoveram as interdependências entre os Estados e povos com destaque na África, os congoleses democráticos, na Ásia, os chineses e na Europa, os portugueses, que por via ilegal e, em muitos casos auxiliados por redes de passadores imigraram para Angola. A estabilidade política e o crescimento económico no país tornaram- se factores atrativos presentes para o aumento exponencial da imigração ilegal. O grande desafio para o país é combater um fenómeno que é, em parte, resultante da globalização, difícil, e se não impossível de combater; ABSTRACT: This work is part of the theme of globalization and international migration, with the backdrop of the problem of illegal immigration in Angola. The overall objective of this thesis relates to the knowledge of the policies adopted by the Angolan government to combat illegal immigration. To achieve this goal, we adopted the method of inductive research approach, resorting to bibliographic and documentary research, available in books, newspapers and magazines and the electronic Library University. In the investigation, starting that international migration is a global phenomenon and inevitable, both for its volume and the threats that drags down. The policies adopted by the Angolan government to combat illegal immigration, are contained in the Plan of Stabilization and Development of the Ministry of Interior for the period 2012-2017. These are conditioned by the acceleration of globalization process, which dilutes the political boundaries, the increase in transnational exchanges and the intensification of the processes and activities that make the world increasingly one place. The exponential increase of illegal immigration in Angola began in 2002 with the end of the war, and is the result of globalization processes in which the Angola state is integral to the reconstruction and development of the country, resorting if the opening borders to foreign investment, flows capital and goods, the need for hand labor in foreign and interaction with states for maintaining internal and external security. Thus, the processes of development for the country contributed to energize other interactions that promote the interdependence between states and peoples to highlight democratic Congolese, Chinese and Portuguese, who by illegal means and, in many cases aided by smuggling networks migrate to Angola. Political stability and economic growth in the country have become attractive factors present for the exponential increase in illegal immigration. The big challenge for the country is to fight a phenomenon that is partly a result of globalization; it is difficult if not impossible to combat it

Determinação de constantes de troca iônica em um sistema micelar

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Curso de Pós-Graduação em Físico-Químic

Classification of critical levels of CO exposure of firefigthers through monitored heart rate

Smoke inhalation poses a serious health threat to firefighters (FFs), with potential effects including respiratory and cardiac disorders. In this work, environmental and physiological data were collected from FFs, during experimental fires performed in 2015 and 2019. Extending a previous work, which allowed us to conclude that changes in heart rate (HR) were associated with alterations in the inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO), we performed a HR analysis according to different levels of CO exposure during firefighting based on data collected from three FFs. Based on HR collected and on CO occupational exposure standards (OES), we propose a classifier to identify CO exposure levels through the HR measured values. An ensemble of 100 bagged classification trees was used and the classification of CO levels obtained an overall accuracy of 91.9%. The classification can be performed in real-time and can be embedded in a decision fire-fighting support system. This classification of FF’ exposure to critical CO levels, through minimally-invasive monitored HR, opens the possibility to identify hazardous situations, preventing and avoiding possible severe problems in FF’ health due to inhaled pollutants. The obtained results also show the importance of future studies on the relevance and influence of the exposure and inhalation of pollutants on the FF’ health, especially in what refers to hazardous levels of toxic air pollutants.publishe

Influence of Environmental Variables on the Natural Regeneration of a Forest under Restoration after Bauxite Mining and in a Reference Ecosystem in Southeastern Brazil

The shrub-tree floristic composition of the natural regeneration stratum of a bauxite mine in the process of restoration and in a reference ecosystem (remnant of a preserved secondary Seasonal Semi-Deciduous Forest) were analysed to evaluate forest restoration conditions after five years of planting. The influence of canopy openness, accumulated leaf litter and soil attributes in the regeneration stratum were also investigated in both the forests. The floristic composition of the regeneration stratum in the forest under restoration (16 species and 5,083 individuals ha-1) and in the reference ecosystem (58 species and 26,250 individuals ha-1) are distinct due to the difference in the environmental variables. Results showed that the reference ecosystem favours the presence of species that tolerate environments with greater shading and higher aluminium and organic matter content in the soil like Psychotria carthagenensis Jacq., while the forest under restoration favours the presence of species adapted to fertile soils and those that tolerate greater luminosity like Vernonanthura phosphorica (Vell.) H.Rob

From cannabinoids and neurosteroids to statins and the ketogenic diet: new therapeutic avenues in Rett syndrome?

Copyright © 2019 Mouro, Miranda-Lourenço, Sebastião and Diógenes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused mainly by mutations in the MECP2 gene, being one of the leading causes of mental disability in females. Mutations in the MECP2 gene are responsible for 95% of the diagnosed RTT cases and the mechanisms through which these mutations relate with symptomatology are still elusive. Children with RTT present a period of apparent normal development followed by a rapid regression in speech and behavior and a progressive deterioration of motor abilities. Epilepsy is one of the most common symptoms in RTT, occurring in 60 to 80% of RTT cases, being associated with worsening of other symptoms. At this point, no cure for RTT is available and there is a pressing need for the discovery of new drug candidates to treat its severe symptoms. However, despite being a rare disease, in the last decade research in RTT has grown exponentially. New and exciting evidence has been gathered and the etiopathogenesis of this complex, severe and untreatable disease is slowly being unfolded. Advances in gene editing techniques have prompted cure-oriented research in RTT. Nonetheless, at this point, finding a cure is a distant reality, highlighting the importance of further investigating the basic pathological mechanisms of this disease. In this review, we focus our attention in some of the newest evidence on RTT clinical and preclinical research, evaluating their impact in RTT symptomatology control, and pinpointing possible directions for future research.FM was in receipt of a fellowship (IMM/CT/8-2018). The authors would like to thank the following organizations for their funding: AdoRett – LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-031929; the Association Française du Syndrome de Rett Program “Educação pela Ciência” | Bolsas CHLN/FMUL; GAPIC. Project No. 20190017; Twinning action (SynaNet) from the EU H2020 Programme; and the UID/BIM/50005/2019, project financed by the FCT/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES), through the Fundos do Orçamento de Estado.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tradução e Adaptação Transcultural da Versão Brasileira do Questionário de Alimentação da Criança

O Questionário de Alimentação da Criança (QAC) avalia as crenças, atitudes e práticas dos pais em relação a alimentação e a propensão à obesidade dos filhos. Este estudo objetivou traduzir e testar a fidedignidade do QAC e avaliar este instrumento em famílias brasileiras. Os participantes foram 300 mães e 300 crianças, de 2 a 11 anos, de ambos os sexos. Realizou-se a tradução, síntese, retro-tradução, avaliação por comitê de especialistas e pré-teste.Para além da aplicação do questionário às mães, foram também recolhidos dados realtivos à avaliação antropométrica das mães e filhos. Os índices de validade de conteúdo, confiabilidade teste-reteste e consistência interna foram adequados. Os fatores Percepção do peso dos pais, Percepção do peso da criança, Preocupação com o peso da criança, Restrição, Pressão para comer e Monitoramento mostraram-se associados com a obesidade infantil. Em conclusão, esses resultados destacam a validade e a utilidade da versão brasileira do CFQ.El Cuestionario de Alimentación Infantil (acrónimo en inglés CFQ) evalúa las creencias, actitudes y prácticas de los padres con relación al poder y la propensión a la obesidad de los niños. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo traducir y poner a prueba la fiabilidad del CFQy evaluar este instrumento en las familias brasileñas. Los participantes fueron 300 madres y 300 niños, 2-11 años, de ambos géneros. La traducción, síntesis, retro traducción, evaluación por el comité de expertos y pre-test se llevaron a cabo. Además de la aplicación del cuestionario, también fueron recolectados datos relativos a la evaluación antropométrica de las madres y los niños. Los índices de validez de contenido, fiabilidad test-retest y consistencia interna fueron adecuados. Los factores Percepción del peso de los padrea, Percepción del peso del hijo, Preocupación con el peso del niño, Restricción, Presión para comer y Monitoreo estaban asociados con la obesidad infantil. En conclusión, estos resultados ponen de manifiesto la validez y utilidad de la versión brasileña del CFQ.The Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) assesses parental attitudes, beliefs and practices about child feeding and obesity proneness. This research aimed to translate and to test the reliability of the CFQ and to evaluate this instrument in Brazilian families. The participants were 300 mothers and 300 children, aging from 2 to 11 years old, of both sexes. The translation, synthesis, back-translation, evaluation by an expert committee and pre-test were performed. Besides the application of questionnaire to mothers, data regarding anthropometric measurements in mothers and children was collected. The indexes of content validity index, test-retest reliability and internal consistencies were good. The parental factors Perceived parent weight, Perceived child weight, Concern about child weight, Restriction, Pressure to eat and Monitoring on child feeding were associated with overweight in childhood. In conclusion, these results highlight the validity and utility of the Brazilian version of the CFQ

ANTIOXIDANTS, SUCROSE AND AGAR IN THE IN VITRO MULTIPLICATION OF Eremanthus incanus

The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro multiplication of Eremanthus incanus axillary buds in the presence of PVP additives and activated charcoal under the interaction of different sucrose and agar concentrations. Explants containing axillary buds were inoculated in MS culture medium to evaluate the effect of 0.8 g L-1 of PVP and 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 g L-1 of activated charcoal. The results of the addition of 0, 15, 30, and 60 g L-1 of sucrose combined with concentrations of 6 and 10 g L-1 of agar in MS medium were also evaluated. The number and quality of emitted shoots were evaluated after 30 and 60 days. The addition of PVP to the culture medium was more efficient than the use of activated charcoal in the multiplication of the species. The presence of sucrose is indispensable for developing the shoots well, and the use of a lower concentration of agar favors the development of quality shoots. The best results for shoot multiplication were obtained using 30 g L-1 sucrose and 6 g L-1 agar. PVP, activated charcoal, agar and sucrose are important components in the culture medium and alter the in vitro multiplication of Eremanthus incanus.The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro multiplication of Eremanthus incanus axillary buds in the presence of PVP additives and activated charcoal under the interaction of different sucrose and agar concentrations. Explants containing axillary buds were inoculated in MS culture medium to evaluate the effect of 0.8 g L-1 of PVP and 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 g L-1 of activated charcoal. The results of the addition of 0, 15, 30 and 60 g L-1 of sucrose combined with concentrations of 6 and 10 g L-1 of agar in MS medium were also evaluated. The number and quality of emitted shoots were evaluated after 30 and 60 days. The addition of PVP to the culture medium was more efficient than the use of activated charcoal in the multiplication of the species. The presence of sucrose is indispensable for developing the shoots well, and the use of a lower concentration of agar favors the development of quality shoots. The best results for shoot multiplication were obtained using 30 g L-1 sucrose and 6 g L-1 agar. PVP, activated charcoal, agar and sucrose are important components in the culture medium and alter the in vitro multiplication of Eremanthus incanus

Feira cultural e científica na escola: contribuição do Pibid no desenvolvimento do tema energia em uma turma de ensino médio

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014O presente trabalho tem por objetivo relatar a ação do PIBID – Física no desenvolvimento de projetos envolvendo o tema energia para apresentação da feira cultural em um colégio da rede estadual da cidade de Ponta Grossa. Os projetos desenvolvidos foram planejados para promover o aprendizado de conceitos físicos fundamentais como energia potencial e cinética, conservação e transformação de energia e geração de energia elétrica. Deu­se ênfase ainda a questão CTSA: do uso responsável da energia, da matriz energética brasileira e a interferência no meio ambient

Maidenhair (Adiantum L. - PTERIDACEAE) OF THE MUNICIPALITY ACARÁ, PARÁ, BRASIL

A família Pteridaceae é formada por cerca de 50 gêneros e mais de 950 espécies, é composta por cinco grupos monofiléticos, dentre eles um é formado pelo gênero Adiantum mais as samambaias vitarióides. No Brasil, há diversos estudos que tratam da família e um único estudo exclusivamente para o gênero no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Portanto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo realizar o estudo do gênero Adiantum no município de Acará, onde se constatou a ocorrência de oito espécies: Adiantum dolosum, A. glaucescens, A. humile, A. latifolium, A.multisorum, A. paraense, A. terminatum e A.tomentosum. Para este fim, foram elaborada chave de identificação, descrições, ilustrações, padrão de distribuição geográfica, tipos de formas de vida e ambientes de ocorrência.Palavras-chave: samambaias, taxonomia, Amazônia brasileira.The Pteridaceae family includes about 50 genera and over 950 species the family consists of five monophyletic groups that one of these groups is formed by genus Adiantum plus vittarioid ferns. In Brazil are several studies about the family but just one study exclusively for the genus that was realized in Rio de Janeiro State. Therefore, this work aim conduct study of genus Adiantum occurring in the municipality of Acará where was observed eight species: Adiantum dolosum, A. glaucescens, A. humile, A. latifolium, A.multisorum, A. paraense, A. terminatum and A.tomentosum. To this purpose, identification key, descriptions, illustrations, pattern of geographical distribution, types of life forms and environments of occurrence were elaborated.Keywords: ferns; taxonomy; Brazilian amazon