The transtheoretical model and obesity: a bibliometric study

The Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change is currently one of the most promising models in terms of understanding and promoting behaviour change related to the acquisition of healthy living habits. By means of a bibliographic search of papers adopting a TTM approach to obesity, the present bibliometric study enables the scientific output in this field to be evaluated. The results obtained reveal a growing interest in applying this model to both the treatment of obesity and its prevention. Otherwise, author and journal outputs fit the models proposed by Lotka and Bradford, respectively

Determinant factors to discriminate the body weight loss in overweight people

Introduction. Most studies have described how the weight loss is when different treatments are compared (1-3), while others have also compared the weight loss by sex (4), or have taken into account psychosocial (5) and lifestyle (6, 7) variables. However, no studies have examined the interaction of different variables and the importance of them in the weight loss. Objective. Create a model to discriminate the range of weight loss, determining the importance of each variable. Methods. 89 overweight people (BMI: 25-29.9 kg?m-2), aged from 18 to 50 years, participated in the study. Four types of treatments were randomly assigned: strength training (S), endurance training (E), strength and endurance training (SE), and control group (C). All participants followed a 25% calorie restriction diet. Two multivariate discriminant models including the variables age, sex, height, daily energy expenditure (EE), type of treatment (T), caloric restriction (CR), initial body weight (BW), initial fat mass (FM), initial muscle mass (MM) and initial bone mineral density (BMD) were performed having into account two groups: the first and fourth quartile of the % of weight loss in the first model; the groups above and below the mean of the % of weight loss in the second model. The discriminant models were built using the inclusion method in SPSS allowing us to find a function that could predict the body weight loss range that an overweight person could achieve in a 6 months weight loss intervention.Results. The first discriminant analysis predicted that a combination of the studied variables would discriminate between the two ranges of body weight loss with 81.4% of correct classification. The discriminant function obtained was (Wilks? Lambda=0.475, p=0.003): Discriminant score=-18.266-(0.060xage)- (1.282xsex[0=female;1=male])+(14.701xheight)+(0.002xEE)- (0.006xT[1=S;2=E;3=SE;4=C])-(0.047xCR)- (0.558xBW)+(0.475xFM)+(0.398xMM)+(3.499xBMD) The second discriminant model obtained would discriminate between the two groups of body weight loss with 74.4% of correct classification. The discriminant function obtained was (Wilks? Lambda=0.725, p=0.005): Discriminant score=-5.021-(0.052xage)- (0.543xsex[0=female;1=male])+(3.530xheight)+(0.001xEE)- (0.493xT[1=S;2=E;3=SE;4=C])+(0.003xCR)- (0.365xBW)+(0.368xFM)+(0.296xMM)+(4.034xBMD) Conclusion. The first developed model could predict the percentage of weight loss in the following way: if the discriminant score is close to 1.051, the range of weight loss will be from 7.44 to -4.64% and if it is close to - 1.003, the range will be from -11.03 to -25,00% of the initial body weight. With the second model if the discriminant score is close to 0.623 the body weight loss will be above -7.93% and if it is close to -0.595 will be below - 7.93% of the initial body weight. References. 1. Brochu M, et al. Resistance training does not contribute to improving the metabolic profile after a 6-month weight loss program in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Sep;94(9):3226-33. 2. Del Corral P, et al. Effect of dietary adherence with or without exercise on weight loss: a mechanistic approach to a global problem. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 May;94(5):1602-7. 3. Larson-Meyer DE, et al. Caloric Restriction with or without Exercise: The Fitness vs. Fatness Debate. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(1):152-9. 4. Hagan RD, et al. The effects of aerobic conditioning and/or caloric restriction in overweight men and women. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1986;18(1):87-94. 5. Teixeira PJ, et al. Mediators of weight loss and weight loss maintenance in middle-aged women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Apr;18(4):725-35. 6. Bautista-Castano I, et al. Variables predictive of adherence to diet and physical activity recommendations in the treatment of obesity and overweight, in a group of Spanish subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 May;28(5):697-705

Novel multifunctional materials based on ionic liquids: on demand micro-valve actuation for lab-on-a-chip applications

We present the fabrication, characterization and performance as a micro-valve of four novel materials, ionogels, consisting in a polymeric structure with benzospiro-pyran units and phosphonium based ionic liquids. Each inonogel is photopolymerised in the channels of a poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic device generating four different micro-valves. The micro-valves are actuated by simply applying local white light irradiation and each of the micro-valves opens specifically at one particular time. Therefore, flows can be independently controlled by one single light source while the synthesis of ionogels with different ionic liquids enables distinct valve ac-tuation. Moreover, the microfluidic device can be reusable many times

Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa / Mia Couto e a actualização da memória através da linguagem

El presente trabajo pretende analizar la intencionalidad de la presencia de unidades fraseológicas en dos de las obras en lengua portuguesa más representativas del panorama literario actual de Mozambique: “Ualalapi”, de Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa, y “Terra Sonâmbula”, de Mia Couto. Ambos autores, a pesar de que utilizan lenguajes y estilos diferentes, coinciden en el gusto por aderezar sus obras con una gran cantidad de fraseologismos. Así pues, nos proponemos estudiar los diferentes procedimientos y estrategias que estos escritores utilizan para introducir la fraseología en estas dos obras en concreto, concluyendo con la idea de que existe una intención común —si bien que con matices diferentes— de hacerlo para mostrar al pueblo de Mozambique con su cultura en construcción.This article analyses the intention behind the presence of phraseological units in two of the most representative works written in Portuguese of the recent literary panorama of Mozamique: “Ualalapi”, by Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa, and “Terra Sonâmbula”, by Mia Couto. Although their style and language differ, both authors coincide in their tendency to pepper their work with numerous phraseological units. This essay thus aims to study the different procedures and strategies used by these authors in introducing phraseological units in these two particular works, and reaches the conclusion that —despite shades of difference— they share the common purpose of showing the people of Mozambique in the process of constructing their culture.peerReviewe

Materiais para as aulas de PLE/PL2: proposta a partir de experiências didácticas

O objectivo deste trabalho é partilhar propostas de actividades a partir de diversas experiências didácticas desenvolvidas na Universidade de Extremadura (Espanha), em diferentes anos e com estudantes de PLE, mas que também podem ser adaptadas para o trabalho com estudantes de PL2. Após uma breve explicação dos presupostos teóricos e metodológicos que servem de base a todas elas - abordagem integral, interesse pelo percurso e não pelo resultado final, competência comunicativa intercultural -, apresentamos as actividades, fazemos uma descripção da sua estrutura, fornecemos materiais para as desenvolver e mostramos as produções dos estudantes.Abstract: The aim of this work is to share proposals for activities based on a variety of didactic experiments which were carried out at the University of Extremadura (Spain) with PLE students from different years, but which can also be adapted for work with PL2 students. After a brief explanation of the theoretical and methodological premises which form the basis of these activities - integral approach, focus on the trajectory rather than the end result, intercultural communicative competence - we introduce the activities, describe their structure, provide the relevant materials and present examples of the students’ work.Résumé: L’objectif de ce travail est de partager avec la communauté scientifique une série de propositions d’activités surgies à partir de différentes expériences didactiques, réalisées à l’Université d’Extremadure (Espagne) avec des étudiants de PLE, au cours de différentes années, qui, selon nous, pourront être adaptées pour travailler avec des étudiants de PL2. Après une brève introduction des présupposés théoriques et méthodologiques qui sont à la base de ces expériences didactiques - méthode intégrale, intérêt pour le développement du travail et non pas pour le résultat final, compétence communicative interculturelle - nous présentons les activités, nous faisons une description de leur structure, nous fournissons les matériaux pour leur réalisation et nous montrons les productions des étudiants

"Jaime Bunda, agente secreto", de Pepetela. Un James Bond muy kitsch

Análisis de la novela “Jaime Bunda, agente secreto” (Lisboa, Dom Quixote, 2001) del es¬critor angoleño Pepetela, en el contexto de la narrativa africana en lengua portuguesa, en el que buena parte de las obras publicadas en las últimas décadas adoptan la forma de narrativas policiacas. En el caso concreto de “Jaime Bunda, agente secreto”, analizamos si se trata o no de una verdadera novela policiaca, pues Pepetela lleva a cabo todo un proceso de inversión paródica, tanto de los personajes como de las características identificadoras del género, que nos permiten hablar de «carnavalización del género policiaco clásico». Profundizamos, asimismo, en las razones que mueven a los escritores africanos en lengua portuguesa en general, y a Pepetela en particular, a disfrazar sus obras de novela policíaca, apuntando hacia un propósito claro de denuncia y crítica de los actuales contextos históricos de Angola, Mozambique…, inmersos en políticas de globalización neoliberal.This article analyses the novel “Jaime Bunda, agente secreto” (Lisboa, Dom Quixote, 2001) by Angolan writer Pepetela in the context of African narratives in Portuguese. This is significant due to the fact that, in the last decades, many of these novels have adopted the form of crime fiction. In the specific case of “Jaime Bunda, agente secreto”, attention will be paid to whether or not it can be described as a real crime novel, since Pepetela submits both his characters and the identifying characteristics of the genre to the strategy of parodic inversion. This allows him to speak of a «carnivalization of classical crime fiction». We look into the reasons why African writers in Portuguese, in general, and Pepetela, in particular, use the framework of crime fiction in their novels. It will be finally argued that this choice implies a clear purpose of denunciation and criticism of current historical contexts in countries such as Angola or Mozambique, which are under the rule of neoliberal globalization policies.peerReviewe

The Quantum Echo of the Early Universe

We show that the fluctuations of quantum fields as seen by late comoving observers are significantly influenced by the history of the early Universe, and therefore they transmit information about the nature of spacetime in timescales when quantum gravitational effects were non-negligible. We discuss how this may be observable even nowadays, and thus used to build falsifiability tests of quantum gravity theories.Comment: 3 pages. 2 Figures. Proceedings Theory Canada 9. Published in Canadian Journal of Physics. (http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjp-2014-0567

Violation of the strong Huygen's principle and timelike signals from the early Universe

We analyze the implications of the violations of the strong Huygens principle in the transmission of information from the early universe to the current era via massless fields. We show that much more information reaches us through timelike channels (not mediated by real photons) than it is carried by rays of light, which are usually regarded as the only carriers of information.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. RevTeX 4.1. V2: Updated to match published version. Previous title "A glimpse of the early universe without real light" modified to match Physical Review Letters published versio

Xi! puxa! hum... glub¡ glub! o el léxico coloquial portugués en "A banda desenhada"

El cómic es un producto de nuestro tiempo, fiel reflejo de la realidad, de ahí que la lengua que en él aparece, al igual que los comportamientos que refleja, sea absolutamente actual. Esto hace que los cómics resulten un material excelente para los estudios de carácter lingüístico. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la gran riqueza coloquial que ofrecen los cómics y estudiar a través de ellos los principales rasgos léxicos que caracterizan el portugués coloquial. Dichos rasgos aparecen organizados de la manera siguiente: a) Recursos léxicos que utiliza el emisor (YO) para atraer la atención sobre su propio discurso: onomatopeyas, interjecciones, palabras malsonantes, recursos fraseológicos, repeticiones, etcétera. b) Recursos léxicos que utiliza el emisor (YO) para atraer la atención del receptor (TU): imperativos, interrogativas, juegos de palabras, negaciones, etcétera.Comic books constitute a product of our times. They are a trustworthy mirror of reality, and thus, the language and behaviours depicted in them express a current degree of interest. Such observations make comic books an excellent source of linguistic study. This paper aims to analyse the immense colloquial richness that comic books have to offer, and to study, through them, lexical features imbued in current colloquial portuguese. Such devices are organised as follows: a) Lexical devices used by the speaker (I) to draw attention to his own speech: onomatopeias, exclamations, cursing words, lexical phrases, repetitions, etc. b) Lexical devices used by the speaker (I) to draw attention from the audience (YOU): imperatives, questions, puns, negations, etc.peerReviewe

Anforetas y botijuelas halladas en Guipúzcoa.

Se estudian dos anforetas y dos botijuelas procedentes de Hondarribia y Bergara, siendo las primeras piezas de esta índole que se publican en Guipúzcoa. En espera de nuevos hallazgos que lo confirmen se puede adelantar que son vasijas de larga pervivencia, cuyo uso, muy discutido, va desde la iluminación hasta el transporte de mercancías con una cronología muy amplia, del siglo XV a XVIII