A comparative assessment of national policies for valuing Non-wood Forest Products in Latin America

openLatin America has a great potential for developing its bioeconomy focused on the sustainable use of non-wood forest products. The growing demand for these products from food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, places tropical countries in a potentially advantageous position. Consequently, it can represent a strong incentive for national and local governments to take action against deforestation and forest degradation. However, there is an information gap on the economic importance those products have in national economies (Muir et al, 2020; Sorrenti, 2017), which makes them severely under-valued and, consequently, leaves the sector in marginal positions for decision makers (Amici et al., 2020), and hinders the prioritization of NWFPs in national policies, development plans and forest strategies (Wahlén, 2017). In the last decades, several countries in Latin America have developed public policies related to the management of such resources, promotion of their sustainable extractivism and commercialization, along with the conservation of associated traditional knowledge. This study aims to draw an overview of the situation of Non-wood Forest Products (NWFP) in Latin America, regarding their policy framework and market context, and to identify gaps, challenges and opportunities for the further development of their value chains, with the following specific objectives: (1) To quantitatively describe the economic contribution, expressed by trading values, of some of the most important NWFPs in five selected Latin American countries; (2) To assess the general effectiveness of national policies and programs directly related to NWFP in supporting value chains, and identify their main opportunities and constraints; (3) To point out opportunities for development, through ongoing projects, potential partnerships (with second and third sectors), donors and communities involved.Latin America has a great potential for developing its bioeconomy focused on the sustainable use of non-wood forest products. The growing demand for these products from food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, places tropical countries in a potentially advantageous position. Consequently, it can represent a strong incentive for national and local governments to take action against deforestation and forest degradation. However, there is an information gap on the economic importance those products have in national economies (Muir et al, 2020; Sorrenti, 2017), which makes them severely under-valued and, consequently, leaves the sector in marginal positions for decision makers (Amici et al., 2020), and hinders the prioritization of NWFPs in national policies, development plans and forest strategies (Wahlén, 2017). In the last decades, several countries in Latin America have developed public policies related to the management of such resources, promotion of their sustainable extractivism and commercialization, along with the conservation of associated traditional knowledge. This study aims to draw an overview of the situation of Non-wood Forest Products (NWFP) in Latin America, regarding their policy framework and market context, and to identify gaps, challenges and opportunities for the further development of their value chains, with the following specific objectives: (1) To quantitatively describe the economic contribution, expressed by trading values, of some of the most important NWFPs in five selected Latin American countries; (2) To assess the general effectiveness of national policies and programs directly related to NWFP in supporting value chains, and identify their main opportunities and constraints; (3) To point out opportunities for development, through ongoing projects, potential partnerships (with second and third sectors), donors and communities involved

The use of 3D scanning and printing in the restoration process of the exposed ceramic panels of Jorge Barradas (Palàcio da Justiça de Lisboa)

[ES] Las técnicas aplicadas a la restauración y conservación de los 16 paneles cerámicos que forman parte integrante de la fachada del Edificio Sur del Palácio da Justiça, en Lisboa (obra de de Jorge Barradas, Querubim Lapa y Júlio Resende), ha marcadas por la adopción de tecnología disruptiva como uno de los principales métodos de aproximación a las piezas necesitadas de intervención. Se han aplicado diferentes materiales y técnicas, tanto digitales como manuales, desde perspectivas físicas o estéticas, para garantizar su futura conservación. Siguiendo los principios de la ética de la restauración, las referencias fotográficas de las composiciones sirvieron como objetivo para asimilar al máximo la obra original. A continuación, las partes que faltaban debían reconstruirse mediante escaneado 3D y la tecnología actual de impresión de objetos. Dicha técnica permite una previsualización y manipulación a través de un software informático específico. Una vez completado el archivo con toda la información necesaria para producir el objeto, se ha enviado directamente a una impresora 3D. El objetivo principal de intervenir los paneles de Jorge Barradas con objetos impresos en 3D, era sustituir grandes piezas clave de la obra de forma no intrusiva y sin dañar la obra original. Simultáneamente, además de la durabilidad de estos materiales impresos, se crea un "seguro de vida" en caso de cualquier daño o robo, ya que se puede replicar rápidamente a partir del escaneado minucioso, almacenado en un formato de archivo digital. [EN] The techniques applied to restore and conserve the 16 ceramic panels which are an integral part the façade of the Palácio da Justiça’s South Building, in Lisbon (authored by Jorge Barradas, Querubim Lapa and Júlio Resende), was marked by the adoption of disruptive technology as one of the main methods of approaching the pieces in need of intervention. Different materials and techniques, both digital and manual, either from physical or aesthetic perspectives, guaranteed their future preservation. Following principles of restoration ethics, photographic references of the compositions served as a goal to assimilate the original work as much as possible. Recurring missing parts were then to be reconstructed by means of 3D scanning and current object printing technology. Such technique allows a preview and manipulation through specific computer software. Once the file has been completed with all the information necessary to produce the object, it can be sent directly to a 3D printer. The main objective of intervening Jorge Barradas' panels with 3D printed objects, was to replace large key pieces in a non-intrusive way and without damaging the original work. Simultaneously, in addition to the durability of such printed materials, a "life insurance" is created in case of any damage or theft, since it can be replicated quickly from the thorough scan, stored in a digital file format. Oliveira, A.; Ferreira, N.; Ribeiro, L. (2023). The use of 3D scanning and printing in the restoration process of the exposed ceramic panels of Jorge Barradas (Palàcio da Justiça de Lisboa). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 213-220. https://doi.org/10.4995/RECH6.2021.1361121322

Is Observing Behaviour the Best Way to Understand Behaviour?

Doliński (2018, this issue) argues that Social Psychology may hardly be considered a science of behaviour anymore, given the rarity of published studies in which the dependent measures involve behaviours other than the completion of surveys, pressing of keys on a computer keyboard, or clicking a mouse. In the present, we comment on this void of empirical studies in which “real” human behaviours are examined to put forward the following points: i) Key-pressing can be a human behaviour as meaningful as any other more complex behaviour (i.e., behavioural complexity is not a good criterion for meaningfulness), ii) Lessons learned from past research in social psychology have shown us that studying “real” behaviour introduces a number of well-known complications, iii) Improvement in the comprehension of human behaviour depends more on a strong theoretical lens constrained by results obtained via rigorous experimentation than on the complexity of people’s observed actions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Robotics services at home support

This article proposes a robotic system that aims to support the elderly, to comply with the medication regimen to which they are subject. The robot uses its locomotion system to move to the elderly and through computer vision detects the packaging of the medicine and identifies the person who should take it at the correct time. For the accomplishment of the task, an application was developed supported by a database with information about the elderly, the medicines that they have prescribed and the respective timetable of taking. The experimental work was done with the robot NAO, using development tools like MySQL, Python, and OpenCV. The elderly facial identification and the detection of medicine packing are performed through computer vision algorithms that process the images acquired by the robot’s camera. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of object recognition, facial detection, and facial recognition algorithms, using public databases. The tests made it possible to obtain qualitative metrics about the algorithms’ performance. A proof of concept experiment was conducted in a simple scenario that recreates the environment of a dwelling with seniors who are assisted by the robot in the taking of medicines.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Um olhar sobre o desenvolvimento do programa de Formação Contínua em Matemática para Professores do 1.º ciclo do Ensino Básico

Este artigo apresenta algumas considerações sobre o impacto do Programa de Formação Contínua em Matemática para professores do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico. A análise aqui apresentada recai sobre o funcionamento desse programa entre 2007 e 2009, no distrito de Braga, Portugal. Tendo este sido um período de mudança, já que se pretendia colocar em prática um novo Programa de Matemática para o ensino básico, foi preocupação dos formadores preparar os professores do 1.º ciclo para o desenvolvimento de práticas de sala de aula concordantes com aquele documento. Assim, o programa de formação procurou promover o conhecimento matemático, didáctico e curricular do professor. O Programa de matemática do ensino básico (Ponte et al., 2007) destaca como capacidades transversais a desenvolver a resolução de problemas, o raciocínio matemático e a comunicação matemática. Procura-se aqui caracterizar aspectos das práticas do professor no desenvolvimento das capacidades transversais. A nossa análise recai sobre episódios de sala de aula observados, que permitiram identificar características no trabalho com a resolução de problemas, bem como sobre as ideias dos formandos, que se materializam nos relatos e reflexões escritas que integram os portefólios por eles produzidos. Esta análise permite-nos concluir que o programa de formação desenvolvido conduziu a mudanças efectivas nas concepções e práticas dos professores do 1.º ciclo sobre a Matemática, merecendo especial destaque o aumento de expectativas dos professores relativamente aos seus alunos e a integração da resolução de problemas na sala de aula.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, UM (UI 317 da FCT

Validação de questionário para avaliação funcional das mãos em hanseníase

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, 2011.A hanseníase pode lesar nervos dos membros superiores comprometendo a função manual com repercussões negativas na realização das atividades cotidianas. O objetivo deste estudo foi validar o “Questionário de avaliação funcional das mãos em hanseníase” elaborado em estudo anterior. Foram entrevistadas 101 pessoas (43 mulheres e 58 homens) com idades entre 18 e 74 anos (média de 47,75 anos), sendo 98 destros e 3 canhotos, com lesão de nervos ulnar, mediano ou radial. Dezenove pessoas apresentavam hanseníase paucibacilar e 82, multibacilar. O tempo médio de lesão do nervo foi de 67 meses para o lado direito e 81 meses para o esquerdo. Observou-se comprometimento sensitivo do nervo ulnar em 101 pessoas, do nervo mediano em 88 e do nervo radial em 75. O tempo médio necessário para responder o questionário foi de quatro minutos. Para analisar a reprodutibilidade interavaliadores os indivíduos responderam o “Questionário de avaliação funcional das mãos em hanseníase” para a pesquisadora e para um entrevistador independente. Para verificar a reprodutibilidade intra-avaliador, uma terceira entrevista foi realizada pela pesquisadora em outro momento. A validade do constructo do questionário foi verificada pela correlação realizada entre idade, forma clínica da hanseníase, tempo de lesão do nervo, forças de preensão e pinça realizadas com dinamômetro, teste de sensibilidade realizado com monofilamentos de Semmes-Weinstein e avaliação da habilidade manual utilizando o teste de função manual de Jebsen e colaboradores. Calculou-se o valor de Kappa Ponderado e construiu-se o gráfico Bland-AItman para verificar a reprodutibilidade do instrumento. Para a consistência interna utilizou-se o coeficiente alfa de Cronbach. A associação entre os parâmetros quantitativos foi realizada pelo coeficiente de correlação de Pearson e a correlação das variáveis independentes com o escore médio do questionário, pela análise de regressão múltipla. Os valores de Kappa Ponderado para as avaliações interobservadores variaram de 0,86 a 0,97 e para as intraobservador de 0,85-a 0,97. O valor do coeficiente alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,967. O coeficiente de correlação de Pearson mostrou associação entre as variáveis independentes (p<0,001) tempo de lesão do nervo, forças de preensão e pinças, sensibilidade cutânea e escore médio do teste de Jebsen. Com a análise de regressão múltipla verificou-se associação do escore médio do “Questionário de avaliação funcional das mãos em hanseníase” com as variáveis idade, classificação operacional da hanseníase, tempo de lesão do nervo, força de preensão, sensibilidade cutânea e habilidade manual (p<0,0001 para o conjunto do modelo). O “Questionário de avaliação funcional das mãos em hanseníase” apresenta reprodutibilidade interobservadores e intraobservador, possui alta consistência interna e mostrou correlação com os parâmetros idade, classificação operacional da hanseníase, tempo de lesão do nervo, força de preensão, sensibilidade cutânea nas mãos e habilidade manual. O “Questionário de avaliação funcional das mãos em hanseníase” é um instrumento compacto, de preenchimento simples e rápido. Pode auxiliar na avaliação e definição das intervenções necessárias na disfunção manual causada pela lesão dos nervos ulnar, mediano e radial. O instrumento pode ser utilizado nos diferentes centros de atendimento a pessoas afetadas pela hanseníase.Leprosy may affect upper limb peripheral nerves compromising hand functions and impairing performance of daily activities. The aim of this study is to validate a “Questionnaire on hand functional assessment in leprosy” (HFAL Questionnaire) developed in a previous study. A hundred and one individuals were interviewed, among which were 43 women and 58 men aged 18 to 74 years (average of 47.75 years of age). Out of them, 98 were right-handed and 3 left-handed, and presented ulnar, median or radial nerve lesions. Nineteen people had paucibacillary and 82 multibacillary leprosy. The average time of nerve lesion was 67 months on the right side and 81 months on the left side. Sensory impairment of the ulnar nerve was observed in 101 individuals interviewed, 88 individuals had median nerve impairment and 75 presented radial nerve impairment. The average time for filling up the questionnaire was four minutes. In order to evaluate the reproducibility of the instrument, each individual answered the HFAL Questionnaire three times. The validity of the HFAL Questionnaire was verified by comparing age, etiology and time of nerve lesion, grasping and pinching forces measured with a dynamometer, sensibility test measured with SemmesWeinstein monofilaments and hand ability assessment using Jebsen Hand Function Test. Pondered Kappa coefficient was calculated and Bland-Altman graphic was applied to check the reproducibility of the instrument. Internal consistency was evidenced using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The association among quantitative parameters was verified with Pearson's correlation coefficient. Independent variables correlation was evaluated based on the average score of the questionnaire, using a multiple regression analysis. Pondered Kappa coefficients for the assessment among inter-observers evaluators varied from 0.86 to 0.97 and for intra-observers evaluations, from 0.85 to 0.97. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.967. Pearson's correlation coefficient showed an association among the independent variables time of lesion, grasping and pinching forces, cutaneous sensibility and Jebsen Test average score. By using multiple regression analysis, the association of the average score of the HFAL Questionnaire was checked with variables, age, operational classification of leprosy, time of lesion, grasping force, cutaneous sensibility and hand ability. The HFAL Questionnaire presents inter-observers and intra-observer reproducibility, shows a high internal consistency and a correlation with age, operational classification of leprosy, time of lesion, grasping force, cutaneous sensibility and hand ability parameters. Furthermore, this questionnaire is a standardized compact easy to fill instrument. It may support the assessment and definition of the interventions needed for hand disorders caused by ulnar, median or radial nerve lesions. This instrument can be used in various institutions that attend people affected by leprosy

Institutionalized elderly rehabilitation – effects on physical fitness and quality of life

Physical activity is important for healthy ageing and may help to maintain good function in older age. Institutionalization is often due to functional decline and institutions frequently do not provide activities to maintain or regain functionality. Exercise therapy is an important component of rehabilitation programs for elderly and helps reduce pain, improve joint stability, functional ability, muscle strength and endurance, and aerobic capacity; preventing bone loss and fractures, and improving or maintaining quality of life. This study aims to investigate if a physical exercise program improves self-perception of health status, physical fitness, muscle strength and body composition in a group of institutionalized elderly. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using the Portuguese version of the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36v2), the Rikli Jones Senior Fitness Test, hand dynamometry and bioelectrical impedance before and after a physical exercise program. RESULTS: A total of 20 elderly aged 76,1±8,7 years with 18,3±13,3 months of institutionalization, participated in a two-month of physical exercise program. Results show that scores of SF-36v2 after the program had significantly increased in physical and mental components. They also increase significantly in scales such as physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, general health and mental health. Physical fitness results show that all components improve after the intervention. Noteworthy are aerobic endurance, lower flexibility, superior flexibility and agility, speed and dynamic balance all with statistical significance. An increase in muscle mass and a decrease in body fat, metabolic age, visceral fat and body water was observed, but without statistical significance. had no changes. Probably, the time between the two assessment moments (two months) was not enough so that they could register significant changes in bone mass and hand dynamometry. CONCLUSION: This work reveals that physical fitness and quality of life of the institutionalized elderly are positively influenced by physical activity, and participation in exercise programs can reduce functional decline. Physical exercise programs can contribute to improve physical status and self-perception of well-being leading to autonomy and confidence in performing daily living activities. In institutionalized elderly population this is a very important step towards independent life

Pulmonary rehabilitation in copd exacerbation: is upper limbs exercise training safe and effective?

Pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD exacerbation has several advantages such as reduction of hospital readmission and mortality, the considerable increase of quality of life and functional improvement translated into a better outcome in the 6 min walking test. Upper limbs exercise is recommended in pulmonary rehabilitation guidelines because it reduces stress, decreases dyspnea and dynamic hyperinflation and improves functional capacity with impact on daily living activities. This study aimed to evaluate the functional changes that occur in COPD patients with exacerbation, after a program of resistance exercises of the upper limbs. A multi-case study was developed on seven patients with COPD, GOLD III and IV (diagnosed by FEV) in exacerbation. Data collection included an initial interview for clinical history, functional assessment using the London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL), the 6 min Pegboard and Ring Test (6min PBRT), handgrip strength and the Saint George Questionnaire for quality of life assessment. A program of upper limbs exercise training was implemented. Vital signs (blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate and pain, dyspnea (Borg Dyspnea Scale) and peripheral oxygen saturation were assessed before and after exercise training and during if the patient presented any symptom. After 7 days of treatment, assessment instruments were applied. RESULTS: All 7 participants (2 women, 5 men), aged between 50 and 85 years, had as risk factor being ex-smokers. The entire group has several comorbidities (diabetes, heart problems, anxiety/depression, osteoporosis) and low inclusion in rehabilitation or exercise programs. Upper limbs exercise during an exacerbation period appeared to be safe and beneficial in all of the cases studied. Vital signs, dyspnea and peripheral oxygen saturation remain on normal range during exercise training sessions. Data obtained in 6min Pegboard and Ring Test (6PBRT), London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) and handgrip strength showed a positive evolution between assessments in all participants resulting in an improvement of exercise capacity of the upper limbs and in an increase of their functionality. There was no significant changes in quality of life. CONCLUSION: Results may indicate that the inclusion of resistance active exercises in rehabilitation programs tend to improve skeletal muscle strength and performance in ADL

"E ele será chamado pelo nome de Emanuel": o narrador e Jesus Cristo no Evangelho de Mateus

Este artigo estuda o narrador no evangelho de Mateus e sua relação com o protagonista da obra – Jesus Cristo. O narrador coloca-se em segundo plano no desenrolar da trama e desenvolve técnicas para que o personagem principal ocupe espaço de proeminência. A minimização da presença do narrador, antes de se transformar em debilidade textual, produz abertura do texto ao leitor. Desse modo, as estratégias estabelecidas visam atrair o leitor para que participe da trama. O trabalho se desenvolve ao identificar o gênero literário ao qual pertence o evangelho como biografia greco-romana. Analisa o narrador, seu foco narrativo e a forma como organiza o evangelho em blocos narrativos e discursivos a partir da fonte principal, o evangelho de Marcos. Por fim, explicita estratégias literárias através da comparação entre os textos de Mateus e Marcos, demonstrando como elas apontam para propósitos retóricos específicos que o narrador deseja gerar nos leitores. Abstract This article studies the narrator of the Gospel of Matthew and its relationship with its main character – Jesus Christ. The narrator put himself in a secondary place, and develops some mechanisms so that the main character may occupy a prominent role. The downsizing of the narrator is not a textual frailty. Rather, it produces an opening of the text to the reader. Thus, these strategies aim to attract the reader to participate in the plot. It also defines the literary genre of the Gospel as a Greek-Roman biography. Besides, it identifies the narrator, its narrative focus and how he organizes the gospel in discursive and narrative blocks from its main source, viz., the Gospel of Mark. As an ending, the dissertation explains the literary strategies through an comparison between the texts of Matthew and Mark, giving evidence of how they point to specific rhetoric purposes the narrator wish to generate in the readers