Analysis of mediation and reciprocal effects of changes in weight, self-esteem, and exercise in a behavioral weight loss treatment

Improving the treatment of obesity remains a critical challenge. Several health behaviour change models, often based on a social-cognitive framework, have been used to design weight management interventions (Baranowski et al., 2003). However, most interventions have only produced modest weight reductions (Wadden et al., 2002) and socialcognitive variables have shown limited power to predict weight outcomes (Palmeira et al., 2007). Other predictors, and possibl alte nati e e planatory models, are needed to better understand the mechanisms by which weight loss and other obesity treatment-outcomes are brought about (Baranowski, 2006). Self-esteem is one of these possible mechanisms, because is commonly reported to change during the treatment, although these changes are not necessarily associated with weight loss (Blaine et al., 2007; Maciejewski et al., 2005). This possibility should be more evident if the program integrates regular exercise, as it promotes improvements in subjective well-being (Biddle & Mutrie, 2001), with possible influences on long-term behavioral adherence (e.g. diet, exercise). Following the reciprocal effects model tenets (Marsh & Craven, 2006), we expect that the influences between changes in weight, selfesteem and exercise to be reciprocal and might present one of the mechanisms by which obesity treatments can be improved.

A intervenção do tribunal judicial no processo de constituição do tribunal arbitral e o princípio do contraditório

Under specific circumstances, the arbitral tribunal constitution procedure may come to an impasse, due to divergences between the parties or to the mere innaction of one of them or even of a third party. Such is the case when one of the parties or a third party does not appoint the arbitrator it should appoint according to the law or to the arbitration agreement. In order to overcome these types of situations, the Voluntary Arbitration Law provides for the intervention of the President of the Tribunal da Relação in the arbitral tribunal constitution procedure, granting him the power to, by appplication of one of the parties, name or choose the arbitrator the appointment of which has been ommited by the other party or the third party. This paper adresses the question of whether the procedure aimed at the decision of the President of the Tribunal da Relação must incorporate the defendant’s right to contradictory. The answer to this question is based, mainly, on the determination of which is the procedural form applicable to the intervention of the President of the Tribunal da Relação and on analysis of both the structure and effects of the arbitration agreement and the arbitrator´s contract.

Museums, memories and social movements

From modernity to the contemporary world, museums have been acknowledged for their power to produce metamorphoses of meanings and functions, for their ability to adapt historic and social determination, and for their calling for cultural mediation. They derive from creating gestures which bind the symbolic and the material, which bind what is sensitive and what is intelligible. For this very reason the bridge metaphor fits them well, a bridge cast between different times, spaces, individuals, social groups and cultures, a bridge that is built with images and which holds a special place in the imaginary.