Plaster body wrap: effects on abdominal fat

Background Abdominal fat is associated with metabolic disorders, leading to cardiovascular risk factors and numerous diseases. This study aimed to analyze the effect of plaster body wrap in combination with aerobic exercise on abdominal fat. Methods Nineteen female volunteers were randomly divided into intervention group (IG; n = 10) performing aerobic exercise with plaster body wrap, and control group (CG; n = 9) performing only exercise. Subcutaneous and visceral fat were measured using ultrasound; subcutaneous fat was also estimated on analysis of skinfolds and abdominal perimeters. Results At the end of the 10-sessions protocol, the IG demonstrated a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in subcutaneous fat at the left anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) level and in iliac crest perimeter measurements. A large intervention effect size strength (0.80) was found in subcutaneous fat below the navel and a moderate effect size strength on the vertical abdominal skinfold (0.62) and the perimeter of the most prominent abdominal point (0.57). Comparing the initial and final data of each group, the IG showed a significant decrease in numerous variables including visceral and subcutaneous fat above and below the navel measured by ultrasound (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion Plaster body wrap in combination with aerobic exercise seems to be effective for abdominal fat reduction.

Some reflections on acquisition, processing and analysis of statistical data in forest soils

Beyond the classical statistical approaches (determination of basic statistics, regression analysis, ANOVA, etc.) a new set of applications of different statistical techniques has increasingly gained relevance in the analysis, processing and interpretation of data concerning the characteristics of forest soils. This is possible to be seen in some of the recent publications in the context of Multivariate Statistics. These new methods require additional care that is not always included or refered in some approaches. In the particular case of geostatistical data applications it is necessary, besides to geo-reference all the data acquisition, to collect the samples in regular grids and in sufficient quantity so that the variograms can reflect the spatial distribution of soil properties in a representative manner. In the case of the great majority of Multivariate Statistics techniques (Principal Component Analysis, Correspondence Analysis, Cluster Analysis, etc.) despite the fact they do not require in most cases the assumption of normal distribution, they however need a proper and rigorous strategy for its utilization. In this work, some reflections about these methodologies and, in particular, about the main constraints that often occur during the information collecting process and about the various linking possibilities of these different techniques will be presented. At the end, illustrations of some particular cases of the applications of these statistical methods will also be presented.

Relatório de estágio

No presente relatório de estágio a formanda reflete criticamente o seu percurso de formação respeitante às unidades curriculares de Prática Pedagógica Supervisionada na Educação Pré-Escolar e Prática Pedagógica Supervisionada no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, sendo parte integrante do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Assim, relevam-se os processos formativos em questão e evidencia-se a metodologia de investigação-ação como suporte metodológico da construção de saberes inerentes à profissionalidade docente, sendo que a prática pedagógica constituiu, neste âmbito, um momento ímpar na formação e transformação de representações do que é ser professor, na medida em que permitiu a articulação entre a teoria e a prática, em contexto real, num período de tempo suficiente para a formanda se tornar numa profissional de educação. Assim, surge como principal objetivo da prática pedagógica o desenvolvimento de competências profissionais sustentadas nos quatro pilares da educação: saber, saber-fazer, saber- ser e saber-estar para saber ensinar a aprender. Este percurso foi realizado em díade de formação, com o apoio da educadora/professora cooperantes e supervisores institucionais. Deste modo, este mestrado contribuiu fortemente para a construção de um perfil profissional que se integra no desenho de uma identidade profissional docente.