Leadership of portuguese community schools in the East Coast of the United States and the public policies of education: a multiple case studies

The Portuguese community schools of the United States located in the areas of larger Portuguese population concentration are social organizations that come materializing throughout decades the designs of the educative policies of the Portuguese government in relation to the expansion and preservation of the language, the culture and the history of Portugal. These designs of the educative policies are enrolled in the Constitution of the Republic (1976), in the Basic Law of Educative System (1986) and, over all, in the successive legislative norms (Decree-laws and ordinances) of the successive governments. Portuguese community schools in the United States are structuralized in analogous way to schools of the Portuguese geographic space. For this qualitative study (multiple case), four directors of Portuguese schools of the East Coast of the United States were interviewed; two schools are in the state of Rhode Island and the other two are in the state of Massachusetts. Also, it was administered the questionnaire on practices of leadership “Leadership Practices Inventory” (LPI) of Kouzes and Posner (2002) to collect additional data about practices of leadership on the directors of the schools. The LPI evaluates practices of leadership classifying them in five domains: (a) Model the way; (b) Inspire a shared vision; (c) Challenge the process; (d) Enable others to act; and, (e) Encourage the heart. Results of this qualitative research indicate that the Portuguese Government has not had an educative policy stimulant, coherent and consistent of support, incentive, maintenance and diffusion of the Portuguese language and culture and the directors of the studied schools they have a proactive and serving leadership style in conducting the management of Portuguese community schools. The five practices of leadership are highly practiced by the directors of the studied schools above all the practices “Enable others to act” and “Encourage the heart”.

Skeletal maturity and socio-economic status in portuguese children and youths: the Madeira growth study

Skeletal maturity is used to evaluate biological maturity status. Information about the association between socio-economic status (SES) and skeletal maturity is limited in Portugal. Aims: The aim of this study is to document the skeletal maturity of youths in Madeira and to evaluate variation in maturity associated with SES. Subjects and methods: The study involved 507 subjects (256 boys and 251 girls) from the Madeira Growth Study, a mixed-longitudinal study of five cohorts (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 years of age) followed at yearly intervals over 3 years (1996–1998). A total of 1493 observations were made. Skeletal age was estimated from radiographs of the hand and wrist using the Tanner–Whitehouse 2 method (TW2). Social class rankings were based on Graffar’s (1956) method. Five social rankings were subsequently grouped into three SES categories: high, average and low. Results: Median for the radius, ulna and short finger bones (RUS scores) in the total sample of boys and girls increased curvilinearly across age whereas median for the 7 (without pisiform) carpal bones (Carpal scores) increased almost linearly. The 20-bone maturity scores demonstrated distinctive trends by gender: the medians for boys increased almost linearly while the medians for girls increased curvilinearly. SES differences were minimal. Only among children aged 10–11 years were high SES boys and girls advanced in skeletal maturity. Madeira adolescents were advanced in skeletal maturity compared with Belgian reference values. Conclusion: The data suggests population variation in TW2 estimates of skeletal maturation. Skeletal maturity was not related to SES in youths from Madeira.

Change, stability and prediction of gross motor co-ordination in portuguese children

The knowledge about intra- and inter-individual variation can stimulate attempts at description, interpretation and prediction of motor co-ordination (MC). Aim: To analyse change, stability and prediction of motor co-ordination (MC) in children. Subjects and methods: A total of 158 children, 83 boys and 75 girls, aged 6, 7 and 8 years, were evaluated in 2006 and re-evaluated in 2012 at 12, 13 and 14 years of age. MC was assessed through the Kiphard-Schilling’s body co-ordination test and growth, skeletal maturity, physical fitness, fundamental motor skills (FMS), physical activity and socioeconomic status (SES) were measured and/or estimated. Results: Repeated-measures MANOVA indicated that there was a significant effect of group, sex and time on a linear combination of the MC tests. Univariate tests revealed that group 3 (8–14 years) scored significantly better than group 1 (6–12 years) in all MC tests and boys performed better than girls in hopping for height and moving sideways. Scores in MC were also higher at follow-up than at baseline. Inter-age correlations for MC were between 0.15–0.74. Childhood predictors of MC were growth, physical fitness, FMS, physical activity and SES. Biological maturation did not contribute to prediction of MC. Conclusion: MC seemed moderately stable from childhood through adolescence and, additionally, inter-individual predictors at adolescence were growth, FMS, physical fitness, physical activity and SES.

Reading comprehension in primary school: textbooks, curriculum and assessment

This study describes the reading comprehension processes present in the most widely sold textbooks at the fourth grade level in Portugal and discusses how they compare to international assessments of reading literacy. We adopted the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study framework to categorize the questions in the textbooks. Our analyses revealed that they focus heavily on the retrieval of explicitly stated information to the detriment of higher level comprehension skills. Portuguese fourth grade textbooks rarely challenge students to make connections between their knowledge and the ideas in the texts and to adopt a critical and evaluative reading stance. This is in sharp contrast to what students are asked to do in the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study, conducted every five years since 2001, and it may help explain the poor results Portuguese students have in national assessment and in PISA. The findings are discussed in light of the curriculum frameworks currently adopted in Portugal and suggestions are made as to how we can improve reading literacy achievement.

Enhancing comprehension in low achievement 9th grades: a quasi-experiment study

This article describes the application of a Comprehension Strategies Programme (CSP) designed to improve the reading comprehension of students with learning difficulties. The programme was implemented with 102 ninth grade students from Portuguese public schools with low achievement on a particular subject: Portuguese. An evaluation was done on the effects of the programme on reading comprehension and on school achievement. The Experimental Group presented significant improvements when compared to the Control Group (n=108) on the dimensions considered. This indicates that the CSP an bring benefits to low achieving students who have Portuguese as a mother tongue.

The historic religious buildings of Ribeira Grande: implementation of christian models in the early colonies, 15th till 17th century, on the example of Cape Verde Islands

Rui Carita

Screening of volatile composition from portuguese multifloral honeys using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry

The volatile composition from four types of multifloral Portuguese (produced in Madeira Island) honeys was investigated by a suitable analytical procedure based on dynamic headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by thermal desorption gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (GC–qMS). The performance of five commercially available SPME fibres: 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS; 85 μm polyacrylate, PA; 50/30 μm divinylbenzene/carboxen on polydimethylsiloxane, DVB/CAR/PDMS (StableFlex); 75 μm carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane, CAR/PDMS, and 65 μm carbowax/divinylbenzene, CW/DVB; were evaluated and compared. The highest amounts of extract, in terms of the maximum signal obtained for the total volatile composition, were obtained with a DVB/CAR/PDMS coating fibre at 60 °C during an extraction time of 40 min with a constant stirring at 750 rpm, after saturating the sample with NaCl (30%). Using this methodology more than one hundred volatile compounds, belonging to different biosynthetic pathways were identified, including monoterpenols, C13-norisoprenoids, sesquiterpenes, higher alcohols, ethyl esters and fatty acids. The main components of the HS-SPME samples of honey were in average ethanol, hotrienol, benzeneacetaldehyde, furfural, trans-linalool oxide and 1,3-dihydroxy-2-propanone.

New method for determination of (E)resveratrol in wine based on microextraction using packed sorbent and ultra-performance liquid chromatography

An ultra-fast and improved analytical methodology based on microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) combined with ultra-performance LC (UPLC) was developed and validated for determination of (E)-resveratrol in wines. Important factors affecting the performance of MEPS such as the type of sorbent material (C2, C8, C18, SIL, and M1), number of extraction cycles, and sample volume were studied. The optimal conditions of MEPS extraction were obtained using C8 sorbent and small sample volumes (50–250mL) in one extraction cycle (extract–discard) and in a short time period (about 3 min for the entire sample preparation step). (E)-Resveratrol was eluted by 1 250mL of the mixture containing 95% methanol and 5% water, and the separation was carried out on a highstrength silica HSS T3 analytical column (100 mm 2.1 mm, 1.8mm particle size) using a binary mobile phase composed of aqueous 0.1% formic acid (eluent A) and methanol (eluent B) in the gradient elution mode (10 min of total analysis). The method was fully validated in terms of linearity, detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) limits, extraction yield, accuracy, and inter/intra-day precision, using a Madeira wine sample (ET) spiked with (E)-resveratrol at concentration levels ranging from 5 to 60mg/mL. Validation experiments revealed very good recovery rate of 9575.8% RSD, good linearity with r2 values 40.999 within the established concentration range, excellent repeatability (0.52%), and reproducibility (1.67%) values (expressed as RSD), thus demonstrating the robustness and accuracy of the MEPSC8/UPLC-photodiode array (PDA) method. The LOD of the method was 0.21mg/mL, whereas the LOQ was 0.68mg/mL. The validated methodology was applied to 30 commercial wines (24 red wines and six white wines) from different grape varieties, vintages, and regions. On the basis of the analytical validation, the MEPSC8/UPLC-PDA methodology shows to be an improved, sensitive, and ultra-fast approach for determination of (E)-resveratrol in wines with high resolving power within 6 min.

Investigation of urinary volatile organic metabolites as potential cancer biomarkers by solid-phase microextraction in combination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive diagnostic strategies aimed at identifying biomarkers of cancer are of great interest for early cancer detection. Urine is potentially a rich source of volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) that can be used as potential cancer biomarkers. Our aim was to develop a generally reliable, rapid, sensitive, and robust analytical method for screening large numbers of urine samples, resulting in a broad spectrum of native VOMs, as a tool to evaluate the potential of these metabolites in the early diagnosis of cancer. METHODS: To investigate urinary volatile metabolites as potential cancer biomarkers, urine samples from 33 cancer patients (oncological group: 14 leukaemia, 12 colorectal and 7 lymphoma) and 21 healthy (control group, cancer-free) individuals were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. Dynamic solid-phase microextraction in headspace mode (dHS-SPME) using a carboxenpolydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) sorbent in combination with GC-qMS-based metabolomics was applied to isolate and identify the volatile metabolites. This method provides a potential non-invasive method for early cancer diagnosis as a first approach. To fulfil this objective, three important dHS-SPME experimental parameters that influence extraction efficiency (fibre coating, extraction time and temperature of sampling) were optimised using a univariate optimisation design. The highest extraction efficiency was obtained when sampling was performed at 501C for 60min using samples with high ionic strengths (17% sodium chloride, wv 1) and under agitation. RESULTS: A total of 82 volatile metabolites belonging to distinct chemical classes were identified in the control and oncological groups. Benzene derivatives, terpenoids and phenols were the most common classes for the oncological group, whereas ketones and sulphur compounds were the main classes that were isolated from the urine headspace of healthy subjects. The results demonstrate that compound concentrations were dramatically different between cancer patients and healthy volunteers. The positive rates of 16 patients among the 82 identified were found to be statistically different (Po0.05). A significant increase in the peak area of 2-methyl3-phenyl-2-propenal, p-cymene, anisole, 4-methyl-phenol and 1,2-dihydro-1,1,6-trimethyl-naphthalene in cancer patients was observed. On average, statistically significant lower abundances of dimethyl disulphide were found in cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Gas chromatographic peak areas were submitted to multivariate analysis (principal component analysis and supervised linear discriminant analysis) to visualise clusters within cases and to detect the volatile metabolites that are able to differentiate cancer patients from healthy individuals. Very good discrimination within cancer groups and between cancer and control groups was achieved.

A sensitive microextraction by packed sorbent-based methodology combined with ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography as a powerful technique for analysis of biologically active flavonols in wines

A new approach based on microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and reversed-phase high-throughput ultra high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method that uses a gradient elution and diode array detection to quantitate three biologically active flavonols in wines, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol, is described. In addition to performing routine experiments to establish the validity of the assay to internationally accepted criteria (selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy), experiments are included to assess the effect of the important experimental parameters such as the type of sorbent material (C2, C8, C18, SIL, and C8/SCX), number of extraction cycles (extract-discard), elution volume, sample volume, and ethanol content, on the MEPS performance. The optimal conditions of MEPS extraction were obtained using C8 sorbent and small sample volumes (250 μL) in five extraction cycle and in a short time period (about 5 min for the entire sample preparation step). Under optimized conditions, excellent linearity View the MathML source(Rvalues2>0.9963), limits of detection of 0.006 μg mL−1 (quercetin) to 0.013 μg mL−1 (myricetin) and precision within 0.5–3.1% were observed for the target flavonols. The average recoveries of myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol for real samples were 83.0–97.7% with relative standard deviation (RSD, %) lower than 1.6%. The results obtained showed that the most abundant flavonol in the analyzed samples was myricetin (5.8 ± 3.7 μg mL−1). Quercetin (0.97 ± 0.41 μg mL−1) and kaempferol (0.66 ± 0.24 μg mL−1) were found in a lower concentration. The optimized MEPSC8 method was compared with a reverse-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using as sorbent a macroporous copolymer made from a balanced ratio of two monomers, the lipophilic divinylbenzene and the hydrophilic N-vinylpyrrolidone (Oasis HLB) were used as reference. MEPSC8 approach offers an attractive alternative for analysis of flavonols in wines, providing a number of advantages including highest extraction efficiency (from 85.9 ± 0.9% to 92.1 ± 0.5%) in the shortest extraction time with low solvent consumption, fast sample throughput, more environmentally friendly and easy to perform.

Development of a novel microextraction by packed sorbent-based approach followed by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography as a powerful technique for quantification phenolic constituents of biological interest in wines

A novel analytical approach, based on a miniaturized extraction technique, the microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), followed by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) separation combined with a photodiode array (PDA) detection, has been developed and validated for the quantitative determination of sixteen biologically active phenolic constituents of wine. In addition to performing routine experiments to establish the validity of the assay to internationally accepted criteria (linearity, sensitivity, selectivity, precision, accuracy), experiments are included to assess the effect of the important experimental parameters on the MEPS performance such as the type of sorbent material (C2, C8, C18, SIL, and M1), number of extraction cycles (extract-discard), elution volume, sample volume, and ethanol content, were studied. The optimal conditions of MEPS extraction were obtained using C8 sorbent and small sample volumes (250 μL) in five extraction cycle and in a short time period (about 5 min for the entire sample preparation step). The wine bioactive phenolics were eluted by 250 μL of the mixture containing 95% methanol and 5% water, and the separation was carried out on a HSS T3 analytical column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm particle size) using a binary mobile phase composed of aqueous 0.1% formic acid (eluent A) and methanol (eluent B) in the gradient elution mode (10 min of total analysis). The method gave satisfactory results in terms of linearity with r2-values > 0.9986 within the established concentration range. The LOD varied from 85 ng mL−1 (ferulic acid) to 0.32 μg mL−1 ((+)-catechin), whereas the LOQ values from 0.028 μg mL−1 (ferulic acid) to 1.08 μg mL−1 ((+)-catechin). Typical recoveries ranged between 81.1 and 99.6% for red wines and between 77.1 and 99.3% for white wines, with relative standard deviations (RSD) no larger than 10%. The extraction yields of the MEPSC8/UHPLC–PDA methodology were found between 78.1 (syringic acid) and 99.6% (o-coumaric acid) for red wines and between 76.2 and 99.1% for white wines. The inter-day precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD%), varied between 0.2% (p-coumaric and o-coumaric acids) and 7.5% (gentisic acid) while the intra-day precision between 0.2% (o-coumaric and cinnamic acids) and 4.7% (gallic acid and (−)-epicatechin). On the basis of analytical validation, it is shown that the MEPSC8/UHPLC–PDA methodology proves to be an improved, reliable, and ultra-fast approach for wine bioactive phenolics analysis, because of its capability for determining simultaneously in a single chromatographic run several bioactive metabolites with high sensitivity, selectivity and resolving power within only 10 min. Preliminary studies have been carried out on 34 real whole wine samples, in order to assess the performance of the described procedure. The new approach offers decreased sample preparation and analysis time, and moreover is cheaper, more environmentally friendly and easier to perform as compared to traditional methodologies.

A new and improved strategy combining a dispersive-solid phase extraction-based multiclass method with ultra high pressure liquid chromatography for analysis of low molecular weight polyphenols in vegetables

This paper reports on the development and optimization of a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) based extraction technique coupled with a clean-up dispersive-solid phase extraction (dSPE) as a new, reliable and powerful strategy to enhance the extraction efficiency of free low molecular-weight polyphenols in selected species of dietary vegetables. The process involves two simple steps. First, the homogenized samples are extracted and partitioned using an organic solvent and salt solution. Then, the supernatant is further extracted and cleaned using a dSPE technique. Final clear extracts of vegetables were concentrated under vacuum to near dryness and taken up into initial mobile phase (0.1% formic acid and 20% methanol). The separation and quantification of free low molecular weight polyphenols from the vegetable extracts was achieved by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) equipped with a phodiode array (PDA) detection system and a Trifunctional High Strength Silica capillary analytical column (HSS T3), specially designed for polar compounds. The performance of the method was assessed by studying the selectivity, linear dynamic range, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, trueness, and matrix effects. The validation parameters of the method showed satisfactory figures of merit. Good linearity (View the MathML sourceRvalues2>0.954; (+)-catechin in carrot samples) was achieved at the studied concentration range. Reproducibility was better than 3%. Consistent recoveries of polyphenols ranging from 78.4 to 99.9% were observed when all target vegetable samples were spiked at two concentration levels, with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 5) lower than 2.9%. The LODs and the LOQs ranged from 0.005 μg mL−1 (trans-resveratrol, carrot) to 0.62 μg mL−1 (syringic acid, garlic) and from 0.016 μg mL−1 (trans-resveratrol, carrot) to 0.87 μg mL−1 ((+)-catechin, carrot) depending on the compound. The method was applied for studying the occurrence of free low molecular weight polyphenols in eight selected dietary vegetables (broccoli, tomato, carrot, garlic, onion, red pepper, green pepper and beetroot), providing a valuable and promising tool for food quality evaluation.

An improved and fast UHPLC-PDA methodology for determination of L-ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids in fruits and vegetables: evaluation of degradation rate during storage

This study provides a versatile validated method to determine the total vitamin C content, as the sum of the contents of L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA), in several fruits and vegetables and its degradability with storage time. Seven horticultural crops from two different origins were analyzed using an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatographic–photodiode array (UHPLC-PDA) system, equipped with a new trifunctional high strength silica (100% silica particle) analytical column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm particle size) using 0.1% (v/v) formic acid as mobile phase, in isocratic mode. This new stationary phase, specially designed for polar compounds, overcomes the problems normally encountered in HPLC and is suitable for the analysis of large batches of samples without L-AA degradation. In addition, it proves to be an excellent alternative to conventional C18 columns for the determination of L-AA in fruits and vegetables. The method was fully validated in terms of linearity, detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) limits, accuracy, and inter/intraday precision. Validation experiments revealed very good recovery rate of 96.6±4.4% for L-AA and 103.1±4.8 % for total vitamin C, good linearity with r2-values >0.999 within the established concentration range, excellent repeatability (0.5%), and reproducibility (1.6%) values. The LOD of the method was 22 ng/mL whereas the LOQ was 67 ng/mL. It was possible to demonstrate that L-AA and DHAA concentrations in the different horticulture products varied oppositely with time of storage not always affecting the total amount of vitamin C during shelf-life. Locally produced fruits have higher concentrations of vitamin C, compared with imported ones, but vegetables showed the opposite trend. Moreover, this UHPLC-PDA methodology proves to be an improved, simple, and fast approach for determining the total content of vitamin C in various food commodities, with high sensitivity, selectivity, and resolving power within 3 min of run analysis.

A fast method using a new hydrophilic–lipophilic balanced sorbent in combination with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography for quantification of significant bioactive metabolites in wines

This manuscript describes the development and validation of an ultra-fast, efficient, and high throughput analytical method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) equipped with a photodiode array (PDA) detection system, for the simultaneous analysis of fifteen bioactive metabolites: gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, (−)-catechin, gentisic acid, (−)-epicatechin, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, m-coumaric acid, rutin, trans-resveratrol, myricetin, quercetin, cinnamic acid and kaempferol, in wines. A 50-mm column packed with 1.7-μm particles operating at elevated pressure (UHPLC strategy) was selected to attain ultra-fast analysis and highly efficient separations. In order to reduce the complexity of wine extract and improve the recovery efficiency, a reverse-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using as sorbent a new macroporous copolymer made from a balanced ratio of two monomers, the lipophilic divinylbenzene and the hydrophilic N-vinylpyrrolidone (Oasis™ HLB), was performed prior to UHPLC–PDA analysis. The calibration curves of bioactive metabolites showed good linearity within the established range. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.006 μg mL−1 to 0.58 μg mL−1, and from 0.019 μg mL−1 to 1.94 μg mL−1, for gallic and gentisic acids, respectively. The average recoveries ± SD for the three levels of concentration tested (n = 9) in red and white wines were, respectively, 89 ± 3% and 90 ± 2%. The repeatability expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) was below 10% for all the metabolites assayed. The validated method was then applied to red and white wines from different geographical origins (Azores, Canary and Madeira Islands). The most abundant component in the analysed red wines was (−)-epicatechin followed by (−)-catechin and rutin, whereas in white wines syringic and p-coumaric acids were found the major phenolic metabolites. The method was completely validated, providing a sensitive analysis for bioactive phenolic metabolites detection and showing satisfactory data for all the parameters tested. Moreover, was revealed as an ultra-fast approach allowing the separation of the fifteen bioactive metabolites investigated with high resolution power within 5 min.