Violência na imprensa : crime violento na imprensa portuguesa : estudo comparativo de dois jornais

O presente trabalho tem como principal objectivo identificar qual o conteúdo das notícias sobre crime violento retratados na imprensa portuguesa, em termos quantitativos, e perceber se apresentam diferenças significativas em dois jornais de informação geral. Consequentemente, importa reflectir em que medida a comunicação social pode influenciar as nossas representações sociais acerca dos fenómenos criminais, em especial o medo do crime, num prisma selectivo, implícito ao próprio processo de constituição e construção no campo dos media. Para a realização desta recolha fáctica ou documental procedeu-se à construção duma grelha de análise com o intuito de objectivar a recolha de dados. Posteriormente fez-se uma análise de conteúdo de notícias sobre crime violento, presentes nas primeiras páginas de dois jornais diários portugueses, o Correio da Manhã (CM) e o Diário de Notícias (DN), do mês de Agosto de 2008. Época em que os meios de comunicação social e o Poder político sustentaram que estávamos a viver uma onda de crime.

Bioactive nanocomposite spheres with proved shape memory capability in bone defects

Bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNPs) promote an apatite surface layer in physiologic conditions that lead to a good interfacial bonding with bone.1 A strategy to induce bioactivity in non-bioactive polymeric biomaterials is to incorporate BGNPs in the polymer matrix. This combination creates a nanocomposite material with increased osteoconductive properties. Chitosan (CHT) is a polymer obtained by deacetylation of chitin and is biodegradable, non-toxic and biocompatible. The combination of CHT and the BGNPs aims at designing biocompatible spheres promoting the formation of a calcium phosphate layer at the nanocomposite surface, thus enhancing the osteoconductivity behaviour of the biomaterial. Shape memory polymers (SMP) are stimuli-responsive materials that offer mechanical and geometrical action triggered by an external stimulus.2 They can be deformed and fixed into a temporary shape which remains stable unless exposed to a proper stimulus that triggers recovery of their original shape. This advanced functionality makes such SMPs suitable to be implanted using minimally invasive surgery procedures. Regarding that, the inclusion of therapeutic molecules becomes attractive.  We propose the synthesis of shape memory bioactive nanocomposite spheres with drug release capability.3   1.  L. L. Hench, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 1993, 72, 93-98. 2.  A. Lendlein and S. Kelch, Angew Chem Int Edit, 2002, 41, 2034-2057. 3.  Ã . J. Leite, S. G. Caridade and J. F. Mano, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids (in Press)

O Panorama (1837-1868): história de um Jornal

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The Representation of the Feminine in the Portuguese Press : A Content Analysis of the Diário de Notícias Newspaper

This is a brief report of a research project, coordinated by me and funded by the Portuguese Government. It studies ‘The Representation of the Feminine in the Portuguese Press’ (POCI/COM 55780/2004), and works on the content analysis of discourse on the feminine in various Portuguese newspapers, covering the time span of February 1st till April 30th 2006. The paper is divided into two parts: in the first part, I will briefly discuss the typology used to code the text units of selected articles; in the second part, I will explore the most expressive percentages of the first two weeks of February for the content analysis of the Diário de Notícias newspaper. These percentages were obtained with the NVivo 6 qualitative data treatment software programme.

Use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) in Portuguese for categorizing web-based healthcare content

Introduction: Internet users are increasingly using the worldwide web to search for information relating to their health. This situation makes it necessary to create specialized tools capable of supporting users in their searches. Objective: To apply and compare strategies that were developed to investigate the use of the Portuguese version of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for constructing an automated classifier for Brazilian Portuguese-language web-based content within or outside of the field of healthcare, focusing on the lay public. Methods: 3658 Brazilian web pages were used to train the classifier and 606 Brazilian web pages were used to validate it. The strategies proposed were constructed using content-based vector methods for text classification, such that Naive Bayes was used for the task of classifying vector patterns with characteristics obtained through the proposed strategies. Results: A strategy named InDeCS was developed specifically to adapt MeSH for the problem that was put forward. This approach achieved better accuracy for this pattern classification task (0.94 sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve). Conclusions: Because of the significant results achieved by InDeCS, this tool has been successfully applied to the Brazilian healthcare search portal known as Busca Saude. Furthermore, it could be shown that MeSH presents important results when used for the task of classifying web-based content focusing on the lay public. It was also possible to show from this study that MeSH was able to map out mutable non-deterministic characteristics of the web. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the Epilepsy Medication Treatment Complexity Index for Brazil

We evaluated the reliability and validity of a Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Epilepsy Medication Treatment Complexity Index (EMTCI). Interrater reliability was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and validity was evaluated by correlation of mean EMTCI scores with the following variables: number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), seizure control, patients` perception of seizure control, and adherence to the therapeutic regimen as measured with the Morisky scale. We studied patients with epilepsy followed in a tertiary university-based hospital outpatient clinic setting, aged 18 years or older, independent in daily living activities, and without cognitive impairment or active psychiatric disease. ICCs ranged from 0.721 to 0.999. Mean EMTCI scores were significantly correlated with the variables assessed. Higher EMTCI scores were associated with an increasing number of AEDs, uncontrolled seizures, patients` perception of lack of seizure control, and poorer adherence to the therapeutic regimen. The results indicate that the Brazilian-Portuguese EMTCI is reliable and valid to be applied clinically in the country. The Brazilian-Portuguese EMTCI version may be a useful tool in developing strategies to minimize treatment complexity, possibly improving seizure control and quality of life in people with epilepsy in our milieu. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An alternative application to the Portuguese agro-industrial residue: Wheat straw

The effects of alkaline treatments of the wheat straw with sodium hydroxide were investigated. The optimal condition for extraction of hemicelluloses was found to be with 0.50 mol/l sodium hydroxide at 55C for 2 h. This resulted in the release of 17.3% of hemicellulose (% dry starting material), corresponding to the dissolution of 49.3% of the original hemicellulose. The yields were determined by gravimetric analysis and expressed as a proportion of the starting material. Chemical composition and physico-chemical properties of the samples of hemicelluloses were elucidated by a combination of sugar analyses, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and thermal analysis. The results showed that the treatments were very effective on the extraction of hemicelluloses from wheat straw and that the extraction intensity (expressed in terms of alkali concentration) had a great influence on the yield and chemical features of the hemicelluloses. The FTIR analysis revealed typical signal pattern for the hemicellulosic fraction in the 1,200-1,000 cm(-1) region. Bands between 1,166 and 1,000 cm(-1) are typical of xylans.

Spectrum of MMACHC mutations in Italian and Portuguese patients with combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, cblC type

Methylmalonic aciduria (MMA) and homocystinuria, cblC type (MIM 277400) is the most frequent inborn error of vitamin B-12. The recent identification of the disease gene, MMACHC, has permitted preliminary genotype-phenotype correlations. We studied 24 Italian and 17 Portuguese patients with cblC defect to illustrate the spectrum of mutations in a southern European population and discuss the impact that mutation identification has on routine diagnostic procedures. Since the metabolic defect raises the serum levels of homocysteine, we also tested if variants in MTHFR-playing a key role in homocysteine remethylation pathway-could act as genetic modifier in cblC defect. We found that the c.271 dupA (accounting for 55% of the MMA CH alleles in our cohort) followed by c.394C > T (16%) and c.331C > T (9%) were the most frequent mutations. In our study we also identified a novel mutation (c.544T > C). On the other hand, the MTHFR genotype did not appear to influence age at onset, the clinical phenotype and outcome of patients with cblC defect. This study shows that mutation screening for the most common MMACH mutations occurring in early-onset forms (c.271dupA and c.331C > T) seems to have a high diagnostic yield in a southern European population with cblC defect. Although the identification of the gene defect per se does not predict completely time and severity of disease appearance, our data corroborate the importance of a molecular testing to offer accurate prenatal diagnosis to couples at high risk of having affected children. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Verbal fluency in the detection of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer`s disease among Brazilian Portuguese speakers: the influence of education

Background: Verbal fluency (VF) tasks are simple and efficient clinical tools to detect executive dysfunction and lexico-semantic impairment. VF tasks are widely used in patients with suspected dementia, but their accuracy for detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is still under investigation. Schooling in particular may influence the subject`s performance. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of two semantic categories (animals and fruits) in discriminating controls, MCI patients and Alzheimer`s disease (AD) patients. Methods: 178 subjects, comprising 70 controls (CG), 70 MCI patients and 38 AD patients, were tested on two semantic VF tasks. The sample was divided into two schooling groups: those with 4-8 years of education and those with 9 or more years. Results: Both VF tasks - animal fluency (VFa) and fruits fluency (VFf) - adequately discriminated CG from AD in the total sample (AUC = 0.88 +/- 0.03, p < 0.0001) and in both education groups, and high educated MCI from AD (VFa: AUC = 0.82 +/- 0.05, p < 0.0001; VFf: AUC = 0.85 +/- 0.05, p < 0.0001). Both tasks were moderately accurate in discriminating CG from MCI (VFa: AUC = 0.68 +/- 0.04, p < 0.0001 - VFf:AUC = 0.73 +/- 0.04, p < 0.0001) regardless of the schooling level, and MCI from AD in the total sample (VFa: AUC = 0.74 +/- 0.05, p < 0.0001; VFf: AUC = 0.76 +/- 0.05, p < 0.0001). Neither of the two tasks differentiated low educated MCI from AD. In the total sample, fruits fluency best discriminated CG from MCI and MCI from AD; a combination of the two improved the discrimination between CG and AD. Conclusions: Both categories were similar in discriminating CG from AD; the combination of both categories improved the accuracy for this distinction. Both tasks were less accurate in discriminating CG from MCI, and MCI from AD.

Financial Risk Analysis of Portuguese Textile and Tourism Companies

Textile and tourism sectors are two important industries in the Portuguese economy. However, its high exposure to both internal and international economic volatility make the companies operating in these economic sectors particularly vulnerable to economic crises, such as the ones which have been impacting Portugal and the European Union. The objective of this paper is to evaluate and understand the impact of size and age on the financial health of textile and tourism companies, measured by economic indices. An empirical based model is proposed. Its implications are derived and tested on a sample of 4061 Portuguese companies from textile and tourism sectors, during the period 2005-2009. The findings suggest that age has a major impact on the risk of failure, rather than size. Whereas the effect of age is generally positive regarding the financial health of the company, the effect of size is less clear and ultimately depends on the age of the company.

Portuguese impact on Goa: Lusotopic, Lusophonic, Lusophilic?

Não é muito dificil identificar e analisar o impacto linguístico (lusofónico) ou não-linguístico (lusotópico) em Goa, mas torna-se difícil e melindrosa qualquer tentativa de analisar o impacto lusofílico. Recentemente, na correspondência que tive com um delegado da Fundação Oriente em Goa, ele escrevia: “É um assunto complicado, quando se tenta compreender as atitudes dos grupos pró- e contra os Portugueses. É difícil encontrar em Goa alguém que se manifeste abertamente como goês pró-Portugal ou como luso-goês. É muito diferente em Sri Lanka, Malaca ou noutras regiões. Não duvido que a lusofilia está presente, mas escondida e encoberta. Manifesta-se de vez em quando por motivos de conveniência." São estas impressões de um cidadão português em Goa que tentamos compreender neste ensaio com base nas experiências históricas dos goeses.

Portuguese india, the Politics of Print and a Questionable Modernity

Este artigo-recensão do livro da Dra. Rochelle Pinto, Between Empires: Print and Politics in Goa, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2007, pp. 209 analisa este excelente estudo das implicações modernistas da imprensa na Índia Portuguesa. A autora distingue a modernidade da peninsula imbérica da modernidade inglesa. Salienta a diferença entre as duas modernidades. O que parece ser de pouco valor neste estudos é a tendência orientalista que os jovens investigadores são forçados a assumir: passa pela adoração pelos autores euro-americanos, subalternizando ou quase ignorando os estudos mais competentes dos investigadores orientais. Este complexo da inferioridade poderá levar ainda muito tempo para ser ultrapassada.

Occupational exposure to volatile organic compounds in the Portuguese printing industry

In the printing industry, volatile organic compounds main sources are the uses of organic solvents, fountain solutions and cleaning agents. Nowadays, one circumstance which might confuse the exposure reality is that the majority of solvents which are often used have a faint odour. Therefore, the conditions at offset printing in regard to solvent exposure may seem acceptable to workers. Fortunately, general ventilation and local exhaust systems have also become more common, and new printing machines, often with automatic cleaning, have entered the market. The health effects of volatile organic solvents are dependent on the chemicals involved but, normally, are associated with affecting the nervous system, the liver and also the kidneys. The purpose of this study was to document the conditions regarding exposure to volatile organic compounds in an offset printing unit and to permit identify task with higher exposure and with priority for preventive measures application. Exposure assessment was done before and after installation of general ventilation and local exhaust equipments and during printing and cleaning procedure.

Occupational exposure to perchloroethylene in Portuguese dry-cleaning stores

Perchloroethylene (also known as tetrachloroethylene) is a solvent that has been a mainstay of the dry cleaning industry for decades. Since 1995 the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers that dry cleaning entails exposures that are possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). Meanwhile, the same institution classified perchloroethylene as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). Some industries have begun using alternative cleaning methods that do not require the use of perchloroethylene. However, in Portugal this solvent is still the most common dry-cleaning agent. An exploratory study was developed that aimed to find the occupational exposure to perchloroethylene in four Portuguese dry-cleaning stores. Activities involving higher exposure and variables that promote exposure were also investigated. Real-time measurements of volatile organic compounds concentrations were performed using portable equipment (MultiRAE, RAE Systems model – calibrated by isobutylene).

Association of FTO and PPARG polymorphisms with obesity in Portuguese women

Purpose: We evaluated the association between risk of obesity in the Portuguese population and two obesity-related single-nucleotide gene polymorphisms: fat-mass and obesity-associated (FTO) rs9939609 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) rs1801282. Patients and methods: A total of 194 Portuguese premenopausal female Caucasians aged between 18 and 50 years (95 with body mass index [BMI] ≥30 g/m2, 99 controls with BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2) participated in this study. The association of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms with obesity was determined by odds ratio calculation with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Significant differences in allelic expression of FTO rs9939609 (P<0.05) were found between control and case groups, indicating a 2.5-higher risk for obesity in the presence of both risk alleles when comparing the control group with the entire obese group. A fourfold-higher risk was found for subjects with class III obesity compared to those with classes I and II. No significant differences in BMI were found between the control and case groups for PPARG rs1801282 (P>0.05). Conclusion: For the first time, a study involving an adult Portuguese population shows that individuals harboring both risk alleles in the FTO gene locus are at higher risk for obesity, which is in agreement to what has been reported for other European populations.