An e-marketplace of healthcare and social care services: the perceived interest

The health and social care sector is receiving growing attention for the last years, due to the increased life expectancy, the public demand for a better quality of life and for better health services. These requirements can be met with more cost-efficient approaches and using new technology-based solutions for providing services. The paper presents and discusses some of the main results of a study undertaken in Guimarães, a Municipality at the North of Portugal, on the perceived relevance of an e-Marketplace of social and healthcare services for the inhabitants in general, and in particular for people with special needs; the study also included the identification of the most relevant services to be offered by this platform and allowed concluding that such an e-Marketplace is of recognized relevance and that it is expected a good adhesion from the population.

Radial Distortion Self-Calibration

In cameras with radial distortion, straight lines in space are in general mapped to curves in the image. Although epipolar geometry also gets distorted, there is a set of special epipolar lines that remain straight, namely those that go through the distortion center. By finding these straight epipolar lines in camera pairs we can obtain constraints on the distortion center(s) without any calibration object or plumbline assumptions in the scene. Although this holds for all radial distortion models we conceptually prove this idea using the division distortion model and the radial fundamental matrix which allow for a very simple closed form solution of the distortion center from two views (same distortion) or three views (different distortions). The non-iterative nature of our approach makes it immune to local minima and allows finding the distortion center also for cropped images or those where no good prior exists. Besides this, we give comprehensive relations between different undistortion models and discuss advantages and drawbacks.

Agronomic performance of 27 cocoa progenies and plant selection based on productivity, self-compatibility and disease resistance

The objective of the present work was to evaluate 27 progenies of cocoa crosses considering the agronomic traits and select F1 plants within superior crosses. The experiment was installed in March 2005, in the Experimental Station Joaquim Bahiana (ESJOB), in Itajuipe, Bahia. The area of the experiment is of approximately 3 ha, with a total of 3240 plants. Thirteen evaluations of vegetative brooms, five of cushion brooms and 15 of number of pods per plant were accomplished. Thirty pollinations were made for each selected plant to test for self-compatibility. The production, based on the number of pods per plant, and resistance to witches´ broom indicated CEPEC 94 x CCN 10, RB 39 x CCN 51 and CCN 10 x VB 1151 as superior progenies. All selections tested were self-compatible. The analyses of progenies and individual tree data, associated to visual field observations, allowed the selection of 17 plants which were included in a network of regional tests to determine the phenotypic stability.

Antibacterial activity of Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC. (carqueja) against bacteria of medical interest

Baccharis trimera (Less.) (Asteraceae), popularly know as "carqueja", is a species commonly used in folk medicine for the treatment or prevention of diseases. In this context, the purpose of this work was to study the antibacterial activity of crude hydroalcoholic extract from Baccharis trimera against Gram-positive bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Staphylococcus saprophyticus ATCC 15305, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 19433) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli EHEC ATCC 43895, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 27736, Salmonella typhi ATCC 19430) of clinical interest. Antibacterial susceptibility was evaluated by broth microdilution assay following the CLSI (formerly the NCCLS) guidelines. The extract from B. trimera showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and the most interesting result was obtained against S. epidermidis that presented Minimal Inhibitory Concentration of 250μg/mL. These results indicate that B. trimera have bacterisostatic potential against Gram-positive bacterial strains of medical interest and could serve as a base for further studies on the use of isolated compounds from this species as future antimicrobials.

Loneliness in Middle and Old Age

Purpose of the research: (a) To identify the degree of much loneliness reported in the Portuguese population over 50 years of age and (b) test whether loneliness can be predicted by socio-demographic, health related or social characteristic of the sample other than age. Materials and methods: 1174 late middle age and older adults were interviewed face to face by different interviewers across the country; after the informed consent was signed, we asked the participants several socio-demographic and health-related questions; finally we asked ‘‘How often do you feel lonely?’’ and participants responded according to a five point Likert scale. Principal results: The results showed that 12% of participants reporting feeling lonely often or always, whereas 40% reporting never feeling lonely. The remaining 48% self-reported they felt lonely seldom or sometimes. Additionally, results show that, when taken together, variables such as marital status, type of housing, residence settings, health conditions, social satisfaction, social isolation, lack of interest, transportation, and age were predictors of loneliness. Major conclusions: (1) The association of loneliness with advanced age has been greatly exaggerated by mass media and common sense; (2) But although our findings did not confirm the most alarmist views, the 12% of older adults reporting that they are feeling lonely always or often should be cause for attention and concern. It is necessary to understand the meaning, reasons and level of suffering implied on those feelings of loneliness. (3) Our findings suggest that it makes no sense to construe age as a singular feature or cause for feelings of loneliness. Instead, age and also a number of other features combine to predict feelings of loneliness. But even with our predictor variables there was a substantial of variance left unexplained. Therefore it is necessary to continue exploring how feelings of loneliness arise from the experience of living and how they can be changed.

The impact of the digital divide on the perceived interest of an e-Marketplace to support healthcare and social care services

In a Europe increasingly aging, it is now recognized the importance and potential of the service industry for ageing well based on information and communication technologies (ICT), as exemplified by the electronic market of social services and health care, the GuiMarket, proposed by the authors. However, this new range of services requires that individuals have advanced digital skills to fully participate in society. Based on the results of a survey made on a sample of 315 individuals, this paper discusses the importance granted GuiMarket and the intended frequency of use, concluding there is a close relationship between ICT access and use that respondents anticipate making of GuiMarket and alike services.

Intervenção nas práticas parentais num grupo de cuidadores

A Formação Parental, enquanto medida de intervenção socioeducativa, tem sido um alvo de interesse gradual, quer a nível internacional, quer a nível nacional. As profundas mudanças ocorridas, na esfera social e familiar, são agentes que têm vindo a promover o desenvolvimento de iniciativas de intervenção neste domínio. A consciência dos desafios que acarretam o desempenho das funções parentais nos dias de hoje, tem sido um incentivo na procura de respostas e auxílio aos intervenientes neste difícil processo de educar. Também o contributo teórico da Psicologia, nomeadamente nas áreas de estudo sobre a Formação Parental, a família, os estilos parentais, o envolvimento parental, e a sua pertinência para o desenvolvimento e equilíbrio infanto-juvenil, têm vindo e estimular o crescente investimento nesta área de intervenção. O presente estudo teve por objetivo construir, implementar e avaliar a eficácia de um programa de Promoção de Práticas Educativas Parentais. Neste estudo participaram 4 cuidadores (3 do sexo feminino e 1 um do sexo masculino), todos eles residentes no meio urbano (n=4), casados (n=4) e com uma média de idades de aproximadamente 42 anos (M=42,25), variando entre os 40 e os 45 anos. A maioria tem o 12º ano (n=3, 75%), apenas 1 (25%), possui habilitações superiores ao nível de licenciatura. Os dados foram recolhidos através de um Questionário Sociodemográfico e do Questionário de Práticas Parentais (Versão Portuguesa de M. Gaspar & P. Santos de 2008, revisto em 2013). No que respeita aos resultados obtidos, existem algumas modificações positivas na promoção de competências parentais ajustada, recorrendo à utilização de estratégias de disciplina positiva em todos os sujeitos, depois da intervenção. Referente as outras variáveis, nomeadamente, os diferentes estilos de disciplina, promoção do autoconhecimento enquanto pessoas e pais, fomentar a autoestima atendendo a aspetos pessoas e parentais, incentivar o bem-estar subjetivo/felicidade dos participantes com relevância na parentalidade não houve ocorrência de alterações positivas.

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.

O papel da Organização das Nações Unidas em Angola

RESUMO: Angola tem sido ao longo dos tempos objecto de cobiça por parte de países estrangeiros por motivações diversas, que foram desde interesses coloniais – como aconteceu com Portugal, que durante séculos a colonizou, e da Holanda, que dominou Luanda entre 1641 e 1648 – ou por interesses hegemónicos, ideológicos e políticos – como sucedeu com os EUA e a URSS, mas também com a Republica Popular da China e Cuba – e até por interesses regionais – como foram os casos da África do Sul e dos contíguos Congo Belga, hoje Republica Democrática do Congo, e Zâmbia. No entanto, a todos estes interesses diversos não se pode excluir um que lhes é transversal: o interesse económico. De facto, os 1246700 km² de que Angola dispõe, aliados à sua excelente localização geográfica com uma extensa costa atlântica e a sua extraordinária riqueza em recursos naturais podem explicar este envolvimento estrangeiro na História de Angola. No que diz respeito ao objecto da Dissertação, o envolvimento da ONU nas questões relacionadas com Angola remonta à década de 50, ou seja, ao período colonial e muito antes da independência do país em 1975, devido à política descolonizadora saída da II Guerra Mundial. Além disso, a dinâmica que emergiu da II Guerra Mundial, rapidamente, reconfigurou o panorama político internacional em dois blocos: o ocidental liderado pelos EUA e o de Leste liderado pela URSS, que se envolveram numa Guerra Fria, polarização cujos efeitos se ligam de forma trágica à guerra em Angola, primeiro para a autodeterminação, e, depois, já num contexto de independência, num conflito armado que ultrapassou o plano interno. Os interesses dos EUA e da URSS, que começaram por ser antagónicos, deram lugar em 1989 com o fim da bipolaridade a uma cooperação mais aberta e uma abertura política em Angola rumo à paz e ao início da construção da democracia. Neste trabalho estuda-se o papel da ONU em Angola, quer no período de luta pela independência, quer depois, na busca da paz no sangrento conflito – nem sempre civil – que mesmo antes da data da independência, a 11 de Novembro de 1975, e até Fevereiro de 2002, dilacerou o país. Procura-se, igualmente, analisar o contributo da ONU na consolidação das instituições e na construção de um regime democrático em Angola. ABSTRACT: Angola has been along time subject to the greed of several foreign countries for many reasons and motivations which go from colonial interests - that is the cases of, Portugal which for centuries colonized it, and Netherlands under whose administration had been Luanda between 1641 and 1648 - or for hegemonic, ideological and political interests - as it happened in regard to USA and USSR, but also People‟s Republic of China, Cuba, - and even for regional interests - regarding South Africa Republic, and the neighbouring countries, Democratic Republic of Congo (ancient Republic of the Congo “Leopoldville”), and the Republic of Zambia. On the other hand to these interests we may join another which is transversal to all of them: economic interest. Effectively, Angola‟s 481,351 square miles (1,246,700 Km2) estimated area, combined with its excellent geographical location with a lengthy Atlantic coast, its extraordinary richness in natural resources may well explain this foreign participation in its Political History. Concerning the objective of this work, the UN has been involved in matters regarding Angola since the decade of 50 of the last century, during the colonial period, long before the independence of the country in 1975, due to the decolonization policy emerged from the Second World War. Furthermore, after the Second World War, international environment has changed, transforming quickly the world into two main blocs, the West with the leadership of the USA and the East with the leadership of USSR which went into a Cold War. The effects of this polarization reached tragically Angola, early in the fight for self-determination, and went on later after independence in an armed conflict, which has overcome the internal dimension. The USA and USSR interests, at the beginning being antagonistic had become by 1989, with the end of bipolarity, more cooperative, leading Angola to a political reform towards peace and beginning the construction of democracy. In this academic work it‟s studied the UNO role in Angola since the fight for self-determination early in the sixties of last century, and later in the search for peace during the bloody - and not always civil – war conflict which very before independence date in 11th November 1975, and as long as 2002, divided the country. Additionally, this work aims to understand the UNO contribution to consolidate institutions and to promote democracy in Angola.

Impact of the background region of interest in the relative renal function

Renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc-DMSA) is performed with the aim of detect cortical abnormalities related to urinary tract infection and accurately quantify relative renal function (RRF). For this quantitative assessment Nuclear Medicine Technologist should draw regions of interest (ROI) around each kidney (KROI) and peri-renal background (BKG) ROI, although, controversy still exists about BKG-ROI. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the normalization procedure, number and location of BKG-ROI on the RRF in 99mTc-DMSA scintigraphy.

Self-interacting scalar field cosmologies: unified exact solutions and symmetries

We investigate a mechanism that generates exact solutions of scalar field cosmologies in a unified way. The procedure investigated here permits to recover almost all known solutions, and allows one to derive new solutions as well. In particular, we derive and discuss one novel solution defined in terms of the Lambert function. The solutions are organised in a classification which depends on the choice of a generating function which we have denoted by x(phi) that reflects the underlying thermodynamics of the model. We also analyse and discuss the existence of form-invariance dualities between solutions. A general way of defining the latter in an appropriate fashion for scalar fields is put forward.

Equilibrium self-assembly of colloids with distinct interaction sites: Thermodynamics, percolation, and cluster distribution functions

We calculate the equilibrium thermodynamic properties, percolation threshold, and cluster distribution functions for a model of associating colloids, which consists of hard spherical particles having on their surfaces three short-ranged attractive sites (sticky spots) of two different types, A and B. The thermodynamic properties are calculated using Wertheim's perturbation theory of associating fluids. This also allows us to find the onset of self-assembly, which can be quantified by the maxima of the specific heat at constant volume. The percolation threshold is derived, under the no-loop assumption, for the correlated bond model: In all cases it is two percolated phases that become identical at a critical point, when one exists. Finally, the cluster size distributions are calculated by mapping the model onto an effective model, characterized by a-state-dependent-functionality (f) over bar and unique bonding probability (p) over bar. The mapping is based on the asymptotic limit of the cluster distributions functions of the generic model and the effective parameters are defined through the requirement that the equilibrium cluster distributions of the true and effective models have the same number-averaged and weight-averaged sizes at all densities and temperatures. We also study the model numerically in the case where BB interactions are missing. In this limit, AB bonds either provide branching between A-chains (Y-junctions) if epsilon(AB)/epsilon(AA) is small, or drive the formation of a hyperbranched polymer if epsilon(AB)/epsilon(AA) is large. We find that the theoretical predictions describe quite accurately the numerical data, especially in the region where Y-junctions are present. There is fairly good agreement between theoretical and numerical results both for the thermodynamic (number of bonds and phase coexistence) and the connectivity properties of the model (cluster size distributions and percolation locus).

Validity of self-reported weight: a study of urban brazilian adults

In order to evaluate the validity of self-reported weight for use in obesity prevalence surveys, self-reported weight was compared to measured weight for 659 adults living in the Porto Alegre county, RS Brazil in 1986-87, both weights being obtained by a technician in the individual's home on the same visit. The mean difference between self-reported and measured weight was small (-0.06 +/- 3.16 kg; mean +/- standard deviation), and the correlation between reported and measured weight was high (r=0.97). Sixty-two percent of participants reported their weight with an error of < 2 kg, 87% with an error of < 4 kg, and 95% with an error of < 6 kg. Underweight individuals overestimated their weight, while obese individuals underestimated theirs (p<0.05). Men tended to overestimate their weight and women underestimate theirs, this difference between sexes being statistically significant (p=0.04). The overall prevalence of underweight (body mass index < 20) by reported weight was 11%, by measured weight 13%; the overall prevalence of obesity (body mass index > 30) by reported weight was 10%, by measured weight 11%. Thus, the validity of reported weight is acceptable for surveys of the prevalence of ponderosity in similar settings.