Evaluating historic graffiti based on cultural significance and definitions of art.

Many examples of historic graffiti have been shown to be worthy of attention and conservation. The examples discussed in this article have been selected for their previous academic study, enabling rational assessment. This work does not suggest that only those examples of historic graffiti that have been subject to academic investigation can be evaluated and classified. This article, the result of a collaboration between two individuals with complementary interests in building conservation and contextual studies in art and design, brings together formal techniques used in the assessment of cultural significance in traditional architectural conservation and established theories in the evaluation of art. It is the purpose of this work to help those who are attempting to evaluate the merit of graffiti to do so. The current Scottish system that assesses cultural significance may be incomplete in its evaluation of graffiti. This necessitates a supplementary investigation of the artistic characteristics and merit of graffiti. Almost all graffiti could be said to be 'art', using established definitions, but not 'good' art. This evaluation may only be undertaken by experts, as with other aspects of identification of cultural significance within the built environment.

Mediterranean diet: the impact on cardiovascular risk and metabolic syndrome in HIV patients, in Lisbon, Portugal

Introduction - Metabolic syndrome (MS) is common in HIV-infected individuals and it is associated with higher cardiovascular risk (CVR). Mediterranean diet has been associated with a better metabolic control and lower CVR. Materials and methods - From December 2013 to May 2014, individuals between 18 and 65 years of age, who attended the outpatient HIV Clinic at the University Hospital Santa Maria, Lisbon, were selected. Adherence to Mediterranean diet was evaluated with MedDietScore, a scale from 0 to 55 that punctuates 11 food items according to the frequency of intake. Higher scores represent higher adherence. CVR was assessed using D.A.D tool (classified as low, moderate or high risk). We excluded individuals with opportunistic disease, hospitalized in the past three months or with renal disease diagnosis. All participants gave written informed consent. Results - In the 571 HIV patients included, 67.1% (n=383) were male, 91.6% (n=523) Caucasian, with a mean age of 46.5±8.9 years. Patients were divided in two groups: naïve (7.5%; n=43) or on antiretroviral treatment (ART) (92.5%; n=528). Mean length of HIV diagnosis was 6.7±6.5 years (naïve) and 13.3±6.1 years (ART); TCD4+ counts were above 500 cel/mm3 in 55.8% (n=24) and 67.6% (n=357) of the patients, respectively. MS was present in 33.9% (n=179) of patients in ART group and 16.3% (n=7) in naïve group. Presence of MS was associated with ART group (OR=2.7; p=0.018). MS was also associated with older age in this group (p=0.000). Overall, mean MedDietScore was 27.3±5.5. Higher score was associated with older age (r=0.319; p=0.000). Naïve patients presented a trend to higher adherence to Mediterranean diet (65.1% vs 51.7% in naïve group; p=0.090). No relation between MS and Mediterranean diet was found. Higher CVR was associated with the presence of MS in the ART group (p=0.001). In this group, individuals with moderate CVR presented higher rates of adherence to Mediterranean diet (p=0.036) when compared to low and high CVR score. Conclusions - In this cross-sectional study, naïve individuals presented a trend to higher adherence to Mediterranean diet. On the ART group, higher adherence to Mediterranean diet was found in individuals with moderate CVR score. We think that this might suggest that this group of patients adopt this diet only in the presence of metabolic alterations or perceived CVR. Prospective studies in HIV patients are required to determine the impact of adherence to Mediterranean diet on the reduction of CVR.

Sources of antibiotic resistance in the environment

The discovery of antibiotics was a major breakthrough in medicine. However, short after their introduction in clinical practice resistant bacteria were detected. Nowadays, antibiotic resistance constitutes a serious public health problem. In hospital settings, with high resistance levels, reducing drastically the therapeutic options. Carbapenems are last-resort antibiotics used in Portugal, only in hospitals, to treat serious infections. Bacterial resistance towards this class of antibiotics has increased during last years. In Gram-negative bacteria the production of carbapenemases is a common resistance mechanism. OXA-48 is a carbapenemase of Ambler class D and represents a major concern for human health. It is frequently detected in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae. There are few studies suggesting that genes encoding for OXA-48 variants originated from genes present in the chromosome of members of genus Shewanella, and have disseminated to Enterobacteriaceae members, associated with mobile genetic elements. The aim of this study was to characterize strains from different sources of Shewanella to confirm its role as OXA-48 progenitor. For this, the phylogenetic affiliation of 33 strains of Shewanella was performed by 16SrDNA and gyrB sequencing. The most common species were S. hafniensis and S. xiamenensis, but also S. aestuarii, S. baltica, S. indica, S. haliotis, S. putrefaciens, S. algidipiscicola, S. irciniae, S. algae and S. fodinae were identified. blaOXA-48-like genes were detected in 21 isolates: S. hafniensis (8/8), S. xiamenensis (5/5), S. baltica (4/4), S. algae (1/1), S. fodinae (1/1), S. putrefaciens (1/2) and S. algidipiscicola (1/2). Sequence analysis revealed that genes encoded enzymes identical to OXA-48, OXA-181 and OXA-204 but also new variants differing from OXA-48 from 2 to 81 aminoacids. Genetic context analysis revealed the C15 gene upstream and lysR gene downstream, identical to what has been identified so far flanking blaOXA-48-like genes in Shewanella spp. The assessment of antibiotic susceptibility was performed for all isolates using the disk diffusion method. In general, it was observed a great sensitivity for all antibiotics except to amoxicillin and aztreonam. Multidrug resistance was detected in only 1 isolate. Other resistance genes and the presence of integrons were not identified. Plasmids were detected in 30.3% isolates (10/ 33). These results reinforce the role of Shewanella spp. as origin of blaOXA-48-like genes.

Collection of waste batteries in Portugal and Brazil

Selected papers from the 3rd Edition of the International Conference on Wastes: Solutions, Treatments and Opportunities

DIFFERENTIATION OF ARBOREAL VEGETATION IN THREE SECTORS OF A FOREST FRAGMENT RELATED TO ITS HISTORICAL DISTURBANCES

Forest fragmentation is one of the main causes of biodiversity loss, directly affecting the ecological processes. This study aimed to evaluate tree diversity, structure, and composition parameters in three sectors of a forest fragment with distinct disturbance records. The arboreal vegetation was evaluated in twenty-four 10 × 10 m plots, sampling a total of 1,228 living individuals. We calculated Shanon’s diversity index, Pielou’s equability, and jackknife estimators of first and second orders. The sampled individuals were distributed in diameter classes and the importance value (VI) was calculated for each species. It was made a Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) to verify whether there were significant distinctions between the sectors. It was noticed that the sector where there was clear cutting and vegetation burning in a recent past had higher abundance and richness but also the worst equability. That corresponds to the effects of perturbation as confirmed by the tree diameters and the presence of species of greater importance value. The sector that had no record of disturbance, situated in a location with greater variety of microenvironments, presented diversity, structure, and composition consistent with a no disturbance scenario. The other sector, which did not have clear cutting, was subjected to cattle trampling presented ecological parameters consistent with the absence of major disturbances. On the other hand, this third sector had the smallest environmental diversity, which puts this last sector in an intermediate situation.

A representação social do papel de gestores em organizações não governamentais

The discussions concerning the absence of a management model appropriate to the peculiarities of third sector organizations have not been impeditive to their emphasized expansion in the last decades. In the attempt of understanding this phenomenon from the perspective of those who manage social organizations, this work based on the theory of social representations to understand the notion that organization managers of the third sector - based in Fortaleza CE - have of the part that they play and how this notion influences the direction of their activities. Social representations of managers of four different categories of non-governmental organizations have been investigated, each category composed of two unities. The categories researched were: social integration through art and education, prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, children s health assistance and community action. By using Doise s Societal Approach, the role of social managers translated in intraindividual, interindividual and situational processes of their actions, has been analysed within the social representations, focusing on beliefs, values, symbols and stories that give meaning to the existence of non-governmental organizations. Analysis and discussion of data displayed the existence of diversity in the understanding of managers within their practice, in other words, the management profile is also its own manager s. The branch where an organization acts is also preponderant in the shaping of a management style. It could be deduced, from to the organizations researched, that professional formation and the manager s social insertion mainly, are determinative factors in the outlining of a management model of its own. It was concluded that, due to heterogeneity of interests and action segments, there is no systematic process for social management among organizations. Management styles are supported by their director s own perception of achievement, who model organizations according to their contingencies

Malaria in gold-mining areas in Colombia

Gold-mining may play an important role in the maintenance of malaria worldwide. Gold-mining, mostly illegal, has significantly expanded in Colombia during the last decade in areas with limited health care and disease prevention. We report a descriptive study that was carried out to determine the malaria prevalence in gold-mining areas of Colombia, using data from the public health surveillance system (National Health Institute) during the period 2010- 2013. Gold-mining was more prevalent in the departments of Antioquia, Córdoba, Bolívar, Chocó, Nariño, Cauca, and Valle, which contributed 89.3% (270,753 cases) of the national malaria incidence from 2010-2013 and 31.6% of malaria cases were from mining areas. Mining regions, such as El Bagre, Zaragoza, and Segovia, in Antioquia, Puerto Libertador and Montelíbano, in Córdoba, and Buenaventura, in Valle del Cauca, were the most endemic areas. The annual parasite index (API) correlated with gold production (R2 0.82, p < 0.0001); for every 100 kg of gold produced, the API increased by 0.54 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. Lack of malaria control activities, together with high migration and proliferation of mosquito breeding sites, contribute to malaria in gold-mining regions. Specific control activities must be introduced to control this significant source of malaria in Colombia.

Metal contaminants in cinnamon samples marketed in Portugal

Poster presented at the ICFC 2015 - International Conference on Food Contaminants. Infarmed, Lisbon, 14-15 April 2015

Les origines du crucifix dans l'art religieux.

Mode of access: Internet.

Not Getting By: Poverty Management and Homelessness in Miami

Urban inequality has emerged as one of the dominant themes of modern life and globalization. More than three million people experienced homelessness in the United States last year; in Miami-Dade, more than 15,000 individuals were homeless. Surviving extreme poverty, and exiting or avoiding homelessness, involves negotiating a complex mix of public and private assistance. However, a range of factors influence what types of help are available and how they can be accessed. Frequently, larger social structures determine which resource are available, leaving many choices entirely out of the individual’s control. For single men, who are ineligible for many benefits, homelessness can be difficult to avoid and even harder to exit. My study seeks to better understand how adult, minority men living in extreme poverty in Miami-Dade negotiate their daily survival. Specific research questions address: Do black and Hispanic men who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have different personal characteristics and different experiences in avoiding or exiting homelessness? How does Miami’s response to extreme poverty/homelessness, including availability of public benefits and public and private service organizations, either maximize or constrain the choices available to this population? And, what is the actual experience of single, adult men who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, in negotiating their daily survival? A mixed methods approach combines quantitative survey data from 7,605 homeless men, with qualitative data from 54 semi-structured interviews incorporating the visual ethnography techniques of Photo Elicitation Interviewing. Results show the differences experienced by black and Hispanic men who are poor and homeless in Miami. Findings also highlight how the community’s official and unofficial responses to homelessness intersect with the actual experiences of the persons targeted by the policies and programs, challenging preconceived notions regarding the lives of persons living in extreme poverty. It adds to the existing body of literature by focusing on the urban Miami context, emphasizing disparities amongst racial and ethnic groups. Findings are intended to provide an empirically grounded thesis that humanizes the subjects and illuminates their personal experiences, helping to inform public policy around the needs of extremely poor populations.

Overweight/obesity and HIV disease progression in HIV+ adults in Botswana

Studies indicate that overweight and obesity protect against HIV-disease progression in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve patients. We examined retrospectively the relationship of overweight/obesity with HIV-disease progression in ART-naïve HIV+ adults in Botswana in a case-control study with 18-month follow-up, which included 217 participants, 139 with BMI 18.0-24.9 kg/m 2 and 78 with BMI ≥25 kg/m2. Archived plasma samples were used to determine inflammatory markers: leptin and bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Gene (FTO). ^ At baseline, BMI was inversely associated with risk for AIDS-defining conditions (HR=0.218; 95%CI=0.068, 0.701, P=0.011), and higher fat mass was associated with reduced risk of the combined outcome of CD4+cell count ≤250/µL and AIDS-defining conditions, whichever occurred earlier (HR=0.918; 95%CI=0.847, 0.994, P=0.036) over 18 months, adjusting for age, gender, marriage, children, and baseline CD4+cell count and HIV-viral load. ^ FTO-SNP rs17817449 was associated with BMI (OR=1.082; 95%CI=1.001, 1.169; P=0.047). Fat mass was associated with the risk alleles of rs1121980 (OR=1.065; 95%CI=1.009, 1.125, P=0.021), rs8050136 (OR=1.078; 95%CI=1.021, 1.140; P=0.007), and rs17817449 (OR=1.086; 95%CI=1.031, 1.145; P=0.002), controlling for age, gender, tribe, total energy intake, and activity. There were no associations of SNPs with markers of disease progression. ^ Leptin levels were positively associated with BMI (β=1.764; 95%CI=0.788, 2.739; P=0.022) and fat mass (β=0.112; 95%CI=0.090, 0.135; P<0.001), but inversely with viral load (β=-0.305; 95%CI=-0.579, -.031; P=0.030). LPS levels were inversely associated with BMI (OR=0.790, 95%CI=0.630, 0.990; P=0.041), and fat mass (OR=0.852, 95%CI=0.757, 0.958; P=0.007) and directly with viral load (OR=2.608, 95%CI=1.111, 6.124; P=0.028), adjusting for age, gender, smoking and %fat mass. ^ In this cohort, overweight/obesity predicted slower HIV-disease progression. Obesity may confer an advantage in maintaining fat stores to support the overactive immune system. FTO-SNPs may contribute to the variation in fat mass; however, they were not associated with HIV-disease progression. Our findings suggest that the obesity paradox may be explained by the association of increased LPS with lower BMI and higher viral load; while viral load decreased with increasing leptin levels. Studies in African populations are needed to clarify whether genetic variation and inflammation mediate the obesity paradox in HIV-disease progression.^

Loop openness: a video reflection on the open work of art

The objective of this article is to reflect on the video art work in its loop production to perceive the possibility of it being received as an open work. In order to contextualize this reflection the text is anchored in the concept of image-crystal from Gilles Deleuze. For the purpose of empirically explore theoretical concepts such as video art, open work and image-crystal it was produced a practical project of video art that intends to reflect on the notion of time in a context of a loop exhibition. Therefore this project aims to motivate the reflection on the loop as a mechanism to contour the ephemeral character of video art and, at the same time, it seeks to emphasize questions about the element of multiplicity and plurality in art. It is a scientific and artistic project in which the practical component supports the dialectic between theory and practice, action and reflection. In this sense, based on the video entitled "The Walk" this article demonstrates how the theoretical concepts were used to support the artistic creation. Finally the conclusions sustain that the work of video art, when presented in loop, is a creative and expository strategy which encourages multiple interpretations that vary according to the narrative, the context in which it takes place and the attitude and the background of the spectator.

Efficient algorithms for beacon routing in polygons

In a paper by Biro et al. [7], a novel twist on guarding in art galleries is introduced. A beacon is a fixed point with an attraction pull that can move points within the polygon. Points move greedily to monotonically decrease their Euclidean distance to the beacon by moving straight towards the beacon or sliding on the edges of the polygon. The beacon attracts a point if the point eventually reaches the beacon. Unlike most variations of the art gallery problem, the beacon attraction has the intriguing property of being asymmetric, leading to separate definitions of attraction region and inverse attraction region. The attraction region of a beacon is the set of points that it attracts. For a given point in the polygon, the inverse attraction region is the set of beacon locations that can attract the point. We first study the characteristics of beacon attraction. We consider the quality of a "successful" beacon attraction and provide an upper bound of $\sqrt{2}$ on the ratio between the length of the beacon trajectory and the length of the geodesic distance in a simple polygon. In addition, we provide an example of a polygon with holes in which this ratio is unbounded. Next we consider the problem of computing the shortest beacon watchtower in a polygonal terrain and present an $O(n \log n)$ time algorithm to solve this problem. In doing this, we introduce $O(n \log n)$ time algorithms to compute the beacon kernel and the inverse beacon kernel in a monotone polygon. We also prove that $\Omega(n \log n)$ time is a lower bound for computing the beacon kernel of a monotone polygon. Finally, we study the inverse attraction region of a point in a simple polygon. We present algorithms to efficiently compute the inverse attraction region of a point for simple, monotone, and terrain polygons with respective time complexities $O(n^2)$, $O(n \log n)$ and $O(n)$. We show that the inverse attraction region of a point in a simple polygon has linear complexity and the problem of computing the inverse attraction region has a lower bound of $\Omega(n \log n)$ in monotone polygons and consequently in simple polygons.

De la Teoría Institucional del Arte a la Curaduría Creativa: revisión de una aproximación institucional a la definición de lo "artístico"

Es una revisión e interpretación profunda de la Teoría Institucional de Arte cuya reflexión se extiende hasta la Curaduría Creativa, un fenómeno del arte contemporáneo, del que podría predicarse un estatus de obra de arte. El objetivo principal pretende defender las condiciones bajo las cuales la curaduría puede considerarse una obra de arte.

Exploring the transformative potential of Bluetooth beacons in higher education

The growing ubiquity of smartphones and tablet devices integrated into personal, social and professional life, facilitated by expansive communication networks globally, has the potential to disrupt higher education. Academics and students are considering the future possibilities of exploiting these tools and utilising networks to consolidate and expand knowledge, enhancing learning gain. Bluetooth beacon technology has been developed by both Apple and Google as a way to situate digital information within physical spaces, and this paper reflects on a beacon intervention in a contemporary art school in higher education conducted by the authors intended to develop a situated community of practice in Art & Design. The paper describes the project, including relevant theoretical foundations and background to the beacon technology, with regards to the potential of using these devices to create a connected learning community by enhancing learning and facilitating knowledge creation in a borderless learning space.