Early intervention in Portugal: family support and benefits

This study investigated the support and benefits of early intervention (EI) in families with children with special needs. Data were gathered through a written questionnaire, ‘Family Benefits Inventory’, completed by 126 families with children with special needs supported by EI teams, with ages from six months to six years in Portugal. The global results obtained in this study allowed us to conclude that families considered that they obtained benefit from EI and received support most of the time in the different dimensions of the questionnaire. Furthermore, support given by an EI professional had a positive influence on families' perceptions regarding the benefits of EI.     

Psychological Correlates of Fear of Falling in the Elderly

Fear of falling (FOF) is widely found in the elderly population and, regardless of its complex nature as a multicomponent construct, its related psychological variables have been overlooked as primary research topics. This article aims to examine the relationship between FOF, falls self efficacy, anxiety, balance, and perceived control over falling in a sample of older adults. A total of 100 subjects aged 60+ were asked about the presence of FOF, falls history, health, and functional status; they also completed the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), the Perceived Control Over Falling Scale (PCOF), and the Performance-Oriented Assessment of Mobility and Balance (POMA-I). FOF was found to be associated with low falls self efficacy, low perceived control over falling, and reduced balance but not with anxiety. Conversely, a statistically significant association was found between GAI and FES, PCOF and POMA-I, and 47.1% of FOF was explained by two items from FES and GAI. FOF is influenced by variables that, though being commonly considered equivalent to FOF, do not fully explain it. A critical thought on the instruments used to evaluate FOF, is needed as well as additional studies to clarify the role of specific psychological variables.     

To valerse por si misma between race,capitalism, and patriarchy: Latina mother-daughter pedagogies in North Carolina

This article examines mujer-oriented mother-daughter pedagogies that are narrated and discursively embodied, improvised, and contested in the conversations and oral life histories of a group of Latina mothers in rural North Carolina. The teaching and learning that occurs between mothers and daughters through consejos (advice),cuentos (stories) and la experiencia (experience) are wrought with tensions and contradictions yet open with spaces of possibility. Latinas evoked patriarchal ideologies about being a mujer de hogar (woman of the home), while simultaneously negotiating these in discourses about knowing how to valerse por si misma (to be self-reliant). A conceptual framework built around ''funds of knowledge,'' educacion, and third space feminism serves to illuminate how mothers teach daughters to be submissive, rebellious and comforming, all at the same time, as they maneuver between race, patriarchy, and capitalism.     

Does First Sex Really “Just Happen?” A Retrospective Exploratory Study of Sexual Debut Among American Adolescents

First sex marks a significant transition for most adolescents, yet teens often report that it was unplanned. Seventy-four college students participated in exploratory focus groups about their first sex. Although initially asked whether their first sex was spontaneous or planned, many participants revealed evidence of forethought or anticipation, signifying a third option, anticipation. This study suggests that the development and timing of sexual health messages should build on the apparent, albeit often unacknowledged, planning and thought that accompany the transition to first sex. Specifically, during the time immediately preceding first sex, young people might be particularly open to such messages.     

Human capital background and the educational attainment of second-generation immigrants in France

In this paper, we study the impact of parental human capital background on ethnic educational gaps between second-generation immigrants using a large data set conducted in France in 2003. Estimates from censored random effect ordered Probit regressions show that the skills of immigrants explain in the most part, the ethnic educational gap between their children. Fluency in French and the length of their parents’ stay in France also matter. The impact of the immigrants’ education on the educational attainment of their children further depends on their country of origin, their place of schooling, and their proficiency in French.     

A simple and efficient device for demonstrating cross‐sectional anatomy of the head

Described in this article is a novel device that facilitates study of the cross‐sectional anatomy of the human head. In designing our device, we aimed to protect sections of the head from the destructive action of handling during anatomy laboratory while also ensuring excellent visualization of the anatomic structures. We used an electric saw to create 15‐mm sections of three cadaver heads in the three traditional anatomic planes and inserted each section into a thin, perforated display box made of transparent acrylic material. The thin display boxes with head sections are kept in anatomical order in a larger transparent acrylic storage box containing formaldehyde solution, which preserves the specimens but also permits direct observation of the structures and their anatomic relationships to each other. This box‐within‐box design allows students to easily view sections of a head in its anatomical position as well as to examine internal structures by manipulating individual display boxes without altering the integrity of the preparations. This methodology for demonstrating cross‐section anatomy allows efficient use of cadaveric material and technician time while also giving learners the best possible handling and visualization of complex anatomic structures. Our approach to teaching cross‐sectional anatomy of the head can be applied to any part of human body, and the value of our device design will only increase as more complicated understandings of cross‐sectional anatomy are required by advances and proliferation of imaging technology. Anat Sci Educ 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

Carnation Atoms? A History of Nuclear Energy in Portugal

Drawing upon the concepts of civic epistemologies and sociotechnical imaginaries, this article delves into the history of nuclear energy in Portugal, analyzing the ways in which the nuclear endeavor was differently enacted by various sociopolitical collectives – the Fascist State, post-revolutionary governments and the public. Following the 1974 revolution - known as the Carnation Revolution - this paper analyzes how the nuclear project was fiercely contested by a vibrant anti-nuclear movement assembled against the construction of the Ferrel Nuclear Plant, the first sociotechnical controversy in Portugal, paving the way for the emergence of a combative civic epistemology. Supported by semi-structured interviews with scientists, activists and local residents of Ferrel and the analysis of historical material, this article presents the failed Portuguese nuclear endeavor as an emblematic case study to explore the co-production of science and society, in particular the role of revolutionary processes in the unfolding of sociotechnical controversies.     

Playing outdoor and practising sport: A study of physical activity levels in Portuguese children

In outdoor activities, it seems reasonable that the longer children spend in spontaneous physical activity (PA), the higher the probability of being active. Indeed, the time spent outdoor has been identified as a variable consistently associated with the children’s PA. Outdoor playing, such as the organized sports practice, appears associated with healthier lifestyle standards. All the recommendations mention the importance of increasing daily PA practice in children and teenagers, but few studies highlight the relationship between outdoor play and the recommended PA levels. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between the frequency of outdoor play, the frequency of the organized sports practice, and the compliance of the recommendations for PA practice in children in the inner city area of Porto. The sample of this study is composed of 422 individuals (mean age of 11.6 years). Two hundred and twenty-five of them were girls and 197 were boys from the sixth grade (elementary schools located in the inner city area of Porto). PA was objectively evaluated using accelerometers. Participants reported frequency of participation in different PA contexts, such as sports practice and outdoor play. The results show a predictor effect of participating in sports three or more times per week on compliance of PA guidelines.

In conclusion, organized sports practice seems more effective than outdoor play to reach the recommended levels of PA in children.     

Horizontal ground reaction forces to stationary running performed in the water and on dry land at different physiological intensities

The aim of the present study was to compare the peak anterior–posterior (Fy) and medio–lateral (Fx) ground reaction forces (GRFs) of women performing stationary running at different intensities in aquatic and dry land environments. Fourteen young women performed the stationary running exercise at three cadences (first ventilatory threshold, second ventilatory threshold and maximum effort, as determined during exercise in water) in aquatic and dry land environments. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyse the data (α?=?.05). As a result, significantly lower peak Fy anterior, Fy posterior, Fx medial and Fx lateral values were observed for the aquatic environment, except for the Fy posterior at the first ventilatory threshold. Significant differences were observed between cadences in the peak Fy anterior, Fy posterior, Fx medial and Fx lateral values, with higher values for the cadence corresponding to maximum effort compared to the first ventilatory threshold, except for the Fy posterior and Fx medial in the aquatic environment. The results indicate that the horizontal GRFs are reduced in the aquatic environment and depend on the intensity of stationary running exercise performance.