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Neste trabalho, pretendemos refletir sobre os media digitais no ensino das ciências e matemática a partir de leituras teóricas e trabalhos empíricos que consideram sobretudo o caso português. Em primeiro lugar, situaremos o debate nas contradições internas das representações acerca da escola e da ideia de crise que se associa aos media digitais. Depois, abordaremos os problemas especificamente associados à Internet e ao modo como se integra nas práticas pedagógicas e, posteriormente, na cultura participatória. Veremos como a distância entre as promessas e a realidade é constante e significativa. Terminaremos o nosso trabalho com uma breve reflexão em que convocamos os responsáveis educativos para uma análise sobre o papel da escola na apropriação dos media digitais e da Internet

This paper examines the relationship between science and religion in the education system of Roman-Catholic Portuguese society. In particular, we explored perceptions of the relationship between science and religion for religious education teachers. We surveyed 198 Portuguese religious education teachers about how they view science and religion. The questionnaires' results revealed a number of similarities: religious education teachers are highly involved in religious practices and exposed to science; they perceived a compatibility between science and religion; and they have an openness to dialogue between both. They do not adhere to anti-scientific perspectives, but they simultaneously try to limit what can be explained by science. Thus, an interpretative view of dialogue and/or integration seems to best explain the perceptions of religious education teachers of the relationship between science and religion. These findings allow a space of discussion, enabling teachers to possibly foster the science-religion dialogue in their contexts of pedagogical activity.

The project "Multimedia in science teaching: five years of research and teaching in Portugal" was successful in featuring the national research on multimedia in science education and in providing the community with a simple reference tool--a repository of open access scientific texts. The current work aims to describe the theoretical background that may allow creating and sustainably developing an online community on science teaching. The community should be capable of appropriating and generating scientific peer review and validation processes, which would allow reflections on teaching practices in science areas using information and communication technologies (ICT) and improvements from a participatory science perspective. Through an action-research process, the current platform is being adjusted in the sense of implementing strategies able to attract and engage an interested public and progressively to create a community of peers. The project is particularly relevant with respect to the gap between academic production and pedagogical practice and the avenues that it opens for comparing affinity spaces across different locations and domains of interest.

The incidence of chikungunya has dramatically surged worldwide in recent decades, imposing an expanding burden on public health. In recent years, South America, particularly Brazil, has experienced outbreaks that have ravaged populations following the rapid dissemination of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which was first detected in 2014. The primary vector for CHIKV transmission is the urban mosquito species Aedes aegypti, which is highly prevalent throughout Brazil. However, the impact of the locally circulating CHIKV genotypes and specific combinations of local mosquito populations on vector competence remains unexplored. Here, we experimentally analyzed and compared the infectivity and transmissibility of the CHIKV-ECSA lineage recently isolated in Brazil among four Ae. aegypti populations collected from different regions of the country. When exposed to CHIKV-infected AG129 mice for blood feeding, all the mosquito populations displayed high infection rates and dissemination efficiency. Furthermore, we observed that all the populations were highly efficient in transmitting CHIKV to a vertebrate host (naïve AG129 mice) as early as eight days post-infection. These results demonstrate the high capacity of Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations to transmit the locally circulating CHIKV-ECSA lineage. This observation could help to explain the high prevalence of the CHIKV-ECSA lineage over the Asian lineage, which was also detected in Brazil in 2014. However, further studies comparing both lineages are necessary to gain a better understanding of the vector's importance in the epidemiology of CHIKV in the Americas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an ecological framework "Activities with Parents on the Computer" (APC) to bridge home and school contexts by involving parents and students in digital media based assignments. An exploratory case-study was conducted based on ten parent-child dyads that engaged in an APC at home. Attitudes were assessed through a self-evaluation questionnaire. Four parent-child dyads, that showed different patterns of attitudes, were studied in depth through semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that parents and children have mixed attitudes towards APC. The performance in the activity varied according to the kind of parental involvement in homework and individuals' relationship with digital media. Relevant insights helped to reframe the model in order to evaluate the relations with other living elements (e.g., friends) brought by technology into the ecological microsystems (e.g., home, school). Future research should focus on the development of more accurate instruments of evaluation, the role of teachers and other community members.

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This study aimed to investigate the commonsense knowledge about the Internet and its relationship with social groupings from the perspective of social representations theory. We surveyed 1013 participants (students, teachers, and guardians) from three schools, using the ranked association technique, the General Internet Attitudes Scale, and the Web-Use Skill Measure Index. We conducted a correspondence analysis on the data. Results showed that the representation of the Internet is associated with different social groupings, being organized along a media-message axis and a personal-social axis. While students, participants with lower education levels and participants with positive attitudes toward the Internet have a personal media usage representation, teachers and participants with higher education levels showed a greater focus on the social message. This study is significant because it shows that the Internet - as a social object - is not consensual. This suggests a connection between the social representations of the Internet and social identity that future research should explore to better understand and bridge the digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether ultrasound imaging is an efficient method to assess subcutaneous fat in cats, the anatomical sites where more significant fat deposition occurs, and if there is a correlation between subcutaneous fat thickness and serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and fructosamine. A total of 30 healthy adult cats were used and divided into three groups of 10 animals each, based on the estimated body condition score (BCS). The ideal group (IG) included cats with BCS 3; the overweight group (OWG), with BCS 4; and the obese group (OG), with BCS 5. Ultrasonographic measurement of subcutaneous fat was conducted in five anatomical regions: lumbar, abdominal, thoracic, femoral, and pectoral. We observed that obese cats had greater fat deposition in the abdominal and thoracic regions when compared to those with ideal weight, and that cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher with the increase in subcutaneous fat thickness in the thoracic region. Nonetheless, there were no differences in fat deposition in the OWG compared to cats from the IG and OG. Ultrasonography made it possible to associate cholesterol and triglyceride levels with local fat deposits and to differentiate obese cats from those with ideal weight by analyzing the thickness of subcutaneous fat in the abdominal and thoracic regions, making this method efficient and less subjective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the dynamic periodic event‐triggered control for local stabilization of nonlinear networked control systems with communication delays. Based on a polytopic quasi‐linear parameter‐varying (quasi‐LPV) model of the nonlinear plant and the Lyapunov–Krasovskii stability theory, a local stability analysis condition is established. Then a constructive co‐design condition is proposed to jointly design the state‐feedback control law and the trigger rule. The local asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop equilibrium point of interest is ensured with a guaranteed region of attraction where trajectories remain inside even in the presence of communication delays. An optimization procedure is proposed to perform the co‐design considering the objectives of enlarging the guaranteed region of attraction and reducing the number of transmissions. Numerical examples indicate a trade‐off between these two objectives. Also, the examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic event‐triggered control co‐design approach over both its static counterpart and periodic time‐triggering mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing pollutant emissions and improving safety standards are primary targets for modern mobility improvement. To meet these needs, the development of low-density steels containing aluminum is a new frontier of research for automotive applications. Low-density Fe-Mn-Al-C alloys are promising. In this regard, an alloy with high aluminum content and niobium addition belonging to the Fe-Mn-Al-C system was evaluated to understand the possible phase transformations and thus obtain a transformation diagram by continuous cooling to help future processing. Dilatometry tests were performed in a Gleeble thermomechanical simulator with different cooling rates (1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 50 °C/s). Chemical analyses carried out simultaneously with dilatometry tests showed the presence of proeutectoid ferrite (αp), δ-ferrite, retained austenite, and niobium carbide (NbC). In the case of low cooling rates (1 and 3 °C/s), lamellar colonies of the eutectoid microconstituents were observed with a combination of α-ferrite and k-carbide. For higher cooling rates (5 to 50 °C/s), martensite was observed with body-centered cubic (BCC) and body-centered tetragonal (BCT) structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arboviruses (an acronym for "arthropod-borne virus"), such as dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and Chikungunya, are important human pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes. These viruses impose a growing burden on public health. Despite laboratory mice having been used for decades for understanding the basic biological phenomena of these viruses, it was only recently that researchers started to develop immunocompromised animals to study the pathogenesis of arboviruses and their transmission in a way that parallels natural cycles. Here, we show that the AG129 mouse (IFN α/β/γ R−/−) is a suitable and comprehensive vertebrate model for studying the mosquito vector competence for the major arboviruses of medical importance, namely the dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), Zika virus (ZIKV), Mayaro virus (MAYV), and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). We found that, after intraperitoneal injection, AG129 mice developed a transient viremia lasting several days, peaking on day two or three post infection, for all five arboviruses tested in this study. Furthermore, we found that the observed viremia was ample enough to infect Aedes aegypti during a blood meal from the AG129 infected mice. Finally, we demonstrated that infected mosquitoes could transmit each of the tested arboviruses back to naïve AG129 mice, completing a full transmission cycle of these vector-borne viruses. Together, our data show that A129 mice are a simple and comprehensive vertebrate model for studies of vector competence, as well as investigations into other aspects of mosquito biology that can affect virus–host interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One potential strategy for the control of malaria and other vector-borne diseases is the introduction into wild vector populations of genetic constructs that reduce vectorial capacity. An important caveat of this approach is that the genetic construct should have minimal fitness cost to the transformed vector. Previously, we produced transgenic Anopheles stephensi expressing either of two effector genes, a tetramer of the SM1 dodecapeptide or the phospholipase A2 gene (PLA2) from honeybee venom. Mosquitoes carrying either of these transgenes were impaired for Plasmodium berghei transmission. We have investigated the role of two effector genes for malaria parasite blockage in terms of the fitness imposed to the mosquito vector that expresses either molecule. By measuring mosquito survival, fecundity, fertility, and by running population cage experiments, we found that mosquitoes transformed with the SM1 construct showed no significant reduction in these fitness parameters relative to nontransgenic controls. The PLA2 transgenics, however, had reduced fitness that seemed to be independent of the insertion site of the transgene. We conclude that the fitness load imposed by refractory gene (s)-expressing mosquitoes depends on the effect of the transgenic protein produced in that mosquito. These results have important implications for implementation of malaria control via genetic modification of mosquitoes.

Recently, new data about deep-sea ecosystems has stirred scientific, economic, and ecological agendas, but little is known about the public's perspectives of the deep sea. Our goal is to explore the public's common sense knowledge of the deep sea, with a view to inform science communication efforts. Based on social representations theory, we investigated the relationship between the public's meanings associated with the deep sea and psychosocial and positional variables, such as attitudes and education level, and reflected on the implications of the findings for science communication. The study was conducted in Portugal, a coastal, sea-connected country. The sample consisted of 315 adults from different age groups and social strata. Participants were asked to elicit and rank their thoughts about the deep sea using a ranked association technique and fill in questions about sociodemographic information, perceptions, and attitudes concerning the deep sea. Results showed that the social representations of the deep sea were structured as emotional versus rational views and as superficial ocean knowledge versus novel or unusual views. Moreover, results evinced a relationship between representations and psychosocial and positional variables. The gap between scientific and common sense knowledge was evident amongst participants with a low education level and low science engagement, whilst highly educated and science-engaged participants' representations seemed to be narrowed by instrumental views on science. This research is significant to better directing science communication to increase well-informed public participation in decision-making related to deep sea management and other socio-scientific issues by responding to audience's background knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Junitsu Ito [1, 2]; Anil Ghosh [1, 2]; Luciano A. Moreira [1]; Ernst A. Wimmer [3]; Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena (corresponding author) [1] Malaria is estimated to cause 0.7 to 2.7 [...]

Mosquito breeding sites are complex aquatic environments with wide microbial diversity and physicochemical parameters that can change over time during the development of immature insect stages. Changes in biotic and abiotic conditions in water can alter life-history traits of adult mosquitos but this area remains understudied. Here, using microbial genomic and metabolomics analyses, we explored the metabolites associated with Aedes aegypti breeding sites as well as the potential contribution of Klebsiella sp., symbiotic bacteria highly associated with mosquitoes. We sought to address whether breeding sites have a signature metabolic profile and understand the metabolite contribution of the bacteria in the aquatic niches where Ae. aegypti larvae develop. An analysis of 32 mosquito-associated bacterial genomes, including Klebsiella , allowed us to identify gene clusters involved in primary metabolic pathways. From them, we inferred metabolites that could impact larval development (e.g., spermidine), as well as influence the quality assessment of a breeding site by a gravid female (e.g., putrescine), if produced by bacteria in the water. We also detected significant variance in metabolite presence profiles between water samples representing a decoupled oviposition event (oviposition by single females and manually deposited eggs) versus a control where no mosquito interactions occurred (PERMANOVA: p < 0.05; R 2 = 24.64% and R 2 = 30.07%). Five Klebsiella metabolites were exclusively linked to water samples where oviposition and development occurred. These data suggest metabolomics can be applied to identify compounds potentially used by female Ae. aegypti to evaluate the quality of a breeding site. Elucidating the physiological mechanisms by which the females could integrate these sensory cues while ovipositing constitutes a growing field of interest, which could benefit from a more depurated list of candidate molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional methods of vector control have proven insufficient to reduce the alarming incidence of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya in endemic countries. The bacterium symbiont Wolbachia has emerged as an efficient pathogen-blocking and self-dispersing agent that reduces the vectorial potential of Aedes aegypti populations and potentially impairs arboviral disease transmission. In this work, we report the results of a large-scale Wolbachia intervention in Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. w Mel-infected adults were released across residential areas between August 2017 and March 2020. Over 131 weeks, including release and post-release phases, we monitored the w Mel prevalence in field specimens and analyzed introgression profiles of two assigned intervention areas, RJ1 and RJ2. Our results revealed that w Mel successfully invaded both areas, reaching overall infection rates of 50–70% in RJ1 and 30–60% in RJ2 by the end of the monitoring period. At the neighborhood-level, w Mel introgression was heterogeneous in both RJ1 and RJ2, with some profiles sustaining a consistent increase in infection rates and others failing to elicit the same. Correlation analysis revealed a weak overall association between RJ1 and RJ2 (r = 0.2849, p = 0.0236), and an association at a higher degree when comparing different deployment strategies, vehicle or backpack-assisted, within RJ1 (r = 0.4676, p < 0.0001) or RJ2 (r = 0.6263, p < 0.0001). The frequency knockdown resistance (kdr) alleles in w Mel-infected specimens from both areas were consistently high over this study. Altogether, these findings corroborate that w Mel can be successfully deployed at large-scale as part of vector control intervention strategies and provide the basis for imminent disease impact studies in Southeastern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile handheld devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become some of the most prominent ubiquitous terminals within the information and communication technology landscape. Their transformative power within the digital music domain changed the music ecosystem from production to distribution and consumption. Of interest here is the ever-expanding number of mobile music applications. Despite their growing popularity, their design in terms of interaction perception and control is highly arbitrary. It remains poorly addressed in related literature and lacks a clear, systematized approach. In this context, our paper aims to provide the first steps towards defining guidelines for optimal sonic interaction design practices in mobile music applications. Our design approach is informed by user data in appropriating mobile handheld devices. We conducted an experiment to learn links between control gestures and musical parameters, such as pitch, duration, and amplitude. A twofold action--reflection protocol and tool-set for evaluating the aforementioned links--are also proposed. The results collected from the experiment show statistically significant trends in pitch and duration control gesture mappings. On the other hand, amplitude appears to elicit a more diverse mapping approach, showing no definitive trend in this experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Malaria has a devastating impact on worldwide public health in many tropical areas. Studies on vector immunity are important for the overall understanding of the parasite-vector interaction and for the design of novel strategies to control malaria. A member of the fibrinogen-related protein family, fbn9, has been well studied in Anopheles gambiae and has been shown to be an important component of the mosquito immune system. However, little is known about this gene in neotropical anopheline species. Methods This article describes the identification and characterization of the fbn9 gene partial sequences from four species of neotropical anopheline primary and secondary vectors: Anopheles darlingi, Anopheles nuneztovari, Anopheles aquasalis, and Anopheles albitarsis (namely Anopheles marajoara). Degenerate primers were designed based on comparative analysis of publicly available Aedes aegypti and An. gambiae gene sequences and used to clone putative homologs in the neotropical species. Sequence comparisons and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were then performed to better understand the molecular diversity of this gene in evolutionary distant anopheline species, belonging to different subgenera. Results Comparisons of the fbn9 gene sequences of the neotropical anophelines and their homologs in the An. gambiae complex (Gambiae complex) showed high conservation at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, although some sites show significant differentiation (non-synonymous substitutions). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of fbn9 nucleotide sequences showed that neotropical anophelines and African mosquitoes form two well-supported clades, mirroring their separation into two different subgenera. Conclusions The present work adds new insights into the conserved role of fbn9 in insect immunity in a broader range of anopheline species and reinforces the possibility of manipulating mosquito immunity to design novel pathogen control strategies.

Abstract Wolbachia is an intracellular bacterium that has been stably transinfected into the mosquito vector of dengue, Aedes aegypti. This inherited infection causes a range of metabolic and phenotypic alterations in the mosquito, which might be related to neuronal abnormalities. In order to determine if these alterations were caused by the manipulation of neuroamines by this bacterium, we studied the expression of genes involved in the dopamine biosynthetic pathway and also measured the amount of dopamine in infected and uninfected mosquitoes of different ages. Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes exhibit greater expression of some genes related to the melanization pathway, but not for those directly linked to dopamine production. Although dopamine levels were higher in Wolbachia-positive mosquitoes this was not consistent across all insect ages nor was it related to the previously described Wolbachia induced "bendy" and "shaky" phenotypes.