Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2025-07-30"
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- Adaptation and validation of a Child-Reported measure of parental school involvementPublication . Belém, Helena Sofia Mocho Alcaparra; Martins, Cátia; Ratinho, Elias; Nunes, CristinaParental school involvement (PSI) is an important contributor to children’s academic and overall positive development. Such activities as discussing schoolwork and tracking progress can boost children’s motivation and achievements. Although the multifaceted nature of PSI is widely recognized, there are limited reliable measures that comprehensively capture all its dimensions, particularly for children and adolescents. This study aims to develop a measure for assessing children and adolescents’ perceptions of parental involvement based on parent- and teacher-validated self-report measures—the Parental School Involvement Questionnaire—Children’s version (PSIQ-CV). A total of 537 children and adolescents (MAge = 9.64, SDAge = 2.43), mainly female (52.8%), from the south of Portugal participated in this study. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA, n = 150) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n = 387) were carried out. The EFA indicated a three-factor solution (i.e., support in learning activities, parent–school communication, and supervision), supported by the CFA, with good quality-of-fit indices (χ2 = 225; df = 101; χ2/df = 2.23; CFI = 0.91; TLI = 0.89; RMSEA = 0.060 [CI: 0.049–0.070]). Our data confirmed that the PSIQ-CV has robust psychometric properties, with acceptable reliability and validity. The PSIQ-CV can be considered a relevant and valid tool for measuring the perception of parental school involvement among children and adolescents, in line with Epstein’s theoretical model, and useful for both researchers and practitioners.
- Western Mediterranean shelf-incised submarine canyons: multi-proxy evidence of Late Holocene natural and human-induced environmental changesPublication . López-Quirós, Adrián; Puga-Bernabéu, Ángel; José Lobo, Francisco; Ruíz-Caballero, Elvira; Cerrillo-Escoriza, Javier; Pérez-Asensio, José N.; Mendes, Isabel Maria de Paiva Pinto; Mena, Anxo; Puche-Polo, Natalia; Alberjón-Peñas, Tomás; Wacker, LukasSubmarine canyons play a critical role in continental margin sediment transport, functioning both as sediment traps and conduits. This study examines the depositional dynamics of the Motril, Carchuna, and Calahonda canyons in the northern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean) to assess their role in Holocene sediment storage and transfer. Comprehensive sedimentological and elemental geochemical analyses reveal distinct sedimentation patterns driven by geomorphology, diverse transport mechanisms, and hydroclimatic variability. The Motril Canyon primarily functioned as a river-fed sediment trap, accumulating fine-grained terrigenous material from the Guadalfeo River. At the same time, the Carchuna Canyon was dominated by longshore drift and turbidity currents mobilizing coarse-grained sediments. In contrast, the Calahonda Canyon displays an intermediate behavior, influenced by alongshore drift and fluvial inputs. The Late Holocene sedimentary record from the Motril Canyon provides a high-resolution sedimentary archive of paleoenvironmental changes over the last similar to 2000 years Current Era, reflecting both climatic variability and human-induced landscape alterations. Four phases are identified based on the relationships between sediment physical and mineral-chemical characteristics: the Iberian Roman Humid Period (2600-1600 cal. yr Before Present), characterized by diminished terrigenous input despite increased late-phase humidity; the Dark Ages (1500-1000 cal. yr BP), marked by elevated sedimentation linked to soil erosion and intensified land use; the Medieval Climate Anomaly (1050-650 cal. yr BP), where persistent fine-grained deposition was driven largely by anthropogenic land degradation; and the Little Ice Age (650-150 cal. yr BP), which witnessed heightened sedimentation due to increased rainfall and river discharge. A decline in fluvial-derived material during the Industrial Period indicates a shift towards overall drier conditions, associated with changes in precipitation patterns and land use. These findings underscore the interplay between natural climatic fluctuations and human activities influencing western Mediterranean margin sedimentation. While the Motril Canyon does not serve as a direct conduit to deep waters, it nonetheless records the progressive aridification and anthropogenic impacts experienced in southern Iberia. Furthermore, the contrasting sediment dynamics observed in the Carchuna and Calahonda canyons highlight the inherent complexity of shelf-to-slope sediment transfer. This complexity underlines the necessity to consider human influences when interpreting Late Holocene paleoenvironmental records.
- Artificial intelligence in pharmacovigilance: a narrative review and practical experience with an expert-defined bayesian network toolPublication . Caixinha Algarvio, Rogério; Conceição, Jaime; Rodrigues, Pedro Pereira; Ribeiro, Inês; Silva, Renato Ferreira daBackground Pharmacovigilance is vital for monitoring adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and ensuring drug safety. Traditional methods are slow and inconsistent, but artificial intelligence (AI), through automation and advanced analytics, improves efficiency and accuracy in managing increasing data complexity. Aim To explore AI’s practical applications in pharmacovigilance, focusing on efficiency, process acceleration, and task automation. It also examines the use of an expert-defined Bayesian network for causality assessment in a Pharmacovigilance Centre, demonstrating its impact on decision-making. Method A comprehensive literature narrative review was conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science using a set of targeted keywords, including but not limited to “pharmacovigilance”, “artificial intelligence”, “adverse drug reactions” and “drug safety”. Relevant studies were analysed without restrictions on publication year or language. The search was carried out in January 2025. Results AI has greatly improved pharmacovigilance by streamlining signal detection, surveillance, and ADR reporting automation. Techniques like data mining and automated signal detection have expedited safety signal identification, while duplicate detection has enhanced data precision in safety evaluations. AI has also refined real-world evidence analysis, deepening drug safety and efficacy insights. Predictive models now anticipate ADRs and drug-drug interactions, enabling proactive patient care. At a regional pharmacovigilance center, the implementation of an expert-defined Bayesian network has optimized causality assessment, reducing processing times from days to hours, minimizing subjectivity, and improving the reliability of drug safety evaluations. Conclusion AI holds significant promise for enhancing pharmacovigilance practices, yet its practical application remains primarily confined to academic research, with integration hindered by data quality issues, regulatory barriers, and the need for more transparent algorithms.
- Neoichnology and sediment distribution in tidal flats of the mud‐dominated mesotidal mira river estuary (Portugal)Publication . Shchepetkina, Alina; Drago, Teresa; Santos, Jacqueline; Alberto, Ana; Fatela, Francisco; Freitas, Maria da ConceiçãoInvertebrate burrow morphologies and distributions are presented for the tidal flats of the middle and lower reaches of the tide-influenced (mesotidal), mud-dominated Mira River estuary (SW Portugal) as an analogue for interpreting the ichnology of palaeoestuarine successions. Burrow distributions are revealed using field observations of biogenic and physical sedimentary structures, trace makers, collected grab samples, push cores and lab measurements of grain size, organic matter and calcium carbonate content and linked to physico-chemical stresses. Estuarine tidal-flat surface open burrow distribution and bioturbation intensity are analysed in plan view using free scientific image analysis software (ImageJ) to obtain burrow density, total burrow area and minimum and maximum burrow diameters. The total tidal flat area occupied by organisms ranges from 0.8% to 4.1% in the middle estuary and is 1.4% in the lower estuary. These equate to a bioturbation index of one to two (BI 1–2). However, computed tomography (CT) of push cores (cross-sectional view) taken on the same tidal flats shows sparse to complete bioturbation intensity (BI 1–6), revealing that tidal flat sediments tend to be more biogenically reworked cumulatively over time with overprinting of subsequent tiers and/or recolonized. CT scanning also allows the identification of more burrow types, demonstrates infaunal tiering and provides insights into trace-fossil preservation potential. This research shows that the trace communities are heterogeneous and change spatially and temporally along the Mira River estuary, reflecting a physico-chemical gradient and seasonality. This trend signals changes in sediment composition, substrate type and consistency (sediment compaction and subaerial exposure), salinity, oxygenation, temperature, pH and interplay of tidal versus hydraulic energy.
- Equilíbrio e risco de queda na pessoa idosa na comunidade – desenho colaborativo e validação de um jogo analógico na abordagem em fisioterapiaPublication . Tome, Ana Maria; Rosa, Marlene; Pais, Sandra; Tomás, Teresa; de Almeida Fontes, Ana PaulaO envelhecimento associa-se a declínio multissistémico das funções físicas, psicológicas, cognitivas e mentais, com destaque para a multimorbilidade, fragilidade, perda de equilíbrio e aumento do risco de queda. O exercício físico mostra evidência na prevenção desse declínio, mas nem todas as pessoas idosas se adaptam. O jogo sério, evidencia-se nos últimos anos como uma intervenção multifatorial potencialmente eficaz nesse declínio. Pretende-se, codesenvolver e explorar o efeito de uma intervenção multifatorial com mecânicas e elementos de jogo analógico, na performance relacionada com o equilíbrio e risco de queda, na pessoa, com 65 ou mais anos de idade na comunidade. Trata-se do segundo estudo - exploratório de codesign de jogo analógico com grupo focal - de um conjunto de quatro, incluídos num projeto de investigação, envolvendo indivíduos idosos da comunidade, inscritos em Universidades Sénior da Região do Algarve. Espera-se um contributo para a evidência científica (participada), de uma estratégia de intervenção para o equilíbrio e risco de queda, baseada no jogo. Conhecer as características da população alvo permitirá planificar adequadamente intervenções e estudos subsequentes. A utilização de uma metodologia com grupo focal possibilita obter informação qualitativa com envolvimento direto dos diferentes interessados. A cocriação, representa um valor acrescentado para a investigação e sucesso de utilização do jogo, permitindo capacitar e potenciar o envolvimento dos utilizadores. O estudo piloto, coadjuvará o desenho do estudo de intervenção, com o qual se espera contribuir para evidenciar um novo protocolo de intervenção com recurso ao jogo analógico, que será testado no estudo experimental.