Crime in Tourism Destinations: Research Review

Tourism has become a common phenomenon, very important for various reasons, especially for developing regions and countries, and which in consequence has been perceived as positive. However, increasingly commonly works have cast a slightly different look. Tourism leads to a temporarily increased number of people in a relatively small area, and contributes to the introduction of ‘strangers’ to local communities which can lead to problems such as crime. On the other hand, a higher risk of being a victim may lead to the reduced attractiveness of a given destination. A small number of studies in this field draw attention to this, concentrating on a general outline of their interdependence but specific urban tourist areas are rarely the subject of research. This review covers various works on the relationship between tourism and crime

Organising Polish workers : a comparative case study of British (Unison) and Swiss (Unia) trade union strategies

The thesis analyses British (Unison) and Swiss (Unia) strategies for organising Polish workers, focusing on projects delivered between 2008 and 2010 by Unison and between 2012 and 2014 by Unia. These projects were chosen because they were predominantly aimed at the inclusion of Polish migrants after the EU enlargement in 2004 and they involved aspects of policy implementation. Additionally, the thesis describes a successful strike of the mainly Polish care workers in Unia. The research analyses whether there were any gaps between the projects’ aims and their implementation and what factors may have caused those gaps. The research is based on industrial relations theories applied in the context of comparative studies on migration: Penninx and Roosblad’s (2000) theory that was adapted to the context of intra-EU migration with Marino in 2017 (Marino et al., 2017) and Connolly et al.’s (2014) and trade union revitalisation strategies (Frege and Kelly, 2003). The research argues that the internal dynamics of the unions, such as union identity and structures (Hyman, 2001; Frege and Kelly, 2003), were more instrumental in terms of project outcomes than the position of trade unions in the power structure of society, economic and labour market conditions or the social context. Overall, Unia was more successful and its approach was more sustainable. Unlike Unison, Unia had structures in place that supported the inclusion of Polish members (migrant workers’ committees) and deployed resources to continue its organising efforts past the end of the project. The research shows that the provision of a dedicated resource is necessary to increase migrants’ engagement in the union. Furthermore, as the analysis of the strike suggests, Unia was able to use the collective agency of Polish workers not only for their own benefit but also for the local workers employed in the care sector. Accordingly, this research suggests that Polish workers have a potential that could be used for trade union renewal

Lei geral de proteção de dados: uma análise frente aos direitos e garantias fundamentais

The General Data Protection Law (LGPD) appears in order to ensure the security of personal data, of any individual, made available on the network, and this scientific article presents the problems faced for the protection of these data in the face of immeasurable advances in technology of information. The overall objective is to analyze the LGPD. And the specific objectives are: to analyze its principles, and in this way identify how people's personality comes to be shaped by the influence of current technology, and also to indicate the importance of safeguarding the protection of Sensitive Personal Data presented in the law. Aspects of the General Law are discussed, analyzed in light of the fundamental rights and guarantees and the dignity of the human person. Through bibliographical research in which publications in general such as works, magazines, newspapers and scientific articles online were consulted, we tried to reach deductive conclusions about the importance of the Data Law, if applied correctly, with regard to the fundamental rights of the individual.A Lei geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) surge com o intuito de garantir a segurança dos dados pessoais, de qualquer indivíduo, disponibilizados na rede, e o presente artigo científico apresenta a problemática enfrentada para a proteção desses dados diante do avanço imensurável da tecnologia da informação. O objetivo geral é analisar a LGPD. E os objetivos específicos são: analisar os seus princípios, e desta forma identificar como a personalidade das pessoas vem a ser moldada pela influência da tecnologia atual, e, também, indicar a importância de salvaguardar a proteção dos Dados Pessoais Sensíveis apresentados na lei. São abordados aspectos da Lei Geral, analisada frente aos direitos e garantias fundamentais e à dignidade da pessoa humana. Através de pesquisas bibliográficas em que foram consultadas publicações em geral como obras, revistas, jornais e artigos científicos online, procurou-se chegar a conclusões dedutivas sobre a importância da Lei de Dados se aplicada de maneira certa, no tocante aos direitos fundamentais do indivíduo

Stimulating somatosensory psychophysics: a double-blind, sham-controlled study of the neurobiological mechanisms of tDCS

In this study, the influence of tDCS on vibrotactile adaptation is investigated. Double-blind tDCS (Anodal/Sham) of 1 mA was delivered for 600 s to electrodes positioned in a somatosensory/contralateral orbit montage. Stimulation was applied between blocks of the implemented amplitude discrimination tasks. Amplitude discrimination thresholds were significantly degraded during adaptation trials, compared to those achieved at baseline but tDCS failed to modify task performance. Using Bayesian statistics, this finding was revealed to constitute substantial evidence for the null hypothesis. The failure of DC stimulation to alter performance is discussed in the context of several factors that may have confounded the induction of changes in cortical plasticity

Fabricação de papel utilizando celulose extraída do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar com adição de amido, extraído da casca de batata, como aditivo

O Brasil é o maior produtor mundial de cana-de-açúcar e, consequentemente, o país que possui a maior geração de biomassa residual (bagaço e palha de cana-de-açúcar). A cada tonelada de cana processada são gerados cerca de 140 kg de bagaço. Outro rejeito muito produzido pela indústria alimentícia é a casca de batata inglesa, que possui uma grande quantidade de amido em sua composição. A biomassa gerada por essas indústrias, mais especificamente a indústria de papel, com o processo kraft, são a causa de diversos problemas ambientais, econômicos e sociais. A vista disso, averiguou-se uma forma sustentável para produção de papel com o uso de fontes e recursos que fossem rejeitos, como o bagaço de cana-de-açúcar e a casca de batata. Para isso, a metodologia baseou-se na extração de celulose do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar pelo método de extração por Soxhlet, usando como solventes hexano e álcool etílico; seguido de branqueamento com lavagem alcalina utilizando hidróxido de sódio e peróxido de hidrogênio, obtendo-se rendimentos de 29, 74, 67 e 58% para granulometrias de 63 , 150 , 250 e 850 respectivamente. Para melhorar a qualidade do papel, houve adição de amido extraído da casca de batata por processo de lavagem para retirada de impurezas, moagem com água gelada e decantação. Realizaram-se testes físicos, para fins comparativos entre os papéis produzidos e a folha sulfite (papel comumente comercializado). Os melhores valores de cada ensaio foram atribuídos aos papéis da granulometria de 850 com e sem adição de amido: no ensaio de gramatura foram obtidos valores de 50,8 g/m2 e 49,5 g/m2; para a umidade os valores foram 12,8 e 13,4%; e resistência à tração apresentou valores de 1,8 x 10-3 e 1,6 x 10-3, todos respectivamente

Semaphorin 6A Improves Functional Recovery in Conjunction with Motor Training after Cerebral Ischemia

Background: We have previously identified Semaphorin 6a (Sema6A) as an upregulated gene product in a gene expression screen in cortical ischemia [1]. Semaphorin 6a was regulated during the recovery phase following ischemia in the cortex. Semaphorin 6a is a member of the superfamily of semaphorins involved in axon guidance and other functions. We hypothesized that the upregulation indicates a crucial role of this molecule in post-stroke rewiring of the brain. Here we have tested this hypothesis by overexpressing semaphorin 6a in the cortex by microinjection of a modified AAV2-virus. A circumscribed cortical infarct was induced, and the recovery of rats monitored for up to 4 weeks using a well-established test battery (accelerated rotarod training paradigm, cylinder test, adhesive tape removal). We observed a significant improvement in post-ischemic recovery of animals injected with the semaphorin 6a virus versus animals treated with a control virus. We conclude that semaphorin 6a overexpressed in the cortex enhances recovery after cerebral ischemia

Improvement of Tactile Discrimination Performance and Enlargement of Cortical Somatosensory Maps after 5 Hz rTMS

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly used to investigate mechanisms of brain functions and plasticity, but also as a promising new therapeutic tool. The effects of rTMS depend on the intensity and frequency of stimulation and consist of changes of cortical excitability, which often persists several minutes after termination of rTMS. While these findings imply that cortical processing can be altered by applying current pulses from outside the brain, little is known about how rTMS persistently affects learning and perception. Here we demonstrate in humans, through a combination of psychophysical assessment of two-point discrimination thresholds and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that brief periods of 5 Hz rTMS evoke lasting perceptual and cortical changes. rTMS was applied over the cortical representation of the right index finger of primary somatosensory cortex, resulting in a lowering of discrimination thresholds of the right index finger. fMRI revealed an enlargement of the right index finger representation in primary somatosensory cortex that was linearly correlated with the individual rTMS-induced perceptual improvement indicative of a close link between cortical and perceptual changes. The results demonstrate that repetitive, unattended stimulation from outside the brain, combined with a lack of behavioral information, are effective in driving persistent improvement of the perception of touch. The underlying properties and processes that allow cortical networks, after being modified through TMS pulses, to reach new organized stable states that mediate better performance remain to be clarified

On the importance of long-term functional assessment after stroke to improve translation from bench to bedside

Despite extensive research efforts in the field of cerebral ischemia, numerous disappointments came from the translational step. Even if experimental studies showed a large number of promising drugs, most of them failed to be efficient in clinical trials. Based on these reports, factors that play a significant role in causing outcome differences between animal experiments and clinical trials have been identified; and latest works in the field have tried to discard them in order to improve the scope of the results. Nevertheless, efforts must be maintained, especially for long-term functional evaluations. As observed in clinical practice, animals display a large degree of spontaneous recovery after stroke. The neurological impairment, assessed by basic items, typically disappears during the firsts week following stroke in rodents. On the contrary, more demanding sensorimotor and cognitive tasks underline other deficits, which are usually long-lasting. Unfortunately, studies addressing such behavioral impairments are less abundant. Because the characterization of long-term functional recovery is critical for evaluating the efficacy of potential therapeutic agents in experimental strokes, behavioral tests that proved sensitive enough to detect long-term deficits are reported here. And since the ultimate goal of any stroke therapy is the restoration of normal function, an objective appraisal of the behavioral deficits should be done

Sodium-Dependent Vitamin C Transporter 2 (SVCT2) Expression and Activity in Brain Capillary Endothelial Cells after Transient Ischemia in Mice

Expression and transport activity of Sodium-dependent Vitamin C Transporter 2 (SVCT2) was shown in various tissues and organs. Vitamin C was shown to be cerebroprotective in several animal models of stroke. Data on expression, localization and transport activity of SVCT2 after cerebral ischemia, however, has been scarce so far. Thus, we studied the expression of SVCT2 after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in mice by immunohistochemistry. We found an upregulation of SVCT2 after stroke. Co-stainings with Occludin, Von-Willebrand Factor and CD34 demonstrated localization of SVCT2 in brain capillary endothelial cells in the ischemic area after stroke. Time-course analyses of SVCT2 expression by immunohistochemistry and western blots showed upregulation in the subacute phase of 2–5 days. Radioactive uptake assays using 14C-labelled ascorbic acid showed a significant increase of ascorbic acid uptake into the brain after stroke. Taken together, these results provide evidence for the expression and transport activity of SVCT2 in brain capillary endothelial cells after transient ischemia in mice. These results may lead to the development of novel neuroprotective strategies in stroke therapy