A Gamificação no Ensino da Geografia: Teoria e Aplicações

Num período onde a transição digital é evidente em várias áreas do conhecimento, é imprescindível que o ensino acompanhe esta evolução e que implemente, num ambiente controlado, as ferramentas tecnológicas que contribuam para aumentar o interesse dos alunos e também a consolidação das suas aprendizagens. Uma dessas ferramentas é justamente a gamificação. A implementação de gamificação em sala de aula encontra-se numa fase de pleno desenvolvimento, mas é alvo de muita resistência devido ao seu carácter lúdico e por vezes exigente a nível técnico. No entanto, são vários os exemplos onde o seu uso resulta num maior interesse e motivação por parte dos alunos. Apesar de existirem exemplos de aplicabilidade, especialmente no caso da matemática, são ainda raros ou pouco estruturados os exemplos na disciplina de geografia. Este trabalho, através da metodologia adotada na Prática de Ensino Supervisionada pretende demonstrar que a implementação de jogos digitais pode constituir um recurso útil na aprendizagem dos alunos e na sua motivação, através de uma solução harmoniosa enquadrando a componente didática com os conteúdos programáticos. Para além do desenvolvimento de jogos, foi implementado um questionário aos alunos onde eram encorajados a avaliar e a providenciar feedback quanto à utilização de gamificação ao longo do ano letivo como também a sugerir metodologias e aplicações passíveis de serem aplicadas.In a period where the digital transition is clear in several areas of knowledge, it is essential that teaching keeps up with this evolution and implements, in a controlled environment, technological tools that contribute to increase student interest and the consolidation of their learning. One of these tools is precisely gamification. The implementation of gamification in the classroom is in a stage of full development but is subject to much resistance due to its playful and sometimes technically demanding nature. However, there are several examples where its use results in increased student interest and motivation. Although there are examples of applicability, especially in the case of mathematics, examples in geography are still rare or poorly structured. This work, through the methodology adopted in the Supervised Teaching Practice, aims to demonstrate that the implementation of digital games can be a useful resource in student learning and motivation, through a harmonious solution framing the didactic component with the syllabus. In addition to the development of games, a questionnaire was given to students to encourage them to evaluate and provide feedback on the use of gamification throughout the school year, and to suggest methodologies and applications that could be applied

Regeneração urbana e património industrial: uma proposta para o Montijo

Relatório de estágio de mestrado, Geografia - Gestão do Território e Urbanismo, Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território, 2012Várias cidades, principalmente na Europa Ocidental e Estados Unidos da América, têm atravessado nas últimas décadas um processo de declínio causado pela desindustrialização. De facto este fenómeno tem levado a um aumento do desemprego (levando ao aparecimento de vários problemas sociais), envelhecimento da população e crescimento de áreas degradadas na cidade. O Montijo apesar de registar um crescimento populacional devido aos excelentes acessos a Lisboa, apresenta no entanto sinais evidentes de declínio urbano causado pela desindustrialização. Um desses sinais é a proliferação de armazéns e edifícios industriais no centro da cidade e área ribeirinha. Estes espaços encontram-se no geral em razoáveis condições de conservação, mas devido à falta de actividade acabam por tornar a área em redor pouco atractiva e de certo modo decadente. Tendo em conta o contexto, o presente relatório é resultado de um estágio realizado na Câmara Municipal do Montijo, onde as actividades se prenderam com o diagnóstico e posterior análise do fenómeno descrito acima. É de destacar que a sua localização geográfica no centro da cidade, foi também fundamental para compreender a dinâmica do Montijo. Para melhor compreender as implicações deste tipo de declínio urbano foram analisados exemplos semelhantes na Europa e principais soluções apresentadas. O “caminho” apontado era o desenvolvimento das indústrias criativas, pelo que este conceito passou a ser a base para o desenvolvimento de uma proposta para a cidade. O Montijo reúne um conjunto de condições no que concerne ao ambiente natural do Estuário do Tejo e excelentes acessibilidades que poderão ser o suporte para o desenvolvimento de novas actividades económicas que poderão afastar-se das indústrias tradicionais em declínio da cidade, abate e transformação de carnes e sobretudo produção de cortiça.ABSTRACT: Several cities, mainly in Western Europe and United States, have gone over the last decades through a process of decline caused by deindustrialization. In fact this phenomenon has led to an increase of unemployment (leading to the emergence of several social problems), population aging and growth of degraded areas in the city. The city of Montijo despite showing a population growth due to excellent accesses to Lisbon, has obvious signs of urban decline caused by deindustrialization. One of these signs is the spread of warehouses and industrial buildings in the city center and waterfront. These spaces are in general in reasonable conditions, but due to lack of activity they may render the area around unattractive and at some point decadent. In this context, this report is the result of an academic training held in Montijo’s City Hall, where activities held were related with the diagnosis and subsequent analysis of the phenomenon described above. It is noteworthy that its geographical location in the city center was also critical to understand Montijo’s dynamics. To better understand the implications of this type of urban decline, were analyzed similar examples in Europe and its key solutions. The "path" to follow was the development of creative industries, so this concept became the basis for the development of a proposal for the city. Montijo hosts a set of conditions in relation to the natural environment of the Tagus Estuary and excellent accessibilities that could be the basis for the development of new economic activities that may diverge from the traditional industries in decline in the city: slaughtering and meat processing and especially cork production

Aqueous medium-induced micropore formation in plasma polymerized polystyrene: an effective route to inhibit bacteria adhesion

International audienc

Exploring Light-Sensitive Nanocarriers for Simultaneous Triggered Antibiotic Release and Disruption of Biofilms Upon Generation of Laser-Induced Vapor Nanobubbles

Impaired penetration of antibiotics through bacterial biofilms is one of the reasons for failure of antimicrobial therapy. Hindered drug diffusion is caused on the one hand by interactions with the sticky biofilm matrix and on the other hand by the fact that bacterial cells are organized in densely packed clusters of cells. Binding interactions with the biofilm matrix can be avoided by encapsulating the antibiotics into nanocarriers, while interfering with the integrity of the dense cell clusters can enhance drug transport deep into the biofilm. Vapor nanobubbles (VNB), generated from laser irradiated nanoparticles, are a recently reported effective way to loosen up the biofilm structure in order to enhance drug transport and efficacy. In the present study, we explored if the disruptive force of VNB can be used simultaneously to interfere with the biofilm structure and trigger antibiotic release from light-responsive nanocarriers. The antibiotic tobramycin was incorporated in two types of light-responsive nanocarriers—liposomes functionalized with gold nanoparticles (Lip-AuNP) and graphene quantum dots (GQD)—and their efficacy was evaluated on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Even though the anti-biofilm efficacy of tobramycin was improved by liposomal encapsulation, electrostatic functionalization with 70 nm AuNP unfortunately resulted in premature leakage of tobramycin in a matter of hours. Laser-irradiation consequently did not further improve P. aeruginosa biofilm eradication. Adsorption of tobramycin to GQD, on the other hand, did result in a stable formulation with high encapsulation efficiency, without burst release of tobramycin from the nanocarriers. However, even though laser-induced VNB formation from GQD resulted in biofilm disruption, an enhanced anti-biofilm effect was not achieved due to tobramycin not being efficiently released from GQD. Even though this study was unsuccessful in designing suitable nanocarriers for simultaneous biofilm disruption and light-triggered release of tobramycin, it provides insights into the difficulties and challenges that need to be considered for future developments in this regard

Exploring Light-Sensitive Nanocarriers for Simultaneous Triggered Antibiotic Release and Disruption of Biofilms Upon Generation of Laser-Induced Vapor Nanobubbles

Impaired penetration of antibiotics through bacterial biofilms is one of the reasons for failure of antimicrobial therapy. Hindered drug diffusion is caused on the one hand by interactions with the sticky biofilm matrix and on the other hand by the fact that bacterial cells are organized in densely packed clusters of cells. Binding interactions with the biofilm matrix can be avoided by encapsulating the antibiotics into nanocarriers, while interfering with the integrity of the dense cell clusters can enhance drug transport deep into the biofilm. Vapor nanobubbles (VNB), generated from laser irradiated nanoparticles, are a recently reported effective way to loosen up the biofilm structure in order to enhance drug transport and efficacy. In the present study, we explored if the disruptive force of VNB can be used simultaneously to interfere with the biofilm structure and trigger antibiotic release from light-responsive nanocarriers. The antibiotic tobramycin was incorporated in two types of light-responsive nanocarriers—liposomes functionalized with gold nanoparticles (Lip-AuNP) and graphene quantum dots (GQD)—and their efficacy was evaluated on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Even though the anti-biofilm efficacy of tobramycin was improved by liposomal encapsulation, electrostatic functionalization with 70 nm AuNP unfortunately resulted in premature leakage of tobramycin in a matter of hours. Laser-irradiation consequently did not further improve P. aeruginosa biofilm eradication. Adsorption of tobramycin to GQD, on the other hand, did result in a stable formulation with high encapsulation efficiency, without burst release of tobramycin from the nanocarriers. However, even though laser-induced VNB formation from GQD resulted in biofilm disruption, an enhanced anti-biofilm effect was not achieved due to tobramycin not being efficiently released from GQD. Even though this study was unsuccessful in designing suitable nanocarriers for simultaneous biofilm disruption and light-triggered release of tobramycin, it provides insights into the difficulties and challenges that need to be considered for future developments in this regard

A new gene involved in coenzyme Q biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: UbiI functions in aerobic C5-hydroxylation

International audienceCoenzyme Q (ubiquinone or Q) is a redox-active lipid found in organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals in which it plays a crucial role in energy-generating processes. Q biosynthesis is a complex pathway that involves multiple proteins. In this work, we show that the uncharacterized conserved visC gene is involved in Q biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, and we have renamed it ubiI. Based on genetic and biochemical experiments, we establish that the UbiI protein functions in the C5-hydroxylation reaction. A strain deficient in ubiI has a low level of Q and accumulates a compound derived from the Q biosynthetic pathway, which we purified and characterized. We also demonstrate that UbiI is only implicated in aerobic Q biosynthesis and that an alternative enzyme catalyzes the C5-hydroxylation reaction in the absence of oxygen. We have solved the crystal structure of a truncated form of UbiI. This structure shares many features with the canonical FAD-dependent para-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase and represents the first structural characterization of a monooxygenase involved in Q biosynthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis confirms that residues of the flavin binding pocket of UbiI are important for activity. With our identification of UbiI, the three monooxygenases necessary for aerobic Q biosynthesis in E. coli are known

East Asia Today

East Asia attracts growing interest in the West. Th e region is the world’s hotbed of economic growth, led by burgeoning China aided by more advanced Asian economies investing heavily in manufacturing and trading networks involving China. Western entrepreneurs clamor to join the China wave

Photothermal Activatable Mucoadhesive Fiber Mats for On-Demand Delivery of Insulin via Buccal and Corneal Mucosa

Electrospun fiber mats loaded with therapeutics have gained considerable attention as a versatile tool in the biomedical field. While these bandages are largely based on fast-dissolving polymers to release the cargo, stimuli-responsive fiber mats have the advantages of providing a timely and spatially controlled drug delivery platform, which can be refilled and reused several times. These benefits make electrospun fiber patches original platforms for painless and convenient on-demand hormone release. Because of the high need of more convenient and non-invasive methods for delivering insulin, a hormone that is currently used to treat hundred million people with diabetes worldwide, we have investigated the tremendous potential of reduced graphene oxide modified poly(acrylic acid) based fiber mats as an original platform for buccal and corneal insulin delivery on-demand. The PAA@rGO hydrogel-like fibers rendered water-insoluble by incorporating β-cyclodextrin, followed by thermal cross-linking, which showed adequate tensile strength along with high adsorption capacity of insulin at pH 7 and good recyclability. The fiber mats maintained good fibrous morphology and high loading efficiency even after five loading-release cycles. The mucoadhesive nature of the fibers allowed their application for insulin delivery via the eye cornea and the buccal mouth lining, as evidenced in ex vivo studies. Insulin loaded PAA@rGO hydrogel-like fibers showed an insulin flux via buccal lining of pigs of 16.6 ± 2.9 μg cm-2 h-1 and 24.3 ± 3.1 μg cm-2 h-1 for porcine cornea. Testing on healthy adult volunteers confirmed the excellent, mucoadhesive nature of the bandage, with three out of six volunteers feeling completely comfortable (note 8.3) while wearing the patches in the buccal cavity.The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the University of Lille, the Hauts-de-France region, and the CPER “Photonics for Society” are acknowledged for financial support. This work was partly supported by the French Renatech network. A.V. thanks the i-SITE foundation of the University of Lille for a PhD fellowship. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under grant agreement No 690836.Peer reviewe