Social representations of feeding people with diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to analyze the social representations of the diets 34 patients of the Brazilian public primary care service diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with DM2, according to how they represent their identity. Free association of words was used with responses to questions to survey social representations of food. Representations of identity were adopted from a previous study with the same participants. Normal participants eat healthily, eat little, eat greens and vegetables, avoid sweets, have positive attitudes, and maintain healthy eating habits and regular blood glucose levels. Participants who accept having the disease do not eat a lot, do not eat everything, avoid sweets, have an attitude of acceptance, and maintain inadequate eating habits and uncontrolled blood glucose. Participants with difficulties do not eat everything, do not eat a lot, do not follow the diet and eat vegetables and fruits, and have negative attitudes and altered blood glucose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social representations of feeding people with type-2 diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to analyze the social representations of the diets 34 patients of the Brazilian public primary care service diagnosed with type- 2 diabetes mellitus, according to how they represent their identity. Free association of words was used with responses to questions to survey social representations of food. Representations of identity were adopted from a previous study with the same participants. Normal participants eat healthily, eat little, eat greens and vegetables, avoid sweets, have positive attitudes, and maintain healthy eating habits and regular blood glucose levels. Participants who accept having the disease do not eat a lot, do not eat everything, avoid sweets, have an attitude of acceptance, and maintain inadequate eating habits and uncontrolled blood glucose. Participants with difficulties do not eat everything, do not eat a lot, do not follow the diet and eat vegetables and fruits, and have negative attitudes and altered blood glucose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exosome Biogenesis, Regulation, and Function in Viral Infection

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles released upon fusion of multivesicular bodies(MVBs) with the cellular plasma membrane. They originate as intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) duringthe process of MVB formation. Exosomes were shown to contain selectively sorted functionalproteins, lipids, and RNAs, mediating cell-to-cell communications and hence playing a role in thephysiology of the healthy and diseased organism. Challenges in the field include the identificationof mechanisms sustaining packaging of membrane-bound and soluble material to these vesicles andthe understanding of the underlying processes directing MVBs for degradation or fusion with theplasma membrane. The investigation into the formation and roles of exosomes in viral infection is inits early years. Although still controversial, exosomes can, in principle, incorporate any functionalfactor, provided they have an appropriate sorting signal, and thus are prone to viral exploitation.This review initially focuses on the composition and biogenesis of exosomes. It then explores theregulatory mechanisms underlying their biogenesis. Exosomes are part of the endocytic system,which is tightly regulated and able to respond to several stimuli that lead to alterations in thecomposition of its sub-compartments. We discuss the current knowledge of how these changesaffect exosomal release. We then summarize how different viruses exploit specific proteins ofendocytic sub-compartments and speculate that it could interfere with exosome function, althoughno direct link between viral usage of the endocytic system and exosome release has yet beenreported. Many recent reports have ascribed functions to exosomes released from cells infectedwith a variety of animal viruses, including viral spread, host immunity, and manipulation of themicroenvironment, which are discussed. Given the ever-growing roles and importance of exosomesin viral infections, understanding what regulates their composition and levels, and defining theirfunctions will ultimately provide additional insights into the virulence and persistence of infections.FCT postdoctoral fellowship: (SFRH/BPD/62982/2009), FCT investigator fellowship of the Principal Investigator: (IF/00899/2013)

Smart cities digital transformation in Câmara Municipal de Cascais

Global urbanization trends around sustainability present great challenges for the cities. A Smart City concept has been developed as a strategy to understand and solve the needs of the citizens. The present study aspires to understand and explore the concept of Smart City in Cascais, as a municipality, in the interest of a potential urban construct that can answer to the social and ecological sustainability challenges that a society faces. A smart city is an urban construction by integrating information and communication technology that aims to create a sustainable economic development and a higher quality of life by outdoing in key areas, such as economy, mobility, environment, people, living and government. By surveying employees of Câmara Municipal de Cascais and using Digital Maturity Framework, we aim to understand the strengths and limitations of the smart city concept. Based on the insights from the survey, and the benchmark in the literature, we propose a Strategic Development for the Municipality to identify and organize different strategies aiming to maximize the benefits of the Smart City concept

Hedonic and utilitarian attitudes towards technology and innovation : purchase Intentions of Audio Devices : the AirPods Case

The substantial technological growth that defines the era we are living in, involves not only improvement of current electronics features, but also launches of innovative products in the market, and both situations from the consumer electronics segment hold an uncertainty regarding the new product acceptance. As to minimize this uncertainty, brands must be aware of preferences and characteristics which drive consumers to their products, addressing properly the potential key target groups. This dissertation relies on identifying relevant dissimilarities across hedonic and utilitarian behaviour profiles concerning the smartphone consumption, the attributes most valued in electronics, and assess whether these profiles influence the consumers’ attitudes towards technology and innovation in general. On a further analysis, the research is applied to the practical case of AirPods, the new wireless earbuds from Apple, limited to the Portuguese market. From the outcomes of the study it was possible to properly differentiate two groups of smartphone users related to hedonic and utilitarian behaviours. The main findings suggest that these consumer profiles do not constitute the main driver in influencing attitudes towards technology and innovation, although they disclose a relative impact on purchase intentions of the innovative audio device from Apple. Nonetheless, demographic aspects, such as age and gender, are also highlighted due to the relatively influence they have in these attitudes. The collected analyzed data might also contribute for brand managers to better communicate to their target groups, enhancing in their products the ‘emotional side’ for the hedonics and the ‘feature side’ for the utilitarians.O crescimento tecnológico substancial que define a era em que vivemos, envolve não só uma melhoria das atuais características eletrónicas, mas também lançamentos de produtos inovadores no mercado, tendo em conta que ambas as situações no segmento de produtos de eletrónica detêm uma incerteza associada à aceitação do novo produto. Para minimizar esta incerteza, as marcas devem estar atentas às preferências e características que levam os consumidores até aos seus produtos, de forma a atrair os potenciais grupos target desejados. Esta dissertação centra-se em identificar diferenças significativas entre os perfis de comportamento hedónico e utilitário relativamente a smartphones, os atributos mais valorizados em eletrónica, e verificar se estes perfis influenciam as atitudes dos consumidores perante tecnologia e inovação em geral. Numa análise mais profunda, o estudo é aplicado ao caso prático dos AirPods, os novos phones wireless da Apple, limitado ao mercado português. Dos resultados foi possível diferenciar dois grupos de utilizadores de smartphone relacionados com comportamentos hedónicos e utilitários. As principais conclusões sugerem que estes perfis comportamentais não constituem o fator principal em determinar atitudes perante tecnologia e inovação, apesar de revelarem um relativo impacto em intenções de compra do inovador acessório de áudio da Apple. No entanto, aspetos demográficos, como idade e género, destacam-se também devido ao seu relativo impacto nas atitudes em questão. A informação analisada poderá fornecer dados aos gestores de marca para comunicarem efetivamente aos seus grupos target, evidenciando nos seus produtos o ‘lado emocional’ para os hedónicos e o ‘lado técnico’ para os utilitários

Análise da problemática da exposição dos músicos ao ruído: perceção ao ruído e determinação dos níveis de pressão sonora na prática musical em contexto escolar

A atenção face dada à problemática da perda auditiva induzida pelo ruído nos profissionais da música tem sido enfatizada estudos nos últimos anos. No entanto, no que respeita aos alunos de música, são ainda poucos os estudos que analisam esta problemática de modo a permitir compreender se estes poderão estar expostos a elevados níveis de ruído no decorrer da sua formação e desenvolver problemas auditivos. O presente estudo pretende caraterizar os níveis de pressão sonora a que alunos de música estão expostos no decorrer das aulas e analisar a perceção do risco dos mesmos e potenciais efeitos sobre o sistema auditivo. Foram analisadas duas Orquestras de Jazz e uma Orquestra Sinfónica de uma Escola Superior de Música (ESM) e de um Conservatório de Música (CM). No total foram selecionados 24 alunos de acordo com o seu instrumento, e medidos os níveis de pressão sonora em diversas aulas, ao longo de duas semanas com recurso a 8 dosímetros. Foi aplicado um questionário para a análise da perceção dos alunos ao ruído e realizados exames audiométricos para a avaliação auditiva dos alunos. Em geral, os resultados demostraram que os alunos estão expostos a níveis elevados de ruído no decurso das aulas de instrumento e ensaios. Foram obtidos elevados níveis de Lp,A,eqT na bateria, vibrafone, saxofone, trombone, clarinete e trompa. Nas três escolas, verificou-se valores mais baixos de exposição no contrabaixo, nomeadamente nas Aulas Individuais. Os valores de Lp,Cpico ultrapassaram o valor de ação inferior de 135 dB(C) na percussão e saxofone. Nas aulas teóricas os valores obtidos ultrapassaram recomendação de 35 dB(A). No que respeita à perceção dos alunos verificou-se que em geral consideram que a exposição a elevados níveis de pressão sonora não tem efeitos significativos na saúde. Apesar de se ter verificado que todos os alunos avaliados apresentam uma audição normal, tinnitus, hiperacusia, distorção e diplacusia foram identificados por um número significativo de alunos. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo refletem a necessidade de implementação de medidas de prevenção e controlo dos níveis de exposição dos alunos de música com vista a um aumento da sua consciencialização do risco.The attention given to the problem of hearing loss induced by noise in the professional music studies has been emphasized in recent years. However, are still few studies about music students that examine this issue in order to enable us to understand whether they could be exposed to high noise levels in the course of their training and develop hearing problems. This study aims to characterize the sound pressure levels that music students are exposed during classes and analyze the perception of the risk thereof, and potential effects on the auditory system. We analyzed two Jazz Orchestras and one Symphony Orchestra of a Music School and a Conservatory of Music. In total 24 students were selected according to their instrument and measured sound pressure levels in different classes over two weeks using the 8 dosimeters. A questionnaire was applied to the analysis the students' perception of noise and audiometric tests performed for the evaluation of hearing students. In general, the results show that students are exposed to high noise levels during classes and instrument tests. We obtained high levels of Lp,A,eqT on drums, vibraphone, saxophone, trombone, clarinet and french horn. In three schools, it was found lower levels of exposure in the bass, especially on individual classes. The values of Lp,Cpico exceeded the action value of less than 135 dB (C) on percussion and saxophone. In the theoretical values obtained exceeded recommendation of 35 dB (A). On the perception of students, it was found that in generally, they consider that exposure to high levels of sound pressure has no significant effect on health. Although it was found that all students have evaluated normal hearing, tinnitus, hyperacusis, distortion and diplacusis were identified by a significant number of students. The results obtained in this study reflect the need to implement measures to prevent and control exposure levels of music students with a view to increasing their risk awareness

Regional Convergence in Portugal: Policy Impacts (1990-2001)

In this study we look at whether the seven Portuguese NUTS II regions have been able to share equally in the country’s overall growth or whether there have been asymmetries and divergences in their growth patterns. We assess the regional impact of a wide range of Portuguese domestic policies on cohesion. We focus mainly on regional economic cohesion, although social cohesion effects are also considered. As in the case of Portugal structural operations within the community framework programmes and national efforts were highly intertwined, we also contrast the impact of Community policies in two regions.Portugal, European Union, Regional Convergence, Cohesion, National Policies, Structural Funds, Institutions.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION: A SCORECARD APPROACH TO ASSESS REGIONAL IMPACTS OF UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

RESUMO As Universidades desempenham um papel importante no desenvolvimento das regiões, decorrentes da sua tripla missão (Brennan et al., 2004): Ensino, Investigação e "Envolvimento da Comunidade" (B-HERT, 2006). As Instituições de Ensino Superior estão equipadas com recursos humanos altamente qualificados e desempenham um papel fundamental na criação de conhecimento, bem como no desenvolvimento e na evolução das sociedades (European Union, 2011). Assim, é crucial uma efetiva incorporação destes conhecimentos no desenvolvimento de produtos e inovações (European Union, 2011). Ao longo das últimas décadas, as atividades de transferência de conhecimento foram alvo de especial atenção, nomeadamente pelo seu potencial para expandir o impacto das Universidades (Sánchez-Barrioluengo, 2014), através do desenvolvimento de relações com a comunidade. Assim, os países europeus estabeleceram políticas promotoras da transferência de conhecimentos da Universidade para as regiões europeias (Berbegal-Mirabent et al., 2013). A União Europeia (2011) elencou um conjunto de quatro áreas a partir das quais as Universidades estimulam o desenvolvimento regional: reforçar a inovação regional através das suas atividades de investigação; promoção das empresas, desenvolvimento e crescimento de negócios; contribuição para o desenvolvimento do capital humano regional e competências, e melhorar a igualdade social através da regeneração e desenvolvimento cultural. Este artigo centra-se na segunda área, abordando os projetos universitários que visam a promoção do empreendedorismo. O empreendedorismo tem um papel crucial no crescimento económico e na criação de emprego. A educação no empreendedorismo está incluída no leque de ferramentas através das quais se espera que as Universidades contribuam para o desenvolvimento regional (Laukkanen, 2000). Desde uma fase inicial que a educação ganhou relevância e foi definida como uma prioridade, tanto para a Comissão Europeia, como para as regiões europeias. Neste contexto, as Universidades têm beneficiado das oportunidades criadas pelos programas educacionais que promovem o desenvolvimento de um conjunto variado de competências, promovidos por Políticas de Educação Europeias (Cankaya et al., 2015). Atualmente o programa Erasmus+ cobre uma ampla gama de projetos destinados a aumentar as qualificações e a empregabilidade. O programa apoia parcerias transnacionais no campo da educação, formação e instituições e organizações jovens que promovam a cooperação e estabeleçam pontes entre o mundo da educação e do trabalho, com o objetivo de colmatar as lacunas de competências na Europa. A educação em empreendedorismo está no centro destas preocupações. O Erasmus+ promove o desenvolvimento de competências empresariais que criam um ambiente propício para o empreendedorismo (European Commission, 2010; European Commission, 2016), e oferece suporte para a promoção da educação empreendedora pelas Universidades, (Jansen et al., 2015). Este artigo propõe uma abordagem inspirada na abordagem de scorecard para desenvolver uma metodologia para aferir os impactos regionais dos projetos de empreendedorismo universitários desenvolvidos no âmbito do programa Erasmus+.   Palavras-chave: Educação em empreendedorismo; transferência de conhecimento; scorecard; cooperação universidade-região   ABSTRACT Universities play an important role in the development of regions (Brennan et al., 2004), stemming from their threefold acknowledged mission: Teaching, Research and "Community Engagement" (B-HERT, 2006). Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are equipped with highly qualified human resources and hold a key role in knowledge creation and on the development and evolution of societies (European Union, 2011). To this end an effective incorporation of such knowledge into product development and innovation is crucial (European Union, 2011). Over the past decades knowledge transfer activities have received special attention, notably for their potential for expanding the impact of Universities (Sánchez-Barrioluengo, 2014) through the development of relationships with communities. On this regard, European countries established policies encouraging the transfer of knowledge from university to the European regions (Berbegal-Mirabent et al., 2013). The European Union (2011) has put forward four main areas from which Universities stimulate regional development: enhancing regional innovation through their research activities; promoting enterprise, business development and growth; contributing to the development of regional human capital and skills, and improving social equality through regeneration and cultural development. This paper focuses in the second area, by addressing the university projects aiming the promotion of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is regarded as instrumental in economic growth, and job creation. Entrepreneurial education therefore is included in the range of ways by which Universities are expected to contribute to regional development (Laukkanen, 2000). Education has gain relevance as priority for the European Commission and for European regions from an early stage. In this context, Universities have benefited from the opportunities created by the educational programs fostering the development of a varied set of competences that have been promoted, nurtured by European Education Policies (Cankaya et al., 2015). Currently the Erasmus+ program offers an umbrella for projects aimed at boosting skills and employability. The program supports transnational partnerships among Education, Training, and Youth institutions and organisations to foster cooperation and bridge the worlds of Education and work in order to tackle the skills gaps in Europe. Entrepreneurship education is at the core of these concerns. Erasmus+ promotes the development of entrepreneurial competencies which grant a propitious environment for entrepreneurship (European Commission, 2010; European Commission, 2016), and offers support for the promotion of entrepreneurship education by Universities (Jansen et al., 2015) This paper builds on a scorecard approach to develop a methodology for assessing the regional impacts of university entrepreneurship projects developed under the Erasmus+ program.   Keywords: Entrepreneurship education; knowledge transfer; scorecard; university region cooperatio

Exopolysaccharides production by aerobic granular sludge upon exposure to dual anthropogenic stresses

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Representações sociais das pessoas com diabetes mellitus: implicações no controle glicêmico

Pesquisas qualitativas envolvendo a relação entre representações sociais da alimentação, identidade e controle glicêmico não foram encontradas na literatura científica sobre o assunto. O objetivo desse estudo é analisar as representações sociais da alimentação das pessoas com diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2) conforme representam a sua identidade e suas implicações no controle glicêmico. Participaram 34 usuários com DM2 de uma unidade básica de saúde de Belo Horizonte, Brasil. Utilizou-se a associação livre de palavras com justificativas de questões para identificar as representações sociais da identidade e da alimentação. As categorias das representações identitárias foram obtidas de um estudo anterior realizado com os mesmos participantes: aqueles que se consideram “normais”; os que aceitam a doença; os inconformados e os que levam a vida com dificuldades. As categorias das representações sociais da alimentação são: comer saudável, comer verduras e frutas, comer pouco, evitar doces, não comer de tudo, não comer muito e não seguir a dieta. É necessário desenvolver estudos que aumentem o conhecimento sobre as dificuldades e as necessidades das pessoas com diabetes e que promovam o seu envolvimento e o autocuidado.Qualitative research involving the relationship between social representations of diet, identity and glycemic control was not found in the scientific literature on the subject. The objective of this study is to analyze the social representations of the diet of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) as they represent their identity and its implications for glycemic control. A total of 34 DM2 users from a basic health unit in Belo Horizonte, Brazil participated. We used the free association of words with justifications of questions to identify the social representations of identity and diet. The categories of identity representations were obtained from an earlier study conducted with the same participants: those who considered themselves "normal"; those who accept the disease; the nonconformists and those who lead a difficult life. The categories of social representations of diet are: eating healthy, eating vegetables and fruits, eating little, avoiding sweets, not eating at all, not eating too much and not following the diet. It is necessary to develop studies that increase awareness of the difficulties and needs of people with diabetes and promote their involvement and self-care.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio