The role of input processing in the acquisition of motion events with double particles in L2 German

Dissertação de mestrado em Estudos Luso-AlemãesMotion events are almost absent in the course syllabus of L2 German as an explicitly addressed structure in the classroom. Learners have a mostly receptive contact with this type of structures in reading texts or in aural activities. This hinders, therefore, the correct acquisition of their semantic and morphosyntactic features, when they are not explicitly addressed. The occurrence of motion events with the so-called “double particles” is even less frequent. These are composed of the deictic particles hinand her-, denoting the speaker’s perspective and the Path particles (-aus, -ein, -auf, etc.), denoting Path information. Thus, the main goal of the present study is to test a group of Portuguese L2 learners of German, regarding their knowledge of double particles, and execute a pedagogical intervention that aims at generating and/or solidifying said knowledge. For this purpose, I resorted to VanPatten’s Processing Instruction (PI) model (2000, 2004), which rests on an input-based explicit approach for teaching grammar. The theoretical framework is based on Talmy’s typology of motion events (2000). The empirical component of this study was divided into three parts: first, I tested the participants by means of a pre-test (including a vocabulary test, a production test and a grammaticality judgment task); then, I conducted a pedagogical intervention based on VanPatten’s PI model; finally, a post-test determined the successful effects of PI in the participants’ knowledge of the target forms, both in interpretative and productive contexts.Na instrução de Alemão L2, estruturas de movimento surgem com pouca frequência. Os aprendentes tendem a ter um contacto estritamente recetivo com este tipo de estruturas, quer em atividades de compreensão escrita ou oral. Como tal, torna-se difícil a correta aquisição das suas características semânticas e morfossintáticas, quando não existe uma exposição concreta das mesmas estruturas. Ainda menos frequente é a ocorrência de estruturas de movimento com as denominadas “partículas duplas” (ou “partículas de direção”), que consistem na junção das partículas dinâmicas hine her-, relacionadas com a perspetiva do movimento, com as partículas de trajetória (-aus, -ein, -auf, etc.), relacionadas com o percurso efetuado. É, portanto, objetivo do presente trabalho testar os conhecimentos de uma turma de Alemão L2 relativamente a estas partículas e realizar uma intervenção pedagógica que visa gerar e/ou solidificar estes conhecimentos. Para esse efeito foi utilizado o modelo de instrução Processing Instruction (PI) de VanPatten (2000, 2004), que consiste numa abordagem explícita do ensino de gramática baseada no input. Os fundamentos teóricos têm como base a tipologia de Talmy (2000) relativamente às estruturas de movimento. Em termos práticos, o estudo foi dividido em três partes: primeiramente, os participantes foram testados através de um préteste de três componentes (teste de produção, tese lexical e tarefa de juízos de gramaticalidade); depois, foi levado a cabo o modelo de intervenção pedagógica de VanPatten; por fim, um pós-teste mostrou os efeitos positivos do modelo de PI no conhecimento dos aprendentes em relação às formasalvo, em situações de interpretação e produção.Bewegungsereignisse werden selten im DaF(Deutsch als Fremdsprache)-Unterricht explizit angesprochen und trainiert. In der Regel haben DaF-Lernende einen lediglich rezeptiven Kontakt mit solchen Strukturen, welche nur in Verständnisaufgaben auftreten, wie z.B. Texten oder Höraufgaben. Daher fällt es Lernenden schwer, deren morphosyntaktischen und semantischen Grundlagen zu erwerben, wenn keine konkrete Anwendung der Strukturen vorliegt. Noch seltener ist das Vorkommen von Bewegungsereignissen mit den sogenannten Doppelpartikeln (bzw. Richtungspartikeln), d.h. Verbpartikeln, die aus dem Zusammenfügen der dynamischen Partikeln hin- und her- mit den Wegpartikeln (-aus, -ein, -auf usw.) besteht. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es deswegen, die Kenntnisse einer portugiesischen DaF-Gruppe bezüglich dieser Partikeln zu prüfen und ein didaktisches Eingreifen auszuführen, welches diese Kenntnisse ausbauen bzw. erzeugen soll. Dazu wurde Gebrauch vom pädagogischen Modell Processing Instruction (PI) von VanPatten (2000, 2004) gemacht, welches einen auf expliziter bzw. fehlerbezogener Lehre basierenden Ansatz zum Grammatikunterricht darstellt. Die theoretischen Grundlagen wurden anhand von Talmys (2000) Rahmentypologie von Bewegungsereignissen nachgestellt. Praktisch wurde die Studie dreifach ausgetüftelt: zunächst wurde die DaF-Gruppe durch einen dreiteiligen Vortest (Produktion, Wortschatz, Grammatikalität) untersucht; danach wurde VanPattens pädagogisches Modell ausgeführt; letztens hat ein Nachtest die positiven Wirkungen des PI-Modells in den Kenntnissen der Probanden von den Zielformen, sowohl in interpretativen als auch in produktiven Kontexten

Protecção de invenções universitárias, estudo de casos e submissão

Nesta dissertação avaliam-se os comandos à distância de aparelhos electrónicos existentes no mercado, nomeadamente centros multimédia, e apresenta-se um comando que possa ao mesmo tempo resolver falhas que achamos que os existentes têm e também inovar incluindo uma roda de navegação, selecção e validação. Pretende-se também patentear esse mesmo comando e registar o processo que foi percorrido até chegar ao pedido de Patente junto do Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI). Apresentamos esse exemplo prático, demonstrando um caso real de um pedido de Patente com as etapas percorridas e as dificuldades que se foram encontrando e como optámos por resolvê-las. Relatam-se as dificuldades encontradas, o tempo e taxas que quem quiser proteger uma invenção pode encontrar, as modalidades que pode usar, que mercados pode abranger e que normas deve seguir. Não havendo um guia onde esteja toda a informação concentrada sobre como proteger uma invenção, recolhemos a informação existente sobre os passos a tomar para o fazer e, com a submissão real de uma Patente, criámos um guia que se espera simples mas perceptível e que possa incentivar a que novos inventores protejam também as suas invenções.This thesis evaluates the variety of remote controls on the market, more specifically the ones that control media centers, and we show a brand new remote control which could solve the flaws we found to be in the existing controls. At the same time we try to innovate including a wheel to navigate, select and confirm in our new remote control. We want to file a patent at Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) in order to protect the said remote control and explain the process we had to go through in order to do so. We show that practical example so we can demonstrate a real case scenario with the steps we took and the difficulties we found during it and how we solved them. We report those difficulties, the duration and fees associated in the process, the different methods to protect an invention, the markets one can reach and the rules to follow. There is no step-by-step guide in Portugal on how to file a patent, only vague and scattered information about the way we should take to protect an invention. So, we collected the information we thought was more relevant and, with a real patent filing, we created a guide with the steps we feel are the ones to follow in a simple but understandable manner and hoping new inventors also protect their own inventions

Collagen from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) skins extracted using CO2 acidified water with potential application in healthcare

This work has received funding from European Union, under the scope of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Structured Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000021 (Norte2020) and under the scope of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) through grant agreement ERC-2012-ADG 20120216-321266 (ERC Advanced Grant ComplexiTE). PhD grant of C. O. (Norte-08-5369-000037) with financial support by Norte 2020. The authors would like to acknowledge Frigoríficos da Ermida, Lda. (Gafanha da Nazaré, Portugal) for the kind offer of Atlantic cod skins and to Dr. Manuela Pintado, Dr. Raquel Madureira and Joana Costa (Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto) for the use of microDSC and assistance during measurements. The authors also thank to Dr. Catarina Marques and Dr. Sandra Pina (3B’s Research Group) for assistance on XRD measurements, to Dr. Rita Lopez-Cebral (3B’s Research Group) for assistance on SEC measurements and to Dr. Alexandre Barros for discussions.The extraction of collagen from fish skins is being proposed as strategy for valorization of marine origin by-products, being a sustainable alternative to mammal collagen. The method commonly uses solutions of organic acids, but new methodologies are arising, aiming to improve process yields and/or the properties of the resulting products. In this work, skins removed from salt brine Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were used to extract collagen, using water acidified with CO2, obtaining an extraction yield of 13.8% (w/w). Acidified water extracted collagen (AWC) presented a total content of proline-like amino acids of 151/1000 residues, with a degree of hydroxylation of 38%, and its SDS-PAGE profile is compatible with type I collagen. Moreover, FTIR, CD and XRD results suggest the presence of preserved triple helix, having a denaturation temperature of 32.3 °C as determined by micro-DSC. AWC exhibited a typical shear thinning behavior, interesting regarding their further processing, namely in jelly-like formulations. Additionally, the presence of AWC in MRC-5 human fibroblasts culture did not affect cell viability, demonstrating the non-cytotoxic behavior. Overall, the results support the efficiency of the proposed approach for collagen extraction and further enable the design of methodologies to address AWC use in biomedical or cosmetic context.authorsversionpublishe

A design of experiments (DoE) approach to optimize cryogel manufacturing for tissue engineering applications

Marine origin polymers represent a sustainable and natural alternative to mammal counterparts regarding the biomedical application due to their similarities with proteins and polysaccharides present in extracellular matrix (ECM) in humans and can reduce the risks associated with zoonosis and overcoming social- and religious-related constraints. In particular, collagen-based biomaterials have been widely explored in tissue engineering scaffolding applications, where cryogels are of particular interest as low temperature avoids protein denaturation. However, little is known about the influence of the parameters regarding their behavior, i.e., how they can influence each other toward improving their physical and chemical properties. Factorial design of experiments (DoE) and response surface methodology (RSM) emerge as tools to overcome these difficulties, which are statistical tools to find the most influential parameter and optimize processes. In this work, we hypothesized that a design of experiments (DoE) model would be able to support the optimization of the collagen-chitosan-fucoidan cryogel manufacturing. Therefore, the parameters temperature (A), collagen concentration (B), and fucoidan concentration (C) were carefully considered to be applied to the Boxâ Behnken design (three factors and three levels). Data obtained on rheological oscillatory measurements, as well as on the evaluation of antioxidant concentration and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, showed that fucoidan concentration could significantly influence collagen-chitosan-fucoidan cryogel formation, creating a stable internal polymeric network promoted by ionic crosslinking bonds. Additionally, the effect of temperature significantly contributed to rheological oscillatory properties. Overall, the condition that allowed us to have better results, from an optimization point of view according to the DoE, were the gels produced at −80ºC and composed of 5% of collagen, 3% of chitosan, and 10% fucoidan. Therefore, the proposed DoE model was considered suitable for predicting the best parameter combinations needed to develop these cryogels.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for Ph.D. fellowship (D.N.C.) under the scope of the doctoral program Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells, ref. PD/BD/143044/2018, for postdoctoral fellowship (C.G.), ref. SFRH/BPD/94277/2013. This work has been partially funded by ERDF under the scope of the Atlantic Area Program through project EAPA_151/2016 (BLUEHUMAN)

Enquadramento e impacto dos sistemas de informação no Programa Aveiro Norte

O propósito deste artigo é o de demonstrar o relevo que os sistemas de informação têm em todo o processo de criação e desenvolvimento de uma nova oferta formativa potenciada pela Universidade de Aveiro no norte do distrito. Inicialmente, e com o intuito de desenvolver ferramentas para a gestão e administração do Programa Aveiro- Norte, criou-se o sítio do Programa Aveiro-Norte. A sua forte aderência por parte dos vários actores envolvidos na utilização do mesmo sistema, deu origem a novos inputs com vista ao aperfeiçoamento do mesmo, bem como novos sistemas que promovem uma maior interacção com o tecido empresarial da região. O Programa Aveiro-Norte surge como uma acção de Intervenção da Universidade de Aveiro no Norte do Distrito, com o objectivo de promover o reforço do ensino superior orientado para a formação inicial politécnica, formação especializada e requalificação profissional. Consiste numa Rede de Unidades de Formação Especializada a partir da qual se pretende implementar um conjunto de cursos, cujas propostas de formação pretendem responder não só às necessidades locais de formação inicial, mas também de actualização dos quadros das empresas e serviços existentes na região norte do distrito de Aveiro. Pretende-se que a oferta formativa do Programa Aveiro Norte articule e compatibilize tanto os graus do sistema de ensino superior que lhe estão a jusante (licenciaturas e pós- graduações) como as vias de acesso a montante, com origem no ensino secundário e pós-secundário não superior (cursos profissionalizantes, cursos de especialização , etc.). Pretendemos apresentar, de uma forma sucinta e clara, os vários sistemas em produção e desenvolvimento e como é que interagem no ‘Universo Aveiro-Norte’, dando origem a um portal informativo que promova todas as entidades envolvidas criando um fluxo de informação comum, em especial o sistema de informação do Programa Aveiro Norte

Inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria and reduction of nitrogen fertilizer in herbage accumulation and nutritional value of Mavuno grass

Strategies that improve the use of nitrogen (N), by tropical forage grasses, can bring environmental and social gains. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the forage productivity and the nutritional value (NV) of the hybrid Urochloa spp. cv. ´Mavuno`, under inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and doses of N. The experiment was carried out in the field, for a period of 14 months, in a randomized block design, with nine treatments and four replications in plots of 9 m². Seed inoculations were tested with: Azospirillum brasilense Ab-V5 and Ab-V6 strains; Pseudomonas fluorescens CCTB 03 and co-inoculation with Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 and A. brasilense Ab-V6, combined with 50 and 100 kg ha-1 of added mineral N; fertilization with N-mineral with these doses, without inoculation and the control treatment, without N and without inoculation. The bacteria were inoculated to the grass seeds. The forage was evaluated by determining the shoot dry weight yield (SDWY) and the levels of crude protein (CP), neutral detergent insoluble fiber (NDF), acid detergent insoluble fiber (ADF) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). The results were subjected to analysis of variance by the F test (p ≤ 0.05) and compared to each other by the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. Inoculation with PGPB resulted in greater SDWY when associated with a dose of 50 kg ha-1 of N. In plants inoculated with A. brasilense Ab-V5 + Ab-V6 and P. fluorescens CCTB 03, associated with a dose of 50 kg ha-1 of N-mineral, SDWY was similar to that obtained with double the dose of N in the absence of inoculation. The inoculation with PGPB resulted in an increase in the NV of Mavuno grass, with emphasis on A. brasilense Ab-V5 + Ab-V6 and P. fluorescens CCTB 03, associated with the dose of 100 kg ha-1 of N-mineral that improved the nutritional value in all evaluated items. The inoculation with A. brasilense Ab-V5 + Ab-V6 was the most promising, followed by P. fluorescens CCTB 03, mainly in association with 50 kg ha-1 of N

Acid and enzymatic extraction of collagen from Atlantic cod (Gadus Morhua) swim bladders envisaging health-related applications

Atlantic cod is processed industrially for food purposes, with several by-products being directed to animal feed and other ends. Looking particularly into swim bladders, the extraction of collagen can be a valuable strategy for by-product valorization, explored in the present work for the first time. Collagen was extracted using acetic acid (ASCsb) and pepsin (PSCsb) with yields of 5.72% (w/w) and 11.14% (w/w), respectively. SDS-PAGE profile showed that the extracts were compatible with type I collagen. FTIR, CD and XRD results suggest that the PSCsb structure underwent partial denaturation, with microDSC showing a band at 54 ºC probably corresponding to a melting process, while ASCsb structure remained intact, with preserved triple helix and a denaturation temperature of 29.6 ºC. Amino acid composition indicates that the total content of proline-like amino acids was 148/1000 residues for ASCsb and 141/1000 residues for PSCsb, with a hydroxylation degree of about 37%. The extracts exhibited a typical shear thinning behavior, interesting property regarding their further processing toward the development of biomaterials. In this regard, assessment of metabolic activity of human fibroblast cells cultured in the presence of collagen extracts with concentrations up to 3mg/mL revealed the absence of cytotoxic behavior. Collagen extracts obtained from Atlantic cod swim bladders shown attractive properties regarding their use in cosmetic or biomedical applications.The authors would like to acknowledge to European Union for the financial support under the scope of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Structured Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000021 (Norte2020) and under the scope of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) through grant agreement ERC-2012-ADG 20120216-321266 (ERC Advanced Grant ComplexiTE). The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology is also acknowledged for the PhD grant of A. L. A under Doctoral Programme Do ~ Mar (PD/BD/127995/2016), as well as Norte2020 Regional Programme for the PhD grant of C. O. (Norte-08-5369-000037)

Successful management of bilateral orbital metastases from invasive lobular breast cancer with abemaciclib and letrozole: a case report and literature review

Breast cancer is a significant global health concern, contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality among women. Hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer constitutes a considerable proportion of cases, and significant advancements have been made in its management. CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is) are a new targeted therapy that has demonstrated efficacy in adjuvant, advanced and metastatic settings. The propensity of lobular breast carcinomas for estrogen-rich sites, such as periocular tissues and orbital fat, may explain their tendency for orbital metastases. Current treatment strategies for these cases are predominantly palliative, and the prognosis remains poor. This article presents a unique case of a 51-year-old female with progressive right periorbital edema, pain, and limited ocular motility. An imaging work-up showed bilateral intra and extraconal orbital infiltration, which was biopsied. The histopathologic analysis disclosed mild chronic inflammatory infiltrate with thickened fibrous tissue and moderately differentiated lobular carcinoma cells, positive for GATA3 and CK7 markers, with 100% of tumor nuclei expressing estrogen receptors (ER+). A systemic evaluation showed a multicentric nodular formation in both breasts. Further diagnostic assessments unveiled an HR+/HER2- bilateral lobular breast carcinoma with synchronous bilateral orbital metastases. Systemic treatment was initiated with abemaciclib 150mg twice daily and letrozole 2.5mg once a day. However, this regimen was interrupted due to toxicity. After two weeks, treatment was resumed with a reduced abemaciclib dose (100mg twice daily) alongside letrozole, with a reasonable tolerance. Nearly two years after the initial diagnosis of inoperable metastatic cancer, the patient remains on the same systemic treatment regimen with no signs of invasive disease. This case report is the first of a patient presenting with bilateral orbital metastases from bilateral lobular breast cancer, showing an impressive and sustained response to a first-line treatment regimen combining abemaciclib and letrozole. A literature review on bilateral orbital metastases from breast cancer is also presented