Environmental Practices in Hospitality Industry for a more Sustainable Tourism (Case Study- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa)

O turismo está a avançar para a fase de maturidade, por este motivo o desenvolvimento da sustentabilidade deve ser a principal preocupação dos intervenientes do turismo. Os hotéis sustentáveis são considerados como negócios respeitadores do ambiente que implementam práticas ambientais para reduzir os resíduos e o consumo de água e energia. As questões ambientais estão a influenciar as pessoas a serem mais conscientes ao alterar os seus estilos de vida e adotar hábitos mais sustentáveis. Muitos hotéis estão a seguir estas tendências através da “construção” de hotéis ecológicos, como por exemplo Marrior, Hilton, Best Westren e Hyatt. Os hotéis têm um efeito tremendo no comportamento das pessoas, deste modo podiam alterar o impacto da indústria hoteleira ao investir na implementação práticas ambientais. Além disso, é a nossa responsabilidade proteger o ambiente, pois somos nós a principal causa da destruição ambiental que afetam todos nós e as futuras gerações. Este relatório descreve a importância de adoção de uma política ambiental pela indústria hoteleira, visto que isso não implica apenas a proteção do ambiente e redução da pobreza, mas também a economia dos custos. Além disso, apresenta uma visão global das práticas ambientais na indústria hoteleira, nomeadamenteno Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa, onde realizei o estágio e que me deu a oportunidade de compreender melhor como um hotel sustentável gere as suas operações ambientais. Posteriormente, após a análise e recolha de informações dos documentos do hotel relacionadas à gestão da sustentabilidade, bem como os dados do método de observação, foi possível obter uma resposta aos objetivos propostos para o estudo. Deste modo, durante o estágio também consegui desenvolver alguns projetos que contribuíram para a eficiência dos processos de gestão ambiental do hotel

A WEBPAGE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM DESTINATIONS IN A PHILIPPINE PROVINCE

The study aimed to create a website on the interesting places that travelers want to visit for leisure, business, and other related purposes within the province of Southern Luzon, Philippines. This contains gathered information on developing a webpage of ecotourism destinations in the province. This practical study was designed for ecotourists so they will have easy access to reading, locating, and experiencing the Quezon Province. This provides the necessary information that travelers and even students need in visiting a tourist destination which is considered the product information of each particular destination. This research employed analysis of the available data from the government offices, academic institutions, professional blogs, and responses gathered from online surveys participated by tourism students, travelers, residents, tourism office personnel, and local government officials to perform the profiling, designing, and developing the framework of this research and development study. As a result, the researchers developed a webpage as an output of this study. The appropriate design was based on the areas of usability, speed, aesthetics, contents, contact information, maintenance availability, and mobile-friendly features which are highly considered in this research project. &nbsp

FACTORS LEADING TO LIMITED RESEARCHES CONDUCTED BY PHILIPPINE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

The study investigated the pedagogical competence of teacher’s and its influence on student’s academic achievement. The descriptive survey research design was adopted and the census (all) sampling technique was used to sample 250 Junior High School (JHS) teachers in Ashaiman Municipality. The collected data from the close-ended questionnaire was analysed with mean and standard deviation on the scale of 1-4 and the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypothesis. The study revealed that as a pedagogical competence, the teachers provided appropriate feedback, adapted to changing conditions, explained content to students and communicated learning goals effectively. It was also found that there was a positive weak relationship between the classroom management competence of teachers and student’s academic achievement. The study, therefore, concluded that pedagogical competence of teachers could help promote deep knowledge, understanding and expectation among students if teacher’s pedagogical competencies are effective. Also, when teachers increase their knowledge and competence to manage the classroom, they could provide high expectations for student’s social support, guidance and independent thought in learning. Recommendations were made to the municipal education directorate, Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Education, Ghana based on the findings

Frequency of MRSA isolation from biosubstrate of patients hospitalized in surgical wards of the Republican Clinical Hospital

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsable for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It is also called oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA). MRSA is any strain of Staphylococcus aureus that has developed, through the process of natural selection, resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, which include the penicillins (methicillin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, oxacillin, etc.) and the cephalosporins. Strains unable to resist these antibiotics are classified as methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, or MSSA. The evolution of such resistance does not cause the organism to be more intrinsically virulent than strains of Staphylococcus aureus that have no antibiotic resistance, but resistance does make MRSA infection more difficult to treat with standard types of antibiotics and thus more dangerous. MRSA is especially troublesome in hospitals, prisons and nursing homes, where patients with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk of infection than the general public. This study provides information about the aggression and dominance of this bacteria, as well the incidence in surgical wards of Republican Clinical Hospital. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on the principle of bacteriological analysis o f 139 samples with Staphylococcus aureus, from the Register of laboratory investigations, Form no. 250 / e, approved by Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova, no. 828 of 31.10.2011. The data obtained were characterized and interpreted statistically: we evaluated the total number o f cases of MRSA infection and its incidence comparing with the total number of cases. The result of discussion: In a study of Republican Clinic Hospital, Bacteriological Laboratory, during 2013 were registered 139 cases of infection with S.aureus, 39 of them were found to be MRSA, that represents approximately 28% of all staphylococcal infections. Nearly half o f the samples with MRSA belonged to patients hospitalized in the department of General Surgery - 48%, Otorhinolaryngology - 18%, Clinic -13%, and Thoracic Surgery - 11%. Conclusion: MRSA is a „super-bacteria" extensively studied in the present, with a strong resistance to methicillin / oxacillin, frequently hospital infection acquired resistance, the most common in the departments of General Surgery and ENT. As in other countries, cases of MRSA are frequent in Moldova, unfortunately they are increasing

Estimarea economică a utilizării mijloacelor de producţie în sectorul agrar al Republicii Moldova

Summary. In this article we perform an economic estimation of the means of production use in the agricultural sector in Republic of Moldova and an analysis of foreign investments structured on investing countries and types of activity. The origins of investments made in Republic of Moldova are various due to the diversity of entrepreneurs interested in our country. From the total amount of foreign investment attracted by Republic of Moldova, 90,7 % came from western countries, compared to 9,3 % from CIS. The lowest share of the investments attract the construction and agriculture area (0,7%), the hunting and forestry activities (0,8%). The problems that inhibit investment in the agriculture sector are diverse. Furthermore, this article analyzes the endowment of agricultural enterprises with fix assets and the utilization of material resources in the agriculture of Republic of Moldova. From 2001 until 2008 agricultural enterprises’ fixed assets increased by 83,9%, workers’ with endowment assets grew by ~4 times. This increase is conditioned by number reduction of employed workers in agriculture and the value increase of fixed assets in this sector. In the end, we propose some measures in order to increase efficiency in the use of means of production.Резюме. В этой статье производится экономическая оценка использования средств производства в аграрном секторе Республики Молдова, анализ иностранных инвестиций по странам-инвесторам и по видам деятельности. Источники происхождения инвестиций очень разнообразны, интерес к Р. Молдова проявляется со стороны предпринимателей из многих стран. Из общей суммы привлеченных в республику иностранных инвестиций, 90,7% принадлежат западным странам, а 9,3% являются инвестициями стран СНГ. Наименьший удельный вес прямых иностранных инвестиций относится к сферам строительства и сельского хозяйства, экономики охотоводства и лесного хозяйства, соответственно 0,7% и 0,8%. Проблемы тормозящие инвестиции в аграрный сектор разнообразны. Также в статье анализируются в динамике обеспеченность, вооруженность сельскохозяйственных предприятий основными средствами и использование материальных ресурсов в аграрном секторе Республики Молдова. С 2001 года по 2008 уровень обеспеченности сельскохозяйственных предприятий основными средствами вырос на 83,9%, вооруженность работников занятых в сельскохозяйственном производстве основными средствами выросла более чем в 4 раза. Это увеличение обусловлено сокращением среднегодовой численности работников занятых в сельскохозяйственном производстве и ростом стоимости основных средств сельскохозяйственного назначения. В заключении предлагается серия мероприятий способствующих росту эффективности использования средств производства

Multiscale models of neural tissue

The brain is a complex system which contains a large number of neurons. This complex nature of the brain can be simplified by mathematical models. Mathematical models are almost equally as important as biological experiments and represent some part of the real world by mathematical terms. They help us to understand mathematical neuroscience. The functional dynamics of brain and the behaviour of neurons have become popular recently. Hence, mathematical neuroscience becomes an attractive prospective to study because of a large availability of biological and computation data. In the first part of the thesis, we outline a literature review covering background material for this thesis. Neuroimaging techniques are used to understand the structure and dynamics of the brain. Then, we analyse the Liley and Janset-Rit model as the neural mass models. After a brief and selective description of neurobiology, our study demonstrates the relationship between functional connectivity (FC) and structural connectivity (SC) via using Wilson-Cowan model. The bifurcation diagram of Wilson-Cowan model is plotted in XPP package programme. While SC is calculated from CoComac database which are taken from the macaque brain, FC is calculated by correlation. Then, the relationship between FC and SC is measured by the Pearson and Spearman correlation. A greater similarity is seen along the border of the Hopf bifurcation. Hence, phase response curves are calculated by the adjoint method, and then phase interaction functions are produced in Matlab in order to examine the stability of the synchronised solutions. Following this, one question of interest is the relationship between epileptic discharges as measured by EEG and the haemodynamic response as measured by fMRI. The haemodynamic model is discussed and its outputs as BOLD signals are computed. Then, the haemodynamic model is coupled to the Wilson-Cowan model and the Liley model. Eventually the BOLD signals are calculated after coupling. The system has BOLD signal dynamics including an initial dip, positive response and poststimulus undershoot

The Impact of eHealth and mHealth on doctor behavior and patient involvement: an Israeli and Portuguese comparative approach

Based on the experience of a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) promoted by COST Net and developed in CIES/ISCTE-IUL (Portugal), this paper presents a reflection about the implementation of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) in the healthcare sector in Israel and Portugal. Specifically, we focus on the impacts of ICT or eHealth on patient empowerment, as perceived by doctors and managers in order to better comprehend the role of national policy and explore the options for building a national strategy regarding ICT in healthcare. The experience of the Portuguese healthcare system was selected and compared to the results found in a similar research in Israel. Methodologically, in-depth interviews with the Ministry of Health, the private sector, patients associations and researches were used to collect data. Purposeful sampling was used to select respondents, and secondary sources were used for triangulation. The findings of the research work show that the increased deployment of ICT has furthered patient empowerment (1). From the doctors' perspective, while ICT has provided more information in the long-run, changes of these magnitudes were not easy in the beginning. These findings were similar in both countries. The work concludes that ICT tools were successfully implemented and the general perception is that they have been beneficial. The work provides information in order to understand and improve ICT services. Additionally, the results suggest alternatives for future investments in these technologies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Health information technology implementation - Impacts and policy considerations: a comparison between Israel and Portugal

The use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in health systems is increasing worldwide. While it is assumed that ICT holds great potential to make health services more efficient and grant patients more empowerment, research on these trends is at an early stage. Building on a study of the impact of ICT on physicians and patients in Israel, a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) sponsored by COST Net in conjunction with CIES/ISCTE IUL (Portugal) facilitated a comparison of ICT in health in Israel and Portugal. The comparison focused on patient empowerment, physician behavior and the role of government in implementing ICT. The research in both countries was qualitative in nature. In-depth interviews with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the private sector, patients associations, health plans and researchers were used to collect data. Purposeful sampling was used to select respondents, and secondary sources were used for triangulation. The findings indicate that respondents in both countries feel that patient empowerment has indeed been furthered by introduction of ICT. Regarding physicians, in both countries ICT is seen as providing more information that can be used in medical decision making. Increased access of patients to web-based medical information can strengthen the role of patients in decision making and improve the physician-patient relationship, but also shift the latter in ways that may require adjustments in physician orientation. Physician uptake of ICT in both countries involves overcoming certain barriers, such as resistance to change. At the national level, important differences were found between the two countries. While in Israel, ICT was promoted and adopted by the meso level of the health system, in particular the health plans and government intervention can be found in a later stage, in Portugal the government was the main developer and national strategies were built from the beginning. These two approaches present different advantages and disadvantages. Government involvement in earlier stages could provide benefit in terms of interoperability of systems between different healthcare organizations. However, innovation could be slowed down due to government bureaucracy or lack of leadership. The work provides information in order to understand and improve ICT services. Additionally, it provides input regarding impact of ICT on the physician/patient relationship and national policies in the area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contestable adulthood: variability and disparity in markers for negotiating the transition to adulthood

Recent research has identified a discreet set of subjective markers that are seen as characterizing the transition to adulthood. The current study challenges this coherence by examining the disparity and variability in young people’s selection of such criteria. Four sentence-completion cues corresponding to four differentcontexts in which adult status might be contested were given to 156 British 16- to 17-year-olds. Their qualitative responses were analyzed to explore patterns whilst capturing some of their richness and diversity. An astonishing amount of variability emerged, both within and between cued contexts.The implications of this variability for how the transition to adulthood is experienced are explored. The argument is made that markers of the transition to adulthood are not merely reflective of the bio–psycho–social development of young people. Rather, adulthood here is seen as an essentially contested concept,located within the discursive interactional environment in which young people participate

De la autoficción teatral a la teatralidad de la vida : trasvase del decálogo de autoficción de Sergio Blanco a la red Instagram

La presente investigación se orienta hacia el vínculo existente entre la representación autoficcional que construye Sergio Blanco y las narrativas autoficcionales de las redes sociales. Especialmente analiza cómo Instagram trabaja a partir de la espectacularización de la vida cotidiana estableciendo una estructura híbrida y un cruce entre los relatos ficticios y reales. Se incluye un abordaje sobre los orígenes de la autoficción, así como también se estudian diferentes escrituras del yo y sus influencias en otras artes a lo largo de la historia. Asimismo, se investiga sobre el vínculo entre la autoficción, relato que entremezcla la verdad y la mentira, y la dramatización ambigua del testimonio personal en la virtualidad.La present investigació s'orienta cap al vincle existent entre la representació autoficcional que construeix Sergio Blanco i les narratives autoficcionals de les xarxes socials. Especialment analitza com Instagram treballa a partir de l'espectacularització de la vida quotidiana establint una estructura híbrida i un encreuament entre els relats ficticis i reals. S'inclou un abordatge sobre els orígens de l'autoficció, així com també s'estudien diferents escriptures del jo i les seves influències en altres arts al llarg de la història. Així mateix, s'investiga sobre el vincle entre l'autoficció, relat que barreja la veritat i la mentida, i la dramatització ambigua de el testimoni personal en la virtualitat