BIWiki - Using a Business Intelligence Wiki to Form a Virtual Community of Practice for Portuguese Master's Students

Web 2.0 software in general and wikis in particular have been receiving growing attention as they constitute new and powerful tools, capable of supporting information sharing, creation of knowledge and a wide range of collaborative processes and learning activities. This paper introduces briefly some of the new opportunities made possible by Web 2.0 or the social Internet, focusing on those offered by the use of wikis as learning spaces. A wiki allows documents to be created, edited and shared on a group basis; it has a very easy and efficient markup language, using a simple Web browser. One of the most important characteristics of wiki technology is the ease with which pages are created and edited. The facility for wiki content to be edited by its users means that its pages and structure form a dynamic entity, in permanent evolution, where users can insert new ideas, supplement previously existing information and correct errors and typos in a document at any time, up to the agreed final version. This paper explores wikis as a collaborative learning and knowledge-building space and its potential for supporting Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs). In the academic years (2007/8 and 2008/9), students of the Business Intelligence module at the Master's programme of studies on Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence at Instituto Superior de Estatistica e Gestao de Informacao of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, have been actively involved in the creation of BIWiki - a wiki for Business Intelligence in the Portuguese language. Based on usage patterns and feedback from students participating in this experience, some conclusions are drawn regarding the potential of this technology to support the emergence of VCoPs; some provisional suggestions will be made regarding the use of wikis to support information sharing, knowledge creation and transfer and collaborative learning in Higher Education

BIWiki - Using a Business Intelligence Wiki to Form a Virtual Community of Practice for Portuguese Master's Students

Web 2.0 software in general and wikis in particular have been receiving growing attention as they constitute new and powerful tools, capable of supporting information sharing, creation of knowledge and a wide range of collaborative processes and learning activities. This paper introduces briefly some of the new opportunities made possible by Web 2.0 or the social Internet, focusing on those offered by the use of wikis as learning spaces. A wiki allows documents to be created, edited and shared on a group basis; it has a very easy and efficient markup language, using a simple Web browser. One of the most important characteristics of wiki technology is the ease with which pages are created and edited. The facility for wiki content to be edited by its users means that its pages and structure form a dynamic entity, in permanent evolution, where users can insert new ideas, supplement previously existing information and correct errors and typos in a document at any time, up to the agreed final version. This paper explores wikis as a collaborative learning and knowledge-building space and its potential for supporting Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs). In the academic years (2007/8 and 2008/9), students of the Business Intelligence module at the Master's programme of studies on Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence at Instituto Superior de Estatistica e Gestao de Informacao of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, have been actively involved in the creation of BIWiki - a wiki for Business Intelligence in the Portuguese language. Based on usage patterns and feedback from students participating in this experience, some conclusions are drawn regarding the potential of this technology to support the emergence of VCoPs; some provisional suggestions will be made regarding the use of wikis to support information sharing, knowledge creation and transfer and collaborative learning in Higher Education

Características reprodutivas de ovelhas Santa Inês cruzadas com reprodutores Dorper e Somalis brasileira.

Os cruzamentos na ovinocultura tornaram-se um importante instrumento para aumentar a velocidade de crescimento dos animais e incrementar os parâmetros reprodutivo, sendo justificadas as pesquisas que gere tecnologias. Objetivou-se, com o presente trabalho, comparar a prolificidade e a fertilidade, de ovelhas Santa Inês (SI) cruzados com as raças Dorper (DP) e Somalis Brasileira (SB). A pesquisa foi conduzida no Campo Experimental Pedro Arle, da Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros/SE. Foram utilizadas 95 ovelhas da raça SI com idade variando de dois a sete anos e peso médio de 45,3 kg, criadas em regime semi-intensivo. As fêmeas foram inseminadas por laparoscopia (IL) com sêmen congelado de dois reprodutores das raças DP, SB e SI, formando assim três grupos genéticos: GG1 : SI x SI, GG2 : DP x SI e GG3 : SB x SI. Observou-se que não houve associação entre taxa de fertilidade ao parto e o tipo de acasalamento, obtendo-se taxa média de 43,16 %. A prolificidade média foi de 1,19, não apresentando diferença significativa (P>0,05) entre grupos genéticos. Com base nos resultados, conclui-se que as ovelhas SI apresentaram razoável taxa de fertilidade ao parto, quando submetidas à Inseminação Artificial Laparoscópica em nível de campo, com indução do estro apenas pelo efeito macho; o efeito da heterose sobre a prolificidade pode ser desprezível. Reproductive characteristics of sheep Santa Inês crossed with reproducers Dorper and Somalis Brasileira. Abstract - Interbreedings from the sheep raising become an important means to increase the rapidity of animals growth and even increase reproductive parameters, the searches have been justified for the technological. Advanced development the actual performance considered to confer the prolification and the fertility sheep Santa Snês breed (SI) interbred with the Dorper (DP) and Somalis Brazilian breeds (SB). The search was conduced at experimental rural rustic camp denominated Pedro Arle, to belong to Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros/SE. It were utilized ninety five sheeps of the SI breed with age between from two to seven ages and 45,3 medium weight, they were breeding in a half-active regime. The females were inseminated by laparoscopia ( IL) with frozen semen that belongs reproducers of the DP, SB and SI breeds, producing in this manner three genetical groups: GG1: SI x SI, GG2: DP x SI and GG3: SB x SI. So it was understood that there wasn´t any association between the fertility parturition rate in comparison to mating type, obtaining consequently a medium rate of 43,16 %. The prolification average was 1,19, it didn´t present any significative diference ( p>0,05) among to geneticals groups. Basing at these results, it has been concluded that the SI sheeps showed reasonable fertlility rate for the artificial insemination laparoscopic in search level, with induction oestrum only by effect male animal; contrasting the heterose effect and prolification can be worthless

Bioinspired multilayer membranes as potential adhesive patches for skin wound healing

Bioinspired and adhesive multilayer membranes are produced using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of chitosan (CHT), alginate (ALG) and hyaluronic acid modified with dopamine (HA-DN). Freestanding multilayer membranes without DN are also produced as a control. The success of the synthesis of HA-DN was confirmed using UV-visible spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the surface of the DN-containing membranes is more porous than the control ones; they also present a higher average thickness value for the same number of CHT/ALG/CHT/HA(-DN) tetralayers (n = 100). Also, water uptake, mechanical strength and adhesion are enhanced with the introduction of DN moieties along the nano-layers. Besides, human dermal fibroblast viability, enhanced adhesion and proliferation were confirmed by immunofluorescence assays and by measuring both the metabolic activity and DNA content. Moreover, in vivo assays with such kinds of DN-containing multilayer membranes were performed; the application of these membranes in the treatment of dermal wounds induced in Wistar rats results in the highest decrease of inflammation of rat skin, compared with the control conditions. Overall, this investigation suggests that these mussel-inspired freestanding multilayer membranes may enhance either their mechanical performance or cellular adhesion and proliferation, leading to an improved wound healing process, being a promising material to restore the structural and functional properties of wounded skin.M. P. S. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support through Grant No. SFRH/BD/97606/2013. This work was supported by the European Research Council grant agreement ERC-2014-ADG-669858 for the ATLAS project. The authors acknowledge Paula Marques (Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal) for providing the mechanical equipment to carry out the tensile tests and the lap shear adhesion tests.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Software Educacional GEOA

É indiscutível a importância do conhecimento da história e geografia do país em que se vive e que o uso do computador no meio educacional é cada vez mais aceito e incentivado. O presente resumo estendido mostra o software educacional GEOA, que explora curiosidades e assuntos relacionados à história e geografia das capitais e estados brasileiros, visando facilitar o estudo das disciplinas mencionadas e assim torná-las mais agradáveis e interessante

13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared studies of the thermal decomposition of cork

The thermal decomposition of cork has been studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning (CP-MAS), high-power ‘H decoupling (HPDEC) and cross-polarization depolarization-polarization (CPDP). Waxes and other soluble components of cork begin to decompose at ca. 150°C. This is accompanied by partial decomposi tion of suberin, probably initiated at the points of attachment to the cell wall. The carbohydrates begin to decompose at ca. 200°C. The decomposition of lignin begins at 250-3OO”C, while suberin undergoes further degradation. Significant amounts of coke are formed in the process. At 400°C cork has been transformed into coke with traces of partially decomposed suberin. The thermal decomposition of cork is dependent on the calcination time, particularly in the 200-350°C range.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consumo hidrico da alfafa para produção de sementes irrigada por gotejamento no Semiárido brasileiro.

Realizou-se, no Campo Experimental de Bebedouro, pertencente à Embrapa Semiárido, Petrolina PE, um estudo com objetivo de estudar o consumo hídrico da alfafa crioula (Medicago sativa L.), irrigada por gotejamento para produção de sementes. Os espaçamentos entre plantas nas linhas de plantio foram 0,50 metros. Estudou três espaçamento de entre fileiras de plantas, 0,40, 0,6 e 0,8 metros. O sistema de irrigação foi o gotejamento, com espaçamento entre emissores de 0,30 m e vazão do emissor de 1 L.h-1. Avaliaram-se produtividades de sementes e produtividade de massa verde da parte aérea das plantas. As produtividades de sementes e matéria verde da parte aérea da planta no primeiro corte variaram entre 2,78 e 3,80 e 16,88 e 24,38 t ha-1 , respetivamente. Houve diferenças significativa, para produção de sementes. Não houve diferenças significativas para consumo hídrico e produção de matéria verde da parte aérea das plantas. Obtiveram-se maiores produtividades para os tratamentos em cultivo com fileiras espaçadas de 0,60 e 0,80 metros. Não houve diferenças significativas para consumo hídrico com diferentes espaçamentos entre fileiras de plantas

A novel hanging spherical drop system for the generation of cellular spheroids and high throughput combinatorial drug screening

We propose a novel hanging spherical drop system for anchoring arrays of droplets of cell suspension based on the use of biomimetic superhydrophobic flat substrates, with controlled positional adhesion and minimum contact with a solid substrate. By facing down the platform, it was possible to generate independent spheroid bodies in a high throughput manner, in order to mimic in vivo tumour models on the lab-on-chip scale. To validate this system for drug screening purposes, the toxicity of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin in cell spheroids was tested and compared to cells in 2D culture. The advantages presented by this platform, such as feasibility of the system and the ability to control the size uniformity of the spheroid, emphasize its potential to be used as a new low cost toolbox for high-throughput drug screening and in cell or tissue engineering.The authors thank the precious help of Alessandra Zonari and Rui Domingues for capturing the confocal images. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e para a Tecnologia through the Ph.D. grants with the references SFRH/BD/73119/2010, SFRH/BD/69529/2010 and SFRH/BD/71396/2010. We acknowledge the financial support of FEDER through the program Operacional Factores de Competitividade - COMPETE and from FCT - the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia under the project PTDC/CTM-BIO/1814/2012. We also thank the support by the European Research Council grant agreement ERC-2012-ADG 20120216-321266 for the project ComplexiTE