Percepção da qualidade nos serviços de transportes aéreos em Angola : estudo de caso da TAAG - Linhas Aéreas de Angola

Mestrado em Gestão e Estratégia IndustrialActualmente são vários os estudos dirigidos a diversas companhias aéreas, no sentido de determinar dimensões de qualidade do serviço e perceber quais delas têm maior impacto sobre a percepção dos clientes. Com este trabalho procuramos analisar e avaliar as percepções dos consumidores, o que requeria identificar as dimensões da qualidade de serviço e a percepção dos consumidores da TAAG - Linhas Aéreas de Angola, tendo como base diversos trabalhos por nós analisados. Apresentando-se como relevante pelo facto de existirem poucos (ou nenhum) trabalhos sobre a companhia aérea por nós seleccionada. Para o efeito, foi aplicado um questionário adaptado para os transportes aéreos baseado no modelo SERVPERF. Com a ajuda do Software SPSS, aplicámos a análise factorial e em seguida os testes da ANOVA e Qui-Quadrado para responder às hipóteses colocadas. Os resultados mostram cinco dimensões da qualidade percebida do serviço: protecção e segurança, comodidade (bem-estar), fiabilidade, prestatividade e empatia. Destes factores, apenas a fiabilidade e protecção e segurança têm um impacto positivo na percepção da qualidade, sendo a fiabilidade a mais importante e a protecção e segurança vista como a menos importante. O que torna os nossos resultados diferentes dos apresentados por outros autores. Por outro lado, a percepção da qualidade do serviço varia apenas em termos de frequência de voo, idade e rendimento. Quanto às outras variáveis: género, nível educacional, ocupação e estado civil, não parecem exercer influência significativa na percepção da qualidade do serviço prestado.The problem of quality in service is visible in all kinds of companies. Currently there are various studies directed at airlines, to determine dimensions of service quality and realize which ones have the greatest impact on customer service quality perception. With this work we try to analyse and evaluate consumer perceptions, which required identifying the dimensions of service quality and consumer perceptions of TAAG - Linhas Aéreas de Angola, based on various papers we reviewed. Presenting itself as relevant as there are few or no such work on the airline selected by us. For this purpose, a questionnaire adapted for air transport based on the SERVPERF model was applied. With the help of software SPSS, we applied factor analysis and then test of ANOVA and Qui-Square to meet the assumptions made. The results show five dimensions of perceived service quality: safety and security, convenience (welfare), reliability, helpfulness and empathy. Of these factors, only the reliability and safety and security have a positive impact on the perception of quality, reliability being the most important and safety and security viewed as less important. This makes our results differ from those presented by other authors. On the other hand, the perception of service quality varies only in terms of frequency of flight, age and income. Regarding the other variables: educational level, occupation, marital status and gender, they do not appear to exert significant influence on the perception of service quality

Exploiting the complexities of glioblastoma stem cells: insights for cancer initiation and therapeutic targeting

The discovery of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) in the 2000s revolutionized the cancer research field, raising new questions regarding the putative cell(s) of origin of this tumor type, and partly explaining the highly heterogeneous nature of glioblastoma (GBM). Increasing evidence has suggested that GSCs play critical roles in tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to conventional therapies. The remarkable oncogenic features of GSCs have generated significant interest in better defining and characterizing these cells and determining novel pathways driving GBM that could constitute attractive key therapeutic targets. While exciting breakthroughs have been achieved in the field, the characterization of GSCs is a challenge and the cell of origin of GBM remains controversial. For example, the use of several cell-surface molecular markers to identify and isolate GSCs has been a challenge. It is now widely accepted that none of these markers is, per se, sufficiently robust to distinguish GSCs from normal stem cells. Finding new strategies that are able to more efficiently and specifically target these niches could also prove invaluable against this devastating and therapy-insensitive tumor. In this review paper, we summarize the most relevant findings and discuss emerging concepts and open questions in the field of GSCs, some of which are, to some extent, pertinent to other cancer stem cells.J.V.C., C.S.G., and B.M.C. were supported by funds from the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013,supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the Portugal Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and by National funds,through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)—project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020

Avaliação da satisfação dos estudantes : para uma gestão de excelência num estabelecimento de ensino superior na VIª região académica – Angola

Doutoramento em GestãoEste trabalho aborda a avaliação da satisfação dos estudantes como elemento fundamental para que as Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) possam identificar os fatores considerados relevantes pelos estudantes para a escolha de uma IES, bem como os fatores ligados à experiência académica a que estes dão maior importância, e com os quais estão mais ou menos satisfeitos. Isso permitirá às IES traçar estratégias que permitam corrigir possíveis erros, melhorando assim a qualidade dos seus serviços, sendo estes, os principais objetivos do trabalho. Este estudo apresenta-se de extrema relevância uma vez que não se verificam estudos dirigidos especificamente aos estudantes, que busquem recolher a informação sobre os diversos serviços prestados pelas IES, e também pelo fato da informação destes ser relevante para a melhoria do sistema de ensino das instituições em particular, e do país, em geral. Para atingir estes objetivos e poder responder às questões de pesquisa, foi utilizado o método misto, em que se procurou através de ferramentas de âmbito qualitativo validar os resultados da pesquisa quantitativa, e teve ainda um carácter exploratório e descritivo. Da população – os estudantes da VIª Região Académica – extraiu-se um grupo 1032 estudantes para responderem a um questionário estruturado, mas destes, apenas puderam ser validados 255 questionários. Os resultados revelam que os estudantes consideram como sendo o fator mais importante para entrar no ensino superior a possibilidade de obter conhecimentos que permitam uma carreira aliciante, sendo o fator “Ter uma boa reputação” a razão da escolha de determinada instituição em particular. Embora estes resultados sejam semelhantes a alguns estudos realizados em outros países, foi possível notar a existência de um gap entre a importância e satisfação dos estudantes para com os fatores ligados a experiência académica.This work addresses the assessment of student satisfaction as a fundamental element for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to identify the factors considered relevant by students for choosing an HEI, as well as the factors related to the academic experience to which they give greater importance, and with which they are more or less satisfied. This will allow HEIs to devise strategies to correct possible errors, thus improving the quality of their services, which are the main objectives of the work. This study is extremely relevant since there are no studies specifically aimed at students, who seek to collect information about the various services provided by HEIs, and also because the information from these is relevant for improving the educational system of institutions in particular, and the country in general. To achieve these objectives and be able to answer the research questions, the mixed method was used, in which it was sought through qualitative tools to validate the results of the quantitative research, and it was also exploratory and descriptive. From the population – the students of the VI Academic Region – a group of 1032 students was extracted to answer a structured questionnaire, but of these, only 255 questionnaires could be validated. The results reveal that students consider the possibility of obtaining knowledge that allows an attractive career to be the most important factor in entering higher education, with the “Having a good reputation” factor being the reason for choosing a particular institution. Although results are similar to some studies carried out in other countries, it was possible to note the existence of a gap between the importance and satisfaction of students with the factors linked to academic experience.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cystic fibrosis-related liver disease: a single-center experience

Prospective studies concerning liver disease in pediatric cystic fibrosis patients are scarce. The present study aimed to describe the prevalence and clinical expression of cystic fibrosis - related liver disease, in a cohort of 62 pediatric patients. Descriptive study, resulting from the prospective evaluation, between 1994 and 2009, of 62 pediatric patients (age <18 years) with cystic fibrosis. The follow-up protocol included a clinical assessment every 2 months, liver function tests every 6 months and annual liver ultrasonography. The cumulative prevalence of liver disease was 11.2% (7/62 cases). All patients had ΔF508 mutation and pancreatic insufficiency, none had meconium ileus. The liver involvement became clinically evident at a mean age of 8 years (3–15 years), revealed by hepatomegaly or hepatosplenomegaly (3 cases) and/ or abnormalities of liver function tests (3 cases) changes of liver ultrasound (7 cases) with evidence of portal hypertension (2 cases). Four patients were submitted to liver biopsy; biliary fibrosis was documented in one case, focal biliary cirrhosis in 2 cases and multilobular cirrhosis in another case. Within a median 11.6 years follow-up period (all patients under UDCA therapy after liver disease diagnosis), progression of liver disease was observed in 2 patients; one patient developed refractory variceal bleeding and progressive hepatic failure, requiring liver transplant. The results of the present study agree with those of previous pediatric studies, further documenting clinical expression of liver disease in CF patients, which is usually detected in the first decade of life and emphasize the contribution of ultrasound to early diagnosis of liver involvement. Moreover, although advanced liver disease is a relatively rare event, early isolated liver transplantation may have to be considered at this age group

Emotional competence in health workers

A Competência Emocional (CE) é constituída por cinco capacidades: autoconsciência; gestão de emoções; automotivação; empatia e gestão de relacionamentos em grupos. A influência das emoções é reconhecida como um elemento estruturante quer pessoal quer profissionalmente na vida de um individuo. Em prestação de cuidados em saúde, a emoção tem um especial relevo, uma vez que se lida diariamente com a condição humana, o que gera a necessidade dos profissionais de saúde serem capazes de se autorreconhecer e controlar as próprias emoções atendendo a que desempenham funções em ambientes geradores de emoções, stress e cansaço

Use of whole blood to measure DNA damage in a group of wildland firefighter

Genotoxicity evaluation is a valuable tool for studying the most important occupational hazards allowing a reasonable epidemiological evaluation of potential health effects. Comet assay has proven to be a very sensitive Corrigendum Abstracts of the 12th International Comet Assay Workshop held at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, 29–31 August 2017 (https://icaw. vito.be/) Mutagenesis, Volume 32, Issue 6, 31 December 2017, Pages e1–e28, https://doi.org/10.1093/mutage/gex037 tool for the detection of different levels of DNA damage in human bio monitoring. Although lymphocytes are the preferred cells whole blood has been presented as a viable and easier alternative to lymphocytes in the comet assay. Its use avoids additional DNA damage from lymphocyte isolation steps and loss of cells. Portugal is among the European countries more devastated by forest fires in the summer each year. Firefighters are exposed to many toxic combustion products, including many known, probable or possible carcinogens. There are a limited number of studies evaluating genotoxic effects in firefighters results reported are inconsist ent and inconclusive. In this context, the aim of the present study was to assess DNA damage and oxidative stress in whole blood of Portuguese wildland firefighters. Study population consisted of a total of 61 non smoking male subjects, 30 firefighters and 31 control subjects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wood smoke exposure of Portuguese wildland firefighters: DNA and oxidative damage evaluation

Portugal is among the European Union countries most devastated by forest fires each year. In the last three decades, more than 3.8 million hectares of forest were burned. Wildland firefighters are exposed to a variety of hazards, including many toxic combustion products that may lead to deleterious health effects. Epidemiological studies showed a positive association between firefighting and several chronic diseases, including cancer. Results from biomonitoring studies in firefighters, particularly concerning genotoxicity evaluation, constitute a valuable tool for investigating important occupational hazards. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess genotoxicity in a group of wildland firefighters using the comet assay for DNA damage and oxidative stress. Both parameters were increased in firefighters compared to controls, but significance was only found for basal DNA damage. No significant influence was found regarding major confounding variables on the genotoxic endpoints studied, with the exception of age. Data obtained provide preliminary information on human health effects of wildland firefighting exposure at genetic and molecular levels. These findings may also provide new important data to serve as public awareness to the potential adverse health risks involving wildland firefighting. Implementation of security and hygiene measures in this sector as well as good practices campaigns may be crucial to decrease risk.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Firefighters exposure to fire emissions: Impact on levels of biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and genotoxic/oxidative-effects

Firefighters represent one of the riskiest occupations, yet due to the logistic reasons, the respective exposure assessment is one of the most challenging. Thus, this work assessed the impact of firefighting activities on levels of urinary monohydroxyl-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OHPAHs; 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1-hydroxyacenaphthene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene) and genotoxic/oxidative-effect biomarkers (basal DNA and oxidative DNA damage) of firefighters from eight firehouses. Cardiac frequency, blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation were also monitored. OHPAHs were determined by liquid-chromatography with fluorescence detection, while genotoxic/oxidative-effect biomarkers were assessed by the comet assay. Concentrations of total OHPAHs were up to 340% higher (p≤0.05) in (nonsmoking and smoking) exposed workers than in control subjects (non-smoking and non-exposed to combat activities); the highest increments were observed for 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 1-hydroxyacenaphthene (82–88% of ΣOHPAHs), and for 2-hydroxyfluorene (5–15%). Levels of biomarker for oxidative stress were increased in non-smoking exposed workers than in control group (316%; p≤0.001); inconclusive results were found for DNA damage. Positive correlations were found between the cardiac frequency, ΣOHPAHs and the oxidative DNA damage of non-smoking (non-exposed and exposed) firefighters. Evidences were raised regarding the simultaneous use of these biomarkers for the surveillance of firefighters’ health and to better estimate the potential short-term health risks.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reassessment of the Influence of Socio-demographic Variables on Hotel Choice during Pandemic

The hospitality and travel sector has been one of the most affected sectors by Covid-19, which has resulted in a significant increase in the literature addressing the impact of the health crisis on tourism activities and tourists’ perceptions and behaviours. Traditionally, socio-demographic variables have been instrumental in understanding consumers’ needs and desires. However, during the pandemic, it has been unveiled that social and economic profiles have started to influence how tourists make decisions. Since studies on the changes in hotel choice during and after Covid-19 are still scarce, this article aims to assess the influence of socio-demographic variables on hotel choice based on data collected during the peak phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. A quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire that reached an international sample of 1113 individuals. The ANOVA and the t-test analysis results point out that socio-demographic variables under study are responsible for several differences in the evaluation of hotels. These findings reinforce socio-demographic attributes’ capability to understand customers’ preferences and decision-making despite the context