Social work through the ages: The case study of Portuguese higher education

Social Work is an academic discipline that promotes social development and change, social cohesion, empowerment, and human improvement. The values of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility, and respect for diversity are essential to social work. Embedded in the social sciences and humanities but endowed with its own conceptual framework, social work connects people with social structures to respond to life's challenges and improve personal and social well-being. The present study aims to explore and understand how curriculum design, reflects the emergence and institutionalization of Social Work within the framework of the Social Sciences and Humanities and the theoretical-methodological evolution of Social Work. To this end, it was necessary to explore and understand how higher education curricular proposals problematize the social construction not only of their theory, but also of their own methodologies and practices. For that purpose, a documentary analysis was carried out covering all the curricular plans of higher education in Social Work in Portugal, between 2009 and 2015. The results point to the existence of an articulation between qualification and the global standards for the education and training of the social work profession, which has repercussions on the definition of competences and the very status of the profession. There is a clear evolution not only in terms of professional competences, but also in the fields of activity. There is a consistent movement towards higher education in Social Work, together with the development not only of the profession itself but also of the social and human sciences.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Portuguese average cost of capital

The oldest Portuguese share index still being calculated is the BVL/PSI-General, one which started the daily series on 5/Jan/1988 with a base value of 1000 points. Everyday a single value is computed based on the closing prices of all the shares included in the sample. Also, all corporate events affecting the price of any share beyond market sentiment are taken into account through proper adjustments, either in the numerator or the denominator of the formula. However, for dates before January 1988, there is nothing comparable to this index since the two different series known either never disclosed the methodology adopted to calculate the index or followed solutions not compatible with the above index. The present paper explains the solutions adopted to replicate as closely as possible the methodology of the BVL-General index to the main market of the Lisbon Exchange for the period 1978 – 1987. This is the first estimate of the historical Equity Risk Premium in Portugal above short-term risk-free rate from the re-opening of the market following the Carnation Revolution (and the accompanying nationalizations), to the present. In showing a value of the same order of magnitude found in other countries, the paper invites further studies on the effects of political decisions such as privatizations and joining the European Union

A intervenção do AS na atribuição de prestações sociais com recurso a plataformas eletrónicas

A ação social no ensino superior português é empreendida através dos serviços de ação social das instituições de ensino superior públicas. A candidatura, estudo dos processos e a atribuição de bolsas aos estudantes candidatos a esta prestação social, é integralmente realizada numa plataforma eletrónica de gestão centralizada, cujos resultados podem ser dados para alguns processos sem intervenção humana. Perante esta nova realidade, pretende-se aferir em que situações há intervenção do Assistente Social para retificação dos dados inseridos nos processos, e qual o impacto dessa intervenção no resultado e no valor final da prestação social atribuída. O estudo exploratório, foi realizado com recurso aos dados de caraterização do ano letivo 2015/2016, tendo como base as declarações prestadas pelos estudantes candidatos a bolsa de estudo na Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). Os casos recolhidos da plataforma, foram tratados através do programa SPSS (Statistics 23), ordenados por número de candidatura, de onde foi extraída, aleatoriamente a amostra, de 5 em 5 casos, num total de 581 casos (20,45%), de entre 2841 candidaturas. Da análise dos dados estatísticos foram identificados os vários motivos que levaram à alteração do resultado após a intervenção do Assistente Social, nomeadamente, o pedido adicional de documentos para retificação da origem e do detalhe sobre os rendimentos familiares. A intervenção do Assistente Social alterou os resultados dos processos em 36% dos casos analisados.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Diversity in higher education: Students' grits and fears

Framework: Demographic changes, which have taken on a new paradigm after the COVID-19 pandemic, have led researchers to approach diversity with a focus on gaining a competitive advantage. Therefore, one of the objectives is to obtain knowledge regarding the new generations in the changing landscape of education, which requires attention to the needs of teaching a multicultural audience (Unruh & McCord, 2010). With globalization and the migration of people from different backgrounds to different countries, classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse, which means that teachers need to be prepared to work with students who have different cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as different experiences and learning styles. In this sense, it becomes urgent to get to know the students who make up the University, so that we can understand the diversity in each of the domains that make up the MGUD-S scale, in the dimensions of Diversity of Contact with others, Relativistic Appreciation, and Comfort with Differences, which require adequate measurement of attitudes and dispositions towards diversity. Objective: Our aim is to validate the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (MGUD-S) for the Portuguese population, specifically for higher education students, and it has been applied in institutions of higher education in Portugal in the field of Social Sciences. Methodology: During the period from November 2021 to January 2022, the survey was administered to 820 students from various academic programs and courses, during a time of adaptation to the new reality of physical presence in classrooms. The MGUD-S scale comprises three subscales that evaluate the corresponding dimensions of Diversity of Contact, Relativistic Appreciation, and Comfort with Differences. Structural equation modeling, specifically confirmatory factor analysis, was employed to validate the adaptation and translation of the scale. Results: The final sample consisted of 820 Portuguese university students from the Social Sciences area. In terms of age range, 54.1% belonged to the 17-20 age group, while 37.3% were from the 21-25 age group. 83.4% were Portuguese, 7.9% were from African countries, and 7.6% were Brazilian. 88.4% were undergraduate students, and 11.1% were graduate students. Regarding gender, females predominated with 62.2%. The factorial validity of the Portuguese adaptation of the MGUDS-Short Form scale was performed, and the three-factor model was composed of 14 out of the original 15 items, showing reasonable goodness-of-fit. Implications: We believe that the validation of the MGUD-S scale for the Portuguese language is crucial to measure and understand attitudes and dispositions towards cultural and linguistic diversity among higher education students in Portugal. Understanding students' diversity is essential to promote an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment, which can have a significant impact on academic success and student satisfaction. Furthermore, adapting teaching methods and materials to meet the needs of students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds can improve the quality of education and prepare students for the increasingly diverse and globalized world we live in.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Pulmonary artery resuscitation for isolated ductal origin of a pulmonary artery

ObjectiveDuctal origin of a pulmonary artery (DOPA) is commonly misdiagnosed as agenesis of a pulmonary artery (PA), which may result in inadequate treatment. The objective is to describe the results of resuscitation of unilateral DOPA.MethodsThis study is a retrospective review of all patients with unilateral DOPA who underwent PA resuscitation at Texas Children's Hospital from 1993 to 2012. Patients with other cardiac or contralateral lung anomalies were excluded.ResultsTen patients, median age 2 years (range, 3 days to 9 years), with unilateral DOPA were included. Symptoms were present in 6 patients. Cardiac catheterization was performed in all and showed a patent duct or a ductal stump in most patients and a small PA on wedge angiography of the pulmonary veins. Two patients underwent single-stage centralization. The other 8 underwent ductal stenting (n = 2) or a systemic-to-PA shunt (n = 6) as the first stage before centralization. The 2 patients with ductal stenting developed pulmonary edema. The 2 patients with a cryopreserved vein shunt developed early thrombosis requiring reintervention. Nine patients have undergone centralization. Six patients have required further interventional procedures. There have been no deaths. Symptoms and lung hypoplasia have improved in all patients. Median relative lung perfusion at follow-up was 26% (range, 12%-46%) with significant improvement in the size of the affected PA.ConclusionsPA resuscitation is effective at restoring flow to the affected lung resulting in improved diameter of the PA, lung growth, and resolution of symptoms. PA resuscitation should be considered in all children with DOPA, including those beyond infancy

Efecto de la temperatura sobre la transferencia de agua durante la deshidratación osmótica de papa (Solanum tuberosum L.)

El principal objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar la cinética de deshidratación osmótica de papa (Solanum Tuberosum L.). Se comparó el ajuste de los datos experimentales con el modelo cinético fenomenológico y con el modelo de Azuara. Para ello, en cubos de 1 cm de arista se evaluó el efecto de la temperatura (30 ºC, 40 ºC y 50 ºC) sobre los coeficiente de difusión efectiva del agua y sólidos. Se determinó la pérdida de peso de agua y la ganancia de sólidos. Las mayores pérdidas de agua se obtuvieron a la temperatura de 50 ºC. Se calcularon los parámetros cinéticos ajustándose adecuadamente a los modelos matemá- ticos respectivos para la pérdida de agua y la ganancia de sólidos. Asimismo, se determinó la energía de activación mediante la ecuación de Arrhenius siendo superior la energía de activación para la difusión en la ganancia de sólidos.The main purpose for this work is to study the osmotic dehydration kinetics of potatoes (Solanum Tuberosum L.). Thus, a comparison of fitness for the experimental data related to the phenomenological kinetic model and Azuara’s model was made. When applying to 1 cm size potatoes cubes, effect of temperature (30 ºC, 40 ºC and 50ºC) on effective diffusivity coefficients for both water and solids was measured. Water weight loss and solids increase was determined. The highest water loss occurred at 50 º C. The different models kinetics parameters were calculated and a good fitness to mathematical respective relationships was obtained, both for water loss and solids increments. Furthermore, activation energy when applying Arrhenius equation was calculated, being higher for the diffusivity of solids gain.Fil: Silva Paz, Reynaldo Justino. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios; ArgentinaFil: Della Rocca, Patricia A.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Tisocco, Osvaldo D.. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ciencias de la Alimentación; ArgentinaFil: Mascheroni, Rodolfo Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones en Criotecnología de Alimentos (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentin

Theoretical and experimental insights into the complexation of 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate with divalent ions of Group 12 metals

The complexation of 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid with cadmium(II) and mercury(II) has been studied in aqueous solutions using UV/visible absorption, fluorescence and 1H NMR spectroscopy, accompanied by DFT calculations. Results are compared with the behavior of zinc(II) and show in all cases the dominant formation of a 1:2 (metal:ligand) complex. DFT calculations under PCM (water) conditions indicate a preference for hexacoordinated metal centers with two ligands and two water molecules. However, while the zinc(II) complex has a square bipyramidal geometry, with the two 8-HQS ligands and metal in the same plane and two coordinated water molecules mutually trans, with cadmium(II) and mercury(II), the isomers in which the water molecules are in the cis geometry are more stable. Changes in UV–Vis absorption, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence intensity are observed on complexation. Fluorescence quantum yields follow the order Zn/8-HQS Hg/8-HQS. We believe two competing factors may be involved: an increase in fluorescence on going from Zn(II) to Cd(II) due to increased stability, and a decrease on going increasing atomic number of the metal ion due to the heavy atom effect which increases intersystem crossing. Triplet state quantum yields were measured for the Zn(II) and Cd(II) complexes, and the value for the cadmium(II) complex is higher, in agreement with the heavy atom effect. However, the sum of fluorescence and triplet quantum yields in these cases is less than unity. It is suggested that there is a competing non-radiative route for deactivation of the excited state through ligand or solvent exchange. This provides a ready explanation of increased fluorescence yields when metal/8-HQS complexes are immobilized in solid matrices

Modeling of Soybean under Present and Future Climates in Mozambique

Citation: Talacuece, M. A. D., Justino, F. B., Rodrigues, R. D., Flores, M. E. P., Nascimento, J. G., & Santos, E. A. (2016). Modeling of Soybean under Present and Future Climates in Mozambique. Climate, 4(2), 14. doi:10.3390/cli4020031This study aims to calibrate and validate the generic crop model (CROPGRO-Soybean) and estimate the soybean yield, considering simulations with different sowing times for the current period (1990-2013) and future climate scenario (2014-2030). The database used came from observed data, nine climate models of CORDEX (Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment)-Africa framework and MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications) reanalysis. The calibration and validation data for the model were acquired in field experiments, carried out in the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 growing seasons in the experimental area of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Angonia, Mozambique. The yield of two soybean cultivars: Tgx 1740-2F and Tgx 1908-8F was evaluated in the experiments and modeled for two distinct CO2 concentrations. Our model simulation results indicate that the fertilization effect leads to yield gains for both cultivars, ranging from 11.4% (Tgx 1908-8F) to 15% (Tgx 1740-2Fm) when compared to the performance of those cultivars under current CO2 atmospheric concentration. Moreover, our results show that MERRA, the RegCM4 (Regional Climatic Model version 4) and CNRM-CM5 (Centre National de Recherches Meteorologiques - Climatic Model version 5) models provided more accurate estimates of yield, while others models underestimate yield as compared to observations, a fact that was demonstrated to be related to the model's capability of reproducing the precipitation and the surface radiation amount

Qualidade do leite caprino antes da aplicação de Boas Práticas Agropecuárias: estudo de casos.

Objetivou-se avaliar o perfil bacteriano total do leite caprino associado ao nível de adoção de práticas higiênicas durante a ordenha, em vinte e quatro Unidades Produtoras (UP) no município de Monteiro-PB. As coletas foram realizadas diretamente do latão de leite de cada produtor, após a ordenha e durante três dias consecutivos, totalizando assim, setenta e duas amostras. As amostras de leite foramacondicionadas em frascos plásticos contendo o conservante Azidiol e enviados ao laboratório da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco pertencente à Rede de Laboratórios de Controle da Qualidade do Leite (RBQL) em Recife - PE para a contagem bacteriana total (CTB). Para avaliação do manejo de ordenha, os dados primários foram coletados utilizando-se um questionário. As propriedades foram agrupadas segundo o nível de adoção de práticas higiênicas realizadas na ordenha, em bom, regular e ruim. Observou-se, que 29,2% das propriedades foram consideradas boas, 46,0% foram classificadas em regulares e 25,0%, em ruins.Verificou-se, que 20,8% das UP apresentaram médias superiores a 1500.000 UFC/mL, valor considerado alto. Apenas 25,0% das propriedades avaliadas encontram-se dentro do limite estabelecido pela legislação que é de 500.000 UFC/mL. Acredita-se que a inclusão de novas tecnologias visando à adoção de medidas corretas durante o processo da ordenha é essencial, por melhorar a qualidade e a padronização da higiene do leite. Atenção especial deverá ser dada também a água utilizada durante o procedimento de obtenção do leite. Goat Milk Quality Prior to Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices: Case Studies. Abstract: This study aimed to assess the total bacterial profile of goat milk associated with level of adoption of hygienic practices during milking, in twenty-four Production Units (PU) in the town of Miller-PB. The samples were taken directly from the tin of milk from each producer, and after milking for three consecutive days, thus totaling seventy-two samples. Milk samples were packed in plastic bottles containing the preservative and sent to the laboratory azidiol Federal Rural University of Pernambuco belongs to the Network Laboratories Quality Control of Milk (RBQL) in Recife - PE for total bacterial count (CTB). To evaluate the management of milking, the primary data were collected using a questionnaire. The properties were grouped according to level of adoption of hygienic practices during milking performed in good, fair and poor. It was observed that 29.2% of properties were considered good, 46.0% were classified as regular and 25.0% in ruins.Verificou is that 20.8% of PU had averages exceeding 1500,000 CFU / mL, which is considered high Only 25.0% of the properties are within the limit established by legislation that is 500,000 CFU / mL. It is believed that the inclusion of new technologies towards the adoption of correct measures in the process of milking is essential for improving the quality and standardization of milk hygiene. Special attention should also be given to water used during the procedure of getting the milk

Synthesis and characterization of push-pull bithiophene and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene derivatives bearing an ethyne linker as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells

Five push-pull heterocyclic dyes 4-7, and 9 were synthesized and characterized in order to study the variations in the optical, electronic and photovoltaic properties induced by structural modifications, i.e. different spacer units and anchoring groups. The final push-pull conjugated dyes 6-7 and 9 are formed by a N,N-dimethylaniline donor moiety conjugated with bithiophene, ethynyl-bithiophene or ethynyl-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene spacers and cyanoacetic acid or rhodanine-3-acetic acid as anchoring group. The synthesis of the precursor aldehydes 4-5 was accomplished through a Sonogashira coupling, on the other hand, compound 8 was prepared by Suzuki coupling. Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes 4, 5 and 8 with cyanoacetic acid or rhodamine-3-acetic acid afforded the final push-pull dyes 6, 7 and 9. Information on conformation, electronic structure and electron distribution was obtained by DFT and TDDFTcalculations. This multidisciplinary study regarding the evaluation of the optical, redox and photovoltaic properties of the dyes reveals that compound 7, bearing an ethynyl-bithiophene spacer conjugated with a cyanoacetic acid anchoring group, has the highest conversion efficiency (3.51 %) as dye sensitizer in nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cells. Co-adsorption studies were also performed for dyes 6-7 with N719 as co-adsorbent, and this enhanced dye efficiencies by 33-45 %. The best cell performance was obtained by co-adsorbing N719 and dye 7 (75/25 vol%) with 4.66 % efficiency.Laboratory for Advanced Computing at the University of CoimbraThanks are due to: Fundaçao para a Ci ~ encia e a Tecnologia for ^ PhD grants to S. S. M. Fernandes (SFRH/BD/87786/2012), and I. Mesquita (PD/BD/105985/2014) and a postdoctoral grant to L.L.G.Justino. (SFRH/BPD/97026/2013); FEDER-COMPETE for financial support through the CQ/UM PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP- 01-0124-FEDER-037302); European Research Council (Contract no: 321315) for funding. H. D. Burrows are grateful for funding from Centro de Química de Coimbra, which is supported by the FC through the programmes UID/QUI/UI0313/2013 and COMPETE. The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance III 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased within the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment, contract REDE/1517/ RMN/2005 with funds from POCI 2010 (FEDER) and FCT. The authors also thank the Laboratory for Advanced Computing at the University of Coimbra for providing computing resources that have contributed to the research results reported in this paper (URL http://www.lca.uc.pt). The authors would like also to acknowledge A. I. Pereira for sequential co-adsorption devices and Dr. D. Ivanou for IPCE experiments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio