Satisfação e lealdade dos estudantes que frequentam os Cursos Técnicos Superiores Profissionais: o caso do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança

Mestrado APNORCom o aumento do número de estudantes que frequentam o ensino superior e a competitividade existente entre estas mesmas instituições, é necessário que exista por parte das instituições um conhecimento sobre a perceção dos seus clientes em relação à satisfação e à lealdade. A presente investigação empírica tem como objetivo principal analisar a satisfação e a lealdade dos estudantes que frequentam os Cursos Técnicos Superiores Profissionais (CTeSP) do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. Este estudo adotou uma abordagem quantitativa através da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário aos estudantes dos CTeSP. Aplicaram-se inquéritos aos 370 estudantes matriculados nos referidos cursos, tendo-se assumido um erro amostral final de 3,1% e um nível de significância de 5%. Os resultados revelaram que a localização geográfica é o fator mais importante na escolha da instituição; a principal via de informação para terem conhecimento dos CTeSP foram os colegas/amigos; revelam que estudantes se encontram bem informados no momento da candidatura; a maioria dos estudantes recomendaria o Instituto Politécnico de Bragança a um amigo e uma percentagem elevada pretende continuar o seu percurso académico no Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. Em termos globais, verificou-se que não existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas por unidade orgânica nem por variável sociodemográfica relativamente à Satisfação Global, ou seja, não existem diferenças logo as hipóteses não são validadas. Em concreto, no que diz respeito ao local/CTeSP onde é ministrado o CTeSP existem diferenças quanto à Satisfação Global. Quanto à escolha do IPB não interessa estar informado para ter escolhido este como primeira opção, mas para a escolha do CTeSP é necessário estar informados para a escolha deste. Confirmou-se ainda a existência de uma associação positiva entre as variáveis “relação do CTeSP com o Instituto Politécnico de Bragança” e “Satisfação Global” e as variáveis “recomendaria o Instituto Politécnico de Bragança a um amigo”, “pretende continuar o seu percurso no IPB” e “Satisfação Global”, tal significa que se encontram relacionadas, uma variável depende da outra. Por último, verificou-se que não existe uma associação entre a “residência à data de candidatura no Instituto Politécnico de Bragança” e o “CTeSP que frequenta”, ou seja, não existe relação entre estas variáveis, pois os estudantes não escolhem o CTeSP que frequentam tendo em conta a residência que tinham à data de candidatura.With the increase of the number of students attending higher education and the competitiveness existing between these same institutions, it is necessary for the Institutions to have knowledge about the perception of their clients in relation to satisfaction and loyalty. The main objective of the present empirical research is to analyse the satisfaction and loyalty of students who attend the Professional Technical Higher Courses (CTeSP) at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança. This study adopted a quantitative approach through the application of a survey to students from CTeSP. Surveys were applied to the 370 students enrolled in these courses, with a final sample error of 3.1% and a significance level of 5%. The results showed that the geographical location is the most important factor in the choice of the institution; the main way of information was colleagues/friends; reveal that students are well informed at the time of application; most of the students would recommend the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança to a friend and a high percentage intends to continue their academic course in the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança. Overall, it was found that there are no statistically significant differences per school or sociodemographic variable with respect to Global satisfaction, that is, there are no differences as soon as the hypotheses are not validated. Specifically, with respect to the location/CTeSP where the CTeSP is administered there are differences regarding Global Satisfaction. Regarding the choice of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança does not matter to be informed to have chosen this as the first option but for the choice of the CTeSP it is necessary to be informed for the choice of this one. It was also confirmed the existence of a positive association between the variables “relation of the CTeSP with the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança” and “Global Satisfaction” and the variables “would recommend the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança to a friend”, “intends to continue its course in the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança” and “Global Satisfaction”, this means that they are related, one variable depends on the other. Finally, it was verified that there is no association between the “residence at the date of application in the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança” and the "CTeSP that attends", that is to say there is no relation between these variables, since the students do not choose the CTeSP that they attend taking into account the residence they had at the time of application

Aerobic physical exercise versus dual-task cognitive walking in cognitive rehabilitation of people with stroke: a randomized clinical trial

Introduction: Stroke is a neurological deficit caused by an acute focal injury to the central nervous system due to vascular injury that can result in loss of neurological function, lasting brain damage, long-term disability and, in some cases, death. The literature reports that aerobic physical exercise, as well as dual-task cognitive walking, are used for the cognitive recovery of people with stroke. We aimed to assess whether aerobic physical exercise influences post-stroke cognitive recovery, namely performance on selective and sustained attention. We tested the hypothesis that post-stroke aerobic physical exercise leads to more significant gains than post-stroke dual-task cognitive walking. Methods: We used a Randomized Clinical Trial, single-blind, parallel group, to verify the existence of differences between two groups. A total of 34 patients with subacute to chronic stroke were divided into two groups to train three times a week for 12 weeks: the aerobic physical exercise (PE) group engaged in 20 min on a treadmill, 20 min on a stationary bicycle and 5 min on a desk bike pedal exerciser per session; the dual-task (DT) gait exercise group walked for 45 min while simultaneously performing cognitive tasks per session. All participants were assessed on cognitive functioning with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and d2 Test of Attention before acute interventions and post interventions. We have also applied a Visual Analog Scale to monitor the participants’ perceived difficulty, pre-, post-acute, and post-chronic interventions. Participants also responded to a Borg Scale of perceived exertion following the acute and the final session of chronic training. Results: A mixed model ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect with a large effect size for most of the cognitive variables under study. The variables associated with the d2 Test of Attention showed significant differences between the groups, mainly from T0 to T2. Also for MMSE, an ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect with significant improvements from T0 to T2. Our results strongly suggest that aerobic physical exercise is more beneficial than dual-task cognitive-gait exercise since in the PE group, cognitive attention scores increase, and cognitive impairment and perception of exertion decrease, compared to the DT group. Conclusion: These findings support that PE provides more significant benefits for patients post-stroke when compared to DT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cognitive benefits of exercise: is there a time-of-day effect?

It is well established that physical activity benefits cognition. Further, the time of day one engages in physical activity has been suggested to influence cognition. Here, we aimed to understand if there is a time-of-day effect (morning or afternoon) of physical activity on cognition, i.e., if exercising in the morning or afternoon might bring greater cognitive benefits. A total of 56 participants were allocated to one of two groups with the same baseline cognitive performance as well as fitness level (International Physical Activity Questionnaire—IPAQ): 27 to the morning intervention (M) group; and 29 to the afternoon intervention (A) group. In both groups, the participants engaged in an intermittent recovery test (Yo-yo), 4 times a week for 12 weeks. All participants were assessed with the d2 Test of Attention and the Borg scale of perceived exertion pre- and post- acute and chronic intervention. After the first bout of exercise and after 12 weeks, we observed cognitive improvements both in the M and A groups. Surprisingly, we do not find differences between the time of day regarding cognitive benefits. Our results do not support the existence of a time-of-day effect for the attentional cognitive benefits of exercise.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chitosan and polyethylene glycol based membranes with antibacterial properties for tissue regeneration

The prevention of microbial infections associated with implantable medical devices and superficial wounds represents one of the main research strategies in the field of biomaterials. The present study reports on the development of composite membranes of Chitosan (CS)-Polyethylene glycol (PEG) matrix, incorporating particles of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), zinc oxide (ZnO) and copper oxide (CuO). The properties that are relevant for intended applications in tissue regeneration and antibacterial coatings of implants were assessed. It was found that the addition of 1% (w/w - relative to the mass of CS) of each metal oxide promoted satisfactory bacteriostatic activity and exhibited no cytotoxic effects towards the Vero cell line. The formation of bonds between the CS/PEG matrix and ionic species from the powders enhanced the cross-linking degree and mechanical properties of composite membranes in comparison to the non-doped membrane with the same polymer matrix (CS/PEG = 70/30%). A gradual degradation of the composite membranes over the immersion time in simulated body fluid (SBF) was accompanied by a continuous surface deposition of uniform apatite layer.publishe

Cognitive Factors and Gender Related to Self-reported Difficulties in Older Drivers

The purpose of this study is to determine the association between selfreported driving difficulties among older drivers and scores on specific cognitive tests. A cross-sectional study of 38 car drivers (22 men and 16 women), aged 61- 81 was carried out. The participants were volunteers recruited from two senior universities and a university health program for older drivers, in the area of Lisbon, Portugal. A battery of visual, psychomotor and cognitive measures was undertaken with a questionnaire about driving difficulties in a sample of healthy older adults. Difficulties in driving were the dependent variable in this study, defined as any reported difficulty in ≥ 4 driving situations. After a multivariate analysis, the independent factors significantly associated with driving difficulties were divided attention subtest of UFOV® (p=0.013), number of trials with success in the Tower of London (p=0.015) and gender (p=0.021). The drivers that reported difficulties in ≥ 4 driving situations made significantly less trials with success in the Tower of London test, had lower performances in divided attention between central and peripheral targets, and were more frequently females. Results suggest that planning ability, divided visual attention and gender are three important factors to be considered in the analysis of driving difficulties. However, further investigation with additional cognitive tests and driving measures (staterecorded crashes, driving simulator and on-road driving performance) could be developed in order to understand the factors related to driving difficulties in healthy older drivers

Effect of sonic agitation of a binary mixture of solvents on filling remnants removal as an alternative to apical enlargement — a micro-CT study

Background: This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sonic agitation of a binary mixture of solvents (methyl ethyl ketone/tetrachloroethylene) on filling remnants removal and compare the effects of solvent agitation with the enlargement to the next instrument size. Methods: Twenty-four mandibular incisors were prepared with ProTaper Next (X1, X2) and obturated with the single-cone technique and AH Plus sealer. The teeth were retreated with ProTaper Universal Retreatment and ProTaper Next and divided into two groups (n = 12) according to the final instrument (X3 or X4). All canals were submitted to a supplementary procedure consisting of a mixture of solvents―methyl ethyl ketone/tetrachloroethylene, agitated with EndoActivator. The volume of filling remnants was assessed through micro-computed tomography in the apical 5 mm. Statistical analysis was performed with a significance level of 5%. Results: The supplementary procedure of agitation of the solvent mixture was beneficial in both groups (p p > 0.05). Conclusions: An additional step with a two-solvent solution potentiated by EndoActivator showed to be very effective for the removal of gutta-percha and resinous sealer remnants from apical root canals of mandibular incisors, avoiding further enlargement.This article was supported by National Funds through FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, I.P., within CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UIDB/4255/2020)

Dried blood spots in clinical lipidomics: optimization and recent findings

Dried blood spots (DBS) are being considered as an alternative sampling method of blood collection that can be used in combination with lipidomic and other omic analysis. DBS are successfully used in the clinical context to collect samples for newborn screening for the measurement of specifc fatty acid derivatives, such as acylcarnitines, and lipids from whole blood for diagnostic purposes. However, DBS are scarcely used for lipidomic analysis and investigations. Lipidomic stud ies using DBS are starting to emerge as a powerful method for sampling and storage in clinical lipidomic analysis, but the major research work is being done in the pre- and analytical steps and procedures, and few in clinical applications. This review presents a description of the impact factors and variables that can afect DBS lipidomic analysis, such as the type of DBS card, haematocrit, homogeneity of the blood drop, matrix/chromatographic efects, and the chemical and physi cal properties of the analyte. Additionally, a brief overview of lipidomic studies using DBS to unveil their application in clinical scenarios is also presented, considering the studies of method development and validation and, to a less extent, for clinical diagnosis using clinical lipidomics. DBS combined with lipidomic approaches proved to be as efective as whole blood samples, achieving high levels of sensitivity and specifcity during MS and MS/MS analysis, which could be a useful tool for biomarker identifcation. Lipidomic profling using MS/MS platforms enables signifcant insights into physiological changes, which could be useful in precision medicine.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lipids and phenylketonuria: current evidences pointed the need for lipidomics studies

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is the most prevalent inborn error of amino acid metabolism. The disease is due to the deficiency of phenylalanine (Phe) hydroxylase activity, which causes the accumulation of Phe. Early diagnosis through neonatal screening is essential for early treatment implementation, avoiding cognitive impairment and other irreversible sequelae. Treatment is based on Phe restriction in the diet that should be maintained throughout life. High dietary restrictions can lead to imbalances in specific nutrients, notably lipids. Previous studies in PKU patients revealed changes in levels of plasma/serum lipoprotein lipids, as well as in fatty acid profile of plasma and red blood cells. Most studies showed a decrease in important polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely DHA (22:6n-3), AA (20:4n-6) and EPA (20:5n-6). Increased oxidative stress and subsequent lipid peroxidation have also been observed in PKU. Despite the evidences that the lipid profile is changed in PKU patients, more studies are needed to understand in detail how lipidome is affected. As highlighted in this review, mass spectrometry-based lipidomics is a promising approach to evaluate the effect of the diet restrictions on lipid metabolism in PKU patients, monitor their outcome, namely concerning the risk for other chronic diseases, and find possible prognosis biomarkers.publishe

Anti-saccades in early stages of multiple sclerosis

Eye movements disability is common finding in multiple sclerosis but the exact stage at which changes are visible is not clear. The aim of study was to assess if anti-saccade planning and execution are altered at early stages of the disease.TEM-All with the Mutiple Sclerosis, Braga, Portugalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation disorders: from disease to lipidomic studies—a critical review

Fatty acid oxidation disorders (FAODs) are inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) caused by defects in the fatty acid (FA) mitochondrial β-oxidation. The most common FAODs are characterized by the accumulation of medium-chain FAs and long-chain (3-hydroxy) FAs (and their carnitine derivatives), respectively. These deregulations are associated with lipotoxicity which affects several organs and potentially leads to life-threatening complications and comorbidities. Changes in the lipidome have been associated with several diseases, including some IEMs. In FAODs, the alteration of acylcarnitines (CARs) and FA profiles have been reported in patients and animal models, but changes in polar and neutral lipid profile are still scarcely studied. In this review, we present the main findings on FA and CAR profile changes associated with FAOD pathogenesis, their correlation with oxidative damage, and the consequent disturbance of mitochondrial homeostasis. Moreover, alterations in polar and neutral lipid classes and lipid species identified so far and their possible role in FAODs are discussed. We highlight the need of mass-spectrometry-based lipidomic studies to understand (epi)lipidome remodelling in FAODs, thus allowing to elucidate the pathophysiology and the identification of possible biomarkers for disease prognosis and an evaluation of therapeutic efficacyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio