Smart contract and web dapp for tracing sustainability indicators in the textile and clothing value chain

Mestrado em Engenharia Informática na Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão do Instituto Politécnico de Viana do CasteloNa sociedade atual, o têxtil e vestuário é um dos maiores setores de mercado do mundo. O rápido crescimento desta indústria está a ter impactos sem precedentes na sustentabilidade do planeta, respondendo por consequências negativas ambientais, sociais e de saúde. As tendências da fast-fashion, juntamente com a falta de transparência na cadeia de valor têxtil global, somam-se a cenários desfavoráveis para o mundo, à medida que os níveis crescentes de poluição e consumo de recursos dentro da cadeia de valor atingem máximos históricos a cada ano que passa. O ciclo de vida de uma peça de roupa precisa de se adaptar a um modelo económico regenerativo em vez de linear, que acaba no equivalente a um caminhão de lixo de produtos têxteis sendo descartado num aterro sanitário a cada segundo [1]. Não só as indústrias precisam de reformular os seus processos para circularizar as suas cadeias de valor e promover ações sustentáveis, mas também os consumidores precisam de participar do processo de manter os produtos no círculo da cadeia de valor, pois cabe a eles decidir o destino final de um produto vestuário aquando o seu fim da vida útil. Com estas questões em mente, esta dissertação visa desenvolver duas soluções que possam mitigar os problemas a cima mencionados e promover ações sustentáveis rumo a uma economia circular na cadeia de valor do têxtil e vestuário. Uma solução business-to-business baseada em smart contracts do Hyperledger Fabric para gerir a cadeia de valor do têxtil e vestuário com funcionalidade de rastreabilidade foi desenvolvida como prova de conceito para apoiar as reivindicações de sustentabilidade dos participantes na cadeia de valor, da fibra à peça final de vestuário. A actual funcionabilidade de rastreabilidade desenvolvida no smart contract fornece aos operadores da cadeia de valor a capacidade de rastrear um lote até à sua origem, contudo, também limita a escalabilidade devido ao aumento exponencial do tamanho do bloco, especialmente se considerarmos uma cadeia de valor circular. Para os consumidores, foi proposta uma aplicação descentralizada business-to-consumer-to-consumer com elementos de eco-gamificação para promover o envolvimento e motivação do utilizador para a realização de tarefas que contribuam para a adoção de uma economia circular na cadeia de valor do têxtil e vestuário. Após testar a usabilidade da aplicação com o questionário AttrakDiff, concluiu-se que o sistema precisa de focar a sua usabilidade em prol de um produto orientado à tarefa em vez da orientação pessoal atual da aplicação a fim de promover ações que contribuam para a economia circular da cadeia de valor do têxtil e vestuário.In today’s society, Textile and Clothing (T&C) is one of the biggest market sectors world wide.The sheer size and fast growth of this industry is having unprecedented impacts on sustainability, accounting for negative environmental, social and health consequences. The fast-fashion trends along side the lack of transparency in the global T&C value chain add up to unfavorable scenarios for the world as the increas- ing levels of pollution and resource consumption within the value chain reach historic highs with every year that passes. The lifecycle of a clothing item needs to adapt to a regenerative economic model instead of a linear one that ends up in the equivalent of a garbage truck full of textiles being disposed into a landfill every second [1]. Not only do the industries need to revamp their processes to circularize their value chains and promote sustainable actions, but the consumers also need to partake in the process of keeping the products in the value chain loop as it is up to them to make the final decision upon the end-of-life of an item of clothing. With these issues in mind,this dissertation aims to develop two solutions that can mitigate the aforementioned problems and promote sustainable actions towards a circular economy in the T&C value chain. A Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Business-to-Business (B2B) T&C value chainmanagement smart contract solution builton Hyperledger Fabric with traceability features was developed to support the sustainability claims of participants in the value chain, from fiber to garment. The current traceability feature developed into the smart contract provides value chain operators the capabilities to trace a batch back to its origin, however, it also constraints scalability due to the exponential in crease in block size specially if considering a circular value chain. For the consumers, a Business-to-Consumer-to-Consumer (B2C2C) Decentralized Application (DApp) was proposed with eco-gamification elements fo rpromoting the user’s engagement and motivation to complete tasks that contribute for the adoption of a circular economy in the T&C value chain. After testing the consumer DApp’s usability with the AttrakDiff survey, it was concluded that the system needs to focus it susability towards a task-oriented product instead of the current self-oriented results in order to promote actions that contribute to the circular economy of the T&C value chain

Huawei-ZTE : one feared response to today’s telecommunications equipment market

After the global crisis that started after June 2008, companies have become more wary about maintaining solid financial positions and liquidity. This has made them start to build piles of cash, which are now very large. In addition to this, the recovery of economic growth and the increased global competition created incentives to M&A transactions to happen. Huawei and ZTE are two Chinese Telecom Equipment companies that have comparable background and compete with each other. By engaging on a merger, they would be able to enhance their revenues and cut the costs and be in a better position to face the fiercer than ever competition.Depois da crise global que teve início em Junho de 2008, as empresas passaram a preocupar-se mais com a manutenção de uma posição financeira sólida e líquida. Isto causou uma grande acumulação de meios financeiros líquidos. Além disso, a recuperação económica e o aumento da concorrência a nível global criou incentivos para integração económica. Huawei e ZTE são dois fabricantes chineses de equipamento de telecomunições, partilhando um passado semelhante. Ao procederem a uma fusão entre as duas, estas empresas poderiam potenciar receitas e reduzir custos, conseguindo colocar-se numa melhor posição para fazer face a uma concorrência mais forte do que nunca

Empirical study of user behavior on home page layouts: SAPO portal case study

The use of eye tracking in usability research has increased in the past years. The work presented in this paper reports on an empirical study that took place at the University of Aveiro. 58 participants were asked to read news on the SAPO homepage while their eye movements and mouse interaction were recorded. An analysis of their visual and interactive behavior on the news areas of interest was made as well as other areas of the homepage. Acquired results were considered, and reinforced interaction design criteria used in the reconceptualization of the actual SAPO homepage.SAPO/UA R&D Lab

Music, wellbeing and engagement in early childhood: reflections from a pilot study focused on sound as artistic matter

Recent research in Music Education and Music Psychology has established important connections between music and children's wellbeing (Hallam, 2015, 2016; Hallam, Creech & Varvarigou, 2017; Smith, 2021). Consequently, several researchers have highlighted the need to implement more inclusive and democratic practices in formal and non-formal educational contexts, involving all children in participatory and meaningful musical experiences (Benedict et al. 2015; Hess, 2017; Wright, 2015). Following this demand, some scholars have criticized hegemonic Eurocentric approaches to music education, suggesting instead a departure from sound and sounding phenomena as larger categories that might incorporate children's diverse trajectories and life experiences, and invite all children to participate in truly engaged ways (Recharte, 2019; Thumlert & Nolan, 2019; Thumlert, Harley & Nolan, 2020). This paper reports preliminary findings of a pilot study that is being developed in a Portuguese non-profit association located in the central area of Portugal. This association aims to develop inclusive and democratic projects with children from 0 to 6 years old - that are not integrated in other social facilities such as nursery schools or Kindergartens - and their respective families. One of the main goals of this association is to raise the awareness of children's rights among community members and beyond, namely the right children have to free play since their birth. The pilot study covers 12 music education sessions named "Sound Hunters", dedicated to the development of an approach to music education with an intense playful component, departing from sound as artistic matter and involving competences related to deep listening, sound exploration and experimentation. All the activities were planned and implemented in an action-research project, using a series of new devices and tools specially created and adapted to children, that could be easily explored and manipulated by them autonomously. The participants included 15 children with ages ranging from 18 months to 5 years old, the association team and the authors as facilitators. This study applied the Leuven Scales (Laevers, 2005) to assess the children's levels of involvement and wellbeing, using data from participant observation, field notes, and video and audio recordings. Results from this assessment were then triangulated with data from informal conversations and interviews with children and the association team. It was found that, during the periods of observation, children evidenced high and very high levels of wellbeing and involvement, especially manifested in their receptivity to the activities proposed during the sessions, self-confidence and self-assurance, and on their levels of attention, interest, and creativity. These findings were then corroborated by what children mentioned during the interviews and informal conversations about their personal experiences during the sessions. In this paper we argue that these findings emerge as a consequence of the opportunities offered to children to make connections with sound phenomena deeply related with their daily lives and interact collaboratively with sounds through participatory processes genuinely opened to creativity and experimentation. Finally, we discuss how this perspective might promote more meaningful and inclusive educational practices, discussing the implications and challenges posed to music education in early childhood.publishe

The development of trust in therapeutic communities and its impact on treatment adherence

A confiança é reconhecida como um elemento essencial para o estabelecimento da relação terapêutica, com um importante impacto na adesão ao tratamento. No entanto, existem poucos estudos e modelos teóricos que permitam a sua conceptualização e mensuração neste contexto. A presente investigação tem como objectivo estudar o desenvolvimento da confiança nas Comunidades Terapêuticas e o seu impacto na adesão ao tratamento. Foi adoptada uma metodologia mista e participaram nesta investigação, 231 sujeitos distribuídos por nove Comunidades Terapêuticas. Os resultados mostram a existência de dois níveis de confiança (na relação dos residentes com os técnicos e com as instituições) e apresentam-na como um elemento fundamental para o desenvolvimento da relação terapêutica e para a adesão ao tratamento.Trust is recognized as an essential element for the establishment of therapeutic relationship and has a major impact on treatment adherence. However, there are few studies and theoretical models which allow its conceptualization and measurement within this context. This research aims to study the development of trust in Therapeutic Communities and its impact on treatment adherence. It was adopted a mixed methodology and 231 subjects spread over nine Therapeutic Communities participated of the study. The results show the existence of two levels of trust (with the technical staff and with the institutions) and present it as a key element for developing therapeutic relationship and treatment adherence

Um percurso profissional no desenvolvimento e gestão de sistemas aeronáuticos

Este documento constitui o Relatório de atividades nos termos do Despacho nº 20/2010 para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Eletrotécnica e de Computadores, perfil Decisão e Controlo, para Licenciados “Pré-Bolonha”. Nele é apresentado o meu percurso académico e profissional, com o relato das responsabilidades e tarefas desempenhadas em cada função e o desenvolvimento da respetiva experiência profissional. Em particular, optou-se por desenvolver o tópico da certificação aeronáutica no contexto do projeto A400M. Ao longo do percurso profissional apresentado pode ser observado o desenvolvimento de competências alargadas na área de gestão de equipas e projetos, desenvolvimento e integração de sistemas críticos complexos, gestão de configuração e certificação de sistemas aeronáuticos, auditoria de processos operacionais e industriais e desenvolvimento e gestão de estratégias comerciais. Este percurso termina, de forma muito natural, na utilização das competências adquiridas ao ensino e aplicações de sustentabilidade de produção agrícola.This document presents the Activity Report in accordance with Order Nº. 20/2010 for obtaining a Master's degree in Electronic's Engineering, Control Systems' minor, by a "pre-Bologna" graduated student. It presents my academic and professional experience, with a detailed report of functions, responsibilities and tasks performed in each step of my professional career development. In particular, the topic of aeronautical certification is presented in a separate section, based on the A400M project. The presented professional path shows evidence of extended knowledge and skills development in the areas of project and people's management, critical systems' development and integration, configuration management, aeronautical systems' certification, audit of industrial and operational processes and strategic management. This career path ends with the application of the life-long acquired skills in the area of training and permaculture design for sustainable agriculture

Considerações sobre os deveres de cooperação e os respectivos instrumentos reactivos em sede fiscal

Dissertação de mestrado em Direito JudiciárioO presente estudo respeita aos deveres de cooperação e colaboração dos contribuintes em sede fiscal e as sanções a que estão sujeitos no caso do seu incumprimento. Pretende-se relacionar estas duas matérias que respeitam a áreas distintas do direito, a do Direito Fiscal e a do Direito das Contra-Ordenações, pelo que se constatará aqui uma ligação estreita entre as duas matérias. O presente trabalho está dividido em duas partes. Parte I, composto por quatro capítulos, e Parte II, composta por três capítulos. A Parte I respeita à imposição das obrigações tributárias acessórias e a todo o regime em torno dos deveres de cooperação e colaboração. O Capítulo I trata-se de introduzir à estrutura da relação jurídica tributária enquanto relação obrigacional complexa. O Capítulo II tem por fim revelar a evolução do modelo de gestão do sistema fiscal e concretizar as bases sobre que este, na actualidade assenta. O Capítulo III aborda os princípios constitucionais relacionados com as obrigações acessórias, o dever geral de colaboração recíproco entre os contribuinte e a Administração fiscal, a presunção de verdade dos elementos do contribuintes e, por fim as obrigações acessórias à luz da Lei Geral Tributaria, enquanto obrigações de fazer, não fazer e suportar. No Capítulo IV estão tipificadas as obrigações acessórias pertinentes em sede de IRS, IRC e IVA, que serão relacionadas com as contra-ordenações presentes na Parte II. A Parte II respeita a todo o regime relativo ao incumprimento das obrigações acessórias, sancionadas por contra-ordenações fiscais. No Capítulo I é feito um enquadramento jurídico-sancionatório, isto é, aborda-se a temática do direito sancionatório tributário, a mudança do paradigma e o que pretende fazer valer com a criação dos instrumentos reactivos fiscais. No Capítulo II expomos os princípios estruturantes presentes e relacionados com o Regime das Contra-ordenações fiscais. Por fim, no capítulo III são tipificadas as contra-ordenações relativas a que os contribuintes estão sujeitos no caso de incumprimento das obrigações acessórias dispostas na Parte I. Para além das contra-ordenações, é referido, sucintamente, o regime da avaliação indirecta a que poderão igualmente ficar sujeitos.The following review is related to all the duties of cooperation and collaboration that taxpayers must fill in tax matters and also the sanctions which they are subjected to in case they don’t comply. The goal is to relate these two different subjects that are connected with two different law sectors, Tax law and Administrative Offences Law, so here it will be noticed a close link between these two law matters. This paper is divided in two parts. Part I, which has four chapters, and Part II, which has three chapters. Part I concerns about the imposition of accessory tax obligations and the whole branch around duties of cooperation and collaboration. Chapter I is due to introduce the structure of tax relation as a obligatory complex relation. Chapter II is intended to reveal the evolution of the model of the tax management system and reveal the basis in which sets at present. Chapter III deals with the constitutional principles related to accessory obligations, the general duty of mutual collaboration between the taxpayer and tax administration, the presumption of truth of the elements of the taxpayers and, finally, the accessory obligations according to which is stated in the Portuguese General Tax Law, as obligations of “to do”, “not do” and “to bear”. In Chapter IV are typified the accessory obligations in the following taxes: IRS, IRC and IVA. These obligations will be related with the administrative offences which are stated in Part II. Part II concerns the tax administrative offences that are applied in case there are breaches to the branch of accessory obligations. In Chapter I is made a brief of the regime of tax sanctions, that is, it refers to the issue of punitive tax law, a paradigm shift and what it intends to assure with the creation of reactive fiscal instruments. In Chapter II lays out the key principles related to these matters. Finally, in Chapter III are typified the offences that taxpayers are subjected in case they don’t comply with theirs accessory obligations which are set in Part I. In addition to these sanctions, is also mentioned, briefly, the system of indirect assessment that may also be applied to taxpayers who don’t comply with their obligations

Ocupação e Consumos no Porto através do Arqueossítio da Rua de D. Hugo, nº 5 (séculos V-VIII)

A presente dissertação teve como objetivo caracterizar e interpretar os níveis de ocupação de cronologia alto-medieval identificados no nº. 5 da Rua de D. Hugo. Este arqueossítio implanta-se em pleno centro histórico da cidade do Porto e constitui um ponto de referência na sua arqueologia, tendo sido alvo de três campanhas de escavação entre 1984 e 1987. O trabalho alicerçou-se na quantificação e na descrição de um conjunto heterogéneo de materiais arqueológicos, recolhidos nas referidas escavações, tendo em vista deduzir o modo de vida e os padrões de consumo da comunidade que ocupou este espaço. O espólio é predominantemente cerâmico, tendo sido identificados exemplares de cerâmica comum, cerâmica fina e cerâmica de transporte, em graus variados de preservação. Neste estudo procurou-se determinar o número mínimo de indivíduos, as técnicas de manufatura e as formas originais destes exemplares cerâmicos, bem como as suas possíveis proveniências e cronologias. Uma vez que muitos dos registos de escavação se perderam em consequência da passagem do tempo, a cronologia dos materiais foi especialmente importante para a datação das diversas camadas estratigráficas. Mais do que uma visão estática, procurou-se determinar como se alteraram as vivências quotidianas deste espaço, ao longo das três fases de ocupação que identificámos.The aim of this dissertation was to characterize and interpret the early medieval occupation levels identified in the archaeological site known as Rua de D. Hugo, nº. 5, which is located in the historical centre of the city of Porto. It is a point of reference in the city’s archaeology, having been the subject of three excavation campaigns between 1984 and 1987. The work here presented was based on the quantification and description of a heterogeneous set of archaeological material, collected in the excavations, in order to deduce the way of life and consumption patterns of the community that occupied this space. The remains are predominantly ceramic, and examples of coarse ware, fine tableware, and transport containers, in varying degrees of preservation, have been identified. This study sought to determine the minimum number of individuals, the manufacturing techniques and the original forms of these ceramic vessels, as well as their possible provenances and chronologies. Since many of the excavation records were lost as a result of the passage of time, the chronology of the remains was especially important for the dating of the various strata. Beyond only providing a static image of the past, this work endeavoured to determine how the daily life practiced in this space changed throughout the three identified phases of occupation

Sound hunters: an invitation for a soundwalk on the local community

This worshop is based on the pilot project "Sound Hunters: Towards a Pedagogy based on Listening and Sound Exploration in Early Childhood", that the authors are implementing in a non-formal educational context in Portugal. This workshop emerges from "a double call" that has recently been made in the field of music education. A call that asks, on the one side, for a new perspective on the concept of "music" - that might include the entire soundscape that surrounds us (Landy, 2007; Solomos, 2020) - and, on the other side, for more inclusive and democratic practices in music education, that might create learning opportunities for all children (Benedict et al. 2015; Hess, 2017; Wright, 2015). In this workshop we aim to give a contribution to this double call by inviting participants for a soundwalk, that will be used as a means to (re)connect participants with the local soundscape through active and attentive listening (Clarke, 2005; Deans, Brown & Dilkes, 2005), and to introduce the idea of Sound Ecology (Schaffer, 1977; Truax, 2019; Etmektsoglou, 2019). Departing from a previously prepared roadmap, and divided into 4 small groups, participants will take a route through the conference venue, while focusing on listening to the sounds that surround them, a process that has been defined as a Soundwalk (Westerkamp, 2011; Behrent, 2018 ). This route will have several stopping points where participants will find diverse listening tools such as "prepared headphones", devices for recording and manipulate sounds, "listening acoustic cones", among others. The purpose of these apparatus is to invite and facilitate different interactions with sounds, so that participants can engage in meaningful and active listening experiences related with the surrounding soundscape. In the end, participants will share their experiences with the group in an informal conversation, where they will be invited to talk about important moments and key events experienced during the soundwalk. This conversation will be guided by the authors and aims to better understand how the soundwalk affected participants' feelings and ideas about their sonic worlds, their relationships with sounds, the local landscape and local community, and their ideas about music. At the end of the workshop it is expected that the participants might be able to: (i) Identify sound as part of each person's sensory experience; (ii) Identify, describe and compare different sounds and soundscapes; (iii) Explore, in a creative way, different sound sources and tools related to the perception and appropriation of sound; (iv) Explore the idea of Sound Ecology, relating sounds with the diverse environments in which they usually participate; (v) reflect and rethink their ideas and conceptions of "music" and "musical". Target audience: Children (2-5 years old), their families, educators, musicians, researchers and general public.publishe

Diferenças ao nível do género na adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo no pós enfarte agudo do miocárdio

O presente trabalho insere-se no âmbito de um estudo mais alargado e financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, com o POCTI n.º 35749/99 intitulado “Psychosocial outcomes in rehabilitation following myocardial infarction in Scottish and Portuguese women: A cross-cultural comparison”. Esta investigação foi efectuada numa sub-amostra desse estudo e contempla apenas a adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo ao enfarte agudo do miocárdio e algumas das variáveis utilizadas no projecto acima especificado. Assim, o objectivo principal desta investigação é avaliar as diferenças existentes ao nível do género, no processo de adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo, em doentes com enfarte agudo do miocárdio. Este estudo foi realizado numa amostra portuguesa de doentes com enfarte agudo do miocárdio, obtida em dois hospitais centrais da região norte (N=78; 46 homens e 32 mulheres). É um estudo de coorte, do tipo longitudinal correlacional/diferencial sendo os doentes avaliados em três momentos: dois dias após a admissão hospitalar; na altura da alta hospitalar (cerca de sete dias após a admissão); e quinze dias após a alta. Este estudo orienta-se pelos seguintes objectivos: Analisar as diferenças existentes entre homens e mulheres, no que respeita à adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo no pós enfarte agudo do miocárdio; descrever as representações de doença em doentes com enfarte agudo do miocárdio e compará-las ao nível do género, nos 3 momentos de avaliação; explorar a importância das variáveis sócio-demográficas e clínicas, na adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo; utilizar os resultados obtidos para fornecer pistas para o desenvolvimento de orientações para a reabilitação cardíaca a curto prazo, tendo em consideração o género. Em termos dos instrumentos de avaliação utilizados, estes foram seleccionados e adaptados para português no contexto do projecto financiado pelo FCT. Para avaliar a adaptação funcional foi utilizado o Sickness Impact Profile – SIP ; o Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – HADS para avaliar a adaptação emocional; e o Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised - IPQ-R para avaliar as representações de doença. Tendo em consideração o facto de não conhecermos estudos efectuados no nosso país que avaliassem as características psicométricas do HADS e do SIP, e apesar de não ser um objectivo principal a validação destes instrumentos atendendo ao número reduzido da amostra, são apresentados as suas características psicométricas na amostra estudada. Foram 4 as hipóteses testadas: a hipótese 1 previa diferenças significativas ao nível do género na adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo pós enfarte do miocárdio, apresentando as mulheres maiores dificuldades de adaptação que os homens; a hipótese 2 previa que a adaptação psicossocial a curto prazo fosse influenciada pelas representações de doença; a hipótese 3 previa a existência de diferenças significativas ao nível do género nas representações de doença pré alta e pós alta, apresentando as mulheres representações de doença mais negativas do que os homens nos três momentos; por último, a hipótese 4 previa que a adaptação psicossocial pós alta fosse influenciada pelos níveis de ansiedade e depressão pré alta. Dos resultados obtidos no teste de hipótese deste estudo, salientam-se a comprovação parcial da hipótese 1 em termos de adaptação funcional, verificando-se diferenças significativas ao nível do género nas sub-escalas locomoção e tarefas domésticas, apresentando as mulheres uma pior adaptação em ambas as dimensões. Ao nível da adaptação emocional, os resultados comprovam a hipótese 1, apresentando as mulheres níveis de ansiedade e depressão mais elevados ao longo dos 3 momentos de avaliação. Em termos da hipótese 2, os dados obtidos corroboram-na globalmente. Verificou-se que as representações de doença influenciam a adaptação psicossocial à doença em várias dimensões, sendo a representação emocional o predictor mais significativo. No entanto, é importante assinalar que há padrões diferenciais de predicção, segundo o momento de avaliação considerado. Ao nível da hipótese 3, os resultados encontrados confirmam a hipótese colocada para várias dimensões das representações de doença no sentido esperado. As mulheres apresentam representações de doença mais negativas nas sub-escalas identidade, duração aguda crónica, controlo tratamento, e coerência da doença. Finalmente, os dados obtidos na hipótese 4 confirmam parcialmente a hipótese testada. A ansiedade durante o internamento e na alta aparece como o predictor mais importante do estado emocional pós alta, assim como da adaptação funcional ao nível das emoções. As análises exploratórias efectuadas com variáveis clínicas revelam que a dor no peito sentida anteriormente, a classe Killip, e o tempo de internamento influenciam a adaptação psicossocial pós enfarte agudo do miocárdio, sendo de particular importância a sua identificação para promover a recuperação e a adaptação psicossocial em homens e mulheres. São discutidas as implicações destes dados para o desenvolvimento de estudos futuros e para a reabilitação cardíaca em Portugal. Estes dados piloto apontam para a necessidade de prestar atenção aos factores psicossociais na reabilitação cardíaca das mulheres pós enfarte agudo do miocárdio.This study is part of a larger study financed by the Science and Technology Foundation, POCTI 35749/99, “Psychosocial outcomes in rehabilitation following myocardial infarction in Scottish and Portuguese women: A cross-cultural comparison”. This investigation was done in a sub-sample of the larger study and adresses the short term psychosocial adaptation to an acute myocardial infarction and some of the variables used in the study mentioned above. Therefore the main aim of this investigation is to evaluate the differences that exist at the gender level, in the short term psychosocial adaptation process in patients with acute myocardial infarction. This study was conducted in a Portuguese sample of patients with acute myocardial infarction, from two central hospitals in the northern region (N = 78; 46 men and 32 women). It is a cohort study, with a longitudinal and correlational/ differential design, being the patients evaluated at three moments: two days after the hospital admission; at discharge from hospital (about seven days after admission); and two weeks after the discharge. This study is guided by the following aims: to analyse the differences between men and women, in terms of the short term psychosocial adaptation post acute myocardial; to describe the illness representations in patients with acute myocardial infarction and to compare them at the level gender, at the three evaluation moments; to explore the role of several socio-demographic and clinical variables in the short term psychosocial adaptation; to use the obtained results to generate guidelines for short term cardiac rehabilitation, considering gender. The evaluation instruments used were selected and adapted into Portuguese in the context of the project financed by FCT. To evaluate the functional adaptation the Sickness Impact Profile – SIP was used; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – HADS was used to evaluate emotional adaptation; the Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised – IPQ-R was used to evaluate illness representations. Given the fact that we have no knowledge of any studiesdone in our country regarding the evaluation of the psychometric characteristics of the HADS and SIP, and in spite of not being a major aim of this study the validation of these instruments, their psychometric characteristics in this sample are presented here. Four hypothesis were tested: Hypothesis 1 predicted significant differences at the gender level in the short term psychosocial adaptation after myocardial infarction, with women presenting more difficulties in adaptation than the men; Hypothesis 2 predicted that the short term psychosocial adaptation would be influenced by the illness representations; Hypothesis 3 predicted significant gender differences in the illness representations before and after discharge from hospital, with women presenting more negative illness representations than men at the three moments; Hypothesis 4 expected that the psychosocial adaptation after discharge from hospital would be influenced by the levels of anxiety and depression before discharge from hospital. From the results obtained in hypothesis testing, we highlight the partial confirmation of Hypothesis 1 since significant gender differences were found for the sub-scales ambulation and home management, with women presenting worse adaptation in both dimensions. At the levelemotional adjustment, the results confirm Hypothesis 1, as women presented higher levels of anxiety and depression during the three moments of evaluation. Concerning Hypothesis 2, the data supporte this hypothesis globaly indicating that the illness representations influence psychosocial adaptation to illness in several dimensions, being the emotional representation the most significant predictor. However, it is important to point out that there are differential patterns of prediction, according to the evaluation moment that is considered. Regarding Hypothesis 3, the results confirm the hypothesis for several dimensions of the illness representations in the expected direction. Women present more negative illness representations than men in the sub-scales identity, duration, treatment control, and illness coherence. Finally, the data obtained partially confirm Hypothesis 4. Anxiety during the hospital stay and at discharge from hospital appears as the most important predictor of the emotional status after discharge, as well as the functional adaptation at the emotion level. The exploratory analyses conducted with clinic variables reveal that prior chest, class Killip, and the duration of the hospital stay influence the psychosocial adaptation after the acute myocardial infarction, and their identification is important to promote the recovery and the psychosocial adaptation in men and women. The implications of these data are discussed in terms of the development of future studies and cardiac rehabilitation in Portugal. These pilot data point out the need to pay attention to psychosocial factors in cardiac rehabilitation of women after the acute myocardial infarction.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - POCTI 35749/99