Desenvolvimento de Habilidades e Competências Através do Ensino Superior

Esse artigo aborda a questão do desenvolvimento de competências, objetivo que sempre foi buscado pelo ensino mas que hoje apresenta um caráter de urgência maior. A partir de um estudo realizado numa instituição de ensino superior na Bahia, fica demonstrado que uma das formas de fazer com que os alunos despertem para a necessidade de monitorar a sua própria aprendizagem, ou seja , do desenvolvimento de sua competência, é lhe proporcionar uma forma de aferir o resultado de sua aprendizagem numa situação real, no mundo real onde suas competências serão requeridas

SIG Contribution in the Making of Geotechnical Maps in Urban Areas

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has spread to several science areas, from oceanography to geotechnics. Its application in the urban mapping was intensified in the last century, which allowed a great development, due to the use of geographic database, new analysis tools and, more recently, free open source software. Geotechnical cartography struggle with a permanent and large environment re-organization in urban area, due to new building construction, trenching and the drilling of sampling wells and holes. This creates an extra important and largest volume of data at any pre-existence geological map. The main problem results on the fact that the natural environment is covered with buildings and communications system. The purpose of this work is to create a viable geographic information base for geotechnical mapping through a free GIS computer program and open source, with non-traditional cartographic sources, giving preference to open platforms. QGIS was used as software and "Google Maps", "Bing Maps" and "OpenStreetMap" were applied as cartographic sources using the "OpenLayers plugin" module. Finally, we also pretend to identify and delimit the degree of granite's change and fracturing areas using a "Streetview" platform. This model has cartographic input which are a geological map study area, open cartographic web archives and the use of "Streetview" platform. The output has several layouts, such as topography intersection (roads, borders, etc.), with geological map and the bordering area of Guarda Urban Zone. The use of this platform types decrease the collect data time and, sometimes, a careful observation of pictures that were taken during excavations may reveal important details for geological mapping in the study area.The author would like to thank to the Research Unit for Inland Development (UDI) and Scientific Units GeoBioTec (Aveiro University) by the conceded supports. This work is sponsored by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and National Funds by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the project UID/GEO/04035/2013

Characterization and semantic modeling of services in multiservice networks

The use of the Internet as a global communication infrastructure to support a wide range of multiconstrained applications and services poses new challenges to ISPs regarding network services management and auditing. In this context, the semantic characterization and modeling of services provided to users assumes an essential role in fostering service management automation. Moreover, the semantic and formal description of services allows enhancing the negotiation and interoperability between clients and service providers. This paper reports the first steps toward the definition of an ontology for multiservice networks that eases and systemizes decision support of QoS deployment in ISP infrastructures, according to service levels established in SLAs. Other management tasks such as dynamic service negotiation and configuration, service monitoring and auditing may also benefit from the present ontology proposal

An ontology for managing network services quality

The evolution of IP networks to a service-oriented paradigm poses new challenges to service providers regarding the management and auditing of network services. The upward trend in ubiquity, heterogeneity and virtualization of network services and resources demands for a formal and systematic approach to network management tasks. In this context, the semantic characterization and modeling of services provided to users is a key component to sustain autonomic service management, service negotiation and configuration. The semantic and formal description of services and resources is also relevant to assist paradigms such as cloud computing, where a large diversity of resources have to be described and managed in a highly dynamic way. This paper defines an ontology for multiservice IP networks targeting multiple service management goals, namely: (i) to foster client and service provider interoperability; (ii) to manage network service contracts, promoting the dynamic negotiation between parties; (iii) to access and query SLA/SLSs data on a individual or aggregated basis to assist service provisioning in the network; and (iv) to sustain service monitoring and auditing. A ServiceModel API is provided to take full advantage of the proposed semantic model, allowing Service Management Platforms to access the ontological contents. This ontological development takes advantage of SWRL to discover new knowledge, enriching the possibilities of systems described using this support.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Tools for microwave radio communications system design

This paper describes a software package for the design, analysis, and simulation of microwave radio systems. This article is mainly directed to engineering education. The software can also be used to aid in the Hybrid Microwave Integrated Circuit Design needs in industry. Different Design procedures for various types of microwave circuit are used. Special emphasis is given in the progressive use of simulation techniques to stimulate learner activity and overcome some difficulties inherent to the experimental subject and theoretical results. The developed tool has been used in the Microwave Circuits discipline for the graduation course in electric engineering of the University of Brasilia, Brazil

Villagers’ perceptions of tourism activities in Iona National Park: locality as a key factor in planning for sustainability

Local people's perception of nature-based tourism evolution and consequent impacts on their well-being are crucial in promoting ecotourism and achieving sustainable development. This study focused on indigenous populations' attitudes concerning tourism activities taking place in the Iona National Park, located in the Namibe Province of Angola, where ecotourism is considered an anchor product and is expected to become an economic driver of major importance. To obtain information that is useful for a changing tourism management in order to increase rural communities' well-being, we conducted a survey addressing local people's perceptions about the following main topics: perception of the presence of visitors and of their activities; present and prospective positive and negative effects of the park; and government policies that should be developed in the near future. The research shows that most respondents' perceptions strongly vary according to locality. The level of urbanization and the distance to the core areas of touristic activities appear to be the main factors driving the villagers' perception polarization. Thus, conflicting interests between nature conservation and local populations' well-being should be addressed and managed according to locality profiles, with some exceptions, such as ensuring the entire population has access to pastoral lands.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Disease Register for ME/CFS: Report of a Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: The ME/CFS Disease Register is one of six subprojects within the National ME/CFS Observatory, a research programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund and sponsored by Action for ME. A pilot study in East Anglia, East Yorkshire, and London aimed to address the problem of identifying representative groups of subjects for research, in order to be able to draw conclusions applicable to the whole ME/CFS population.While not aiming for comprehensive population coverage, this pilot register sought to recruit participants with ME/CFS in an unbiased way from a large population base. Those recruited are constituting a cohort for long-term follow-up to shed light on prognosis, and a sampling frame for other studies. FINDINGS: Patients with unidentified chronic fatigue were identified in GP databases using a READ-code based algorithm, and conformity to certain case definitions for ME/CFS determined. 29 practices, covering a population aged 18 to 64 of 143,153, participated.510 patients with unexplained chronic fatigue were identified. 265 of these conformed to one or more case definitions. 216 were invited to join the register; 160 agreed. 96.9% of participants conformed to the CDC 1994 (Fukuda) definition; the Canadian definition defined more precisely a subset of these. The addition of an epidemiological case definition increased case ascertainment by approximately 4%. A small-scale study in a specialist referral service in East Anglia was also undertaken.There was little difference in pattern of conformity to case definitions, age or sex among disease register participants compared with subjects in a parallel epidemiological study who declined to participate.One-year follow-up of 50 subjects showed little change in pain or fatigue scores. There were some changes in conformity to case definitions. CONCLUSIONS: Objective evaluation indicated that the aim of recruiting participants with ME/CFS to a Disease Register had been fulfilled, and confirmed the feasibility of our approach to case identification, data processing, transmission, storage, and analysis. Future developments should include expansion of the ME/CFS Register and its linkage to a tissue sample bank and post mortem tissue archive, to facilitate support for further research studies

Modelos de Governação na Sociedade da Informação e do Conhecimento

Um Estado mais implementador ou mais regulador, uma soberania única ou partilhada e o papel da sociedade são algumas das visões de governação objecto de reflexão no estudo "Modelos de Governação na Sociedade da Informação e do Conhecimento". Coordenado por Luís Borges Gouveia, este documento apresenta uma visão partilhada que pretende ser diferente, contribuindo para a discussão das opções que valerá a pena fazer na Sociedade da Informação e do Conhecimento em Portugal. O estudo inclui um conjunto de recomendações que se apresentam de forma sucinta.Estudo sobre Modelos de Governação na Sociedade da Informação e do ConhecimentoAPDSI - Associação para a Promoção e Desenvolvimento da Sociedade da Informação

Antibacterial activity of monoacetylated alkyl gallates against Xanthomonas citri subsp citri

Asiatic citrus canker (ACC) is an incurable disease of citrus plants caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (X. citri). It affects all the commercially important citrus varieties in the major orange producing areas around the world. Control of the pathogen requires recurrent sprays of copper formulations that accumulate in soil and water reservoirs. Here, we describe the improvement of the alkyl gallates, which are potent anti-X. citri compounds, intended to be used as alternatives to copper in the control of ACC. Acetylation of alkyl gallates increased their lipophilicity, which resulted in potentiation of the antibacterial activity. X. citri exposed to the acetylated compounds exhibited increased cell length that is consistent with the disruption of the cell division apparatus. Finally, we show that inhibition of cell division is an indirect effect that seemed to be caused by membrane permeabilization, which is apparently the primary target of the acetylated alkyl gallates