Application of lean approaches and techniques in an automotive company

In this paper are applied lean approaches and techniques in an industrial environment at Preh Portugal, Lda., a Company involved in the automotive sector located in Trofa, Portugal. This work makes use of the action-research methodology, aiming to diagnose the production system and to implement lean production procedures in order to optimize the Mizusumashi that supplies several production sections, about plastic Injection, cutting and painting. The results obtained enabled to obtain significant improvements on this Company at several factory management and operational levels.This work was supported by FCT “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” under the program: PEst20152020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Motivação dos professores para o ensino na educação superior: validação portuguesa de um questionário

La motivación para la enseñanza es clave en el desarrollo de una educación superior de calidad, porque determina la inversión de los profesores en experiencias de aprendizaje de calidad para sus estudiantes, así como la eficacia institucional y el bienestar. El estudio tuvo como objetivo validar un cuestionario, desarrollado originalmente en Bélgica, destinado a evaluar tres dimensiones (autoeficacia, interés y esfuerzo) sobre la motivación intrínseca para la docencia, en una población nacional distinta. La muestra consistió en 616 académicos que trabajan en instituciones públicas de educación superior en Portugal. Se realizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio y se analizó la consistencia interna de los ítems por dimensión. La dimensionalidad original del constructo se confirma en la muestra portuguesa. La motivación para enseñar en este contexto se explica principalmente por los siguientes factores: eficacia personal, interés en la tarea y esfuerzo en la enseñanza. La diferencia que se encontró es que la eficacia personal no pudo dividirse en contextual y general.Motivation for teaching is key in the establishment and further development of high-quality higher education, as it affects teachers’ investment in quality learning experiences for their students, as well as institutional efficacy and well-being. This study aimed to validate a questionnaire, originally developed in Belgium, designed to evaluate three dimensions (self-efficacy, interest, and effort) of intrinsic motivation for teaching for a different national population. The sample consisted of 616 academics working in public higher education institutions in Portugal. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and internal consistency of items analyzed. The results show that the original dimensionality of the construct is confirmed in the Portuguese teachers’ sample. Motivation for teaching in the Portuguese context is primarily explained by the following factors: personal efficacy, interest in the task, and effort placed on teaching responsibilities. A difference was found in that personal efficacy could not be divided in context and general personal efficacy.A motivação para ensinar é fundamental para o desenvolvimento de ensino superior de qualidade, pois determina o investimento dos professores em experiências de aprendizagem de qualidade para os seus estudantes, bem como a eficácia e bem-estar institucionais. O estudo teve por objetivo a validação de um questionário, originalmente desenvolvido na Bélgica, destinado a avaliar três dimensões (autoeficácia, interesse e esforço) sobre motivação intrínseca para ensinar, para uma população nacional distinta. A amostra é composta por 616 acadêmicos que trabalham em instituições públicas de ensino superior em Portugal. Realizou-se a análise fatorial confirmatória e a consistência interna dos itens para cada uma das dimensões avaliadas. Os resultados mostram que a dimensionalidade original do constructo é confirmada na amostra portuguesa, sendo a motivação para o ensino explicada principalmente pelos seguintes fatores: eficácia pessoal, interesse pelo trabalho e esforço nas responsabilidades de ensino. Não foram encontradas diferenças entre eficácia pessoal geral e eficácia pessoal contextual

Comparative photodynamic inactivation of bioluminescent E. coli by pyridinium and inverted pyridinium chlorins

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a therapeutic approach in study due to the ability to reduce or completely eliminate the bacterial strains without the development of resistance mechanisms. In this therapeutic methodology the cationic chlorins (Chls) with pyridinium or inverted pyridinium moieties are one of the photosensitizers exploited in our biological approaches. In this context, we synthesized and characterized new free-base and zinc(II) complexes of pyridinium or inverted pyridinium Chl derivatives (1b, 2, 2a and 2b, respectively) for the inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The PDI assay was performed with white light irradiation delivered at a fluence rate of 25 mW cm−2. The obtained results of this study demonstrate high PDI efficiency of the zinc(II) metallated Chl 1b, reaching the detection limit of the bioluminescent method (5.2 log reduction) in 45 min of irradiation.publishe

Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis MB20 bv. equi Isolated from a Pectoral Abscess of an Oldenburg Horse in California.

The genome of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis MB20 bv. equi was sequenced using the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) platform, and showed a size of 2,363,089 bp, with 2,365 coding sequences and a GC content of 52.1%. These results will serve as a basis for further studies on the pathogenicity of C. pseudotuberculosis bv. equi

Photodynamic inactivation of a RNA-virus model using water-soluble β-octa-Substituted pyridinium-pyrazolyl phthalocyanines

Among the various groups of microorganisms, viruses have generally a greater capacity for mutation, especially RNA viruses, as was demonstrated by SARS-CoV2 virus mutations. This high mutation rate promotes the development of their resistance to traditional antivirals and establishes the resistance behaviour in virus populations, decreasing their susceptibility to these drugs. In this context, the photodynamic treatment appears as a potentially effective method against microorganisms and, considering its mode of action is not likely to lead to the development of resistance. In this work, two newly zinc(II) phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) bearing pyridinium-pyrazolyl groups (2a and 3a) were synthesized, characterized, and applied in photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of bacteriophage Φ6 (or Phage Phi6) as a RNA-virus model. These quaternized dyes were applied at different concentrations (from 5.0 to 20 μM, and under white light irradiation in the irradiance range between 50 and 150 mW/cm2) to test their efficiency for possible clinical or environmental applications. The results showed that the new cationic ZnPcs 2a and 3a efficiently inactivate the RNA-virus model (bacteriophage Φ6), even at the lowest tested irradiance. These compounds are thus promising photosensitizers to be used in various contexts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio