Analysis of a problem solving situation in physics, in an interlocution setting between a specialist and a novice, in the light of Vergnaud's conceptual fields theory

This paper is put of a larger study dealing with problem solving in physics, from the point of view of cognitive development psychology, aiming at its role in physics education. Our focus in this paper lies in a problem solving procedure that stresses verbal exchange between a specialist and a novice in a social interaction, in such a way that the cognitive regulations concerning a given conceptual field would be evidenced. Two cases were studied: two students from a precollege course participated in five individual problem solving sessions involving electric circuits. The analysis of these sessions suggested that: one of the subjects had more assimilation schemes than the other one to make sense of problematic situations in the conceptual field of electricity; that the role of the specialist in the proposed social interaction is very important and his/her mastery of the subject matter is essential; that the theory of conceptual fields is an adequate framework for research studies on problem solving in physics

Physics teachers conceptions on problem solving and physics teaching

Neste trabalho tentamos desvendar concepções de professores de Física sobre a relação entre a resolução de problemas (RP) e o ensino da Física. Os professores foram submetidos à uma entrevista semi-estruturada que continha, dentre outros, os seguintes eixos básicos: o papel da resolução de problemas na aprendizagem em Física e a função do professor no desenvolvimento do processo de resolução de problemas em sala de aula. A análise das entrevistas indica que, de maneira geral, apesar de aparentarem ter uma idéia clara do seu papel mediador no processo de RP em sala de aula, os professores parecem não ter uma idéia igualmente clara do papel da RP no ensino da Física. ______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTIn this paper we try to uncover physics conceptions on the relationship between problem solving and physics teaching. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with physics teachers regarding the following main aspects: the role of problem solving in physics learning and the teacher’s role in the development of the problem solving process in the classroom. The analysis of the interviews suggests that althout teachers seem to have a clear idea of their mediating role in classroom problem solving it looks like they not have an equally clear idea on the role of problem solving in the teaching of physics

Subjective wellbeing, sense of humor and psychological health in hemodialysis patients

Objective: To investigate the relationship between satisfaction with life in general, sense of humor, and anxiety, depression and stress with subjective happiness in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional and correlational study was developed in two units of the Diaverum dialysis clinic and one hospital unit, with 183 chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. An instrument was used to characterize the sociodemographic and clinical profile of the sample (age, gender, nationality, education, occupation, marital status, dialysis sessions length, presence of hypertension and diabetes): the subjective happiness scale; the satisfaction with life in general; depression, anxiety and stress scale 21; and multidimensional sense of humor scale. Inferential procedures included Spearman correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression adjusting to age, marital status, professional activity and diabetes.Results: Subjective Happiness was positively correlated with satisfaction with life in general, and the three dimensions of Sense of Humor. Nevertheless, subjective happiness was negatively correlated with stress / anxiety and depression. Satisfaction with life in general, humor production and social use of humor, and attitude towards humor had a positive relationship with subjective happiness. However, depression had a negative relationship with subjective happiness. Conclusions: Higher levels of subjective happiness were associated with higher levels of satisfaction with life in general, and sense of humor, however they were also associated with lower levels of depression in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Impacto do biofeedback na reabilitação motora de pessoas com sequela de lesão neurológica adquirida

Neste trabalho é apresentado o dispositivo instrumentado SHaRe e diversas aplicações informáticas desenvolvidas, na forma de jogos com as quais interatua, que permitem a sua utilização em atividades de reabilitação, nomeadamente, num programa de Terapia Ocupacional. O dispositivo Share, na sua forma de copo, está instrumentado com sensor de força e com sensor inercial. Esta instrumentação do dispositivo associada às aplicações desenvolvidas, permitem dar ao utilizador um feedback da força preensora usada na manipulação do objeto, bem como usar técnicas de visualização aumentada. Estas funcionalidades, juntamente com o uso de aplicações do tipo de jogos, permitem aos utilizadores uma maior motivação com impacto no sucesso das atividades de reabilitação. A utilização do dispositivo SHaRe foi testada em diversos contextos de reabilitação tendo a sua utilidade e versatilidade sido reconhecidas por utilizadores e técnicos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Eficacia de un programa educativo basado en el empoderamiento en la percepción de la autoeficacia en pacientes con diabetes

Background: Studies suggest that empowerment-based educational models, implemented in patients with diabetes, may encourage the improvement of perceived self-efficacy. This variable is considered relevant in the therapeutic regimen self-management. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an empowerment- based educational program in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study, with two different evaluation moments, with a 6-week interval. A randomized sample of 42 participants (experimental group = 19; control group = 23), registered in a family health unit of the ARS of Central Portugal. The Diabetes Empowerment Scale - Short Form (DES-SF) was the instrument chosen to determine the program’s effectiveness. All formal and ethical procedures were assured. Results: Patients subjected to the empowerment-based educational program presented a higher self-efficacy perception (p = 0.000) than those who followed the regular surveillance protocol. Conclusion: Empowerment-based educational programs seem to contribute to an improvement in perceived self-efficacy and should, therefore, be used as an educational strategy for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Enquadramento: Estudos sugerem que modelos educativos baseados no empowerment, implementados em pessoas com diabetes, poderão fomentar a melhoria da autoeficácia percecionada. Esta variável é considerada relevante na autogestão do regime terapêutico. Objetivos: Avaliar a eficácia de um programa educacional baseado no empowerment, na perceção de autoeficácia, em utentes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Metodologia: Estudo quasi-experimental, com avaliação antes e após implementação do programa, com intervalo de 6 semanas. Amostra aleatória randomizada, constituída por 42 participantes (grupo experimental = 19; grupo de controlo = 23), inscritos numa unidade de saúde familiar da Administração Regional de Saúde do Centro. O Diabetes Empowerment Scale - Short Form (DES-SF) foi o instrumento utilizado para determinar a eficácia do programa. Foram assegurados todos os procedimentos formais e éticos. Resultados: Os utentes submetidos a um programa educativo baseado no empowerment apresentaram uma maior perceção de autoeficácia (p = 0,000), comparativamente com aqueles que seguiram o regular protocolo de vigilância. Conclusão: Os programas educacionais baseados no empowerment parecem contribuir para uma melhoria da autoeficácia percebida, pelo que poderão ser assumidos como estratégias a aplicar a utentes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2.Marco contextual: Los estudios sugieren que los modelos educativos basados en el empoderamiento, implementados en personas con diabetes, pueden fomentar la mejora de la autoeficacia percibida. Esta variable se considera relevante en el autocontrol del régimen terapéutico. Objetivos: Evaluar la eficacia de un programa educativo basado en el empoderamiento y la percepción de la autoeficacia en pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Metodología: Estudio cuasiexperimental, con evaluación antes y después de la implementación del programa, con un intervalo de 6 semanas. Muestra aleatoria, compuesta por 42 participantes (grupo experimental = 19; grupo de control = 23), inscritos en una unidad de salud familiar de la Administración Regional de Salud del Centro. La Diabetes Empowerment Scale - Short Form (DES-SF) fue el instrumento utilizado para determinar la efectividad del programa. Se garantizaron todos los procedimientos formales y éticos. Resultados: Los pacientes que se sometieron a un programa educativo basado en el empoderamiento tuvieron una mayor percepción de la autoeficacia (p = 0,000) en comparación con los que siguieron el protocolo de vigilancia regular. Conclusión: Los programas educativos basados en el empoderamiento parecen contribuir a mejorar la autoeficacia percibida, por lo que pueden asumirse como estrategias para aplicar a los pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can commercial horse or sheep blood replace fresh human blood in an ex vivo model to study S. epidermidis virulence?

[Excerpt] Staphylococcus epidermidis, a commensal bacterium of healthy human skin and mucosae, can cause serious bloodstream infections such as bacteremia and sepsis. These infections are very hard to cure with current antimicrobial strategies and, thus, it is urgent to find new treatment options. To do so, the study of S. epidermidis virulence factors is of utmost importance. Therefore, the ex vivo human blood model has gained special interest because it enables the study of S. epidermidis behavior in the context of a bloodstream infection. However, this model presents limitations, mainly related to the availability of donors, complicating its implementation in the academic context. To overcome this limitation, the possibility of replacing fresh human blood by commercial blood from other mammals was evaluated. [...]This study was supported by FCT through the funded project PTDC/BIA-MOL/29553/2017, under the scope of COMPETE2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029553) and by the strategic funding of unit UID/BIO/04469/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Equity research - Spotify Technology S.A.

Mestrado em FinançasEste projeto consiste numa avaliação do preço por ação da Spotify Technology S.A. para o final do ano de 2020, de acordo com o Mestrado em Finance do ISEG. Este relatório segue o formato aconselhado pelo CFA Institute (Pinto, Henry, Robison e Stowe, 2010), e reflete a informação pública da empresa até 24 de maio de 2019. Consequentemente, qualquer evento após esta data não foi considerado nesta análise. O preço sugerido para o final do ano de 2020 é de $145.21 por ação e quando comparado com o preço de 23 de maio de 2019 representa um potencial de valorização de 19.44Os principais riscos associados à nossa recomendação são a taxa de crescimento de utilizadores premium, a taxa de crescimento em perpetuidade, as taxas de retorno sem rico, entre outras variáveis. Estas variáveis são testadas através de análises de sensibilidade e através da simulação de Monte Carlo para prever o impacto das mesmas na nossa recomendação.This project consists on an Equity Research of Spotify Technology S.A. for the year end of 2020, according to ISEG?s Master Final Work in Finance. This report follows the format suggested by the CFA Institute (Pinto, Henry, Robison, and Stowe, 2010), and it reflects the public information of the company published until 24th of May of 2019. Consequently, any event following this date was not considered in this analysis. Our target price for the year end of 2020 is of$145.21 per share and when compared to the closing price of $121.58/share at 23rd of May of 2019 represents an upside potential of 19.44%. Our recommendation stands for a HOLD recommendation with a high risk associated. The main risks for this recommendation are growth rate of premium users, perpetual growth rate, unlevered beta, market risk premium, the risk-free rates and the overall WACC rate. Additionally, these variables are tested under sensitivity and Monte Carlo analysis to evaluate how changes in certain variables and assumptions would impact our final recommendation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF GEOMETRY

This paper presents a case study about teaching and learning topics of Geometry that are part of the syllabus of high school courses. Internationally the teaching of Geometry has been the subject of several studies. Nevertheless, research continues to reveal that Geometry is still quite absent from the classrooms, especially in the early years; Geometry is disliked by most students, is misunderstood, and its notation is totally ignored. One of the reasons for this failure is that these issues are addressed superficially in the curriculum of the training teachers of Geometry. This paper describes the experience of teaching Geometry to a class with 90 students in academic year 2014-2015, enumerates some difficulties and behaviors faced by students and teachers, and exposes the results of the academic success