Continuous-discontinuous approach for the modelling of ductile fracture

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

Crenças e atitudes face à sexualidade e ao VIH/SIDA nos jovens : Implicações de género

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto UniversitárioO número de pessoas infectadas pelo VIH/SIDA continua a ser bastante elevado e apresenta, hoje, mudanças no seu perfil epidemiológico de transmissão. Se, no início da epidemia, a infecção afectava predominantemente os homens, actualmente distribui-se de forma equitativa pelos dois sexos. O padrão de evolução da infecção revelou, então, uma maior vulnerabilidade da mulher. A principal via de transmissão do vírus é a sexual, sendo o contacto heterossexual o responsável pela maioria dos casos. Partindo do pressuposto que os comportamentos sexuais estão na base da infecção e que as crenças e atitudes são fortes preditoras do comportamento, será importante conhecê-las para que, de uma forma mais eficaz, se promova a adopção de comportamentos sexuais seguros. Este estudo visa, assim, contribuir para um melhor esclarecimento acerca das crenças e atitudes face à sexualidade e ao VIH/SIDA entre jovens do género feminino e do género masculino, promovendo uma melhor compreensão acerca dos motivos pelos quais o contágio heterossexual se tenha tornado, actualmente, maioritário. A amostra é constituída por 333 sujeitos, 226 do género feminino e 107 do género masculino, com idades compreendidas entre os 15 e os 41 anos. Foi utilizado um protocolo constituído por três questionários de auto-resposta (Cláudio, Gouveia Pereira & Robalo), que inclui questões de associação livre, questões abertas e questões fechadas. Os resultados indicaram diferenças significativas entre géneros relativamente às crenças e atitudes perante a sexualidade e o VIH/SIDA. Estes resultados poderão vir a ser úteis na elaboração de estratégias de prevenção mais específicas e diferenciadas, uma vez que vão mais ao encontro das crenças e atitudes de cada um dos géneros. Tais estratégias baseadas nestes resultados serão, portanto, seguramente mais eficazes.ABSTRACT: Nowadays the number of people infected by HIV/AIDS is still too high and it has been presenting changes on its epidemiologic profile of transmission. Although at the beginning of the epidemic the infection affected mostly men, today it is equally distributed among sexes. As such, the infection’s evolution pattern has revealed higher vulnerability for women. The main route of transmission of the virus is the sexual route, especially through heterosexual contact, which is responsible for most of the cases. Assuming that the sexual behaviors are the base of the infection and that the beliefs and attitudes are strong predictors of the behavior itself, it’s important to know them in order to promote, in an effective way, the adoption of safe sexual behaviors. Therefore, this study’s aim is to clarify the beliefs and attitudes on the sexuality and HIV/AIDS topics among male and female teenagers, promoting a better comprehension about why has the heterosexual contagion reached the majority lately. The sample is composed by 333 subjects, 226 females and 107 males, with ages among 15 and 41 years old. A protocol with three auto-response questionnaires (Cláudio, Gouveia Pereira & Robalo), including association questions, open questions and closed questions was used. The results showed significant differences between genders related to the beliefs and attitudes about the sexuality and HIV/AIDS. These results might be useful in the development of more specific and differentiated prevention strategies, because they reflect the beliefs and attitudes of each gender. This way, those strategies based on these results will be more efficient

Promoção da igualdade de género no contexto X para uma construção harmoniosa do cidadão pré-escolar

O presente Relatório de Estágio pretende descrever de forma reflexiva o percurso da minha Prática Pedagógica Supervisionada. A questão da “Igualdade de Género” é de elevada pertinência em contextos de Educação Pré-escolar (EPE), por ser o período em que podemos identificar os primeiros comportamentos das crianças reveladores das suas conceções nesse domínio. A escola assume um papel preponderante nestes processos, potenciados através de uma Educação para a Cidadania, que se torna uma necessidade emergente e que deverá ser explorada o mais precocemente possível com as crianças. Assim, surge a necessidade de tornar o tema visível nas práticas educativas em EPE, consciencializando todos os agentes educativos para a relevância deste, promovendo, deste modo, a sua valorização. Neste estudo, através de um olhar voltado para a Educação para a Cidadania e norteado rumo a práticas que sublinhassem a temática da Igualdade de Género na EPE, pretendemos indagar quais as práticas que podem ser promovidas, no sentido de privilegiar e perspetivar a Igualdade de Género como um trunfo na construção harmoniosa do cidadão pré-escolar. Para sustentar as questões investigativas do nosso estudo, construímos um enquadramento teórico que espelha a emergência da inclusão e exploração do tema referido no desenvolvimento de boas práticas didático-pedagógicas, no contexto do Pré- Escolar. Com o presente relatório, pretende-se compreender os olhares, atitudes e considerações de crianças em idade pré-escolar, mediante a implementação de um estudo de caso com traços de investigação-intervenção, desenvolvido num agrupamento de escolas na região de Aveiro. Para abordar as nossas questões investigativas, recorremos, principalmente, à entrevista aos educadores, às sessões de sensibilização para a Educação para a Cidadania, à observação direta e notas de campo e recolha e análise de materiais provenientes de atividades/ projetos desenvolvidos. Os resultados gerados confirmam e reforçam a emergência didática de educar para a Igualdade de Género, cabendo aos docentes criar no espaço educativo, um ambiente de sensibilização, reflexão e diálogo coletivo com o Outro, objetivando a desconstrução de olhares estereotipados e atitudes comummente associados ao género.This Internship Report intends to describe in a reflective way the course of my Supervised Pedagogical Practice. The issue of "Gender Equality" is of high relevance in Early Childhood Education (ECE) contexts, as it is the period in which we can identify the first behaviours of children that reveal their conceptions in this field. The school takes a leading role in these processes, enhanced by Citizenship Education, which becomes an emerging need and should be explored as early as possible with children. Thus, the need arises to make the subject visible in educational practices in ECE, making all educational agents aware of its relevance, thus promoting its valorisation. In this study, through a look focused on the Education for Citizenship and guided towards practices that underline the theme of Gender Equality in EPE, it is possible to identify the first behaviours of children that reveal their conceptions in this field. The school takes a leading role in these processes, enhanced by Citizenship Education, which becomes an emerging need and should be explored as early as possible with children. Thus, the need arises to make the subject visible in educational practices in ECE, making all educational agents aware of its relevance, thus promoting its valorisation. In this study, through a look focused on the Education for Citizenship and guided towards practices that underline the theme of Gender Equality in ECE, we intend to investigate which practices can be promoted, in order to privilege and perspective Gender Equality as an asset in the harmonious construction of the pre-school citizen. To support the investigative questions of our study, we have built a theoretical framework that mirrors the emergence of inclusion and exploration of the theme mentioned in the development of good educational-pedagogical practices in the context of ECE. To support the investigative questions of our study, we have built a theoretical framework that mirrors the emergence of inclusion and exploration of the theme mentioned in the development of good educational-pedagogical practices in the context of ECE. With this report, we intend to understand the looks, attitudes and considerations of pre-school children, through the implementation of a case study with traces of research-intervention, developed in a group of schools in the region of Aveiro. In order to address our investigative questions, we have mainly resorted to the interview with educators, to the Citizenship Education awareness sessions, to the direct observation and field notes and to the collection and analysis of materials coming from developed activities/projects. The results generated confirm and reinforce the didactic emergency of educating for Gender Equality, and it is up to the teachers to create in the educational space, an environment of sensitization, reflection and collective dialogue with the Other, aiming at the deconstruction of stereotyped looks and attitudes commonly associated with gender.Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básic

Começar pelo início : o papel do acolhimento e integração nas intenções de saída dos colaboradores

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada no ISPA – Instituto Universitário para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Social e das OrganizaçõesA presente investigação tem como propósito estudar a relação entre o Acolhimento e integração de um colaborador e as intenções de saída que revelam. Pretende também estudar o papel mediador do Compromisso Organizacional nesta relação. Considerou-se pertinente também estudar a influência da personalidade nas intenções de saída. Para isso serão aplicadas as escalas referentes aos quatro constructos. Os resultados obtidos através do presente estudo demonstram que o compromisso organizacional tem um efeito mediador entre o acolhimento e as intenções de saída, assim como a existência de uma relação entre o Acolhimento e o Compromisso Organizacional, e a relação entre o Compromisso Organizacional e as Intenções de Saída, e por último, a variância que reduziu a importância do Acolhimento ao introduzirmos a variável mediadora.The present study aims to investigate the relation between Onboarding of a new joiner and his turnover intentions. It’s also intended to study the mediator role of Organizational Commitment in this relation. It was also considered important to investigate the influence that personality has on turnover intentions. In order to investigate the hypotheses we used the scales related to each construct. The results show that Organizational Commitment has a mediator role in the relation between Onboarding and Turnover Intentions. It was also discovered that there is a relation between Onboarding and Organizational Commitment, as well as the fact that the importance of Onboarding is reduced when we add the construct of Organizational Commitment

Modelo computacional para a fractura baseado no conceito de elementos finitos generalizados

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Proposta de implementação do Performance Prism: estudo de caso na Revigrés, Lda

A globalização da economia, os acentuados avanços tecnológicos e as crescentes preocupações com o meio ambiente e com a sociedade, têm contribuído para um contexto organizacional cada vez mais competitivo e exigente. Perante esta nova realidade, o controlo de gestão tem assumido um papel indispensável como ferramenta de apoio à tomada de decisão, em tempo útil. No entanto, nos dias de hoje, os instrumentos de controlo de gestão não podem limitar se, apenas, ao planeamento e acompanhamento das atividades. É importante que estas ferramentas assumam, também, as funções de apoio na definição e divulgação de estratégias organizacionais, bem como no acompanhamento e monitorização do desempenho. Neste contexto, o Performance Prism tem-se apresentado, na literatura, como uma ferramenta útil e inovadora para a sobrevivência das organizações e sua prospeção no mercado. Esta ferramenta assume que os stakeholders são o elemento central para o sucesso organizacional, na medida em que ao satisfazermos as suas necessidades estaremos a criar valor para a organização. Posto isto o presente estudo, tem por objetivo reforçar a importância e o contributo da utilização dos instrumentos de controlo de gestão, como o Performance Prism, para o sucesso organizacional. Para tal, foi realizada uma proposta de implementação do Performance Prism na Revigrés, com base na metodologia de estudo de caso

THE CRITICAL LOAD PARAMETER OF A TIMOSHENKO BEAM WITH ONE-STEP CHANGE IN CROSS SECTION

The paper analyzes the transverse vibration of a Timoshenko beam with one-step change in cross-section when subjected to an axial force. The axial force is equal in both of the beam portions. Three types of beam which occur commonly in engineering application are considered. The frequency equation of the Timoshenko beam with one-step change in cross-section is expressed as the fourth order determinant equated to zero. The critical compressive axial force is expressed as a function of the critical load parameter which is tabulated for four classical boundary conditions. Apart from the results presented in Tables, the paper also provides calculated values of the critical load parameter for other values of system parameters along with the graphic representation of their dependence on the step position parameter

Influence of saliva and mucin on the adhesion of Candida oral clinical isolates

Objectives: This research work intends to clarify the role of artificial saliva, in particularly the role of mucin, a salivary protein, on the surface properties and adhesion ability of Candida spp. oral clinical isolates to abiotic surfaces. Methods: Four oral clinical isolates of Candida spp. were used: two Candida albicans strains (AC; AM) and two Candida parapsilosis strains (AD; AM2). The strains were isolated from patients using oral prosthesis. The microorganisms were cultured in the absence or presence of mucin and artificial saliva, and their adhesion to an abiotic surface (coated with mucin and artificial saliva) was evaluated. Results: The presence of mucin per se onto the abiotic surface decreased the adhesion of all strains, although the combination of mucin with artificial saliva had reduced this effect. No direct correlation between adhesion and the surface free energies of adhesion of the microorganisms was found. Significance: Candida spp. were human commensal microorganisms that became pathogenic when the host immune defenses were compromised. Medical devices were colonized by Candida spp. particularly, oral prostheses, which might lead to the degradation of the prostheses and systemic infections. The salivary secretions that constantly cover the oral cavity influenced Candida spp. adhesion process. Therefore, it was important to understand the interactions between Candida spp., salivary proteins and the characteristic of oral prosthesis when developing materials for oral prostheses.The authors thank the Project “BioHealth-Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality”, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2-O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. The would also like to thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for the Strategic Project Pest-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for Ana Oliveira PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/68588/2010) and Catarina L. Seabra PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/89001/2012). The authors would also like to acknowledge Professora Rosário Oliveira, which is no longer with us, for her exceptional contribution and dedication to this work

Adipose Tissue Epigenetic Profile in Obesity-Related Dysglycemia - A Systematic Review.

BackgroundObesity is a major risk factor for dysglycemic disorders, including type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is wide phenotypic variation in metabolic profiles. Tissue-specific epigenetic modifications could be partially accountable for the observed phenotypic variability.ScopeThe aim of this systematic review was to summarize the available data on epigenetic signatures in human adipose tissue (AT) that characterize overweight or obesity-related insulin resistance (IR) and dysglycemia states and to identify potential underlying mechanisms through the use of unbiased bioinformatics approaches.MethodsOriginal data published in the last decade concerning the comparison of epigenetic marks in human AT of individuals with metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity (MUHO) versus normal weight individuals or individuals with metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHO) was assessed. Furthermore, association of these epigenetic marks with IR/dysglycemic traits, including T2D, was compiled.ResultsWe catalogued more than two thousand differentially methylated regions (DMRs; above the cut-off of 5%) in the AT of individuals with MUHO compared to individuals with MHO. These DNA methylation changes were less likely to occur around the promoter regions and were enriched at loci implicated in intracellular signaling (signal transduction mediated by small GTPases, ERK1/2 signaling and intracellular trafficking). We also identified a network of seven transcription factors that may play an important role in targeting DNA methylation changes to specific genes in the AT of subjects with MUHO, contributing to the pathogeny of obesity-related IR/T2D. Furthermore, we found differentially methylated CpG sites at 8 genes that were present in AT and whole blood, suggesting that DMRs in whole blood could be potentially used as accessible biomarkers of MUHO.ConclusionsThe overall evidence linking epigenetic alterations in key tissues such AT to metabolic complications in human obesity is still very limited, highlighting the need for further studies, particularly those focusing on epigenetic marks other than DNA methylation. Our initial analysis suggests that DNA methylation patterns can potentially discriminate between MUHO from MHO and provide new clues into why some people with obesity are less susceptible to dysglycemia. Identifying AT-specific epigenetic targets could also lead to novel approaches to modify the progression of individuals with obesity towards metabolic disease.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO, identifier CRD42021227237