Working in a tourism company: experience at Dixo´s Oporto Apartments

The present report is part of the curricular internship of the Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies for Business, from the Porto Accounting and Business School (Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto). This internship took place at the tourism field related company, Dixo’s Oporto Apartments. Globalization has been increasing at unprecedented rates and with that, the limits and the borders between countries and nations have been reducing. As a result, there has been a marked increase in the need for intercultural communication as it becomes reality and people depend more on this type of communication. The tourism sector is no exception from the inevitable changes imposed by globalization, and it too depends on intercultural communication. Cities such as Porto with a great flux of tourism rely on the finest quality services delivered by leading professionals. High standards can only be achieved by those who are used to intercultural communication and are familiarized with concepts such as globalization and interculturality. The purpose of this report is to describe and understand, at the most precise level the activities carried out during the internship based on the concepts and knowledge learnt during the master’s degree.O presente relatório insere-se no âmbito do estágio curricular do Mestrado em Estudos Interculturais para Negócio, no Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP). O estágio decorreu na empresa Dixo’s Oporto Apartments que se insere na área do Turismo. A globalização tem vindo a crescer a níveis nunca previstos e, com isso, os limites e as fronteiras entre países e nações vêm diminuindo. Com isso, a comunicação intercultural tem crescido assim como o crescimento da comunicação entre diferentes culturas, uma constante e as pessoas dependem cada vez mais desse tipo de comunicação sendo uma realidade óbvia atualmente. O turismo vive desse tipo de comunicação e da globalização. Cidades como o Porto, com grande fluxo turístico, contam com serviços de qualidade prestados por profissionais formados por excelência. Padrões elevados só podem ser alcançados por aqueles que estão acostumados a comunicação intercultural e familiarizados com conceitos como globalização e interculturalidade. O objetivo deste relatório é descrever e compreender da forma mais precisa as atividades desenvolvidas durante o estágio com base nos conceitos e conhecimentos aprendidos durante o mestrado

Inhibition of salty taste and sodium appetite by estrogens in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Estrogen has a well-known effect of reducing salt intake in rats. This mini review focuses on recent findings regarding the interaction of estradiol with brain angiotensin II to control increased sodium palatability that occurs as a result of sodium appetite in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Uso de alterações geométricas em juntas adesivas tubulares para melhoria da resistência ao impacto

A constante evolução da indústria e a necessidade de se utilizar novos tipos de materiais fazem com que as ligações adesivas sejam cada vez mais aplicadas. A possibilidade de unir uma vasta gama de materiais dissimilares, elevada resistência à fadiga, facilidade e elevada cadência de produção ou a distribuição mais uniforme das tensões sobre o total da área colada são algumas das vantagens das ligações adesivas em relação às ligações convencionais. Relativamente às juntas adesivas tubulares, a sua utilização tem crescido também bastante, apesar de os estudos desenvolvidos neste tipo de juntas serem muito escassos, principalmente na área do impacto. Assim sendo, é de primordial importância conseguir prever e potenciar este tipo de juntas para poder resistir a estes esforços pontuais. Neste trabalho será estudada a resistência ao impacto de juntas adesivas tubulares em aderentes de alumínio na liga AW6082-T651. Para esse efeito, será considerada a alteração dos parâmetros geométricos principais e a alteração da geometria das juntas. Os parâmetros geométricos principais são o comprimento de sobreposição e a alteração da espessura do tubo exterior. A alteração da geometria da junta será testada através da adição de chanfros interiores e exteriores nos aderentes, e a adição de filete de adesivo nas extremidades da sobreposição. Para poder avaliar as alterações implementadas às juntas, serão utilizados três adesivos de propriedades distintas. O adesivo AV138 de elevada rigidez, o adesivo DP8005 de elevada ductilidade e o adesivo XNR6852 E-2 de elevada tenacidade. Pela análise conseguiu-se retirar as distribuições das tensões de corte e arrancamento que se instalam na camada adesiva, para os adesivos citados. A previsão da resistência das juntas tubulares foi realizada por modelos de dano coesivo. Depois de retirados os resultados será feita a análise dos mesmos, de forma a averiguar quais as geometrias de junta ótimas em função do adesivo aplicado. No final do estudo concluiu-se que o adesivo XNR6852 E-2 foi o que conseguiu melhores resultados, tendo sido a adição de um filete de adesivo a 15° a alteração de geometria da junta que maximizou a resistência da junta adesiva tubular ao impacto. Por outro lado, a técnica de modelos de dano coesivo foi validada para a previsão da resistência de juntas adesivas tubulares ao impacto.The constant evolution of the industry and the need to use new types of materials mean that adhesive bonds are increasingly applied. The possibility of joining a wide range of dissimilar materials, high resistance to fatigue, ease and high cadence of production or the more uniform distribution of stresses over the total of the bonded area are some of the advantages of adhesive bonds over conventional bonds. Regarding tubular adhesive joints, their use has also grown considerably, although studies on this type of joint are very scarce, especially in the impact area. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to be able to predict and enhance this type of joints to be able to resist these specific efforts. In this work, the impact resistance of tubular adhesive joints on aluminum adhesives in the AW6082-T651 alloy will be studied. For this purpose, the alteration of the main geometric parameters and the alteration of the joint geometry will be considered. The main geometric parameters are the overlap length and the change in the thickness of the outer tube. The change in the geometry of the joint will be tested through the addition of internal and external chamfers in the adherents, and the addition of an adhesive fillet at the ends of the overlap. To evaluate the changes implemented in the joints, three adhesives with different properties will be used. The high rigidity AV138 adhesive, the high ductility DP8005 adhesive and the high tenacity XNR6852 E-2 adhesive. Through the analysis it was possible to determinate the distribution of the cutting and lifting stresses that are installed in the adhesive layer, for the aforementioned adhesives. The resistance prediction of tubular joints was performed using cohesive damage models. After removing the results, their analysis will be carried out, to ascertain which are the optimal joint geometries depending on the adhesive applied. At the end of the study it was concluded that the XNR6852 E-2 adhesive was the one that achieved the best results, with the addition of a 15 ° adhesive fillet that maximized the resistance of the tubular adhesive joint to impact. On the other hand, the cohesive damage model technique was validated to predict the resistance of tubular adhesive joints to impact

Role of the Carotid Bodies in the Hypertensive and Natriuretic Responses to NaCl Load in Conscious Rats

Hyperosmotic challenges trigger a hypertensive response and natriuresis mediated by central and peripheral sensors. Here, we evaluated the importance of the carotid bodies for the hypertensive and natriuretic responses to acute and sub-chronic NaCl load in conscious rats. Male Wistar rats (250–330 g) submitted to bilateral carotid body removal (CBX) or sham surgery were used. One day after the surgery, the changes in arterial blood pressure (n = 6–7/group) and renal sodium excretion (n = 10/group) to intravenous infusion of 3 M NaCl (1.8 mL/kg b.w. during 1 min) were evaluated in non-anesthetized rats. Another cohort of sham (n = 8) and CBX rats (n = 6) had access to 0.3 M NaCl as the only source of fluid to drink for 7 days while ingestion and renal excretion were monitored daily. The sodium balance was calculated as the difference between sodium infused/ingested and excreted. CBX reduced the hypertensive (8 ± 2 mmHg, vs. sham rats: 19 ± 2 mmHg; p < 0.05) and natriuretic responses (1.33 ± 0.13 mmol/90 min, vs. sham: 1.81 ± 0.11 mmol/90 min; p < 0.05) to acute intravenous infusion of 3 M NaCl, leading to an increase of sodium balance (0.38 ± 0.11 mmol/90 min, vs. sham: -0.06 ± 0.10 mmol/90 min; p < 0.05). In CBX rats, sub-chronic NaCl load with 0.3 M NaCl to drink for 7 days increased sodium balance (18.13 ± 4.45 mmol, vs. sham: 5.58 ± 1.71 mmol; p < 0.05) and plasma sodium concentration (164 ± 5 mmol/L, vs. sham: 140 ± 7 mmol/L; p < 0.05), without changing arterial pressure (121 ± 9 mmHg, vs. sham: 116 ± 2 mmHg). These results suggest that carotid bodies are important for the maintenance of the hypertensive response to acute hypertonic challenges and for sodium excretion to both acute and chronic NaCl load

Cholecystokinin actions in the parabrachial nucleus: effects on thirst and salt appetite

The present study investigated the effects of bilateral injections of the nonselective CCK receptor antagonist proglumide or CCK-8 into the lateral parabrachial nuclei (LPBN) on the ingestion of 0.3 M NaCl and water induced by intracerebroventricular injection of ANG II or by a combined treatment with subcutaneous furosemide (Furo) + captopril (Cap). Compared with the injection of saline (vehicle), bilateral LPBN injections of proglumide (50 mu g . 200 nl(-1). site(-1)) increased the intake of 0.3 ill NaCl induced by intracerebroventricular ANG II (50 ng/1 mu l). Bilateral injections of proglumide into the LPBN also increased ANG II-induced water intake when NaCl was simultaneously available, but not when only water was present. Similarly, the ingestion of 0.3 M NaCl and water induced by the treatment with Furo (10 mg/kg) + Cap (5 mg/kg) was increased by bilateral LPBN proglumide pretreatment. Bilateral CCK-8 (0.5 mu g . 200 nl(-1). site(-1)) injections into the LPBN did not change Furo + Cap-induced 0.3 M NaCl intake but reduced water consumption. When only water was available after intracerebroventricular ANG II, bilateral LPBN injections of proglumide or CCK-8 had no effect or significantly reduced water intake compared with LPBN vehicle-treated rats. Taken together, these results suggest that CCK actions in the LPBN play a modulatory role on the control of NaCl and water intake induced by experimental treatments that induce hypovolemia and/or hypotension or that mimic those states

LATERAL PARABRACHIAL SEROTONERGIC MECHANISMS - ANGIOTENSIN-INDUCED PRESSOR AND DRINKING RESPONSES

This study investigated the effects of bilateral injections of serotonergic receptor ligands into the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) on the presser and dipsogenic responses induced by intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of angiotensin II (ANG II). Rats with stainless steel cannulas implanted bilaterally into the LPBN and into the left lateral ventricle were used to study icy ANG II-induced water intake and presser responses. Pretreatment with the serotonergic 5-HT1/5-HT2 receptor antagonist methysergide (1-8 mu g/200 nl) bilaterally injected into the LPBN increased the water intake induced by icv ANG II (50 ng/mu l) administered via the lateral ventricle, but pretreatment with methysergide (4 mu g/200 nl) did not change the presser response produced by icy ANG II. After bilateral injection of either serotonin (5-HT, 5 mu g/200 nl) or the serotonergic 5-HT2a/5-HT2c receptor agonist (+/-)-2,5-dimetoxy-4-iodoamphetamine hydrochloride (DOI; 0.5-10 mu g/200 nl) into the LPBN, the water intake induced by ANG II was significantly reduced. These results are consistent with other observations indicating that the LPBN is associated with inhibitory mechanisms controlling water intake induced by ANG II treatment and suggest that serotonergic pathways may be involved in this effect

Forebrain angiotensin type 1 receptors and parabrachial serotonin in the control of NaCl and water intake

This study investigated the roles of serotonin (5-HT) receptors in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN), and brain angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptors in the intake of 0.3 M NaCl and water induced by angiotensin II (ANG II). Rats were implanted with stainless steel cannulas for injections into tho subfornical organ (SFO) and into the LPBN. Bilateral LPBN pretreatment with the nonselective serotonergic 5-HT1/5-HT2 receptor antagonist methysergide (4 mu g/200 nl) markedly enhanced 0.3 M NaCl intake induced by injections of ANG II (20 ng/200 nl) into the SFO. Pretreatment of the SFO with the AT(1) receptor antagonist losartan (1 mu g/200 nl) blocked the intake of 0.3 M NaCl induced by ANG II in combination with LPBN methysergide injections. These results suggest that serotonergic mechanisms associated with the LPBN inhibit the expression of salt appetite induced by ANG II injections into Ihs SFO. In addition, the results indicate that the enhanced NaCl intake generated by central administration of ANG II in the presence of LPBN 5-HT blockade is mediated bg brain ATI receptors

Preoptic-periventricular tissue (AV3V): central cholinergic-induced hydromineral and cardiovascular responses, and salt intake.

The periventricular tissue of the anterior ventral portion of the third ventricle (AV3V) is an important area for the control of hydromineral balance and of cardiovascular function. The present work discusses the importance of the integrity of the AV3V for multiple responses to central cholinergic activation (water intake, hypertension, natriuresis, salivation) and for the control of salt intake