Mário de Sá-Carneiro : poète de la multiplicité et de l'unicité esthétiques?

Livro de homenagem à professora Maria Emília Ricardo Marque

A infeção pelo vírus Zika : o desafio do diagnóstico laboratorial

Monografia realizada no âmbito da unidade de Estágio Curricular do Mestrado Integrado em Ciências Farmacêuticas, apresentada à Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de CoimbraO vírus Zika foi inicialmente descoberto no Uganda, África, e era considerado um vírus inofensivo, conhecido por uma prevalência relativamente baixa em regiões de África e Ásia. Raras complicações graves relacionadas com a infeção foram reportadas no passado. No entanto, o vírus Zika é atualmente um dos vírus emergentes mais importantes no mundo e recentemente, tem causado surtos e epidemias, tendo sido associado a graves malformações congénitas e manifestações clínicas, incluindo microcefalia e síndrome de Guillain-Barré. O impacto global destas descobertas na saúde pública evidência a necessidade de um teste de diagnóstico rápido, mas específico, que possa ser desenvolvido rapidamente para distribuição e uso em regiões epidémicas. Até agora, o diagnóstico da infeção pelo vírus Zika depende da técnica Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction, um método rápido, sensível e específico para a deteção do vírus na fase inicial da infeção, e da serologia, que representa um desafio devido à ocorrência de reações cruzadas com outro flavivírus.Zika virus was initially discovered in Uganda, África, and was considered a harmless virus, known to exist at a relatively low prevalence in parts of Africa and Asia. Serious complications due to Zika virus infection was rarely reported in the past. However, is currently one of the most importante emerging viruses in the world and recently has caused outbreaks and epidemics, and has been associated with severe congenital malformations and clinical manifestations, including microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. The overall public health impact of these findings highlights the need for a rapid but specific diagnostic test that can be rapidly developed for distribution and use in epidemic regions. Until now, Zika virus infection diagnosis relies on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, an rapid, sensitive and specific method for detection of virus in the early stage of infection, and serology, wich is challenging due to cross-reactions with other flaviviruses

CSCL in social media:how learners demonstrate socially shared regulations of learning?

Abstract. This research has the purpose to identify how the international higher education students regulate their learning in group level in a CSCL course held in 2015 through Facebook group page. CSCL is one of the latest practices in distance education that supports knowledge co-construction. To achieve productive discussions in collaborative tasks, students must regulate their learning, having a script or guidelines that also stimulates learners to reflect and construct better outcomes (Kirschner & Erkens, 2013). No studies analyse the use of social media as the principal tool for collaborative learning activities and associates them to the SSRL method were found. The participants are 12 international higher education students, who were randomly divided into three different Facebook group pages, with the objective of responding to questions accordingly with the scripts provided. This research is an explanatory case study, in which results revealed that it is possible to demonstrate SSRL in social media, and suggest that SSRL strategies have heterogeneous effects on how learners constructed new knowledge and behaved on the social media in a CSCL course. Future educational researchers should design more effective scripts that are necessary for students to progress and accomplish tasks successfully that achieve new knowledge, predicting all aspects of deviation from the objectives of the task

SMASK- Smart Mask with colorimetric biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 contamination and humidity

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, has been a major concern these days. Much research has emerged to understand its mechanism of action, develop strategies to minimize its contagion and its potential effects. This disease has caused enormous human and economic damage, as well as significant global challenges. This project arose during the COVID-19 pandemic and sought to explore the development of a colorimetric biosensor consisting of two sensors, subsequently incorporated into a textile surface, with the ability to directly indicate the effectiveness of the protection of face masks, through a humidity indicator and an indicator of the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For the humidity sensor two alternatives were used: clay and silica; for the virus detection sensor the biomolecules ACE2 and Sialic Acid were used. According to the results obtained, for the sensor that detects humidity levels the silica-based technology proved to be the most reliable. For the biosensor that detects the presence of the virus, the binding of the NPsAu-AS was confirmed through FTIR and STEM, and therefore proved to be the best option either economically or in terms of laboratory work

LIVING CAPACITORS: FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL CYTOCHROME ACTING AS A NANOWIRE

In an Era where environmental issues are a growing concern, microorganisms that have remarkable features, such as extracellular electron transfer (EET) ability, present major opportunities in diverse biotechnological fields. Geobacter bacteria have shown an extraordinary respiratory flexibility, with its dissimilatory metal reduction ability and EET to electrode surfaces, and numerous c-type cytochromes were pointed as key players. However, the understanding of the mechanisms involved and hence, the advances in practical applications, are still in its early days and it is crucial to move further and unveil not only the components involved, but also their roles and partners in electron transfer. The dodecaheme GSU1996, composed of four similar triheme domains (A–D), was proposed to work as a natural nanowire, owing to its linear structure and large number of hemes. In this work, the in vitro functional characterization of the GSU1996 was attempted, in a modular characterization based strategy. Here, the triheme domains C and D assisted in the characterization of the C-terminal end of GSU1996, the hexaheme fragment CD. The first step encompassed the assignment of the heme groups signals in the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the triheme domains and of the hexaheme fragment, which is the protein with the highest number of hemes assigned to date. The second step comprised the determination of the microscopic thermodynamic parameters of fragment CD. This provided mechanistic information on the dominant microstates and included the determination of the reduction potentials of the hemes, redox interactions between hemes and ionizable centers and among neighboring hemes. The third and final step consisted in the determination of the microscopic kinetic parameters of fragment CD. This unveiled details about the reactivity of the heme groups and included the calculation of the reference rate constants for each heme in the reduction/oxidation process. All combined, the data revealed that a heme located at the end of the C-terminal edge of GSU1996 shows the necessary skills to accept electrons from redox partners. In vitro interaction studies performed between GSU1996 and the periplasmic cytochrome PpcA and its homologues (PpcC–E), revealed that it is possible that GSU1996 and PpcA may be redox partners in G. sulfurreducens, as they form a transient redox complex that involves the C-terminal fragment of GSU1996. Work has also been started to disclose other electron transfer components of G. sulfurreducens, namely, the outer membrane tetraheme cytochrome OmcE; the hexaheme OmcS and the nanowire cytochrome GSU2210. New constructs and expression systems were tested, based in the pBAD vector, albeit none of the attempts have been successful. Although in vitro studies provide information and allow the evaluation of the functional properties of these proteins, in vivo studies are essential to assess the actual roles and interacting partners in the cells. Therefore, a novel approach was also tested towards the in vivo labeling of c-type cytochromes, based in the attachment of a tetracysteine tag that is fluorescent upon binding with commercially available biarsenical dyes. However, no expression of the model tagged protein was accomplished

Predictors of active loyalty: The case of hotel group X

Loyalty programs are now considered industry standards in the hotel sector. Such programs aim to encourage repeat purchases, attract new customers, reward loyal ones, increase retention rates and market share, and collect customer information. Nonetheless, simple participation in a loyalty program does not imply active loyalty. This in-company project seeks to identify Hotel Group X's active loyal customers and provide the company with insights into who these guests are today and who may become one in the future, allowing them to design appropriate marketing strategies. The CRISP-DM methodology was employed in this study, and its data mining goals were to uncover the most important predictors of reward redemptions, which translate into active loyalty. Two predictive models were used in this study – C&RT and Logistic Regression. According to the C&RT model, reservations made on the company's website are the best predictor of reward redemptions, followed by stays in the Algarve region and city hotels. The Logistic Regression model suggests that there is a significant predictive power for the corporate customers, followed by all the direct booking channels. Our results can help enhance the practical direction for hotel managers who deal with vast volumes of data that can be further integrated into the model built in this study to generate novel insights on consumers.Os programas de fidelização são, atualmente, considerados padrões da indústria no sector hoteleiro. Tais programas visam encorajar compras recorrentes, recompensar clientes fiéis, assim como atrair novos, aumentar as taxas de retenção e a quota de mercado, e melhorar a recolha de informação sobre os clientes. No entanto, a simples participação num programa de fidelização não implica uma lealdade ativa. Este projeto in-company procura identificar os clientes leais ativos do Grupo Hoteleiro X, fornecendo à empresa informações sobre quem são agora esses hóspedes e quais poderão vir a sê-lo no futuro, permitindo-lhes conceber estratégias de marketing apropriadas. Neste estudo foi utilizada a metodologia CRISP-DM com o principal objetivo de descobrir as variáveis que mais influenciam a troca de pontos por recompensas, e que, por sua vez, se traduzem em lealdade ativa. Foram utilizados dois modelos: C&RT e a Regressão Logística. De acordo com os resultados do C&RT, as reservas feitas no website da empresa são as preditoras mais importantes de recompensas redimidas, seguidos de estadias na região do Algarve e estadias em hotéis urbanos. Já no modelo de Regressão Logística foi possível concluir que os clientes corporate são muito significativos nesta previsão. Para além disso, pudemos concluir que todos os canais diretos de marcação de estadias são, também, preditores. Os nossos resultados podem, assim, ajudar a melhorar a direção prática da empresa, que lida com um grande volume de dados, podendo estes serem eventualmente integrados nos modelos construídos neste estudo, de forma a gerar novos conhecimentos sobre os consumidores

Relatório de estágio em farmácia comunitária

Relatório de estágio realizado no âmbito do Mestrado Integrado em Ciências Farmacêuticas, apresentado à Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Coimbr