Dancing as predictor of employees’ work engagement

This paper studies the impact of time spent in dancing on next day work engagement through increased morning vigor, sense of mastery, happiness and daily recovery mechanisms (mediators). A field study conducted with 34 respondents answering 3 daily questionnaires during 10 consecutive working days led to a two-level days-within-individuals model. Though positive, the direct relationship between time in dancing and work engagement reported statistically non-significant. However, a mediation analysis resulted in statistically significant and positively-related mediation paths between the aforementioned variables, suggesting that dancing has a positive impact in vigor through recovery and in work engagement through vigor as hypothesised

As relações de trabalho na contemporaneidade : limites e possibilidades de proteção jurídica dos trabalhadores através das abordagens formalistas e materialistas do direito

Este trabalho se volta para o tema das relações jurídicas entre trabalhadores e empresas de aplicativos: limites e possibilidades de proteção jurídica dos trabalhadores através das abordagens formalistas e materialistas do direito. Procura se compreender o fenômeno da transformação das relações de trabalho nas sociedades contemporâneas com destaque para o chamado trabalho por aplicativo no contexto brasileiro. Para tanto, se vale da concepção materialista histórica do direito na sociedade, em contraponto com uma visão idealista de um direito abstrato. Assim, procura-se analisar como o direito das relações de trabalho vigente no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro compreende as relações de trabalho contemporâneas, bem como historiciza tais relações as inscrevendo em seus contextos e processos históricos para uma compreensão materialista histórica do objeto da pesquisa.Este trabajo gira en torno al tema de las relaciones jurídicas entre trabajadores y empresas de aplicación: límites y posibilidades de protección jurídica de los trabajadores a través de enfoques formalistas y materialistas del derecho. Busca comprender el fenómeno de la transformación de las relaciones laborales en las sociedades contemporáneas, con énfasis en el llamado trabajo por aplicación en el contexto brasileño. Para ello, utiliza la concepción materialista histórica del derecho en la sociedad, en contraposición a una visión idealista de un derecho abstracto. Así, busca analizar cómo el derecho de relaciones laborales vigente en el ordenamiento jurídico brasileño comprende las relaciones laborales contemporáneas, además de historizar tales relaciones, inscribiéndose en sus contextos y procesos históricos para una comprensión histórica materialista del objeto de investigación

Comportamento de viagem dos seniores antes e depois da aposentação

Dissertação de Mestrado, Gestão do Turismo Internacional (Gestão dos Destinos Turísticos), 22 de março de 2022, Universidade dos Açores.Na maioria dos países desenvolvidos, o mercado sénior está a crescer a um ritmo acelerado como consequência dos padrões globais de envelhecimento, e a afirmar-se como um importante segmento de mercado para o setor do turismo, devido ao seu nível de riqueza, menor endividamento e maior disponibilidade de tempo para viajar. A aposentação é um evento que altera, de forma considerável, a vida do sénior e o seu comportamento enquanto consumidor. O aposentado tem mais tempo disponível e menos responsabilidades, sobretudo laborais, o que torna o período pós-aposentação ideal para viajar, realçando a importância de entender as características que os distinguem dos restantes seniores. Esta investigação procura compreender o comportamento de viagem dos seniores (hábitos, motivações e atividades) e perceber se é influenciado pela aposentação e por outras variáveis socioeconómicas (idade, sexo e habilitações literárias). O método de investigação assentou na recolha de dados, partindo de um questionário dirigido a 351 seniores com 55 ou mais anos de idade, residentes em Portugal Continental, Região Autónoma dos Açores e Região Autónoma da Madeira, implementado durante o ano de 2021. Concluiu-se que as motivações de viagem dos seniores variam de acordo com a idade, sexo e habilitações literárias, os fatores push variam de acordo com o sexo, habilitações literárias e situação perante o emprego (aposentado ou não), os fatores pull, por sua vez, variam de acordo com as habilitações literárias e, por último, as atividades variam de acordo com a faixa etária e habilitações literárias. Verificou-se também a existência de perfis (clusters) diferenciados, relativamente aos seniores não aposentados e aposentados. Pretende-se que os resultados do estudo contribuam para o aumento do conhecimento em relação aos seniores enquanto viajantes, de forma que os gestores dos destinos e as empresas turísticas possam atender às suas necessidades distintas e melhorar a sua satisfação.ABSTRACT: In most developed countries, the senior market is growing at a rapid pace because of global aging patterns and is emerging as an important market segment for the tourism sector due to its level of wealth, lower indebtedness, and greater availability of time to travel. Retirement is an event that significantly changes the senior's life and behaviour as a consumer. Retirees have more time available and less responsibilities, especially work responsibilities, which makes the post-retirement period opportune to travel, so it is necessary to understand the characteristics that distinguish them from other seniors. This research seeks to understand senior’s travel behaviour (habits, motivations, and activities) and understand if it is influenced by retirement and other socioeconomic variables (age, gender, and educational qualifications). The research method was based on data collection, through a questionnaire addressed to 351 seniors aged 55 or over, residing in Mainland Portugal, Autonomous Region of the Azores, and Autonomous Region of Madeira, implemented during 2021. It was concluded that seniors' travel motivations differ according to the age, sex, and educational qualifications, push factors differ according to the sex, educational qualifications, and employment status (retired or not), pull factors differ according to educational qualifications and, finally, activities differ according to age group and educational qualifications. Different profiles (clusters) were also found, in relation to non-retired and retired seniors. It is intended that the results of the study contribute to the increase of knowledge in about seniors as travellers, so that destination managers and tourist companies can meet their different needs and improve their satisfaction

Yeast from Distillery Plants: A New Approach

Nowadays, there is more and more interest in the microbiological resources from different ecosystems, not only because this would allow knowing more about the microbial biodiversity related with these substrata but also because it provides an opportunity to study their characteristics and technological properties which may be of potential interest. This knowledge may allow finding future biotechnological applications for these microorganisms on bio-conservation and reuse of agricultural by-products and may also lead to studies on the improvement of raw material processing. Some raw materials and processing plants in wine and related industries constitute a suitable place for yeast growth; for example, musts, wines in cellars, piquettes, bagasse, pomace, grape skins and yeast lees in the ethanol industry all provide an inexhaustible supply of yeasts. Few microbiological studies have been published so far about the biodiversity of the yeast population in distillery plants. For that reason, the aim of this research was to determine yeast biodiversity and their distribution in different distillery plants in the La Mancha region which are at least 100 years old

Thyroid hormone-mediated activation of the ERK/dual specificity phosphatase 1 pathway augments the apoptosis of GH4C1 cells by down-regulating nuclear factor-κB activity

14 pages, 5 figures.Thyroid hormone (T3) plays a crucial role in processes such as cell proliferation and differentiation, whereas its implication on cellular apoptosis has not been well documented. Here we examined the effect of T3 on the apoptosis of GH4C1 pituitary cells and the mechanisms underlying this effect. We show that T3 produced a significant increase in apoptosis in serum-depleted conditions. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)-dependent transcription, IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, translocation of p65/NF-kappaB to the nucleus, phosphorylation, and transactivation. Moreover, these effects were correlated with a T3-induced decrease in the expression of antiapoptotic gene products, such as members of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein and Bcl-2 families. On the other hand, ERK but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase or MAPK p38, was activated upon exposure to T3, and inhibition of ERK alone abrogated T3-mediated apoptosis. In addition, T3 increased the expression of the MAPK phosphatase, dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), in an ERK-dependent manner. Interestingly, the suppression of DUSP1 expression abrogated T3-induced inhibition of NF-kappaB-dependent transcription and p65/NF-kappaB translocation to the nucleus, as well as T3-mediated apoptosis. Overall, our results indicate that T3 induces apoptosis in rat pituitary tumor cells by down-regulating NF-kappaB activity through a mechanism dependent on the ERK/DUSP1 pathway.This work was supported by grants from the Fundación Mutua Madrileña (2005X0615), from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (PI070832), from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (BFU2004 3465), from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (RD06/0020/0036), and the European grant CRESCENDO (FP-018652). A.S.-P. and M.L. are recipients of grants from the Spanish MEC (“Ramón y Cajal” Program).Peer reviewe

Evaluating student behaviour on the MathE Platform - clustering algorithms approaches

The MathE platform is an online educational platform that aims to help students who struggle to learn college mathematics as well as students who wish to deepen their knowledge on subjects that rely on a strong mathematical background, at their own pace. The MathE platform is currently being used by a significant number of users, from all over the world, as a tool to support and engage students, ensuring new and creative ways to encourage them to improve their mathematical skills. This paper is addressed to evaluate the students’ performance on the Linear Algebra topic, which is a specific topic of the MathE platform. In order to achieve this goal, four clustering algorithms were considered; three of them based on different bio-inspired techniques and the k-means algorithm. The results showed that most students choose to answer only basic level questions, and even within that subset, they make a lot of mistakes. When students take the risk of answering advanced questions, they make even more mistakes, which causes them to return to the basic level questions. Considering these results, it is now necessary to carry out an in-depth study to reorganize the available questions according to other levels of difficulty, and not just between basic and advanced levels as it is.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(2021-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000023288)This work has been supported by FCT Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope UIDB/00319/2020 and UIDB/05757/2020. Beatriz Flamia Azevedo is supported by FCT Grant Reference SFRH/BD/07427/202

Data analysis techniques applied to the mathE database

MathE is an international online platform that aims to provide a resource for in-class support as well as an alternative instrument to teach and study mathematics. This work focuses on the investigations of the students’ behavior when answering the training questions available in the platform. In order to draw conclusions about the value of the platform, the ways in which the students use it and what are the most wanted mathematical topics, thus deepening the knowledge about the difficulties faced by the users and finding how to make the platform more efficient, the data collected since the it was launched (3 years ago) is analyzed through the use of data mining and machine learning techniques. In a first moment, a general analysis was performed in order to identify the students’ behavior as well as the topics that require reorganization; it was followed by a second iteration, according to the students’ country of origin, in order to identify the existence of differences in the behavior of students from distinct countries. The results point out that the advanced level of the platform’s questions is not adequate and that the questions should be reorganized in order to ensure a more consistent support for the students’ learning process. Besides, with this analysis it was possible to identify the topics that require more attention through the addition of more questions. Furthermore, it was not possible to identify significant disparities in the students behavior in what concerns the students’ country of origin.This work has been supported by FCT Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope UIDB/00319/2020, UIDB/05757/2020 and Erasmus Plus KA2 within the project 2021-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000023288. Beatriz Flamia Azevedo is supported by FCT Grant Reference SFRH/BD/07427/2021.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO DOS USUÁRIOS DO CENTRO DE ATENÇÃO PSICOSSOCIAL (CAPS I) DO MUNICÍPIO DE JOAÇABA

Neste artigo teve-se como objetivo apresentar o perfil epidemiológico dos usuários do CAPS I de Joaçaba, SC, que realizaram tratamento terapêutico no período de dezembro de 2014 a novembro de 2015. A pesquisa foi realizada com base no banco de dados do CAPS I e do sistema de registro das ações ambulatoriais de saúde (RAAS) do Ministério da Saúde (MS). Foi realizado um estudo descritivo, com abordagem quantitativa. A análise temática permitiu identificar as principais demandas atendidas no CAPS.  Palavras-chave: CAPS. Saúde Mental. Perfil Epidemiológico.

Chemical treatment of coconut fiber and its composite / Tratamento químico da fibra de coco e seus compósitos

Composites with natural fibers usually present poor adhesion of filler to the matrix, as consequence of the hydrophilic nature of the fiber and hydrophobic nature of the polymer. These composites also display processing limitations due to the low thermal stability of the fiber. In order to reduce these issues, chemical treatments are usually employed. Thus, the present work aims to combine the processes of mercerization and bleaching to evaluate changes in thermal stability, tensile and impact strengths, flow behaviour and morphology of composites based on HDPE/coconut fiber, with treated and untreated fibers. The results showed that the treated fiber showed better thermal stability comparing to untreated one. The composites produced with both fibers showed an increase in elastic modulus and a reduction in the flow behaviour. However, only those obtained with the treated fiber showed an increase in impact strength in relation to neat HDPE, indicating a better interaction between the treated fiber and the HDPE matrix. These results corroborate the images obtained in SEM micrographs