You are what you eat : modernity and the construction of self-identity in healthy eating discourses in a case of digital media

O presente estudo tem por objetivo discutir as formas de construção de identidade pessoal na contemporaneidade através da perspectiva das mudanças que ocorrem no campo da saúde. A crescente influência do discurso da promoção da saúde na mídia se reflete na esfera pessoal através da popularização dos "estilos de vida saudáveis", que são observados como oferecendo um suporte para as identidades na modernidade tardia. Dentro deste fenômeno, discutimos as implicações específicas do discurso acerca da alimentação saudável em uma publicação especializada, atentando para as relações que se sobrepõem entre estilos de vida, comida e discurso como centrais para a constituição da identidade. A comida, nesta perspectiva, é vista a partir de suas implicações simbólicas para a constituição do indivíduo. Este estudo posiciona-se dentro das teorias sociológicas sobre a modernidade tardia, as teorias da análise de discurso e o campo da mídia como provedor do material simbólico. ABSTRACT; The present study aims at the discussion of the contemporary forms of construction of self­ identity through the perspective prompted by the transformations occurring in the health field. The increasing influence of the health promotional discourses in the media is reflected in the personal sphere, through the popularization of the “healthy lifestyles". These are understood as supporting the construction of late modem identities. Within this phenomenon, we discuss the specific implications of the health eating discourse as portrayed in a specialized publication, attempting to the overlapping connections between lifestyle, food and discourse in the shaping of self-identities. Through this perspective, food is approached as bearing fundamental implications to the constitution of the individual. The present study is placed within the sociological theories on late modernity, the discourse analysis theories and the media as the provider of the symbolic content

Liability-driven investment strategy - sensitivity analysis of a UK pension scheme

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Risk Analysis and ManagementPension schemes and hedging strategies are constantly being subject to research throughout the years. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no literature that studies how changing actuarial assumptions affects the hedging position of the schemes. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the hedging sensitivity to demographic and economic assumptions used on the Actuarial Valuation and, consequently, contribute to an unexplored topic. This research will be directly focused in a dummy UK pension scheme for the liabilities calculations while the asset portfolio was constructed using a duration and convexity matching strategy, where the scheme’s asset allocation is built with the main goal being that its sensitivity to interest and inflation rates changes is matched with the corresponding scheme’s liabilities sensitivity. To calculate the liabilities sensitivity of a pension scheme, it is derived a Liability Benchmark Portfolio. However, not only interest and inflation rates shifts represent a risk for the pension scheme. All the assumptions used to derive the Liability Benchmark Portfolio will also be a risk that will not be hedged in the immunization strategy. The assumptions that were analyzed throughout this research are the following: mortality table, rate of improvement, spouse’s age, discount basis, inflation rate and the wedge between CPI and RPI. This dissertation therefore tests how changing assumptions impacts the hedging strategy of the scheme and the respective consequences in the final designed asset portfolio

Sentiment analysis to predict the Portuguese economic sentiment based on economic news

Measuring the economic sentiment of a country is crucial to understand and predict its short-term economic condition. This work proposes an automatic sentiment indicator, derived from collected economic news texts, that is able to accurately measure the current economic sentiment in Portugal and is highly correlated with the official Economic Sentiment Indicator, published a few weeks later by the European Commission, based on surveys. The data used in these experiments consists of almost 90 thousand Portuguese economic news, extracted from two well-known Portuguese newspapers, covering the period from 2010 to 2020. Each document was automatically classified with the corresponding sentiment polarity, using a rule-based approach that proved suitable for detecting the sentiment in Portuguese economic news. In order to perform sentiment analysis of economic news, we have also evaluated the adaptation of existing pre-trained modules and performed experiments with a set of Machine Learning approaches. Experimental results show that our rule-based approach, that uses manually written rules specific to the economic context, achieves the best results for automatically detecting the polarity of economic news, largely surpassing the other approaches. Our experimental results shows that the sentiment expressed through economic news constitute a promising way of predicting the economic sentiment, thus allowing to understand the economic situation in Portugal in almost real time. The developed indicator, based on the news, give us a predictive power of the economic fluctuations and the sentiment concerning the economic agents about the present and the future of the economy.Medir o sentimento económico de um país é crucial para compreender e prever a sua condição económica de curto prazo. Este projeto propõe um indicador de sentimento automático, baseado em textos recolhidos de notícias económicas, que é capaz de medir com precisão o sentimento económico atual em Portugal e está altamente correlacionado com o Indicador de Sentimento Económico oficial, publicado pela Comissão Europeia algumas semanas depois e calculado com base em inquéritos. Os dados utilizados nestas experiências consistem em cerca de 90 mil notícias económicas portuguesas, extraídas de dois jornais portugueses de renome, abrangendo o período de 2010 a 2020. Cada notícia foi automaticamente classificada com a polaridade de sentimento que tem associada, através de uma abordagem baseada em regras que provou ser adequada para detectar o sentimento das notícias económicas portuguesas. Para realizar a análise de sentimento das notícias económicas, também avaliámos a adaptação de módulos prétreinados existentes e realizamos experiências com um conjunto de abordagens de Aprendizagem Automática. Resultados experimentais mostram que a nossa abordagem baseada em regras, que usa regras escritas manualmente específicas para o contexto económico, alcança os melhores resultados para detectar automaticamente a polaridade das notícias económicas, superando amplamente as outras abordagens. O nosso estudo mostra que o sentimento expresso através das notícias económicas constitui uma forma promissora de prever o sentimento económico, permitindo entender a situação económica em Portugal quase em tempo real. O indicador desenvolvido, com base nas notícias, tem poder preditivo das flutuações económicas e do sentimento dos agentes económicos acerca do presente e o futuro da economia

Estimativa do tamanho do genoma de seis espécies de ferrugens (Pucciniales)

Rust fungi (Basidiomycota, Pucciniales), one of the largest groups of phytopathogenic organisms, are characterised by host specialisation, biotrophy, complex life cycles and enlarged genomes. In this work we have used flow cytometry to determine the genome size of six rust species, Melampsora pulcherrima, Puccinia behenis, P. cichorii, P. pimpinellae, P. vincae and Uromyces dianthi, the causal agents of rust on Mercurialis annua, Silene latifolia, Cichorium intybus, Pimpinella villosa, Vinca major and Dianthus caryophyllus, respectively. With results ranging between 182.1 and 566.4 Mbp/1C, this study has contributed to the knowledge of genome sizes in the order Pucciniales, reinforcing this group as the one with the largest average genome size among fungi, with 335.6 Mbp/1C. By comparing genome sizes and their variability across the fungal kingdom, this study has contributed for understanding the patterns of genome size distribution along the fungal phylogeny, suggesting links between biological specificities and genome sizes. In particular, genome sizes of rust fungi vary greatly within genera, but also differ sharply from other non-Pucciniales orders in the Pucciniomycotina, suggesting that genome size variation may be an active element shaping the evolution of rust fung

The influence of entertainment on the average stay: hotel establishments in Terras De Trás-Os-Montes

The main objective of the present study is to analyze the contribution of entertainment to the average stay in hotel establishments in Terras de Trás-os-Montes (Portugal). In view of the purpose of the study, four specific objectives were considered: i) To identify the type of entertainment activities complementary to the hotel offer; ii) To identify the existence of partnerships with tourist entertainment agents; iii) To identify the activities practiced by guests; iv) To analyze the perception of hotel managers regarding the influence of entertainment on the average stay. Thus, a qualitative methodology was applied supported by semi-structured interviews with the hotel managers in the region under study, between March and May, 2019. Of the 33 hotel establishments in the region, only 13 participated in the study. The information from the interviews was treated individually, using content analysis. It was concluded that only 23% of hotel establishments offer entertainment activities to guests, namely, walking routes, boat trips, guided tours and jeep tours. About 39% have partnerships with local tourist entertainment companies. The activities practiced by guests are mostly coincident with the activities offered by hotel establishments, namely, hiking, boat trips, jeep tours and guided tours. The managers of the hotels unanimously agree that entertainment contributes to the increase of the average stay. This study intends to alert other hotel managers in the region towards the influence of offering entertainment on increasing the average stay of tourists, and the importance of creating partnerships with local tourist entertainment companies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clima organizacional para o uso das tecnologias digitais de informação e comunicação: estudo de caso numa escola de ensino fundamental e médio da cidade de Sapiranga - RS

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Educação (área de especialização em Tecnologia Educativa)Esta investigação apresenta a perspectiva dos professores sobre o clima organizacional da escola para o uso das TIC’s na qual atuam. Abordaremos o Clima de escola conscientes da importância que o seu conhecimento, em termos de diagnóstico organizacional, proporciona a possibilidade de uma intervenção geradora de mudança e de maior eficácia dentro de qualquer estabelecimento escolar. Centralizaremos a investigação num paradigma misto, qualitativo-quantitativo, através de um estudo de Caso de uma escola localizada na cidade de Sapiranga /RS, por meio de aplicação de um inquérito por questionário junto ao corpo docente. Neste contexto, apresentar-se-á no discorrer do presente trabalho acadêmico, levantamento bibliográfico, objetivando apresentar os principais conceitos acerca do clima escolar para o uso das TIC’s, seus aspectos motivadores e desmotivadores e a influência das novas tecnologias no dia-a-dia de um professor. A análise dos dados levantados auxiliará a concluir sobre a percepção dos docentes e quais aspectos que poderiam influenciar na melhoria do processo de utilização das TIC’s e, conseqüentemente, para um clima favorável dentro da escola.This investigational paper presents teachers' perspective on the school environment for the use of ICTs on who they operate. We shall address the school environment, well aware of the importance that their knowledge, in terms of organizational diagnosis, provides the possibility of a changing interventionpolicies and greater efficiency within any teaching institution. The focus of the investigation is a mixed qualitative-quantitativeresearch paradigm, through a survey study of a school — located in Sapiranga / RS — by applying of a questionnaireon the teaching body. In this context shall be demonstrated, on later developments of this paper, bibliographic referencesliteratureaiming to present the main concepts about the school environment for the use of ICTs, their motivating and demotivating aspects and the influence of new technologies in a daily teacher's routine. The analysis of the data will help to reach conclusions on the perception of teachers and what aspects that could influence the improvement of the use of ICT using processes and consequently to a more favorable environmentin the school

Microporous Framework (Nb, Fe)-Silicate with Much Potential to Remove Rare-Earth Elements from Waters

Nanoparticles of a new small-pore metal silicate formulated as Na2.9 (Nb1.55 Fe0.45 )Si2 O10  ⋅ xH2 O and exhibiting the structure of previously reported Rb2 (Nb2 O4 )(Si2 O6 ) ⋅ H2 O have been synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions. Replacement of the bulky Rb+ by smaller Na+ ions was accomplished by stabilizing the framework structure via partial occupancy of the Nb5+ sites by Fe3+ ions. Exploratory ion-exchange assays evidence the considerable potential of this new silicate to remove rare-earth elements from aqueous solutions.publishe