“Clica Já” – Educação Sexual em Meio Escolar

A educação sexual tem assumido nas últimas décadas uma importância acrescida, pela tomada de consciência de que é parte integrante do normal desenvolvimento dos jovens adolescentes. As várias instituições envolvidas, famílias, escolas e serviços de saúde, têm despertado para a necessidade de garantir que os jovens adquiram os conhecimentos adequados à adoção de comportamentos saudáveis e seguros. Muitas experiências e programas de educação têm sido desenvolvidos para os adolescentes, mas persistem as elevadas taxas de gravidez na adolescência e de infeções sexualmente transmissíveis. Sendo inquestionável o poder da Internet na partilha e divulgação de informação, e a apetência dos jovens por esta plataforma de informação, o projeto “CLICA JÁ” usa esta ferramenta para fornecer informação sobre as várias dimensões da sexualidade aos estudantes, aumentando o nível dos seus conhecimentos nesta matéria para que possam modificar as suas atitudes, com vista à adoção de comportamentos seguros.In recent decades, sex education has increased in importance as people have realized that it is a significant part of normal development of young adolescents. The various institutions involved, such as the family, schools and health services, have realized the necessity to ensure that young people acquire the knowledge for the adoption of healthy and safe behaviors. Many experiences and education programs have been made and developed for adolescents, but there are still high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Knowing the power of the internet in sharing and spreading information and the interest of young people regarding this tool, the project “CLICA JÁ” uses this resource to provide students with information on different issues of sexuality, thereby increasing their knowledge in this area and making them able to change their attitudes towards the adoption of safe behaviors

ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THE REHABILITATION OF BUILDINGS: A CASE STUDY

The purpose of this case study is to analyse the perceptions and knowledge of university students, regarding the implementation of proper practices, towards a high level of sustainability of rehabilitated buildings. During 2016-17, a group of twenty-one students attended “Pathologies and Rehabilitation of Buildings”, a third-year subject of a Portuguese Civil Engineering course, which aims to deepen the knowledge that will allow students to use sustainable practices in old buildings in need of rehabilitation. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from observation and analysis of the rehabilitation process of a building located in the city of Porto, Portugal, as well as from the analysis of a questionnaire about how this practical activity has enriched students´ technical experience. The results indicate students’ increasing awareness regarding the importance of practical knowledge about building rehabilitation, using sustainability criteria to transform highly deteriorated buildings into spaces whose dwellers can achieve an easier integration at the environmental, social and economic levels. Nevertheless, it should be noted that only a few students reveal deeper knowledge of the building pathologies, of which the most common are humidity infiltrations and the lack of thermal insulation. The results of the case study will be used to improve teaching practice in this university course and to increase students´ practical application of sustainable rehabilitation concepts to the built environment. In this way, the establishment of the effectiveness of an active pedagogy, in order to prepare future engineers, capable of leading a building rehabilitation sustainable process, was a driving factor in this study

Water reuse for domestic consumption. A key element for environmental and economic sustainability

In a context of increasing social awareness about resources conservation, residential water management is essential in ensuring environmental and economic sustainability. An adequate management is attained with integrated solutions, which simultaneously reduce potable water consumption at least in 25% and enable the storage of recovered water. The recovery and storage of underground water can be ensured with the installation of a groundwater drainage network and an underground water deposit, which will supply the residential toilet cisterns and the automatic irrigation systems through independent piping. These solutions aim to achieve high levels of water conservation with the aid of known materials, components and techniques, with as little interference as possible in residential comfort. They also reduce the interference in the water cycle, since less public water is used for residential consumption and the surrounding surface permeability is assured in order to allow the infiltration of rainwater into the soil. Due to water reuse, the cold potable water consumption in residential buildings can be reduced in up to 50% when compared to average consumption in buildings without recovery systems. Therefore, the environmental and economic impact analysis of water reuse leads to the conclusion that the investment has a five year payback period, after which it represents a real gain for residents

Challenges and benefits of building sustainable cooperative housing

This research has the goal of determining, comparing and substantiating the actual outcome of using sustainable practices, from a financial and environmental comfort point of view. The selected context was of interest due to the challenge of quality sustainable construction at controlled costs, meant for inhabitants of the Portuguese cooperative housing, due to its economical implications and especially its social ones. Two case studies of cooperative housing developments built in Portugal are presented, the first with characteristics of traditional construction and the second including sustainable building features. With these examples, it is intended to demonstrate that it is possible to build below cost limits imposed by law in order to substantially reduce energy consumption costs for heating and cooling as well as for domestic water heating. So, calculations of energy savings in indoor heating and cooling, as well as for domestic water heating are presented in this article for two specific situations: first, for a standard comfort use of housing, as opposed to a situation of real consumption of housing developments as obtained by monitoring carried out for one year in the same dwellings studied for standard comfort. The causes that lead to a substantial decrease in energy consumption in the building of sustainable construction are also described, as a starting point to the improvement of future cooperative housing. Finally are presented, for each of the two situations, calculations of the payback period of investment, according to the specific incremental cost in sustainable construction and the benefits in reducing consumptions. The results show an effective contribution to the improvement of the environment and environmental comfort, due to sustainable construction

Forwarding Repeated Game for End-to-End QoS Support in Fiber-Wireless Access Networks

Fiber-wireless (FiWi) access mesh networks have been proposed as flexible and cost-effective solutions for future access networks. However, for FiWi access mesh networks to provide end-to-end QoS guarantees to its customers, efficient QoS routing schemes and scheduling policies become necessary. Here we provide a model, using repeated game theory, that creates ground for scheduling policies to be implemented. That is, our framework provides insights into how much bandwidth a wireless router needs to share, for foreign traffic forwarding, so that services of local users and services of foreign users can all receive bandwidth in a balanced way. Some strategies were tested, under the developed model, to look for equilibrium states. The equilibrium strategies provide the means for QoS guarantees in FiWi access mesh networks, meaning that they can be used as a basis for scheduling policies.This work was supported by FCT (Foundation for Sci- ence and Technology) of Portugal within CEOT (Center for Electronic, Optoelectronic and Telecommunications), research project PTDC/EEA-TEL/71678/2006, and by J. Coimbra’s Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/37808/200

Perceived parenting styles and adjustment during emerging adulthood: a cross-national perspective

The aim of the present study is to determine whether the influence of parenting style on children’s wellbeing is sustained during emerging adulthood. This is a stage in which young people, despite feeling themselves to be adults, often remain in the family home and continue to be financially dependent on their parents. Moreover, since parents’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviors are constructed and interpreted within their cultural milieu, the study also aims to explore the situation in Spain (SP) and Portugal (PT). Those two Southern Europe countries are representative of what is known as the “family welfare regime”, in which the family acts as the main provider of care and security not only during childhood, but also during emerging adulthood. Thus, the present study examines, from a cross-cultural perspective, the relationship between perceived parenting styles and psychological adjustment among a sample of 1047 emerging adults from Spain and Portugal. The results reveal that the most beneficial styles during this stage are the authoritative and permissive ones, with the authoritarian style being more closely related to psychological distress. The study highlights intercultural similarities and the positive role played by more symmetrical relationships in the adjustment of emerging adults in both countries.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad EDU2013-45687-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad RTI2018-097405-B-I0

IP/optical integration in access network infrastructures: key issues on resource provisioning

This thesis contributes to the advancement of Fiber-Wireless (FiWi) access technologies, through the development of algorithms for resource allocation and energy efficient routing. FiWi access networks use both optical and wireless/cellular technologies to provide high bandwidth and ubiquity, required by users and current high demanding services. FiWi access technologies are divided in two parts. In one of the parts, fiber is brought from the central office to near the users, while in the other part wireless routers or base stations take over and provide Internet access to users. Many technologies can be used at both the optical and wireless parts, which lead to different integration and optimization problems to be solved. In this thesis, the focus will be on FiWi access networks that use a passive optical network at the optical section and a wireless mesh network at the wireless section. In such networks, two important aspects that influence network performance are: allocation of resources and traffic routing throughout the mesh section. In this thesis, both problems are addressed. A fair bandwidth allocation algorithm is developed, which provides fairness in terms of bandwidth and in terms of experienced delays among all users. As for routing, an energy efficient routing algorithm is proposed that optimizes sleeping and productive periods throughout the wireless and optical sections. To develop the stated algorithms, game theory and networks formation theory were used. These are powerful mathematical tools that can be used to solve problems involving agents with conflicting interests. Since, usually, these tools are not common knowledge, a brief survey on game theory and network formation theory is provided to explain the concepts that are used throughout the thesis. As such, this thesis also serves as a showcase on the use of game theory and network formation theory to develop new algorithms

On the opening of higher education institutions to a new public: the Portuguese case

The recent “opening” of higher education institutions (HEI) to “new publics” raises some questions: first of all, that of the transformation (or not) of an education subsystem often described as conservative. The unsolved problem of the lack of devices directed to the recognition of adults’ prior learning (at a higher education level) might work as a challenge that could contribute to solve this problem, that is, the knowledge (often unrecognised by the subjects themselves, but also by others, namely through formal devices of recognition) acquired and developed by adults, in their lives and with their lives, together with the needs that they seek to satisfy through education and training, could invite HEI to change. This paper intends to explore part of the wide range of meanings that adults construct concerning higher education, stressing the obstacles and facilitators of adult learning, in a journey through three spheres: individual, social and institutional. The research plan presented here intends to draw a conceptual and critical framework of the problematic, based on the perspectives of HEI directors, professors and adult learners. Even though the study privileges the local level, both concerning the institutions and the individuals, the national and transnational governance devices and processes have been considered as well. The analytic dimensions embrace the processes and products of adult learning, the assessment methodologies, the pedagogical practices, the curricular plans and frameworks, the (career and pedagogical) guidance and support devices — namely tutorship —, as well as the courses, programmes and institutions’ functioning and organization.A recente “abertura” das instituições de ensino superior (IES) a “novos públicos” suscita interrogações, desde logo a da transformação (ou não) de um subsistema de ensino muitas vezes descrito como conservador. Os saberes — válidos, mas por reconhecer — de que os adultos são portadores poderão promover este convite à mudança. Este artigo, numa viagem por três esferas — individual, social e institucional —, intenta explorar alguns dos inúmeros sentidos e significados que os adultos constroem com relação ao ensino superior, sublinhando os obstáculos e os aspectos facilitadores da aprendizagem. O plano de investigação aqui apresentado procura traçar um quadro conceptual e crítico do problema, com base na perspectiva de directores das IES, docentes e aprendentes adultos. Conquanto a investigação privilegie o nível local, das instituições e dos indivíduos, considerar-se-á também os dispositivos e processos de “regulação” nacional e transnacional desta oferta educativa. As dimensões de análise serão os processos e produtos de aprendizagem dos adultos, as metodologias de avaliação, as práticas pedagógicas, os planos curriculares, os mecanismos de orientação (profissional e pedagógica) e de apoio — nomeadamente tutorial —, bem como o funcionamento e organização dos cursos, dos programas e das instituições