Lounge Sofa: projecto de desenvolvimento de produto para a Menu A/S

Trabalho de natureza profissional para a atribuição do Título de Especialista do Instituto Politécnico do Porto, na área de Design, defendido a 16-03-2016.No decorrer do salão internacional do mobiliário de Milão em 2013, iSaloni 2013, e aquando da apresentação/lançamento dos projectos a_Chair 1 e Table One 2 , primeira colaboração com a empresa Italiana Valsecchi1918, surge a oportunidade para iniciar a colaboração com a empresa Dinamarquesa Menu A/S (Menu). Num primeiro momento este convite é rapidamente formalizado numa pequena reunião ainda no decorrer do iSaloni 2013. Reunião informal com o director artístico da Menu Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen cofundador do estúdio Norm Architects 3, que são responsáveis nos últimos anos pela definição e gestão da nova estratégia da marca Menu. Volvidos dois meses, Junho de 2013, iniciou-se o longo caminho de desenvolvimento do projecto, Lounge Sofa, que terminou, já em 2015, com a apresentação e lançamento oficial em Janeiro na IMM Cologne 2015 seguindo-se a Maison Objet Paris 2015 e a Stockolm Furniture Fair 2015

THE INFLUENCE OF SWIMMING VELOCITY ON THE KINEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF BACKSTROKE SWIMMING

Under standard workout conditions, swimmers spend most of their time swimming at rates significantly lower than racing speed. Specificity of training is not just a metabolic problem, but also a technical and a kinesiological one. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent swimming the backstroke at different speeds implies a change in the stroke pattern and in the kinematics of the propulsive movements. We also studied the technical characteristics associated with performance in short distance efforts. A third aim of this study was to compare the intra-cycle velocity variation of the center of gravity of the body to the intra-cycle velocity variation of the hip point. Seven well-trained male swimmers participated in this study (age: 14.71±0.76 years, height: 1.74±0.39 m, body mass: 63.14±5.52 kg, %FAT: 15.40±1.81). Each subject performed 3 x 50 m backstroke repeats with 15 min of rest at a velocity corresponding to 90% (v90), 95% (v95) and 100% (vmax) of best performance in the 50 m backstroke. The swimmers were filmed on the sagittal plane, underwater and above the water, with synchronized cameras (60 Hz). Images were mixed and then digitized for further analysis using the APAS system. Peak mean horizontal velocities of the hand occurred during the upsweep at v90 and v95 and during the finish/exit at vmax. Total stroke duration decreased from v90 to v100 due to the shorter duration of the downsweep, the final downsweep and the finish/exit, but the relative duration of the phases did not show any significant changes. Increasing velocity caused an increase in the distance between point of entry into the water and point of exit of the hand from the water, but mean horizontal pulling length decreased. Swimming velocity at sub-maximal paces correlated well to mean body velocity at the upsweep, but at vmax, the highest association was to body velocity at the final downsweep. Maximal velocity in the 50 m backstroke was inversely correlated to the range of intra-cycle velocity variations of the body center of gravity. This parameter showed a poor individual correlation to the hip velocity variation (r=0.58 ± 0.18). The correlation between the coefficient of variation of the hip and the center of gravity intra-cycle velocities had, on the contrary, a high significance. Movement of temporal and spatial structures seem to vary little with velocity changes in swimmers who have attained a good stabilization of motor execution. In fast swimming, nevertheless, swimmers apparently achieve a greater anterioposterior stabilization of the hand, which may indicate more pronounced lift oriented sculling actions, and performance becomes more dependent on the final portion of the underwater path. The variation of the mean velocity of the hip cannot be used for quantification of the changes of body velocity from phase to phase, but a coefficient of variation (SD . mean-1 . 100) of intra-cycle hip velocity seems to be an adequate indicator of the intra-cycle velocity variation of the body center of gravity

A critical look at the Portuguese public–private partnerships in healthcare

The pre‐conceived idea that contracts in a public–private partnership (PPP) regime, in healthcare or in any other economic sector, are, as a rule, ruinous and appealing for only a share of the stakeholders, lacks a solid basis that confirms it. This idea, outset and nurtured by the media, has been instigating the distrust of the users who, in turn, demand a more rigorous and efficient utilisation of public resources. Being Portugal in the top of countries that resort to PPPs, it is urgent to inquire if its respective contracts originated an inefficient and ineffective management of resources. It is precisely this discussion that we address in this paper, focusing our efforts in the Portuguese healthcare sectorinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Knowledge extraction from the behaviour of players in a web browser game

Dissertação de mestrado em Informatics EngineeringThe analysis of the player’s behaviour is a requirement with growing popularity in the traditional computer games segment and has been proven to aid the developers create better and more profitable games. There is now interest in trying to replicate this attainment in a less conventional genre of games known as web browser games. The main objective of this work is to analyse and create a technique for the analysis of the behaviour of the players inside a web browser game. For this analysis a system to automatically collect, process and store the relevant data for the referred analysis was developed. The web browser game used as a case study for this work is developed by 5DLab and is called Wack-a- Doo. The work developed focused on creating short-term prediction models using the information collected during the first days of playing for each player. The objectives of these models are to predict the time played or the conversion state of the players. With the study of the created models it was possible to extract results that provide potentially useful information to increase the profitability of Wack-a-Doo.A análise do comportamento de jogadores é uma prática com crescente popularidade no segmento dos jogos de vídeo tradicionais. Esta técnica foi já aprovada como capaz de ajudar os criadores a desenvolver melhores e mais lucrativos jogos. Existe agora interesse em tentar replicar este sucesso num género de jogos de vídeo menos convencionais normalmente referidos como jogos de browser web. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar e criar uma técnica para essa análise do comportamento dos jogadores de um jogo de browser web. Para isto um sistema automático de recolha, processamento e armazenamento dos dados relacionados com o comportamento dos jogadores foi desenvolvido. O jogo de browser web usado para este estudo foi criado pela empresa 5DLab e dá pelo nome de Wack-a-Doo. O trabalho desenvolvido centrou-se em fazer modelos de previsão de curto prazo usando as informações recolhidas durante os primeiros dias de jogo de cada jogador. Estes modelos têm como objetivo prever o tempo jogado e o estado de conversão do jogador. Estudando os modelos criados foi possível extrair resultados que fornecem informação potencialmente útil para melhorar a rentabilidade do Wack-a-Doo

Sustainability of Portuguese Courts: Citizen Satisfaction and Loyalty as Key Factors

This paper aims to describe the satisfaction and loyalty of citizens towards the sustainability of Portuguese courts. This research was carried out under the Portuguese justice agenda named “Justice + Closer” between the years of 2017, 2018, and 2019. The methodological approach adopted was quantitative. Based on the literature review, a structural model of the relationships between the dimensions that directly and indirectly influence citizen satisfaction and loyalty was adapted from the arbitration centers to the court’s reality. Data collection was carried out during the three years mentioned—in person at the Portuguese Campus of Justice and also through questionnaires applied online. In the course of the three years, 3276 observations were collected. Through structural equation modeling, it was possible to measure positive relations produced between seven established dimensions. The results of this study contribute generally to applied research in the field of justice administration and to the understanding of this topic by those in the academic sector where it has been superficially addressed. Related future investigations might include a comparative study between the satisfaction and loyalty of citizens with (i) the formal adjudication processes and case outcomes of the Portuguese courts and (ii) alternative dispute-resolution processes and case outcome means reached by recognized arbitration and mediation centers, judges of peace, and related ADR services.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Sustainability of the Portuguese Prison System: A Criminal Justice System in Masculine Form?

Society has undergone an entire evolution in the field of criminal penalties, as people want to avoid, or ideally to extinguish, crime and consequent victimization. However, the human nature would hardly allow such utopian society to prevail. Hence, as individuals, we do have codes and bylaws that govern our society. The number of male prisoners is considerably higher in comparison to female prisoners. The aim of the present research is to analyze the sex inequality in the Portuguese criminal justice system, as well as to discuss the following questions: (i) Are men suffering from unjustifiable discrimination by the criminal system? Or, (ii) are there any physical and psychological differences between both sexes? A quantitative and qualitative approach was used. A legal framework was created regarding penalty enforcement, followed by a review of the literature approaching themes of criminology, victimization, and sex inequality. To enrich and empirically support this research, the statistics provided by the Directorate-General for Justice Policy of the Ministry of Portuguese Justice are presented, and a descriptive analysis on the evolution of the number of inmates in Portuguese prisons and juveniles detained in educational centers, between 2010 and 2019 was performed. Implications of this study are is discussed to highlight mediation in criminal cases as a neutral future.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Traducir casos recientes de reformas del sistema de justicia en pilares teóricos: el estudio de caso portugués

The theoretical models of public administration do not always accurately represent the reality that shapes the basis of public decisions. The approaches, techniques and instruments chosen often have opposite effects. Public management reforms have become their own policy, which encompasses a group of reform menus based on several theoretical approaches (Pollitt, 2018). The objective of this work is to create a bridge between theoretical foundations and cases of recent reforms in Portuguese justice. For this, we opt for a qualitative methodological approach, using documentary analysis and content analysis as the data analysis technique. Three sets of reforms in the judicial area are presented, summarizing their objectives and their respective frameworks and results. Through the content analysis, it was possible to successfully relate the New Public Management and Governance to the reforms studied in the justice sector.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improvement of project management processes and practices aided by lean tools in a metalworking company

The research presented in this paper was developed in a Portuguese metallurgical company. The company has many projects ranging from the industrialization of products through the production of initial tool samples (called initial samples) to projects such as the development of prototypes. Prior to this research, the company had already made efforts to improve project management practices. The main objective of the research project was to improve the practices of project management, with the implementation of risk management tools, evaluation of software for project management and the use of Lean tools. In the end, there was an increase in the number of company projects delivered on time (from 22% to 70%), mainly due to the implementation of the Kanban board, which also increased the company integration and the awareness of projects current situation. The new software presented was negative evaluated as it had a high impact on the increase of project managers' tasks. Risk Management was shown as the point that demands more evolution within the aspects addressed by this research project.- This work has been supported by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019

A Piezoelectric Device for Measurement and Power Harvesting Applications

Com o apoio RAADRI.With the fast growth of wireless communications between nodes/sensor units, devices installed in remote places require power energy supply solutions to assure their functionally and data communication capabilities. For these applications energy harvesting takes place as a good solution, to increase the availability of energy, in opposition to the conventional systems of energy supply. Regenerative energy sources like thermoelectric, magnetic, piezoelectric, and/or renewable sources such as photovoltaic, wind, among others, allowed the development of different powering solutions for sensor units. The purpose of this work is to characterize a piezoelectric device to measure and capture mechanical vibrations from equipments, structures and piping vibrations, as well as from other sources. The study is carried out taking into account the power supply capabilities of piezoelectric devices as a function of the amplitude and frequency of the vibration stimulus, as well as, the electrical characteristics of the load circuit

Prenatal dental care and periodontal health: a concise systematic review

Introduction: Periodontal disease is a chronic infection caused by a bacterium that stimulates the immunoinflammatory response, leading to inflammation of the gingival and tooth support tissue, resulting from the pathogenesis of the microorganism and the host's response. Studies have investigated the association between periodontal conditions and possible complications for pregnant women and newborns. Objective: Analyzed the main consequences of periodontal disease during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as changes involving newborns, in order to elucidate the importance of prenatal dental care. Methods: The present study was followed by a systematic literature review model, according to the PRISMA rules. Clinical studies included case reports, retrospective, prospective and randomized trials. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument. The risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results: A total of 104 articles were found. A total of 48 articles were evaluated in full, and 20 were included and discussed in this study. The overall assessment did not result in significant risks that could compromise the science of the present study. According to the GRADE classification, the studies were of moderate quality. Gingivitis, periodontitis, and tooth loss were found to be associated with premature birth. Periodontal disease can increase the chance of negative neonatal and maternal outcomes, with fetal growth restriction, vulvovaginitis, and premature rupture of the membrane being the main effects. Conclusion: Oral health should be an important focus in the monitoring of pregnant women in all maternal and child health services, making it necessary to incorporate the diagnosis of maternal oral health and periodontal disease for the health of the mother and newborn