Gamification framework for a document management system

Este projeto consiste na definição e implementação de uma estratégia de ludificação para um software de gestão documental, cuja função principal é ser uma alternativa aos métodos de arquivo de documentos tradicionais em empresas, incluindo a sua gestão e a dos processos a eles associados, através de workflows, isto é, dos fluxos de trabalho para cada documento, incluindo a sua respetiva alocação a diferentes utilizadores. Assim, o trabalho desenvolvido no projeto consiste numa primeira fase no estudo teórico da experiência do utilizador e das estratégias de ludificação existentes. Posteriormente, é feita uma análise da experiência atual do utilizador com o software, e uma avaliação do seu nível de ludificação atual através da framework Octalysis. Por fim, é definida e implementada uma estratégia de ludificação com base na metodologia de Werbach and Hunter, de modo a melhorar a experiência do utilizador e otimizar a eficácia dos objetivos da ferramenta.The aim of this dissertation is to define and implement a gamification strategy to a document management software. On this project is analyzed a real document management platform that has been applied as an alternative to the conventional document archive methods, including documents management and the processes associated to them in a business context through workflows associated to each document that allocates the document's related tasks to specific users. First, the aim of the research were the literature review about user experience and gamification strategies. Subsequently, a user experience analysis is made, incluing the evaluation of the actual gamification level of the software, using the Octalysis framework. Finally, in order to improve the user experience and optimize the software funcionalities a gamification strategy was defined, following the Werbach and Hunter methodology

Measuring adherence to inhaled control medication in patients with asthma: Comparison among an asthma app, patient self-report and physician assessment

Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment. This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0-100). A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25-P75] age 28 [19-41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0-71]%; 1 month: 18 [0-48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60-95]) and physician assessment (82 [51-94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001). Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Insights on the use and consequences of user-generated content in the context of portuguese luxury hotels

Facebook have captured a special interest from private users and business organizations. In parallel, the concept of user-generated content has appeared as an active marketing tool since Facebook users could spread the word and share opinions on their pages with their "so-called" Facebook friends. This study aims to identify and understand the strategies and purposes of luxury hotel brand followers on Facebook towards user-generated content. 355 user-generated posts from 50 valid hotel’s brand pages have been collected from Facebook and coded manually for each variable. Moreover, posts were treated as a respondent and were coded according several variables such gender, nationality, post type, etc. To get better results, a descriptive analysis was performed. The results showed that pots with images were the most chosen post type to share any type of content and the favorite content types were sharing moments from holidays and writing guest reviews. As to the best day to post content, each gender has its own preferences: for females are the weekends while males favor Wednesdays and Fridays. However, 83,4% of the brand pages did not engage with generated posts and the involvement only occurred with guest reviews and holidays’ moments. The results give insight about the strategies adopted by Facebook users to generate content on their profiles about a specific hotel brand and begin to fill the gap on user-generated content utilization by hotel managers.O Facebook tem captado um interesse especial, tanto dos utilizadores particulares como das organizações. Consequentemente, o conceito de conteúdo criado pelos utilizadores apareceu como uma ferramenta de marketing, uma vez que os utilizadores com perfil de Facebook podem partilhar as suas opiniões nos seus próprios perfis com seus "amigos". Este estudo pretende identificar e compreender, as estratégias e intenções, dos seguidores de páginas de marcas hoteleiras de luxo no Facebook, através do conteúdo gerado pelos utilizadores. Extraímos 355 posts criados por utilizadores de 50 páginas de marcas de hotéis de luxo, tendo sido recolhidos no Facebook, e codificados manualmente para cada variável. Assim, foram tratados como uma resposta e codificados por: género, nacionalidade, tipo de post, etc. Para uma melhor compreensão dos resultados, foi realizado uma análise descritiva. Concluiu-se que os posts com imagens são os mais escolhidos para partilhar qualquer tipo de conteúdo, e que, os conteúdos favoritos mostravam momentos em férias, e mostravam críticas feitas por hóspedes. Relativamente aos melhores dias para fazer publicações, cada género tem as suas preferências: as mulheres preferem os fins-de semanas enquanto que os homens as quartas e sextas-feiras. Contudo, 83,4% das páginas analisadas não mostraram qualquer interacção com os utilizadores, e tal só aconteceu em críticas de hóspedes e férias. Os resultados dão uma visão sobre as estratégias adoptadas pelos utilizadores de Facebook para criar conteúdo nos seus perfis sobre uma marca de hotel específica, e começar a preencher a lacuna na utilização desta ferramenta pelos gestores das páginas de marcas hoteleiras

A way out of the crises for expatriates: the mediating role of psychological capital

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsThis study reports on the experience of 10 expatriates during the severe economic downturn in Portugal. Following a phenomenological research method based on in-depth interviews, we explore the challenges and opportunities faced by the group. The report concludes that expatriates with psychological capital (high on hope, optimism, resilience and self-efficacy) are more likely to cope better with the economic climate, overcoming feelings of pressure and helplessness to achieve professional and personal opportunities and gains. The discussion then focus on how should MNEs better prepare expatriates using PsyCap as a selection criteria and part of the pre-departure training

Restauração na hotelaria rural e urbana : projeções e perceções

Dissertação de Mestrado, Gestão de Empresas (MBA), 22 de abril de 2022, Universidade dos Açores.Turismo e hotelaria, bem como restauração, apresentaram um significativo crescimento até 2020. Deste este ano até ao presente, as fases passaram da resiliência ao início, sendo necessário a mudança dos sistemas. Com a mais recente pandemia Covid-19, a indústria sente-se obrigada a rever as suas produções e vendas, com os impactos que este vírus proporciona. Deste modo, o objetivo deste projeto é verificar como e de que forma estas alterações afetaram o turismo e, consequentemente, a restauração na hoteleira nos Açores, mais propriamente em São Miguel. Deste modo procurou-se perceber se existe uma diferenciação na imagem de marca, na essência bem como na oferta do serviço a ser prestado por restaurantes situados nos hotéis, tanto a nível rural e urbano. Atendendo a que se pretendia aferir o diferencial entre o rural e urbano, foram escolhidos como caso de estudo dois grupos de hotelaria predominantes nos Açores: Bensaude e Discovery Hotel Management - DHM, mais concretamente as suas unidades rurais - Terra Nostra Garden Hotel e Furnas Boutique Hotel - e as suas unidades citadinas - Hotel Marina Atlântico e Azor Hotel, respetivamente. Para compreender esta realidade de forma mais completa, o trabalho contou com entrevistas aos respetivos responsáveis do departamento da restauração hoteleira e com inquéritos a clientes procuram este tipo de serviços. Como se trata de um estudo feito entre o ano de 2020/2021, foi importante dar enfase à perceção do impacto da pandemia, COVID-19, nesta área de mercado. Em suma, verificou-se que os grupos supracitados se diferenciam significativamente a nível de oferta, essência e imagem de marca. É também de referir que em ambos são predominantes os turistas, embora que com a pandemia os residentes tenham sentido mais necessidade de procurar este tido de serviços. Estes últimos são clientes residentes, com hábitos de frequentar restaurantes e com poder económico mais elevado. As conclusões deste trabalho permitem aferir que ainda existe espaço para uma maior diferenciação da oferta.ABSTRACT: Tourism and hospitality presented an unprecedented growth until 2020. From them-on, it passes from resilience to a reignition phase, changing supply and demand systems. The well-known reality pre-Covid needs to be revisited to understand the present situation and the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic. Therefore, this work aims to understand and check how these changes affected tourism, hospitality, and the foodservice industry. Moreover, getting to know and to see which projections they have at this specific sector, because the main goal is to understand if there’s any difference between Rural and Civic environment as far as brand image, essence and service provided. For this purpose, the Azores, more specifically São Miguel, was chosen as a study field. Two major Azorean hospitality groups - Bensaude and Discovery Hotel Management - DHM - were picked and within two hotels from each one, both rural and city, namely, Terra Nostra Garden Hotel; Hotel Marina Atlântico and Furnas Boutique Hotel; Azor Hotel. Data was gathered using interviews with the general managers, and the online survey addressed hotel-restaurant clients, who use these types of services. Yet, was important to understand the Covid-19 impacts because this work was made during the years 2020 to 2021. The work's outcome establishes that regardless of their close physical location, these two groups couldn’t be more apart since they are significantly different in terms of the service offered, essence, and brand image. Another aspect highlighted by the results is that residents felt the necessity of this type of service, increasing the domestic/local tourism demand. Yet, not everyone can afford it; it's more likely middle/high population class. The outcome of this study allows inferring that there is still space for hotel restaurants to invest in differentiation and tailor-made services based on the uniqueness of their location

Nutritional risk and survival in cancer patients undergoing percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy in the Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, EPE.

[resumo][abstract

Evaluation of a new vaccine based on pDNA and recombinant protein against Helicobacter pylori

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Genética Molecular e BiomedicinaHelicobacter pylori is a bacterium capable of surviving and infecting a healthy human stomach and it is estimated that infect more than a half of world population. Despite of being almost always asymptomatic, in some cases, the infection can evolve to several gastric disease as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric cancer and MALT lymphoma. Vaccination against H. pylori is a promising option due to emerging problems of antibiotics treatment. It is thought that oral immunization could be a good approach for a more effective protection against infections by H. pylori, creating a first line of defense in mucosal surfaces. Chitosan nanoparticles are a suitable vehicle for oral vaccines delivery due to its immunogenic and mucoadhesive properties, protecting the DNA and allowing high levels of transfected cells. Thus, this work aims to evaluate a new pDNA- and recombinant protein-based vaccine, with multi epitopes of different H. pylori antigens. Following production and purification of plasmid DNA and recombinant proteins, vaccines were formulated for oral and intramuscular administration with the antigens encapsulated with chitosan nanoparticles. The type of immune response induced and the effectiveness of protective immunity elicited were assessed by ELISA, through analysis of specific IgGs, mucosal SIgA and cytokines levels produced by immunized BALB/C mice. When give by the intramuscular route, the formulated pDNA and recombinant protein-based vaccines efficiently stimulated the production of specific IgG2a and IgG1, which is supported by cytokines levels, revealing a better and balanced systemic immune response than oral immunizations. Nevertheless as expected, oral immunizations with either pDNA vaccines or recombinant protein revealed high levels of SIgA, showing to be effective in gastric mucosal immunization for a more protective immune response, contrasting with intramuscular immunizations which did not induce SIgA. The immunization results showed that both pDNA and recombinant proteins vaccines encapsulated with chitosan nanoparticles are good candidates for the development of a future vaccine to prophylactic and therapeutic use to improve the eradication of H. pylori infections.Fundação da Ciência e Tecnologia - (PTDC/BIO/69242/2006); FEDER - (PEst-OE/SAU/UI4013/2011

A coleção etnográfica de cultura religiosa afro-brasileira do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia da Universidade de São Paulo.

Este artigo apresenta a coleção afro-brasileira de cultura religiosa do MAE, incluindo a Coleção Registro Sertanejo, que acaba de ser catalogada e possui grande importância histórica e etnográfica por sua cronologia e características. O texto argumenta, ainda, em favor da criação de um acervo de cultura afro-brasileira em suas várias dimensões dada sua importância na cultura nacional.This article shows the Afro-Brazilian religious culture collection of MAE, including the Registro Sertanejo collection, now. That collection has ethnographic and historic importance by it’s chronology and characteristics. The work claims, also, the building of Afro-Brazilian Culture Collection, considering it’s multiple dimensions and importance in the national cultur