Building (e-)learning bridges: uma visão europeia das barreiras ao e-Learning

Apesar de em todo o mundo os cursos de educação e formação em e-Learning terem vindo a aumentar de ano para ano, chegando a cada vez mais públicos, a realidade mostra que há ainda muitas barreiras por ultrapassar e que podem surgir a partir dos formandos, formadores, fatores ambientais, e até mesmo características culturais e interculturais do ambiente de e-Learning. Building (e-)Learning Bridges é uma Parceria de Aprendizagem Grundtvig (Lifelong Learning Programme) que envolve sete instituições de sete países europeus e que vem estudando o ambiente de aprendizagem que as instituições enfrentam quando implementam soluções de e-Learning no ensino e na formação de adultos. Tem como objetivo identificar e diminuir as barreiras comuns ao e-Learning que existentes em cada país bem como entre países. O presente artigo apresenta uma visão europeia das barreiras ao e-Learning a partir das experiências dos parceiros, terminando numa proposta de protocolo de criação de cursos que, depois de testado e avaliado, será fruto de um processo de disseminação e incorporação de boas práticas, nomeadamente nos sete países que compõem a parceria.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, UM (UI 317 da FCT

Building (e-)learning bridges between Portugal and Turkey

E-Learning has revolutionized learning as we know it [1]. Shifting beyond traditional mode of education, e-Learning has become an advantage for all learners in general. Further, e-Learning also bridges the gap of learning across borders, emerging as the new paradigm of modern education [2]. With e-Learning, learners can have access to training in other universities and to academic resource materials from other countries, thereby broadening the knowledge base of students. Despite these promising advantages, there are many barriers that face both trainers and trainees within an e- Learning environment [2] [3] [4]. Data show that teachers and trainers have a lack of confidence that surpasses the general optimism in e-Learning [5]. Teachers and trainers indicated that their skills in preparing pedagogical specifications or e-Learning tools are weak [5]. These barriers to e-Learning are very similar across European countries, example of that is Portugal and Turkey. This is a clear finding of the Building (e)Learning Bridges project (Lifelong Learning Programme – Grundtvig Learning Partnerships, 2012-14) [6]. This project aimed to design and test a usable web based protocol to facilitate the creation of effective e-Learning activities [6]. A protocol is generally defined as a set of rules/procedures that should be followed to achieve an outcome. When creating a new e-Learning course these procedures will ensure that all-important aspects of the development process are followed in the appropriate order [7]. Our goal is to give strong guidelines to teachers and trainers that allow them to prepare good e-Learning environments to their students, interactive and pedagogically structured, in order to overcome the barriers to e-Learning that have been found in the scope of the project (including in the literature). This protocol can help institutions adopt e-Learning by overcoming potential barriers, and hence reduce the risk of failure during implementation. After a first moment when partners identified common barriers to e-Learning, we create an e-Learning Protocol to facilitate the creation of e-Learning courses. With this protocol it was possible to prepare a small-scale ‘at distance’ learning activity among partners. The first tests were conducted with Portugal targeting eleven adult e-learners in Turkey. This paper presents the accomplished e-Learning Protocol and the results of the mentioned test activity.National Agency for Lifelong Learning ProgrammeCIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, UM (FCT R&D 317

The hotel industry and relationship marketing: The case of Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais, Brazil

Considerando a proximidade de importantes eventos de nível internacional a serem realizados em Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brasil), e o aumento na demanda por hospedagem na cidade, o presente artigo busca, por meio de um estudo de caso sobre um hotel quatro estrelas, identificar aspectos das estratégias de marketing de relacionamento passíveis de representar vantagem competitiva para a organização. Foram entrevistados 120 hóspedes e 15 empregados do grupo hoteleiro, por meio de questionários estruturados aplicados nos meses de outubro e novembro de 2011. Os resultados do estudo apontaram que 74,7% das reservas do hotel são provindas de clientes que já haviam se hospedado anteriormente no local, sendo que esses clientes, em diferentes níveis, participaram do programa de marketing de relacionamento do hotel. Ademais, são apresentados resultados que descrevem o nível de satisfação desses hóspedes e a propensão deles em indicar o hotel para outras pessoas. Dessa forma, acredita-se que as estratégias oriundas do marketing de relacionamento possibilitaram um resultado positivo e elevaram a competitividade da organização frente ao mercado.Considering the proximity of important international events to be held in Belo Horizonte (MG), and increased demand for accommodation in the city, this article aims, through a case study in a four stars hotel, identify aspects of relationship marketing strategies that could represent a competitive advantage for the organization. It was interviewed 120 hotel guests and 15 group hotel employees using structured questionnaires applied in October and November of 2011. The results showed that 74.7% of hotel bookings were from customers who had previously stayed in the hotel, and these customers, at different levels, participated in the organization relationship marketing program. Furthermore, the results describe the level of satisfaction of the guests and their propensity to indicate the hotel to others. Thus, it is believed that the strategies derived from the relationship marketing enabled a positive outcome and increased the competitiveness of the organization

Effects of statins therapy on LDL subfractions and inflammation in end-stage renal disease patients on dialysis

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The protective role of adiponectin for lipoproteins in end-stage renal disease patients: relationship with diabetes and body mass index

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) events are the main causes of death in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. The number and severity of CVD events remain inappropriate and difficult to explain by considering only the classic CVD risk factors. Our aim was to clarify the changes and the relationship of lipoprotein subfractions with other CVD risk factors, namely, body mass index (BMI) and adipokines, inflammation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, and the burden of the most prevalent comorbidities, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT). We studied 194 ESRD patients on dialysis and 22 controls; lipid profile, including lipoprotein subpopulations and oxidized LDL (oxLDL), C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, leptin, and paraoxonase 1 activity were evaluated. Compared to controls, patients presented significantly lower levels of cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), LDLc, oxLDL, and intermediate and small HDL and higher triglycerides, CRP, adiponectin, large HDL, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and intermediate-density lipoprotein- (IDL) B. Adiponectin levels correlated positively with large HDL and negatively with intermediate and small HDL, oxLDL/LDLc, and BMI; patients with DM (n = 17) and with DM+HT (n = 70), as compared to patients without DM or HT (n = 69) or only with HT (n = 38), presented significantly higher oxLDL, oxLDL/LDLc, and leptin and lower adiponectin. Obese patients (n = 45), as compared to normoponderal patients (n = 81), showed lower HDLc, adiponectin, and large HDL and significantly higher leptin, VLDL, and intermediate and small HDL. In ESRD, the higher adiponectin seems to favor atheroprotective HDL modifications and protect LDL particles from oxidative atherogenic changes. However, in diabetic and obese patients, adiponectin presents the lowest values, oxLDL/LDLc present the highest ones, and the HDL profile is the more atherogenic. Our data suggest that the coexistence of DM and adiposity in ESRD patients on dialysis contributes to a higher CVD risk, as showed by their lipid and adipokine profiles.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O setor hoteleiro e o marketing de relacionamento: um estudo de caso na cidade de Belo Horizonte - Minas Gerais, Brasil

Considerando a proximidade de importantes eventos de nível internacional a serem realizados em Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brasil), e o aumento na demanda por hospedagem na cidade, o presente artigo busca, por meio de um estudo de caso sobre um hotel quatro estrelas, identificar aspectos das estratégias de marketing de relacionamento passíveis de representar vantagem competitiva para a organização. Foram entrevistados 120 hóspedes e 15 empregados do grupo hoteleiro, por meio de questionários estruturados aplicados nos meses de outubro e novembro de 2011. Os resultados do estudo apontaram que 74,7% das reservas do hotel são provindas de clientes que já haviam se hospedado anteriormente no local, sendo que esses clientes, em diferentes níveis, participaram do programa de marketing de relacionamento do hotel. Ademais, são apresentados resultados que descrevem o nível de satisfação desses hóspedes e a propensão deles em indicar o hotel para outras pessoas. Dessa forma, acredita-se que as estratégias oriundas do marketing de relacionamento possibilitaram um resultado positivo e elevaram a competitividade da organização frente ao mercado.Considering the proximity of important international events to be held in Belo Horizonte (MG), and increased demand for accommodation in the city, this article aims, through a case study in a four stars hotel, identify aspects of relationship marketing strategies that could represent a competitive advantage for the organization. It was interviewed 120 hotel guests and 15 group hotel employees using structured questionnaires applied in October and November of 2011. The results showed that 74.7% of hotel bookings were from customers who had previously stayed in the hotel, and these customers, at different levels, participated in the organization relationship marketing program. Furthermore, the results describe the level of satisfaction of the guests and their propensity to indicate the hotel to others. Thus, it is believed that the strategies derived from the relationship marketing enabled a positive outcome and increased the competitiveness of the organization

In vitro shoot cultures of pterospartum tridentatum as an alternative to wild plants as a source of bioactive compounds

The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition of aqueous extracts of in vitro shoot cultures and wild plants of Pterospartum tridentatum in order to promote the use of this plant material as a possible source of bioactive compounds. The extraction yield from wild plants compared with in vitro shoot cultures was lower. The total phenolic contents of in vitro shoots were significantly lower compared with those of wild plants. The phenolic profiles of in vitro shoots were very similar to those of wild plants, regardless of the source. However, taxifolin-6-C-glucoside, as well as rutin and isoquercitrin, were not present in extracts of in vitro shoots. An interesting result was the higher molar percentages of rhamnose and uronic acids detected in in vitro shoots compared with the wild plants, which can make the in vitro plant material very useful for obtaining these compounds.The authors acknowledge the financial support from CERNAS (projects P-Est-OE/AGR/UI0681/2014 and PEst-OE/AGR/UI0245/2014).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of <i>TNFRSF1B</i> (rs3397, rs1061624 and rs1061622) and <i>IL6</i> (rs1800796, rs1800797 and rs1554606) Gene Polymorphisms on Inflammatory Response in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease Undergoing Dialysis

We aimed to study the impact of polymorphisms in the genes encoding interleukin-6 (IL6) and tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (TNFR2), reported to be mortality risk predictors, in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) undergoing dialysis. TNFRSF1B (rs3397, rs1061624, and rs1061622) and IL6 (rs1800796, rs1800797, and rs1554606) polymorphisms were studied in patients with ESKD and controls; the genotype and allele frequencies and the associations with inflammatory and erythropoiesis markers were determined; deaths were recorded throughout the following two years. The genotype and allele frequencies for the TNFRSF1B rs3397 polymorphism were different in these patients compared to those in the controls and the global and European populations, and patients with the C allele were less common. Patients with the CC genotype for TNFRSF1B rs3397 presented higher hemoglobin and erythrocyte counts and lower TNF-α levels, suggesting a more favorable inflammatory response that seems to be associated with erythropoiesis improvement. Patients with the GG genotype for TNFRSF1B rs1061622 showed lower serum ferritin levels. None of the TNFRSF1B (rs3397, rs1061624, and rs1061622) or IL6 (rs1800796, rs1800797, and rs1554606) polymorphisms had a significant impact on the all-cause mortality rate of Portuguese patients with ESKD

Age-Related Changes in Clinical and Analytical Variables in Chronic Hemodialyzed Patients

Worldwide, the number of elderly individuals receiving chronic hemodialysis is rising. The aim of our study was to evaluate several clinical and analytical biomarkers in chronically dialyzed patients and analyze how they change with age. A cross-sectional study was performed by evaluating 289 end-stage renal disease patients undergoing dialysis. We evaluated the hemogram, adipokines, the lipid profile, and several markers related to inflammation, endothelial function/fibrinolysis, nutrition, iron metabolism, and cardiac and renal fibrosis. Clinical data and dialysis efficacy parameters were obtained from all patients. The relationships between studied biomarkers and age were assessed by a statistical comparison between younger (adults with age &lt; 65 years) and older (age ≥ 65 years) patients and by performing regression analysis. Participants presented a mean age of 68.7 years (±13.6), with 66.8% (n = 193) being classified as older. Compared to younger patients, older patients presented the following: (a) significantly lower values of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and ultrafiltration volume; (b) lower levels of phosphorus, uric acid, creatinine, and albumin; and (c) higher circulating concentrations of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), D-dimer, interleukin-6, leptin, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. In the multiple linear regression analysis, DBP values, tPA, phosphorus, and D-dimer levels were independently associated with the age of patients (standardized betas: −0.407, 0.272, −0.230, and 0.197, respectively; p &lt; 0.001 for all), demonstrating relevant changes in biomarkers with increasing age at cardiovascular and nutritional levels. These findings seem to result from crosstalk mechanisms between aging and chronic kidney disease.</p