Impact of the metabolic program of germline cells on feeding behaviour

Animals control how much and what they eat to ensure an optimal nutrient balance for organismal function. Drosophila melanogaster shows specific nutrient appetites depending on its internal nutrient and mating state. We hypothesize that the Central Nervous System (CNS) is able to read the nutritional requirements of several organs and adapt feeding behavior to maintain tissue nutrient homeostasis. Oogenesis is a highly metabolically demanding process, strongly responding to nutrient availability and a large part of carbohydrates ingested by females are used for egg production. Females without germline show a strong reduction in sugar appetite even when carbohydrate-deprived, suggesting that indeed the CNS can sense the nutrient requirements of this organ and instruct the animal to behave accordingly. We hypothesize that carbohydrate metabolism in the germline might underlie this modulation of sugar appetite. To address this hypothesis, we took advantage of Drosophila melanogaster’s vast array of genetic and molecular tools, together with a high precision quantitative assay for fly feeding behaviour (flyPAD) and a full synthetic diet that allows precise nutrient manipulations of the diet. We show that dietary sugar is key for maintaining optimal egg production, since dietary sucrose deprivation reduces egg-laying by 37%. Furthermore, we show that egg production is highly dependent on the Pentose Phosphate Pathway (PPP) as we show that down-regulating the levels of enzymes in this pathway leads to a drastic reduction in egg-laying. Finally, we also show that the PPP in the germline modulates sugar appetite. Our data supports a model where the germline cellular metabolic program is surveyed by the CNS to modulate the uptake of carbohydrates in order to achieve high fertility. It will be interesting to explore if pathologies in which cellular metabolic programs are altered, such as in certain tumors, also impinge on appetites in order to obtain the required nutrients for disease progression

Synthesis of Photoactive Dendrimers for Green Photovoltaics

This master thesis was focused on synthesis and characterization of active components for the fabrication of hydrogel-based organic solar cells (artificial leaves). The synthesis of a complex photoactive dendrimer and a novel ruthenium sensitizer and the synthesis of a “clickable” β-cyclodextrin were successfully achieved. This “nanovelcro” will be a crucial component of the final photoactive dendrimer unit, and will be used in forthcoming work. Preliminary fluorescence and cyclic voltammetry studies were performed for photoactive species, PIMAM-OMeG1 and Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)(EAFc), with very promising results. PIMAM-OMeG1 has shown the capacity of absorbs and emits light and both species have a redox potential. Due to the low solubility of photoactive dendrimers in organic solvents and water, PIMAM-OMeG1 suffered several transformations for improving its solubility. Therefore, the final devices were constructed using an ion gel as matrix, instead of a hydrogel

Qual o impacto da informação e formação na resistência à mudança quando se introduz um novo sistema de gestão de informação?

Tese de mestrado integrado em Psicologia (Recursos Humanos, do Trabalho e das Organizações), apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa através da Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, 2008A mudança organizacional é hoje em dia um tema emergente e largamente investigado, sendo particularmente importante o estudo da resistência à mudança. Encontrar formas de diminuir esta resistência é essencial para o bem-estar dos trabalhadores e produtividade das organizações. Este estudo pretende ser um contributo para a compreensão deste fenómeno, através da análise realizada acerca do impacto da participação dos trabalhadores nos seus níveis de satisfação. Desta forma, espera-se que a informação e formação providenciada aos trabalhadores sejam vistos como recursos para lidarem com a mudança a implementar. As hipóteses analisadas são as seguintes: Os trabalhadores que recebem formação e informação do sistema SAP, bem como aqueles que estão satisfeitos com o acesso à informação, apresentam níveis de exigências do trabalho, satisfação e bem-estar e suporte percebido mais elevados do que aqueles que não se encontram nestas condições. Os sujeitos consistiram em 45 trabalhadores do Departamento de Recursos Humanos da Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, aos quais foram aplicados um questionário constituído por quatro partes que avaliam as exigências do trabalho, bem-estar, satisfação e níveis de suporte percebido. Verificou-se que a formação, informação e satisfação com a informação recebida são bons recursos para os trabalhadores lidarem com as exigências resultantes da inovação introduzida, diminuindo assim a resistência à mudança. Neste estudo, as hipóteses foram parcialmente apoiadas.Despite it has been widely studied, organizational change is still a very interesting field, especially when it comes to resistance to change. Finding ways to decrease this resistance is essential for the worker's well-being and to the organizational productivity. This study pretends to be a contribution to the understanding of this problematic issue through the impact analysis related to the worker's participation and their satisfaction levels. In this way, it's expected that information and training could be viewed as resources to deal with the change. The proposal hypotheses are: The worker's who received information and training about the SAP system, as well as those who are satisfied with the information access, exhibited higher levels of work demands, satisfaction, well-being and perceived organizational support when compared to those who are not in the same conditions. The individuals were 45 workers of the Human Resources Department in the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the demands of work, satisfaction, well-being and perceived organizational support. It was confirmed with this study that training, information and satisfaction with the information received are good resources to deal with the consequents demands of the innovation, decreasing in this way the resistance to change. This study partially confirms the initial hypotheses

EDP Serviço Universal rebranding communication plan

The objective of this project is to develop a communication plan for the rebranding of EDP Serviço Universal. EDP Serviço Universal is the regulated market company. At the end of 2017, the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) imposed on the EDP group to make a total separation of designation and image between the companies in the group providing regulated services - that is, they have a specific function in the electricity sector and are remunerated for this through electricity tariffs - and those operating in the liberalized market, such as EDP Comercial. At the beginning of 2020, EDP Serviço Universal had to make the brand change. Being a regulated market company, there are several restrictions on how it can communicate with their customers, being this one of the main obstacles. The communication of the name distinction between the other companies of the EDP group is another factor that had to be taken into account. The communication strategy integrates mostly traditional tools. It is a customized strategy dedicated to each customer segment. Before the implementation and definition of objectives, all external and internal factors were analyzed, using several members of the project team to align the information with the company's expectations. The project was developed and implemented. During twelve months and after several meetings with the Board of Directors of the current SU ELETRICADE, it was possible to implement this communication plan. After completing the rebranding project, the company decided to create a customer experience area where the author is currently responsible for the entire communication strategy.O objetivo deste projeto é desenvolver um plano de comunicação para o rebranding da EDP Serviço Universal. A EDP Serviço Universal é a empresa do mercado regulado. No final do ano de 2017, a Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos (ERSE) impôs ao grupo EDP que fizesse uma separação total de designação e imagem entre as empresas do grupo que prestam serviços regulados - ou seja, têm uma função específica no sector elétrico e são remuneradas por isso através das tarifas da eletricidade - e aquelas que atuam no mercado liberalizado, como a EDP Comercial. A EDP Serviço Universal, no início do ano de 2020 teve obrigatoriamente que fazer a mudança de marca. Sendo uma empresa do mercado regulado, existem várias restrições a nível das formas como pode comunicar com os seus clientes, sendo este um dos principais obstáculos. A comunicação da distinção de nome entre as demais empresas do grupo EDP é outro fator que se teve que ser em conta na implementação da estratégia. A estratégia de comunicação integra maioritariamente ferramentas tradicionais. É uma estratégia personalizada e dedicada a cada segmento de cliente. Antes da implementação e definição de objetivos, foram analisados todos os fatores externos e internos, recorrendo a vários membros da equipa de projeto para que a informação fosse alinhada com as expectativas da empresa. O projeto foi desenvolvido e implementado simultaneamente aquando a construção da tese. Durante doze meses e após várias reuniões com o Conselho de Administração da atual SU ELETRICIDADE, foi possível implementar este plano de comunicação. Após a conclusão do projeto rebranding, a empresa decidiu criar uma área de experiência de cliente onde a autora é atualmente responsável por toda a estratégia de comunicação

SSA of biomedical signals: A linear invariant systems approach

Singular spectrum analysis (SSA) is considered from a linear invariant systems perspective. In this terminology, the extracted components are considered as outputs of a linear invariant system which corresponds to finite impulse response (FIR) filters. The number of filters is determined by the embedding dimension.We propose to explicitly define the frequency response of each filter responsible for the selection of informative components. We also introduce a subspace distance measure for clustering subspace models. We illustrate the methodology by analyzing lectroencephalograms (EEG).FCT - PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/28404/2006)FCT - PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/48775/2008

Exploring dark tourism: the geographies of three selected UK sites

This thesis serves to add to the current conceptualisation of dark tourism as a distinctive phenomenon within the wider tourism industry. Throughout history, and especially in today’s globalised and media-drive society, there has been an increasing interest to visit sites of past atrocities and tragedies (Dunkley et al., 2007). This study aims to critically examine the geographies of dark tourism across three selected UK sites, to effectively test the adaptability of the phenomenon of dark tourism across three deliberately different case studies. Also, the study aims to critically explore how to effectively conduct geographical research on the phenomenon of dark tourism. This thesis adopts a qualitative case study approach which utilises data collection methods of semi-structured interviews and observations. The thesis will be actively reflecting upon its methodology, to assess how to examine particular contextual aspects in which the phenomenon occurs. The chosen sites for this research project were the following: Jack the Ripper walking tours in London, Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in Doncaster, and Aberfan and its memorial garden and cemetery in South Wales. With these three examples, this thesis aims to address the complexities of implementing a set typology onto different sites with differing degrees of darkness

A Motivação do Envolvimento dos Bombeiros em Atividades de Voluntariado: um estudo de caso.

Este estudo teve como principal objetivo a análise dos fatores determinantes que levaram os bombeiros voluntários de uma corporação para a prática de voluntariado. Nesta investigação, começamos por fazer um enquadramento teórico sobre as perspetivas e tipos de motivação do voluntariado, focando-nos depois em alguns aspetos da sua prática em Portugal. A componente empírica deste estudo apoiou-se numa análise quantitativa a 92 questionários realizados a bombeiros voluntários, adaptados de um estudo realizado por Ward e Mckillop (2011) com uma escala do tipo Likert de 1 a 7 pontos. A análise da distribuição por sexo apontou uma proporção de homens superior à das mulheres (63 = 68,5% vs. 29 = 31,5%), com idades compreendidas entre os 17 e os 71 anos, sendo a média das mesmas de 37,77 anos (dp = ± 12,1). No que concerne ao estado civil, dos inquiridos (35 = 38%) são casados. Quanto à escolaridade, a moda estatística situou-se no secundário (52 = 56,5%). Os itens que compuseram a escala de motivação para o voluntariado apresentaram pontuações superiores a 4 pontos numa escala do tipo Likert de 7 pontos. A escala constituída por 17 itens relaciona os diferentes tipos de motivação, designadamente, social, interesse, prazer, material-egoísta, egoísta, altruísta, necessidade e dever moral. Estes itens foram avaliados nas seguintes variáveis: sexo, classe etária, escolaridade e antiguidade. As conclusões retiradas deste estudo revelaram, dominantemente, motivações do tipo altruísta e social, para a prática do voluntariado. Estes resultados basearam-se nos valores das significâncias estatísticas (p). Quanto à motivação dos elementos do sexo masculino e do sexo feminino, verificaram-se em ambas maiores percentagens no tipo de motivação altruísta. Na análise realizada consoante a classe etária, as respostas que obtiveram maior percentagem foram relativamente ao item altruísta. No que concerne à escolaridade, os inquiridos com ensino básico e secundário apresentaram um maior número de respostas nos itens altruísta e social. Nos licenciados o item com maior percentagem foi o dever moral. Na análise feita relativamente à interseção entre a motivação e os anos de voluntariado, obtiveram-se índices de motivação muito diferenciados, entre os quais interesse, prazer, social, egoísta, material-egoísta e necessidade. / This study aimed to the analysis of the determining factors that led the volunteer firefighters of a corporation to practice voluntary. In this investigation, we begin by making a theoretical framework on the perspectives and types of volunteer motivation, focusing us then in some aspects of their practice in Portugal. The empirical component of the study was supported on a quantitative analysis of 92 questionnaires by volunteer firefighters, adapted from a study by Ward & McKillop (2011) with a Likert scale from 1 to 7 points. The gender distribution, of the analysis indicated a ratio of greater than men to women (63 = 68.5% vs. 29 = 31.5%), aged between 17 and 71 years, and the average of 37 to 77 years (SD = ± 12.1). With regard to marital status (35 = 38%) are married. As for education, the statistical mode stood in the secondary on (52 = 56.5%). The items comprising the motivation scale for volunteering had scores greater than 4 points on a Likert scale of 7 points. The scale consists of 17 items lists the different types of motivation, namely social, interest, pleasure, material-selfish, selfish, selfless, necessity and moral duty. These items were evaluated in the following variables: gender, age group, education level and years of service. Conclusions from this study revealed mainly motivations of altruistic and social type for volunteering. These results were based on the values of statistical significance (p). Both male and female elements replied with the highest percentage for the type of altruistic motivation. In the analysis carried out according to age group, the answers with the greatest percentage were relative to the altruistic item. With regard to education respondents with elementary and high school education had a higher number of responses in altruistic and social items. At University graduate level the item with the highest percentage was the moral duty. In the analysis regarding the intersection between motivation and years of volunteering very different motivation indices were obtained including interest, pleasure, social, selfish, material-selfish and need

Exploring dark tourism: the geographies of three selected UK sites

This thesis serves to add to the current conceptualisation of dark tourism as a distinctive phenomenon within the wider tourism industry. Throughout history, and especially in today’s globalised and media-drive society, there has been an increasing interest to visit sites of past atrocities and tragedies (Dunkley et al., 2007). This study aims to critically examine the geographies of dark tourism across three selected UK sites, to effectively test the adaptability of the phenomenon of dark tourism across three deliberately different case studies. Also, the study aims to critically explore how to effectively conduct geographical research on the phenomenon of dark tourism. This thesis adopts a qualitative case study approach which utilises data collection methods of semi-structured interviews and observations. The thesis will be actively reflecting upon its methodology, to assess how to examine particular contextual aspects in which the phenomenon occurs. The chosen sites for this research project were the following: Jack the Ripper walking tours in London, Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in Doncaster, and Aberfan and its memorial garden and cemetery in South Wales. With these three examples, this thesis aims to address the complexities of implementing a set typology onto different sites with differing degrees of darkness

Does the structure of the test affect the performance of students? Evidences from the Enem (2016)

Este artigo analisa o impacto da posição em que as questões são apresentadas sobre o desempenho dos estudantes no Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (Enem) no Brasil em 2016. A partir de uma amostra de 4.427.790 casos, calculamos o índice de acerto por questão para os diferentes cadernos de prova da área de Matemática e suas Tecnologias. Os resultados indicam a presença do efeito fadiga na prova do Enem 2016, ou seja, a ordem de apresentação das questões afeta a proporção de respostas corretas, que diminui à medida que o item é apresentado mais próximo do final da prova. As evidências exploratórias também sugerem que o efeito fadiga se manifesta tanto em estudantes de baixo quanto de alto desempenho. Por exemplo, a posição do item reduziu o índice de acerto em até 18 pontos percentuais, controlando pelo nível de desempenho. Este artigo faz a primeira avaliação empírica do efeito fadiga no Enem e os resultados representam uma contribuição para a literatura sobre influências não cognitivas em avaliação e são úteis para fundamentar estudos mais sistemáticos sobre o impacto do efeito fadiga em testes padronizados de larga escala, inclusive para além do caso específico analisado. Ao final, sugerimos medidas que podem mitigar esse efeito no Enem.This paper analyzes the impact of the position of questions on students’ performance on the National Secondary Education Examination (Enem) in 2016. From a sample of 4,427,790 cases, we calculated the hit rate per question for the different workbooks in the Mathematics and its Technologies test. The results indicate presence of the fatigue effect on the 2016 Enem, that is, the order in which the questions are presented affects the proportion of correct answers, which is diminished as an item is presented closer to the end of the test. The exploratory evidence also suggests that the fatigue effect is manifested in students of both low and high performance. For example, the position of an item reduced the hit rate up to 18%, controlling for performance level. This paper conducts the first empirical evaluation of the fatigue effect during the Enem. The results contribute to the literature on the non-cognitive influences in evaluation, being useful to substantiate more systematic studies on the fatigue effect’s impact on large-scale standardized tests, beyond the case analyzed. At the end, we suggest measures that can mitigate this effect during the Enem