Introduction to sustainability as a transversal competence in higher education

Sustainability in higher education institutions is little discussed, but there is a large amount of literature that mentions its importance for the awareness of all those who frequent their spaces, whether they are teachers, employees, or students. The understanding, by the human being, of the complex nature of the environment and the perception of the interdependence of the environmental elements in space and time is crucial and, for this reason, the education in this area must be accessible to all and at all levels of education, not matter what subject area. Since 2019, in the Soft Skills Lab of a public university was created a curricular unit called - Introduction to Sustainability, with the aim that students and everyone involved with the environment in a higher education institution can be fully aware of what it means to develop sustainability actions, both in the environment and in the very contents of the various courses developed in the institution they are a part of. This exploratory study aims to disseminate this experience with the 1st cycle students and also with workshops made with the employees as a practice that can be replicate in other institutions. The evaluation was made through the process of pedagogical monitoring students make every semester and in the case of the employees through a evaluation survey. It was very motivating to see the commitment that both students and employees have started to show in their daily behavior and even the creative suggestions for their participation in this matter.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

How to measure banking regulation and supervision

This paper uses data from 141 countries to identify the variables that best characterize worldwide banking regulation and supervision practices. We apply a nonlinear principal components analysis with optimal variable transformation to deal with the variables’ mixed measurement levels and reduce data dimensionality. The robustness of the results is tested for different subsamples. The findings indicate that deposit insurance, liquidity, diversification requirements, complementary banking activities, and market discipline are the most reliable indicators to measure regulation. In contrast, resolution activities, the mandate of the head of the supervisory agency, and the report of prudential regulation infractions assume the same role for banking supervision. Capital requirements and ownership are of minor relevance and are sensitive to a country’s development level. China and Germany display the most distinct regulation practices, while China and the UK adopt the most stringent policies regarding supervision.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The main determinants of banking crises in OECD countries

Banks’ stability can be affected by economic fluctuations, banks’ risk-taking behavior, connections among banks and countries’ financial system structure. At the same time, banking regulation and supervision were designed to protect banks from failure, but a large number of banking crises were not prevented recently. Using binary response models for panel data and focusing on OECD countries, this paper studies the main determinants of banking crises over a period of 21 years. Results suggest a bank’s high debt and a country’s low GDP growth rate as the major determinants of banking crises. There is also evidence of contagion across countries from the same geographical region and from G7 to other countries, and that bank-based financial systems are less prone to borderline banking crises. Regulatory and supervision practices are found not to have been relevant in bankruptcy prevention.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Doctor-patient relationships (DPR) in China: managers and clinicians’ twofold pathways from commitment HR practices

Purpose: The first objective of this research is to develop and test theory on how commitment human resource (HR) practices affect hospital professionals’ job satisfaction that motivates them to generate desirable patient care and subsequently improve doctor-patient relationships (DPR). The second objective is to examine how commitment HR practices influence in different ways hospital managers and clinicians. Methodology: Using a cross-sectional survey, data were collect from 508 clinicians and hospital managers from 33 tertiary public hospitals in China. Structural Equation Model (SEM) was employed to test the relationships among the constructs. Results: Commitment HR practices positively affect the job satisfaction of the healthcare professionals surveyed. Results also show that they perceive a positive relationship between job satisfaction and DPR. Overall, the model indicates a reversal on the strongest path linking job satisfaction and DPR whereby managers’ main association operates through extrinsic job satisfaction while for clinicians it occurs through intrinsic job satisfaction only. Implications for Practice: DPR may be improved by applying commitment HR practices to increase both healthcare professional’s intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction. In addition, intrinsic factors may serve as stronger motivators for clinicians rather than hard economic incentives in achieving DPR improvements. Originality/value: This study contributes to the small but growing body of research on HRM in the healthcare sector with new evidence from the perspective of clinicians and hospital managers in the Chinese hospital context. It also demonstrates the importance of effective HRM in improving both hospital managers and clinicians’ work attitudes

Condicionantes agroclimáticas para a ricinocultura em Rondônia: I. Regiões norte e centro-leste.

O Estado de Rondônia é dependente do complexo multimodal, formado pela Rodovia Marechal Rondon (BR-364) e a hidrovia Madeira-Amazonas, para a circulação interna e a agroexportação de produtos de baixo valor agregado. Provavelmente em curto prazo, a produção do biodiesel, a partir da mamona e outras fontes bioenergéticas, tenha alta demanda tecnológica de produção agrícola, beneficiamento e refinarias de óleos vegetais. Embora a ricinocultura não seja tradicional no Estado, poderá vir a ser estratégica para a agroeconomia e o desenvolvimento sustentado regional. Utilizando-se da metodologia de Thornthwaite e Mather, estimaram-se os dados das condições hídricas do solo (balanços hídricos) para capacidade de retenção de água disponível no solo de duas localidades representativas de Rondônia, objetivando a predição das épocas de semeadura para o cultivo tecnificado da mamona (Ricinus communis L.). Concluiu-se que embora as regiões norte e centro-Leste apresentem algumas limitações ambientais, as condições agrocli áticas e o balanço hídrico das regiões de Porto Velho (norte) e Ouro Preto d?Oeste (centro-leste), são satisfatórias para a icinocultura permitindo preliminarmente indicar o período de semeadura entre 1°/fevereiro a 1º/março. A confirmação dos resultados preliminares dependerá dos testes de validação (cultivares precoces, épocas, locais e interação genótipo x ambiente).bitstream/item/42531/1/bpd26-ricinocultura.pd

Condicionantes agroclimáticas para a ricinocultura em Rondônia: II. Região dos cerrados do sul.

Utilizando a metodologia de balanço hídrico climático de Thornthwaite & Mather, esse trabalho preliminar objetivou predizer sobre as épocas de semeadura da mamoneira em "safrinha" nos cerrados do sul de Rondônia com menores riscos a essa potencial exploração econômica. Embora a época mais propícia para semeadura dependa dos ensaios de validação de cultivares precoces, épocas, locais e interação genótipo x ambiente, conclui-se que as condições climáticas e balanço hídrico dessa região do Estado são satisfatórios para o cultivo da mamona, de porte anão, precoce (90 a 120 dias) e tolerante às doenças fúngicas. Indicouse preliminarmente o período de semeadura entre 10/fevereiro a 10/março, embora, no final do período indicado possa apresentar déficit hídrico no estádio da maturação da mamoneira.bitstream/item/42530/1/bpd25-ricinocultura.pd

Cultivares de arroz de terras altas indicadas para Rondônia – período 2004/06.

Objetivou-se, orientar os segmentos da cadeia produtiva do arroz de terras altas de Rondônia quanto a: critérios de escolha pelos produtores rurais das cultivares indicadas pela Embrapa para o Estado; nível tecnológico a ser empregado para cada cultivar; ecorregiões de melhor adaptabilidade e estabilidade produtiva; principais características agroindustriais; e características culinárias dos grãos demandadas pelo consumidor final.bitstream/item/24768/1/ct75-arrozdeterrasaltaz.pd

Diálogos teórico-metodológicos: análise de discurso crítica e realismo crítico

El objetivo de este trabajo es discutir aspectos del Realismo Crítico, desarrollado por Roy Bhaskar (1978, 1989, 1993), que es una de las bases epistemológicas del Análisis Crítico del Discurso (ACD) (Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999; Fairclough, 2003). Esa base inspira aspectos de la concepción de discurso, de acción social, y del abordaje teórico-metodológico del ACD para estúdios del lenguaje como práctica social. La intención es acercar las dos propuestas para estudios críticos de la sociedad.El objetivo de este trabajo es discutir aspectos del Realismo Crítico, desarrollado por Roy Bhaskar (1978, 1989, 1993), que es una de las bases epistemológicas del Análisis Crítico del Discurso (ACD) (Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999; Fairclough, 2003). Esa base inspira aspectos de la concepción de discurso, de acción social, y del abordaje teórico-metodológico del ACD para estúdios del lenguaje como práctica social. La intención es acercar las dos propuestas para estudios críticos de la sociedad

Herbivory affects ovarian development in the zoophytophagous predator Brontocoris tabidus (Hetereoptera, Pentatomidae).

The effect of prey-based and combination prey and plant-based diets [Tenebrio molitor pupae alone; T. molitor pupae and Eucalyptus cloeziana plants; T. molitor pupae and Eucalyptus urophylla plants; and T. molitor pupae and Psidium guajava (guava) plants] on the morphometry of the ovary of Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) was analyzed in the field. Females fed on T. molitor pupae without plants presented with smaller ovarioles. The number of oocytes per ovary was higher for B. tabidus females fed on a combination diet of E. urophylla and T. molitor pupae when compared to females fed only on prey. In addition to diet, the number of oocytes in the ovariole was shown to vary with the age of B. tabidus. The 21-day-old B. tabidus females were found to have a higher number of oocytes per ovariole than the 15-day-old females in all diet conditions. The 15-day-old females exhibited more developed oocytes when fed on diets containing both prey and eucalypts plants and less developed oocytes when fed with a combination diet containing guava plants or T. molitor pupae alone. The 21-one-day-old B. tabidus females which were fed with a diet without plants had smaller oocytes than those fed with plants. Herbivory improves the morphology of the ovary of B. tabidus, affecting the size of the reproductive structures and the oogenesis of this natural enemy in the field.Publicado on-line em 28 ago. 2009

UVB irradiation as a tool to assess ROS-induced damage in human spermatozoa

One of the consequences of oxygen metabolism is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which in a situation of imbalance with antioxidants can damage several biomolecules, compromise cell function and even lead to cellular death. The particularities of the sperm cell make it particularly vulnerable to ROS attack compromising its functionality, mirrored in terms of fertility outcome and making the study of the origin of sperm ROS, as well as the alterations they cause very important. In the present work, we used UVB irradiation, an easy experimental approach known as a potent inducer of ROS formation, to better understand the origin of ROS damage without any confounding effects that usually exist in disease models in which ROS are reported to play a role. To address these issues we evaluated sperm mitochondrial ROS production using the Mitosox Red Probe, mitochondrial membrane potential using the JC-1 probe, lipid peroxidation through BODIPY probe and vitality using PI. We observed that UVB irradiation leads to an increase in sperm mitochondrial ROS production and lipid peroxidation that occur previously to an observable mitochondrial dysfunction. We concluded that sperm UVB irradiation appears to be a good and easily manipulated in vitro model system to study mitochondria-induced oxidative stress in spermatozoa and its consequences, which may be relevant in terms of dissecting the action pathways of many other pathologies, drugs and contaminants, including endocrine disruptors.S.A. is the recipient of a FCT fellowship (SFRH/BPD/ 63190/2009). Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC) funding is supported by FCT (PEst-C/SAU/LA0001/2011)