Animação Viral, Vanguarda Trash e o Capital Simbólico dos nossos Piores Defeitos: a Ideologia de Bruno Aleixo

"Bruno Aleixo" is a viral animation character, created by the Portuguese collective GANA, that surfaced online in 2008. Their animation works have meanwhile crossed onto the most diverse media, and have been branching out in multiple webs of narratives, constantly referring to each other, as well as constantly quoting disparate references such as film classics, chatrooms and TV ads for detergents. This paper attempts a triple analysis of this object of study: the ways in which technology has been fostering non-linear narratives while widening the available aesthetic spectrum, the ways in which processes of cultural consumerism are being reinvented in light of the web 2.0, and the use of "pseudo-nonsense" as a process of oblique cultural psychoanalysis. We will further attempt to demonstrate how new media and web networks have been contributing to a fragmentation of audiences, as well as a blurring between dominant cultures and sub-cultural phenomena; and we will end by positing that the structural principles behind the "Bruno Aleixo" series can be applied in social and cultural contexts situated at the opposite end of the spectrum of traditional expectations regarding Animation.

Variations of the soft tissue thicknesses external to the ribs in Pectus Excavatum patients

Background: Surgical repair of pectus excavatum (PE) has become more popular due to improvements in the minimally invasive Nuss procedure. The pre-surgical assessment of PE patients requires Computerized Tomography (CT), as the malformation characteristics vary from patient to patient. Objective: This work aims to characterize soft tissue thickness (STT) external to the ribs among PE patients. It also presents a comparative analysis between the anterior chest wall surface before and after surgical correction. Methods: Through surrounding tissue segmentation in CT data, STT values were calculated at different lines along the thoracic wall, with a reference point in the intersection of coronal and median planes. The comparative analysis between the two 3D anterior chest surfaces sets a surgical correction influence area (SCIA) and a volume of interest (VOI) based on image processing algorithms, 3D surface algorithms, and registration methods. Results: There are always variations between left and right side STTs (2.54±2.05 mm and 2.95±2.97 mm for female and male patients, respectively). STTs are dependent on age, sex, and body mass index of each patient. On female patients, breast tissue induces additional errors in bar manual

A experiência do livro ilustrado interativo para a infância

O livro ilustrado, nas suas duas linguagens, texto e imagem, é quase sempre apresentado como um estímulo para a criança aprender, falar e ler. Que, apesar de conviverem no mesmo espaço – o livro – nem sempre são tratadas nem trabalhadas da mesma forma. O uso da imagem, no livro ilustrado, está associado às idades em que a criança ainda não tem domínio da escrita sendo a descodificação e a exploração das imagens as primeiras competências a serem adquiridas. À medida que a criança se familiariza com a leitura verbal e com o desenvolvimento desta competência, a imagem é gradualmente retirada do livro. Pretendemos neste artigo apresentar o livro ilustrado e as atividades/ experiências visuais como instrumentos que ajudam a criança a crescer sem frustrações através da educação da vista e do tacto, descobrindo e desenvolvendo capacidades estéticas, emocionais e intelectuais. Dentro do livro ilustrado pretendemos estudar os livros-objeto ou interativos que exploram a linguagem verbal e visual, criando uma narrativa plástica. Livros como os álbuns de Warja Honegger– Lavater onde só se usam símbolos em vez de palavras ou texto; os “Pré-livros” e os “livros ilegíveis” de Bruno Munari; os “livros vazios” e os “livros espaço” de Kveta Pacovská; os livros jogos como o “O cavaleiro coragem!” de Delphine Chedru ou “The book with a hole” de Hervé Tullet. Mas também, jogos/atividades como as criações de Mon Petit Art, Djeco e Mini Labo que permitem explorar a tridimensionalidade e o brincar ao faz de conta; entre outros. Todas estas referências são produtos de experiências visuais e tácteis, repletos de estímulos para que a criança seja capaz de explorar e comunicar verbalmente e visualmente, articulando muitas vezes entre o bidimensional com o tridimensional, a regra com o acaso e a forma com a “não forma”, permitindo uma apreciação máxima do objeto.

Banca de cozinha: projeto de design universal

Mais do que uma dissertação sobre o envelhecimento da população e o impacto que ela tem na sociedade, a presente tese visa documentar todo o processo projetual desenvolvido para a criação de uma banca de cozinha. Para tal foram tidas em conta, não apenas o tipo de tarefas desenvolvidas nesta zona da habitação como também os índices de fragilidade e de debilidade que os utilizadores mais envelhecidos apresentam. O facto da população envelhecida estar cada vez mais a aumentar, atingindo em alguns países valores preocupantes, associados ao facto de esses mesmos idosos atingirem cada vez mais idades mais avançadas, faz com que haja um aumento do número de pessoas incapacitadas. Assim sendo, o principal objectivo será o desenvolvimento de um projeto assente nas premissas defendidas pelo design universal. Tal projeto tentará encontrar as respostas que melhor respondam às necessidades e problemáticas, não apenas dos utilizadores mais idosos, mas do resto da população, independentemente da sua idade, estatura e condição física.

Comportamento e perfil do consumidor de turismo de nichos

Tourism is one of the most important and current drivers of growth in an economy characterized by dynamism, diversity of supply and steady growth. This study aims at researching the behavior and consumer profile in tourism from a marketing perspective. In particular we address the niche tourism in specific contexts. Under an interdisciplinary perspective this work brings together inputs from the areas of marketing, tourism and local development. There will be a reflection on the subject (work in progress) and discussed avenues for future studies.

Uma abordagem na ótica do consumidor: regiões turísticas transfronteiriças

O turismo é um dos mais importantes e atuais motores de crescimento de uma economia, marcado pelo dinamismo, diversidade da oferta e crescimento constante, nele se incidindo o objeto de estudo proposto. É nosso intuito estudar o comportamento e perfil do consumidor de turismo, numa perspetiva de marketing, de modo a melhor conhecer o padrão de consumo turístico em contextos específicos de turismo, em mercados cada vez mais dinâmicos e com interesses individuais distintos. Em particular, discutimos tendências, motivações e determinantes na procura de turismo de nichos em regiões transfronteiriças. Espera-se conhecer o padrão de consumo turístico de zonas transfronteiriças, procurando sistematizar os aspetos principais e encontrar tendências/hábitos específicos na procura de nichos. O trabalho a desenvolver será composto por duas partes distintas: numa primeira parte será feita uma revisão da literatura existente no âmbito desta temática, numa segunda parte será desenvolvido um estudo empírico, que procurará dar um contributo acrescido à sua compreensão, tendo em vista os objetivos de pesquisa previamente definidos

Componentes e implicações do empreendedorismo numa óptica de turismo

O conceito de empreendedorismo tem vindo, progressivamente, a ganhar espaço na comunidade académica como campo de estudo (de aplicação global, muito ligado à criação de riqueza, independência e realização pessoal (Miner, 1997)) sendo que, no entanto, as interpretações em seu redor continuem fragmentadas e sem que haja uma definição universal. O trabalho de reflexão, aqui proposto, procura reunir e apresentar os principais aspectos inerentes ao empreendedorismo bem como dissecar o seu processo através de um quadro denominado 4-P framework: pioneer (pioneiro, no qual o empreendedor é um inovador ou campeão da inovação), perspective (perspectiva, denotando o espírito empreendedor), practice (prática, como símbolo das actividades empreendedoras) e performance (desempenho, indicando o outcome ou resultado das acções e actividades empreendedoras). O estudo tem, como propósito, proporcionar uma melhor compreensão no que concerne à essência do empreendedorismo: fundamentos teóricos e implicações práticas (Ma & Tan, 2006) numa óptica de turismo. O empreendedorismo é tido como uma força central do desenvolvimento económico, na medida em que serve de veículo para a inovação e mudança. Sendo o turismo um dos sectores económicos em que o grau de envolvimento é necessário para o seu sucesso, a diversificação de produtos e serviços turísticos torna-se uma exigência capaz de conduzir ao aumento da procura de novos tipos de necessidades em turismo incluindo, também, oportunidades para um turismo mais sustentável (Lordkipanidze, Brezet & Backman, 2005). No que toca à metodologia aqui utilizada, trata-se de um artigo conceptual, com revisão de literatura que reúna os componentes principais do empreendedorismo e suas implicações numa perspectiva turística e modelo conceptual da natureza dinâmica do Triggering Process e inovação.

La innovación de los procesos - diferenciación en los servicios turísticos

The innovation contributes to business success and increased competitive advantage, one of the concepts that has deserved more attention among researchers in the field of management. Innovation is not exclusive of tangible products or services and can naturally extend to the process itself, the organization or marketing. Although it is not easy to gather a universal concept for innovation, do not seem to be no doubt that its importance is such that allows the company to build on the foundations of this future development, regardless of past success. This work has as its central purpose the study of process innovation in the supply outlook for tourism, given its importance in achieving business success. The recognition of its value assumes it as a challenge, making it necessary to distinguish with product, marketing and organizational innovation, either in substance or in the organizational competencies. Will be presented in this work, a brief description (as well as evolution of the concept) as a way of contextualizing and, then, clarified the distinction between the concepts process innovation and innovation process. Search will bring together the key distinguishing features from the perspective of tourism as a means of achieving competitive advantage for business. We will also discuss implications for management and future studies.

Profiling consumer behaviour in cross-border tourism destinations

Tourism is a phenomenon that moves millions of people around the world, taking as a major driver of the global economy. Such relevance is reflected in the proliferation of studies in the overall area known as tourism, under various perspectives and backgrounds. In the light of such multitude of insights our study aims at gaining a deeper understanding of customer profiling and behavior in cross-border tourism destinations. Previous studies conducted in such contexts suggest that cross-border regions (CBRs) are an attractive and desirable idea, yet requiring further theoretical and empirical research. The new configuration of many CBRs calls for a debate on issues concerning its development, raising up important dimensions, such as, organization and planning of common tourism destinations. There is still a gap in the understanding of destination management in CBRs and the customer profile and motivations. Overall this research aims at attaining a deeper understanding of the profile and behavior of consumers in tourism settings, addressing the predisposition for the destination. The study addresses the following research question: “What factors influence customer behavior and attitudes in a CBRs tourism destination?” To address our question we will take an interdisciplinary perspective bringing together inputs from marketing, tourism and local economics. When addressing consumer behavior in tourism previous studies considered the following constructs: involvement, place attachment, satisfaction and destination loyalty. In order to establish the causal relationships in our theoretical model, we intend to develop a predominant quantitative design, yet we plan to conduct exploratory interviews. In the analysis and discussion of results, we intend to use Structural Equation Modeling. It will further allow understanding how the constructs in the research model relate to each other in the specified context. Results are also expected to have managerial implications. Consequently our results may assist decision makers in developing their local policies.

Destinos turísticos transfronteiriços: uma abordagem ao consumidor

Tourism activities are among the most relevant drivers for economical growth and development in various economies. Every year, competition increases tourist destinations (Farhangmehr & Simões, 1999), making it an increasingly complex and geographically diverse range of activities (Pearce, 1991).Such relevance is reflected in the proliferation of studies in the overall area known as tourism, under various perspectives and backgrounds. Previous studies conducted in such contexts suggest that cross-border regions are an attractive and desirable idea, yet requiring further theoretical and empirical research (Studzieniecki & Mazurek, 2007). The new configuration of many cross-border regions calls for a debate on issues concerning its development, raising up important dimensions, such as, organization and planning of common tourism destinations. In particular, there is still a gap in the understanding of destination management in cross-border regions and the customer profile and motivations. Overall this research aims at attaining a deeper understanding of the profile and behavior of consumers in tourism settings, addressing the predisposition for the destination. To address our question we will take an interdisciplinary perspective bringing together inputs from areas, such as, marketing, tourism and local/regional economics. We developed a theoretical model entailing the following constructs: involvement, place attachment, destination satisfaction and loyalty. We then establish potential the relationships among these variables. We suggest that involvement has a positive and direct effect in the two dimensions of place attachment, as well as indirectly, through the construct of satisfaction. Additionally, satisfaction has a direct effect on destination loyalty. Implications for future research are presented.

Consumer behavior and profile in cross border tourism destinations

Tourism is a phenomenon that moves millions of people around the world, taking as a major driver of the global economy. Such relevance is reflected in the proliferation of studies in the overall area known as tourism, under various perspectives and backgrounds. In the light of such multitude of insights our study aims at gaining a deeper understanding of customer profiling and behavior in cross-border tourism destinations. Previous studies conducted in such contexts suggest that cross-border regions (CBRs) are an attractive and desirable idea, yet requiring further theoretical and empirical research. The new configuration of many CBRs calls for a debate on issues concerning its development, raising up important dimensions, such as, organization and planning of common tourism destinations. There is still a gap in the understanding of destination management in CBRs and the customer profile and motivations. Overall this research aims at attaining a deeper understanding of the profile and behavior of consumers in tourism settings, addressing the predisposition for the destination. The study addresses the following research question: “What factors influence customer behavior and attitudes in a CBRs tourism destination?” To address our question we will take an interdisciplinary perspective bringing together inputs from marketing, tourism and local economics. When addressing consumer behavior in tourism previous studies considered the following constructs: involvement, place attachment, satisfaction and destination loyalty. In order to establish the causal relationships in our theoretical model, we intend to develop a predominant quantitative design, yet we plan to conduct exploratory interviews. In the analysis and discussion of results, we intend to use Structural Equation Modeling. It will further allow understanding how the constructs in the research model relate to each other in the specified context. Results are also expected to have managerial implications. Consequently our results may assist decision makers in developing their local policies.

Conceptual design of a conveyer system for supporting basic quality of life of bedridden elderly people

With the increasing number of aged people, especially in developed countries, Ambient Assisted Living solutions have become an important subject to be explored and developed. Currently, as specialized Institutions in geriatric care cannot cope with the increasing requests for support of quality of life, patients have to remain at their homes having as caregiver the other member of the couple or a member of close family. A solution for supporting the caregiver, during assisting the bedridden person with some basic tasks as eating, taking a bath and/or hygiene care is of utmost importance. This paper presents an approach for supporting the caregiver in moving and repositioning the bedridden elderly people (BEP) with the assistance of a mechanical system conveyer. The conceptual design of the mechanical system must be devoted to assist the caregiver in the handling and repositioning of the BEP. The proposed mechatronic system must, ideally, minimize the system's handling complexity, reduce the number of caregivers and the amount of spended and needed effort.

Conceptual design of a mechatronic system for supporting basic quality of life of bedridden elderly people

Ambient Assisted Living is an important subject to be explored and developed, especially in developed countries, due to the increasing number of aged people. In this context the development of mechatronic support systems for bedridden elderly people (BEP) living in their homes is essential in order to support independence, autonomy and improve their quality of life. Some basic tasks as eating, taking a bath and/or hygiene cares become difficult to execute, regarding that often the main caregiver is the other element of the aged couple (husband or wife). This paper presents the conceptual design of a mechanical system especially devoted to assist the caregiver in the handling and repositioning of the BEP. Issues as reducing the number of caregivers, to only one, and reducing the system's handling complexity (because most of the time it will be used by an aged person) are considered. The expertise obtained from the visits to rehabilitation centers and hospitals, and from working meetings, are considered in the development of the proposed mechatronic system.

O processo diferenciador de criação na gestão de destinos turísticos

À semelhança de outros sectores emergentes numa economia moderna, o turismo é uma indústria dinâmica e em constante mudança. Desta forma, o processo de criação assume-se como um dos fatores críticos no seu desenvolvimento, tanto a nível global como regional. O trabalho de reflexão aqui proposto reúne e sistematiza os principais aspetos inerentes ao processo de criação numa ótica de turismo, em específico no que concerne à gestão de destinos turísticos. Pretende-se também proporcionar uma melhor compreensão no que diz respeito à essência do empreendedorismo e do processo criativo, em termos de fundamentos teóricos e implicações práticas

An approach on place attachment, involvement and behavioural intentions in cross-border tourist regions

This study aims at gaining a deeper understanding of customer profiling and behaviour in cross-border tourism destinations. The study is developed under a niche marketing perspective. It is our view that niche marketing is not confined to the limits of national markets. Previous studies suggest that cross-border regions are an attractive notion, yet they require further theoretical and empirical research. There is still a gap in the understanding of destination management in cross-border regions and the customer profile and motivations. Overall this research attempts to produce a deeper understanding of the profile and behaviour of consumers in tourism settings, addressing the predisposition for the destination in specific contexts (cross-border tourism regions).