Solution enthalpies of 1,4-dioxane: Study of solvent effects through quantitative structure-property relationships

Solution enthalpies of 1,4-dioxane have been obtained in 15 protic and aprotic solvents at 298.15 K. Breaking the overall process through the use of Solomonov's methodology the cavity term was calculated and interaction enthalpies (Delta H-int) were determined. Main factors involved in the interaction enthalpy have been identified and quantified using a QSPR approach based on the TAKA model equation. The relevant descriptors were found to be pi* and beta, which showed, respectively, exothermic and endothermic contributions. The magnitude of pi* coefficient points toward non-specific solute-solvent interactions playing a major role in the solution process. The positive value of the beta coefficient reflects the endothermic character of the solvents' hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) basicity contribution, indicating that solvent molecules engaged in hydrogen bonding preferentially interact with each other rather than with 1,4-dioxane. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contributo do iPad® para o desenvolvimento de crianças com necessidades educativas especiais

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação, Especialidade Intervenção Precoce

O papel dos estados de espírito no comportamento de compra por impulso

A compra por impulso constitui um tipo de resposta do consumidor a diversos estímulos internos e externos, capaz de gerar sentimentos de pós-compra. De acordo com a literatura da especialidade, um dos preditores deste comportamento de compra, são os estados de espírito, pelo que, no presente trabalho, discute-se o impacto dos mesmos na compra por impulso. Para testar as relações entre compra por impulso, estados de espírito e o efeito nos níveis de satisfação do consumidor, recorreu-se a um método do tipo quantitativo, através da aplicação de um questionário a 253 indivíduos. Desta feita, os resultados obtidos permitiram confirmar duas das hipóteses de trabalho definidas: a compra por impulso ocorre maioritariamente perante estados de espírito positivos e existe correlação positiva entre compra por impulso e a satisfação pós-compra.

Relação entre bem-estar, adesão ao tratamento e funcionamento sexual na epilepsia

Cada vez mais os profissionais de saúde aspiram contribuir para o maior bem-estar possível dos seus doentes. Neste contexto, torna-se indispensável identificar variáveis, idealmente passíveis de ser modificadas, que estejam relacionadas com o bem-estar dos doentes. Assim, o objectivo do presente estudo é explorar a relação entre bem-estar geral (BEG), adesão ao tratamento (AT) e funcionamento sexual (FS) em indivíduos com epilepsia. Foram avaliados 79 indivíduos com epilepsia (59,5% do sexo feminino; idade: M = 36,10, DP = 11,09; diagnóstico (anos): M = 19,72, DP = 11,50), recorrendo a um Questionário Sócio-demográfico e Clínico, ao Índice de Bem-estar Pessoal, à Medida de Adesão aos Tratamentos e à Escala de Funcionamento Sexual da Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Scale com 54 itens (MSQOL-54). Verificaram-se bons indicadores globais de BEG, AT e FS na amostra. Verificaram-se correlações estatisticamente significativas entre o BEG e: a AT (rs(75) = 0,37, p ≤ 0,001) e o FS feminino (rs(35) = -0,44, p ≤ 0,008). Não se verificou uma correlação estatisticamente significativa entre BEG e FS masculino. Ao analisar os indicadores parciais, verificou-se que o FS masculino se correlacionava apenas com a satisfação com a segurança do seu futuro (rs(31) = -0,40, p ≤ 0,03), enquanto o FS feminino se correlacionava com este indicador (rs(35) = -0,36, p ≤ 0,04), com a satisfação com o seu nível de vida (rs(34) = -0,37, p ≤ 0,04) e com a satisfação com a sua vida espiritual ou com a sua religião (rs(35) = -0,40, p ≤ 0,02). Sem esquecer o efectivo da amostra e os indicadores genericamente positivos da mesma, os presentes resultados sugerem que a promoção da AT pode saldar-se por melhorias no BEG dos indivíduos com epilepsia. Já a intervenção ao nível do FS parece apenas promissora, ao nível do BEG, para as doentes. Novas variáveis devem ser exploradas, para que se consigam identificar os melhores preditores do BEG (de amostras mais amplas) destes doentes.

Gestão de comportamentos sociais adequados à sala de aula no 1.º ciclo do ensino básico

Relatório de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.º e 2.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

Buying behavior and competition in the software market

In the actual world, the impact of the software buying decisions has a rising relevance in social and economic terms. This research tries to explain it focusing on the organizations buying decisions of Operating Systems and Office Suites for personal computers and the impact on the competition between incumbent and alternative players in the market in these software categories, although the research hypotheses and conclusions may extend to other software categories and platforms. We concluded that in this market beside brand image, product features or price, other factors could have influence in the buying choices. Network effect, switching costs, local network effect, lock-in or consumer heterogeneity all have influence in the buying decision, protecting the incumbent and making it difficult for the competitive alternatives, based mainly on product features and price, to gain market share to the incumbent. This happens in a stronger way in the Operating Systems category.

Influencing factors on the buying behavior in the software market

The case of desktop Operating System and Office Suite choices considering Proprietary and Open Source Software alternatives.

The Dark Side of Organizational Change: The Moderating Role of Political Behavior and Organizational Cynicism

Workplace aggression is a factor that shapes the interaction between individuals and their work environment and produces many undesirable outcomes, sometimes introducing heavy costs for organizations. Only through a comprehensive understanding of the genesis of workplace aggression is possible to develop strategies and interventions to minimize its nefarious effects. The existent body of knowledge has already identified several individual, situational and contextual antecedents of workplace aggression, although this is a research area where significant gaps occur and many issues were still not addressed Dupré and Barling (2006). According to Baron and Neuman (1998) one of these predictors is organizational change, since certain changes in the work environment (e.g., changes in management) can lead to increased aggression. This paper intends to contribute to workplace aggression research by studying its relationship with organizational change, considering a moderating role of political behaviors and organizational cynicism (Ammeter et al., 2002, Ferris et al., 2002). The literature review suggests that mediators and moderators that intervene in the relationships between workplace aggression and its antecedents are understudied topics. James (2005) sustains that organizational politics is related to cynicism and the empirical research of Miranda (2008) has identified leadership political behavior as an antecedent of cynicism but these two variables were not yet investigated regarding their relationship with workplace aggression. This investigation was operationalized using several scales including the Organizational Change Questionnaire-climate of change, processes, and readiness (Bouckenooghe, Devos and Broeck, 2009), a Workplace Aggression Scale (Vicente and D’Oliveira, 2008, 2009, 2010), an Organizational Cynicism Scale (Wanous, Reichers and Austin, 1994) and a Political Behavior Questionnaire (Yukl and Falbe, 1990). Participants representing a wide variety of jobs across many organizations were surveyed. The results of the study and its implications will be presented and discussed. This study contribution is also discussed in what concerns organizational change practices in organizations.

Workplace aggression in organizational changing processes: The mediation role of leader political (soft and hard) behavior

One of the main trends in workplace aggression research is studying its antecedents. But the literature also reveals that some predictors remain understudied, like organizational change [1]. Additionally, possible mediators of this relationship were not investigated. The main objective of this research is studding the mediating effect of the leader political behavior (soft and hard version) on the relationship between organizational change and workplace aggression. Participants representing a wide variety of jobs across many organizations were surveyed. The measures used in this research are an Organizational Change Questionnaire climate of change, processes, and readiness [2], a Workplace Aggression Scale [e.g. 3, 4] and a Political Behavior Questionnaire [5]. The results of the study and its theoretical and practical implications will be presented and discussed.

O desenvolvimento da leitura em crianças com dificuldades graves de aprendizagem

Projeto de Intervenção apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Educação Especial, especialidade em Multideficiência

Risk Analysis and Behavior of Electricity Portfolio Aggregator

The scope of this paper is to adapt the standard mean-variance model of Henry Markowitz theory, creating a simulation tool to find the optimal configuration of the portfolio aggregator, calculate its profitability and risk. Currently, there is a deep discussion going on among the power system society about the structure and architecture of the future electric system. In this environment, policy makers and electric utilities find new approaches to access the electricity market; this configures new challenging positions in order to find innovative strategies and methodologies. Decentralized power generation is gaining relevance in liberalized markets, and small and medium size electricity consumers are also become producers (“prosumers”). In this scenario an electric aggregator is an entity that joins a group of electric clients, customers, producers, “prosumers” together as a single purchasing unit to negotiate the purchase and sale of electricity. The aggregator conducts research on electricity prices, contract terms and conditions in order to promote better energy prices for their clients and allows small and medium customers to benefit improved market prices.

Marketing : a (ir)racionalidade dos consumidores, numa perspetiva empreendedora

Mestrado em Gestão e Empreendedorismo

Os projetos de literacia financeira como prática de responsabilidade social corporativa: caso Cetelem

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Gestão Estratégica das Relações Públicas.

Carcinoma neuroendócrino de pequenas células: um estudo de caso em citopatologia ginecológica

O presente estudo reporta o caso de uma mulher de 63 anos da qual a única informação clínica era a suspeita de um sarcoma da cérvix. Simultaneamente à colpocitologia, foram enviadas biópsias do colo e do endométrio para diagnóstico. A visualização da amostra citológica revelou vários agregados de número variável de células monótonas, com tamanho pequeno, formato redondo e citoplasma escasso, num fundo com diátese. Os núcleos apresentavam moldagem, hipercromasia, cromatina “sal-e-pimenta” e ausência de nucléolos. O aspeto microscópico das biópsias foi concordante com os achados citológicos, tendo sido igualmente identificados focos glanduliformes com características atípicas. A neoplasia mostrou expressão imunohistoquímica dos antigénios enolase neurónio-específica (neuron specific enolase, NSE), sinaptofisina e citoqueratina (clones AE1/AE3), e uma elevada atividade proliferativa demonstrada pela imunorreactividade para o marcador nuclear Ki67/Mib1. Os achados citológicos, histológicos e imunohistoquímicos foram consistentes com o diagnóstico de carcinoma neuroendócrino de pequenas células. Dos tumores cervicais, esta neoplasia maligna é das mais raras, mostrando um comportamento muito agressivo, com prognóstico muito pobre, em que as terapêuticas existentes são pouco consensuais quanto à sua eficácia. A sua etiologia ainda é estudada, podendo estar relacionada com a infeção pelo Vírus do Papiloma Humano.

Catalytic behavior of alkali-treated Pt/HMOR n-hexane hydroisomerization

Bifunctional Pt-HMOR catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of various desilicated MOR obtained by alkaline treatment using NaOH concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 M. The zeolite structural changes upon modification were investigated by several techniques including powder X-ray diffraction,Al-27 and Si-29 MAS-NMR spectroscopy, N-2 adsorption, pyridine adsorption followed by infrared spectroscopy and the catalytic model reaction of m-xylene transformation. For low alkaline concentration the zeolite acidity is preserved, along with a slight increase of the volume correspondent to the larger micropores due to the removal of extra-framework debris already existent at the parent zeolite. At higher NaOH concentrations there is a significant loss of crystalinity and acidity as well as the formation of mesoporosity. The characterization of the metal function shows similar patterns for Pt-HMOR and Pt-M/0.1 samples, with Pt particles located mainly inside the inner porosity. In contrast, large Pt particles become visible at the intercrystalline mesoporosity of MOR crystals developed during the desilication treatments at severe alkaline conditions. The catalytic results obtained for n-hexane hydroisomerization showed an improved selectivity for dibranched over monobranched isomers for Pt-M/0.1 sample, likely due to the preservation of the support acidity and the slight enlargement of the micropores. This work is a new example in which the mesoporous development does not improve the catalytic efficiency of the zeolites, whereas mild alkaline desilication might be considered as an effective solution to produce customized catalysts with enhanced performance for a given application. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.