Environmental sustainability in superior education: case study of Lisbon College of Health Technology

Over the centuries there has been a growing trend of societies and it is possible to verify their economic growth. This growth has provided an increased pressure on natural resources, often over-reaching the boundaries of each country, which has called into question the level of environmental sustainability in different countries. Sustainability is understood as a complex concept involving ecological, social, economic dimensions and temporal urban processes. Therefore, Firmino (2009) suggests that the ecological footprint (EF) allows people to establish dependency relations between human activities and the natural resources required for such activities and for the absorption of waste generated. According to Bergh & Verbruggen (1999) the EF is an objective, impartial and one-dimensional indicator that enables people to assess the sustainability. The Superior Schools have a crucial role in building the vision of a sustainable future as a reality, because in transmitting values and environmental principles to his students, are providing that they, in exercising his professional activity, make decisions weighing the environmental values. This ensures improved quality of life. The present study aims to determine the level of environmental sustainability of the Academic Community of Lisbon College of Health Technology (ESTeSL), by calculating the EF, and describe whether a relation between Footprint and various socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects.

Reasoning and proof in classroom (9th grade)

This paper is research oriented and pretends to contribute toward giving empirical evidence about how students develop their reasoning and how they achieved to a proof construction in school context. Its main theme is epistemology. It describes the way in which four students in 9th Grade explored a task related with the discovery of symmetry axes in various geometric figures. The proof constructed by students had essentially an explaining function and it was related with the symmetry axes of regular polygons. The teacher���s role in meaning negotiation of the proof and its need is described through illustrative episodes. The paper presents part of a study which purpose is to analyse the nature of mathematical proof in classroom, its role and the nature of the relationship between the construction of a proof and the social interactions. Assuming a social perspective, attention is focussed on the social construction of knowledge and on the structuring resources that shape mathematical experience. The study���s methodology has an interpretative nature. One outcome of the study discussed here is that students develop first a practical understanding with no awareness of the reasons founding mathematical statements and after a theoretical one leading them to a proof elaboration.

Utilization of Interactive Internet in High Education

The present work reports on the practical cooperation between two Universities from Hungary and Portugal. Students from Portugal are remotely accessing an experimental facility, which is physically in Hungary. The cooperation among these Higher Education establishments allowed the development and testing of a Remote Laboratory at the BME. This paper reports on the characteristics and initial testing of the Thermocouples Rise Time Measurement System and provides information on development and students' feedback.

On the development of textual competence in primary education

The aim of this article is to present the results of an action research project, which has been put into practice in Primary Education. This project was intended to develop students��� textual competence, considering both comprehension and textual production. Our starting hypothesis was that teaching the schematisation of text types, focusing on linguistic devices that underlie text production, would promote the development of textual competence, leading to the production of more coherent and cohesive texts. In order to test this hypothesis we implemented the project in three phases. First, before the intervention, we collected texts produced by the students. Secondly, we implemented a didactic program designed to develop students��� textual competence. Lastly, after the intervention, we collected students��� texts once again. Data was analyzed according to categories that confer cohesion and coherence to different types of texts. Narrative, descriptive, and explanatory texts were assessed in terms of 1) building an autonomous text; 2) hierarchisation of information, and 3) textual organisation. Overall, results indicate that students developed their text conceptualisations, their understanding of the different structures of texts, and produced better writing. Indeed, their written work shows a marked progression from the beginning of the intervention program to the end of the program.

Does independent component analysis play a role in unmixing hyperspectral data?

Independent component analysis (ICA) has recently been proposed as a tool to unmix hyperspectral data. ICA is founded on two assumptions: 1) the observed spectrum vector is a linear mixture of the constituent spectra (endmember spectra) weighted by the correspondent abundance fractions (sources); 2)sources are statistically independent. Independent factor analysis (IFA) extends ICA to linear mixtures of independent sources immersed in noise. Concerning hyperspectral data, the first assumption is valid whenever the multiple scattering among the distinct constituent substances (endmembers) is negligible, and the surface is partitioned according to the fractional abundances. The second assumption, however, is violated, since the sum of abundance fractions associated to each pixel is constant due to physical constraints in the data acquisition process. Thus, sources cannot be statistically independent, this compromising the performance of ICA/IFA algorithms in hyperspectral unmixing. This paper studies the impact of hyperspectral source statistical dependence on ICA and IFA performances. We conclude that the accuracy of these methods tends to improve with the increase of the signature variability, of the number of endmembers, and of the signal-to-noise ratio. In any case, there are always endmembers incorrectly unmixed. We arrive to this conclusion by minimizing the mutual information of simulated and real hyperspectral mixtures. The computation of mutual information is based on fitting mixtures of Gaussians to the observed data. A method to sort ICA and IFA estimates in terms of the likelihood of being correctly unmixed is proposed.

Does Independent Component Analysis Play a Role in Unmixing Hyperspectral Data?

Chapter in Book Proceedings with Peer Review First Iberian Conference, IbPRIA 2003, Puerto de Andratx, Mallorca, Spain, JUne 4-6, 2003. Proceedings

Developing corporate image in higher education sector: a case study of University of East Anglia Norwich, United Kingdom��� [de] Muhammad Amjad, Muhammad Moazam Fraz [recens��o cr��tica]

Recens��o cr��tica do livro "AMJAD, Muhammad; FRAZ, Muhammad Moazam - Developing corporate image in higher education sector: a case study of University of East Anglia Norwich, United Kingdom. Lisboa: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2012���.

Promo����o do empreendedorismo nas escolas: impacto da Junior Achievement Portugal, Associa����o Aprender a Empreender

Disserta����o apresentada �� Escola Superior de Comunica����o Social como parte dos requisitos para obten����o de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

Avalia����o e a Qualidade das Pr��ticas de Inclus��o para Alunos com PEA: Escala LAQI (Louisiana Autism Quality Indicators)

Disserta����o apresentada �� Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o de grau de mestre em Educa����o Especial, dom��nio Cogni����o e Multidefici��ncia

Selenium role in an human biomonitoring study applied to occupational health

Selenium functions as a co-factor for the reduction of antioxidant enzymes and is an important component of antioxidant enzymes. Dietary selenium significantly inhibits the induction of skin, liver, colon, and mammary tumours in experimental animals by a number of different carcinogens, as well as the induction of mammary tumours by viruses. Selenium shows a ���U��� shaped curve for functionality, whereby too little is as damaging as too much. At optimal levels, selenium may protect against the formation of DNA adducts, DNA or chromosome breakage, chromosome gain or loss, mitochondrial DNA, and telomere length and function. Aim of study: Investigate the relation between selenium and genotoxic effects in a human biomonitoring study applied to occupational health.

Insulin resistance does not play a major role in lipid and apolipoprotein profile in obese women

Background: Obesity is associated with increased atherogenesis through alterations in lipids, among other potential factors. Some of those abnormalities might be mediated by insulin resistance (IR). Aims: To compare lipid and apolipoprotein profile between lean and obese women; to evaluate the influence of IR on lipid and apolipoprotein profile, in obese women. Methods: We studied 112 obese and 100 normal-weight premenopausal women without known cardiovascular disease. Both groups were characterized for anthropometrics and a fasting blood sample was collected for assessment of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, cholesterol (total, LDL and HDL), and apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, and E; IR was assessed by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). We compared lipids between obese and lean women; we looked for correlation of those levels with anthropometrics and IR (independently from anthropometrics) in obese women. Results: Obese women were characterized by mean age=34.6��8.3 years, BMI=43.6��7.9 kg/m2, waist circumference (Wc)=117.5��15.1 cm, and HOMA-IR=4.28��3.5. Lean women (age=34.2��8.3 years, BMI=21.4��1.7 kg/m2, Wc=71.7��5.8 cm, and HOMA-IR=1.21��0.76) presented with significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (P=0.001), LDL-cholesterol (P<0.001), and triglycerides (P<0.001); they presented higher levels of HDL-cholesterol (P<0.001), Apo A-I (P<0.001) and Apo A-II (P=0.037). HOMA-IR showed no significant association with apolipoproteins. HOMA-IR was inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol (P=0.048; r=���0.187) but that association disappeared when we adjusted for waist circumference. Only triglycerides were directly associated with HOMA-IR (P<0.001; r=0.343) independently from anthropometrics. Conclusion: We confirm that obese women present worst lipid and apolipoprotein profile. However, with the exception for triglycerides, insulin resistance per se does not play a major role in lipid and apolipoprotein abnormalities observed in obese women.

Quality indicators in the education of children with profound Intellectual and multiple disabilities

Todas as crian��as, independentemente das suas necessidades, deveriam ter acesso a uma educa����o de qualidade e a serem inclu��das nas suas fam��lias e comunidades. Esta afirma����o inclui as crian��as mais vulner��veis, em particular as crian��as com dificuldades intelectuais e multidefici��ncia. Os resultados da investiga����o sobre a educa����o de crian��as com dificuldades intelectuais e multidefici��ncia ainda n��o produziram at�� ao momento informa����o suficiente que possa ser usada para desenvolver indicadores de qualidade para a avalia����o das pr��ticas e dos servi��os. A investiga����o nesta ��rea �� limitada por constrangimentos ��ticos, dificuldades na determina����o de amostras e desafios metodol��gicos, sendo reduzido o n��mero de estudos capaz de produzir a informa����o necess��ria. Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir fatores que contribuam para a qualidade do envolvimento de crian��as com dificuldades intelectuais e multidefici��ncia em atividades educativas, com base na experi��ncia das autoras e na informa����o dispon��vel que tem sido publicada sobre este assunto. Com base nesta discuss��o �� sugerido um conjunto de indicadores que poder��o ajudar os profissionais a dirigir as suas observa����es para a qualidade da oferta educativa e para aspetos significativos dos desempenhos das crian��as quando envolvidas em atividades curriculares.

Das perce����es das crian��as sobre alguns animais mal-afamados �� sua (re) constru����o em contexto de sala de aula

Relat��rio de Est��gio apresentado �� Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o do grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.�� e 2.�� Ciclo do Ensino B��sico