A score test for non-nested hypotheses with applications to discrete data models

This paper suggests that a convenient score test against non-nested alternatives can be constructed from the linear combination of the likelihood functions of the competing models. It is shown that this procedure is essentially a test for the correct specification of the conditional distribution of the variable of interest.

Heterogeneous sensor database framework for the sensor observation service: integrating remote and in-situ sensor observations at the database backend

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Contribuição ao estudo da mistura néon-azoto a baixas temperaturas

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Física

Non-clinical isolates bring new findings on enterococcal virulence

Dissertation presented to obtain the PhD degree in Biology

Analysis of mental health service financial models with a particular emphasis of Ireland

ABSTRACT: Financing is a critical factor in ensuring the optimal development and delivery of a mental health system. The primary method of financing worldwide is tax-based. However many low income countries depend on out-of-pocket payments. There is a report on Irish Health Care funding but none that deals exclusively with mental health care. This paper analyses the various financial models that exist globally with respect to financing the mental health sector, examines the impact of various models on service users, especially in terms of relative ‘financial burden’ and provides a more detailed examination of the current mental health funding situation in Ireland After extensive internet and hardcopy research on the above topics, the findings were analysed and a number of recommendations were reached. Mental health service should be free at the point of delivery to achieve universal coverage. Government tax-based funding or mandatory social insurance with government top-ups, as required, appears the optimal option, although there is no one funding system applicable everywhere. Out-of-pocket funding can create a crippling financial burden for service users. It is important to employ improved revenue collection systems, eliminate waste, provide equitable resource distribution, ring fence mental health funding and cap the number of visits, where necessary. Political, economic, social and cultural factors play a role in funding decisions and this can be clearly seen in the context of the current economic recession in Ireland. Only 33% of the Irish population has access to free public health care and the number health insurance policy holders has dramatically declined, resulting in increased out-of-pocket payments. This approach risks negatively impacting on the social determinants of health, increasing health inequalities and negatively affecting economic productivity. It is therefore important the Irish government examines other options to provide funding for mental health services.

Promoção da saúde mental em espaço urbano

RESUMO: A saúde pública deve estar atenta aos contextos e às mudanças sociais, políticas, económicas, científicas e tecnológicas com que se confrontam constantemente as comunidades, particularmente em situações de grandes transformações como o momento que a União Europeia atravessa. A urbanização é provavelmente a mudança demográfica mais importante das últimas décadas. Tendo importantes repercussões sobre a saúde mental, é importante desenvolver a investigação neste domínio, de forma multidisciplinar e integrando a compreensão dos diferentes determinantes sociais, psicológicos e físicos. As políticas de saúde mental tornaram-se uma parte importante da política social e da sociedade de bem-estar, em particular se considerarmos a urbanização das nossas comunidades. Considerar a saúde mental em espaço urbano é fundamentalmente estudar como um espaço particular pode influenciar a saúde. Baseado nesta reflexão, desenvolveu-se uma investigação participada de base comunitária, com recurso a uma metodologia de estudo de caso. Recorreu-se a dezenas de documentos de referência local, registos em arquivo, à observação direta, à observação participante e à observação in loco do espaço urbano. Foi utilizada uma amostragem em bola de neve, estratificada, para selecionar 697 habitantes de uma cidade da área metropolitana de Lisboa. Estes habitantes foram entrevistados por 42 entrevistadores, previamente formados, assim como foram enviados questionários online dirigidos aos professores (196) e aos Técnicos Superiores de Serviço Social (12) em exercício no espaço urbano em estudo, para a caraterização sociodemográfica e para avaliação de indicadores de saúde, de indicadores relacionados com a saúde e de indicadores estruturais de saúde mental. Os resultados mostraram um espaço urbano promotor de saúde estrutura-se para capacitar os seus cidadãos a se integrarem ativamente no funcionamento da sua comunidade. Foram identificadas algumas caraterísticas como 1) o início do processo de promoção da saúde mental ser o mais precoce possível; 2) a participação comunitária ativa, num sentimento de segurança individual e comunitária, envolvendo estruturas governamentais e não-governamentais; 3) a solidariedade e a inclusão, promovendo o voluntariado e a promoção do suporte social e desenvolvendo a coesão social; 4) o reconhecimento das necessidades expressas pelos habitantes; 5) a identificação de respostas para a conciliação entre vida pessoal, familiar e profissional; 6) as estruturas de acompanhamento dos grupos sociais mais desfavorecidos; 7) as estratégias de combate ao isolamento envolvendo a população sénior e outros grupos minoritários ativamente no processo de reorganização do seu funcionamento social; 8) uma efetiva governança e gestão relacional por parte dos poderes locais, centrando a vida quotidiana da comunidade nas pessoas. A investigação participada de base comunitária constitui um instrumento útil e eficaz no desenho de planos locais de promoção da saúde mental para encontrar respostas ao desafio em saúde pública: a saúde mental e a urbanização.

Stress relacionado com o trabalho e burnout em técnicos de radiologia

RESUMO - O fenómeno stress relacionado com o trabalho é um tema atual, bastante debatido e alvo de diversas investigações. No entanto, os estudos portugueses sobre o stress relacionado com o trabalho em profissionais de saúde não são muito frequentes, apesar de desempenharem uma atividade considerada de alto risco em termos de stress. O síndrome de burnout é a consequência de prolongados níveis de stress relacionado com o trabalho e compreende três dimensões: exaustão emocional (EE), despersonalização (DSP) e realização pessoal (RP). O presente estudo demonstra-se como não experimental, descritivo e transversal que pretende contribuir para uma melhor compreensão do stress relacionado com o trabalho e burnout em técnicos de radiologia. Estudaram-se 73 técnicos de radiologia do Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central. 76,4% da população em estudo é do sexo feminino, 58,9% tem idades compreendidas entre os 41 e 60 anos, 53,4% dos profissionais são casados e 56,1% tem entre 1 e 20 anos de serviço como técnico de radiologia nos locais em estudo. Foram utilizados três questionários, um sócio-demográfico, o questionário Perceived Stress Scale (versão portuguesa do Instituto de Prevenção do Stress e Saúde Ocupacional) e o questionário Maslach Burnout Inventory (versão portuguesa traduzida pela Drª Alexandra Pinto. Verifica-se que 50,7% dos profissionais em estudo percecionam o seu nível de stress relacionado com o trabalho como elevado. Na análise da perceção do stress relacionado com o trabalho, foram os homens que surgiram com um nível mais elevado, assim como os profissionais dos 20 aos 40 anos, os solteiros e aqueles com um tempo de serviço entre 1 e 20 anos. Em relação ao burnout verificamos que 66,2% da população em estudo apresenta nível médio a elevado de EE, 57,9% de DSP e 66,2% de RP. Podemos verificar que são as mulheres que surgem com valores mais elevados de EE e RP, enquanto os homens apresentam valores mais elevados na dimensão DSP. Os mais novos (20 a 40 anos) e os solteiros apresentam nível médio a elevado de EE e DSP, enquanto os mais velhos (41 aos 60 anos) e os casados demonstram níveis mais elevados de RP. Estes dados demonstram um nível médio a elevado de burnout vivenciado pelos técnicos de radiologia dos hospitais em estudo.

How to sell successfully a perfume in the non-selective market?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

A marketing plan for the ice cream brand Max Adventures in food service

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Identity dynamics in non-profit organizations: Ideological and methodological identity orientations

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Web-assisted tobacco intervention in Portuguese : intentions to make behavioural changes and behavioural changes

ABSTRACT - The problem of how to support “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC) and “behaviour changes” (BC) in smoking cessation when there is a scarcity of resources is a pressing issue in public health terms. The present research focuses on the use of information and communications technologies and their role in smoking cessation. It is developed in Portugal after the ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (on 8 November 2005). The prevalence of smokers over fifteen years of age within the population stood at 20.9% (30.9% for men and 11.8% for women). While the strategy of helping people to quit smoking has been emphasised at National Health Service (NHS) level, the uptake of cessation assistance has exceeded the capacity of the service. This induced the search of new theoretical and practical venues to offer alternative options to people willing to stop smoking. Among these, the National Health Plan (NHP) of Portugal (2004-2010), identifies the use of information technologies in smoking cessation. eHealth and the importance of health literacy as a means of empowering people to make behavioural changes is recurrently considered an option worth investigating. The overall objective of this research is to understand, in the Portuguese context, the use of the Internet to help people to stop smoking. Research questions consider factors that may contribute to “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC) and “behavioural changes” (BC) while using a Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP). Also consideration is given to the trade-off on the use of the Web as a tool for smoking cessation: can it reach a vast number of people for a small cost (efficiency) demonstrating to work in the domain of smoking cessation (efficacy)”? In addition to the introduction, there is a second chapter in which the use of tobacco is discussed as a public health menace. The health gains achieved by stopping smoking and the means of quitting are also examined, as is the use of the Internet in smoking cessation. Then, several research issues are introduced. These include background theory and the theoretical framework for the Sense of Coherence. The research model is also discussed. A presentation of the methods, materials and of the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) follows. In chapter four the results of the use of the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) are presented. This study is divided into two sections. The first describes results related to quality control in relation to the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) and gives an overview of its users. Of these, 3,150 answered initial eligibility questions. In the end, 1,463 met all eligibility requirements, completed intake, decided on a day to quit smoking (Dday) and declared their “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC) while a second targeted group of 650 did not decide on a Dday. With two quit attempts made before joining the platform, most of the participants had experienced past failures while wanting to stop. The smoking rate averaged 21 cigarettes per day. With a mean age of 35, of the participants 55% were males. Among several other considerations, gender and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) influenced the success of participants in their IBC and endeavour to set quit dates. The results of comparing males and females showed that, for current smokers, establishing a Dday was related to gender differences, not favouring males (OR=0.76, p<0.005). Belonging to higher Socio-economic strata (SES) was associated with the intention to consider IBC (when compared to lower SES condition) (OR=1.57, p<0.001) and higher number of school years (OR=0.70, p<0.005) favoured the decision to smoking cessation. Those who demonstrated higher confidence in their likelihood of success in stopping in the shortest time had a higher rate of setting a Dday (OR=0.51, p<0.001). There were differences between groups in IBC reflecting the high and low levels of the SOC score (OR=1.43, p=0.006), as those who considered setting a Dday had higher levels of SOC. After adjusting for all variables, stages of readiness to change and SOC were kept in the model. This is the first Arm of this research where the focus is a discussion of the system’s implications for the participants’ “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC). Moreover, a second section of this study (second Arm) offers input collected from 77 in-depth interviews with the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) users. Here, “Behaviour Change” (BC) and the usability of the platform are explored a year after IBC was declared. A percentage of 32.9% of self-reported, 12-month quitters in continuous abstinence from smoking from Dday to the 12-month follow- up point of the use of the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) has been assessed. Comparing the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scores of participants by their respective means, according to the two groups, there was a significant difference in these scores of non smokers (BC) (M=144,66, SD=22,52) and Sense of Coherence (SOC) of smokers (noBC) (M=131,51, SD=21,43) p=0.014. This WATIP strategy and its contents benefit from the strengthening of the smoker’s sense of coherence (SOC), so that the person’s progress towards a life without tobacco may be experienced as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. In this sample the sense of coherence (SOC) effect is moderate although it is associated with the day to quit smoking (Dday). Some of the limitations of this research have to do with self-selection bias, sample size (power) and self-reporting (no biochemical validation). The enrolment of participants was therefore not representative of the smoking population. It is not possible to verify the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) evaluation of external validity; consequently, the results obtained cannot be applied generalized. No participation bias is provided. Another limitation of this study is the associated limitations of interviews. Interviewees’ perception that fabricating answers could benefit them more than telling the simple truth in response to questions is a risk that is not evaluated (with no external validation like measuring participants’ carbon monoxide levels). What emerges in this analysis is the relevance of the process that leads to the establishment of the quit day (Dday) to stop using tobacco. In addition, technological issues, when tailoring is the focus, are key elements for scrutiny. The high number of dropouts of users of the web platform mandates future research that should concentrate on the matters of the user-centred design of portals. The focus on gains in health through patient-centred care needs more research, so that technology usability be considered within the context of best practices in smoking cessation.

How differently do our non-large companies listed on the Portuguese Stock Exchange perform?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

On the cloud deployment of a session abstraction for service/data aggregation

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Can advergames boost children’s healthier eating habits?: A comparison between healthy and non-healthy food

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Market selection and market entry recommendations for a non-profit organization's first international venture

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics