Active ageing index and quality of life

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

Reconceptualising public spaces of (IN)equality: sensing and creating layers of visibility

Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Geografia e Planeamento Territorial - Especialidade: Geografia Humana

Complicações em idosos submetidos a cirurgia de correcção de de hérnias da parede abdominal

RESUMO: O envelhecimento da população é um fenómeno à escala mundial, com tendência a aumentar, sendo cada vez mais os idosos e mais velhos. Esta propensão é notória nos utentes que recorrem aos cuidados de saúde. À medida que se envelhece maior vai sen-do a vulnerabilidade e riscos para a saúde, bem como a prevalência para doenças croni-cas, que se traduz num aumento de hospitalizações e consumo. As complicações ocorri-das em idosos aquando submetidos a intervenções cirúrgicas estão descritas na literatu-ra, havendo uma escassez de publicações nacionais relacionadas com o tema. O presente estudo teve por objectivo caracterizar idosos submetidos a correcção cirúrgi-ca de hérnias da parede abdominal, os procedimentos e as complicações ocorridas. O estudo, transversal e de natureza quantitativa, foi realizado no Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Norte – Hospital Pulido Valente, e teve como critério de inclusão os indivíduos com 65 ou mais anos submetidos a correcção cirúrgica de hérnias da parede abdominal, realizadas em 2009-2010, que tiveram um período de recobro na Unidade de Cuidados Anestésicos Pós-operatórios. Para a obtenção dos dados, foram analisados os processos clínicos do Arquivo Clínico da Instituição e registada informação sobre variáveis de caracterização sócio demográfi-ca, de saúde pré, intra e pós-operatória imediata e descritivas da cirurgia. Foram avaliadas as situações de 164 indivíduos, 78.7% eram homens e 21.3% mulheres e a média de idades era de 72.4 anos e desvio padrão 5.46. Em termos de hábitos de Vida, foi possível constatar um predomínio de baixo consumo de tabaco (13.4%) e álcool (6.7%). O valor médio de co-morbilidades foi de 2.6 e desvio padrão de 1.34 sendo a maior prevalência de 3-4 co-morbilidades com 48.8%. Salienta-se que todas as mulheres da amostra apresentaram doenças. As patologias mais prevalentes são as do foro cardiovascular: Hipertensão Arterial (75.0%), Dislipidémia (35.4%) e Insuficiência Venosa Periférica (14.6%), de forma menos expressiva, mas igualmente relevante a Diabetes Mellitus (23.8%). Nos mais idosos [75 ou mais], verificou-se uma expressivi-dade Hipertrofia benigna da próstata (18.2%). Das cirurgias ocorridas predominou a correcção cirúrgica de Hérnia Inguinal.Das complicações identificadas prevaleceu a dor (97.6%). A hipotermia (34.8%), HTA (24.4%) e bradicárdia (14.6%) encontram-se entre as complicações mais determinantes. Verificaram-se diferenças com significado estatístico entre os dois grupos etários consi-derados nas complicações bradicárdia (p=0.021) e a saturação de oxigénio <90% (p = 0.006), hemorragia (p=0.036) e retenção urinária (p = 0.038). Neste estudo constata-se que a cirúrgica de hérnias da parede abdominal em idosos é uma realidade prevalente. Dos factores que possam estar associados a propensão para complicações pós-cirúrgicas, a idade e a presença de co-morbilidade controlada não revelaram ter influência. Também os tempos de cirurgia e de anestesia não revelaram influências no surgimento de complicações. A monitorização dos sinais vitais deve ser constante, desde o período pré-operatório imediato de forma a permitir aos profissionais de saúde identificar uma propensão para vulnerabilidade, com vantagem em ser apre-sentado sob a forma de score. Este manifestou diferenças significativas a nível dos dois grupos etários considerados (p=0.001). Este score, vai possibilitar sinalizar quais os idosos com maior susceptibilidade de ocorrência de complicações.------------------ABSTRACT:Population aging has become a worldwide phenomenon with tendency to increase. This is particularly evident due to the amount of elderly that attend the medical services. As one gets older, more vulnerable and more risks to one’s health. Also chronic diseas-es are more likely to exist which lead to more hospitalizations and increase of consuma-bles. The complications after a surgery in older people are well documented in international scientific studies, however national studies are still lacking. The present study aims to characterize elderly patients after abdominal hernia surgical correction, the procedures and complications detected. This transversal and quantitative nature like study, was held in the Centro Hospitalar Lisboa-Norte – Hospital Pulido Valente, and as inclusive criteria where patients with more than 65 or more years old, who undergone abdominal hernia surgical correction surgery in 2009-2010 and had the post-operation on the Unidade de Cuidados Anestésicos Pós-Operatorios. Data from the clinical files from the archive of the hospital where analyzed. Information was taken regarding social demographic variables; before, during and immediately after surgery variables and also descriptive of the surgery itself. Were evaluated 164 individuals, 78, 7% of which were men and 21, 3% women with an average age of 72, 4 years and standard deviation 5.46. Life habits analyzed detected low consumption of tobacco (13, 4%) and alcohol (6, 7%). The average of co-morblity was 2, 6 and standard deviation 1.34. The biggest prevalence of 3-4 co-morbilities was 48, 8%. Important to notice that, all women from the study presented illnesses. The illnesses more frequent were cardiovascular: High Blood Pressure (75%), Dyslipidemia (35, 4%), Deep Venous Insufficiency (14, 6%), less significant but also relevant, Diabetes Melli-tus (23, 8%). In the older (75 or more), was noticed Benign Prostatic (18, 2%). In the surgeries verified, the abdominal hernia correction was more frequent. From all thecomplications identified, pain was 97, 6%, Hypothermia 34, 8%, high Blood Pressure 24, 4% and Bradycardia 14, 6%, were higher prevalence. Was seen differences in the statistic meaning of the two groups in the Bradycardia com-plications (p=0.021), and the oxygen saturation < 90% (p=0.006), bleeding (p=0,036) and urine retention (p=0,038). In the present study it is evident that the abdominal hernia surgical correction in older population is a common procedure. Of all the factors that might be related with post-operatory complications, age and the presence of controlled co-morbility didn’t reveal relevant. Also, surgical times and duration of anesthesia didn´t seem to be related to complications incidence. Monitoring the vital signs must be constant since the immedi-ate post-operatory to ensure that the professionals can identify any possible vulnerabil-ity, presenting it in a score like way. The score has shown meaningful differences be-tween the two age groups analyzed (p=0,001). This score allows identifying which pa-tients are more likely to suffer complications.

Trabalho com famílias em psiquiatria geriátrica

A demência e outros quadros neuropsiquiátricos ligados ao envelhecimento determinam uma carga significativa na sociedade em geral e nas famílias em particular. As apresentações clínicas envolvendo aspectos familiares são múltiplas e ocorrem independentemente do diagnóstico (doença de Alzheimer e outras demências, depressão ou outras doenças mentais do idoso). Daqui decorre uma tendência crescente para trabalhar com famílias no contexto da psiquiatria geriátrica. As questões de casal não motivam frequentemente, por si, o recurso a terapia, mas uma intervenção conjugal pode ser muito útil em qualquer fase do ciclo vital familiar. A efectividade da terapia familiar sistémica não tem sido avaliada tão consistentemente como a psicoeducação familiar. Não obstante, pode constituir um recurso importante quando o foco de intervenção clínica é a dinâmica familiar. Isto, sobretudo, nas famílias em que as circularidades disfuncionais precedem o início da doença num dos seus elementos, não sendo determinadas exclusivamente por ela. Noutras famílias, as abordagens psicoeducativas terão indicação privilegiada (variando os formatos, locais e níveis de intensidade). Contudo, a leitura sistémica dos contextos, com intervenção adequada, não se restringe à terapia familiar clássica nem implica a sua indicação formal: pode inspirar a psicoeducação da família ou abordagens menos estruturadas. As intervenções familiares, qualquer que seja a sua natureza, devem ser precedidas de uma avaliação estruturada mas exequível. A avaliação constitui, intrinsecamente, um início da intervenção, obrigando a uma constante actualização ao longo do processo. As terapias familiares clássicas não têm sido utilizadas, correntemente, em famílias de doentes neuropsiquiátricos idosos. Não obstante, as terapias familiares podem ter indicação em casos específicos e o trabalho genérico com famílias está no âmago da prática da psiquiatria geriátrica.

Provide instructions and resources for assessment and training in earth building: the Pirate project

This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Determinants of mother-baby relationship evaluated during pregnancy

ABSTRACT Background Mental health promotion is supported by a strong body of knowledge and is a matter of public health with the potential of a large impact on society. Mental health promotion programs should be implemented as soon as possible in life, preferably starting during pregnancy. Programs should focus on malleable determinants, introducing strategies to reduce risk factors or their impact on mother and child, and also on strengthening protective factors to increase resilience. The ambition of early detecting risk situations requires the development and use of tools to assess risk, and the creation of a responsive network of services based in primary health care, especially maternal consultation during pregnancy and the first months of the born child. The number of risk factors and the way they interact and are buffered by protective factors are relevant for the final impact. Maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) is not yet a totally understood and well operationalized concept. Methodological problems limit the comparison of data as many studies used small size samples, had an exploratory character or used different selection criteria and different measures. There is still a lack of studies in high risk populations evaluating the consequences of a weak MFA. Instead, the available studies are not very conclusive, but suggest that social support, anxiety and depression, self-esteem and self-control and sense of coherence are correlated with MFA. MFA is also correlated with health practices during pregnancy, that influence pregnancy and baby outcomes. MFA seems a relevant concept for the future mother baby interaction, but more studies are needed to clarify the concept and its operationalization. Attachment is a strong scientific concept with multiple implications for future child development, personality and relationship with others. Secure attachment is considered an essential basis of good mental health, and promoting mother-baby interaction offers an excellent opportunity to intervention programmes targeted at enhancing mental health and well-being. Understanding the process of attachment and intervening to improve attachment requires a comprehension of more proximal factors, but also a broader approach that assesses the impact of more distal social conditions on attachment and how this social impact is mediated by family functioning and mother-baby interaction. Finally, it is essential to understand how this knowledge could be translated in effective mental health promoting interventions and measures that could reach large populations of pregnant mothers and families. Strengthening emotional availability (EA) seems to be a relevant approach to improve the mother-baby relationship. In this review we have offered evidence suggesting a range of determinants of mother-infant relationship, including age, marital relationship, social disadvantages, migration, parental psychiatric disorders and the situations of abuse or neglect. Based on this theoretical background we constructed a theoretical model that included proximal and distal factors, risk and protective factors, including variables related to the mother, the father, their social support and mother baby interaction from early pregnancy until six months after birth. We selected the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment (ALPHA) for use as an instrument to detect psychosocial risk during pregnancy. Method Ninety two pregnant women were recruited from the Maternal Health Consultation in Primary Health Care (PHC) at Amadora. They had three moments of assessment: at T1 (until 12 weeks of pregnancy) they filed out a questionnaire that included socio-demographic data, ALPHA, Edinburgh post-natal Depression Scale (EDPS), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Sense of Coherence (SOC); at T2 (after the 20th weeks of pregnancy) they answered EDPS, SOC and MFA Scale (MFAS), and finally at T3 (6 months after birth), they repeated EDPS and SOC, and their interaction with their babies was videotaped and later evaluated using EA Scales. A statistical analysis has been done using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, univariate logistic regression and multiple linear regression. Results The study has increased our knowledge on this particular population living in a multicultural, suburb community. It allow us to identify specific groups with a higher level of psychosocial risk, such as single or divorced women, young couples, mothers with a low level of education and those who are depressed or have a low SOC. The hypothesis that psychosocial risk is directly correlated with MFAS and that MFA is directly correlated with EA was not confirmed, neither the correlation between prenatal psychosocial risk and mother-baby EA. The study identified depression as a relevant risk factor in pregnancy and its higher prevalence in single or divorced women, immigrants and in those who have a higher global psychosocial risk. Depressed women have a poor MFA, and a lower structuring capacity and a higher hostility to their babies. In average, depression seems to reduce among pregnant women in the second part of their pregnancy. The children of immigrant mothers show a lower level of responsiveness to their mothers what could be transmitted through depression, as immigrant mothers have a higher risk of depression in the beginning of pregnancy and six months after birth. Young mothers have a low MFA and are more intrusive. Women who have a higher level of education are more sensitive and their babies showed to be more responsive. Women who are or have been submitted to abuse were found to have a higher level of MFA but their babies are less responsive to them. The study highlights the relevance of SOC as a potential protective factor while it is strongly and negatively related with a wide range of risk factors and mental health outcomes especially depression before, during and after pregnancy. Conclusions ALPHA proved to be a valid, feasible and reliable instrument to Primary Health Care (PHC) that can be used as a total sum score. We could not prove the association between psychosocial risk factors and MFA, neither between MFA and EA, or between psychosocial risk and EA. Depression and SOC seems to have a clear and opposite relevance on this process. Pregnancy can be considered as a maturational process and an opportunity to change, where adaptation processes occur, buffering risk, decreasing depression and increasing SOC. Further research is necessary to better understand interactions between variables and also to clarify a better operationalization of MFA. We recommend the use of ALPHA, SOC and EDPS in early pregnancy as a way of identifying more vulnerable women that will require additional interventions and support in order to decrease risk. At political level we recommend the reinforcement of Immigrant integration and the increment of education in women. We recommend more focus in health care and public health in mental health condition and psychosocial risk of specific groups at high risk. In PHC special attention should be paid to pregnant women who are single or divorced, very young, low educated and to immigrant mothers. This study provides the basis for an intervention programme for this population, that aims to reduce broad spectrum risk factors and to promote Mental Health in women who become pregnant. Health and mental health policies should facilitate the implementation of the suggested measures.

Quality of life of hypertensive and diabetic patients: Who suffers the most?

Objective: Quality of life was measured using the EQ-5D index for Portugal and a Self-Assessed Ranking of Health (SARH) to understand which patients suffer the most decrease in quality of life: diabetics or hypertensive. Method: Using the National Health Survey (NHS), two analyses were conducted on 5649 respondents. The EQ-5D index was calculated by matching questions in the NHS with its dimensions. The SARH was calculated based on a specific question in the NHS. Results: Differences between diseases do not occur using the EQ-5D index. Using the SARH, type 1 diabetics suffer the most while hypertensive suffers the least.

The patent expiry as a major inflection point in a branded Rx drug's life and strategies to counter generic competition - exemplified at Pfizer's blockbuster drug Lipitor in the USA

A large number of expensive, but highly profitable branded prescription drugs will go off-patent in the USA between 2011 and 2015. Their revenues are crucial to fund the immense costs associated with the development of an innovative drug. The rising cost pressure on pharmaceutical stakeholders has increased the demand for more affordable medications, as provided by the branded drug's generic counterpart. Yet, research based incumbents are moving beyond the traditional late lifecycle strategies and deploy more aggressive tactics in order to protect their brands, as seen with Pfizer's Lipitor!. It is doubtful, whether these efforts will help the blockbuster business model to resist current market conditions.

Fatores de risco no patrulhamento da GNR em ambiente operacional

In the mid-twentieth century, Portugal took the first big step towards social awareness of the Safety and Health at Work. Still later, the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization were responsible for setting global guidelines that clarified the States for the way forward in inguito of safeguarding the common interests of workers, businesses and the state. All workers should be covered by the rules governing matters relating to Safety, imperative requirements established in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. These also include those soldiers from National Guard who, in contemporary social conjecture face in their everyday life situations worthy of heightened risk aquidade. Ensure the identification of risk factors to which they are exposed, is, first, a big boost in the way of preserving the safety of these employees, who daily selflessly and under the most adverse working conditions fulfill the mission of the Guarda Nacional Republicana. Adverse weather conditions, and violence at work are two examples of risk factors to which the military Guard are daily exposed, and hence arise many days of absence from the workplace. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors to which the military from GNR are exposed during dismounted patrols, and also provide solutions on ways to mitigate and manage the risks presented. The cognitive distance traveled, throughout this study led us to demonstrate that it has been done by the GNR chain of Command, a huge effort to ensure through various forms (including emphasize the new Regulation of Uniforms), the resolution of the main factors that may jeopardize the integrity of the patrolmen, betting this Institution in the protection of the military that compose it, and the prevention of accidents at work through training and systematic monitoring that superiors expend with its employees.

A (in)segurança privada em Portugal

Along with the food and the comfort, safety has always been one of the human priorities. In pursuit of this objective, man developed self-preservation mechanisms, went to live in society and created rules to control the community life. In the West and in the late eighteenth century, with the creation of states as we know them today, the monopoly of security, among other powers, has been preserved untouched until the last quarter of this century. With the bankruptcy of the welfare state and the rise of the regulatory state, many of the essential tasks for the community have also been carried out by private companies or institutions, including education, health care and security. Although not easy, education and health care have been more opened to be managed by the private sector. Instead, the privatization of the security sector has seen much more resistance. Still, especially in the West, the states have delegated some of the security competences to private companies. Portugal is no exception to the rule and, after a few years of unregulated activity, in 1982 was published the first law regulating the private security. After the initial stages of development (evolution and maturation), which lasted until the early years of the 2000‘s, the private security now seems to have reached maturity. Today, now with a new legal system, composed by Law no. 34/2013, of 16 may, its regulations and complementary legislation, now private security encompasses other activities and competences - becoming, an increasingly complement to public safety. It has also increased the pre-requisites and control mechanisms for private security companies, and strengthened the rules that limit their scope of activity.

Relatório de estágio na Caixa Geral de Depósitos

This report will describe the activities undertaken during my internship at the Personnel Department (DPE-UPE4.1) in Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), Lisbon, between September 22, 2014, and February 28, 2015. I consider that it is important to note from the outset i) that the subject of my training was suggested by my supervisor in the DPE and accepted by me; and ii) that the internship consisted essentially of carrying out research and information gathering into the different social systems that coexist within the bank and the application of each legal system in solving concrete situations of the CGD employees. The research and analysis of information was important not only for my study but for the CGD itself, as it enables the department to have such an important matter, full of specific characteristics, condensed into a single document, i.e. this report. This is a complex reality. The various welfare systems differ according to the contractual agreement linking the employee to the employer at the date when the labour contract is signed, and also the unique/singular characteristics of the CGD. In the early stage I started by trying to understand the financial institution and its organization and role and the department where I worked. So I analyzed the CGD Statutes and the legal measures that crystallized the scheme for its employees and I also researched its domestic and international operations. The first month was devoted to the research and analysis of such legislation to understand the creation of the CGD and its path to date. In the second and third months I studied the legal social systems that are applied to different groups of CGD workers. This period was quite important to identify and understand the differences between those regimes of CGD employees as well as the procedure inherent in each case. I highlighted the non-implementation of “the social protection regime of convergence” to the workers of this institution; the differences regarding the allocation of sickness subsidies paid to workers who belong to Social Security and CGA contributors, as well as the enforcement of internal rules to all the workers when a work-related accident happens. Then I focused on to assessing and examining external legislation and several internal regulations in order to obtain solutions to questions raised and situations involving by the workers, in order to understand how the DPE solves these situations. Over the last three months of internship, after this more theoretical work, I began the analysis of concrete situations involving employees carrying out their duties in Portugal and abroad. Some of these situations had been received by the department before the beginning of my internship and others over this period. When I was “working” in the DPE I analyzed “cases” that had been solved and some others without a final solution because they were still in courts. As for the last ones (new cases) I was able to follow their assessment and sometimes their outcome. Some of them became study cases for me. Over these five months of my internship, several cases were analyzed and discussed by legal experts of DPE in which I could participate. I always worked hard. I know that this action contributed to elucidate me about the treatment of the issues, and allowed me to have a direct contact with some workers and be part of a dynamic work team. For these reasons, my internship report is not merely descriptive of activities. It consists of an analysis of rules (legislation) and a regulatory framework of activities and it is also a description of several specific situations solved or in a solution process. Through this work I intend to make known the particular reality of a modern Portuguese financial institution not only because of its importance in our country but also such a large number of employees work here (in Portugal and abroad). I should add that throughout my internship I was allowed to attend conferences, within the scope of the bank in order to get a broader view of some issues related to the daily life of the DPE and the CGD. So, I participated in I Jornadas Bancárias and the Conferência Internacional do Contrato a Termo, given that the CGD is a bank and the DPE deals with legal and labour relations.

Consumo de álcool nas mães que amamentam durante o 1º ano de vida da criança, prevalência e fatores associados, em Vila Fanca de Xira, em 2014

RESUMO - Introdução: O consumo de álcool durante o aleitamento materno é um tema que tem vindo a ganhar relevo nos últimos anos. Contrariamente ao consumo de álcool durante a gravidez, em que já se conhecem bem as consequências sobre o feto, sobre os efeitos do consumo de álcool durante a amamentação ainda pouco se sabe. Este estudo visa, assim, caracterizar o consumo de álcool e fatores associados nas mães que amamentam, ou amamentaram, durante o 1º ano de vida da criança no concelho de Vila Franca de Xira em 2014. Metodologia: Foi realizado um estudo transversal, com a aplicação de um questionário de auto-preenchimento, a uma amostra estratificada e com alocação proporcional por Unidade Funcional, de mães que estiveram nas consultas de saúde infantil das unidades de saúde do concelho, entre março e maio de 2014. Resultados: A idade mediana das mães foi 31 anos e das crianças foi 3 meses. O tempo total em aleitamento teve uma mediana de 2 meses e somente 16,3% amamentaram mais de 5 meses. A prevalência do consumo de álcool durante a amamentação foi 7,9% e na gestação foi 8,1%. Os fatores que se associaram, com significância estatística, ao consumo de álcool na amamentação foram a maior idade da mãe, os conhecimentos que esta possuía e o consumo anterior de álcool na gestação. Os hábitos tabágicos durante a amamentação tiveram uma prevalência de 13,4% e o consumo de substâncias ilícitas de 0,6%. Conclusões: A prevalência do consumo de álcool durante a amamentação, a nível local, mantém-se semelhante à da gestação, sendo muito inferior à encontrada em outros estudos de outros países. O tempo total em amamentação é baixo considerando as recomendações nacionais e internacionais.

Ethical leadership and reputation: Combined indirect effects on organizational deviance

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Business Ethics following peer review. The version of record Neves, P., & Story, J. (2015). Ethical Leadership and Reputation: Combined Indirect Effects on Organizational Deviance. Journal of Business Ethics, 127(1), 165–176. “The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1997-3”.

Relatório de estágio na Caixa Geral de Depósitos

This report will describe the activities undertaken during my internship at the Personnel Department (DPE-UPE4.1) in Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), Lisbon, between September 22, 2014, and February 28, 2015. I consider that it is important to note from the outset i) that the subject of my training was suggested by my supervisor in the DPE and accepted by me; and ii) that the internship consisted essentially of carrying out research and information gathering into the different social systems that coexist within the bank and the application of each legal system in solving concrete situations of the CGD employees. The research and analysis of information was important not only for my study but for the CGD itself, as it enables the department to have such an important matter, full of specific characteristics, condensed into a single document, i.e. this report. This is a complex reality. The various welfare systems differ according to the contractual agreement linking the employee to the employer at the date when the labour contract is signed, and also the unique/singular characteristics of the CGD. In the early stage I started by trying to understand the financial institution and its organization and role and the department where I worked. So I analyzed the CGD Statutes and the legal measures that crystallized the scheme for its employees and I also researched its domestic and international operations. The first month was devoted to the research and analysis of such legislation to understand the creation of the CGD and its path to date. In the second and third months I studied the legal social systems that are applied to different groups of CGD workers. This period was quite important to identify and understand the differences between those regimes of CGD employees as well as the procedure inherent in each case. I highlighted the non-implementation of “the social protection regime of convergence” to the workers of this institution; the differences regarding the allocation of sickness subsidies paid to workers who belong to Social Security and CGA contributors, as well as the enforcement of internal rules to all the workers when a work-related accident happens.Then I focused on to assessing and examining external legislation and several internal regulations in order to obtain solutions to questions raised and situations involving by the workers, in order to understand how the DPE solves these situations. Over the last three months of internship, after this more theoretical work, I began the analysis of concrete situations involving employees carrying out their duties in Portugal and abroad. Some of these situations had been received by the department before the beginning of my internship and others over this period. When I was “working” in the DPE I analyzed “cases” that had been solved and some others without a final solution because they were still in courts. As for the last ones (new cases) I was able to follow their assessment and sometimes their outcome. Some of them became study cases for me. Over these five months of my internship, several cases were analyzed and discussed by legal experts of DPE in which I could participate. I always worked hard. I know that this action contributed to elucidate me about the treatment of the issues, and allowed me to have a direct contact with some workers and be part of a dynamic work team. For these reasons, my internship report is not merely descriptive of activities. It consists of an analysis of rules (legislation) and a regulatory framework of activities and it is also a description of several specific situations solved or in a solution process. Through this work I intend to make known the particular reality of a modern Portuguese financial institution not only because of its importance in our country but also such a large number of employees work here (in Portugal and abroad). I should add that throughout my internship I was allowed to attend conferences, within the scope of the bank in order to get a broader view of some issues related to the daily life of the DPE and the CGD. So, I participated in I Jornadas Bancárias and the Conferência Internacional do Contrato a Termo, given that the CGD is a bank and the DPE deals with legal and labour relations.

Análise configuracional dos grandes conjuntos urbanos na Região de Lisboa (1945-1974) : contributos da sintaxe espacial para a história de arte como história da cidade

A presente investigação debruça-se sobre o estudo dos grandes conjuntos urbanos, tendo como referência a área de Lisboa no período entre 1945 e 1974. O seu objetivo principal é compreender o padrão espacial e respetivas variantes destas formas urbanas relativamente recentes bem como avaliar o seu impato na estrutura global da cidade e da sociedade. Tomando como ponto de partida a história de arte como história da cidade, a tese toma como objeto o grande conjunto urbano e aponta a hipótese do estudo da relação forma-fundo como meio de obter informações relevantes que relacionem o uso e função com respeito ao desenho do espaço aberto. Como diferentes arranjos entre espaços abertos e fechados implicam tipos espaciais distintos (Medeiros 2013), o estudo da relação entre a forma (cheio) e o fundo (vazio) dos grandes conjuntos urbanos e respetivas variações, pode fornecer-nos informação espacial relevante, que nos permitem compreender melhor estas formas urbanas recentes. Usando a abordagem própria da teoria da sintaxe espacial (Hillier e Hanson 1984), do tipo configuracional, determinam-se as relações entre os vários elementos constituintes dos sistemas espaciais formados nestas urbanizações. Essas relações são depois analisadas através de medidas e variáveis topológicas que nos permitem identificar qualidades e valores espaciais para a sociedade. Os resultados obtidos a partir dessas variáveis e medidas permitem-nos, depois, avaliar os graus de ‘formalidade’ e ‘urbanidade’ em cada sistema (Holanda 2002). Consequentemente, a avaliação qualitativa das características espaciais que se pretendem obter nesta investigação, tem como base a avaliação quantitativa, permitindo assim comparar mais facilmente os diversos casos de estudo. De entre o conjunto de casos analisados, o estudo revela uma série de características comuns, que nos permitem identificar um padrão específico de urbanismo modernista que reflete claramente um conjunto de ideologias associadas a uma visão reformista da sociedade através do espaço. Mas por outro lado, existem também um conjunto de características particulares de cada caso, que reportam para a estrutura morfológica da cidade tradicional. No que reporta à hipótese de estudo levantada nesta investigação sobre a relação forma-fundo, verifica-se através da amostra que esta relação aparece invertida. Esta diferenciação deve-se ao abandono dos tradicionais sistemas de rua e de quarteirão, ainda presentes nas urbanizações de Alvalade e do Areeiro e a sua substituição pelo bloco livre em espaço aberto como nos casos de Alfragide, Portela e Olivais. Tal facto, como prova a teoria da Sintaxe Espacial ou Lógica Social do Espaço, traduziu-se necessariamente em diferentes modos de vida pública e privada e consequentemente de vida espacial e social. Assim concluímos, através da análise dos casos de estudo apresentados, que embora fazendo parte duma mesma ideologia urbana com características comuns (genótipo modernista), os mesmos apresentam resultados espaciais totalmente diferenciados o que justifica a dificuldade da sua análise comparativa.