Policies to improve the lives of Slum Dwellers – from international agreements to local contexts. The Brazilian case-study

Last decades economic development induced massive international and regional migration flows directed to the urban spaces. The magnitude and swiftness of these processes determined that several cities’ authorities would fail to respond to the increasing demands of many social services. The right to an “adequate housing” emerged as a political concern, leading governments and institutions to develop housing programmes directed to improve the lives of slum dwellers. This paper presents a diachronic evolution of these specific housing policies in the paradigmatic case-study of Brazil, critically analysing the evolving roles played by the multiple levels of decision (from international institutions to local communities) in the development and implementation of such measures.

Divulgar ciência para diferentes públicos. Uma experiência no projeto STOL - Science Through Our Lives

O estágio que aqui se relata enquadra-se no âmbito do mestrado em Comunicação de Ciência, da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais Humanas (FCSH) da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL) e do Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB). Foi realizado no projeto STOL – Science Through Our Lives, do Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental (CBMA) da Escola de Ciências da Universidade do Minho (ECUM), e teve a duração de três meses. Esta componente prática do mestrado permitiu desenvolver um trabalho in loco, com o objetivo de servir, sobretudo, a comunicação de ciência informal. As principais atividades desenvolvidas foram exposições (Homo numericus; “Ponto a Ponto Enche a Ciência o Espaço), produção de materiais educativos (Objetos Educativos para a Casa das Ciências), campanhas de sensibilização (Comemoração do Dia Mundial da Água), auscultação do público (Vox Pop), crónicas de jornal (coluna “Aqui há Ciência”) e estabelecimento de parcerias estratégicas entre o STOL e outras forças vivas da região (AVianense e “Diário do Minho”). Ao integrar as atividades a decorrer no projeto STOL, foi possível contribuir com sugestões e novos materiais, e implementar projetos cujo principal objetivo foi o contacto direto com o público. De todo o trabalho se obteve um feedback positivo, conforme se documenta neste relatório e respetivos anexos. Se alguns constrangimentos podem ser enunciados (falta de recursos económicos e humanos, fraca tradição de envolvimento da população com a ciência e vice-versa, e a considerável falta de apoio institucional a atividades de divulgação de ciência), também devem ser evidenciados aspetos muito positivos como a dinâmica do grupo STOL, a capacidade de envolver diferentes públicos nas suas atividades, diferenciar estratégias para esses grupos, e finalmente, avaliar, sempre que possível, o seu desempenho, incluindo os resultados nas atividades seguintes. Neste contexto foram aplicados os conhecimentos adquiridos durante o primeiro ano curricular do mestrado, permitindo o ganho de experiência na área de trabalho onde a autora se sente realizada e pretende permanecer.

Is there a potential win for companies when women enrich their role of workers through the enrichement of their family lives?

While the work-family relation conflict literature has received much attention, there is a lack of empirical evidence towards work-family positive relation. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding and recognition of possible benefits obtained by skills’ development during maternity. This study concludes that a family-work relation has a positive outcome, namely the enrichment. It was evident that there is a potential win when women enrich their role as workers through the enrichment of their family lives. Moreover, this enrichment is perceived by mothers along the development of their children; each age and phase have different challenges and enable different skills’ improvement. The findings support the notion that not all work and family experiences are negative and experiences from the work and home can improve outcomes both inside and outside the workplace.

Shared lives social impact bond feasibility study

Loneliness and isolation among the elderly is an enormous problem in Portugal. Interventions to tackle loneliness worldwide have had limited success, and new approaches are needed. Shared Lives is an adult foster placement service in the UK that shows significant promise in tackling both loneliness, isolation and other societal challenges linked with ageing. This feasibility study suggests that replicating a Shared Lives service in Portugal, using a Social Impact Bond (SIB), is viable and likely to create both social and financial value for all stakeholders involved. This study provides recommendations for how a Shared Lives SIB could be designed and implemented.

Developing persuasive interfaces

MSCC Dissertation in Computer Engineering

Children, space, and the urban street: an ethnomathematics posture

Dissertation presented for the PhD Degree in Education Science – Curricular Theory and Science Teaching, by Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Consistent state software transactional memory

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Learning with tangible interfaces

Trabalho apresentado no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Is ambient intelligence a truly human-centric paradigm in industry? Current research and application scenario

Based on the paper presented at the International Conference “Autonomous Systems: inter-relations of technical and societal issues”, organized by IET with the support of the Portuguese-German collaboration project on “Technology Assessment of Autonomous Robotics” (DAAD/CRUP) at FCT-UNL, Biblioteca da UNL, Campus de Caparica on 5-6 November 2009.

The visual image in Epiphanic Short History

The visual image is a fundamental component of epiphany, stressing its immediacy and vividness, corresponding to the enargeia of the traditional ekphrasis and also playing with cultural and social meanings. Morris Beja in his seminal book Epiphany in the Modern Novel, draws our attention to the distinction made by Joyce between the epiphany originated in a common object, in a discourse or gesture and the one arising in “a memorable phase of the mind itself”. This type materializes in the “dream-epiphany” and in the epiphany based in memory. On the other hand, Robert Langbaum in his study of the epiphanic mode, suggests that the category of “visionary epiphany” could account for the modern effect of an internally glowing vision like Blake’s “The Tyger”, which projects the vitality of a real tyger. The short story, whose length renders it a fitting genre for the use of different types of epiphany, has dealt with the impact of the visual image in this technique, to convey different effects and different aesthetic aims. This paper will present some examples of this occurrence in short stories of authors in whose work epiphany is a fundamental concept and literary technique: Walter Pater, Joseph Conrad, K. Mansfield, Clarice Lispector. Pater’s “imaginary portraits” concentrate on “priviledged moments” of the lives of the characters depicting their impressions through pictorial language; Conrad tries to show “moments of awakening” that can be remembered by the eye; Mansfield suggests that epiphany, the “glimpse”, should replace plot as an internal ordering principle of her impressionist short-stories; in C. Lispector the visualization of some situations is so aggressive that it causes nausea and a radical revelation on the protagonist’s.

Percepção do estado de saúde da pessoa idosa institucionalizada

RESUMO: O envelhecimento da população portuguesa é um facto. Esta alteração da estrutura demográfica exige o investimento no conhecimento científico para que se conheçam as consequências a nível, económico, social, cultural, biológico, físico e, principalmente, a nível da saúde. Isto porque, é emergente que a sociedade tenha capacidade para responder às necessidades específicas das pessoas neste estádio de vida, tendo sempre por base o conceito de qualidade de vida. Este estudo teve como objectivo avaliar a percepção do estado de saúde da pessoa idosa institucionalizada. Foram nove as instituições participantes, denominadas por lares de idosos de residência permanente, onde se contou com uma amostra de 75 indivíduos entre os 66 e 100 anos, de ambos os sexos. Foram recolhidos dados através de uma caracterização sócio-demográfica, através do Mini Mental State e através do Questionário de auto-avaliação da saúde e do bem-estar físico (de Fonseca e Paúl, 1999). Os dados obtidos foram trabalhados numa perspectiva de estatística descritiva e estatística inferencial, nomeadamente com a análise do coeficiente de Spearman. A partir desta análise determinou-se que: a grande maioria da amostra designa como “aceitável” ou “fraca” a sua percepção da saúde, em geral; os dados sócio-demográficos, e a instituição a que cada indivíduo pertence não têm relação com a percepção do estado de saúde destas pessoas; existe relação significativa entre a percepção do estado de saúde das pessoas idosas institucionalizadas e a saúde dos seus pares, essencialmente quando se abordam itens relacionados com aspectos físicos; no que concerne aos hábitos de vida, não existe relação entre a percepção do estado de saúde das pessoas idosas e os hábitos tabágicos e os hábitos alcoólicos. Os dados obtidos nem sempre são os dados que se esperavam efectivamente, porém fazem sentido ao serem consolidados com a teoria.--------ABSTRACT: The aging of the Portuguese population is a reality. It is imperative that society has the capacity to face the specific necessities of those who are in this phase of their lives. Therefore, this change in the demographics requires investment in scientific knowledge in order to know the consequences at levels such as: the economic, social cultural, biological and physical, mainly related to health. The main purpose of this study has been to evaluate the perceptions of elderly people concerning their health conditions. There were nine institutions involved, which are referred to as nursing homes, and a sample of 75 people between 66 and 100 years-old, from both genders, cooperated. Data has been collected through social-demographic, Mini Mental State and also through the questionnaire of the self-evaluation of health and physical well-being (from Fonseca and Paúl, 1999). The obtained data was worked within a perspective of descriptive/ inference statistic. From this analysis, it was determined that the great majority of the sample describes their perception of health as “acceptable” or “weak”, in general; the social-demographic information and the institution to where each person belongs do not show a connection with their perception of their health condition; however, there seems to be a significant relation between an institutionalized elderly person´s perception of their health condition and their spouse’s health, mainly when related to physical issues. In as far as life styles are concerned, do not show a connection between elderly people’s perception of health and smoking habits and alcohol habits. The obtained data does not always match expectations; nevertheless they make sense when being complemented by the theory.

Spatial analysis of suicide attack incidences in Kabul City

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

O contributo de Julián Marías para uma teoria da filosofia aplicada à questão da felicidade

Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de doutor em filosofia

Nestle: A marketing plan for a healthy low fat yogurt

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

Program Catapultas: Education for development in Bairro Padre Cruz

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