Lectins for the detection of IgM antibodies to T. gondii in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis by immunofluorescence test

Lectins were labeled with fluorescein and tried as conjugates in the immunofluorescence (IP) test for the detection of IgM antibodies to T. gondii, in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis. This approach was an attempt to find alternative reagents for anti-human IgM fluorescent conjugates (AHIgMFC), which contain quite frequently anaibcdies to toxoplasma, as contaminants, due to natural T. gondii infections among animals used for imunization. Lentil (Lens culinaris) lectin fluorescence conjugates (LcFC) provided most satisfactory results. The evaluation of LcFC carried out in a total of 179 sera from patients with acute and chronic toxoplasmosis, with non-related infections or healthy subjects, gave high values of relative efficiency, co-positivity and co-negativity indices, respectively 0.989, 0.969 and 1.000, in reference to the conventional AHIgMFC. Moreover, three batches of LcFC successively prepared gave reproducible test results. The advantage of LcFC as an alternative reagent for the serodiagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis is supported by practical aspects of its preparation.

Fundamentos teóricos da competitive intelligence como vantagem competitiva

Comunicação apresentada na 5ª Conferência Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação – CISTI 2010, 16-19 Jun., Santiago de Compostela, Espanha. Vol. 2 pp. 329-334.

Aplicação de sistemas de vigilância demográfica e informação geográfica na investigação em saúde

O Projeto CISA visa a criação de um Centro de Investigação em Saúde em Angola. Foi criado em 2007 e resulta de uma parceria entre o governo angolano (Ministério da Saúde de Angola e o Governo Provincial do Bengo), o governo português (Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, através do Camões IP) e a Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. Os principais objetivos do Projeto CISA são melhorar as condições de saúde da população do Município do Dande através do fortalecimento assistencial dos seus serviços de saúde; criar um centro de investigação em Angola, que dará contributos à resolução dos principais problemas de saúde que afetam o país e a região, através de investigação epidemiológica e clínica nas doenças mais prevalentes ou relevantes para a saúde pública no contexto angolano (como sejam a malária, doenças tropicais negligenciadas, parasitas intestinais, desnutrição e as doenças não transmissíveis) e potenciar a participação nacional de Angola e Portugal a nível internacional na área da investigação direcionada às principais doenças que afetam os países em vias de desenvolvimento. Para a investigação em saúde, o conhecimento das características demográficas e da distribuição geográfica das populações é de extrema importância, uma vez que permite, entre outros, estabelecer denominadores para cálculos de taxas (e.g. mortalidade, morbilidade, prevalência, incidência) e analisar a associação entre saúde e ambiente (e.g. áreas de risco, períodos de exposição, acessibilidades a cuidados de saúde).

Programming exercises evaluation systems: an interoperability survey

Learning computer programming requires solving programming exercises. In computer programming courses teachers need to assess and give feedback to a large number of exercises. These tasks are time consuming and error-prone since there are many aspects relating to good programming that should be considered. In this context automatic assessment tools can play an important role helping teachers in grading tasks as well to assist students with automatic feedback. In spite of its usefulness, these tools lack integration mechanisms with other eLearning systems such as Learning Management Systems, Learning Objects Repositories or Integrated Development Environments. In this paper we provide a survey on programming evaluation systems. The survey gathers information on interoperability features of these systems, categorizing and comparing them regarding content and communication standardization. This work may prove useful to instructors and computer science educators when they have to choose an assessment system to be integrated in their e-Learning environment.

Boas práticas de gestão de recursos humanos na hotelaria: um estudo exploratório no contexto português

Este estudo caracteriza as práticas de gestão de recursos humanos que são mais comummente promovidas procurando, também, conhecer o grau de intervenção que o gestor de recursos humanos tem na disseminação dessas práticas. Os dados foram recolhidos a partir de inquéritos por questionários realizados a uma amostra de 33 unidades hoteleiras localizadas em Portugal. Os resultados mostram que as práticas de Gestão de Recursos Humanos mais comuns são: contratação; comunicação e partilha da informação; formação profissional; higiene e segurança no trabalho; integração e acolhimento; e recrutamento e seleção. Estes resultados sugerem que as unidades hoteleiras portuguesas estão a utilizar práticas de gestão de recursos humanos congruentes com as que a literatura designa como boas práticas de gestão de recursos humanos. Baseado nos resultados, este artigo discute as principais implicações teóricas e práticas. Sugestões para futura pesquisa são também apresentadas.

Retaining repatriates: an exploratory study in portuguese companies

This study aims to understand the factors which may explain the retention of repatriates from companies acting within Portugal. These factors can be related either to the individual, or to the work, to the organisation or to non-working contexts. Eight companies located in Portugal have participated in this study. Several semi-structured interviews were done to 16 organizational representatives and to 28 repatriates. The obtained results show that the repatriates’ retention on the visited companies may be influenced by several categories of factors. We can conclude that it is (1) the good relation with the leadership, (2) the recognition of the performed job but, also (3) the seniority, (4) the age and the (5) depressed national job market. These are the major factors that emerge as relevant factors for the retention. Hence, there is not only one category of explaining determining factors for the retention decision, but there are several. These findings will be discussed in detail and implications and suggestions for future research will be proposed as well.

How to reduce energy consumption on pultrusion

The global warming due to high CO2 emission in the last years has made energy saving a global problem nowadays. However, manufacturing processes such as pultrusion necessarily needs heat for curing the resin. Then, the only option available is to apply all efforts to make the process even more efficient. Different heating systems have been used on pultrusion, however, the most widely used are the planar resistances. The main objective of this study is to develop another heating system and compares it with the former one. Thermography was used in spite of define the temperature profile along the die. FEA (finite element analysis) allows to understand how many energy is spend with the initial heating system. After this first approach, changes were done on the die in order to test the new heating system and to check possible quality problems on the product. Thus, this work allows to conclude that with the new heating system a significant reduction in the setup time is now possible and an energy reduction of about 57% was achieved.

Optimization of the Pultrusion process

Manufacturing processes need permanently to innovate and optimize because any can be susceptible to continuous improvement. Innovation and commitment to the development of these new solutions resulting from existing expertise and the continuing need to increase productivity, flexibility and ensuring the necessary quality of the manufactured products. To increase flexibility, it is necessary to significantly reduce set-up times and lead time in order to ensure the delivery of products ever faster. This objective can be achieved through a normalization of the pultrusion line elements. Implicitly, there is an increase of productivity by this way. This work is intended to optimize the pultrusion process of structural profiles. We consider all elements of the system from the storehouse of the fibers (rack) to the pultrusion die. Particular attention was devoted to (a) the guidance system of the fibers and webs, (b) the resin container where the fibers are impregnated, (c) standard plates positioning of the fibers towards the entrance to the spinneret and also (d) reviewed the whole process of assembling and fixing the die as well as its the heating system. With the implementation of these new systems was achieved a significant saving of time set-up and were clearly reduced the unit costs of production. Quality assurance was also increased.

Acqusition and data analysis of the eco-efficiency for the establishment of indicators parameters for industrial environmental sustainability

The industrial activity is inevitably associated with a certain degradation of the environmental quality, because is not possible to guarantee that a manufacturing process can be totally innocuous. The eco-efficiency concept is globally accepted as a philosophy of entreprise management, that encourages the companies to become more competitive, innovative and environmentally responsible by promoting the link between its companies objectives for excellence and its objectives of environmental excellence issues. This link imposes the creation of an organizational methodology where the performance of the company is concordant with the sustainable development. The main propose of this project is to apply the concept of eco-efficiency to the particular case of the metallurgical and metal workshop industries through the development of the particular indicators needed and to produce a manual of procedures for implementation of the accurate solution.

Data analysis applied to the evaluation of a technological nature teaching model as a regional development tool

This paper presents the creation and development of technological schools directly linked to the business community and to higher public education. Establishing themselves as the key interface between the two sectors they make a signigicant contribution by having a greater competitive edge when faced with increasing competition in the tradional markets. The development of new business strategies supported by references of excellence, quality and competitiveness also provides a good link between the estalishment of partnerships aiming at the qualification of education boards at a medium level between the technological school and higher education with a technological foundation. We present a case study as an example depicting the success of Escola Tecnológica de Vale de Cambra.

O que é que tem o actor?: figurações de personagens shakespearianas por actores e actrizes portugueses ao longo do século XX (... e um bocadinho do XXI)

O presente artigo pretende dar conta do caminho percorrido pelo teatro português ao longo do século XX, tendo como eixo estruturante a figuração de algumas personagens de William Shakespeare por actores portugueses. Para tal, considerarei o papel que o actor pode assumir dentro de uma estrutura de produção teatral e o significado que pode ter a presença de Shakespeare no reportório de vários grupos com propósitos e orgânicas diversas. Tomarei como exemplos alguns espectáculos representantes de vários momentos e de correntes diversas no teatro português, levantando a hipótese de que se poderá perceber na figuração de personagens shakespearianas alguns dos sentidos do que tem sido a evolução do teatro em Portugal.

Ariel o renovador: a crítica teatral de Fernando Amado como expressão de um ideário de teatro

É objectivo deste artigo explorar a ideia de teatro que os textos de crítica teatral de Fernando Amado encerram ou ajudam a revelar. Para tal, importará dar conta do momento de renovação cénica e actualização cultural, de que a segunda metade dos anos quarenta é expoente, e das relações que o ideário formado por Fernando Amado, Redondo Júnior ou Gino Saviotti, entre outros, pode estabelecer com o que pela Europa Teatral se vai apelidando de teatro moderno.

Comunicação organizacional eficaz e tecnologias da informação e da comunicação

Tese de Doutoramento em Sociologia da Comunicação