Tubulin cofactor A gene silencing in mammalian cells induces changes in microtubule cytoskeleton, cell cycle arrest and cell death

Microtubules are polymers of alpha/beta-tubulin participating in essential cell functions. A multistep process involving distinct molecular chaperones and cofactors produces new tubulin heterodimers competent to polymerise. In vitro cofactor A (TBCA) interacts with beta-tubulin in a quasi-native state behaving as a molecular chaperone. We have used siRNA to silence TBCA expression in HeLa and MCF-7 mammalian cell lines. TBCA is essential for cell viability and its knockdown produces a decrease in the amount of soluble tubulin, modifications in microtubules and G1 cell cycle arrest. In MCF-7 cells, cell death was preceded by a change in cell shape resembling differentiation.

Informação e conhecimento: fluxos e apropriação sob uma abordagem crítica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Towards a complex model of cooperative learning

Este artigo é uma introdução à teoria do paradigma desconstrutivo de aprendizagem cooperativa. Centenas de estudos provam com evidências o facto de que as estruturas e os processos de aprendizagem cooperativa aumentam o desempenho académico, reforçam as competências de aprendizagem ao longo da vida e desenvolvem competências sociais, pessoais de cada aluno de uma forma mais eficaz e usta, comparativamente às estruturas tradicionais de aprendizagem nas escolas. Enfrentando os desafios dos nossos sistemas educativos, seria interessante elaborar o quadro teórico do discurso da aprendizagem cooperativa, dos últimos 40 anos, a partir de um aspeto prático dentro do contexto teórico e metodológico. Nas últimas décadas, o discurso cooperativo elaborou os elementos práticos e teóricos de estruturas e processos de aprendizagem cooperativa. Gostaríamos de fazer um resumo desses elementos com o objetivo de compreender que tipo de mudanças estruturais podem fazer diferenças reais na prática de ensino e aprendizagem. Os princípios básicos de estruturas cooperativas, os papéis de cooperação e as atitudes cooperativas são os principais elementos que podemos brevemente descrever aqui, de modo a criar um quadro para a compreensão teórica e prática de como podemos sugerir os elementos de aprendizagem cooperativa na nossa prática em sala de aula. Na minha perspetiva, esta complexa teoria da aprendizagem cooperativa pode ser entendida como um paradigma desconstrutivo que fornece algumas respostas pragmáticas para as questões da nossa prática educativa quotidiana, a partir do nível da sala de aula para o nível de sistema educativo, com foco na destruição de estruturas hierárquicas e antidemocráticas de aprendizagem e, criando, ao mesmo tempo, as estruturas cooperativas.

Avaliação de desempenho docente: efeitos no desenvolvimento profissional.

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Ciências da Educação - Especialização Supervisão em Educação

A transição de aluno a professor: dificuldades e desafios

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação - especialidade Supervisão em Educação

Convergência para NZEB de um edifício classificado

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Edificações

A interpretação da comunicação publicitária na perspectiva do segmento sénior

O aumento da esperança média de vida e a redução do número de nascimentos, tem conduzido a um aumento significativo da população sénior, e apesar de ser conotado como um fenómeno característico dos países desenvolvidos, esta é uma realidade quase universal, que tem assumido particular incidência na Europa. No entanto, apesar de frequentemente estigmatizada com base em estereótipos negativos, no que diz respeito às suas capacidades físicas e mentais, na atualidade, o perfil dos seniores, sofreu alterações significativas dada a sua disponibilidade de tempo e dinheiro, transformando-o num segmento com um peso significativo no incremento da economia e um target desejável para os media e seus agentes. Deste modo, por via da alteração do paradigma social; envelhecimento da população e a crescente importância deste segmento para o mercado, é pertinente compreender a relação entre o sénior e a comunicação publicitária. Esta dissertação visa examinar a relação que os seniores mantêm com a publicidade, na perspetiva dos seniores. Especificamente, visa perceber de que forma é percecionada a publicidade televisiva pelo segmento sénior em Portugal, a importância que este lhe atribui, como este descreve o papel do sénior e os estereótipos que lhe estão associados na publicidade. Pretende-se ainda identificar os principais fatores que atuam como mecanismos persuasivos na mensagem publicitaria, as categorias de produto que os seniores consideram que surgem associadas ao seu segmento na publicidade e qual a sua perceção acerca do modo como os outros seniores encaram a publicidade, i. é., a sua heteroperceção. Sendo um tema pertinente e oportuno no atual contexto português, espera-se que este estudo contribua para fornecer informação útil a entidades públicas e privadas, fomentar o diálogo e a discussão no desenvolvimento de futuras iniciativas.

Body mass index for predicting hyperglycemia and serum lipid changes in Brazilian adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To determine the best cut-offs of body mass index for identifying alterations of blood lipids and glucose in adolescents. METHODS: A probabilistic sample including 577 adolescent students aged 12-19 years in 2003 (210 males and 367 females) from state public schools in the city of Niterói, Southeastern Brazil, was studied. The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was used to identify the best age-adjusted BMI cut-off for predicting high levels of serum total cholesterol (>150mg/dL), LDL-C (>100mg/dL), serum triglycerides (>100mg/dL), plasma glucose (>100mg/dL) and low levels of HDL-C (< 45mg/dL). Four references were used to calculate sensitivity and specificity of BMI cut-offs: one Brazilian, one international and two American. RESULTS: The most prevalent metabolic alterations (>50%) were: high total cholesterol and low HDL-C. BMI predicted high levels of triglycerides in males, high LDL-C in females, and high total cholesterol and the occurrence of three or more metabolic alterations in both males and females (areas under the curve range: 0.59 to 0.67), with low sensitivity (57%-66%) and low specificity (58%-66%). The best BMI cut-offs for this sample (20.3 kg/m² to 21.0 kg/m²) were lower than those proposed in the references studied. CONCLUSIONS: Although BMI values lower than the International cut-offs were better predictor of some metabolic abnormalities in Brazilian adolescents, overall BMI is not a good predictor of these abnormalities in this population.

Metabolic changes associated with antiretroviral therapy in HIV-positive patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate metabolic changes associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-positive patients, and to identify risk factors associated. METHODS: Retrospective study that included 110 HIV-positive patients who where on HAART in the city of Porto Alegre (Southern Brazil) between January 2003 and March 2004. Data on demographic variables, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, stage of HIV infection, antiretroviral therapy and HCV coinfection were collected. General linear models procedure for repeated measures was used to test the interaction between HAART and HCV coinfection or protease inhibitor treatment. RESULTS: Total cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels significantly increased after receiving HAART (p<0.001 for all variables), but no interaction with protease inhibitors was seen for total cholesterol, glucose and triglyceride levels (interaction treatment*protease inhibitors p=0.741, p=0.784, and p=0.081, respectively). An association between total cholesterol levels and HCV coinfection was found both at baseline and follow-up (effect of HCV coinfection, p=0.011). Glucose levels were increased by HAART (treatment effect, p=0.036), but the effect was associated to HCV coinfection (treatment*HCV effect, p=0.018). Gender, smoking habit, intravenous drug use and age were not significantly associated with cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose changes. CONCLUSIONS: HCV-infected patients at baseline were significantly less likely to develop hypercholesterolemia. The results provide further evidence of the role of HAART for the development of metabolic disturbances.

Estudo do impacte da aplicação do SNC nos clubes/SAD do futebol português licenciados pela UEFA

Mestrado em Contabilidade

Six thinking hats for electricity markets simulation: adapting meeting tools to agent decision

In almost all industrialized countries, the energy sector has suffered a severe restructuring that originated a greater complexity in market players’ interactions. The complexity that these changes brought made way for the creation of decision support tools that facilitate the study and understanding of these markets. MASCEM – “Multiagent Simulator for Competitive Electricity Markets” arose in this context providing a framework for evaluating new rules, new behaviour, and new participants in deregulated electricity markets. MASCEM uses game theory, machine learning techniques, scenario analysis and optimisation techniques to model market agents and to provide them with decision-support. ALBidS is a multiagent system created to provide decision support to market negotiating players. Fully integrated with MASCEM it considers several different methodologies based on very distinct approaches. The Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique used to look at decisions from different perspectives. This tool’s goal is to force the thinker to move outside his habitual thinking style. It was developed to be used mainly at meetings in order to “run better meetings, make faster decisions”. This dissertation presents a study about the applicability of the Six Thinking Hats technique in Decision Support Systems, particularly with the multiagent paradigm like the MASCEM simulator. As such this work’s proposal is of a new agent, a meta-learner based on STH technique that organizes several different ALBidS’ strategies and combines the distinct answers into a single one that, expectedly, out-performs any of them.

A interpretação da comunicação publicitária na perspetiva do segmento sénior: contributo para a sua compreensão

O aumento da esperança média de vida e a redução do número de nascimentos, tem conduzido a um aumento significativo da população sénior, e apesar de ser conotado como um fenómeno característico dos países desenvolvidos, esta é uma realidade quase universal, que tem assumido particular incidência na Europa. No entanto, apesar de frequentemente estigmatizada com base em estereótipos negativos, no que diz respeito às suas capacidades físicas e mentais, na atualidade, o perfil dos seniores, sofreu alterações significativas dada a sua disponibilidade de tempo e dinheiro, transformando-o num segmento com um peso significativo no incremento da economia e um target desejável para os media e seus agentes. Deste modo, por via da alteração do paradigma social; envelhecimento da população e a crescente importância deste segmento para o mercado, é pertinente compreender a relação entre o sénior e a comunicação publicitária. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste paper é proceder a uma revisão narrativa que permita compreender as principais tendências de pesquisa neste campo. Serão assim examinadas as duas abordagens empíricas relativas a esta temática, a primeira centrada na comunicação publicitária dirigida ao sénior e suas caraterísticas e a segunda a comunicação publicitária do ponto de vista do sénior.

Mismatch negativity in childhood temporal lobe epilepsy: a proposed paradigm for testing central auditory processing

Background: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a neurological disorder that directly affects cortical areas responsible for auditory processing. The resulting abnormalities can be assessed using event-related potentials (ERP), which have high temporal resolution. However, little is known about TLE in terms of dysfunction of early sensory memory encoding or possible correlations between EEGs, linguistic deficits, and seizures. Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an ERP component – elicited by introducing a deviant stimulus while the subject is attending to a repetitive behavioural task – which reflects pre-attentive sensory memory function and reflects neuronal auditory discrimination and perceptional accuracy. Hypothesis: We propose an MMN protocol for future clinical application and research based on the hypothesis that children with TLE may have abnormal MMN for speech and non-speech stimuli. The MMN can be elicited with a passive auditory oddball paradigm, and the abnormalities might be associated with the location and frequency of epileptic seizures. Significance: The suggested protocol might contribute to a better understanding of the neuropsychophysiological basis of MMN. We suggest that in TLE central sound representation may be decreased for speech and non-speech stimuli. Discussion: MMN arises from a difference to speech and non-speech stimuli across electrode sites. TLE in childhood might be a good model for studying topographic and functional auditory processing and its neurodevelopment, pointing to MMN as a possible clinical tool for prognosis, evaluation, follow-up, and rehabilitation for TLE.

Ligand-Induced structural changes in TEM‑1 probed by molecular dynamics and relative binding free energy calculations

The TEM family of enzymes has had a crucial impact on the pharmaceutical industry due to their important role in antibiotic resistance. Even with the latest technologies in structural biology and genomics, no 3D structure of a TEM- 1/antibiotic complex is known previous to acylation. Therefore, the comprehension of their capability in acylate antibiotics is based on the protein macromolecular structure uncomplexed. In this work, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulations, and relative free energy calculations were applied in order to get a comprehensive and thorough analysis of TEM-1/ampicillin and TEM-1/amoxicillin complexes. We described the complexes and analyzed the effect of ligand binding on the overall structure. We clearly demonstrate that the key residues involved in the stability of the ligand (hot-spots) vary with the nature of the ligand. Structural effects such as (i) the distances between interfacial residues (Ser70−Oγ and Lys73−Nζ, Lys73−Nζ and Ser130−Oγ, and Ser70−Oγ−Ser130−Oγ), (ii) side chain rotamer variation (Tyr105 and Glu240), and (iii) the presence of conserved waters can be also influenced by ligand binding. This study supports the hypothesis that TEM-1 suffers structural modifications upon ligand binding.

The sociological perspective on the knowledge-based society: assumptions, facts and visions

The paper will present the central discourse of the knowledge-based society. Already in the 1960s the debate of the industrial society already raised the question whether there can be considered a paradigm shift towards a knowledge-based society. Some prominent authors already foreseen ‘knowledge’ as the main indicator in order to displace ‘labour’ and ‘capital’ as the main driving forces of the capitalistic development. Today on the political level and also in many scientific disciplines the assumption that we are already living in a knowledge-based society seems obvious. Although we still do not have a theory of the knowledge-based society and there still exist a methodological gap about the empirical indicators, the vision of a knowledge-based society determines at least the perception of the Western societies. In a first step the author will pinpoint the assumptions about the knowledge-based society on three levels: on the societal, on the organisational and on the individual level. These assumptions are relied on the following topics: a) The role of the information and communication technologies; b) The dynamic development of globalisation as an ‘evolutionary’ process; c) The increasing importance of knowledge management within organisations; d) The changing role of the state within the economic processes. Not only the differentiation between the levels but also the revision of the assumptions of a knowledge-based society will show that the ‘topics raised in the debates’ cannot be considered as the results of a profound societal paradigm shift. However what seems very impressive is the normative and virtual shift towards a concept of modernity, which strongly focuses on the role of technology as a driving force as well as on the global economic markets, which has to be accepted. Therefore – according to the official debate - the successful adaptation of these processes seems the only way to meet the knowledge-based society. Analysing the societal changes on the three levels, the label ‘knowledge-based society’ can be seen critically. Therefore the main question of Theodor W. Adorno during the 16th Congress of Sociology in 1968 did not loose its actuality. Facing the societal changes he asked whether we are still living in the industrial society or already in a post-industrial state. Thinking about the knowledge-based society according to these two options, this exercise would enrich the whole debate in terms of social inequality, political, economic exclusion processes and at least the power relationship between social groups.