Using the TRAILER tool for managing informal learning in academic and professional contexts: the learner perspective

Informal Learning plays an important role in everyone's life and yet we often are unaware of it. The need to keep track of the knowledge acquired through informal learning is increasing as its sources become increasingly diverse. This paper presents a study on a tool developed to help keeping track of learners' informal learning, both within academic and professional contexts, This tool, developed within the European Commission funded TRAILER project, will further integrate the improvements suggested by users during the piloting phase. The two studied contexts were similar regarding the importance and perception of Informal Learning, but differed concerning tool usage. The overall idea of managing one's informal learning was well accepted and welcomed, which validated the emerging need for a tool with this purpose.

TRAILER – e-Portfolio for collecting and recognizing informal learning process and outcomes

Informal learning is becoming more and more important: Nowadays people learn more this way, through the Internet, than in schools or normal trainings. But they don’t get any certificateswhich attest this fact. So they can't show the employer or teacher etc. that they have learned something. TRAILER project aim is to solve this problem by developing a special tool for managing of all competences and skills acquired through informal learning experiences. Both from the perspective of the user and the perspective of an institution or a company. We’ll present the IT tool to show how people can make their informal learning outcomes visible. TRAILER helps users to gather all information about process and outcomes of their informal learning. Users can share this with friends, colleagues or their employees, teachers and so on. They can create an interactive e-portfolio which can be attached to their CV, cover letter or Knowledge Management system etc. After the presentation of the tool we will discuss possible areas and fields to use this tool. Also we would like to discuss all possible use of the tool by the participants and another needs in this area. Moreover we want to discuss other problems in informal learning process, ways to solve the problems and discuss other ideas of different IT tools which could help in informal learning process. During the discussion we’ll use an interactive respond system which can be used on mobile devices: it makes possible for participants to share their opinions individually before knowing another persons' opinion.

A tool to aid institutions recognize their employees competences acquired by informal learning

People do not learn only in formal educational institutions, but also throughout their lives, from their experiences, conversations, observations of others, exploration of the Internet, meetings and conferences, and chance encounters etc. However this informal and non-formal learning can easily remain largely invisible, making it hard for peers and employers to recognize or act upon it. The TRAILER project aims to make this learning visible so that it can benefit both the individual and the organization. The proposed demonstration will show a software solution that (i) helps the learners to capture, organize and classify a wide range of ’informal’ learning taking place in their lives, and (ii) assists the organization in recognizing this learning and use it to help managing human resources (benefiting both parts). This software tool has recently been used in two phases of pilot studies, which have run in four different European countries.

TRAILER project overview: tagging, recognition and acknowledgment of informal learning experiences

The evolution of new technology and its increasing use, have for some years been making the existence of informal learning more and more transparent, especially among young and older adults in both Higher Education and workplace contexts. However, the nature of formal and non-formal, course-based, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily, and although technology bring us near to the solution, it has not yet achieved. TRAILER project aims to address this problem by developing a tool for the management of competences and skills acquired through informal learning experiences, both from the perspective of the user and the institution or company. This paper describes the research and development main lines of this project.

Como é que é com o é que? Análise de estruturas com é que em variedades não standard do português europeu

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências da Linguagem

Enhancing informal learning recognition through TRAILER project

International Workshop on solutions that Enhance Informal LEarning Recognition – WEILER 2013

Design and Development of a Solar Dryer for Microalgae Retrieval - An EPS@ISEP 2013 Spring Project

Currently excessive fossil fuel consumption has become a serious problem. People are searching for new solutions of energy production and there are several options to obtain alternative sources of energy without further devastating the already destroyed environment. One of these solutions is growing microalgae, from which biodiesel can be obtained. The microalgae production is a growing business because of its many useful compounds. In order to collect these compounds microalgae must first be harvested and then dried. Nowadays the solutions used for drying use too much energy and therefore are too expensive and not sustainable. The goal of this project, one of the possible choices during the EPS@ISEP 2013 Spring, was to develop a solar microalgae dryer. The multinational team involved in its development was composed of five students, from distinct countries and fields of study, and was the responsible for designing a solar microalgae dryer prototype for the microalgae laboratory of the chemical engineering department at ISEP, suitable for future tests and incorporating control process (in order not to destroy the microalgae during the drying process). The solar microalgae dryer was built to work as a distiller that gets rid of the excess water from the microalgae suspension. This paper presents a possible solution for this problem, the steps to create the device to harvest the microalgae by drying them with the use of solar energy (also used as an energy source for the solar dryer control system), the technologies used to build the solar microalgae dryer, and the benefits it presents compared to current solutions. It also presents the device from the ethical and sustainable viewpoint. Such alternative to already existing methods is competitive as far as energy usage is concerned.

Jerónimo Martins SGPS: Portugal retail: Equity Investment Report

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

Preliminary observations on fluids incubated with Wuchereria bancrofti using the immunochromatographic test

To assess the performance of the immunochromatographic test for filariasis, adult Wuchereria bancrofti worms were incubated under different conditions. The tests were strongly positive with incubation fluids from both living and mechanically damaged females. Negative results were observed with incubation fluids from all male worms and from intact dead females.

A conspiracy theory for clefts : the syntax and interpretation of cleft constructions

O objetivo final deste estudo é contribuir para a discussão sobre qual a medida em que conceitos semânticos e discursivos estão sintaticamente codificados. Mais especificamente, investiga-se se existe alguma correlação consistente entre alguns aspetos interpretativos e sintáticos de quatro construções clivadas do Português Europeu, e como se deve dar conta teoricamente destas potenciais correlações. As clivadas consideradas são as clivadas canónicas, as pseudoclivadas, as clivadas de é que e as clivadas de SER. Sintaticamente podemos distinguir dois tipos: clivadas bioracionais (canónicas e pseudoclivadas) e clivadas mono-oracionais (clivadas de é que e de SER). Todas as estruturas têm um constituinte clivado focalizado que pode constituir tanto um foco informacional como um foco contrastivo, e uma oração clivada que introduz uma pressuposição existencial. Adicionalmente, o constituinte clivado identifica exaustivamente uma posição vazia na oração clivada. Adota-se a semântica alternativa para o foco (Rooth 1985), segundo a qual o foco entoacional contribui uniformemente um conjunto de alternativas na Forma Lógica. Regras pragmáticas operando neste conjunto dão origem a duas implicaturas que podem ser suspensas: pressuposição existencial e exaustividade. Dado que as clivadas de é que e as de SER têm a mesma interpretação que orações não-clivadas, conclui-se que a sua estrutura sintática particular não contribui para estas propriedades interpretativas. Em contrapartida, as clivadas bioracionais, que são orações copulativas especificacionais, têm uma presuposição existencial e uma interpretação exaustiva que não pode ser suspensa, tal como as orações especificacionais não-clivadas. Argumenta-se que isto se deve ao facto de o constituinte clivado identificar uma variável introduzida por uma descrição definida. Demonstra-se que a oração clivada, uma relativa em posição de complemento de um determinador definido nas clivadas canónicas e uma relativa livre nas pseudoclivadas, tem a mesma denotação que um DP definido, e portanto tem uma pressuposição existencial inerente. A interpretação exaustiva deve-se à relação identificacional entre o constituinte clivado e a descrição definida. Além disso, defende-se que em Português Europeu um traço de foco não desencadeia movimento-A’ para um FocP especializado. Os constituintes focalizados movem-se antes por razões independentes do foco. Isto é confirmado pelo facto de apenas o constituinte clivado das clivadas de é que ter propriedades de movimento A’, os outros parecem estar in situ. Propõe-se que o constituinte clivado das clivadas de é que é um tópico com um traço de foco que se move para um TopP. Esta análise dá conta da existência de restrições discursivas semelhantes para tópicos não focalizados e para o constituinte clivado das clivadas de é que. O traço quantificacional de foco arrastado pela topicalização dá origem a efeitos de intervenção, causando a não-recursividade do foco na periferia esquerda e a sua incompatibilidade com movimento de outros constituintes com traços quantificacionais. A análise prediz as restrições de encaixe observadas para as clivadas de é que. Finalmente, desenvolve-se uma análise sintática das clivadas de SER que aproxima estas estruturas das estruturas com partículas de foco. Propõe-se que a cópula é um operador sensível ao foco que é merged juntamente com o constituinte clivado. As restrições distribucionais da cópula devem-se a requisitos selecionais de núcleos.

First- Versus Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in Acute Coronary Syndromes (Katowice-Zabrze Registry)

Abstract Background: There are sparse data on the performance of different types of drug-eluting stents (DES) in acute and real-life setting. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the safety and efficacy of first- versus second-generation DES in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods: This all-comer registry enrolled consecutive patients diagnosed with ACS and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention with the implantation of first- or second-generation DES in one-year follow-up. The primary efficacy endpoint was defined as major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, target-vessel revascularization and stroke. The primary safety outcome was definite stent thrombosis (ST) at one year. Results: From the total of 1916 patients enrolled into the registry, 1328 patients were diagnosed with ACS. Of them, 426 were treated with first- and 902 with second-generation DES. There was no significant difference in the incidence of MACCE between two types of DES at one year. The rate of acute and subacute ST was higher in first- vs. second-generation DES (1.6% vs. 0.1%, p < 0.001, and 1.2% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.025, respectively), but there was no difference regarding late ST (0.7% vs. 0.2%, respectively, p = 0.18) and gastrointestinal bleeding (2.1% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.21). In Cox regression, first-generation DES was an independent predictor for cumulative ST (HR 3.29 [1.30-8.31], p = 0.01). Conclusions: In an all-comer registry of ACS, the one-year rate of MACCE was comparable in groups treated with first- and second-generation DES. The use of first-generation DES was associated with higher rates of acute and subacute ST and was an independent predictor of cumulative ST.

Toxoplasma gondii infection induces lipid metabolism alterations in the murine host

Host lipids have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Toxoplasma gondiiinfection. To determine if Toxoplasmainfection influences the lipid status in the normal host, we assessed serum lipids of Swiss-Webster mice during infection with the BGD-1 strain (type-2) at a series of time points. Mice were bled at days zero and 42 post-infection, and subgroups were additionally bled on alternating weeks (model 1), or sacrificed at days zero, 14 and 42 (model 2) for the measurement of total cholesterol (Chl), high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglycerides and adiponectin. At day 42, brains were harvested for cyst enumeration. A significant decrease (p = 0.02) in HDL and total Chl was first noted in infected vs. control mice at day 14 and persisted to day 42 (p = 0.013). Conversely, LDL was unaltered until day 42, when it increased (p = 0.043). Serum LDL levels at day 42 correlated only with cyst counts of above 300 (found in 44% mice), while the change in HDL between days zero and 42 correlated with both the overall mean cyst count (p = 0.041) and cyst counts above 300 (p = 0.044). Calculated per cyst, this decrease in HDL in individual animals ranged from 0.1-17 µmol/L, with a mean of 2.43 ± 4.14 µmol/L. Serum adiponectin levels remained similar between infected and control mice throughout the experiment.