Work and citizenship: crises and alternatives

Enterprise and Work Innovation Studies, 5

Occupational and domiciliary contact with dogs as factors of risk to human infection with Toxocara larvae

The contact with dogs at home or place of work has been investigated as factors of risk in the occurrence of the visceral larva migrans syndrome caused by Toxocara, in man. Through the E.L.I.S.A. (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technique, the presence of antibodies to Toxocara was searched in the sera of 79 women who have been raising or had raised dogs at home in the last two years and 123 men, who were municipal public employees in charge of the capture and keeping of stray dogs. The control groups were constituted by 205 sera from women who denied domiciliary contact with dogs, at least in the last two years, and 139 sera from men whose occupation did not urge them to contact with dogs. A significant more elevated frequency of antibodies to Toxocara was observed among women with domiciliary contact with dogs; nevertheless, there was not a significant difference in the positive rates in the case of men with occupational contact with dogs.

Enterprise information portals: potential for evaluating research for knowledge management and human capital assets using social network analysis

Paper presented at the ECKM 2010 – 11th European Conference on Knowledge Management, 2-3 September, 2010, Famalicão, Portugal. URL: http://www.academic-conferences.org/eckm/eckm2010/eckm10-home.htm

A view of Teresa Ambrósio's work and life (1936-2007)

Proceedings of the 4th international conference Hands - on Science - Development, Diversity and Inclusion in Science Education, 109-115

Breve caracterização da situação profissional dos licenciados em ortoprotesia pela ESTeSL entre 2004/2005 e 2012/2013

Introdução – Atualmente, devido à elevada taxa de desemprego e à emigração de jovens licenciados, estes veem a carreira e o futuro profissional comprometidos no seu país de origem. Deste modo, a existência de uma reflexão sobre a sua situação profissional poderá clarificar o futuro dos estudantes e recém-licenciados da área de ortoprotesia. Objetivos – Quantificar a situação profissional dos licenciados em ortoprotesia pela Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa (ESTeSL) e criar uma ferramenta de reflexão sobre as perspetivas profissionais futuras. Metodologia – Estudo quantitativo: aplicação de um questionário fechado online, através da plataforma LimeSurvey® ao universo dos ortoprotésicos licenciados na ESTeSL. Resultados/Discussão – A maioria dos licenciados é jovem e do sexo feminino e uma minoria possui ou está em formação pós graduada (17%). Dos inquiridos, a maioria encontra-se empregada na área da ortoprotesia (78,3%) e a taxa de desemprego situa-se em 8,7%. Constata-se uma mobilidade geográfica para o distrito de Lisboa, quer para estudos como posteriormente para o local de emprego. Conclusão – A elevada taxa de desemprego verificada nos jovens licenciados em Portugal não parece ter um impacto direto na população analisada, uma vez que a taxa de desemprego obtida e a duração da procura do primeiro emprego obtidas são ambas reduzidas; contudo a, taxa de desemprego é semelhante à de outros cursos das tecnologias da saúde. Registe-se a carência de investimento em formação pós-graduada ou de complementos de formação após a licenciatura.

Scientist women perceptions of their work conditions and career development

This article reports preliminary findings about Portuguese scientist women’s perceptions of gender issues in their institutions. Empirical data have been collected by means of an electronic open questionnaire sent to the AMONET (Portuguese Association of Women in Science) members. Basically, the study aims to examine the degree of satisfaction with their profession, the difficulties they meet in everyday professional life, and whether they feel or have felt gender discrimination in their institutions. Findings show that all respondents feel happy or very happy with their profession. However, discrimination is mentioned by a significant percentage, even if such discrimination assumes, quite often, an elusive way, suggesting that higher institutions still discriminate against women. Findings, articulated with literature, also lead to discussion about power and leadership, both in the hands of male academics, in the majority of the institutions, as well as the clarification of different perceptions of ambition both by women and man.

Levels and risks of particulate-bound PAHs in indoor air influenced by tobacco smoke: a field measurement

Considering tobacco smoke as one of the most health-relevant indoor sources, the aim of this work was to further understand its negative impacts on human health. The specific objectives of this work were to evaluate the levels of particulate-bound PAHs in smoking and non-smoking homes and to assess the risks associated with inhalation exposure to these compounds. The developed work concerned the application of the toxicity equivalency factors approach (including the estimation of the lifetime lung cancer risks, WHO) and the methodology established by USEPA (considering three different age categories) to 18 PAHs detected in inhalable (PM10) and fine (PM2.5) particles at two homes. The total concentrations of 18 PAHs (ΣPAHs) was 17.1 and 16.6 ng m−3 in PM10 and PM2.5 at smoking home and 7.60 and 7.16 ng m−3 in PM10 and PM2.5 at non-smoking one. Compounds with five and six rings composed the majority of the particulate PAHs content (i.e., 73 and 78 % of ΣPAHs at the smoking and non-smoking home, respectively). Target carcinogenic risks exceeded USEPA health-based guideline at smoking home for 2 different age categories. Estimated values of lifetime lung cancer risks largely exceeded (68–200 times) the health-based guideline levels at both homes thus demonstrating that long-term exposure to PAHs at the respective levels would eventually cause risk of developing cancer. The high determined values of cancer risks in the absence of smoking were probably caused by contribution of PAHs from outdoor sources.

A avaliação das barreiras na actividade profissional da pessoa com deficiência visual em Portugal: validação e adaptação do WES (work experience survey)

Resumo: Este estudo tem como finalidade validar e adaptar o WES (Work Experience Survey), de forma a avaliar e caracterizar a percepção que as pessoas DV portuguesas possuem sobre as barreiras ao emprego e as suas formas de resolução e/ou minimização. Da revisão da literatura, constatou-se a inexistência, a nível nacional, de estudos que versassem sobre as barreiras no acesso e manutenção de emprego e estratégias de superação. Este motivo foi o ponto a partir do qual se elaborou a adaptação e validação do questionário WES e a partir do qual alcançamos resultados e conclusões que nos remetem para evidências que a seguir se descrevem. Os dados recolhidos demonstram que esta faixa da população: tem baixos níveis de escolaridade; necessita de aperfeiçoar as suas competências para se tornar mais competitiva no mercado de trabalho; tem dificuldades na acessibilidade ao meio físico, devido às condições de acessibilidade oferecidas; enfrenta problemas no desempenho laboral, devido à falta de tecnologias de apoio e de meios de superação das barreiras no local de trabalho; e sente-se discriminada no acesso e manutenção do emprego, e progressão na carreira. A exploração das razões do insucesso escolar e do perfil de competências adequado, exigíveis para o emprego; o desenvolvimento de planos de promoção da carreira; a divulgação das competências e capacidades dos trabalhadores DV e a averiguação na aplicação da legislação referente à acessibilidade são algumas sugestões apresentadas.

‘Thy love afar is spite at home' Emerson, Thoreau and Carey: an alternative perspective of communication in US

The conquest of the West by the stagecoaches and then by railway, Ford and the automobile civilization, the Moon landing by Apollo 11, Microsoft, Apple, CNN, Google and Facebook have appeared to us as celebratory examples of the willingness and ability of the US to overcome the distance and the absence through so-called modern progress of transportation and communication. Undoubtedly, the imaginary and the instrumental power associated to transports and communication of the last century and a half are identified with the mental images that the world has of the US. A world that has eagerly imported and copy their technology and technological culture. Beyond the illusions, this attempting, which has always been praised to transcende space and eclipse the time to get to places and peole increasingly distant and fast, has always a dark side: the political control of population, commercial advertising, the spread of the rumors, noise and gossip. However, since at least the nineteenth century, the political project incorporated in modern transportation and communication technologies was not shared by some of the most remarkable thinkers in the US not only in that century, but also in the 20th century. This paper begins by rescue Ralph W. Emerson and Henry D. Thoreau legacy regarding to communication. Emerson conceived communication as a give-and-take with no coordination between the two, and does not involve contact with the other. Thoreau, in turn, argued that modern trasnportation and communications inventions are but pretty toys which distract attention from serious things, nothing more than 'improved means to an end that is not perfected.' Secondly, we show that this skeptical view of the techological improvement of transport and communication was proceed in an original way with James W. Carey, a media studies thinker who became known for his criticism of the transmission view of communication.

A multivariate analysis of the relationship between work ability and S. japonicum infection in Dongting Lake Region, in China

A cross-sectional case-control study on the association between the reduced work ability and S. japonicum infection was carried out in a moderate endemic area for schistosomiasis japonica in the southern part of Dongting lake in China. A total of 120 cases with reduced work ability and 240 controls paired to the case by age, sex, occupation and without reduced work ability, participated in the study. The mean age for individuals was 37.6 years old (21-60), the ratio of male: female was 60:40, the prevalence of S. japonicum in the individuals was 28.3%. The results obtained in this study showed that the infection of S. japonicum in case and control groups was 49.2% (59/120) and 17.9% (43/240), respectively. Odds ratio for reduced work ability among those who had schistosomiasis was 4.34 (95%), confidence interval was 2.58-7.34, and among those who had S. japonicum infection (egg per gram > 100) was up to 12.67 (95%), confidence interval was 3.64-46.39. After odds ratio was adjusted by multiple logistic regression, it was confirmed that heavier intensity of S. japonicum infection and splenomegaly due to S. japonicum infection were the main risk factors for reduced work ability in the population studied.

Welfare regimes, work-life balance public policies and gender equality - parental leaves in Portugal and Sweden

Comunicação apresentada na "European Sociological Association Conference" em Lisboa de 2 a 5 de Setembro de 2009.

The portuguese public administration reforms potencial impact in the development of civil servants work related stress : SIADAP case

Poster apresentado na 8.ª Conferência da European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, em Valencia, 12-14 de novembro de 2008.

Gender inequities in portuguese state administration: how expressive feminization and facilitating laws are not enough to guarantee effective gender equity at public work

Comunicação apresentada na 69th ASPA Anual Conference, em Dalas, Texas de 7 a 11 de março de 2008

Gender asymmetries in family and work spheres: strategies and conflicts of qualified women working in portuguese state administration

In Portugal, feminine activity rate of working mother is high but remains structural asymmetries of responsibilities between women and men in familiar spheres. Based on quantitative and qualitative data results are presented that show that, in spite of a global feminization rate of 58,6%, women workers in State Administration remains with major responsibilities in familiar/private lives than men. Women in technical and leadership functions have the same patterns of familiar and domestic responsibilities but different patterns of work-time. Women in technical functions tend to have a strategy of work-family time balance, despite less career opportunities, while women in leadership functions adopt a supremacy of wok-time, just as men. Nevertheless, both women, in technical and leadership functions, feel a permanent conflict between career and family responsibilities, which is not felt by men. Gender roles define dominant models of work and family organisation which conduct to different professional strategies and career opportunities.