Histological comparison of the alar nasal cartilages in unilateral cleft lip

Patients with unilateral cleft lip display characteristic nasal changes that are independent of the degree of deformity. Defenders of the intrinsic theory consider these deformities to be due to embryogenic alterations of the alar nasal cartilages. Those that propose the extrinsic theory defend the thesis that the deformity is due to disorganization of the perioral muscles deformed by the cleft. The purpose of this study is to contribute histological evidence to help clarify the issue. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Specimens of the lateral portion of both the healthy and the cleft side of the alar cartilages were obtained from 18 patients. These uniformly cut specimens were stained by hematoxylin and eosin. Samples from 2 patients were excluded due to imperfections. The same pathologist examined all the slides. He was unaware of the origins of the specimens; he counted the number of chondrocytes and quantified the cartilage matrixes. RESULTS: All data was analyzed statistically, and no significant statistical differences were apparent, either in the number of chondrocytes or the cartilage matrix between the healthy side and the cleft side. DISCUSSION: These results apparently support the group that defend the extrinsic theory; nevertheless, the doubt about the composition of the cartilage matrix remains, not only concerning the glycosaminoglycans that compose them, but also regarding elastin and collagen and its linkages that can cause different degrees of collagen consistency.

On the function of the floccular complex of the vertebrate cerebellum: implications in paleoneuroanatomy

The cerebellum floccular complex lobes (FCLs) are housed in the FCL fossa of the periotic complex. There is experimental evidence indicating that the FCLs integrate visual and vestibular information, responsible for the vestibulo-ocular reflex, vestibulo-collic reflex, smooth pursuit and gaze holding. Thus, the behavior of extinct animals has been correlated with FCLs dimension in multiple paleoneuroanatomy studies. Here I analyzed braincase endocasts of a representative sample of Mammalia (48 species) and Aves (59 species) rendered using tomography and image segmentation and tested statistical correlations between the floccular complex volume, ecological and behavioral traits to assess various previously formulated paleobiological speculations. My results demonstrate: 1) there is no significant correlation between relative FCL volume and body mass; 2) there is no significant correlation between relative FCL and optic lobes size in birds; 3) average relative FCL size is larger in diurnal than in nocturnal birds but there is no statistically significant difference in mammals; 4) feeding strategies are related with different FCL size patterns in birds, but not in mammals; 5) locomotion type is not related with relative FCL size in mammals; 6) agility is not significantly correlated with FCL size in mammals. I conclude that, despite the apparent relation between FCL size and ecology in birds, the cerebellum of tetrapods is a highly plastic structure and may be adapted to control different functions across different taxonomic levels. For example, the european mole (Talpa europaea) which is fossorial and practically blind, has a FCL fossae relative size larger than those of bats, which are highly maneuverable. Therefore, variation in FCL size may be better explained by a combination of multiple factors with relation to anatomical and phylogenetic evolutionary constraints.

Portuguese plain architecture: history opening a closed sequence

The paper will address George Kubler’s Portuguese Plain Architecture [PPA] (1972) and its effect in Portuguese architectural practice. Kubler’s philosophy of art history implied that closed sequences of objects could be opened by several reasons. Thus, it will be argued that there is an effect upon Portuguese architecture post 1974, that is apparent by the reemergence of some of the form classes treated by Kubler. This was mostly achieved through the popularity of Kubler’s book within architectural practice, scholarship and moreover by the establishment of the term “Plain Architecture” in portuguese architectural vocabulary. Plain Architecture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries shared some qualities with the architecture to be built in post‑revolutionary Portugal, most importantly the effect that could be achieved with low budget buildings that were responding to a situation of crisis, and simultaneously exhaled aristocratic sparsity. The connection of PPA with the ideological attributes of early modernism and the political context of the time catalysed the reemergence of a new order of Portuguese Plain that resonates still in contemporary architecture.

Engineering bio-based polymers using alternative solvents and processes

The work presented in this thesis explores novel routes for the processing of bio-based polymers, developing a sustainable approach based on the use of alternative solvents such as supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DES). The feasibility to produce polymeric foams via supercritical fluid (SCF) foaming, combined with these solvents was assessed, in order to replace conventional foaming techniques that use toxic and harmful solvents. A polymer processing methodology is presented, based on SCF foaming and using scCO2 as a foaming agent. The SCF foaming of different starch based polymeric blends was performed, namely starch/poly(lactic acid) (SPLA) and starch/poly(ε-caprolactone) (SPCL). The foaming process is based on the fact that CO2 molecules can dissolve in the polymer, changing their mechanical properties and after suitable depressurization, are able to create a foamed (porous) material. In these polymer blends, CO2 presents limited solubility and in order to enhance the foaming effect, two different imidazolium based ILs (IBILs) were combined with this process, by doping the blends with IL. The use of ILs proved useful and improved the foaming effect in these starch-based polymer blends. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) proved the existence of interactions between the polymer blend SPLA and ILs, which in turn diminish the forces that hold the polymeric structure. This is directly related with the ability of ILs to dissolve more CO2. This is also clear from the sorption experiments results, where the obtained apparent sorption coefficients in presence of IL are higher compared to the ones of the blend SPLA without IL. The doping of SPCL with ILs was also performed. The foaming of the blend was achieved and resulted in porous materials with conductivity values close to the ones of pure ILs. This can open doors to applications as self-supported conductive materials. A different type of solvents were also used in the previously presented processing method. If different applications of the bio-based polymers are envisaged, replacing ILs must be considered, especially due to the poor sustainability of some ILs and the fact that there is not a well-established toxicity profile. In this work natural DES – NADES – were the solvents of choice. They present some advantages relatively to ILs since they are easy to produce, cheaper, biodegradable and often biocompatible, mainly due to the fact that they are composed of primary metabolites such as sugars, carboxylic acids and amino-acids. NADES were prepared and their physicochemical properties were assessed, namely the thermal behavior, conductivity, density, viscosity and polarity. With this study, it became clear that these properties can vary with the composition of NADES, as well as with their initial water content. The use of NADES in the SCF foaming of SPCL, acting as foaming agent, was also performed and proved successful. The SPCL structure obtained after SCF foaming presented enhanced characteristics (such as porosity) when compared with the ones obtained using ILs as foaming enhancers. DES constituted by therapeutic compounds (THEDES) were also prepared. The combination of choline chloride-mandelic acid, and menthol-ibuprofen, resulted in THEDES with thermal behavior very distinct from the one of their components. The foaming of SPCL with THEDES was successful, and the impregnation of THEDES in SPCL matrices via SCF foaming was successful, and a controlled release system was obtained in the case of menthol-ibuprofen THEDES.

How to increase brand value expanding the category and brand presence to the main meal occasion for Sumol- Compal

Having registered negative retail value growth of 4% in Portugal in 2014, the juice category is set to decline further by 5,5% until 2019. Manufacturers of juices and nectars are therefore increasingly looking for new categories in order to balance this negative forecast in their home territory. One apparent growth opportunity for Compal, the leading producer of juices and nectars, is to expand its commercial reach to new occasions of consumption. This report carefully analyzes the opportunities related to an expansion to the main meal occasion and introduces a complete marketing and communications plan for a possible new main meal juice, Compal à Mesa. The product concept represents a rather premium positioning for the main meal occasion, including new flavor mixes that are targeted at different occasions of meals. The justification of the introduced concept includes a discussion of the primary and secondary research that was performed

Asking why

The growth of a solid, knowledge-intensive firm, OutSystems—an IT company recognized in 2003 by Fortune magazine as one of the most promising start-ups in the world—is accompanied by efforts to create a strong culture that preserves the traits that have driven OutSystems’ success and that drives innovation, adaptability, high performance, and accountability. The lessons OutSystems learned from previous international experiences are presented along with its latest growth model of branded local partners. The case study is intended to introduce concepts related to organizational culture, traits of cultures that drive innovation, national versus organizational culture, and the challenges of globalization. It is designed to be used in Organizational Behavior classes and is appropriate for MBA- and Master’s-level courses in the area of management. It is suggested as a guideline for 60- to 90-minute classes. Participants are invited to discuss the importance of organizational cultures and their fit with the company strategy. Participants are also encouraged to brainstorm about the best approach to face OutSystems’ new stage of growth, specifically the advantages and consequences of growing as a metanational company. Finally, in the conclusion, the most relevant findings taken from the discussions proposed are revisited: The importance of an organizational culture adapted to the market needs and the potential of innovation behind metanational companies. Other considerations are made about: how the case illustrates the importance of leadership, group age, and group size in the process of building a culture; and how OutSystems’ culture solves the apparent contradiction behind adaptable culture.

The role of Pep4p, the vacuolar yeast protease ortholog of human cathepsin D, in mitochondria-dependent apoptosis

Doctoral Thesis (PhD Programm on Molecular and Environmental Biology)

Perchlorate and chlorate reduction by the Crenarchaeon Aeropyrum pernix and two thermophilic Firmicutes

This study reports the ability of one hyperthermophile and two thermophilic microorganisms to grow anaerobically by the reduction of chlorate and perchlorate. Physiological, genomic and proteome analyses suggest that the Crenarchaeon Aeropyrum pernix reduces perchlorate with a periplasmic enzyme related to nitrate reductases, but that it lacks a functional chlorite-disproportionating enzyme (Cld) to complete the pathway. A. pernix, previously described as a strictly aerobic microorganism, seems to rely on the chemical reactivity of reduced sulfur compounds with chlorite, a mechanism previously reported for perchlorate-reducing Archaeoglobus fulgidus. The chemical oxidation of thiosulfate (in excessive amounts present in the medium) and the reduction of chlorite result in the release of sulfate and chloride, which are the products of a biotic-abiotic perchlorate reduction pathway in A. pernix. The apparent absence of Cld in two other perchlorate-reducing microorganisms, Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans and Moorella glycerini strain NMP, and their dependence on sulfide for perchlorate reduction is consistent with observations made on A. fulgidus. Our findings suggest that microbial perchlorate reduction at high temperature differs notably from the physiology of perchlorate- and chlorate-reducing mesophiles and that it is characterized by the lack of a chlorite dismutase and is enabled by a combination of biotic and abiotic reactions.

Violência no trabalho em contexto hospitalar: um estudo com profissionais de enfermagem

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia

Arquitecturas imaginárias. Espaço real e ilusório no Barroco português

Tese de Doutoramento em Arquitectura / Cultura Arquitectónica.

Lean Production e Ergonomia: o impacto de estratégias implementadas nas condições de trabalho numa indústria de componentes para automóveis

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Humana

Controlo e gestão da produção no setor de corte térmico

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Prevalência e susceptibilidade de isolados clínicos de Pseudomonas aeruginosa numa unidade hospitalar de Portugal

Dissertação de mestrado em Bioquímica Aplicada (área de especialização em Biomedicina)

Development and characterization of lipid-based nanosystems for controlled release of bioactive compounds

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Química e Biológica.

As políticas tecnológicas para a educação e a literacia digital: o caso do programa governamental ‘e.escolinha’

Em 2008, o Governo português anunciou a iniciativa ‘e.escolinha’ que contemplou a distribuição de computadores ‘Magalhães’ aos alunos do 1º ciclo do ensino básico, durante três anos letivos consecutivos. Atualmente suspenso, o programa foi bandeira do XVII Governo Constitucional, liderado por José Sócrates, mas alvo de controvérsias por parte da oposição política e da comunidade escolar, sobretudo pela aparente tónica no acesso à tecnologia em vez de uma maior preocupação com a formação e as práticas pedagógicas. Ao abrigo do Plano Tecnológico da Educação, o ‘e.escolinha’ inseria-se numa política mais ampla para o desenvolvimento de uma economia competitiva e dinâmica, através das metas estabelecidas pela União Europeia na Estratégia de Lisboa 2000. A iniciativa foi apresentada ao país com objetivos ambiciosos, no que diz respeito às esperadas mudanças ao nível das práticas pedagógicas dos professores, do processo de aprendizagem das crianças e do sucesso escolar em geral. Porém, a face mais visível da política, embora possa compreender outros matizes, poderá ter ficado reduzida à questão do acesso, apostando pouco nas outras dimensões da literacia digital. Com base em entrevistas realizadas a atores-chave envolvidos no processo de conceção e implementação do ‘e.escolinha’, e nos documentos oficiais que enquadram o programa, o presente artigo pretende dar a conhecer a forma como decisores políticos e empresas enunciam e avaliam os objetivos desta iniciativa. Pretende-se, em particular, conhecer se partilham a ideia de uma deriva tecnológica desta medida governamental ou se entreveem, na mesma, objetivos de literacia digital. Este trabalho decorre do projeto de investigação “Navegando com o Magalhães: Estudo sobre o Impacto dos Media Digitais nas Crianças”, em curso no Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade da Universidade do Minho, financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia ((PTDC/CCI-COM/101381/2008) ) e co-financiado pelo FEDER (COMPETE: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009056).