Para cá e para lá dos muros: relações familiares na interface entre o interior e o exterior da prisão

Tese de Doutoramento em Sociologia

Estudo da influência de nanotubos de carbono funcionalizados nas propriedades de revestimentos de poliuretano

Dissertação de mestrado em Propriedades e Tecnologias de Polímeros

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)/NAY zeolite hybrid membranes as a drug release platform applied to ibuprofen release

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)/NaY zeolite composite membranes were prepared by solvent casting and evaluated as a suitable drug release platform through the evaluation of loading and release of ibuprofen. The membranes were characterized at the morphological, structural and mechanical levels. The 1H-NMR spectra indicate that only the membranes with 16 and 32 % of NaY were useful for IBU encapsulation and the drug release was followed by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The release profile is independent of the zeolite content and can be described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The membrane with 32 % zeolite content releases more than double IBU amount when compared with the membrane with 16 % showing that zeolite content allows tailoring membrane drug release content for specific applications. The drug release platform developed in this work is suitable for other drugs and applications.

UV-visible scanning spectrophotometry and chemometric analysis as tools for carotenoids analysis in cassava genotypes (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

In this study, the metabolomics characterization focusing on the carotenoid composition of ten cassava (Manihot esculenta) genotypes cultivated in southern Brazil by UV-visible scanning spectrophotometry and reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography was performed. Cassava roots rich in -carotene are an important staple food for populations with risk of vitamin A deficiency. Cassava genotypes with high pro-vitamin A activity have been identified as a strategy to reduce the prevalence of deficiency of this vitamin. The data set was used for the construction of a descriptive model by chemometric analysis. The genotypes of yellow-fleshed roots were clustered by the higher concentrations of cis--carotene and lutein. Inversely, cream-fleshed roots genotypes were grouped precisely due to their lower concentrations of these pigments, as samples rich in lycopene (redfleshed) differed among the studied genotypes. The analytical approach (UV-Vis, HPLC, and chemometrics) used showed to be efficient for understanding the chemodiversity of cassava genotypes, allowing to classify them according to important features for human health and nutrition.

Iniciación a la Práctica Profesional: la mirada reflexiva de los estudiantes de Educación Básica

El Practicum se constituí como el pasaporte para la vida laboral en que cada estudiante va edificando su trayecto profesional movilizando saberes, confrontando expectativas, valores y ética, construyendo de forma compartida su identidad profesional. Se trata de un estudio de caso centrado en las narrativas de los estudiantes desarrolladas en la asignatura de Practicum y su objetivo es averiguar sus percepciones cerca de los trayectos formativos construidos en el ámbito de la referida asignatura. La adquisición del conocimiento (científico, metodológico, pedagógico), articulación teoría y práctica, e interdisciplinariedad asumen relevancia en los resultados como fuente de crecimiento personal y profesional.

Viver a (e para) aprender: uma intervenção-ação para a promoção do envelhecimento ativo

A intervenção aqui descrita teve como objetivo contribuir para o envelhecimento ativo de usuários de centros-dia/convívio para idosos, desenvolvendo harmoniosamente todas suas dimensões, visando que os utentes fossem autônomos, participativos e ativos. Recorrendo ao paradigma interpretativo-hermenêutico, apoiamo-nos num trabalho de investigação-ação participativa, construído e implementado em dois centros-dia/convívio do conselho da Póvoa de Lanhoso, distrito de Braga, Portugal, e que contou com um total de 25 usuários: 12 no centro de convívio A e 13 no centro de convívio B. O objetivo foi transversal a todas as atividades implementadas, tendo sido alcançado como revelam os resultados satisfatórios obtidos na avaliação da intervenção (e de cada uma das atividades). A avaliação contínua e final permitiu, igualmente, aferir que todas as atividades desenvolvidas foram do agrado dos usuários e que todas lhes possibilitaram novos conhecimentos que os ajudaram na sua vida diária, aumentando, consequentemente, sua qualidade de vida e tornando-os mais autônomos, participativos e ativos.

Influence of climate on clinical diagnostic dry eye tests: pilot study

Purpose. To analyze dry eye disease (DED) tests and their consistency in similar nonsymptomatic population samples living in two geographic locations with different climates (Continental vs. Atlantic). Methods. This is a pilot study including 14 nonsymptomatic residents from Valladolid (Continental climate, Spain) and 14 sex-matched and similarly aged residents from Braga (Atlantic climate, Portugal); they were assessed during the same season (spring) of two consecutive years. Phenol red thread test, conjunctival hyperemia, fluorescein tear breakup time, corneal and conjunctival staining, and Schirmer test were evaluated on three different consecutive visits. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted kappa (J) coefficient for quantitative and ordinal variables, respectively. Results. Fourteen subjects were recruited in each city with a mean (TSD) age of 63.0 (T1.7) and 59.1 (T0.9) years (p = 0.08) in Valladolid and Braga, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient and J values of the tests performed were below 0.69 and 0.61, respectively, for both samples, thus showing moderate to poor reliability. Subsequently, comparisons were made between the results corresponding to the middle and higher outdoor relative humidity (RH) visit in each location as there were no differences in mean temperature (p Q 0.75) despite RH values significantly differing (p e 0.005). Significant (p e 0.05) differences were observed between Valladolid and Braga samples on tear breakup time (middle RH visit, 2.76 T 0.60 vs. 5.26 T 0.64 seconds; higher RH visit, 2.61 T 0.32 vs. 5.78 T 0.88 seconds) and corneal (middle RH, 0.64 T 0.17 vs. 0.14 T 0.10; higher RH, 0.60 T 0.22 vs. 0.0 T 0.0) and conjunctival staining (middle RH, 0.61 T 0.17 vs. 0.14 T 0.08; higher RH, 0.57 T 0.15 vs. 0.18 T 0.09). Conclusions. This pilot study provides initial evidence to support that DED test outcomes assessing the ocular surface integrity and tear stability are climate dependent. Future large-sample studies should support these outcomes also in DED patients. This knowledge is fundamental for multicenter clinical trials. Lack of consistency in diagnostic clinical tests for DED was also corroborated. (Optom Vis Sci 2015;92:e284Ye289)

A (re)construção da cultura organizacional em mega-agrupamentos de escolas: tensões e contradições

Integrado num projeto de investigação em curso, este texto analisa o processo de (re)construção da cultura organizacional em mega-agrupamentos de escolas, em particular as tensões surgidas a propósito dos valores e significados partilhados sobre o funcionamento da organização. Ao nível do enquadramento teórico, entende-se o mega-agrupamento como modalidade especial de organização escolar, caraterizada pela existência de um campo organizacional e um campo interorganizacional, mobilizando-se metáforas e imagens de caráter interpretativo para esta dupla análise. Por outro lado, adota-se uma perspetiva multifocalizada e multiparadigmática na análise do processo de (re)construção da cultura organizacional, tendo em vista identificar os fatores intervenientes e o grau de partilha da cultura, geradores de configurações múltiplas. O projeto de investigação enquadra-se no paradigma interpretativo, adota uma abordagem mista e elege, como modalidade de investigação, o estudo de caso. Apesar da diversidade de técnicas de investigação previstas, nesta fase do projeto apenas se mobilizam dados recolhidos através de observação, de entrevista e de análise documental. Como principais conclusões, destacam-se: a existência de contradições na (re)construção dos valores e significados partilhados, geradoras de tensões internas; o controlo da organização pela liderança da escola-sede, em articulação com membros da organização e da comunidade, face ao hibridismo da regulação nacional; um processo de (re)construção da cultura organizacional marcado pela integração, diferenciação e fragmentação.

O papel da prática profissional/prácticum na formação de professores: um olhar dos professores tutores universitários

A universidade no Espaço Europeu de Educação Superior (EEES) assume-se como um espaço aberto e permeável a mudanças no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem, reduzindo os “conhecimentos mortos, a favor de conhecimentos vivos”, diversificando metodologias de trabalho (aulas práticas, workshops, seminários, tutorias conjuntas, e-learning, entre outras) e valorizando a relação pedagógica. A ênfase mais ou menos atribuída às Praticas/Practicum nos diferentes planos de estudo de cada universidade, a sua distribuição e organização ao longo da formação, prescrevem a cientificidade do trajeto de construção, desconstrução, co-construção e reconstrução do perfil, competências e identidade profissionais do estudante em formação. Amplia-se a função e ação do professor tutor/supervisor universitário que, sustentado num enfoque formativo competencial, assume ser mais do que um responsável pela formação integral dos estudantes integrando uma aprendizagem profissional relacionadas com o saber e o saber-fazer, mas também está implicado na aquisição e desenvolvimento de um conjunto de habilidades sociais, éticas e de valores humanos relacionados com o saber-ser e o saber-estar. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar o papel dos tutores/supervisores de Práticas/Practicum nos processos de construção e desenvolvimento de competências e identidade profissional através de processos de mediação e transferência de conhecimento profissional. Neste trabalho apresentamos os resultados parciais de um estudo de caso de carácter descritivo-interpretativo. Analisam-se as entrevistas (n=11) realizadas a professores universitários que em 2012-13 constituíam o corpo de tutores de Practicum dos cursos de Educação de Infância e Ensino do1º ciclo do Ensino Básico da Universidade Autónoma de Barcelona. Os resultados valorizam mais os aspetos organizacionais do que os curriculares. As preocupações com o desenvolvimento de competências conceptuais (saber) e procedimentais (saber-fazer) estão mais presentes nos discursos dos tutores/supervisores do que as competências relacionais intra e interpessoais (saber-ser, saber-estar).

Recursos e estratégias de pesquisa online e offline: um estudo no primeiro ciclo do ensino básico

As crianças evidenciam uma atitude de curiosidade e de questionamento, procurando encontrar respostas para as suas dúvidas. Nesta atitude reside já a sua predisposição para a pesquisa. Torna-se, por isso, importante que os professores estimulem e integrem a pesquisa no processo educativo. Este artigo relata o percurso investigativo no contexto da intervenção pedagógica concretizado numa turma do 4.º ano de escolaridade do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico. As crianças foram confrontadas com a complexidade do processo de pesquisa trabalhando com diferentes meios, nomeadamente internet, livros e entrevista. Metodologicamente tratou-se de um estudo de caso de caráter descrito-interpretativo.

Consumption, wealth, stock and housing returns: evidence from emerging markets

We test the predictive ability of the transitory deviations of consumption from its common trend with aggregate wealth and labour income, cay, for both future equity and housing risk premia in emerging market economies. Using quarterly data for 31 markets, our country-level evidence shows that forecasting power of cay vis-à-vis stock returns is high for Brazil, China, Colombia, Israel, Korea, Latvia and Malaysia. As for housing returns, the empirical evidence suggests that financial and housing assets are perceived as complements in the case of Chile, Russia, South Africa and Thailand, and as substitutes in Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico and Taiwan. Using a panel econometric framework, we find that the cross-country heterogeneity observed in asset return predictability does not accrue to regional location, but can be attributed to differences in the degree of equity market development and in the level of income.

Controlled aggregation of gold nanoparticles in a di-ureasilmatrix. Optical and micro indentation investigation

Nanocomposite materials with an organic-inorganic urea-silicate (di-ureasil) based matrix containing gold nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and characterized by optical (UV/Vis) spectroscopy and indentation measurement. The urea silicate gels were obtained by reaction between silicon alkoxyde modified by isocyanate group and polyethylene glycol oligomer with amine terminal groups in presence of catalyst. The latter ensures the successful incorporation of citrate-stabilized gold NPs in the matrix. It is shown that using a convenient destabilizing agent (AgNO3) and governing the preparative conditions, the aggregation degree of gold NPs can be controlled. The developed synthesis procedure significantly simplifies the preparative procedure of gold/urea silicate nanocomposites, compared to the procedure using gold NPs, preliminary covered with silica shells. Mechanical properties of the prepared sample were characterised using depth sensing indentation methods (DSI) and an idea about the type of aggregation structures was suggested.

Lithium-doped silk fibroin films for application in electrochromic devices

Silk fibroin (SF) is a commonly available natural biopolymer produced in specialized glands of arthropods, with a long history of use in textile production and also in health cares. The exceptional intrinsic properties of these fibers, such as self-assembly, machinability, biocompatibility, biodegradation or non-toxicity, offer a wide range of exciting opportunities [1]. It has long been recognized that silk can be a rich source of inspiration for designing new materials with tailored properties, enhanced performance and high added value for targeted applications, opening exciting new prospects in the domain of materials science and related technological fields, including bio-friendly integration, miniaturization and multifunctionalization. In recent years it has been demonstrated that fibroin is an excellent material for active components in optics and photonics devices. Progress in new technological fields such as optics, photonics and electronics are emerging [2,3]. The incorporation of polymer electrolytes as components of various devices (advanced batteries, smart windows, displays and supercapacitors) offers significant advantages with respect to traditional electrolytes, including enhanced reliability and improved safety. SF films are particularly attractive in this context. They have near-perfect transparency across the VIS range, surface flatness (together with outstanding mechanical robustness), ability to replicate patterned substrates and their thickness may be easily tailored from a few nanometers to hundreds of micrometers through spin-casting of a silk solution into subtract. Moreover, fibroin can be added to other biocomponents or salts in order to modify the biomaterial properties leading to optimized and total different functions. Preliminary tests performed with a prototype electrochromic device (ECD) incorporating SF films doped with lithium triflate and lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiTFSI and LiBF4, respectively) as electrolyte and WO3 as cathodic electrochromic layer, are extremely encouraging. Aiming to evaluate the performance of the ion conducting SF membranes doped with LiTFSI and LiBF4 (SF-Li), small ECDs with glass/ITO/WO3/SF-Li/CeO2-TiO2/ITO/glass configuration were assembled and characterized. The device exhibited, after 4500 cycles, the insertion of charge at -3.0 V reached –1.1 mC.cm-2 in 15 s. After 4500 cycles the window glass-staining, glass/ITO/WO3/Fibrin-Li salts electrolyte/CeO2-TiO2/ITO/glass configuration was reversible and featured a T  8 % at λ = 686 nm

Investigation on the homogeneity and stability of aqueous nano cellulose suspensions prepared using pluronic F-127

This paper presents the results of experimental investigation on the aqueous dispersion behaviour of micro crystalline cellulose (MCC) prepared using Pluronic F-127. For this purpose, different concentrations (0.5-3.0 wt.%) of MCC were dispersed in water with the help of ultrasonication technique using various concentrations of Pluronic F-127. The homogeneity of the suspensions and agglomerations were characterized by optical and transmission electron microscopy and the concentration of well dispersed MCC was measured using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Also, the suspensions were subjected to high speed ultracentrifugation at 3000 rpm and observed visually for sedimentation and subsequently, concentration was calculated using UV-Vis, in order to assess the long term stability of the suspensions. Based on these experiments, optimum concentration of Pluronic to disperse different MCC concentrations has been suggested.

In vitro and in vivo studies of temozolomide loading in zeolite structures as drug delivery systems for glioblastoma

Zeolites Y (faujasite) and MOR (mordonite) were used as hosts for temozolomide (TMZ), a current good-standard chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of glioblastoma brain tumors. TMZ was loaded into zeolites by liquid-phase adsorption at controlled pH. FTIR, 1H NMR, MS, SEM, UV/vis and chemical analysis demonstrated the successful loading of TMZ into zeolite hosts. The hydrolysis of TMZ in MTIC (TMZ metabolite) after the preparation of drug delivery systems (DDS) was observed in simulated body fluid. The effect of zeolites and DDS were evaluated on the viability of glioblastoma cell lines. Unloaded Y zeolite presented toxicity to cancer cells in contrast to MOR. In accordance, the best results in potentiation of the TMZ effect was obtained with MOR. We found that mordonite loaded with 0.026 mmol of TMZ was able to decrease the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) at least 3-fold in comparison to free temozolomide both in vitro and in vivo.