Acoustic characterisation of the tonic syllable in portuguese

A particular problem for the automatic prediction of prosody in speech synthesis is the realisation of accented syllables since these are affected by many parameters and are perceptually very salient. For the Portuguese language, in Europe, a set of comprehensive quantitative characterisation data and rules is totally lacking. The present paper is intended to be a quantitative contribution to the solution of this problem. In this paper, a preliminary modelling of duration, intensity and variation of F0 in the tonic syllable will be presented. The dependencies of the model with the syllable position in the word and the word position in the phrase are also presented.

Impact of using solar heat pumps for domestic hot water in Portuguese residential buildings

In recent years, we have seen an improvement of existing facilities in dwellings in Portugal. Within the heat pumps systems, there is a special type known as direct expansion heat pump assisted by Solar Collector (DX-SAHP). It was calculate the SPF indicator for 30 regions of Portugal. It was analyses the potential of reductions of CO2 and primary energy use for the retrofitting of DHW preparation systems. It was found that the performances of this type of equipment are benefiting from the Portuguese climate conditions, especially in the South and in the Autonomous Regions. Best SPF was obtained for Beja. It was found in all regions of the high potential for reducing CO2 emissions and verifying a potential significant reduction of primary energy consumption.

Application of the nZEB methodology in the retrofitting of a typical Portuguese dwelling from the 60's.

Buildings and the whole built environment are in a key role when societies are mitigating climate change and adapting to its consequences. More than 50% of the existing residential buildings in EU-25 were built before 1970. Thus, these buildings are of significant importance in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The existence of more nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) is a possible solution for this problem. This study aims to analyze the application of the nZEB methodology in the retrofitting of a typical Portuguese dwelling build in 1950. It was shown that the primary energy used can be reduced to a very low value (11,95 kWhep/m2.y) in comparison with the reference consumption (69,15 kWhep/m2.y), with the application of the best construction techniques together with the use of energy from on-site renewable sources.

Student engagement in Portuguese schools : A national project

The 31st International School Psychology Association (ISPA) Conference will be held in Malta from 7-11th July 2009. The conference theme is "School Psychology for Diversity".

Primary prevention of neural tube defects: data from the portuguese national registry of congenital anomalies (RENAC)

Background: In Portugal folic acid supplementation is recommended to start at least 2-3 months before conception for primary prevention of Neural Tube Defects. The aim of this study was to evaluate, within gestations with at least one congenital anomaly, possible association between maternal socio-demographic factors and the use of folic acid. Methods: Using data from the Portuguese national registry of congenital anomalies, for the 2004-2013 period, the association between folic acid use during pregnancy and maternal characteristics was studied using the chi-square test. Results: Considering all reported cases with congenital anomaly, the use of folic acid before conception was reported by 12.7% (n = 1233) of the women; 47.8% (n = 4623) started supplementation during the 1st trimester, 7% (n = 680) did not take folic acid and 32.5% (3143) of the records had no information on folic acid use. Women with professions that require higher academic differentiation started the use of supplements before pregnancy (p <0.001); women under 19 years old and with Arab ethnicity (p <0.001) did not take folic acid. Mothers with a previous pregnancy reported less use of folic acid (11.5% versus 14.7%) than mothers without a previous pregnancy (p <0.001). Conclusions: The results suggest some degree of association between maternal characteristics and use of folic acid. To increase the consumption of folic acid before pregnancy new measures are need to promote this primary prevention, among couples and health professionals. This study highlights some maternal characteristics and subgroups of mothers for who the measures should be reinforced.

USE OF STARTER CULTURES TO IMPROVE PORTUGUESE TRADITIONAL SAUSAGES

In Mediterranean countries, such as Portugal, traditional dry-fermented sausages are highly appreciated. They are often still being manufactured in small processing units, according to traditional procedures. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the effect of different starter cultures and their optimal concentration, to reduce the microbial load in end-products, with the purpose to improve the sausages’ safety, without deteriorating sensory acceptability. pH, aw, colour, texture and microbiological profile were assessed. On the other hand, a sensory panel evaluated the products. Based on the first results, S. xylosus and L. sakei were chosen to be inoculated together with a yeast strain. In the mixed starter culture experiment, a food safety issue arose probably related to the higher aw value (0.91). The presence of Salmonella spp. detected in a few end-products sausages did not allow a full sensory evaluation in the mixed starter culture experiment. However, in the two preliminary experiments, the use of starter cultures did not depreciate the panellists’ overall appreciation and products acceptability.

Absence of prenatal ultrasound surveillance: Data from the Portuguese congenital anomalies registry

In Portugal, prenatal care guidelines advocate two prenatal ultrasound scans for all pregnant women. Not following this recommendation is considered inadequate prenatal surveillance. The National Registry of Congenital Anomalies (RENAC in Portuguese) is an active population-based registry and an important instrument for the epidemiological surveillance of congenital anomalies (CA) in Portugal. Regarding pregnancies with CA, this study aims to describe the epidemiology of absent prenatal ultrasound scans and factors associated with this inadequate surveillance.

O texto literário para a infância na educação de crianças surdas do 1.ª Ciclo

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Paula Frassinetti para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação – Especialização em Educação Especial

Development of a long-life vacuum-packaged ready-to-eat meat product based on a traditional Portuguese seasoned meat

Carne do alguidar is a Portuguese traditional pork fried meat, usually manufactured for self-consumption purposes. This study developed a ready-to-eat (RTE) meat product, to meet today's consumers’ convenience, manufactured at the industrial scale evaluating its quality and shelf-life, assessing the effect of vacuum packaging and the use of an antioxidant (50 ppm BHT) to enhance oxidative stability. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters were assessed and a sensory analysis was performed. Interestingly, no significant differences were recorded between control (non-BHT) and antioxidant (BHT) samples. Microbiological counts remained at low levels throughout the storage period, ensuring the product’s required microbiological quality. At later storage stages, higher values of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances arose and off flavours and aromas were perceived. Still, overall appreciation was not affected until 12 months storage and a significant depreciation was perceived only after 15 months. Fibrousness and rising of off flavours were negatively correlated with overall appreciation.

The psychometric properties of the brief Other as Shamer Scale for Children (OAS‐C) : preliminary validation studies in a sample of Portuguese children

Shame is a social emotion with adaptive functions involved in human be-havior and social interactions. This emotion is regarded as an involuntary response associated with increased self-awareness, loss of status and self-devaluation (Gilbert, 1998), that may render individuals more prone to psychopathology (Gilbert, 1998; Pinto-Gouveia & Matos, 2011). Thus, identifying and assessing feelings of shame in childhood is essential in addressing the actual impact of shame on individual’s developmental trajectory. The Other As Shamer Scale (OAS; Goss, Gilbert & Allan, 1994) is a widely used measure of external shame, adapted and translated to several languages — including Portuguese (Matos, Pinto-Gouveia, Gilbert, Duarte & Figueiredo, 2015) — to adult and to adolescent populations (OASB-A - Other As Shamer Brief for adolescents; translated and adapted by Cunha, Xavier, Cherpe & Pinto-Gouveia, 2014). The current study aims to adapt and to explore the psychometric proper-ties of the brief OAS in a sample of Portuguese children attending to elementary schools.

Territorialisation and power in Portuguese America. The creation of comarcas (16th-18th centuries)

The general aim of this article is to analyse the political organisation of the territory in Portuguese America from the start of the building up of the Crown judiciary system from in the 16th to the 18th centuries and to look into the causes of its belatedness in comparison to what happened in Spanish America. The focus will however be on the comarcas through the reconstitution of the process leading to the setting up of these judiciary divisions. Four stages of this process will be identified and discussion will ensue over the social and political contexts in which these political and administrative novelties came to happen. It is claimed that the delay in the structuring of the judicial network in the States of Brazil and Maranhão stems from the fact that the Portuguese advance into the territories took place at a later stage. The comparisons between the two systems will also bring other differences to the fore, not least the greater rigidity of the Spanish model in contrast to the more experimental character of the Portuguese one, and the resilience found to exist in the donatarial system. It is also worth to point out that given solutions were the result of the will of central power as much as of local initiative, and it is suggested that the building up of the crown’s political apparatus (in which the judiciary network is included) brought about the connivance,albeit ephemeral, of social interests which are considered contradictory or irreconcilable by some authors.

Adaptation and validation into Portuguese language of the HIV Antibody Testing Attitude Scale

Objective. To culturally adapt and validate a version in European Portuguese language of the HIV Antibody Testing Attitude Scale. Methods. Study conducting a methodological investigation for the adaptation and validation of an attitude measurement instrument. The instrument translation and back-translation were performed. Then, a pre-test was conducted. The study used a sample of 317 subjects from the academic community - students, professors and other professionals - who were contacted in the campus. Ethical principles were observed. Results. Three analyses were conducted using the method of principal component analysis (PCA) with five, four and three factors. A three-factor solution was achieved, which presents 50.82% variance. In the analysis of inter-item correlation, values between -0.018 and 0.749 were observed. Internal consistency shows Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.860 overall and between 0.865 and 0.659 in the three factors. Conclusion. The instrument version shows psychometric properties that allow its use in Portuguese-speaking countries.