Working in and on groups: an illustration of the principles of exploratory practice in an esp classroom

Neste artigo, descrevo e analiso uma actividade de trabalho em grupo desenvolvida para uma aula da disciplina de Língua Inglesa VI das turmas do 3º ano do Curso de Línguas e Secretariado do Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP). No enquadramento teórico, abordam-se questões relacionadas com o trabalho em grupo numa aula de língua estrangeira, nomeadamente a dimensão social da sala de aula em geral e da interacção aluno-aluno em particular. Apresentam-se então os princípios da Exploratory Practice, com ênfase na possibilidade preconizada por esta abordagem de se poder transformar uma actividade de reflexão e discussão sobre o processo de ensino/aprendizagem numa unidade pedagógica. Segue-se a apresentação da proposta didáctica, respectivo plano de aula e alguns exemplos dos textos produzidos pelos alunos. O artigo termina com a apresentação de alguns comentários críticos, realçando-se a contribuição da Exploratory Practice para o desenvolvimento de uma maior consciencialização por parte dos alunos do seu processo de aprendizagem.

Hierarchical cluster analysis of groups of individuals : application to business data

3rd SMTDA Conference Proceedings, 11-14 June 2014, Lisbon Portugal.

Genotoxic assessment in different exposure groups working with antineoplastic agents

Antioneoplastic drugs are widely used in treatment of cancer, and several studies suggest acute and long-term effects associated to antineoplastic drug exposures, namely associating workplace exposure with health effects. Cytokinesis blocked micronucleus (CBMN) assay is one promising short-term genotoxicity assays for human risk assessment and their combination is recommended to monitor populations chronically exposed to genotoxic agents. The aim of this investigation is the genotoxicity assessment in different professionals that handle cytostatics drugs. This research is case-control blinded study constituted by 46 non-exposed subjects and 44 workers that handle antineoplastic drugs, such as pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses. It was found statistically significant increases in the genotoxicity biomarkers in exposed comparising with controls (p<0.05). The findings address the need for regular biomonitoring of personnel occupationally exposed to these drugs, confirming to an enhanced health risk assessment.

Internal consistency of the self-reporting questionnaire-20 in occupational groups

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To assess the internal consistency of the measurements of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) in different occupational groups. METHODS A validation study was conducted with data from four surveys with groups of workers, using similar methods. A total of 9,959 workers were studied. In all surveys, the common mental disorders were assessed via SRQ-20. The internal consistency considered the items belonging to dimensions extracted by tetrachoric factor analysis for each study. Item homogeneity assessment compared estimates of Cronbach’s alpha (KD-20), the alpha applied to a tetrachoric correlation matrix and stratified Cronbach’s alpha. RESULTS The SRQ-20 dimensions showed adequate values, considering the reference parameters. The internal consistency of the instrument items, assessed by stratified Cronbach’s alpha, was high (> 0.80) in the four studies. CONCLUSIONS The SRQ-20 showed good internal consistency in the professional categories evaluated. However, there is still a need for studies using alternative methods and additional information able to refine the accuracy of latent variable measurement instruments, as in the case of common mental disorders.

Transnational Migrants and Transnational Spirits: An African Religion in Lisbon

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Vol.34, n.2,pp. 253 — 269

Giardia muris and Giardia duodenalis groups: ultrastructural differences between the trophozoites

Trophozoites of the Giardia muris group from hamsters, domestic rats and mice and of the Giardia duodenalis group from hamsters and domestic rats were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The basic ultrastructure of the trophozoites was similar. Differences were shown in the morphology of the ventrolateral flange of the trophozoites of Giardia muris and Giardia duodenalis groups. Marginal plates are less developed in the species of the Giardia duodenalis group. In this group, the distal extremity of the lateral flange is short and thick and the marginal plate does not penetrate into the distal extremity of the flange. In the Giardia muris group, the ventro-lateral flange is well developed and narrow and the marginal plate penetrates the distal extremity of the flange. The osmiophilic lamella, which accompanies the dorsal surface of the marginal plate is seen only in the Giardia muris group.

Evaluation of different methods for Plasmodia detection, in well defined population groups in an endemic area of Brazil

In Brazil, more than 500,000 new cases of malaria were notified in 1992. Plasmodium falciparum and P.vivax are the responsible species for 99.3% of the cases. For adequate treatment, precoce diagnosis is necessary. In this work, we present the results of the traditional Plasmodia detection method, thick blood film (TBF), and the results of alternative methods: Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with polyclonal antibody and Quantitative Buffy Coat method (QBC)® in a well defined population groups. The analysis were done in relation to the presence or absence of malaria clinical symptoms. Also different classes of immunoglobulins anti-P.falciparum were quantified for the global analysis of the results, mainly in the discrepant results. We concluded that alternative methods are more sensitive than TBF and that the association of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory findings is necessary to define the presence of malaria.

Promotion of gender equality and social inclusion of unemployed groups in Portuguese European Founds Frameworks (1990-2007): overview and critical reflection

Comunicação apresentada no 38º Congresso Mundial do Instituto Internacional de Sociologia, em Budapeste, Hungria, de 26 a 30 de Junho de 2008.

Identification of factors and groups at risk of infection with Schistosoma mansoni: a strategy for the implementation of control measures?

A fourteen year schistosomiasis control program in Peri-Peri (Capim Branco, MG) reduced prevalence from 43.5 to 4.4%; incidence from 19.0 to 2.9%, the geometric mean of the number of eggs from 281 to 87 and the level of the hepatoesplenic form cases from 5.9 to 0.0%. In 1991, three years after the interruption of the program, the prevalence had risen to 19.6%. The district consists of Barbosa (a rural area) and Peri-Peri itself (an urban area). In 1991, the prevalence in the two areas was 28.4% and 16.0% respectively. A multivariate analysis of risk factors for schistosomiasis indicated the domestic agricultural activity with population attributive risk (PAR) of 29.82%, the distance (< 10 m) from home to water source (PAR = 25.93%) and weekly fishing (PAR = 17.21%) as being responsible for infections in the rural area. The recommended control measures for this area are non-manual irrigation and removal of homes to more than ten meters from irrigation ditches. In the urban area, it was observed that swimming at weekly intervals (PAR = 20.71%), daily domestic agricultural activity (PAR = 4.07%) and the absence of drinking water in the home (PAR=4.29%) were responsible for infections. Thus, in the urban area the recommended control measures are the substitution of manual irrigation with an irrigation method that avoids contact with water, the creation of leisure options of the population and the provision of a domestic water supply. The authors call attention to the need for the efficacy of multivariate analysis of risk factors to be evaluated for schistosomiasis prior to its large scale use as a indicator of the control measures to be implemented.

Recurring contact opportunities within groups of devices

The capability to anticipate a contact with another device can greatly improve the performance and user satisfaction not only of mobile social network applications but of any other relying on some form of data harvesting or hoarding. One of the most promising approaches for contact prediction is to extrapolate from past experiences. This paper investigates the recurring contact patterns observed between groups of devices using an 8-year dataset of wireless access logs produced by more than 70000 devices. This effort permitted to model the probabilities of occurrence of a contact at a predefined date between groups of devices using a power law distribution that varies according to neighbourhood size and recurrence period. In the general case, the model can be used by applications that need to disseminate large datasets by groups of devices. As an example, the paper presents and evaluates an algorithm that provides daily contact predictions, based on the history of past pairwise contacts and their duration. Copyright © 2015 ICST.

Dermatophytosis: association between ABO blood groups and reactivity to the trichophytin

The authors investigated the relationship between dermatophytosis and ABO blood groups through blood typing, identification of isolated dermatophytes and specific cellular immune response of 40 individuals carriers of this mycosis. They verified that the fungus Trichophyton rubrum, isolated from 54.5% of the patients, was more frequent in individuals belonging to blood group A. The cellular immune response, evaluated through the trichophytin antigen, was positive in 25% of the studied patients; the presence of immediate reactions (30 minutes) was verified in 35%. The blood group distribution among patients with dermatophytosis and control groups was, respectively: 47.5% X 36% in group A, 40% X 50% in group O, 12.5% X 11% in group B. Even though the authors have found a higher number of patients belonging to blood group A infected by T. rubrum, these results suggest that there is no statistical evidence that these individuals are more susceptible to dermatophytosis.

Comparative study of the in-hospital case-fatality rate of leptospirosis between pediatric and adult patients of different age groups

The main objective was to compare the in-hospital case-fatality rate of leptospirosis between pediatric (< 19 years) and adult (>19 years) patients, taking into account gender, renal function, duration of symptoms and jaundice. Medical records of 1016 patients were reviewed. Comparative analysis was restricted to 840 patients (100 pediatric, 740 adults) with recorded information on the variables included in the analysis. Among these patients 81.7% were male and 91.5% were icteric. The case-fatality rate of leptospirosis was 14.4%. The odds of death adjusted for gender, jaundice, duration of symptoms, serum urea and serum creatinine were almost four times higher for the adult than for the pediatric group (odds ratio (OR) = 3.94; 95% confidence interval = 1.19-13.03, p = 0.029). Among adults, increased age was also significantly and independently associated with increased risk of death (p < 0.01). Older patients were also more often treated by dialysis. In conclusion, the data suggest that the in-hospital case fatality rate of leptospirosis is higher for adults than for children and adolescents, even after taking into account the effects of several potential risk factors of death. Among adults, older age was also strongly and independently associated with higher risk of death.

Aborto recorrente das causas na mulher às consequências para o casal

RESUMO: O aborto recorrente (AR) é um evento extremamente traumático com grande impacto na vida dos casais. Apesar de avanços significativos verificados na investigação médica, cerca de 50% dos casos continua sem uma causa identificada. Alguns aspectos como a caracterização inadequada das doentes e das perdas gestacionais, assim como diferentes metodologias utilizadas no seu estudo, têm influenciado a prevalência de alguns dos factores causais e dificultado a compreensão do AR. Da mesma forma, pouco se sabe sobre as diferenças de género na vivência psicológica do aborto recorrente e das suas eventuais repercussões para o relacionamento do casal, centrando-se os poucos estudos existentes preferencialmente na mulher. Por esta razão, o objectivo desta tese foi a caracterização dos factores médicos associados ao AR e das consequências psicológicas desta entidade, contribuindo para promover estratégias clínicas baseadas na evidência específica. Na primeira parte desta tese (capítulos 1 e 2), após uma breve introdução geral e através de uma revisão da literatura, efectua-se uma reflexão sobre o tema, abordando a epidemiologia do aborto recorrente, os factores médicos e os aspectos psicológicos associados. Nos capítulos 3 e 4 descrevemos três estudos efectuados em mulheres portuguesas com aborto recorrente. O primeiro estudo teve por objectivo caracterizar os factores médicos e determinar o padrão da perda recorrente de gravidez, numa coorte de mulheres submetidas a um protocolo de diagnóstico definido. As participantes foram agrupadas de acordo com a paridade (AR primário ou secundário) e a idade gestacional das perdas (embrionárias ou fetais). As anomalias da cavidade uterina, a SAAF e as translocações equilibradas parentais foram os factores mais prevalentes. 15,6% das participantes eram obesas. Em 55,5% dos casos não foi identificado nenhum factor. A história obstétrica materna influenciou significativamente os resultados encontrados: os factores anatómicos e a SAAF foram mais prevalentes em nulíparas e as perdas inexplicadas foram mais frequentes em mulheres com AR secundário. Assim, os nossos dados reforçam os resultados de pesquisas anteriores sobre a importância da obesidade, da síndrome de anticorpos antifosfolípidos e das anomalias uterinas estruturais como factores associados ao AR e mostram que os a paridade é um moderador da importância desses factores. Capítulo 6 94 A ausência de resultados consensuais na literatura sobre a etiologia do AR condiciona a pesquisa sistemática de alguns factores, envolvendo exames dispendiosos, muitas vezes sem que exista evidência que suporte a sua associação com esta entidade. A trombofilia hereditária é uma das condições frequentemente investigadas nestas doentes. O nosso segundo estudo pretende contribuir para clarificar o papel de duas mutações (factor V Leiden e protrombina G20210A) na perda recorrente de gravidez e esclarecer a necessidade do seu rastreio nestas situações. Foi efectuada a pesquisa destes polimorfismos em 100 mulheres com AR inexplicado e num grupo de controlo de multíparas sem história de perdas de gravidez. Na nossa amostra não se verificou uma associação entre perdas embrionárias recorrentes e estas mutações. Nas mulheres com este tipo de perdas, a prevalência do FLV foi inclusive menor do que a verificada nos controlos. Pelo contrário, nas participantes com perdas fetais a prevalência destes polimorfismos foi muito superior à verificada nos controlos, sugerindo uma possível associação entre estas duas entidades. A pequena dimensão deste último subgrupo de mulheres, não nos permitiu contudo tirar conclusões. Uma investigação prospectiva multicêntrica é necessária antes de recomendar a pesquisa da trombofilia hereditária na investigação do AR. Procurámos incluir também nesta tese uma dimensão psicológica e contribuir assim para o conhecimento dos processos relacionais originados pelo AR. No terceiro estudo foram investigadas as diferenças de género na vivência do AR e o seu impacto no relacionamento e sexualidade do casal. Participaram neste estudo 30 casais sem filhos, com pelo menos 3 abortos espontâneos consecutivos. Cada membro do casal respondeu a um conjunto de questionários (Impact of Events Scale, Perinatal Grief Scale, Partnership Questionnaire e Intimate Relationship Scale). Os resultados mostram que as mulheres sofrem mais intensamente do que os homens com o AR, relacionando-se a intensidade do seu sofrimento com a qualidade do relacionamento conjugal. A sexualidade do casal é também afectada pelo stress e pelo sofrimento associados ao AR. Uma avaliação e acompanhamento deste tipo de problemas são imprescindíveis para ajudar estes casais a manterem a qualidade afectiva e sexual da sua relação. Finalmente, no capítulo 5 sumariámos as conclusões de toda a contribuição pessoal para a investigação sobre os factores associados e repercussões para o casal da perda recorrente de gravidez.-------------------ABSTRACT: Recurrent miscarriage (RM), a rare condition, has been described as a traumatic event for couples. Parental chromosomal anomalies, maternal thrombophilic disorders and structural uterine anomalies have been directly associated with RM. However, despite significant advances in medical research, the vast majority of cases remain unexplained. Aspects as the ethnic diversity of the population with different expression of genes, the inappropriate characterization of patients and of pregnancy losses, as well as different methodologies used in their study, have influenced the prevalence of etiological factors and have hampered the understanding of this problem. Similarly, little is known about gender differences in psychological experience of RM and its implications for the relationship of the couple. The first objective of this thesis is the characterization of the medical factors and of the psychological consequences related with RM, in the Portuguese population, helping to promote specific evidence-based clinical strategies. In the first part of this thesis, and after a brief general introduction (Chapter 1), a critical review of literature on the definition, the epidemiology and the dimensions involved, with a special emphasis on associated medical and psychological aspects of recurrent miscarriage, is presented (Chapter 2). In Chapters 3 and 4 we describe three studies carried out in Portuguese couples with RM. The first study aimed to investigate the etiological factors and the pattern of pregnancy loss in a cohort of women with RM. Subjects were divided in groups according to their parity (primary or secondary RM) and time of pregnancy loss (embryonic or fetal). Parental chromosome anomalies, uterine anomalies and antiphospholipid syndrome were the most prevalent medical factors. 15.6% of the women were obese. In the majority of cases (55.5%) no identifiable cause was detected. Parity influenced significantly our results. There was a higher prevalence of anatomic factors and antiphospholipid syndrome in primary RM. On the other hand, unexplained losses were more frequent in secondary RM. Except for the parental chromosomal abnormalities; the frequency of risk factors was similar among women with fetal or embryonic losses. Our data emphasizes the results of previous research on the importance of obesity, antiphospholipid syndrome and structural uterine abnormalities as known risk factors for RM, and shows that parity is an important moderator of the weight of those risk factors. Our second study aims to clarify the role of two mutations (factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A) and elucidate the need for their screening in Portuguese women with RM. FVL and PT G20210A analysis was carried out in 100 women with three or more consecutive miscarriages and a control group of 100 parous controls with no history of pregnancy losses. Secondary analysis was made regarding gestational age at miscarriage (embryonic and fetal loss). Overall the prevalence of FVL and PT G20210A was similar in RM women compared with controls. In the RM embryonic subgroup of women, FVL prevalence was inclusively lower than that of controls. Conversely in women with fetal losses both polymorphisms were much more frequent, although statistical significance was not reached due to the small size of this subgroup of patients. These data indicate that inherited maternal thrombophilia is not associated with RM prior to 10 weeks of gestation. Therefore, its screening is not indicated as an initial approach in Portuguese women with RM and a negative personal history of thromboembolic.96 Our second study aims to clarify the role of two mutations (factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A) and elucidate the need for their screening in Portuguese women with RM. FVL and PT G20210A analysis was carried out in 100 women with three or more consecutive miscarriages and a control group of 100 parous controls with no history of pregnancy losses. Secondary analysis was made regarding gestational age at miscarriage (embryonic and fetal loss). Overall the prevalence of FVL and PT G20210A was similar in RM women compared with controls. In the RM embryonic subgroup of women, FVL prevalence was inclusively lower than that of controls. Conversely in women with fetal losses both polymorphisms were much more frequent, although statistical significance was not reached due to the small size of this subgroup of patients. These data indicate that inherited maternal thrombophilia is not associated with RM prior to 10 weeks of gestation. Therefore, its screening is not indicated as an initial approach in Portuguese women with RM and a negative personal history of thromboembolic. In our third study, we investigate gender differences in RM experience and its impact on the couple's relationship and sexuality. Each member of 30 couples with RM answered a set of questionnaires, including the Impact of Events Scale (Horowitz et al., 1979), the Perinatal Grief Scale (Toedter et al., 1988), the Partnership Questionnaire (Hahlweg, 1979) and the Intimate Relationship Scale (Hetherington e Soeken, 1990). Results showed that men do grieve, but less intensely than women. Although the quality of the couple‟s relationship seemed not to be adversely affected by RM, both partners described sexual changes after those events. Grief was related to the quality of communication in the couple for women, and to the quality of sex life for men. An understanding of such issues is critical in helping these couples to maintain sexual and affective quality of their relationship. Finally, in Chapter 5, conclusions and clinical implications of all personal contribution to the investigation on associated factors and relational consequences of recurrent miscarriage are presented.