7664 research outputs found
Sort by
Suggestions for promoting SOC storage within the carbon farming framework: Analyzing the INFOSOLO database
No full textThe new world challenges under climate change call for eco-friendly practices that make agriculture’s economic and social dimensions compatible with environmental preservation and ecosystem resilience. Carbon farming has emerged as an interesting alternative for dealing with these new frameworks, as it promotes conservation agriculture with practices that increase carbon sequestration in soils and plants. Considering these motivations, this research intends to bring more insights into the levels of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the Portuguese context, and this variable is interrelated with land use, land attributes, and soil characteristics. Statistical information from the INFOSOLO legacy database was analyzed through statistical methodologies and machine-learning approaches. The findings provide interesting support for the stakeholders about the influence of land use and soil types on the levels of SOC
Development of a Mediterranean Diet Recipe Index (MedRI)
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is globally recognized for its nutritional, environmental, and cultural value. Although several indices assess adherence to the MD and its food environments, none evaluate the alignment of individual recipes with MD principles. This study aimed to develop and validate the Mediterranean Diet Recipe Index (MedRI), a novel scoring tool designed to quantify the concordance of recipes with MD guidelines. Methods: The MedRI was conceptualized through a comprehensive literature review and expert panel assessment, integrating two main dimensions: consumption context and recipe composition. The index evaluates ingredient selection, preparation methods, and food group inclusion, with criteria adapted to specific recipe categories. Validation was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 244 adults living in Portugal. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), Cohen’s kappa, Chi-square tests, Cramer’s V, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: Validation results demonstrated strong internal consistency and construct validity, confirming the reliability and applicability of the MedRI in assessing recipe alignment with MD principles. Conclusions: The MedRI thus represents a reliable and innovative tool to assess and promote culinary practices consistent with the MD. It holds potential applications in nutrition education, public health policymaking, and gastronomic research, supporting the advancement of sustainable and health-promoting dietary models.</jats:p
Ferramentas de Avaliação para a Melhoria Das Relações Educadora-Crianças
No full textEste relatório de estágio divide-se em duas partes principais: uma reflexão sobre as práticas educativas realizadas e um projeto de investigação. A primeira parte apresenta uma análise das experiências pedagógicas desenvolvidas durante o estágio supervisionado, destacando os principais desafios, aprendizagens e sugerindo melhorias para uma prática educativa mais eficaz e centrada nas necessidades das crianças. A segunda parte incide sobre um estudo desenvolvido no contexto da Educação Pré-Escolar, com o objetivo de compreender de que forma ferramentas de avaliação podem contribuir para a melhoria das relações entre a educadora e as crianças. O problema de investigação que orientou o primeiro estudo foi: “De que forma a Escala de Empenho do Adulto e a Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) podem ajudar a educadora a melhorar as suas relações com as crianças e o seu desempenho profissional?”. A partir desta questão, analisou-se o impacto destas ferramentas na promoção de práticas pedagógicas mais conscientes e ajustadas, com especial enfoque na qualidade das interações e no relacionamento interpessoal em contexto educativo. A metodologia adotada foi de natureza quantitativa e descritiva, recorrendo à Escala de Empenho do Adulto, baseada na observação estruturada do desempenho da educadora, e à Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) é um instrumento de autorrelato que permite refletir sobre a relação com cada criança, focando as dimensões de proximidade, conflito e dependência. Os resultados do primeiro estudo revelaram que a STRS foi eficaz na avaliação das interações educadora-criança, permitindo identificar vínculos positivos e aspetos a melhorar. A Escala de Empenho do Adulto, por sua vez, ofereceu uma perspetiva externa sobre o desempenho da educadora, evidenciando o impacto da sua sensibilidade, capacidade de estimulação e promoção da autonomia no grupo de crianças. A utilização combinada destas ferramentas favoreceu uma reflexão crítica sobre a prática pedagógica e ajudou a melhorar a qualidade das interações. Com base nessa análise inicial, surgiu uma nova questão-problema que orientou o segundo estudo da investigação: “Será que, ao longo do tempo, se podem observar mudanças na relação entre a educadora e as crianças com base na utilização da STRS?”. Nesta etapa, o estudo passou a focar-se exclusivamente na aplicação contínua da STRS, com o objetivo geral de analisar a evolução das relações ao longo do tempo e avaliar se as intervenções baseadas nessa análise promovem melhorias significativas nas interações. Página | 5 Os resultados deste segundo estudo demonstraram melhorias claras nas dimensões de proximidade e conflito. Verificou-se um fortalecimento do vínculo afetivo e uma gestão mais eficaz das situações desafiantes, atribuídas à implementação de estratégias como a comunicação empática, o diálogo e a resolução colaborativa de problemas. A dimensão de dependência manteve-se relativamente estável, indicando que, apesar do progresso, as necessidades emocionais das crianças continuaram a exigir atenção. A principal contribuição deste estudo foi evidenciar que o uso contínuo da STRS não só permite avaliar as relações educadora-criança, como também promove um processo de autorreflexão e melhoria contínua da prática profissional. A monitorização regular possibilitou ajustes pedagógicos mais intencionais e alinhados com as necessidades do grupo.This internship report is divided into two main parts: a reflection on the educational
practices carried out and a research project. The first part presents an analysis of the
pedagogical experiences developed during the supervised internship, highlighting the
main challenges, learnings, and suggesting improvements for a more effective
educational practice focused on the needs of children.
The second part focuses on a study conducted in the context of Early Childhood
Education, aiming to understand how assessment tools can contribute to improving the
relationships between the educator and the children. The guiding research question for
the first phase was: “How can the Adult Engagement Scale and the Student-Teacher
Relationship Scale (STRS) help the educator improve her relationships with the children
and her professional performance?” Based on this question, the impact of these tools on
promoting more conscious and adjusted pedagogical practices was analyzed, with
special emphasis on the quality of interactions and interpersonal relationships in the
educational context.
The methodology adopted was quantitative and descriptive in nature, using the Adult
Engagement Scale, based on structured observation of the educator’s performance, and
the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS), a self-report questionnaire that allows
Página | 6
for reflection on the relationship with each child, focusing on the dimensions of
closeness, conflict, and dependency.
The results of the first phase showed that the STRS was effective in assessing
educator-child interactions, allowing for the identification of positive bonds and areas for
improvement. The Adult Engagement Scale, in turn, provided an external perspective on
the educator’s performance, highlighting the impact of her sensitivity, ability to stimulate,
and promotion of autonomy within the group of children. The combined use of these tools
encouraged critical reflection on pedagogical practice and helped improve the quality of
interactions.
Based on this initial analysis, a new research question emerged to guide the second
phase of the study: “Over time, can changes be observed in the relationship between
the educator and the children based on the use of the STRS?” This phase focused
exclusively on the continuous application of the STRS, with the general objective of
analyzing the evolution of relationships over time and assessing whether interventions
based on this analysis promote significant improvements in interactions.
The results of the second phase showed clear improvements in the dimensions of
closeness and conflict. There was a strengthening of the affective bond and more
effective management of challenging situations, attributed to the implementation of
strategies such as empathetic communication, dialogue, and collaborative problemsolving. The dependency dimension remained relatively stable, indicating that despite
the progress, the emotional needs of the children continued to require attention.
The main contribution of this phase was to show that the continuous use of the STRS
not only enables the evaluation of educator-child relationships but also promotes a
process of self-reflection and continuous improvement of professional practice. Regular
monitoring allowed for more intentional pedagogical adjustments aligned with the needs
of the group
Impactos da Educação Visual e Educação Tecnológica no Desenvolvimento da Criança do 2º Ciclo do Ensino Básico
Get PDFO presente Relatório Final de Estágio encontra-se organizado em duas partes: a primeira dedicada à Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, realizada em três fases – PES I, PES II e PES III – e a segunda referente ao Projeto de Investigação. Este Projeto de Investigação tem como objetivo geral compreender de que forma as disciplinas de Educação Visual e Educação Tecnológica contribuem para o desenvolvimento cognitivo, social e emocional das crianças do 2.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Partindo de uma revisão teórica que abrange conceitos como o desenvolvimento infantil, o desenvolvimento da criatividade e a educação pela arte, foi possível fundamentar a relevância destas disciplinas enquanto espaços de expressão, reflexão crítica e crescimento integral. A investigação assumiu uma natureza mista, combinando abordagens quantitativas e qualitativas. Recorreu-se à aplicação de questionários a professores que lecionam as disciplinas de Educação Visual e Tecnológica, complementados por um grupo focal com alunos, permitindo recolher dados que espelham as perceções e experiências de ambos os intervenientes. De forma mais específica, pretende-se analisar como estas disciplinas promovem o pensamento crítico, a criatividade e a resolução de problemas; compreender o papel da expressão criativa e emocional no desenvolvimento pessoal dos alunos; e identificar o impacto destas aprendizagens noutras áreas do conhecimento. Os resultados evidenciam que professores e alunos reconhecem nas disciplinas de Educação Visual e Educação Tecnológica um espaço privilegiado para estimular a autonomia, o trabalho colaborativo, a sensibilidade estética e a capacidade de enfrentar desafios de forma criativa, confirmando a sua relevância para uma educação mais humanista, reflexiva e transformadora.The present Final Internship Report is organised into two parts: the first is dedicated to the Supervised Teaching Practice, carried out in three phases – PES I, PES II and PES III – and the second focuses on the Research Project. The Research Project has as its general objective to understand how the subjects of Visual Education and Technological Education contribute to the cognitive, social and emotional development of children in the 2nd Cycle of Basic Education. Based on a theoretical review addressing concepts such as child development, the development of creativity and education through art, it was possible to substantiate the relevance of these subjects as spaces for expression, critical reflection and holistic development. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Questionnaires were administered to teachers of Visual and Technological Education, complemented by a focus group with students, allowing for the collection of data reflecting the perceptions and experiences of both groups. More specifically, the study aims to analyse how these subjects promote critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills; to understand the role of creative and emotional expression in students’ personal development; and to identify the impact of these learnings on other areas of knowledge. The results show that both teachers and students recognise Visual Education and Technological Education as privileged spaces for fostering autonomy, collaborative work, aesthetic sensitivity and the ability to face challenges creatively, thus confirming their relevance to a more humanistic, reflective and transformative education
From Household to Public Sphere: Women Farmers, Gender Inequality, and Collective Mobilisation.
Get PDFThe MAIs Project – Women Farmers in Inland Territories – aimed to empower and promote the civic and associative participation of women farmers in S. Pedro do Sul and Sabugal, contributing to the advancement of gender equality in these regions. Using a participatory approach grounded in the principles of community development, activities were structured along three axes of intervention: personal/social, technical, and collective. This article analyses gender inequality in civic participation and highlights popular education as a key tool for strengthening collective action. When considering community mobilisation in rural contexts, it is essential to recognise the role of trust-based networks and the coordination between public policies and local actors. Women farmers face structural barriers that limit their engagement in the public sphere, including the burden of domestic and agricultural labour and persistent patriarchal norms. Thus, the centrality of labour and the gendered division of responsibilities emerged as key factors in understanding patterns of political participation and the development of collective action
O uso de machine learning na prevenção de diabetes
Get PDFA Diabetes Mellitus é uma das doenças crónicas com crescimento mais acele rado no mundo, demandando soluções eficazes para diagnóstico e prevenção. Neste
contexto, técnicas de Machine Learning (ML) apresentam potencial significativo na
identificação de padrões relevantes ao controlo da doença. Este estudo utilizou a
metodologia CRISP-DM para analisar dados do Diabetes Health Indicators Dataset,
contendo informações sociodemográficas, clínicas e comportamentais.
Na fase de pré-processamento, aplicou-se o equilíbrio de classes por subamos tragem (NearMiss) devido à baixa proporção de indivíduos diabéticos. Técnicas de
seleção de características, como Eliminação Recursiva de Características (RFE) e
Análise de Componentes Principais (PCA), foram utilizadas para avaliar a relevân cia das variáveis e reduzir a dimensionalidade. Avaliaram-se seis modelos: Floresta
Aleatória, Gradient Boosting, KNN, Regressão Logística, Perceptron Multicamadas
(MLP) e Redes Neuronais Recorrentes (RNN).
Os resultados mostraram que o equilíbrio das classes melhorou significativamente
o desempenho, destacando-se a RNN, com acurácia acima de 86% e F1-score próximo
a 0,87. A combinação da seleção RFE com MLP também apresentou resultados
robustos. Conclui-se que ML e DL são promissores para priorizar acompanhamento
clínico e apoiar políticas públicas, sendo necessário ampliar a representatividade
dos dados, incorporar técnicas de Explainable AI para maior interpretabilidade, e
ajustar limiares decisórios visando minimizar falsos negativos.Diabetes Mellitus is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in the world,
requiring effective solutions for diagnosis and prevention. In this context, Machine
Learning (ML) techniques have significant potential for identifying patterns relevant
to disease control. This study used the CRISP-DM methodology to analyze data
from the Diabetes Health Indicators Dataset, containing sociodemographic, clinical
and behavioral information.
In the pre-processing phase, class balancing by undersampling (NearMiss) was
applied due to the low proportion of diabetic individuals. Feature selection te chniques, such as Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) and Principal Component
Analysis (PCA), were used to assess the relevance of the variables and reduce di mensionality. Six models were evaluated: Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, KNN,
Logistic Regression, Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Recurrent Neural Networks
(RNN).
The results showed that class balancing significantly improved performance, with
RNN standing out with accuracy above 86% and an F1-score near 0.87. The combi nation of RFE feature selection with MLP also yielded robust results. It is concluded
that ML and DL are promising for prioritizing clinical follow-up and supporting pu blic policies. However, it is necessary to increase data representativeness, incorporate
Explainable AI techniques for greater interpretability, and adjust decision-making
thresholds aiming to minimize false negatives
Olive Tree (Olea europaea) Pruning: Chemical Composition and Valorization of Wastes Through Liquefaction
Get PDFOlive tree branches (OB) and leaves (OL) from the Viseu region (Portugal) were studied for their chemical composition and liquefaction behavior using polyalcohols. Chemical analysis revealed that OL contained higher ash content (4.08%) and extractives, indicating more bioactive compounds, while OB had greater α-cellulose (30.47%) and hemicellulose (27.88%). Lignin content was higher in OL (21.64%) than OB (16.40%). Liquefaction experiments showed that increasing the temperature from 140 ◦C to 180 ◦C improved conversion, with OB showing a larger increase (52.5% to 80.9%) compared to OL (66% to 72%). OB reached peak conversion faster, and the optimal particle size for OB was 40–60 mesh, while OL performed better at finer sizes. OL benefited more from higher solvent ratios, whereas OB achieved high conversion with less solvent. FTIR analysis confirmed that acid-catalyzed liquefaction breaks down lignocellulosic structures, depolymerizes cellulose and hemicellulose, and modifies lignin, forming hydroxyl, aliphatic, and carbonyl groups. These changes reflect progressive biomass degradation and the incorporation of polyalcohol components, converting solid biomass into a reactive, polyol-rich liquid. The study highlights the distinct chemical and processing characteristics of olive branches and leaves, informing their potential industrial applications.N/
Cardiotoxicidade associada ao tratamento antineoplásico na pessoa com cancro da mama
Get PDFEnquadramento: a Especialidade em Enfermagem Médico-Cirúrgica prevê uma prática profissional avançada dirigida à pessoa em situação crítica, que se alicerça em métodos e em técnicas de investigação que apoiem uma prática especializada em consonância com a evidência científica mais atual. O Enfermeiro Especialista deve cuidar da pessoa em situação crítica e respetiva família a vivenciar processos complexos, otimizando o ambiente e os processos terapêuticos e maximizando a intervenção na prevenção e controlo da infeção e de resistência a antimicrobianos perante a pessoa a vivenciar processos médicos (Regulamento nº 429/2018 de 16 de julho, 2018).
Objetivos: descrever o percurso desenvolvido para a obtenção de conhecimentos e competências específicas da Enfermagem Médico-Cirúrgica, na área da Enfermagem à Pessoa em Situação Crítica e desenvolvimento de investigação científica.
Metodologia: foi elaborado um relatório final com uma componente clínica, de forma expositiva e reflexiva, e uma componente de investigação, através da realização de um estudo de caso e de um estudo observacional, retrospetivo e descritivo-correlacional, com o objetivo de avaliar o impacto do tratamento antineoplásico na função cardíaca no doente com cancro da mama.
Conclusão: o estágio permitiu mobilizar conhecimentos, adquirir e desenvolver competências específicas por forma a prestar cuidados de saúde de qualidade, baseados na evidência científica, intervir de forma holística, em tempo útil, priorizando intervenções de acordo com os processos complexos associados à doença aguda e/ou crónica, e potenciar o desenvolvimento de investigação na prática através da elaboração da componente de investigação.
Palavras-chave: Enfermagem; Pessoa em Situação Crítica; Cardiotoxicidade; Tratamento Antineoplásico; Cancro da Mama.Abstract
Context: this master’s degree involves advanced professional practice aimed at individuals in critical situations, grounded in research methods and techniques that support specialized practice in alignment with the most current scientific evidence. The Clinical Nurse Specialist must care for individuals in critical situations and their families, helping them navigate complex processes, optimizing the environment and therapeutic processes and maximizing the intervention in the prevention and control of infection and antimicrobial resistance in patients undergoing medical processes (Regulation nº 429/2018, July 16, 2018).
Objectives: describe the path taken to acquire knowledge and specific skills in Medical-Surgical Nursing, particularly in Critical Care Nursing, and the development of scientific research.
Methodology: a final report was prepared with a clinical component, presented in both an expository and reflective manner, and a research component through the implementation of a case report and a retrospective, observational, descriptive-correlational study aimed at assessing the impact of antineoplastic treatment on cardiac function in cancer breast cancer patients.
Conclusion: the internship allowed the mobilization of knowledge, acquisition and development of specific skills to provide quality healthcare, based on scientific evidence, to intervene holistically in a timely manner, prioritizing interventions according to the complex processes associated with acute and/or chronic illness, and enhancing the development of research in practice through the creation of the research component.
Keywords: Nursing; Critical Care; Cardiotoxicity; Antineoplastic Treatment; Breast Cance