Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2018"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 1713
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- O impacto da auditoria interna na gestão municipal: o caso dos municípios portuguesesPublication . Furtado, Rony Patrick Almeida Correia; Ribeiro, Nuno A.; Nogueira, Sónia P.Nos últimos tempos, a investigação em gestão pública tem evoluído significativamente. No entanto, apesar dessa evolução são ainda várias as questões que permanecem sem resposta na investigação em Administração Pública. O estudo do impacto e da importância da atividade da auditoria interna na gestão municipal é exemplo disso. Este estudo tem como principal objetivo perceber em que medida, e de que maneira as informações veiculadas pela atividade de auditoria interna influenciam na tomada de decisão pelos órgãos executivos. Para a realização deste estudo, foram aplicados dois inquéritos por questionário. A amostra foi constituída pelos responsáveis pela auditoria interna e pelos responsáveis do órgão executivo dos 278 municípios existentes no continente. Neste estudo foi realizada uma análise descritiva e inferencial de forma a verificar as relações existentes entre as variáveis em análise. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que o grupo dos respondentes têm o mesmo entendimento quanto ao impacto e à importância da atividade de auditoria interna na gestão municipal. Apesar de algumas das variáveis independentes (solicitação, avaliação e o grau de importância) não estarem diretamente associadas com a influência das informações veiculadas pela atividade de auditoria interna no processo de tomada de decisão pelos órgãos executivos, são reconhecidas vantagens à auditoria das contas municipais quer pelos executivos como pelos demais utilizadores da informação produzidas pelos auditores internos.
- Chemical composition, nutritional value and antioxidant properties of Mediterranean okra genotypes in relation to harvest stagePublication . Petropoulos, Spyridon Α.; Fernandes, Ângela; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of fruit size on nutritional value, chemical composition and antioxidant properties of Mediterranean okra genotypes. For this purpose, pods from four okra cultivars and local landraces commonly cultivated in Greece, as well as pods from four commercial cultivars from North America were collected at two sizes (3–5 and > 7 cm). Significant differences were observed between the studied genotypes for both nutritional value and chemical composition parameters. Small fruit had a higher nutritional value, whereas chemical composition differed in a genotype dependent manner with most of the studied cultivars showing better results when harvested in small size. In conclusion, fruit size has a genotype dependent impact on chemical composition and nutritional value of okra pods and the common practice of harvesting okra fruit while they still have a small size helps to increase nutritional value for most of the studied genotypes.
- A escola como distopia: representações em diários juvenis ficcionais do século XXIPublication . Teixeira, CarlosA presente comunicação insere-se numa interface aberta pelo diálogo entre os estudos literários e a pedagogia. Assim sendo, em termos metodológicos, procede-se a uma abordagem em que se cruzam a poética e a análise literárias com uma reflexão acerca das perceções (ficcionadas) da realidade escolar. No âmbito da poética literária, a investigação realizada centra-se na problematização da dimensão cronotópica do texto literário, ao mesmo tempo que reflete acerca do dinamismo genológico evidenciado, no presente caso, pelo surgimento de diários ficcionais. Em termos de análise literária, seleciona-se como objeto de estudo um conjunto de obras do universo da literatura para adolescentes/jovens. Mais especificamente, este corpus é constituído por diários ficcionais publicados no século XXI e cujo destinatário preferencial é o leitor adolescente. Como objetivo de pesquisa, regista-se a intenção de analisar um corpus de diários ficcionais, procurando evidenciar as representações que neles são feitas da escola. Esta análise centra-se numa leitura atenta de duas fundamentais categorias dos estudos narratológicos: a personagem e o espaço. A escola é, portanto, perspetivada como espaço social e psicológico (mais do que como – mero – espaço físico). As referências à escola, nas obras diarísticas analisadas, são organizadas em três grandes categorias: (i) a escola como instituição (visão global); (ii) os professores e os saberes escolares; (iii) os colegas (autoimagem e relações interpessoais). As conclusões revelam uma significativa alteração das perceções dos sujeitos-diarísticos em relação à escola e às vivências juvenis, que acontecem em contexto escolar. Na verdade, muitos dos diários ficcionais preferencialmente destinados a um leitor adolescente manifestaram, durante o século XX, preocupações com as questões da educação. No século XXI predominam visões disruptivas da escola. O sujeito da enunciação diarística (narrador-personagem) assume-se como um sujeito em crise, ostentando uma perceção disfórica de si e do seu meio. A escola, como principal espaço de (con)vivência, é sistematicamente apresentada como um (micro)universo distópico.
- Kinetic study of the esterification process catalyzed by ionic liquids for fatty acid methyl esters productionPublication . Meireles, Cristiana Vanessa Brás; Queiroz, Ana; Ribeiro, António E.; Brito, PauloDue to the massive use of energy from non-renewable sources, as well as to environmental problems, it is important to find green alternatives to energy production. In this context, biodiesel arises as a possible diesel substitute which can be produced using basic or acid catalysts. Despite these traditional catalysts allow high production yields, problems related to its use and the environmental impacts associated, result in the need to search for more sustainable alternatives. Ionic liquids (ILs), used as possible catalysts, represent an interesting alternative because they can be recovered and reused, being environmentally friendly. The kinetics of the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) using oleic acid and methanol, and 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulfate, [BMIM][MeSO4], IL as catalyst is presented. All kinetics measurements were carried out for 8 hours, with a catalyst quantity of 10% w/w, and a molar ratio oleic acid/methanol of 1:10, using four different reaction temperatures (60, 80, 100 and 110°C), under stirring, temperature control and reflux. Throughout the reaction, and at predetermined times (0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360, 420 and 480 min), 1 mL of sample was collected from the reaction vessel. The acidity value, expressed in mg KOH/g biodiesel, was determined immediately after the sampling using the experimental procedure according to European Standard EN 14104. The conversion of oleic acid, in percentage, was estimated by comparing the initial and final acidity values. It was considered for the calculation of the initial acidity value, the sample collected at time 0 min. The integral method was applied considering 0th, 1st, 2nd and 3rd order kinetics relating to oleic acid, for all temperatures. Therefore, the coefficients of determination (R2) were compared and the order of reaction was selected taking into account the highest value attained. Finally, the Arrhenius theory was used to predict the activation energy value.
- Céline politiquement incorrect: marqueur d'une époquePublication . Alves, Ana M.Dans un discours politiquement incorrect, fictionnel, Céline témoigne d'une époque, accuse, remue le couteau dans la blessure du débat contemporain. Il procède à la peinture de la société française dans un style qui lui est propre et qui cherche à faire sentir, beaucoup plus qu'à décrire. D'après le critique Olivier Bardolle « Céline écri[t] avec [sa] peau, [son] épiderme hypersensible (ce cerveau étalé), qui [lui] fait ressentir la vérité de [son] époque mieux que tout raisonnement ou analyse savante.» . Par le biais de propos et de comportements hors normes, grossiers, vulgaires et outranciers, Céline heurte les règles de la bienséance, de la morale. Il se rebelle contre le conformisme tout en utilisant son franc-parler célinien à la recherche d'une vérité qui est la sienne. Notre propos est de souligner que cet auteur corrosif, reconnu comme marqueur de son époque, a utilisé son écriture comme un acte d'irrévérence sociale. De la sorte, il fuit le politiquement correct, qui cherche à ne déplaire à personne, à ne froisser aucune susceptibilité et s'inscrit, à jamais, dans le politiquement incorrect qui dérange. Dès lors, il ne cesse d'être sujet de polémiques encore de nos jours.
- Literatura infantil e xuvenil. FeminismoPublication . Dotras Bravo, Alexia; Neira Rodríguez, Marta; Pena Presas, Montse; López Teixeiro, LidiaA literatura infantil e xuvenil galega desenvólvese no século XX e as mulleres autoras, como en todos os ámbitos do saber, destacan polo seu labor de resistencia, a contracorrente ou de actuación illada –e por iso destacada– na sociedade que lles tocou vivir. Desde a década dos 40 coas primeiras obras de Pura e Dora Vázquez, malia non ser todas en galego, até os anos 90, unha serie de autoras (as devanditas irmás, Xohana Torres, Úrsula Heinze, María Victoria Moreno, etc.) viviron nunha Galicia e nunha emigración que merece ser contextualizada desde a perspectiva teórica, sociocultural e literaria. Estes territorios transitados polas mulleres son marcados por posicións de resistencia á ditadura, como tantas outras manifestacións artísticas, polo simple feito de seren mulleres intelectuais e por dedicárense á literatura infantil e xuvenil en galego. Desde os setenta coa apertura cultural e os apoios políticos e institucionais, a LIX presenta, como todo o contexto sociocultural galego, unha serie de fitos en canais de expresión e situacións singulares que servirán como marco do panel sobre pioneiras na LIX galega
- Red blood cells (RBCs) visualisation in bifurcations and bendsPublication . Fidalgo, Joana; Pinho, Diana; Lima, Rui A.; Oliveira, Mónica S.N.Bifurcating networks are commonly found in nature. One example is the microvascular system, composed of blood vessels consecutively branching into daughter vessels, driving the blood into the capillaries, where the red blood cells (RBCs) are responsible for delivering O 2 and up taking cell waste and CO 2 . In this preliminary study, we explore a microfluidic bifurcating geometry inspired by such biological models, for investigating RBC partitioning as well as RBC-plasma separation favored by the consecutive bifurcating channels. A biomimetic design rule [1] based on Murray’s law [2] was used to set the channels’ dimensions along the network, which consists of consecutive bifurcating channels of reducing diameter. The ability to apply differential flow resistances by controlling the flow rates at the end of the network allowed us to monitor the formation of a cell-free layer (CFL) for different flow conditions at haematocrits of 1% and 5%. We have also compared the values of CFL thickness determined directly by the measurement on the projection image created from a stack of images or indirectly by analyzing the intensity profile in the same projection. The results obtained from this study confirm the potential to study RBC partitioning along bifurcating networks, which could be of particular interest for the separation of RBCs from plasma in point-of-care devices.
- Thermomechanical behavior of circular steel archesPublication . Gomes, Margarida; Mesquita, L.M.R.Circular steel arches are structural members curved in the plane of the applied loads, where the radius of curvature is much higher than the cross-section depth. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the behaviour of circular arches at room and elevated temperatures, like those that can arise from fires. The in plane buckling of arches is analysed numerically, using ANSYS software, considering different domains, linear elastic analysis, nonlinear elastic analysis and nonlinear geometric and material analysis, where the structural capacity of arches are studied in function of the geometric imperfections and residual stresses. The results are compared with those obtained by the simplified methods of Eurocode 3 part 1.1 and 1.2. The circular steel arches considered comprise a parametric analysis for arches with different spans, radius of curvature and opening angle at different temperature values, and subjected to an uniform radial distributed load. The values of the critical compression loads and the collapse loads were obtained for the different arcs, supports and temperatures. For the different geometries, the results allows to define the instability failure modes, symmetric or antisymmetric. It is concluded that increasing the arch height to the span ratio produces a decrease of the elastic critical load and the collapse load of the arch. The collapse mode for shorter arches is due to the formation of a plastic hinge whereas in the long span arches the structure will became instable before plastification, producing in plane instability in its stronger plane.
- Monitoring of emerging micropollutants in hydric media in Bragança districtPublication . Nemoto, Ana; Gonçalves, Morgana; Ribeiro, António E.; Brito, Paulo; Queiroz, AnaThis work aims to develop and validate a method for the quantification and monitoring of emerging micropollutants belonging to the class of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP´s) in several hydric media from Bragança district, Portugal. Six pharmaceutical drugs were selected for this study, namely, ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, azithromycin, sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine and belongs to three different subclasses that were worldwide prescribed: three anti-inflammatory, two antibiotics and one antiepileptic, respectively. These compounds were chosen after searching which compounds could be more frequently medical prescribed in Bragança, based on related studies associated with regions with similar socioeconomic data. The next step will be the selection of an extraction and an instrumental method of analysis, as well as the selection of the samples collection points in Bragança and to perform some preliminary monitoring of the referred emerging micropollutants.
- Chemical and physicochemical changes in Serrana goat cheese submitted to extra-long ripening periodsPublication . Fernandes, Ângela; Barreira, João C.M.; Barros, Lillian; Mendonça, Álvaro; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Sousa, Fernando Ruivo deGoat milk cheese is highly appreciated since ancient times. However, besides being consumed close to its production date, according to the common practice, there is an increasing trend towards consuming goat milk cheese submitted to long ripening periods. Throughout this process, several chemical changes are expected, justifying the different properties presented by ripe cheese in comparison to fresh one. Accordingly, proximate composition, salt percentage, saponifiable matter, color parameters, pH and fatty acids were compared in cheese submitted to medium, long and extra-long ripening. The parameters showing significant changes among different ripening periods were effectively identified, highlighting fatty acids as the ones with highest variation. Actually, fatty acids profiles were successfully assayed as a chemical fingerprint of goat milk cheese submitted to different ripening periods. This result raised up the possibility of discriminating goat milk cheese ripening period using a single, fast and reliable chromatographic methodology.