Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-05-12"
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- O papel da esperança como recurso emocional da mulher após diagnóstico pré natal: análise de estudos qualitativosPublication . Antunes, Mónica; Palma, Sara; Viana, Clara Roquette; Nunes, Inês Robalo; Charepe, Zaida
- Perspectives and possibilities of telehealth medical consultations in primary care practicesPublication . Matos, Maria Miguel da Cruz Fonseca de; Martins, HenriqueTelemedicine solutions have a rising importance in health systems, on the improvement of access to care and the provision of healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic increased its usage, as teleconsultations could help reduce the spread of the virus, however, this should be looked at as a long-term solution, since technology is increasingly present in healthcare. This thesis aims to assess the awareness and perspectives of patients regarding video-teleconsultations, and the possibility of this solution being present in Portuguese primary health care, substituting in-person consultations. Combining evidence from literature and a sample of Portuguese patients, it was possible to analyse video-teleconsultations and non-video-teleconsultations. Patients’ awareness on the videoteleconsultations was high (81,4% of the sample), and influenced by levels of education and income, differing from the general lack of awareness described in several studies. However, the need for more focused awareness campaigns was identified, which was in accordance with literature reviewed. Non-video-teleconsultations had higher levels of awareness and use, when compared to video-teleconsultations, similar to previous studies. Finally, physical interventions, consultations’ purpose, hardware availability and quality and value’s perception of teleconsultations had a significantly influence on the patients’ opinion about the possibility of substitution of in-person consultations for this video-teleconsultations. However, demographic characteristics did not affect, which may be due to the sample size. These findings show telemedicine’s potential on the progress of the provision of care. Yet they still indicate the need for future research on patients and health professionals’ perspectives, and for strategic awareness campaigns regarding teleconsultations in primary care.
- gBIOT - Nutraceutical biopolymeric-biocatalytic microbot against gut inflammatory disordersPublication . Sousa, A. S.; Pintado, M. M.; Matos, R. D.; Sousa, C. C.; Machado, M. F.; Coelho, M.; Rodrigues, P. M.; Magalhães, A. M.; Coscueta, E. R.gBiOT is a novel project that proposes micro-robotic technology for nutraceuticals and therapeutic foods for gastrointestinal tract disorders. Gastrointestinal disorders have high prevalence and morbidity, leading to neoplasia and cancer. Recent advances in nanotechnology have opened up new opportunities in the food sector, allowing for the development of health-food products containing nanosized ingredients that can benefit the entire food chain. However, colon-targeted drug delivery systems have gained the most attention as potential carriers for the local treatment of colonic disorders. While current delivery systems have some benefits, they must be improved to be more than passive delivery systems. Advanced steps would include developing biocompatible devices that can actively identify inflamed regions in the gastrointestinal tract, counteract proinflammatory metabolites, and release drugs to alleviate abnormality. Such devices could propel themselves in the gastrointestinal tract environment, making them active in various tasks. gBiOT aims to address these unmet needs by developing a modular microbot prototype that executes intelligent functions under gastrointestinal disorders. The project is developing functionalized microbots that will test to assess the microbiota interaction and preclinical tests. This would lead to the development of practical solutions for the prophylaxis and control of gastrointestinal diseases with minimal impact on patient quality of life and via sustainable methodologies.
- Neurophysiological correlates of tactile width discrimination in humansPublication . Pais-Vieira, Carla; Allahdad, Mehrab K.; Perrotta, André; Peres, André S.; Kunicki, Carolina; Aguiar, Mafalda; Oliveira, Manuel; Pais-Vieira, MiguelIntroduction: Tactile information processing requires the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information. Width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents, but not in humans. Methods: Here, we describe Electroencephalography (EEG) signals in humans performing a tactile width discrimination task. The first goal of this study was to describe changes in neural activity occurring during the discrimination and the response periods. The second goal was to relate specific changes in neural activity to the performance in the task. Results: Comparison of changes in power between two different periods of the task, corresponding to the discrimination of the tactile stimulus and the motor response, revealed the engagement of an asymmetrical network associated with fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital electrodes and across multiple frequency bands. Analysis of ratios of higher [Ratio 1: (0.5–20 Hz)/(0.5–45 Hz)] or lower frequencies [Ratio 2: (0.5–4.5 Hz)/(0.5–9 Hz)], during the discrimination period revealed that activity recorded from frontal-parietal electrodes was correlated to tactile width discrimination performance between-subjects, independently of task difficulty. Meanwhile, the dynamics in parieto-occipital electrodes were correlated to the changes in performance within-subjects (i.e., between the first and the second blocks) independently of task difficulty. In addition, analysis of information transfer, using Granger causality, further demonstrated that improvements in performance between blocks were characterized by an overall reduction in information transfer to the ipsilateral parietal electrode (P4) and an increase in information transfer to the contralateral parietal electrode (P3). Discussion: The main finding of this study is that fronto-parietal electrodes encoded between-subjects’ performances while parieto-occipital electrodes encoded within-subjects’ performances, supporting the notion that tactile width discrimination processing is associated with a complex asymmetrical network involving fronto-parieto-occipital electrodes.
- Centralized bank digital currencies, decentralized finance, and its impact in emerging marketsPublication . Romero, Nilsen Andrés Arias; Xavier, RuteThe following dissertation explores Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Decentralized Finance (DeFi). The research presented unfolds the implementation of Crypto, CBDC's, and DeFi within the current economies and the impact it might bring to emerging markets, Ultimately, implementing the specified financial services or products within economies depends on each country's government and regulatory bodies. Parallel to the dissertation, a consulting project for Montepio Bank was developed.To answer how Montepio can be involved in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and further understand Cryptocurrencies and the leading players, varied literature on the matter was collected and analyzed along with the thematic analysis and conclusion from the following dissertation.
- Consulting project : financial check-up platforms as a solution for financial literacy in PortugalPublication . Störk, Maurice Benedikt; Xavier, RutePortugal has been identified as the lowest-performing country in terms of financial literacy according to the ECB's ranking. The purpose of this research is to help the Portuguese FinTech Doutor Finanças to improve financial literacy in Portugal by providing a free-access financial management tool for all individuals. Through secondary research, benchmark analysis of best practice financial management tools on the market, and a survey exploring customer wants and motivations behind the usage of such tools, the study identified three key areas of importance for individuals: having an overview of personal finances, utilizing a saving and budget optimization tool, and a tool simplifying investing and trading. The study also emphasized the importance of creating high levels of customer centricity, tailoring the tools to individual needs and life cycles. Furthermore, updating the company's website with a more intuitive and modern design for an effective user experience will give Doutor Finanças a boost as well. The developed tools aim to empower individuals to take control of their finances and improve their financial literacy.
- Quantifying the impact of cyber-attacks on a company’s valuePublication . Simón Núñez, Elena; Bonfim, Diana Carina Ribeiro GuimarãesCyber risk has become a concern for all companies. It is no longer a matter of if a company will suffer a cyber-attack, but when will it happen. Cyber risk can be mitigated, but never eliminated. Companies need to accept they will be exposed to it, or they would not be competitive otherwise. There are many studies analysing the stock price of a company surrounding the announcement of a security breach, but there is not a unique consensus on whether it is negatively impacted or not. In this thesis, I have selected five public companies and calculated the cumulative abnormal returns in order to examine if these companies were penalized by the disclosure of the attack. The stock price of each of the companies dropped the day following the announcement, which can be considered a negative signal from the market. Nonetheless, it is not as noticeable when analysing the abnormal returns. Although in the short-term I obtained negative abnormal returns, in one of the companies this only happens for a day, which is not enough to conclude that the disclosure of a cyber-attack will harm a company. Moreover, one of the companies had a negative CAR on the days surrounding the announcement, but when extending the event window to one-month after the disclosure, the CAR became positive. All three remaining companies analysed in this thesis have negative CARs regardless of the event window, but this does not mean that the negative returns were caused solely by disclosing the event.
- Gigger : exploring unconventional student job opportunities within the platform economy : an evaluation of a digital labour business ideaPublication . Touzard, Tobias León; Xavier, RuteThe past years have substantially transformed the labour landscape. Among other factors, advanced contemporary technologies and the COVID pandemic have disrupted traditional methods of working. With over 150 million individuals already participating in the platform economy, the digital labour market has become an inevitable reality for the modern workforce. Not only limited to transportation and food delivery, companies such as Upwork or Fiverr.com have made the majority of different professions flexibly accessible to end consumers. By tapping into this market, Gigger, a multisided platform that allows for microtask provision between small businesses and students, wants to leverage this current trend. This present study attempts to examine the current digital labour landscape and its competitors, and whether or not the different target groups (small businesses and students) are willing to participate in the platform scheme that Gigger proposes. Specifically, the study tries to identify if there is demand for Gigger’s services for small businesses and if students are curious to explore unconventional methods of working such as freelancing. At first, the market analysis has shown a promising outlook on the establishment of Gigger’s platform service within the current digital labour market. Subsequently, following a qualitative approach, 20 semistructured interviews were conducted. The insights gained from small businesses indicate a favourable direction that there is demand for Gigger’s services. On the other hand, while students have shown interest in pursuing other modes of working such as freelancing current tax regulations provide a major obstacle in to pursue such a path.
- Intervenções de enfermagem direcionadas à família da pessoa em situação crítica internada numa unidade de cuidados intensivos: um protocolo de scoping reviewPublication . Marques, Ana Jorge; Ferreira, Ana; Coelho, Patrícia; Sá, Luís
- O impacto das medidas de coação no contrato de trabalho : a natureza jurídica das ausências do trabalhador arguidoPublication . Tavares, Martina Silva; Silva, Germano Marques da