Repository logo

Browsing by resource type "doctoral thesis"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 781
  • 30 years of culture, art, and metamorphoses : the Modern Art Centre of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the reshaping of Lisbon's culturalscape
    Publication . Maurício, Ana Fabíola Ferreiro Nobre; Barba, Maria Luísa Leal de Faria Geraldes; Nünning, Ansgar
    Esta dissertação analisa o papel do Centro de Arte Moderna (CAM) da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (FCG) na remodelação da paisagem cultural de Lisboa desde o início da década de 1980 até ao início da década de 2010, estabelecendo um diálogo entre as actividades do CAM e os contextos socio-políticos, educacionais e artistíco-culturais lisboetas. A pesquisa, levando em consideração o aspecto transitório desses contextos ao longo do tempo, delineia uma trajectória do desenvolvimento de Lisboa (e de Portugal) nos campos da acessibilidade, democratização, consumo e fruição artísticas e culturais. Esta delineação, que inclui uma revisão dos respectivos desenvolvimentos Europeus e Norte-Americanos como forma de contextualização, começa por abranger o período do regime dictatorial do Estado Novo – realçando o papel da FCG na concepção de novas políticas culturais e no iniciar de um processo de modernização – e o período da Revolução de 1974 em Portugal – sublinhando a relevância das contra-culturas na redefinição das práticas artísticas e académicas –, de forma a retratar as realidades culturais portuguesas e internacionais que precederam (e em grande medida influenciaram) os processos de construção mental, social e material do CAM. A análise procura explicar como o CAM, enquanto reflexo dessas realidades e resposta às mesmas, se tornaria um elemento de mudança de paradigma dentro das paisagens artísticas e culturais lisboetas, bem como uma característica chave do necessário curto-circuito entre os objectivos da modernidade e os valores simbólicos da pós-modernidade (v. Santos, 2013[1994]). A pesquisa centra-se, então, em explorar o papel do CAM no estabelecimento de um complexo exibicionário (v. Bennett, 1999) conducente ao apoio de uma transição cultural entre a modernidade tardia e a pós-modernidade na década de 1980 e útil na mediação dos processos de globalização a partir do fim da década de 1990. Esta dissertação tem, assim, como objectivo perceber e demonstrar a forma como a acção do CAM no campo artístico-cultural remodelou indelevelmente a paisagem cultural de Lisboa, i.e., a forma como o CAM encarnou transformações socio-políticas e urbano-museológicas e, assim, contribuíu para remodelar os comportamentos artístico-culturais dos cidadãos – e consequentemente as suas identidades culturais – em momentos cruciais de redefinições urbanas e nacionais.
    2016-11-08Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • Abandono oculto : as realidades por detrás das estatísticas
    Publication . Oliveira, António Manuel Branco; Azevedo, Joaquim
    O fenómeno do abandono escolar precoce, não sendo novo, nem exclusivo, permanece como uma das mais prementes preocupações. A institucionalização da escolaridade obrigatória fez crescer o clima compulsivo, obrigando todos a frequentar a escola, e trouxe consigo um novo fenómeno: o de alunos que estão em abandono escolar, não efetivo, mas oculto dentro da própria escola. Foi nosso propósito comprovar empiricamente que no ensino básico há alunos que, possuindo características e percursos de abandono escolar, permanecem matriculados, mas desengajados e, neste sentido, em abandono oculto. Quisemos, então, compreender o que acontece na escola com estes alunos, quais as suas trajetórias escolares e os motivos do seu alheamento, procurando desvelar a realidade por detrás das estatísticas. Para tal, procedemos a uma clarificação conceptual, convocando os conceitos de Abandono Precoce de Educação e Formação (APEF), de desengajamento escolar e de abandono oculto. Partindo dos seus mais fortes preditores – o fraco desempenho escolar, o absentismo e os problemas de comportamento/ indisciplina – construímos um Perfil de Aluno em Abandono Oculto e concebemos um Dispositivo de Identificação do Abandono Oculto (DIAO). Ao pretender iluminar esta problemática, ancorados no paradigma da complexidade, numa metodologia de cariz qualitativo e numa lógica de estudo de caso múltiplo, procurámos descrever e compreender o(s) fenómeno(s) com maior profundidade. Os dados recolhidos e analisados a partir da aplicação do DIAO permitiram-nos identificar, caracterizar os alunos em abandono oculto e definir em que nível de gravidade estão. Os resultados levam-nos a concluir que existe abandono oculto no agrupamento-contexto, fruto de um processo de desengajamento escolar, patente no forte contributo das variáveis fraco desempenho escolar, absentismo e problemas de comportamento/ indisciplina para o abandono oculto e o APEF.
    2019Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • A ação estratégica nas escolas portuguesas : o caso dos planos de ação estratégica
    Publication . Carvalho, Marisa Simões; Rocha, Maria Ilídia de Meireles Cabral da; Verdasca, José Lopes Cortes
    As questões relacionadas com o sucesso escolar, e a correspondente melhoria e eficácia das escolas, continuam a ser finalidades dos sistemas educativos em diferentes países. Neste âmbito, verifica-se um progressivo entendimento das escolas como organizações dotadas de autonomia e, por isso, capazes de gerir o seu próprio processo de melhoria através de soluções estratégicas que, simultaneamente, respondam a exigências e necessidades da organização escolar e contribuam para reforçar a sua capacidade interna de mudança. Deste modo, o planeamento e a ação estratégica apresentam-se como ferramentas valiosas para a melhoria das escolas, configurando-se como relevantes objetos de estudo em educação. Nas últimas décadas, tem havido alguma investigação e debate acerca da temática da ação estratégica. Ainda assim, esta continua a constituir-se como um campo de estudo pouco explorado e a necessitar de aprofundamento. Esta tese inscreve-se nesta linha de investigação, procurando contribuir para a teoria, investigação e prática acerca da ação estratégica. Especificamente, procura compreender os processos de ação estratégica desenvolvidos nas escolas portuguesas e, por esta via, contribuir para a construção de um modelo de ação estratégica orientador das práticas em contexto educativo. Apresentam-se quatro estudos relacionados, centrados na ação estratégica das escolas portuguesas. O estudo 1 consiste numa revisão de literatura, tipo scoping review, acerca da estratégia e da liderança estratégica em educação. Sistematizam-se as principais características e práticas relacionadas com a estratégia. Este estudo dá suporte aos estudos 2, 3 e 4. O estudo 2 consiste na análise de conteúdo dos Planos de Ação Estratégica das escolas portuguesas, tomando como referência indicadores de qualidade. Verifica-se que os planos se apresentam alinhados, sobretudo, com algumas das prioridades nacionais, o que se evidencia nos objetivos e ações propostas (e.g., anos iniciais de ciclo, trabalho colaborativo). Além disso, a globalidade dos planos apresenta as ações a desenvolver e especifica mecanismos de implementação. Contudo, os planos apresentam fragilidades quanto à justificação das opções realizadas, às ações de monitorização e capacitação. Os planos parecem apresentar-se, sobretudo, como uma descrição ou listagem de ações a desenvolver, o que não induz ou traduz a qualidade de implementação das mesmas. O estudo 3 analisa a participação dos professores no processo de planeamento, implementação e monitorização de planos de ação. Os dados parecem indicar que o grau de participação dos profissionais na elaboração e implementação dos planos foi moderado a alto, variando em função do tempo de serviço e do exercício de cargos/funções de liderança. O estudo 4 centra-se nos processos de ação estratégica através da realização de estudos de caso. Este estudo permitiu identificar processos subjacentes à elaboração, implementação e monitorização dos planos, fatores críticos e impactos percecionados relacionados com os planos. Em síntese, globalmente destacam-se três dimensões principais da ação estratégica nas escolas, a saber: (i) a direção/sentido de ação, (ii) a intencionalidade estratégica e; (iii) a participação de professores e de outros atores na ação. Destes resultados retiram-se implicações para a prática e para a investigação futura.
    2020-06-16Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • Acinetobacter and public health : risks posed by strains isolated from foods
    Publication . Carvalheira, Ana Isabel Teixeira; Teixeira, Paula Cristina Maia; Silva, Joana Gabriela Laranjeira da
    Acinetobacter spp. has emerged as a pathogen of a major public health concern due to their increased resistance to antibiotics and their association with a wide range of nosocomial infections. The aim of this work was to gain insight into the food-related ecology and epidemiology of Acinetobacter spp. and to compare food and clinical strains regarding biofilm production, resistance to desiccation and disinfectant susceptibility. As there is no standard procedure to recover Acinetobacter spp. from food, two selective enrichment media were evaluated for the recovery of low levels of these organisms. Enrichment in Dijkshoorn enrichment medium followed by plating on CHROMagarTM Acinetobacter medium was shown to be a reliable method. Using this procedure, Acinetobacter spp. were isolated from 77.9% of fruit (35/50) and vegetables (39/45) samples and from all the meat analysed (50). A high genetic diversity established by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was observed among the isolates and based on the analysis of the partial sequence of rpoB,181 strains ecovered from fruits and vegetables and 156 strains recovered from meat samples were identified as members of eighteen and thirteen distinct species, respectively. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Acinetobacter johnsonii were the most common species (both with the frequency of 26.5%) recovered from fruit and vegetables, while Acinetobacter guillouiae (34.9%), A. johnsonii (15%) and A. bereziniae (12%) were the most common species recovered from meats. Acinetobacter spp. belonging to the A. baumannii group (11.0% from fuit and vegetables, 18.7% from meats), which is most frequently associated with nosocomial infections worldwide, were also recovered. Most of these strains were resistant to some of the antimicrobials recommended to treat Acinetobacter infections such as piperacillin¬tazobactam, ceftadidime, ciprofloxacin, as well as to colistin and polymyxin B, the last-resort drugs to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter. Overall, 29.8% of the isolates from fruit and lettuces, and 51.2% of the isolates from meats were classified as multidrug¬resistant (MDR), and 4.4% and 9.6% as extensively drug-resistant (XDR), respectively. The taxonomic status of six strains of Acinetobacter obtained from meats, was investigated, using a polyphasic analysis, since their partial rpoB sequence similarities to other Acinetobacter species with validly published names were lower than 95%. The species status of two groups was confirmed by comparative multilocus sequence analysis, including also the gyrB, recA and 16S rRNA genes, low (below 95%) whole-genome sequence (WGS) average nucleotide identity (ANI) values and low (below 70%) digital DNA¬DNA hybridization (dDDH) similarities between the WGS of the proposed type strains of each novel species and the representatives of the known Acinetobacter species. Phylogenomic treeing from core genome analysis supported these results as well as, the coherence of each new species¬lineage was supported by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time¬of-flight mass spectrometry, differentiation of the species at the protein level by cellular fatty acids profiles and by unique and differential combinations of metabolic and physiological properties shared by each novel species. These strains represented two coherent lineages that were distinct from each other and from all known species, and the names Acinetobacter portensis sp. nov. (four strains: AC 877T = CCUG 68672T = CCM 8789T as type strain), and Acinetobacter guerrae sp. nov. (two strains: AC 1271T = CCUG 68674T = CCM 8791T as type strain) were proposed for these novel species. Control the dissemination of A. baumannii is challenging mainly due to its high adaptability to adverse environmental conditions. The biofilm formation ability in silicon and stainless steel, the resistance to desiccation on a stainless steel surface and the susceptibility to eleven commercial antimicrobial products was compared between food (10) and clinical strains (10). The clinical strains were selected based on their presumptive persistent and non-persistent status among 104 isolates recovered from patients in Hospital de São Marcos, Braga. Predominant clones of MDR A. baumannii repeatedly isolated in different years (2004 to 2007) or in different months (isolates recovered in 2014) were defined as persistent and strains recovered sporadically (with a PFGE pattern observed only once among all isolates) were defined as non-persistent. There were no significant differences between clinical and food strains since all the strains were able to form biofilm on silicon and stainless steel surfaces, exhibited desiccation resistance capacity ranging from 14 to 77 days and were susceptible to disinfectants at the recommended use concentrations. However, the biofiom-forming capacity of persistent strains was significantly higher than the non-persistant strains on both surfaces. The resistance to desiccation of persistent strains (mean survival time: 65.8 days) was also significantly longer than that of the non-persistent strains (mean survival time: 35.8 days). Therefore, these factors may contribute to their maintenance in the hospital setting. A high intra¬species variability in susceptibility to disinfectants was observed for A. baumannii and there was no correlation between the efficiency of disinfectants and the origin of the isolates. Moreover, no correlation between antibiotic resistance and biofilm production, resistance to desiccation and disinfectant susceptibility was found. Therefore, food products may be a potential vehicle of spread in the community and clinical environments of Acinetobacter strains resistant to several antibiotics, able to produce biofilm and to survive to desiccation, which may led to nosocomial and community¬acquired infections in susceptible individuals.
    2021-07-26Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • Acolher a vulnerabilidade : reflexão antropológica e ética sobre o voluntariado no âmbito dos Leigos para o Desenvolvimento
    Publication . Rodrigues, Maria de Fátima Marques; Pinto, José Rui da Costa
    O trabalho pretende perceber de que forma os Leigos para o Desenvolvimento acolhem a vulnerabilidade, no âmbito dos projetos que vêm desenvolvendo, em termos de voluntariado. É possível verificar a convergência de fatores diversos que fazem do voluntariado, realizado pelos Leigos para o Desenvolvimento, uma aposta numa nova esperança, onde a responsabilidade pelo outro é assumida com o outro: o voluntariado é aqui entendido, na linha de E. Lévinas (e outros autores), como resposta à fragilidade do outro que me interpela na sua nudez e não tanto como iniciativa generosa do eu. Acolher o outro na sua vulnerabilidade tem em conta os contributos do Concílio Vaticano II que colocou o papel do leigo na Igreja e no mundo, no âmbito de uma eclesiologia de comunhão. Por outro lado, o respeito devido a cada pessoa, preconizado pelo documento Vida em Missão, no âmbito de cada projeto desenvolvido, anda muito próximo das mais recentes perspetivas da Cooperação para o Desenvolvimento. Dada a vulnerabilidade do ser humano face ao futuro, os Leigos para o Desenvolvimento, assumem-se, na entrega ao outro sem reservas, como responsáveis pelo outro, no sentido de construírem com ele as condições necessárias à sobrevivência harmoniosa da humanidade sobre a terra.
    2013Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • Acorn starch extraction and modification by emerging technologies
    Publication . Castro, Luís Manuel Gomes de; Pintado, Maria Manuela Estevez; Saraiva, Jorge Manuel Alexandre; Alexandre, Elisabete Maria da Cruz
    Native to the Northern Hemisphere, the trees of the genus Quercus spp. are found between the temperate and tropical latitudes of the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. These oaks are evergreen, semi-deciduous, or deciduous trees and produce small fruits called acorns. According to the National Institute of Statistics, these trees represent 35% of the forest area in mainland Portugal, where 85% of cork oaks and 92% of holm oaks are found in the Alentejo, while 94% of the remaining species are concentrated in the North and Center regions. For this reason, large quantities of acorns are produced, and it is estimated that the annual production is 401,585 tons. Despite being a fruit rich in polyphenols and gluten-free (resistant) starch, about 55% of the acorns produced are underused. Currently, as starch has multiple applications in the food and non-food industry, the exploitation of acorns as a source of starch would be advantageous. According to the literature, alkaline extraction is the methodology that allows obtaining the highest extraction yields in starch with the highest purity and with the most relevant properties. However, these starches cannot be used as food additives in the European Union due to a lack of approval. Thus, the main objective of this thesis was to value acorns within the scope of the principle of sustainable development through the creation of high-added value and zero-waste ingredients. Different species of acorns (Q. pyrenaica, Q. robur, and Q. ilex) were collected to study the effect of different dehulling methods on their nutritional and phytochemical composition. Each specie was dehulled separately by three different methods: manual, thermal (by thermal shock), and drying. It was found that the carbohydrate content was not significantly affected, but there was a loss of resistant starch of 76, 42 and 62% after thermal dehulling and a loss of 35, 27 and 25% after dehulling by drying compared to manual dehulling for Q. pyrenaica, Q. robur, and Q. ilex, respectively. As Q. robur was the specie with the highest resistant starch/total starch ratio (0.89), as well as the highest phenolic contents (19.3±1.3 mg GA Eq./g DF), hydrolyzable and condensable tannins (73.2±4.6 mg TA Eq./g DF and 0.103±0.01 mg TA Eq./g DF, respectively) comparatively to Q. pyrenaica and Q. ilex, the manually dehulled acorn of the Q. robur specie was selected in the following tests. Then, the optimization of the starch extraction was conducted at room temperature using water as extraction solvent by high hydrostatic pressure (HP) (pressure levels between 0.1 and 500 MPa and extraction times between 5 and 20 min) and pulsed electric field (PEF) (field strengths between 0.1 and 20 kV/cm and times between 35 and 85 μs) technologies. Due to the presence of large tannin content, which are anti-nutritional compounds of great importance in leather production, their extraction was also optimized, as well as other phenolic compounds, to obtain antioxidant extracts with high added value. Regarding the HP extraction, the optimal extraction condition was found at 333 MPa for 17.4 min with a desirability of 79.5%. The starch yield was 35.4±1.1% (w/w DF) and the extracts had a phenolic and hydrolyzable tannin content of 23.1±0.3 mg GA Eq./g DF and 54.1±0.1 mg TA Eq./g DF, respectively, and an antioxidant activity measured by ABTS of 53.6±0.6 mg TX Eq./g DF. As for the PEF extraction, the optimal extraction condition was obtained at 0.1 kV/cm for 63.3 μs with a desirability of 86.5%. The starch yield was 34.5±0.4% (m/m DF) and the extracts had a phenolic and hydrolyzable tannin content of 27.0±1.2 mg GA Eq./g DF and 56.7±0.6 mg TA Eq./g DF, respectively with antioxidant activity of 59.1±1.9 mg TX Eq./g DF. Condensed tannins were not detected in any of the extracts. Compared to alkaline extraction, the results observed under optimal conditions represent an increase in phenolic yields, tannins, and antioxidant activity by 2, 900, and 4% by HP and an increase by 24, 1012, and 15% by PEF, respectively. Thus, these technologies make it possible to obtain aqueous extracts with a higher tannin content than alkaline extraction, thus valuing these compounds. However, it was the PEF extraction technology that made it possible to obtain extracts with a higher content of polyphenols (phenolics and tannins) and with greater antioxidant activity than HP. Concerning starch, although the extraction yields obtained by HP and PEF under optimal conditions were lower than those verified in the respective alkaline extractions (49.7±0.5 and 48.9±1.2% w/w DF for HP and PEF, respectively), these starches are clean-label and can be used more safely as an additive and/or ingredient in human food than alkaline starches. As the extraction yields under optimal conditions were like each other, the impact of technologies on starch properties was studied and the properties were compared to commercial corn starch to try to identify the most advantageous extraction technology. Regarding the starch obtained by HP under optimal conditions, pressurization preserved the type of polymorphism of the acorn starch and did not significantly alter the relative crystallinity and the onset gelatinization temperatures (i.e., it preserved the hydrogen bonds). However, the significant increase in the amylose/amylopectin ratio by 97%, motivated by the cleavage of the amylopectin chains, led to changes in the properties of starches. Pressurization led to a decrease in the solubility and swelling power of the starches relative to the control and led to an increase in the resistance of the gels to deformation. However, no differences were observed in the in-vitro digestibility, pseudo-plastic behavior, or resistance to flow after pressurization. Regarding the starch obtained by PEF under optimal conditions, the amylose and amylopectin contents were not altered, as well as the onset gelatinization temperatures (hydrogen bonds). Although the type of polymorphism was not changed, there was a decrease in relative crystallinity of 17%. PEF treatment did not alter the starch properties concerning the control starch (solubility, swelling power, in-vitro digestibility, and rheology). Compared to commercial corn starch, acorn starches showed lower gelatinization temperatures and enthalpies, better pseudo-plastic behavior, lower in-vitro digestibility, greater resistance to complex flow, and lower resistance to deformation. Overall, acorn starches also showed higher solubility and swelling power up to 80 °C than commercial starch, which encourages the use of acorn starch as an additive in fermented yogurt and dairy products. As extraction by HP and PEF led to obtaining acorn starches with different properties, a dairy product was developed to try to identify the most suitable starch for this purpose. The effect of replacing commercial corn starch with acorn starch extracted by HP and PEF under optimal conditions on the nutritional composition, functional and sensory properties, and shelf-life of chocolate puddings was studied. Acorn starch improved the rheological properties of puddings without negatively affecting their nutritional composition, internal structure, or in-vitro digestibility. The sensory analysis revealed that 61% of tasters preferred the puddings made with acorn starch over commercial corn starch (control). As for the shelf life, acorn starch led to color stabilization and improved texture of the puddings after 28 days of storage at 4°C compared to the control without compromising the microbiological safety. Of the acorn starches used, PEF-extracted acorn starch led to the greatest improvement in pudding texture. In addition, the chocolate pudding made with PEF-extracted acorn starch also had a higher acceptability index than the HP-extracted starch. Thus, PEF-extracted acorn starch seems to be the most suitable for pudding production. In its entirety, the work described in this Doctoral thesis marks important steps in the valorization of acorns in Portugal, that is, in the valorization of its polyphenols and starch. This work will also contribute to the sustainability and transformation of the acorn in a circular economy context, as it demonstrates the potential of using PEF technology, as a sustainable alternative to alkaline extractions, in obtaining products with high added value and of great economic interest.
    2023-09-18Doctoral thesis Embargoed access Show more
  • Adaptação, validação e eficácia do Cognitive Stimulation Therapy para as pessoas com demência em Portugal
    Publication . Pereira, Gabriela Henriques de Sousa Álvares; Nunes, Maria Vânia Silva
    Contexto: O Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) é um programa baseado na evidência para melhorar a função cognitiva e a qualidade de vida de pessoas com demência leve a moderada, apresentando uma boa relação custobenefício. Objetivos: Adaptar e validar o CST para as pessoas com demência em Portugal e testar a sua eficácia. Método: A adaptação cultural seguiu o Formative Method for Adapting Psychotherapy (FMAP). A validação do CST foi realizada através de um estudo multicêntrico, controlado, com ocultação, randomizado que recrutou 112 pessoas com demência. Foram testadas a cognição, o comportamento/autonomia, ansiedade, depressão e qualidade de vida. Explorámos igualmente se o CST beneficiava as pessoas com demência de modo diferente de acordo com o contexto e o nível de reserve cognitiva. Resultados: Na adaptação do programa à cultura portuguesa foram necessárias algumas modificações especialmente relacionadas com questões linguísticas. O programa adaptado mostrou ser viável, ter boa aceitação e ser válido para pessoas com demência em Portugal. A intervenção CST mostrou melhorias significativas comparativamente ao controlo na cognição, comunicação, comportamento e funcionamento global. Conclusões: O CSTPortugal é um programa adaptado e válido com benefícios para as pessoas com demência leve a moderada independentemente do contexto e da sua reserva cognitiva.
    2021-06-15Doctoral thesis Restricted access Show more
  • Adaptive user interfaces for live performance of generative graphics
    Publication . Gomes, Joana Fernandes de Carvalho; Barbosa, Álvaro Mendes
    While attempting to find new ways to create art, artists transgress the traditional notions of creativity and art. Computers start to have creative behaviors in which the artist conducts his work. Both, generative practices and interactivity have a special impact on the creation of Art and in its new relationships. Interactivity and generative processes can create a space for genuine innovative creative practices in art where the artwork is the result of collaborative work between computers and users. Is our goal to express generative practices not as a static creative process, but instead as an iterative communication between system and interface/ interface and user. This collaboration between system, user and artist gains higher relevance through the creation of an interface that is capable of synthesizing these expressions. In the process of identification of a new way of relating generative graphics systems and user/performer, an application for mobile devices was developed where interaction takes into account the need to express the generative processes through the interface, generating a greater connection between the three parties (generative system, interface system and user). This need comes from the generative system itself since it is semi-autonomous and is constantly undergoing modifications exhausted in any type of static and rigid interface . Sliders and buttons take away the freedom of a system that aims to expand connections and collaborations, where the authoritarian act of the user/performer overrides the choices of the system by imposing their own. ALIVEART proposes a new form of communication where the generative graphics interface adapts depending on the characteristics of an artificial living system. Thus, the parameters set by the system are modified on the interface showing only those that the user may interact. Over time these choices cause modification of the a-life as well as the interface. The result is a system that algorithmically, via sound inputs, draws graphics that are modified by an adaptive interface. Rather than change the operation of the interface, we sought to create new interaction paradigms in which the user’s interference is revised by proposing a more conscious way to interact with artificial living systems. Via a survey of three areas of expertise (designers, performers and user interface experts), ALIVEART was assessed. New areas of interest were identified that confirmed the necessity to implement interfaces that adapt to systems and users thus allowing new forms of relationships and creative processes in the creation of digital art.
    2015-05-19Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • Admission to music conservatoires : assessing the influence of motivation and parental support on musical learning
    Publication . Oliveira, António Manuel Fontes de; Oliveira-Silva, Clédna Patrícia; MacPherson, Gary; Ribeiro, Luísa Mota
    Admission to the elementary level of Portuguese Public Conservatories consists of tests to assess music skills. This model is based on the conviction that children show outstanding talents from an early age. However, the results of these tests tend to be unreliable and unrobust in their ability to predict musical achievement. Considering Gagné's Differentiated Model of Gifts and Talents, we intend with this thesis to analyze the potential of the aural skills test to predict musical achievement of students admitted to a Portuguese Conservatory of Music, as well as to assess the same predictive power of two other variables: motivation and parental support. The first article of the set of four that make up this thesis is a systematic review of the literature on the motivation to learn to play a musical instrument in samples of children and adolescents. The second article analyzed the relationship between the results of admission tests and sociodemographic information to try to understand if there is any economic/social factor that explains the results obtained by candidates in the student selection process. The third article took advantage of the pandemic context that unexpectedly emerged in the period in which this investigation took place and assessed the relationship between parental support and musical achievement. The last article investigates the potential predictor of musical learning by aural skills assessment as well as motivation and parental support. This study is innovative as it addresses a problem that has not received the attention of researchers and deserves a better understanding due to the extent of the impacts that the model has on children's lives and in the management of public resources. On the other hand, the longitudinal design of this research is pioneering in the area, and there is no known study in Portugal on admission tests.
    2023-09-04Doctoral thesis Open access Show more
  • Aerobic granular sludge as a source of extracellular polymeric substances and the potential of the technology combined with bioaugmentation to treat industrial wastewater
    Publication . Oliveira, Ana Sofia Teixeira; Castro, Paula Maria Lima e; Amorim, Catarina Raquel Leite; van Loosdrecht, Mark
    A variety of organic pollutants reach wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), often associated with high salinity levels, making their treatment challenging. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology is thought to protect the microbial communities from stress due to the high content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). There is an increasing need to turn WWTP more efficient, with a range of opportunities for resource recovery to integrate them into the circular economy concept. The work described in this thesis aimed to explore AGS biomass as a source of EPS and to understand the variations of EPS production facing different stressors, namely 2-fluorophenol (2-FP) and salinity. Particular attention was given to the microbial communities, diversity and function, of the investigated systems. The recovery of EPS from AGS represents an opportunity for valorization of surplus biomass. AGS from a full-scale WWTP treating urban wastewater was regularly collected for 4 months to assess variability in EPS composition and in granular morphology. Variations in the EPS composition occurred with time, with proteins and humic acids as the main EPS components and polysaccharides and DNA as minor constituents. An extra purification step led to the recovery of a purer EPS form with a rather homogeneous composition however the yield of each EPS component decreased, especially for polysaccharides. Yield and product homogeneity are key features for downstream application of the recovered EPS. The effect of intermittent short-term loadings of 2-FP and low to moderate salinity wastewater on the performance and EPS production of an AGS system was studied. Ammonium removal was highly inhibited by stressors, recovering when 2-FP feeding ceased. Phosphate removal, initially disturbed by exposure to stress conditions, recovered when stressors were still present. EPS composition and concentration in the granules decreased from 133.3 to 33.7 mg/g VSS of AGS during the first phases of stress but its production recovered to 176.1 mg/g VSS of AGS even in the stressor’s presence. The nutrient removal recovery after exposure to stressors and the increased EPS production response support the robustness of AGS systems to deal with intermittent stressful conditions. EPS recovered from AGS were used as an immobilizing agent for Rhodococcus sp. FP1, a 2-FP degrading strain. The produced EPS granules exhibited 2-FP degrading ability of 100%, retaining its original activity up to 2 months storage. Moreover, the EPS granules were used to bioaugment an AGS reactor intermittently fed with low to moderate saline wastewater amended with 2-FP. After bioaugmentation, complete 2-FP removal occurred and phosphate and ammonium removal (previously impaired by 2-FP load) improved from 14 to 46% and from 25 to 42%, respectively. After bioaugmentation, strain FP1 was detected up to 3 days in the reactor effluent by qPCR and eleven bacterial isolates able to degrade 2-FP were retrieved from the AGS. Maintenance of cell viability through storage and improvement of bioreactor.
    2020-11-19Doctoral thesis Restricted access Show more