Repositório RCAAP

In 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on in-person access to libraries, the number of downloads, consultations, and access to digital collections increased. The University of Lisbon was no exception to this rule. In the present work we seek to find out if, after a decrease felt in previous years, there will be a gradual trend towards growth in access to digital information. Some authors refer that a more developed digital literacy allows more critical access to information sources. Is our institutional Repository already gaining the trust of the academic community, in order to constitute itself as a fundamental resource, or is this pandemic period nothing more than a momentary opportunity that, when it ends, will not consolidate the evolution of access to digital information? What actions and strategies have libraries been developing for their dissemination? How is the importance of the Repository communicated to researchers and students? This is the context for an exploratory study that leaves the future of institutional repositories open. To this end, given the data obtained from the platform usage statistics, a questionnaire survey is carried out to those responsible for the libraries of the 18 schools that make up the University of Lisbon, with a double objective: to understand the dissemination strategies that have been used with the academic community and to evaluate its integration in the routines of study and research. Based on the results, we seek to observe what clues are left for us to improve the visibility of the institutional repository, to consolidate its use.

A presente comunicação integra a apresentação de resultados de um estudo que tem como objectivo compreender as percepções, expectativas e necessidades de alunos de doutoramento e doutorados face à orientação recebida ao longo do percurso académico. A recolha de dados foi realizada através de questionário e incluía as seguintes secções: dados sociodemográficos; aliança de aprendizagem entre o orientador e o orientando, disponibilidade mental, área disciplinar de especialização, perícia técnica, conhecimento contextual, critérios para o sucesso do doutoramento. O estudo contou com a participação de alunos doutorandos e doutorados, com idades a partir dos 25 anos, das áreas das ciências sociais, artes e humanidades, ciências exatas e da saúde, sendo que a maioria dos inquiridos se situa na área metropolitana de Lisboa Os resultados obtidos permitem-nos aferir que há por parte dos inquiridos a valorização da orientação doutoral, por ser um processo que “possibilita um amadurecimento do conhecimento obtido e disseminado” (sic), assim como aponta para as vulnerabilidades e dificuldades existentes no processo de acompanhamento. São apresentadas propostas de melhoria deste contexto que possam potenciar a relação orientador-orientando e o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional dos implicados.

Mainland Portugal presents an extensive, diversified and complex coastal zone. This diversity gives rise to diverse geomorphologic features which support different densities of human occupancy and a range of land uses and activities. In this sense, the coastal zone becomes an area of great national strategic value, but has also into a multi-hazard zone. To understand this complexity, two statistical techniques, namely Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis, were used to identify and differentiate, between the different coastal typologies, based on a set of variables that express the territorial complexity and the occurrences and impacts of coastal flooding. The chosen methodology enabled a diverse set of coastal typologies to be identified, which contributes towards differentiating local specific characteristics. The holistic and differentiating nature of the applied methodology and the results obtained allows it to contribute to the definition of mitigation strategies and the implementation of adaptation measures. The results enable us to define a set of typologies associated with Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management which are an important contribution to comprehensive coastal flood risk assessment and management.

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A presente comunicação resulta de reflexão conjunta no âmbito da Pós-Graduação em Pedagogia do Ensino Superior, do Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa, decorrente de trabalho de observação realizado por quatro docentes do ensino superior das áreas de Serviço Social, Educação, Ciências Farmacêuticas e Veterinária. Sendo a observação entre pares um espaço privilegiado para o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional, este trabalho teve como ponto de partida a construção de uma grelha de observação utilizada no contexto das aulas por cada uma das docentes. O estudo teve como objetivo colaborar para o desenvolvimento de competências de observação entre pares, constituindo-se este como um ponto de partida para a melhoria das práticas da docência. É-nos permitido referir que os resultados desta experiência apontam para a necessidade dos docentes refletirem e adaptarem as suas práticas e de serem capazes de construir feedback para potenciar o desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional dos seus pares. Por outro lado, o caminho da observação entre pares revelou-se como uma possibilidade de autorreflexão de cada uma das docentes face às suas práticas pedagógicas, abrindo oportunidades de as ajustar em função das necessidades e exigências do ensino superior no mundo atual, assim como a valorização da interdisciplinaridade como espaço de construção de boas práticas de ensino-aprendizagem.

In the current digital context, there is an increased concern with access to information, as it has become exponentially mediated by technologies. Several problems can emerge: from restrictions on freedom of access to information or freedom of expression, due to the lack of knowledge to deal with technologies and digital information sources, vulnerability and lack of preparation regarding privacy management, to digital traps, fallacies, misinformation, or fake news. Are Portuguese librarians responding to these challenges? What actions and strategies have libraries been developed to promote digital fluency? What actions should be pursued, since young audiences are not only consumers, but also producers of online information and, at the same time, the internet has become a privileged resource for searching for easy and immediate information? It is important to reinforce skills with strategies that make it possible to detect, with quality criteria, the origin of the information, its diversity, and credibility, without forgetting, at the same time, under what circumstances and in what way the information can be reused ethically and legally. This is the basis for this exploratory study. To this end, a questionnaire survey base on the "European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators: DigCompEdu" is carried out to those responsible for higher education libraries, to understand the pedagogic strategies that have been used with the academic community. Based on the results, we seek to observe the active involvement of librarians, particularly in the training of students, to enhance their critical thinking in the face of digital information, the evaluation of digital information sources, or the problem resolution. They must develop skills to be able to observe and compare information in a critical, creative, and conscious way, particularly in digital media. In this process, the social and ethical premises that support teaching and learning in the mission of higher education libraries should be promoted.

No momento de pandemia trazido pela Covid em 2020, as bibliotecas do ensino superior promoveram esforços para chegar aos seus leitores em confinamento, demonstrando uma adaptabilidade dos seus serviços, produtos e staff. Atualmente, após essas intensas alterações, importa perceber que mudanças permaneceram na oferta de recursos para a aprendizagem à distância. Será que as bibliotecas aproveitaram as lições do Covid para se transformar e se readaptar? Este artigo analisa o apoio ao ensino e aprendizagem à distância que as bibliotecas do ensino superior em Portugal continuam a prestar, independentemente do modelo de ensino oferecido pelas suas instituições. O estudo é baseado num inquérito por questionário lançado às mesmas, cujas questões se orientam pelas recomendações da ACRL para Serviços de Biblioteca no Ensino à Distância.

Os bibliotecários são profissionais que se devem manter constantemente atualizados, procurando ativamente o desenvolvimento das suas competências profissionais, pelas próprias características das funções que desempenham. Porém, é importante perceber o que pensam estes atores acerca da sua atual formação de base, concretamente se esta tem vindo a acompanhar as tendências de atualização. Assim, partindo de uma analise prévia ao conteúdo de diversos documentos orientadores, emanados de associações internacionais, no sentido de encontrar as competências preconizadas para a área de atuação, é realizado um questionário ao nível internacional a futuros profissionais (estudantes de pós-graduação) na área das ciências documentais. O principal objetivo é o de procurar entender quais habilidades e competências que são valorizadas para o futuro desempenho profissional. O questionário foi aplicado a grupos de alunos de pós-graduação em Portugal, Macau e República Checa, evidenciando-se as perspetivas comuns entre os inquiridos sobre as competências necessárias e aquelas que são recebidas na formação inicial, concluindo-se que existem ainda algumas assimetrias entre as necessidades da profissão e a formação recebida, nas perspetivas dos futuros profissionais, independentemente do território a que pertencem.

O presente estudo faz parte de uma investigação mais alargada que pretende i) estudar, numa população estudantil de ensino superior, as suas necessidades e comportamento perante a informação e ii) desenvolver um programa de formação em literacia da informação, integrando este conhecimento e os contributos dos diversos intervenientes (estudantes, docentes, bibliotecários). Sabemos hoje que a integração da literacia da informação nas aprendizagens melhora o desempenho dos estudantes e que, por esse motivo, os bibliotecários académicos podem desempenhar um papel importante ao colaborarem no desenho e formação de programas nestas áreas. Esta comunicação apresenta a primeira fase deste estudo. Trata-se da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário a uma população de estudantes de graduação, no ensino superior, em Macau. Os resultados demonstram as perceções dos estudantes relativamente às suas necessidades de informação, bem como o uso dos recursos informativos preferidos na prossecução dos seus estudos. A formação destes estudantes na pesquisa, recuperação, análise e uso da informação parece ser essencial. A construção de programas de formação em literacia da informação deve ser concebida à medida, recorrendo-se a um diagnóstico próximo e efetivo. A par, é importante continuar a desenvolver ambientes físicos e virtuais que disponibilizem informação credível e que deem resposta às necessidades informacionais dos que os utilizam, apoiando a aprendizagem.

As bibliotecas do ensino superior visam proporcionar o acesso à informação a estudantes, professores e investigadores, garantindo a sua satisfação. O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a satisfação dos estudantes de três instituições do ensino superior em Portugal sobre a resposta das suas bibliotecas em período de pandemia Covid-19; e avaliar se estes se consideraram preparados para pesquisar, avaliar e gerir a informação recuperada, quando trabalharam de forma autónoma e dependeram exclusivamente de conteúdos digitais. Foi realizado um questionário online, sobre o grau de satisfação face às bibliotecas e aos recursos eletrónicos disponibilizados e a auto-percepção das suas competências de informação. A maioria dos estudantes está satisfeita com o acesso aos recursos eletrónicos remotamente; os maiores níveis de insatisfação estão associados à B-ON; a maioria desconhece a disponibilidade de algumas bases de dados, como as subscritas pela instituição; parece existir uma perceção favorável face a pesquisar, citar e referenciar, mas constata-se o contrário na análise qualitativa dos dados; os mestrandos revelam maior segurança de conhecimentos comparativamente aos estudantes de licenciatura. É necessário aumentar a cobertura, a divulgação e a formação nos recursos eletrónicos das instituições de ensino superior enquanto estratégia formativa e pedagógica e formalmente concretizá-la em política educativa.

Pretende-se analisar comparativamente as perceções dos estudantes de Ciências Sociais portugueses e espanhóis sobre a utilização e inclusão das tecnologias móveis nos processos académicos de ensino-aprendizagem e refletir sobre o papel das bibliotecas de ensino superior e dos seus profissionais na promoção da literacia digital. A metodologia utilizada foi a sócio-construtiva exploratória de grupos focais, baseada numa amostra de dezoito estudantes finalistas de Psicologia e Educação. Nos resultados, os estudantes experimentam lacunas significativas nas suas competências no uso de tecnologias móveis. Percebem limitações atitudinais e tecnológicas nos seus professores. Também existem algumas diferenças de atitudes relativamente à inclusão das tecnologias móveis nos processos de ensino-aprendizagem. Os estudantes espanhóis mostraram melhores competências e os estudantes portugueses um nível mais elevado de autopercepção. Na discussão e conclusão, decorrente da pandemia destaca-se a necessidade de aproximação estudante-professor e as limitações técnicas de alguns professores, sendo necessária uma mentalidade de abertura a novos dispositivos e ferramentas tecnológicas nos processos de ensino. As instituições académicas, e os bibliotecários em particular, devem esforçar-se por compreender o âmbito e as possibilidades das tecnologias móveis para aumentar a motivação dos estudantes e para adquirir competências básicas em literacia digital. Esta reflexão é uma prioridade na otimização dos processos de ensino-aprendizagem.

Response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (RC) is quite variable and it is urgent to find predictive biomarkers of response. We investigated miR-21 as tissue and plasma biomarker of response to CRT in a prospective cohort of RC patients; The expression of miR-21 was analyzed in pre- and post-CRT rectal tissue and plasma in 37 patients with RC. Two groups were defined: Pathological responders (TRG 0, 1 and 2) and non-responders (TRG 3). The association between miR-21, clinical and oncological outcomes was assessed; miR-21 was upregulated in tumor tissue and we found increased odds of overexpression in pre-CRT tumor tissue (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 0.40–6.63, p = 0.498) and pre-CRT plasma (OR: 1.79; 95% CI: 0.45–7.19, p = 0.414) of non-responders. The overall recurrence risk increased with miR-21 overexpression in pre-CRT tumor tissue (HR: 2.175, p = 0.37); Significantly higher miR-21 expression is observed in tumor tissue comparing with non-neoplastic. Increased odds of non-response is reported in patients expressing higher miR-21, although without statistical significance. This is one of the first studies on circulating miR-21 as a potential biomarker of response to CRT in RC patients.

Background: The role played by Helicobacter pylori in the sinuses, and its association with the same organism’s gastric infection, are still unclear. Methods: In order to compare H.pylori colonization patterns in the nose and stomach we conducted a cohort analysis of 14 patients, eligible for sinus surgery due to chronic medically refractory rhinosinusitis, who were tested for simultaneous presence of H. pylori, by histology, culture and polymerase chain reaction, in pathologic sinus tissue collected during surgery and in gastric mucosa obtained through gastroduodenal endoscopy. Results: H. pylori DNA was found in the sinus mucosa of 15.4% of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, and all of them showed concurrent H. pylori stomach infection. Sinus colonization was not found without simultaneous gastric colonization, although most patients with gastric infection did not have the bacterial DNA in their sinuses. H. pylori’s presence in the nose was not associated with local inflammatory status, and no cultures could be obtained from any of the sinus tissue samples, including those positive for H. pylori DNA. Conclusions: Only H. pylori DNA, and not the culturable active form of the microorganism, could be found in the sinus mucosa of some patients with H. pylori gastric infection. We could not find evidence, however, that the bacterium’s presence in the nose contributes to local mucosal inflammation.

Aim: Cationically modified solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were investigated as plasmid DNA (pDNA) carriers and transfection agents for the pulmonary route. Materials & methods:pDNA-loaded SLN were produced using glyceryl dibehenate or tristearate as matrix lipids and chitosan as surface charge modifier, and encapsulated by spray-drying in mannitol and trehalose microspheres. Results: Nanoparticles of 200 nm, and zeta potential around +15 mV were produced. Electrophorectic analysis confirmed plasmid stability and integrity. The pDNA-loaded SLN were able to transfect the Calu-3 and A549 pulmonary cell lines, while showing low cytotoxicity. Microencapsulation of SLN yielded dry powders suitable for inhalation that protected pDNA from degradation. Conclusion: Microencapsulated SLN are a promising safe and effective carrier system for pulmonary gene delivery following pulmonary administration.

A paralisia cerebral advém de uma lesão cerebral ou mau desenvolvimento do cérebro que para além de atingir funções motoras do ser humano (fala, postura e movimento) pode provocar uma grande variedade de disfunções perceptivas ou cognitivas (Valente, 1983). Dada a diversidade de funções que podem ser atingidas, os alunos com paralisia cerebral requerem estratégias de aprendizagem diferenciadas, com mecanismos de intervenção pedagógica adaptados a cada tipo de necessidade. Foi nesse sentido que nasceu este projeto. A robótica educativa em geral, e o Lego Mindstorms em particular, tem sido utilizada em diversos meios pedagógicos com diferentes anos de escolaridade no entanto tornava-se pertinente a existência de um estudo que analisa-se o seu potencial com utentes com paralisia cerebral ligeira. Para proceder a esta análise foram realizadas cinco sessões com dois utentes externos da Associação Portuguesa de Paralisia Cerebral. Os utentes têm hemiparesia sendo que um deles foi afetado na sua cognição. Durante as sessões recorreu-se à recolha de dados sobre os participantes (anamnese), à observação participante, à gravação audiovisual e à redação de um diário de bordo. Os dois utentes responderam a três questionários aplicados em momentos distintos e a fisioterapeuta dos utentes respondeu a uma entrevista estandardizada de final aberto. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que o Lego Mindstorms pode ser utilizado no contexto educativo destes utentes e como parte de uma terapia de reabilitação motora.

The microbiota of the upper respiratory tract (URT) plays an important role in protecting the host against respiratory pathogens. Most of the microbial communities in the URT are commensal bacteria. However, some of the colonizers are opportunistic pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae is a Gram-positive bacterium responsible for causing infections such as otitis media, sinusitis, meningitis, bacteremia and pneumonia. Such infections remain common among children, elders and immunocompromised patients despite the introduction of vaccines. Furthermore, the emergence of antibiotic resistance has narrowed the treatment options. Previously at the Molecular Microbiology of Human Pathogens Laboratory, seven strains were identified as commensal streptococci - Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mitis - which inhibited most strains of a diverse pneumococcal collection. The genomic analysis of these commensal strains identified multiple putative bacteriocin loci. In this work, the inhibitory potential of three bacteriocin loci (B2 from a S. oralis strain and B6 and C3 from a S. mitis strain) against the pneumococci was evaluated. Deletion mutants for each locus were constructed and cell-free supernatants were obtained and tested for inhibitory potential. A partial loss of inhibition was observed when the supernatants of the B2 and B6 loci deletion mutants were tested against pneumococci in well-diffusion assays and during planktonic growth. Bacterial cytological profiling was performed to obtain insights on the mechanism of action of the bacteriocins in the loci under study. Fluorescence microscopy imaging suggested an increased permeability in cells treated with the supernatant of the S. mitis wild-type strain which was not observed in cells treated with the supernatant of the corresponding B6 deletion mutant. In conclusion, in the conditions tested the bacteriocins from the B2 and B6 loci have a small effect on the inhibition of S. pneumoniae. The B6 locus possibly targets the pneumococcal cell membrane leading to its disruption.

Although (in the context of bacterial infections) the goal of antibiotic use is to combat and eliminate pathogenic bacteria, hundreds of non-pathogenic bacterial species are also affected when antibiotics are administrated. This results in a selection of bacteria resistant to the class of antibiotic applied. Additionally, with the ability of horizontal gene transfer, bacteria are capable of “borrowing” and “lending” defensive and evasive maneuvers against antibiotics from other neighboring bacteria. As a consequence of antibiotic use, the frequency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increases in the microbiome, eventually containing mobile genetic elements coding for antimicrobial resistance genes, thus favoring the dissemination of these genes which can lead to the ineffectiveness of the antibiotic. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that, as a side effect of antibiotic intake in medicine, people may be selecting more virulent strains. The quick rise of resistant bacteria threatens the effectiveness of antibiotics worldwide. For this reason, it is crucial to understand the relationship between antibiotic resistance (AR), virulence factors (VF) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). With this project, we aim to study the metagenomes of domesticated and wild animals. To have an understanding of the impact of AR pollution and dissemination, we created a bioinformatic workflow to make a comparative study of the richness and diversity of the determinants of bacterial AR, VFs and MGEs in the microbiomes of domestic and wild animals. We retrieved metagenomic files of geese, mice, horses and yaks from NCBI, MG-RAST and NCBC, and utilized MetaSPADES and Prokka to assemble, annotate and translate them. In order to compare the richness and diversity of the animals’ microbiomes, we used two files for each metagenome: one with the complete DNA sequence (FNA) and another one in which the translated proteins were clustered at 90% identity. We used these files as input for BLAST and ran them against dedicated databases for AR (Resfinder), VFs (VFDB) and MGEs (ICEberg, ReTrIn, Prophage DB). Afterwards, each BLAST output file was prepared and normalized for statistical analysis using R. Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were applied to compare the orthologs in the microbiomes of the animals’ and linear regression and correlation coefficient were used to study the relationship between AR, VFs and MGEs. We were unable to create to validate scientific knowledge from our dataset due to its small sample size, but we were successful in defining and testing a bioinformatic workflow to compare the metagenomes of domestic and wild animals.

Extreme heat is a current and future issue on urban areas, with negative impacts on health and quality of life (increasing morbidity and mortality rates). This paper analyses day (12:00–15:00 h) and nighttime (00:00–03:00 h) thermophysiological comfort (TC) conditions by Local Climate Zones (LCZ) in Lisbon during a particular Local Weather Type (LWT), very hot summer days. For this, 13 different microscale sample areas were chosen covering urban and non-urban land cover classes (LCZs 1–3, 4–6, 8, 9, A and B). Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) were modeled on SkyHelios software for 163 days between 2008 and 2014. Results show that during the day all urban LCZ samples depict the same average TC conditions (average UTCI of 34°C—strong heat stress) and densely wooded areas are 2°C cooler (average UTCI of 32°C—moderate heat stress). However, compact areas (LCZs 1–3) with low sky view factor and some vegetation (street trees) display lower percentages of area with higher thermo-physiological discomfort (TD) levels (83% with strong heat stress against 98% in LCZs 8 and 9 and 100% in LCZs 4–6). When considering the hottest days (air temperatures equal or above 35°C—75th percentile), the moderate heat stress class disappears in all samples and the very strong heat stress class appears only on urban areas, occupying between 12% and 16% on LCZs 1–3, 10%–22% on LCZs 4–6, 16%–22% on LCZs 8 and 9 on LCZ 9. During the nighttime period all samples show no thermal stress, favoring nocturnal physiological recovery. TC conditions in Lisbon are strongly influenced by solar radiation and wind, which explains the need to increase the shading area, preferably by trees, and to promote and preserve ventilation paths.

The upstream exploration in the Campos Basin began in the late 1950s in shallow waters and moved to the ultra-deep waters in the 21st century with different levels of success. The purpose of this study is to carry out an integrated regional petroleum system model in the southern region of the Campos basin, attempting to explain the different oils densities and distribution across the region. To perform the petroleum systems modeling in the Southern part of the basin, it was necessary to generate a set of key grids that allowed to capture the main geological events of the basin. Therefore, the basement, top rift, base salt, top salt, eocene and sea bottom regional horizons were interpreted in 2D and 3D seismic, from which grids for each horizon were generated to provide a regional framework of the geological model. A temperature database with the available measurements data from relevant wells was created for thermal calibration and the regional crustal structure was considered on the developed thermal model. Several 1D models were created and integrated on a regional petroleum systems model. Based on the distribution of source rock facies in the basin, two source rock intervals were modelled, one at the base of the sag and other at the intra-rift. The lacustrine facies available in the modelling software were considered a good approach to the facies reported on the basin. The findings support the correlation where higher oil maturity and formation temperature corresponds to a higher API value and therefore lighter oils. In some regions of the study area there were no favorable temperature conditions for the maturation of the kerogens and the consequent transformation into hydrocarbons. The estimated qualitative volumes of oil and gas expelled presented expulsion results aligned with the regional distribution of hydrocarbon fields and highlighted areas where oil expulsion was predicted. The heavy oils in the West are a result of lower maturities from the inboard kitchen and the biodegradation in the post salt reservoirs. The processes of migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons are linked to the dynamics of the evaporitic sequence which, due to its very low permeability, acted as a conditioning to the flow of hydrocarbons generated in the rift section. The migration model expelled hydrocarbons towards areas where the lack of seal allowed migration into the post salt section and charge the turbiditic reservoirs of the Cenozoic. The accumulation occurred in traps at different stratigraphic intervals. The current study presented a qualitative regional approach integrating data analysis, geological, thermal and petroleum system models, setting a regional geohistory framework of the southern part of the Campos basin to provide a petroleum system interpretation of the hydrocarbons generation, migration and distribution to achieve an outcome complementary to regional studies in the southern part of the Campos basin.

The relationship between disaster resilience and sustainability in the context of urban risk has gained significant attention in recent years as the research and technical community work towards a safer, more sustainable way of living. Urban risk is a complex matrix that involves multiple elements at risk, hazards, temporal scales, and vulnerabilities, and this is why traditional risk assessment approaches that focus on addressing the impacts of a single hazard are inadequate for effectively assessing and managing urban risk, particularly in the current climate change context. With this in mind, the present chapter provides an introduction to the concept of multi-hazard risk and its relevance to resilient and sustainable cities by listing and briefly discussing the types of natural hazards that impact cities the most and examining the importance of risk assessment and management in reducing the risks posed by these hazards. The chapter also explores strategies for building resilience in cities, including the strengthening of physical infrastructure and the enhancement of social and economic resilience, and concludes by discussing future directions for research and practice in multi-hazard risk management for resilient and sustainable cities.