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Publications

2019

Measuring the stock of human capital in Cape Verde, 1950-2012

Authors
Moreira, SJC; Vieira, PC; Teixeira, AAC;

Publication
PORTUGUESE JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

Abstract
The present study focuses on the estimation of the human capital stock for the Cape Verdean economy in the period 1950-2012. Adapting the methodology proposed by Barro and Lee, based on past schooling values, we found that between 1950 and 2012 the Cape Verdean working-age population showed a gradual improvement in the levels of schooling, rising from 0.7 years of schooling in the 1950s to 5.4 in late 2012. Thus, in each year, the average years of schooling increased only 0.08 years, meaning that, in net terms and on average, only 7.6 per cent of the working-age population was attending some level of formal education. The availability of a time series of number of average schooling years in Cape Verde opens up possibilities for assessing the impact of human capital on the country's economic development.

2019

Measurements During Optical Clearing

Authors
Oliveira L.M.C.; Tuchin V.V.;

Publication
Springerbriefs in Physics

Abstract
There are several types of measurements that can be performed with biological tissues during optical clearing treatments. When analyzing these methods, two major modes of study must be provided: ex vivo and in vivo. Measurements made from ex vivo samples are more flexible, allowing, for instance, to measure tissue transmittance or sample thickness kinetics. The results obtained from these measurements do not mimic exactly the in vivo situation. In the case of in vivo tissues, results from measurements are more realistic, but a more restrict number is possible, based only on reflectance or imaging methods. In this chapter, we make a brief description and analysis of the various measurement procedures that can be made during treatments of tissues ex vivo and in vivo and present some studies where important information was collected. The valuable results already obtained or possible to obtain in future from measurements described here will be presented and explained in the following sections. A particular case with great interest not only for biophotonics but also for food industry or organ preservation is the estimation of the diffusion properties of water and agents. Such evaluation of parameters is based only on collimated transmittance and thickness measurements made from ex vivo tissues. We will describe these measurements here and exploit their use in the study of diffusion in Chap. 7.

2019

Optimization of an electromagnetic generator for underwater energy harvester

Authors
Faria, CL; Martins, MS; Lima, RA; Gonçalves, LM; Matos, T;

Publication
OCEANS 2019 - Marseille, OCEANS Marseille 2019

Abstract
Energy harvesting devices can increase autonomy of submersible marine sensors. However, only the water movements can be used as energy source, since neither solar or temperature gradients are available bellow surface waters. A Linear Electromagnetic Generator (LEG), in a milliwatt energy harvester, is presented. Any moving parts are in contact with water, thus avoiding biofouling problems in the harvester. In this work, a 100mm length, 60mm diameter, cylindrical LEG was designed to maximize output power, and analyzed the effects of magnets size and geometry as well as coils position, at several working conditions. Two coils were used, with an internal resistance of 130 ? in 1500 turns, together with N38-N42 magnets. A mean electrical power of 25 mW (100 mW peak) was experimental measured in the optimized configuration, in realistic conditions, which is enough to power almost any electronic low-power sensor.

2019

Computer Aided Detection of Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators in Computed Tomography Angiography scans

Authors
Araújo, RJ; Garrido, V; Baraças, CA; Vasconcelos, MA; Mavioso, C; Anacleto, JC; Cardoso, MJ; Oliveira, HP;

Publication
CoRR

Abstract

2019

Assessing the success behind the use of education management information systems in higher education

Authors
Martins, J; Branco, F; Gonçalves, R; Au Yong Oliveira, M; Oliveira, T; Naranjo Zolotov, M; Cruz Jesus, F;

Publication
TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS

Abstract
The continuous use of dynamic and disruptive ICT as energizing elements of the educational process is a reality of current days, where millennials are the centre of an education paradigm in which students are much more inclined to use technologies than enrolling in a traditional nondigital course. Considering education management information systems (EMIS) capacities to collect, analyse, process and publish information and data, it is easy to perceive their relevance to both education organizations and students. Nevertheless, and despite EMIS complexity and inherent possibilities, the existing literature does not provide for a detailed characterization on the impact these systems might have on students' success. Thus, this research focuses on understanding the use of EMIS by students and the arising of net benefits; it introduces an EMIS success model which posits that to ensure net benefits for students, education institutions must safeguard that their education management information systems are of high quality, while at the same time students are maintained satisfied with the system and engage in continuous use. To assess the posed model, an empirical study has been performed, involving students from higher education institutions. Findings from the study allow us to perceive that, as information systems (IS) success models state, EMIS use and students' satisfaction are predictors of net benefits. This same model also claims that the available information quality and EMIS inherent service quality are also strong determinants of both continuous EMIS use and student satisfaction.

2019

Evolution of body composition of obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery

Authors
Silva, LB; Oliveira, BMPM; Correia, F;

Publication
CLINICAL NUTRITION ESPEN

Abstract
Background & aims: Bariatric surgery is increasingly common in the fight against morbid obesity. However, after this intervention, it is not fully understood the evolution of weight loss and how body composition changes. The objective of this work is to study the evolution after surgery of weight and body composition of obese patients that underwent bariatric surgery. Methods: In this retrospective and prospective study, we studied initially BMI and body composition of obese patients who attended nutritional appointments at Centro Hospitalar Sao Joao E.P.E. We collected personal data and anthropometric measurements between the pre-surgery appointment up to 60 months after surgery. Results: The sample consisted of 793 patients, of which 86.5% were female and 13.5% were male, with a mean age of 43 years (SD = 10.5 years) and mean height of 1.62 m (SD = 0.079 m). Patients undergoing gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass had, respectively, an initial BMI reduction of 6.3 kg/ m(2), 13.2 kg/m(2) and 15.4 kg/m(2) and an initial fat mass% reduction of 4.4%, 14.3% and 17.3%. On the other hand, they had an initial increase of 3.2%, 10.8% and 12.4% of water%, 1.4%, 3.9% and 4.6% of fat and waterfree mass%, and 1.9%, 7.3% and 8.9% of skeletal muscle mass%, respectively. BMI and fat mass% on average had a large decrease in the first 12 months, increasing slightly from 24 months onwards. The opposite behaviour was observed for water%, fat and water-free mass% and skeletal muscle mass%. Conclusions: Bariatric surgery initially allows a substantial decrease in BMI as well as beneficial changes in the overall body composition of the individuals. Gastric bypass was the method that caused the most changes, followed by sleeve gastrectomy and, finally, gastric band. On average, after 24 months of follow-up, and for all surgical procedures studied, we observed a reversion in BMI and body composition values, showing the difficulties in maintaining weight and fat loss.

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