Concept maps in Science Teaching: stagnant or growth?

The historical origins of concept maps are in Science Education. In 1972, Joseph Novak created this knowledge representation technique to identify conceptual changes in topics in Biology. After 50 years, concept maps are approaching maturity at a time of enormous social transformations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that impact Education. The authors take advantage of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of concept maps to reflect on the stagnation or growth of research on concept maps, considering the specific production in Science Education. This paper aims to reflect on the current moment of research on concept maps from the analysis of academic literature and a historical perspective of the development and application of concept maps. The perspectives on the horizon suggest that growth is more likely than stagnation if two conditions are fulfilled by researchers and professors: (1) the expansion of theoretical perspectives that inform the use of concept maps and (2) the adoption of a new set of values that emphasize educational praxis as a process, avoiding the focus on the product that characterizes a final point in the learning process. © 2022 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Fisica. All rights reserved.

MiniVent: A low-cost pressure-controlled ventilator system for emergency use

Objective: To address the issue of ventilator shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our group developed the proof-of-concept of a low-cost and rapidly scalable open-source mechanical ventilator system for emergency use. Method(s): A simplified architecture of MiniVent was designed to meet the low-cost and easy-to-produce pre-established properties of our device. To carry out such an approach, we decided to use only components commonly available in the market or components of easy production with usual manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing. The design of MiniVent comprises a pneumatic unit that controls the quality of the air and oxygen mixture and maintains the pressure on the patient's lungs at the desired preset value, along the respiratory cycle. The control unit was programmed on a microcontroller and is responsible for ensuring the respiratory rate and the inspiratory-expiratory ratio, selected by the user. To ensure the fulfilment of all the security and specification requirements of pandemic ventilators, we followed the mandatory specifications presented in the document - Rapidly Manufactured Ventilator System (RMVS) - published by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). A set of tests was performed using different ventilatory parameters for instrumental verification of MiniVent's physical and biological performance. A stability test was also carried out during 35 hours of uninterrupted operation to analyse whether the expected dynamics of the output pressure were maintained over this time. Result(s): The ventilator system developed allows prescribing different breathing rates, fractions inspired of oxygen (FiO2), inspiratory-expiratory ratios (I: E), positive inspiratory pressures (PIP) and positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEP), which can be easily adjustable to the patient's condition. The results of a set of tests assured the reliability of all the ventilatory parameters set by the user. Furthermore, MiniVent showed a good performance over 35 hours of uninterrupted operation, which pointed out the stability of this device. In addition, the device was tested in a porcine model showing good mechanical performance and adequate arterial blood gas throughout all test periods. When compared with commercial ventilators, MiniVent exhibited a similar performance of ventilation. Conclusion(s): MiniVent could be a reliable solution to overcome the shortage of commercial ventilators in emergencies, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This device presents a production cost of under 1000 and does not need specialized technical assistance so it might be a viable solution even in lowerincome countries.

PROBABILITY OF CORPORATE BANKRUPTCY: APPLICATION TO PORTUGUESE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY SMES

This paper aims to develop a model for predicting corporate bankruptcy for SMEs in the Portuguese manufacturing industry where this question remains rather unaddressed. Using profitability, activity, liquidity, leverage, and solvency ratios, it was added the size and age variables, for a group of 208 firms, including 49 bankrupt firms and 159 active firms, during the years 2011 to 2015. The logit model allowed us to estimate a model with 82.3% of predictive capacity. The most important variables identified were profitability, solvency, and size. Estimations only with the data closest to the bankruptcy date improved predictive capacity. It is evidenced that financial and non-financial variables can predict bankruptcy probability. A possible future approach would be to analyze a larger sample. Also, a larger period could be considered, allowing to test either the effects of the 2007/8 crisis or the effects of the recent economic turmoil related to Covid-19. Important for both corporate managers and investors. Conclusions may be disclosed regarding the influence that economic turmoil certainly has on corporate defaults and bankruptcies allowing its extension to other countries. The contribution of this paper is to find the best specification for a bankruptcy prediction model applied to the Portuguese manufacturing industry SMEs. This paper also contributes to the existing literature by using non-financial variables and analyzing a sector still unexplored in Portugal, albeit its conclusions can be extended to other countries. © 2022, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. All rights reserved.

FOOD SAFETY IN PORTUGUESE COMPANIES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTEXT

The Food Safety Management System (FSMS) seeks to ensure the quality of food products in the whole food supply chain. In Portugal, like in all European Union countries, enterprises working in the food sector have to fulfil several regulations of food safety and quality to assure those food products won’t compromise consumers’ health. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges for companies and their food safety systems. Governments also have decreed new (additional) hygiene measures to be implemented by companies and applied to workers when handling products, such as: use of masks, more frequent hand sanitization, the distance between workers, more frequent cleaning of surfaces, etc. The aim of this study is to assess the most important aspects/challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Portuguese food production companies. The instrument used in this study was a survey voluntarily answered by 58 Portuguese companies acting in the food sector, by those responsible for the quality sector, or by those in management positions, using an online platform (Slido®). The data was collected in the period from May to August 2020, and the data analysis was made using an Excel database and spreadsheet functionalities. The results showed that the HACCP (part or included in ISO 22000) is the most implemented food safety system in Portuguese companies (in above 50% of the companies included in the study). Also, 20% have International Featured Standards (IFS) certification, and 16% declare to have implemented the ISO 22000 standard. Among the different attributes available, the attribute selected by Portuguese companies as most influential (most scored) to affect the integrity of the companies’ FSMS was the “temperature checking of workers”, and the least influential was the “staff awareness”. Furthermore, a great majority of the companies revealed that the FSMS include documents associated with response/incidents affecting food safety;that COVID-19 pandemic was identified as originating potential emergencies in the FSMS;and that the food safety teams were trained on how to react in case of a pandemic. Globally, companies’ respondents also admit that their FSMS allowed reacting to the pandemic of Covid-19, providing additional training to their staff to implement supplementary personal hygiene procedures (as: handwashing, physical distance, …), reinforce the use of personal protective equipment (such as masks), or adjust the sanitation/ cleaning practices associated with hygiene of the objects. According to the results, the market/retail was the sector of the food supply chain most affected due to pandemic Covid-19, and the Primary sector the least affected. In conclusion, the companies are, in general, committed to implement and reinforce the measures related to the FSMS, even under difficult circumstances like those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022, Consulting and Training Center - KEY. All rights reserved.

Customer knowledge and behavior on the use of food refrigerated display cabinets: A Portuguese case

This article presents a study on customer knowledge and habits regarding the use of refrigerated display cabinets (RDC). The study was carried out on a sample of Portuguese retail stores' customers, using a questionnaire survey available through an Internet platform. The sample consisted of 136 individuals, who voluntarily participated in the study. Questions included the characterization of the sociodemographic population involved. The questionnaire included different questions to related with RDC, namely customer knowledge about the appearance of each RDC equipment, questions to evaluate the respondents' perception about the advantages and disadvantages related to open or glass-door closed RDC, questions to assess the participants' habits and behavior when purchasing food products from glass-door closed RDC (frequency and duration of door open), questions to characterize the consumers' habits on purchasing food products from RDC, and also questions to characterize the consumers' shopping attitudes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2. The results seem to indicate that customers prefer closed RDC;for example, 61.8% of participants prefer products preserved in glass-door closed RDC, against 6.6% that admit to preferring products preserved in open RDC. Therefore, we can deduce that the existence of doors does not appear to be an obstacle to purchasing food products. Regarding the use of glass-door closed RDC, 80.1% of the participants say they just open the door once, and 53.7% of the costumers believe they keep the door open in the interval [4-6 s]. This indicates that Portuguese customers are quite well informed about food safety issues and seem to follow assertive attitudes when purchasing food products from RDC. This study reinforces the benefits of replacing open RDC by closed glass-doors allowing significant energy savings.

The combat against COVID-19 in Portugal: how state measures and data availability reinforce some organizational values and contribute to the sustainability of the national health system

Countries are facing a pandemic crisis in the context of a new disease from the coronavirus family, referred to as COVID-19. This article aims to present the main facts related to the fight against the pandemic from the perspective of the Portuguese governance, aiming to contribute to the knowledge of crisis management by political leaders as well as the performance of public entities. The present research was conducted through a quantitative approach, using data publicly provided by the Portuguese Directorate General of Health. An explanatory and descriptive study is presented about the current panorama, and yet to be shared good practices of crisis management and the relevance of organizational values in crisis management and crisis coordination are also discussed. Based on the lessons from Portugal, the authors suggest the relevance of organizational values and stakeholders' coordination as key factors in crisis situations, such as the current one.