Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2010"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 611
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Prevalence of fungi in indoor air with reference to gymnasiums with swimming poolsPublication . Viegas, Carla; Alves, Célia; Carolino, Elisabete; Rosado, Laura; Santos, Carlos SilvaFungal contamination of air in 10 gymnasiums with swimming pools was monitored. Fifty air samples of 200 L each were collected, using a Millipore air tester, from the area surrounding the pool, in training studios, in showers and changing rooms for both sexes, and also, outside premises, since these are the places regarded as reference. Simultaneously, environmental parameters – temperature and humidity – were also monitored. Some 25 different species of fungi were identified. The six most commonly isolated genera were the following: Cladosporium sp. (36.6%), Penicillium sp. (19.0%), Aspergillus sp. (10.2%), Mucor sp. (7%), Phoma sp. and Chrysonilia sp. (3.3%). For yeasts, three different genera were identified, namely, Rhodotorula sp. (70%), Trichosporon mucoides and Cryptococcus uniguttulattus (10%).
- Analysis of constructed wetland performance for irrigation reusePublication . Monte, Helena Marecos; Albuquerque, AntonioMost of the wastewater treatment systems in small rural communities of the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) consist of constructed wetlands (CW) with horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF). It is believed that those systems allow the compliance of discharge standards as well as the production of final effluents with suitability for reuse. Results obtained in a nine-month campaign in an HSSF bed pointed out that COD and TSS removal were lower than expected. A discrete sampling also showed that removal of TC, FC and HE was not enough to fulfill international irrigation goals. However, the bed had a very good response to variation of incoming nitrogen loads presenting high removal of nitrogen forms. A good correlation between mass load and mass removal rate was observed for BOD5, COD, TN, NH4-N, TP and TSS, which shows a satisfactory response of the bed to the variable incoming loads. The entrance of excessive loads of organic matter and solids contributed for the decrease of the effective volume for pollutant uptake and therefore, may have negatively influenced the treatment capability. Primary treatment should be improved in order to decrease the variation of incoming organic and solid loads and to improve the removal of COD, solids and pathogenic. The final effluent presented good physical-chemical quality to be reused for irrigation, which is the most likely application in the area.
- The Sticky Information Macro Model: Beyond Perfect ForesightPublication . Gomes, OrlandoSticky information monetary models have been used in the macroeconomic literature to explain some of the observed features regarding inflation dynamics. In this paper, we explore the consequences of relaxing the rational expectations assumption usually taken in this type of model; in particular, by considering expectations formed through adaptive learning, it is possible to arrive to results other than the trivial convergence to a fixed point long-term equilibrium. The results involve the possibility of endogenous cyclical motion (periodic and a-periodic), which emerges essentially in scenarios of hyperinflation. In low inflation settings, the introduction of learning implies a less severe impact of monetary shocks that, nevertheless, tend to last for additional time periods relative to the pure perfect foresight setup.
- E-Government and government transformation: technical interactivity, political influence and citizen returnPublication . Montargil, FilipeE-Government services have been the subject of theoretical elaboration and regular evaluation surveys since around 2000. It is argued in this chapter that the theoretical paradigms used for methodology design in these surveys (and, therefore, their main results too) tend to neglect political influence as an analytic dimension and consider citizen return as resulting from technical interactivity. A critique is carried out of the assumptions underlying this paradigm and a complementary criterion is offered for the analysis of E-Government services. Available results from existing surveys are re-examined in light of this reflection. Findings reveal an indisputable growth in coverage (i.e. a larger percentage of services are available online) and in technical interactivity of government services online. However, a more careful look at the same surveys also supports the hypothesis that their results should not be taken as automatically meaning an increase in citizen engagement or that services are being developed from a starting point of the user's needs and expectations. On the contrary, data suggests that sophistication is increasing faster in the technical interactivity dimension than in citizen participation features. Simultaneously, services more closely related with the extractive activity of the state (e.g. that imply revenue or income generation) are placed online sooner and with more technical sophistication than services in other areas. Some data also suggests that these trends are not imperceptible to citizens. According to one survey, citizens expect from E-Government more consequences in state efficiency and cost reduction than in government transparency or accountability.
- Computational evaluation of hydraulic system behaviour with entrapped air under rapid pressurizationPublication . Martins, Sandra Carvalho; De Sousa Ramos, Helena Maria; Almeida, A. B.The pressurization of hydraulic systems containing entrapped air is considered a critical condition for the infrastructure's security due to transient pressure variations often occurred. The objective of the present study is the computational evaluation of trends observed in variation of maximum surge pressure resulting from rapid pressurizations. The comparison of the results with those obtained in previous studies is also undertaken. A brief state of art in this domain is presented. This research work is applied to an experimental system having entrapped air in the top of a vertical pipe section. The evaluation is developed through the elastic model based on the method of characteristics, considering a moving liquid boundary, with the results being compared with those achieved with the rigid liquid column model.
- Consumos terapêuticos, percepção e gestão do riscoPublication . Raposo, Hélder AntónioDa ubiquidade discursiva do risco ao seu enraizamento social. Ideologias de risco e de prevenção. O risco e as novas lógicas de investimentos terapêuticos. O risco nos territórios da racionalidade leiga. Percepções e gestão do risco: do retrato extensivo à análise das narrativas leigas. Mapeamentos leigos do risco: retrato panorâmico. Modulações narrativas e lógicas leigas na relação com o risco: percepções sociais e modalidades de gestão prática.
- Direct Color Sensor, Optical Amplifier and Demux Device Integrated on a Single Monolithic SiC PhotodetectorPublication . Vieira, Manuela; Louro, Paula; Vieira, Manuel; Costa, João; Fernandes, MiguelA pi'n/pin a-SiC:H voltage and optical bias controlled device is presented and its behavior as image and color sensor, optical amplifier and demux device is discussed. The design and the light source properties are correlated with the sensor output characteristics. Different readout techniques are used. When a low power monochromatic scanner readout the generated carriers the transducer recognizes a color pattern projected on it acting as a direct color and image sensor. Scan speeds up to 10(4) lines per second are achieved without degradation in the resolution. If the photocurrent generated by different monochromatic pulsed channels is readout directly, the information is demultiplexed. Results show that it is possible to decode the information from three simultaneous color channels without bit errors at bit rates per channel higher than 4000 bps. Finally, when triggered by light of appropriated wavelength, it can amplify or suppress the generated photocurrent working as an optical amplifier (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
- Ambientes favoráveis à prática de cuidados de enfermagem: factores determinantesPublication . Almeida, Maria Helena Ferreira de; Silva, Carlos Alberto da; Fernandes, Manuel Agostinho MatosA qualidade do ambiente de trabalho dos profissionais, nas organizações de saúde, contribui para a qualidade dos cuidados e serviços prestados e para a excelência do desempenho. O International Council of Nurses denominou os ambientes promotores da excelência como ambientes favoráveis à prática. Os lideres e gestores destas organizações devem conhecer os factores determinantes desses ambientes, de forma a proporcionar as condições que obviem o exercício, profissional de qualidade. Descrever os factores estratégicos que determinam a existência de um modelo de desenvolvimento organizacional baseado em ambientes favoráveis à prática de cuidados de enfermagem em contexto hospitalar constitui-se como objectivo geral desta investigação. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo-correlacional, recorrendo a um inquérito por questionário, sendo a população alvo enfermeiros. Foi obtido um conjunto de padrões factoriais que caracterizam o perfil de factores críticos de sucesso em ambientes favoráveis à prática dos enfermeiros: Organização [práticas de gestâo; estruturas de apoio; políticas de recur~s humanos; políticas de gestão de erros; condições para captação de recursos humanos; dotações seguras]; Enfermeiro (gestão e liderança; comunicação organizacional; ética e deontologia profissional; educação e desenvolvimento profissional]; Governo [políticas do governo]; Associação Profissional/Ordem dos Enfermeiros (OE) [orientações para a profissão; controlo da profissão]. Evidenciou-se, ainda, que existe diferença de percepção entre os enfermeiros gestores e prestadores de cuidados sobre os factores que determinam o ambiente favorável à prática de cuidados e que os diferentes contextos de prestação de cuidados (internamento, urgência e ambulatório) não influenciam a percepção que os enfermeiros detêm sobre esses factores.
- Jenny Saville, a marcaPublication . Cordeiro, MartaO artigo explora a divisão entre corpo e alma e a passagem do paradigma do corpo organismo para o do corpo mecanismo. Neste contexto, detém-se sobre as possibilidades da cirurgia estética e a sua relação com o corpo feminino, através da análise da obra Plan e Matrix, da pintora Jenny Saville.
- Open services ecosystem supporting collaborativePublication . F. G. Osório, A. Luís; Afsarmanesh, Hamideh; Luis M. Camarinha-MatosThe growing complexity of the information and communication technologies when coping with innovative business services based on collaborative contributions from multiple stakeholders requires novel and multidisciplinary approaches. Service orientation is a strategic approach to deal with such complexity, and various stakeholders’ information systems. Services or more precisely the autonomous computational agents implementing the services, provide an architectural pattern able to cope with the needs of integrated and distributed collaborative solutions. This paper proposes a service-oriented framework, aiming to support a virtual organizations breeding environment which is the basis to establish short or long term goal-oriented virtual organizations. The notion of integrated business services, where customers receive some value developed through the contribution from a network of companies is a key element.