Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2019-11"
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- Fresh-state and mechanical properties of high-performance self-compacting concrete with recycled aggregates from the precast industryPublication . Barroqueiro, Tiago; Raposeiro Da Silva, Pedro; De Brito, JorgeThe urgent need to change the less positive impacts of the construction industry on the environment, and more specifically the production and use of concrete, is the main motivation for the research for more efficient and environmentally sustainable solutions. This paper presented the results of an experimental campaign whose ultimate goal was to produce high-performance self-compacting concrete (SCC) using recycled aggregates (RA) from the precast industry. The results of the fresh-state and mechanical properties tests performed on six concrete mixes (using RA from the precast industry) were presented. The first concrete mix is a reference mix using natural aggregates only (100% NA), and the remaining five mixes had various contents of fine (FRA) and coarse (CRA) recycled aggregates in concrete's composition: (2) 25/25% (25% RA); (3) 50/50% (50% RA); (4) 100/100% (100% RA); (5) 0/100% (100% CRA); (6) 100/0% (100% FRA). The results showed that the high-performance concrete mixes with RA from the precast industry performed worse than the reference mix. However, taking into account all the mechanical properties studied, it can be concluded that RA from precast concrete elements are of very good quality and can be incorporated in the production of high-performance SCC. The potential demonstrated by the combined use of fine and coarse recycled aggregates was also emphasized. This type of work is expected to effectively contribute to raise awareness among the various players in the construction industry, particularly in the precast concrete industry, to the feasibility of using RA in significant quantities (notably coarse aggregates) and to the safety needed to assume structural functions, even for applications where high performance is required.
- Effectivity of wash/malaria educational community-based intervention in reducing anemia among preschool children from Bengo, AngolaPublication . Fançony, Claudia; Soares, Ania; Brito, MiguelExclusive therapeutic approaches promptly clear infections, however, in heavily contaminated environments high reinfections and incidence rates may occur limiting the sustainability of these approaches. Integrating therapeutic and preventive WASH/malaria educational strategies can simultaneously treat infections and reduce disease transmission, resulting in reduced anemia. This study, nested into a major research project investigating the efficacy of educational approaches in reducing anemia, was conducted in 2015 /2016 in CISA's study area, located in Bengo - Angola, and included 312 children randomized to the WASH/Malaria arm. Demographic, socio-economic, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Malaria parental practices, and parasitological and biochemical data were collected at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. These moments were intercalated with 3 monthly domiciliary educational visits aiming at increasing the health literacy of caretakers and collect indicators of changed/improved behavior. T-student, McNemar Test, and Chi-2 tests were used to determine variations on the primary and secondary outcomes. 202 children have completed the study. Despite that, the mean hemoglobin increased levels and total anemia prevalence reduction were not statistically significant (from 11.2g/dL to 11.4g/dL, p=0.21 and from 38.6 to 33.2%, p= 0.21 respectively), an 8.4% reduction in the Iron Deficiency Anemia prevalence was observed (p=0.01). A significant increase in the prevalence of infections was observed, mainly P. falciparum (1.5 to 6.4%), G.lamblia (9.2 to 20.6%), and A. lumbricoides (6.1 to 26.7%). 50.5% of children’s hands and 43.4% of the household’s observations scored 5-6 points for the cleaning state of the nails and for the cleaning state of latrines, respectively. 81.2% of the households scored 0-1 point regarding having water in the latrine to wash hands, 53.3%, 60.1%, and 78.5% were observed to have garbage, loose domestic animals, or puddles in the home surroundings. Neither the reduction of IDA nor the increased infection prevalence were found to be statistically associated with the educational process indicators collected here.
- Sentidos figurados: cinema, imagem, simulacro, narrativa. Volume 4: facializações cinematográficas: especificidades portuguesas e estudos de casosPublication . Mendes, João Maria; Antunes, PedroPensar o cinema obriga-nos a regressar ao persistente duelo entre iconófilos e iconoclastas e à importância da figuração nos cristianismos e especialmente na catolicidade: a história das artes “ocidentais” não teria sido a que foi se a igreja de Roma não tivesse desempenhado, desde os seus primeiros tempos, o papel de promotora da produção de imagens. Muitos séculos antes de Hollywood, o Vaticano e os seus príncipes montaram e financiaram a principal fábrica de sonhos desse mundo. Os primeiros séculos do cristianismo, mas particularmente a catolicidade romana posterior ao cisma, propulsionou, ciclicamente combatida por iconoclasmas, o culto das imagens, apadrinhando a pintura e a escultura desde a longa idade média até ao renascimento e ao barroco. O cinema é um herdeiro directo dessa tradição iconófila. A fechar esta reflexão, publicamos uma caracterização do cinema português e comentários a alguns dos seus filmes.
- MUGA processing: intra and interoperator variability impact using manual and automated methodsPublication . Belo, Rita; Alves, Cláudia; Carvalhal, Cristiana; Figueiredo, Sérgio; Carolino, Elisabete; Vieira, Lina OliveiraIntroduction – Multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan is mainly used for the assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients who undergo cardiotoxic chemotherapy drugs. When applying automatic (A) or manual (M) processing methods, some biases in the quantitative metrics can be obtained. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of A and M methods, specifically, the inter and intraoperative variability in accordance with the professional experience. Methods – A retrospective study was performed with 14 MUGA exams available in ESTeSL’s Xeleris™ Functional Imaging Workstation v. 1.0628 database. Three operators (OP) with no professional experience and two with more than 10 years of experience, processed every study five times for each method, using the EF Analysis™ and the Peak Filling Rate™. To perform the multiple comparisons, the Repeated Measures ANOVA, Friedman, t-test and Wilcoxon tests were used, considering α=0.05. Results – Four of the OP presented statistically significant differences between methods in one or more parameters; similar values between experienced OP and between the non-experienced were observed when the A method was applied, and higher discrepancies were present for all parameters obtained by the M mode; higher LVEF, peak filling rate, and peak empying rate values were observed for the M method. Conclusion – Variability was found when comparing M and A processing methods, as well as interoperator variability associated with their level of experience. Despite that, there was a trend of less variability between the two experienced OP and in the A method.
- Malnutrition and body composition in elderly populationPublication . Cebola, Marisa; Mendes, Diana; Costa-Veiga, Ana; Tomás, Maria Teresa; Coelho, André; Mendes, Lino; Rico, Miguel Toscano; Guerreiro, António SousaIntroduction: Ageing leads to an increase in chronic disease’s prevalence, change in body composition: increased fat mass and decreased lean mass that can lead to malnutrition. Objectives: The aim was relating malnutrition with depletion of lean mass and alteration of fat mass. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study, developed in the district of Lisbon, in the period from January 1, 2019, to June 30, 2019. Elderly people (≥ 65 years) admitted to the Internal Medicine Unit of a central hospital (up to 72 hours) were eligible for the study. The elderly participants had to present the capacity to make their informed consent, without the intervention of any element of coercion, with enough knowledge and understanding of the objectives of the study that allowed free and informed decision making. The nutritional assessment was performed through the MNA-LF® and the analysis of the body composition through the measurement of the calf circumference and triceps skinfold. Results: n=38 patients, with a mean age of 78.8 + 5.8 years (70-91), 50% (n=19) males and 73.6%. At hospital admission 7.9% (n=3) were malnourished, 39.5% (n=15) presented nutritional risk, 34.2% (n=13) presented depletion of lean mass and 31.6% (n=12) depletion of fat mass. When we reported the presence of malnutrition with the calf circumference and tricipital skin fold, there was a statistically significant correlation (4=0,04; r=0,05). Malnourished patients presented the depletion of lean mass and fat mass. Discussion/Conclusion: The nutritional assessment using the body composition analysis presents extreme importance in the hospital admission, which allows better performance of the nutritional support adapted to each elderly and better nutritional goals. Signaling the patients who need intervention alert all the clinical team to the importance of nutritional intervention also in the community.
- Competitividade fiscal: efeito na mobilidade de capital humano qualificadoPublication . Pires, Ana Cláudia Bastos; Albuquerque, PauloEsta dissertação tem como objetivos determinar se a tributação do rendimento do trabalho é um fator decisivo na migração do capital humano; explorar a relação teórica entre a migração, a tributação e a competitividade fiscal; e comparar a tributação do rendimento do trabalho nos Estados-Membro da União Europeia, considerando a incidência objetiva e subjetiva e os regimes de tributação favorável. Primeiramente, exploro evidência científica que prova a existência de uma correlação positiva entre a carga tributária do rendimento pessoal e a mobilidade internacional. De seguida, abordo a relação entre estes dois fatores, a competitividade fiscal e a sustentação jurídica destes conceitos em normativos internacionais. Posteriormente, contextualizo a competitividade e a tributação do trabalho nas práticas dos países constituintes da União Europeia e OCDE. Por fim, analiso concessões fiscais de 16 países da União Europeia e critico dois dos regimes existentes em Portugal: Regime Fiscal para o Residente Não Habitual e Regime Fiscal Aplicável a Ex-residentes. Demonstro que existe de facto uma correlação positiva entre a tributação e a migração, sendo que o nível de qualificação e de rendimento se destacam como principais influenciadores. Demonstro também que as concessões fiscais devem ser limitadas no tempo ou em incidência a fim de minimizar os efeitos da não neutralidade, o que não acontece de forma insuficiente no Regime Fiscal para o Residente Não Habitual em Portugal.
- Genetic diversity and drug resistance of HIV-1 among infected pregnant women newly diagnosed in Luanda, AngolaPublication . Sebastião, Cruz S.; Neto, Zoraima; Jesus, Carlos S. de; Mirandela, Marinela; Jandondo, Domingos; Couto-Fernandez, José C.; Tanuri, Amilcar; Morais, Joana; Brito, MiguelMonitoring genetic diversity and drug resistance mutations (DRMs) is critical for understanding HIV epidemiology. Here, we report HIV-1 genetic diversity and DRMs in blood samples from 42 HIV-positive pregnant women naive to antiretroviral therapy (ART), in Luanda. The samples were subjected to nested-PCR, followed by sequencing of the HIV-1 pol gene, targeting the protease and reverse transcriptase fragments. HIV-1 diversity was analyzed using the REGA HIV-1 subtyping tool and DRMs were identified using the Calibrated Population Resistance tool. A total of 34 sequences were obtained. The data revealed wide HIV-1 subtypes heterogeneity, with subtype C (38%, 13/34) the most frequent, followed by the subtypes F1 (18%, 6/34), A1 (9%, 3/34), G (9%, 3/34), D (6%, 2/34) and H (3%, 1/34). In addition, recombinants strains were detected, with CRF02_AG (6%, 2/34) the most frequent, followed by CRF37_cpx, F1/C, A1/G, and H/G, all with 3% (1/34). A total of 6/34 (18%) of the sequences presented DRMs. The non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors presented 15% (5/34) of resistance. Moreover, 1/34 (3%) sequence presented resistance against both non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, simultaneously. Despite the small sample size, our results suggest the need to update currently used ART regimens. Surveillance of HIV-1 subtypes and DRMs are necessary to understand HIV epidemiology and to guide modification of ART guidelines in Angola.
- Sarcopenia and malnutrition in elderly admitted to hospitalPublication . Dias, Ana; Monteiro, Catarina; Mendes, Diana; Cebola, Marisa; Carolino, Elisabete; Mendes, Lino; Rico, Miguel; Guerreiro, AntónioIntroduction: Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder. The sarcopenia phenotype is also associated with malnutrition, regardless of whether the malnourished condition is rooted in low dietary intake, reduced nutrient bioavailability or high nutrient requirements. Aims: Relating sarcopenia with malnutrition. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study, developed at a central hospital, between April and July 2019. Elderly people (≥ 70 years) admitted to internal medicine service with the capacity to make their informed consent, without the intervention of any element of coercion were admitted to the study. Sarcopenia was assessed through the European Working Group on Sarcopenia criteria in Older People (EWGSOP), which include the evaluation of the grip strength (GS), appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) predicted by bioelectrical impedance analysis and physical performance (gait speed). The risk of malnutrition was assessed according to the Mini Nutrition Assessment - MNA® Elderly. Results: n=32 patients, with a mean age of 79.7 + 5.9 years (70-91). At hospital admission 93.8% (n=30) were sarcopenic, 100% (n=30) presented low GS, 75% (n=24) had low ASMM and 3.1% (n=1) had normal gait speed. According to the MNA® short form, 59% (n=19) had a nutritional risk and of that group, 68% (n=13) were at risk of malnutrition and 16% (n=3) were malnourish after completing the MNA® long-form, both also had a diagnostic of sarcopenia. However, there were no significant correlations between the MNA® and the sarcopenia evaluation criteria. Discussion/Conclusion: In a population of geriatric inpatients, subjects with malnutrition risk and sarcopenia are at increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality compared to subjects with either malnutrition/malnutrition risk or sarcopenia. Therefore, the malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome may serve as an important prognostic factor in the management of hospitalized older patients.
- Meander-line monopole antenna with compact ground plane for a bluetooth system-in-packagePublication . Santos, Hugo M.; Pinho, Pedro; Silva, Rui Pedro; Pinheiro, Márcio; Salgado, HenriqueIn this letter, a packaged compact meander-line monopole antenna for Bluetooth communications, manufactured in low-density fan-out technology, is presented. A combined size for the antenna and ground plane of 0.1 lambda(0) x 0.06 lambda(0) x 0.008 lambda(0) is obtained. Such small antennas are usually designed considering their connection to an evaluation board with a large ground plane, which improves their gain and bandwidth, but in this letter, the antenna is designed so it can work standalone without any further connection to printed circuit boards. The challenge of designing such a compact antenna is surpassed by performing a detailed modeling of the radiating meander-line element altogether with its finite ground plane, a tuning inductor, and an inductive coupling feed. The antenna model is developed in Ansys HFSS using the finite element method, which is later validated experimentally. Measurements of the return loss radiation pattern are carried out, and final results show a -6 dB bandwidth of approximately 110 MHz and a gain of -8.7 dBi, at 2.42 GHz.
- Auditoria aos sistemas de informação com base no control objectives for information and related technology (COBIT)Publication . Aziz, Osman Abdul; Rodrigues, FernandoOs Sistemas de Informação (SI) têm vindo a revelar cada vez mais um forte pilar para o sucesso de muitas organizações onde a presença destes sistemas é incontestável. Este projeto tem como objetivo investigar a importância e o impacto da existência da auditoria nos SI com base no Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT) e toda a sua estrutura. A evolução e a dependência das Tecnologias de Informação (TI) nas organizações levaram à adoção de medidas novas, de modo a atingir os objetivos da organização, que por resultado melhoram o desempenho do negócio empresarial e onde procuram otimizar as áreas relacionadas às TI. Como tal, os auditores surgem para as organizações como forma de acrescentar valor, uma vez que são orientados para garantir independentemente a conformidade e aderência das políticas e exigências legais das organizações, bem como, verificar a qualidade de resposta na existência de falhas de conformidade.