Fortaleza de Valença: “Projecto de requalificação urbana do centro histórico de Valença”: trabalhos arqueológicos: relatórios de progresso nº 1, 2, 3, 4 e 5

Relatórios de Progresso nº 1, 2, 3, 4 e 5

Transporte ativo em alunos do 5º e 6º ano de escolaridade, por género, em meio predominantemente rural

Relatório de atividade profissional de mestrado em Ensino de Educação Física nos Ensinos Básico e Secundário

Centrality and rapidity dependence of inclusive jet production in sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of the centrality and rapidity dependence of inclusive jet production in sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV proton--lead (p+Pb) collisions and the jet cross-section in s√=2.76 TeV proton--proton collisions are presented. These quantities are measured in datasets corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.8 nb−1 and 4.0 pb−1, respectively, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2013. The p+Pb collision centrality was characterised using the total transverse energy measured in the pseudorapidity interval −4.9<η<−3.2 in the direction of the lead beam. Results are presented for the double-differential per-collision yields as a function of jet rapidity and transverse momentum (pT) for minimum-bias and centrality-selected p+Pb collisions, and are compared to the jet rate from the geometric expectation. The total jet yield in minimum-bias events is slightly enhanced above the expectation in a pT-dependent manner but is consistent with the expectation within uncertainties. The ratios of jet spectra from different centrality selections show a strong modification of jet production at all pT at forward rapidities and for large pT at mid-rapidity, which manifests as a suppression of the jet yield in central events and an enhancement in peripheral events. These effects imply that the factorisation between hard and soft processes is violated at an unexpected level in proton--nucleus collisions. Furthermore, the modifications at forward rapidities are found to be a function of the total jet energy only, implying that the violations may have a simple dependence on the hard parton--parton kinematics.

Exposição à escrita e rendimento académico na língua portuguesa: um estudo com alunos do 5.º e 7.º ano

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia

Extending the reservoir of bla IMP-5: the emerging pathogen Acinetobacter bereziniae

Acinetobacter bereziniae clinical relevance is starting to be recognized; however, very few descriptions of its carbapenem resistance currently exist. Here we characterize two carbapenem-resistant A. bereziniae isolates. Materials & methods: Isolates were obtained from environmental and clinical samples. Carbapenemases were searched by phenotypic, biochemical and PCR assays. Clonality was studied by ApaI-PFGE and genetic location for carbapenemase genes were assessed by I-CeuI and S1 hybridizations. Results: Isolates were not clonally related but both produced the exclusively Portuguese IMP-5, with the clinical isolate also producing an OXA-58. The carbapenemase genes were plasmid located. Conclusion: Our results emphasize the role of non-baumannii Acinetobacter species as important reservoirs of clinically relevant resistance genes that could also contribute to their emergence as nosocomial pathogens

Ferroelectric phase transitions studies in 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8) O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 ceramics

The ferroelectric phase transitions in 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BCZT 50/50) ceramics,fabricatedbyasolidstatereaction,werestudiedbyusing X-Ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and measuring electric polarization, dielectric permittivity and pyroelectric current. Xraydiffraction(XRD)confirmsthecoexistenceoftetragonal(T) andrhombohedral(R)phasesatroomtemperature.Thetemperature dependence of the Raman modes frequency reveals the existenceoftwophasetransitionscorrespondingtotherhombohedral – tetragonal, and tetragonal - cubic close to 30 and 100 °C, respectively. The temperature dependence of electric polarization,pyroelectriccurrent,anddielectricpermittivityfurther supports theferroelectric (tetragonal) toparaelectric (cubic) phasetransition.Moreover,thedielectricpermittivityrevealsthe diffuseness of the phase transition and is attributed to the compositional fluctuations of different polar micro-regions.

Measurement of the inclusive jet cross-section in proton--proton collisions at s√=7 TeV using 4.5 fb−1 of data with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive jet cross-section is measured in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.5 fb−1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. Jets are identified using the anti-kt algorithm with radius parameter values of 0.4 and 0.6. The double-differential cross-sections are presented as a function of the jet transverse momentum and the jet rapidity, covering jet transverse momenta from 100 GeV to 2 TeV. Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations corrected for non-perturbative effects and electroweak effects, as well as Monte Carlo simulations with next-to-leading-order matrix elements interfaced to parton showering, are compared to the measured cross-sections. A quantitative comparison of the measured cross-sections to the QCD calculations using several sets of parton distribution functions is performed.

Antifungal action of three (Z)-5-amino-N'-aryl-1-methyl-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazonamides

[Excerpt] The incidence of fungal infections has greatly increased in patients under sustained immunosuppression with considerable risk associated. Difficulties regarding prompt diagnosis and the limited therapeutic options dictate high mortality rates. Available antifungals display substantial toxicity, a predictable consequence of the cellular structure of the organisms involved, reduced spectrum of activity, and drug interactions. Our group had previously identified three (Z)-5-amino-N'-aryl-1-methyl-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazonamides 1 [aryl= phenyl (1a), 4-fluorophenyl (1b), 3fluorophenyl (1c)] as potent antifungal agents.1 (...)

The synthesis of novel 5-aminoimidazoles derivatives with anticancer activity

[Excerpt] The imidazole nucleus is present in a significant number of biomolecules and the inclusion of this moiety in organic scaffolds is considered an important synthetic strategy in drug discovery.[1] 5-Aminoimidazoles are interesting building blocks in medicinal chemistry since they are key components in many bioactive molecules and their derivatives showed a wide pharmacological potential as anticancer drugs.[1] The hydrazones constitute an important class of biological active drug molecules due to their wide range of pharmacological properties that include antitumoral activities.[2] Amidrazone derivatives could be considered very promising in the perspective of new drug discovery, because they are very effective as building blocks to obtain various heterocycles.[2,3] The α-hydrazononitriles are a special case of compounds belonging to the family of hydrazones that is less common in the literature, but has a great interest due to their pharmacological applications.[4] (...)

The role of liquid-based cytology and ancillary techniques in pleural and pericardic effusions: An institutional experience

BACKGROUND: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of serous membrane effusions may fulfil a challenging role in the diagnostic analysis of both primary and metastatic disease. From this perspective, liquid-based cytology (LBC) represents a feasible and reliable method for empowering the performance of ancillary techniques (ie, immunocytochemistry and molecular testing) with high diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: In total, 3171 LBC pleural and pericardic effusions were appraised between January 2000 and December 2013. They were classified as negative for malignancy (NM), suspicious for malignancy (SM), or positive for malignancy (PM). RESULTS: The cytologic diagnoses included 2721 NM effusions (2505 pleural and 216 pericardic), 104 SM effusions (93 pleural and 11 pericardic), and 346 PM effusions (321 pleural and 25 pericardic). The malignant pleural series included 76 unknown malignancies (36 SM and 40 PM effusions), 174 metastatic lesions (85 SM and 89 PM effusions), 14 lymphomas (3 SM and 11 PM effusions), 16 mesotheliomas (5 SM and 11 SM effusions), and 3 myelomas (all SM effusions). The malignant pericardic category included 20 unknown malignancies (5 SM and 15 PM effusions), 15 metastatic lesions (1 SM and 14 PM effusions), and 1 lymphoma (1 PM effusion). There were 411 conclusive immunocytochemical analyses and 47 molecular analyses, and the authors documented 88% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 98% diagnostic accuracy, 98% negative predictive value, and 100% positive predictive value for FNAC. CONCLUSIONS: FNAC represents a primary diagnostic tool for effusions and a reliable approach with which to determine the correct follow-up. Furthermore, LBC is useful for ancillary techniques, such as immunocytochemistry and molecular analysis, with feasible diagnostic and predictive utility.

Monocarboxylate transport inhibition potentiates the cytotoxic effect of 5-fluorouracil in colorectal cancer cells

Cancer cells rely mostly on glycolysis to meet their energetic demands, producing large amounts of lactate that are extruded to the tumour microenvironment by monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). The role of MCTs in the survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells is scarce and poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to better understand this issue and exploit these transporters as novel therapeutic targets alone or in combination with the CRC classical chemotherapeutic drug 5-Fluorouracil. For that purpose, we characterized the effects of MCT activity inhibition in normal and CRC derived cell lines and assessed the effect of MCT inhibition in combination with 5-FU. Here, we demonstrated that MCT inhibition using CHC (a-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid), DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid) and quercetin decreased cell viability, disrupted the glycolytic phenotype, inhibited proliferation and enhanced cell death in CRC cells. These results were confirmed by specific inhibition of MCT1/4 by RNA interference. Notably, we showed that 5-FU cytotoxicity was potentiated by lactate transport inhibition in CRC cells, either by activity inhibition or expression silencing. These findings provide novel evidence for the pivotal role of MCTs in CRC maintenance and survival, as well as for the use of these transporters as potential new therapeutic targets in combination with CRC conventional therapy.

Erratum to: Measurement of the inclusive jet cross-section in proton-proton collisions at s√=7 TeV using 4.5 fb−1 of data with the ATLAS detector

It was found that the non-perturbative corrections calculated using Pythia with the Perugia 2011 tune did not include the effect of the underlying event. The affected correction factors were recomputed using the Pythia 6.427 generator. These corrections are applied as baseline to the NLO pQCD calculations and thus the central values of the theoretical predictions have changed by a few percent with the new corrections. This has a minor impact on the agreement between the data and the theoretical predictions. Figures 2 and 6 to 13, and all the tables have been updated with the new values. A few sentences in the discussion in sections 5.2 and 9 were altered or removed.

Z boson production in p plus Pb collisions at root S-NN=5.02 TeV measured with the ATLAS detector

The ATLAS Collaboration measures the inclusive production of Z bosons via their decays into electron and muon pairs in p+Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurements are made using data corresponding to integrated luminosities of 29.4 and 28.1 nb−1 for Z→ee and Z→μμ, respectively. The results from the two channels are consistent and combined to obtain a cross section times the Z→ℓℓ branching ratio, integrated over the rapidity region ∣∣y∗Z|<3.5, of 139.8±4.8(statistical)±6.2(systematic)±3.8 (luminosity) nb. Differential cross sections are presented as functions of the Z boson rapidity and transverse momentum and compared with models based on parton distributions both with and without nuclear corrections. The centrality dependence of Z boson production in p+Pb collisions is measured and analyzed within the framework of a standard Glauber model and the model's extension for fluctuations of the underlying nucleon-nucleon scattering cross section.

HPV DNA testing with cytology triage in cervical cancer screening: Influence of revealing HPV infection status

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) status might influence a cytotechnician's assessment of cellular abnormalities. The authors compared original cytotechnicians' Papanicolaou (Pap) readings for which HPV status was concealed with Pap rereads for which HPV status was revealed separately for 3 screening populations. METHODS: Previously collected cervical Pap smears and clinical data were obtained from the Canadian Cervical Cancer Screening Trial (study A), the Democratic Republic of Congo Community-Based Screening Study (study B), and the Brazilian Investigation into Nutrition and Cervical Cancer Prevention (study C). Smears were reread with knowledge of HPV status for all HPV-positive women as well as a sample of HPV-negative women. Diagnostic performance of Pap cytology was compared between original readings and rereads. RESULTS: A total of 1767 Pap tests were reread. Among 915 rereads for HPV-positive women, the contrast between "revealed" and "concealed" Pap readings demonstrated revisions from negative to positive results for 109 women (cutoff was atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or worse) and 124 women (cutoff was low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions [LSIL] or worse). For a disease threshold of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or worse, specificity significantly declined at the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance cutoff for studies A (86.6% to 75.3%) and C (42.5% to 15.5%), and at the LSIL cutoff for study C (61.9% to 37.6%). Sensitivity remained nearly unchanged between readings, except in study C, in which reread performance was superior (91.3% vs 71.9% for the LSIL cutoff). CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in the diagnostic accuracy of Pap cytology was observed when revealing patients' cervical HPV status, possibly due to a heightened awareness of potential abnormalities, which led to more false-positive results. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2015. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

Repeated assessment and practice effects of the written symbol digit modalities test using a short inter-test interval

The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is a widely used instrument to assess information processing speed, attention, visual scanning, and tracking. Considering that repeated evaluations are a common need in neuropsychological assessment routines, we explored test–retest reliability and practice effects of two alternate SDMT forms with a short inter-assessment interval. A total of 123 university students completed the written SDMT version in two different time points separated by a 150-min interval. Half of the participants accomplished the same form in both occasions, while the other half filled different forms. Overall, reasonable test–retest reliabilities were found (r = .70), and the subjects that completed the same form revealed significant practice effects (p < .001, dz = 1.61), which were almost non-existent in those filling different forms. These forms were found to be moderately reliable and to elicit a similar performance across participants, suggesting their utility in repeated cognitive assessments when brief inter-assessment intervals are required.