Potential pathogenic fungi assessment through molecular biology in cork industry

Portugal has been the world leader in the cork sectr in terms of exports, employing ten thousands of workers. In this working activity, the permanent contact with cork may lead to the exposure to fungi raising concerns as occupational hazards in cork industry. A study was developed aiming at assessing fungal contamination due to Aspergillus fumigatus complex and Penicillium glabrum complex by molecular methods in three cork industries in the outskirt of Lisbon city. The chosen fungal species are the ones most frequently associated with respiratory problems in workers from these industries.

Accessing occupational exposure to fungi in a cork industry

Different forms of fungal diseases affecting the nose and paranasal sinuses are recognized, including invasive and non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. Penicillium glabrum complex is associated with respiratory diseases such as suberosis, a typical disease of cork industry workers. In addition, Chrysonilia sitophila has been described as causing occupational asthma, associated to prolonged exposure to high counts of spores. In this study we aimed to access fungal exposure in workers from one cork industry through the mycological analysis of their nasal exudate and the environmental fungal contamination of their surroundings as well.

New approach to study the real exposure to fungi in cork industry: nasal swabs mycobiota investigation coupled with screening on fungal resistance to azoles

The permanent contact with cork may lead to constant exposure to fungi, raising awareness as a potential occupational hazard in the cork industry.The presence of fungi belonging to the Penicillium glabrum complex has been associated with the development of respiratory diseases such as suberosis, one of the most prevalent diseases among workers from cork industries, besides occupational asthma. Azoles are used as pesticides but also the first line therapy in the treatment of Aspergillus infections; azole-resistance as been described as to have also an environmental source and is considered an emerging public health problem.The aim of this work was to characterize fungal distribution and to evaluate the presence of azole-resistant Aspergillus isolates in nose swab samples from the cork industry workers.

Avaliação da dose absorvida na tiróide, em cintigrafias com 123I e Na99mTcO4 utilizando modelos biocinéticos e métodos de Monte Carlo

Mestrado em Radiações Aplicadas às Tecnologias da Saúde. Área de especialização: Protecção contra Radiações

Estudo, fabrico e caracterização de painéis sanduíche com núcleos em materiais compósitos de cortiça

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

NZEB e os novos revestimentos

Dissertação de natureza científica para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Edificações

Análise de ciclo de vida de duas soluções de ETICS

Dissertação de natureza científica para obtenção do grau de mestre em Engenharia Civil

Estudo laboratorial e em condições reais sobre o aglomerado de cortiça expandida aplicado como revestimento exterior

Trabalho Final de Mestrado elaborado no Laboratório de Engenharia Civil para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Edificações no âmbito do protocolo de cooperação entre o ISEL e o LNEC

Revestimento de pisos em madeira para interiores

Dissertação para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Aplicação de filmes de suberina na produção de materiais bio-funcionais

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Química e Biológica

Task-based occupational exposure assessment and particle number concentration: two important data resources to perform risk assessment for occupational exposure to particles

Environment monitoring has an important role in occupational exposure assessment. However, due to several factors is done with insufficient frequency and normally don´t give the necessary information to choose the most adequate safety measures to avoid or control exposure. Identifying all the tasks developed in each workplace and conducting a task-based exposure assessment help to refine the exposure characterization and reduce assessment errors. A task-based assessment can provide also a better evaluation of exposure variability, instead of assessing personal exposures using continuous 8-hour time weighted average measurements. Health effects related with exposure to particles have mainly been investigated with mass-measuring instruments or gravimetric analysis. However, more recently, there are some studies that support that size distribution and particle number concentration may have advantages over particle mass concentration for assessing the health effects of airborne particles. Several exposure assessments were performed in different occupational settings (bakery, grill house, cork industry and horse stable) and were applied these two resources: task-based exposure assessment and particle number concentration by size. The results showed interesting results: task-based approach applied permitted to identify the tasks with higher exposure to the smaller particles (0.3 μm) in the different occupational settings. The data obtained allow more concrete and effective risk assessment and the identification of priorities for safety investments.

Aliphatic bio-oils from corks: a Py-Gc/MS study

Cork samples from Betula pendula, Quercus suber and Quercus cerris were submitted to Py-GC-MS/FID at temperatures between 550 degrees C and 900 degrees C and the pyrolysis-derived compounds (py-products) were identified and quantified. Corks were compared with wood samples. Py-products include suberin, lignin and carbohydrates derivatives. Suberin py-products are dominated by unsaturated aliphatics. Corks pyrolysis yield and composition were dramatically influenced by temperature in contrast to wood that showed stable results across temperatures. At 850-900 degrees C the peaks area of cork pyrograms were approximately two times higher than at 550 degrees C, for which yield was about half of the woods, and cork py-products were dominated by suberin-derived short chain aliphatics, namely 1-alkenes, while at 550 degrees C composition was dominated by lignin derivatives. Lignin and carbohydrate derived products decreased dramatically over 750 degrees C while the opposite was observed for unsaturated aliphatics. Cork materials show a high potential as feedstock for production of aliphatic-rich pyrolytic biofuels or as a source of olefins. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy evaporation: the new concept of indoor systems for WPT and EH embedded into the floor

This work introduces a novel idea for wireless energy transfer, proposing for the first time the unit-cell of an indoor localization and RF harvesting system embedded into the floor. The unit-cell is composed by a 5.8 GHz patch antenna surrounded by a 13.56 MHz coil. The coil locates a device and activate the patch which, connected to a power grid, radiates to wirelessly charge the localized device. The HF and RF circuits co-existence and functionality are demonstrated in this paper, the novelty of which is also in the adoption of low cost and most of all ecofriendly materials, such as wood and cork, as substrates for electronics.