Fungal contamination of sandpits from recreational parks and schools: a potential risk for human health

Sandpits used by children are frequently visited by wild life which constitutes a source of fungal pathogens and allergenic fungi. This study aimed to take an unannounced snapshot of the urban levels of fungal contaminants in sands, using for this purpose two public recreational parks, three elementary schools and two kindergartens. All samples were from Lisbon and neighboring municipalities and were tested for fungi of clinical interest. Potentially pathogenic fungi were isolated from all samples besides one. Fusarium dimerum (32.4%) was found to be the dominant species in one park and Chrysonilia spp. in the other (46.6%). Fourteen different species and genera were detected and no dermatophytes were found. Of a total of 14 species and genera, the fungi most isolated from the samples of the elementary schools were Penicillium spp. (74%), Cladophialophora spp. (38%) and Cladosporium spp. (90%). Five dominant species and genera were isolated from the kindergartens. Penicillium spp. was the only genus isolated in one, though with remarkably high counts (32500 colony forming units per gram). In the other kindergarten Penicillium spp. were also the most abundant species, occupying 69% of all the fungi found. All of the samples exceeded the Maximum Recommended Value (MRV) for beach sand defined by Brand��o et al. 2011, which are currently the only quantitative guidelines available for the same matrix. The fungi found confirm the potential risk of exposure of children to keratinophilic fungi and demonstrates that regular cleaning or replacing of sand needs to be implemented in order to minimize contamination.

Controlo e gest��o

Um controlo de obra eficaz, implica a exist��ncia de um sistema de gest��o organizado, que integre todas as direc����es da organiza����o, para que a cada colaborador envolvido no processo, chegue a informa����o necess��ria �� execu����o do seu trabalho. Neste relat��rio descreve-se a actividade desenvolvida durante o est��gio realizado na Direc����o de Controlo e Gest��o de uma empresa de constru����o. O mesmo, inicia-se com a identifica����o da empresa, a sua hist��ria, o seu posicionamento estrat��gico e o enquadramento da direc����o onde este est��gio foi realizado. Descrevem-se em seguida, os procedimentos de Controlo e Gest��o em vigor na empresa e em particular para as actividades desenvolvidas durante o est��gio, na obra ���Empreitada de Constru����o dos Edif��cios da 1�� Fase do Plano de Desenvolvimento do Aeroporto de Beja ��� Variante���, as quais envolveram a realiza����o do primeiro objectivo de obra (primeiro reor��amento), dos relat��rios mensais de gest��o e dos reor��amentos de obra. Por fim, s��o identificadas as principais dificuldades da metodologia utilizada, sendo apresentadas propostas de melhoria e as respectivas considera����es finais sobre a aprendizagem a reter da realiza����o deste est��gio. Neste relat��rio de est��gio, com a descri����o do trabalho executado ao longo desse per��odo, pretende-se dar a conhecer um dos m��todos poss��veis de realizar o controlo de obra e quais os processos que este envolve.

Acompanhamento da constru����o de duas creches e ateliers de tempos livres

O presente relat��rio diz respeito ao est��gio profissional realizado no ��mbito do Trabalho Final de Mestrado do Curso de Engenharia Civil, do Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), e tem como principais objectivos descrever e analisar as actividades realizadas durante o acompanhamento da constru����o de duas creches e ateliers de tempos livres. Dentro das op����es fornecidas pelo ISEL para Trabalhos Finais de Mestrado, o Estagi��rio foi em busca do est��gio profissional, a fim de contactar directamente com a realidade profissional da Engenharia Civil, podendo assim, atrav��s do acompanhamento activo de obras, p��r em pr��tica os conhecimentos te��ricos e cient��ficos adquiridos ao longo do curso e preparar-se para futuros desafios profissionais. O per��odo de est��gio teve uma dura����o de cerca de cinco meses, sendo o Estagi��rio acompanhado e auxiliado pelo seu Orientador da empresa (Director de Obra) em tarefas relacionadas com a Direc����o da Obra, tais como: estudo do projecto de execu����o, planeamento da obra e reuni��es com a Fiscaliza����o e Subempreiteiros. O est��gio dividiu-se em duas fases distintas: a primeira fase relativa a constru����o do Atelier de Tempos Livres da Kair��s, em que a obra j�� estava numa fase inicial de acabamentos e que coincidiu com o princ��pio do est��gio. Quanto �� segunda fase, referente �� obra de constru����o da Creche e Atelier de Tempos Livres dos Arrifes, em que o estagi��rio teve a oportunidade de acompanh��-la desde a consigna����o at�� a fase de execu����o da estrutura, coincidente com o t��rmino do est��gio.

Comparing a current-carrying circular wire with polygons of equal perimeter: Magnetic field versus magnetic flux

We compare the magnetic field at the centre and the self-magnetic flux through a current-carrying circular loop, with those obtained for current-carrying polygons with the same perimeter. As the magnetic field diverges at the position of the wires, we compare the self-fluxes utilizing several regularization procedures. The calculation is best performed utilizing the vector potential, thus highlighting its usefulness in practical applications. Our analysis answers some of the intuition challenges students face when they encounter a related simple textbook example. These results can be applied directly to the determination of mutual inductances in a variety of situations.

Cyanobacteria toxicity: potential public health impact in South Portugal populations

Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic, plantlike organisms present in lakes, recreational waters, and reservoirs, and often dominate phytoplankton communities in warm, nutrient-enriched hard waters. A stable water column rich in certain nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, is associated with favorable environmental conditions that support development of cyanobacterial population maxima or "blooms." Under specific conditions, cyanobacteria produce toxins that are responsible for acute poisoning and death of animals and humans. The main aim of this study was to correlate the presence of cyanobacteria blooms with potential toxicity to humans as a public health issue. In Portugal, seven reservoirs located in the southern region were selected and studied between 2000 and 2008. Reservoirs were characterized by physical and chemical aspects, and identification of phytoplankton communities. In the case of cyanobacterial blooms, toxins that affected the liver, nervous system, and skin were detected, namely, Microcystis aeruginosa, Aphanizomenon spp., and Oscillatoria. These findings suggest the presence of a potential risk for public health, and indicate the need to implement mitigation measures in all studied reservoirs. These measures may involve (1) water eutrophication control to avoid blooms, (2) appropriate treatment of water for human consumption, and (3) public warnings or information to those individuals that use these reservoirs for several recreational activities.

Pol��ticas de interven����o priorit��ria em Portugal: novas pol��ticas, novas pr��ticas?

Em Portugal, no final da d��cada de 90 do s��culo XX, come��aram a ser desenvolvidas estrat��gias de discrimina����o positiva visando garantir o cumprimento da escolaridade obrigat��ria e a luta contra a exclus��o escolar e social, designadamente nas periferias das grandes cidades. �� neste contexto que surgem as escolas e os Territ��rios Educativos de Interven����o Priorit��ria (TEIP) pelo Despacho n��147-B/ME/96, de 1 de Agosto de 1996. Este programa, inicialmente inspirado nas zonas de interven����o priorit��rias francesas, visava a interven����o de v��rios parceiros locais (professores, alunos, pessoal n��o docente, associa����es de pais, autarquias locais, associa����es culturais e associa����es recreativas) na elabora����o do Projeto Educativo. Com o XVII Governo Constitucional o programa foi redefinido passando a incluir novas vertentes: necessidade de exist��ncia de um projeto educativo pr��prio; consultadoria externa; avalia����o peri��dica de resultados em diferentes dom��nios (taxas de insucesso e abandono escolar, assiduidade, comportamento, participa����o, inova����es organizacionais, parcerias educativas estabelecidas no ��mbito do Programa, etc.). Foi tamb��m alargado a todo o territ��rio nacional, envolvendo atualmente cento e cinco agrupamentos escolares. Com esta apresenta����o visamos analisar se as novas pol��ticas e diretrizes, no dom��nio da educa����o priorit��ria, contribu��ram para a emerg��ncia de novas estrat��gias pedag��gicas, organizacionais e de envolvimento comunit��rio. Os elementos em que basearemos a nossa an��lise ser��o os seguintes: (i) relat��rio nacional do programa TEIP (2010-2011); (ii) relat��rios do programa de avalia����o externa das escolas; (iii) entrevistas realizadas aos atores locais, designadamente a coordenadores e consultores dos projetos TEIP. As conclus��es da nossa comunica����o centrar-se-��o no papel dos atores locais no desenvolvimento do Programa TEIP e no impacto deste programa na melhoria dos resultados acad��micos, na diminui����o da indisciplina e viol��ncia escolar e na constru����o de percursos de vida que contrariem as tend��ncias para a exclus��o escolar e social.

Routine screening of harmful microorganisms in beach sands: implications to public health

Beaches worldwide provide recreational opportunities to hundreds of millions of people and serve as important components of coastal economies. Beach water is often monitored for microbiological quality to detect the presence of indicators of human sewage contamination so as to prevent public health outbreaks associated with water contact. However, growing evidence suggests that beach sand can harbor microbes harmful to human health, often in concentrations greater than the beach water. Currently, there are no standards for monitoring, sampling, analyzing, or managing beach sand quality. In addition to indicator microbes, growing evidence has identified pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi in a variety of beach sands worldwide. The public health threat associated with these populations through direct and indirect contact is unknown because so little research has been conducted relating to health outcomes associated with sand quality. In this manuscript, we present the consensus findings of a workshop of experts convened in Lisbon, Portugal to discuss the current state of knowledge on beach sand microbiological quality and to develop suggestions for standardizing the evaluation of sand at coastal beaches. The expert group at the "Microareias 2012" workshop recommends that 1) beach sand should be screened for a variety of pathogens harmful to human health, and sand monitoring should then be initiated alongside regular water monitoring; 2) sampling and analysis protocols should be standardized to allow proper comparisons among beach locations; and 3) further studies are needed to estimate human health risk with exposure to contaminated beach sand. Much of the manuscript is focused on research specific to Portugal, but similar results have been found elsewhere, and the findings have worldwide implications.

Potencialidades e utiliza����o do espa��o recreio: um estudo desenvolvido em escolas do 1.�� ciclo do ensino b��sico

Disserta����o apresentada para a obten����o do grau de Mestre em Educa����o - ��rea de Especializa����o em Did��tica das Ci��ncias

Entidades do setor n��o lucrativo: abordagem contabil��stica e fiscal. Estudo de caso: Funda����o Minerva

Mestrado em Contabilidade

Towards the detection of deception in interactive multimedia environments

A classical application of biosignal analysis has been the psychophysiological detection of deception, also known as the polygraph test, which is currently a part of standard practices of law enforcement agencies and several other institutions worldwide. Although its validity is far from gathering consensus, the underlying psychophysiological principles are still an interesting add-on for more informal applications. In this paper we present an experimental off-the-person hardware setup, propose a set of feature extraction criteria and provide a comparison of two classification approaches, targeting the detection of deception in the context of a role-playing interactive multimedia environment. Our work is primarily targeted at recreational use in the context of a science exhibition, where the main goal is to present basic concepts related with knowledge discovery, biosignal analysis and psychophysiology in an educational way, using techniques that are simple enough to be understood by children of different ages. Nonetheless, this setting will also allow us to build a significant data corpus, annotated with ground-truth information, and collected with non-intrusive sensors, enabling more advanced research on the topic. Experimental results have shown interesting findings and provided useful guidelines for future work. Pattern Recognition

��Era uma vez����� o contributo das hist��rias para a educa����o pr��-escolar

Relat��rio da Pr��tica Profissional Supervisionada Mestrado em Educa����o Pr��-Escolar

Children and sand play: screening of potential harmful microorganisms in sandboxes, parks, and beaches

Sand serves as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Children, a high-risk group, can acquire infections from sand in sandboxes, recreational areas, and beaches. This paper reviews the microbes in sands, with an emphasis on fungi. Recreational areas and beach sands have been found to harbor many types of fungi and microbes. A newly emerging group of fungi of concern include the black yeast-like fungi. After establishing that sand is a reservoir for fungi, clinical manifestations of fungal infections are described with an emphasis on ocular and ear infections. Overall, we recommend environmental studies to develop monitoring strategies for sand and studies to evaluate the link between fungi exposure in sand and human health impacts.

Beach sand and the potential for infectious disease transmission: observations and recommendations

Recent studies suggest that sand can serve as a vehicle for exposure of humans to pathogens at beach sites, resulting in increased health risks. Sampling for microorganisms in sand should therefore be considered for inclusion in regulatory programmes aimed at protecting recreational beach users from infectious disease. Here, we review the literature on pathogen levels in beach sand, and their potential for affecting human health. In an effort to provide specific recommendations for sand sampling programmes, we outline published guidelines for beach monitoring programmes, which are currently focused exclusively on measuring microbial levels in water. We also provide background on spatial distribution and temporal characteristics of microbes in sand, as these factors influence sampling programmes. First steps toward establishing a sand sampling programme include identifying appropriate beach sites and use of initial sanitary assessments to refine site selection. A tiered approach is recommended for monitoring. This approach would include the analysis of samples from many sites for faecal indicator organisms and other conventional analytes, while testing for specific pathogens and unconventional indicators is reserved for high-risk sites. Given the diversity of microbes found in sand, studies are urgently needed to identify the most significant aetiological agent of disease and to relate microbial measurements in sand to human health risk.

���Aprender �� ocupar o c��rebro com coisas essenciais��� - conce����es de ensino e aprendizagem no 1.�� ciclo do ensino b��sico

Relat��rio de Est��gio apresentado �� Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o de grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.�� e 2.�� Ciclos do Ensino B��sico

Utiliza����o de coberturas ajardinadas de vegeta����o intensiva, extensiva e horta urbana em edifica����es

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil