M��todos construtivos de pontes

Para a constru����o de uma estrutura h�� diversos factores que influenciam a sua concep����o, tais como o v��o, a topografia do local, acessibilidades, os poss��veis acidentes do terreno, como cursos de ��gua ou a sua fun����o. �� de ressalvar ainda que o enquadramento paisag��stico cada vez mais �� tido em conta, embora n��o seja determinante para a sua fun����o ou dimensionamento. Na constru����o de pontes existe uma grande variedade de m��todos construtivos a usar variando estes com a dimens��o da obra ou com a disponibilidade de equipamento por parte do empreiteiro. Cada vez mais dever�� ser bem analisado o sistema a usar, uma vez que o custo do processo construtivo constitui uma percentagem elevada do valor final da obra, podendo ser reduzidos os custos pela escolha acertada do m��todo. Com a presente disserta����o pretende-se analisar os diferentes m��todos construtivos existentes no mercado, sendo estes distinguidos entre sistemas com aplica����o de pr��fabrica����o ou com betonagem in-situ, e ainda o processo a usar em fun����o do v��o a vencer.

Self-mated tribological systems based on multilayer micro/nanocrystalline CVD diamond coatings

The tribological response of multilayer micro/nanocrystalline diamond coatings grown by the hot filament CVD technique is investigated. These multigrade systems were tailored to comprise a starting microcrystalline diamond (MCD) layer with high adhesion to a silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic substrate, and a top nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) layer with reduced surface roughness. Tribological tests were carried out with a reciprocating sliding configuration without lubrication. Such composite coatings exhibit a superior critical load before delamination (130���200 N), when compared to the mono- (60���100 N) and bilayer coatings (110 N), considering ���10 ��m thick films. Regarding the friction behaviour, a short-lived initial high friction coefficient was followed by low friction regimes (friction coefficients between 0.02 and 0.09) as a result of the polished surfaces tailored by the tribological solicitation. Very mild to mild wear regimes (wear coefficient values between 4.1��10���8 and 7.7��10���7 mm3 N���1 m���1) governed the wear performance of the self-mated multilayer coatings when subjected to high-load short-term tests (60���200 N; 2 h; 86 m) and medium-load endurance tests (60 N; 16 h; 691 m).

Fiscaliza����o da constru����o da ETAR do Barreira/Moita

Relat��rio de est��gio para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na ��rea de Especializa����o de Edifica����es

Chagas' disease in the Brazilian Amazon: II. A serological survey

A serological survey, involving indirect immunofluorescence testing of blood sera samples, was carried out on the residents of one in every five dwellings in the town of Barcelos (in the northern part of the State of Amazonas, on the right bank of the Rio Negro, 490 Km from Manaus by river) and on the rural populations of the villages of Piloto and Marar�� (also on the right bank of the Rio Negro, 30 minutes by boat from Barcelos). A total of 710 sera samples were tested, 628 from the resident population in the town of Barcelos, 35 from Piloto and 47 from Marar��. The tests were carried out using human anti-gammaglobulin type IgG (Biolab) and antigen from formolized culture of T.cruzi Y strain. The sera were serially diluted from 1:40 to 1:320 in PBS 7.2. Of the 710 samples examined 89(12.5%) were positive for anti-T.cruzi antibodies: 2 of these (2.2%) at a dilution of 1:320; 12(13.4%) at 1:160; 38 (42.6%) at 1:80; and the remainder at 1:40, giving a median serological dilution of 1:80. The following questions are discussed: the high serological prevalence for Chagas'infection found in our survey; the possibility of serological cross-reactions; the need for confirmatory tests for the positives reactions; and the strong correlation between our results and preliminary epidemiological data (such as the level of human contact with wild triatominae, know locally as "Piacava's lice". We draw attention to the isolation by xenodiagnosis of one strain of T.cruzi from a patient with positive serology for Chagas' infection.

Back pain in Portuguese schoolchildren: prevalence and risk factors

2 Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention In Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Portugal Background: Regarding children aged _10 years, only a few international studies were conducted to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for back pain. Although other studies on the older Portuguese children point to prevalence between 17% and 39%, none exists for this specific age-group. Thus, the aim of this study was conducted to establish the prevalence of and risk factors for back pain in schoolchildren aged 7���10 years. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 637 children was conducted. A self-rating questionnaire was used to verify prevalence and duration of back pain, life habits, school absence, medical treatments or limitation of activities. For posture assessment, photographic records with a bio-photogrammetric analysis were used to obtain data about head, acromion and pelvic alignment, horizontal alignment of the scapulae, vertical alignment of the trunk and vertical body alignment. Results: Postural problems were found in 25.4% of the children, especially in the 8- and 9-year-old groups. Back pain occurs in 12.7% with the highest values among the 7- and 10-year-old children. The probability of back pain increased 7 times when the children presented a history of school absences, 4.3 times when they experienced sleeping difficulties, 4.4 times when school furniture was uncomfortable, 4.7 times if the children perceived an occurrence of parental back pain and 2.5 times when children presented incorrect posture. Conclusions: The combination of school absences, parental pain, sleeping difficulties, inappropriate school furniture and postural deviations at the sagittal and frontal planes seem to prove the multifactorial aetiology of back pain.

Dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome in an adolescent during treatment during of leprosy

A 12 y old girl was admitted 24 days after start a WHO multidrug therapy scheme for multibacillary leprosy (dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin) with intense jaundice, generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatoesplenomegaly, oral erosions, conjunctivitis, morbiliform rash and edema of face, ankles and hands. The main laboratory data on admission included: hemoglobin, 8.4 g/dL; WBC, 15,710 cells/mm��; platelet count, 100,000 cells/mm��; INR = 1.49; increased serum levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, direct and indirect bilirubin. Following, the clinical conditions had deteriorated, developing exfoliative dermatitis, shock, generalized edema, acute renal and hepatic failure, pancytopenia, intestinal bleeding, pneumonia, urinary tract infection and bacteremia, needing adrenergic drugs, replacement of fluids and blood product components, and antibiotics. Ten days after admission she started to improve, and was discharged to home at day 39th, after start new supervised treatment for leprosy with clofazimine and rifampicin, without adverse effects. This presentation fulfils the criteria for the diagnosis of dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome (fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, exfoliative rash, anemia and liver involvement with mixed hepatocellular and cholestatic features). Physicians, mainly in geographical areas with high prevalence rates of leprosy, should be aware to this severe, and probably not so rare, hypersensitivity reaction to dapsone.

Tuberculose Genital. Uma Causa Rara de Hemorragia P��s-Menopausa

Introdu����o: A tuberculose continua um problema de sa��de p��blica emergente. A incid��ncia da tuberculose genito-urin��ria tem vindo a aumentar sendo o segundo local mais comum de infec����o a seguir aos pulm��es. Caso cl��nico: Os autores apresentam dois casos de mulheres com hemorragia vaginal p��s-menopausa. O exame cl��nico n��o revelou altera����es. A ecografia p��lvica endocavit��ria detectou a presen��a de uma l��mina l��quida na cavidade endometrial em ambos os casos. A histeroscopia identificou espessamentos focais do endom��trio que foram biopsados. O exame anatomopatol��gico revelou granulomas de c��lulas epiteli��ides sem atipia celular. O exame cultural do endom��trio foi positivo para Mycobacterium tuberculosis. N��o foi detectado envolvimento de outros ��rg��os tendo as doentes iniciado terap��utica antibacilar. Conclus��o: A tuberculose genital �� rara na mulher p��s-menopausa sendo respons��vel por cerca de 1% da hemorragia vaginal p��s-menopausa. No entanto, �� uma doen��a cur��vel cujo diagn��stico precoce �� importante, prevenindo a utiliza����o de procedimentos invasivos desnecess��rios.

Reactividade Cut��nea Inespec��fica em Estudos Populacionais

Os testes cut��neos por prick constituem o m��todo diagn��stico de elei����o no estudo da sensibiliza����o alerg��nica, sendo no entanto influenciados por diversos factores. N��o se encontram dispon��veis dados sobre a quantifica����o da reacti-vidade cut��nea inespec��fica em estudos populacionais pedi��tricos, incluindo amostras de ra��as diversas. Objectivo: Avaliar e correlacionar a reactividade cut��nea �� histamina em crian��as de diferentes ra��as,bem como a poss��vel influ��ncia de factores como o sexo e a atopia. Material e M��todos: Englobado no Estudo Portugu��s de Doen��as Al��rgicas na Crian��a (PAC Study), foram estudadas 1710 crian��as em idade escolar (6 a 12 anos), 244 de ra��a Negra na Rep��blica de Cabo Verde, 756 Caucasianas na Ilha da Madeira e 710 de ra��a Chinesa em Macau. A todas as crian��as foram efectuados testes cut��neos por prick com aeroalergenos, utilizando como refer��ncia positiva um extracto de histamina a 10mg/ml (Merck Allergopharma). Foi efectuada an��lise comparativa do di��metro m��dio da p��pula induzida pela histamina.

Gest��o e Direc����o de Obra

Este relat��rio diz respeito ao trabalho desenvolvido em ambiente de est��gio curricular na constru����o de um empreendimento comercial na zona de Oeiras, compreendendo a constru����o de um edif��cio, infra-estruturas enterradas e arranjos exteriores. O est��gio foi realizado na Volare ��� Gest��o de Projectos, S.A., empresa dedicada �� execu����o de obras de constru����o civil destinadas ao grupo Ibersol. Embora todas as ��reas de gest��o abordadas no estudo sejam de extrema import��ncia, as ��reas de gest��o do custo, gest��o das compras e gest��o do tempo revelam-se ainda extremamente valorizadas pelas empresas de constru����o ��� o que faz com continuem a existir derrapagens or��amentais e incumprimento de prazos. S�� uma gest��o rigorosa, eficiente e capaz de abra��ar todas as ��reas de conhecimentos abordadas, tornar�� poss��vel alcan��ar os patamares de satisfa����o das empresas e dos clientes. O presente relat��rio mostra que o gestor de obras deve possuir grande capacidade de lideran��a, de comunica����o e negocia����o O objectivo deste relat��rio, para al��m da descri����o de todos os trabalhos pr��ticos de execu����o da obra, �� de transcrever os conhecimentos aplicados ao longo do est��gio, nomeadamente no que concerne aos dos processos de ���Gest��o, Coordena����o e Planeamento���, directamente ligados as fun����es da ���Direc����o T��cnica de Obra��� durante toda a fase de execu����o da empreitada, estando o principal foco na descri����o das actividades referentes ao controlo da obra.

Numerical prediction of diffusion and electric field-induced iron nanoparticle transport

Zero valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) are considered very promising for the remediation of contaminated soils and groundwaters. However, an important issue related to their limited mobility remains unsolved. Direct current can be used to enhance the nanoparticles transport, based on the same principles of electrokinetic remediation. In this work, a generalized physicochemical model was developed and solved numerically to describe the nZVI transport through porous media under electric field, and with different electrolytes (with different ionic strengths). The model consists of the Nernst���Planck coupled system of equations, which accounts for the mass balance of ionic species in a fluid medium, when both the diffusion and electromigration of the ions are considered. The diffusion and electrophoretic transport of the negatively charged nZVI particles were also considered in the system. The contribution of electroosmotic flow to the overall mass transport was included in the model for all cases. The nZVI effective mobility values in the porous medium are very low (10���7���10���4 cm2 V���1 s���1), due to the counterbalance between the positive electroosmotic flow and the electrophoretic transport of the negatively charged nanoparticles. The higher the nZVI concentration is in the matrix, the higher the aggregation; therefore, low concentration of nZVI suspensions must be used for successful field application.

The performance of four molecular methods for the laboratory diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis in amniotic fluid samples

Introduction Toxoplasmosis may be life-threatening in fetuses and in immune-deficient patients. Conventional laboratory diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is based on the presence of IgM and IgG anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies; however, molecular techniques have emerged as alternative tools due to their increased sensitivity. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of 4 PCR-based methods for the laboratory diagnosis of toxoplasmosis. One hundred pregnant women who seroconverted during pregnancy were included in the study. The definition of cases was based on a 12-month follow-up of the infants. Methods Amniotic fluid samples were submitted to DNA extraction and amplification by the following 4 Toxoplasma techniques performed with parasite B1 gene primers: conventional PCR, nested-PCR, multiplex-nested-PCR, and real-time PCR. Seven parameters were analyzed, sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and efficiency (Ef). Results Fifty-nine of the 100 infants had toxoplasmosis; 42 (71.2%) had IgM antibodies at birth but were asymptomatic, and the remaining 17 cases had non-detectable IgM antibodies but high IgG antibody titers that were associated with retinochoroiditis in 8 (13.5%) cases, abnormal cranial ultrasound in 5 (8.5%) cases, and signs/symptoms suggestive of infection in 4 (6.8%) cases. The conventional PCR assay detected 50 cases (9 false-negatives), nested-PCR detected 58 cases (1 false-negative and 4 false-positives), multiplex-nested-PCR detected 57 cases (2 false-negatives), and real-time-PCR detected 58 cases (1 false-negative). Conclusions The real-time PCR assay was the best-performing technique based on the parameters of Se (98.3%), Sp (100%), PPV (100%), NPV (97.6%), PLR (∞), NLR (0.017), and Ef (99%).

The exotic palm Roystonea oleracea(Jacq.) O.F. Cook as a rural biotype for Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954, in Ca��u, State of Goi��s

IntroductionRhodnius neglectus is a triatomine that colonizes different palm species. In this study, we aimed to describe the presence of this triatomine bug in the royal palms (Roystonea oleracea) in a rural region of the State of Goi��s.MethodsPalm infestation was investigated by dissecting the palms or by using live-bait traps.ResultsTwo palm trees were infested by R. neglectusnegative for Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent for Chagas disease. In the study area, R. neglectus is frequently found in households.ConclusionsThe adaptation of this species to palm trees introduced in Brazil for landscaping purposes poses another challenge for controlling the vectors of Chagas disease.

Chlamydia trachomatis serotype A infections in the Amazon region of Brazil: prevalence, entry and dissemination

INTRODUCTION: Chlamydia infection is associated with debilitating human diseases including trachoma, pneumonia, coronary heart disease and urogenital diseases. Serotypes of C. trachomatis show a fair correlation with the group of diseases they cause, and their distribution follows a well-described geographic pattern. Serotype A, a trachoma-associated strain, is known for its limited dissemination in the Middle East and Northern Africa. However, knowledge on the spread of bacteria from the genus Chlamydia as well as the distribution of serotypes in Brazil is quite limited. METHODS: Blood samples of 1,710 individuals from ten human population groups in the Amazon region of Brazil were examined for antibodies to Chlamydia using indirect immunofluorescence and microimmunofluorescence assays. RESULTS: The prevalence of antibodies to Chlamydia ranged from 23.9% (Wayana-Apalai) to 90.7% (Awa-Guaja) with a mean prevalence of 50.2%. Seroreactivity was detected to C. pneumoniae and to all serotypes of C. trachomatis tested; furthermore, we report clear evidence of the as-yet-undescribed occurrence of serotype A of C. trachomatis. CONCLUSIONS: Specific seroreactivity not only accounts for the large extent of dissemination of C. trachomatis in the Amazon region of Brazil but also shows an expanded area of occurrence of serotype A outside the epidemiological settings previously described. Furthermore, these data suggest possible routes of Chlamydia introduction into the Amazon region from the massive human migration that occurred during the 1,700s.

BeSmart2: A multicriteria decision aid application

This paper presents an improved version of an application whose goal is to provide a simple and intuitive way to use multicriteria decision methods in day-to-day decision problems. The application allows comparisons between several alternatives with several criteria, always keeping a permanent backup of both model and results, and provides a framework to incorporate new methods in the future. Developed in C#, the application implements the AHP, SMART and Value Functions methods.

Prescription and adherence to statins of patients with coronary artery disease and hypercholesterolemia

OBJECTIVE: Statins have proved to be safe and effective in the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, but the level of prescription and the reasons for nonadherence to treatment in many coronariopathy treatment centers has not been determined. The purpose of this study was to identify reasons for nonadherence to statin therapy. METHODS: We analyzed 207 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease and hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol > or = 200mg/dL or LDL - cholesterol > or = 130mg/dL). Patients' average age was 61.7��10 year; 111 (53.6%) male were and 94 (46.6%) were female. We analyzed the level of prescription and adherence to treatment with statins. RESULTS: Statins were prescribed for 139 (67%) patients, but only 85 (41%) used the drug. In spite of being indicated, statins were not prescribed in 68 (33%) patients. Of 54 (26%) patients, nonadherent to statins, 67% did not use the drug due to its high cost, 31% due to the lack of instruction, and only 2% due to side effects. Total cholesterol (260.3��42.2 vs 226.4��51.9; p<0.0001) and LDL cholesterol (174.6��38.1 vs 149.6��36.1; p<0.0001) were lower in patients on medication. HDL-cholesterol increased from 37.6��9.6 to 41.5��12.9mg/dL (p=0.02), and triglycerides were not modified in patients using statins. CONCLUSION: The prescription of statins in patients with coronary artery disease and dyslipidemia is high; however, its adherence is far from satisfactory, due to the high cost of the medication. Reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels did not reach the targets recommended by the Brazilian Consensus on Dyslipidemia.