Characterization of the portuguese SSS into the Europe: a contribution

Nowadays, Short Sea Shipping (SSS) is an essential part in European multi-modal transport system, representing approximately thirty-seven per cent of intra-Community transactions in tonnes per kilometre (tkm). Since 2001, the European Shortsea Network (ESN) in partnership with the short-sea Promotion Centres (SPC) of each Member State of the European Union (EU) have managed to make significant progress in the promotion and development of this mode of transport. This paper aims to assess and analyse the SSS of containerised goods in Portugal and its articulation with other EU routes and also other transport modes. The current SSS infrastructure, how the sector is organized, as well as the future perspectives for the sector are also analysed for the case of Portugal. The analyses are based on a survey that was carried out on the logistics operators, navigation agents, freight forwarders, and the leading imports and exports manufacturers in Portugal.

Coarctação Isolada da Aorta: Experiência em 100 Doentes Consecutivos

INTRODUCTION: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a stenosis usually located in the descending aorta. Treatment consists of surgical or percutaneous removal of the obstruction and presents excellent immediate results but significant residual problems often persist. OBJECTIVES: To describe the presentation, treatment and long-term evolution of a population of 100 unselected consecutive patients with isolated CoA in a single pediatric cardiology center. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all patients with isolated CoA treated during4 the last 21 years (1987-2008). RESULTS: The patients (n=100, 68.3% male) were diagnosed at a median age of 94 days (1 day to 16 years). The clinical presentation differed between patients aged less or more than one year, the former presenting with heart failure and the latter being asymptomatic with evidence of hypertension (88 and 63%, respectively; p < 0.01). Treatment, a median of 8 days after diagnosis, was surgical in 79 cases (20 end-to-end anastomosis, 31 subclavian flap, 28 patch) and percutaneous in the remaining 21 (15 balloon angioplasty, 6 with stenting). The mean age of surgical patients was younger than in those treated percutaneously (3.4 vs. 7.5 years; p < 0.01). Immediate mortality was 2% and occurred in the surgical group. There was no late mortality, in a mean follow-up of 7.2 +/- 5.4 years. Recoarctation occurred in 8 patients (6 surgical, 2 percutaneous). There are 46 patients who currently have hypertension (19 at rest, 27 with effort), their median age at diagnosis being older than the others (23 vs. 995 days; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Isolated CoA has an excellent short-term prognosis but a significant incidence of long-term complications, and should thus no longer be seen as a simple obstruction in the descending aorta, but rather as a complex pathology that requires careful follow-up after treatment. Its potentially insidious presentation requires a high level of clinical suspicion, femoral pulse palpation during physical examination of newborns and older children being particularly important. Delay in treatment has an impact on late morbidity and mortality. Taking into account the data currently available on late and immediate results, the final choice of therapeutic technique depends on the patient's age, associated lesions and the experience of the medical-surgical team. Hypertension should be closely monitored in the follow-up of these patients, as well as its risk factors and complications.

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and normal transaminases

Hepatitis C virus infection evolves progressively persisting in the majority of patients (85%). Most patients have high ALT (alanine aminotransferase) levels and approximately 25% normal ALT. The latter are usually female and there is no association between genotype and severity of hepatic lesion. Histologic analysis usually shows small lesion and absence or low amount of fibrosis, despite cirrhosis having been reported. Aiming at assessing prevalence, demographic, genotypical and anatomopathological characteristics in patients with normal ALT levels, we have carried out a study of 68 chronic hepatitis C patients between January 1997 and April 2000. There was a prevalence of 13.8% chronic hepatitis C patients with normal ALT levels, 45.6% of which were male and 54.4% female, the mean age being 38 +/- 13 years. We found a predominance of genotype 1 in 84.7% of the patients, genotype 2 in 6.8% and genotype 3 in 10.7%. In 52.9% of the cases liver biopsies revealed liver reaction, periportal activity score 0-1 was observed in 85.3% of the patients and score 2-4 was seen in 14.7%. Structural activity score 0-1 was seen in 73.5% of the patients and score 2-4 in 26.5% of them. Periportal activity > 2 and structural activity > 1 was seen in 29%, but steatosis was not seen in 73.5%. Our results suggest the need to revisit for liver biopsy practice in patients with Chronic Hepatitis C and normal transaminases.

Simulation Environment for Multi-Robot Cooperative 3D Target Perception

4th International Conference, SIMPAR 2014, Bergamo, Italy, October 20-23, 2014

Sectors and routes in solid waste collection

Collecting and transporting solid waste is a constant problem for municipalities and populations in general. Waste management should take into account the preservation of the environment and the reduction of costs. The goal with this paper is to address a real-life solid waste problem. The case reveals some general and specific characteristics which are not rare, but are not widely addressed in the literature. Furthermore, new methods and models to deal with sectorization and routing are introduced, which can be extended to other applications. Sectorization and routing are tackled following a two-phase approach. In the first phase, a new method is described for sectorization based on electromagnetism and Coulomb’s Law. The second phase addresses the routing problems in each sector. The paper addresses not only territorial division, but also the frequency with which waste is collected, which is a critical issue in these types of applications. Special characteristics related to the number and type of deposition points were also a motivation for this work. A new model for a Mixed Capacitated Arc Routing Problem with Limited Multi-Landfills is proposed and tested in real instances. The computational results achieved confirm the effectiveness of the entire approach.

N170 Asymmetry as an Index of Inferior Occipital Dysfunction in Patients With Symptomatic Occipital Lobe Epilepsy

Objective: Localizing epileptic foci in posterior brain epilepsy remains a difficult exercise in surgery for epilepsy evaluation. Neither clinical manifestations, neurological, EEG nor neuropsychological evaluations provide strong information about the area of onset, and fast spread of paroxysms often produces mixed features of occipital, temporal and parietal symptoms. We investigated the usefulness of the N170 event-related potential to map epileptic activity in these patients. Methods: A group of seven patients with symptomatic posterior cortex epilepsy were submitted to a high-resolution EEG (78 electrodes), with recordings of interictal spikes and face-evoked N170. Generators of spikes and N170 were localized by source analysis. Range of normal N170 asymmetry was determined in 30 healthy volunteers. Results: In 3 out of 7 patients the N170 inter-hemispheric asymmetry was outside control values. Those were the patients whose spike sources were nearest (within 3 cm) to the fusiform gyrus, while foci further away did not affect the N170 ratio. Conclusions: N170 event-related potential provides useful information about focal cortical dysfunction produced by epileptic foci located in the close neighborhood of the fusiform gyrus, but are unaffected by foci further away. Significance: The N170 evoked by faces can improve the epileptic foci localization in posterior brain epilepsy.

Susceptibility of Cebus apella monkey (Primates: Cebidae) to experimental Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi-infection

In Amazonian Brazil, the Cebus apella monkey (Primates: Cebidae) has been associated with the enzootic cycle of Leishmania (V.) shawi, a dermotropic parasite causing American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). It has also been successfully used as animal model for studying cutaneous leishmaniasis. In this work, there has been investigated its susceptibility to experimental Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi-infection, the etiologic agent of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL). There were used ten C. apella specimens, eight adult and two young, four males and six females, all born and raised in captivity. Two experimental infection protocols were performed: i) six monkeys were inoculated, intra-dermal via (ID), into the base of the tail with 2 x 10(6) promastigotes forms from the stationary phase culture medium; ii) other four monkeys were inoculated with 3 x 10(7) amastigotes forms from the visceral infection of infected hamsters by two different via: a) two by intravenous via (IV) and, b) other two by intra-peritoneal via (IP). The parameters of infection evaluation included: a) clinical: physical exam of abdomen, weigh and body temperature; b) parasitological: needle aspiration of the bone-marrow for searching of amastigotes (Giemsa-stained smears) and promastigotes forms (culture medium); c) immunological: Indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and, Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH). In the six monkeys ID inoculated (promastigotes forms) all parameters of infection evaluation were negative during the 12 months period of follow-up. Among the four monkeys inoculated with amastigotes forms, two IV inoculated showed the parasite in the bone-marrow from the first toward to the sixth month p.i. and following that they cleared the infection, whereas the other two IP inoculated were totally negative. These four monkeys showed specific IgG-antibody response since the third month p.i. (IP: 1/80 and IV: 1/320 IgG) toward to the 12th month (IP: 1/160 and IV: 1/5120). The DTH-conversion occurred in only one IV inoculated monkey with a strong (30 mm) skin reaction. Considering these results, we do not encourage the use of C. apella monkey as animal model for studying the AVL.

A área curricular de matemática nos programas educativos individuais

Em acordo com o Dec. Lei nº 3/2008 de 7 de janeiro e para alunos com necessidades educativas especiais a medida currículo específico individual é considerada a mais restritiva de todas as medidas educativas. A área disciplinar da matemática, pela sua aplicabilidade no quotidiano, assume primordial importância no Programa Educativo Individual (PEI) destes alunos. Assim, o presente estudo visa analisar a área curricular de matemática dos PEI de alunos a frequentar o 2º e 3º ciclo de ensino básico ao abrigo da medida educativa currículo específico individual (CEI); visa igualmente constatar que seleção de conteúdos programáticos são percecionados como prioritários para a equipa que elabora o PEI. Em suma, o estudo visa compreender alguns aspetos que, de forma direta ou indireta, interagem com a elaboração do currículo. Tem, ainda, um caráter exploratório e está apoiado numa metodologia de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa (numa dimensão descritiva) que procede à análise documental de excertos (área curricular de matemática) dos Programas Educativos Individuais (PEI). Para o efeito foram analisados 50 PEI que identificaram regularidades relativas aos diferentes conteúdos e à extensão de cada conteúdo. Os resultados evidenciam uma escolha maioritária de conteúdos matemáticos associados ao programa do 1º ano do 1º ciclo do ensino básico e, simultaneamente, de descritores associados aos números e operações. Os resultados permitem extrapolar acerca da interação entre níveis de programação e de funcionalidade dos alunos em CEI e requerem mais estudos que sustentem aquelas evidências e clarifiquem variáveis que interagem na elaboração do currículo.

Identification of respiratory virus in infants with congenital heart disease by comparison of different methods

Respiratory virus infections are the main cause of infant hospitalization and are potentially severe in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Rapid and sensitive diagnosis is very important to early introduction of antiviral treatment and implementation of precautions to control transmission, reducing the risk of nosocomial infections. In the present study we compare different techniques in the diagnosis of respiratory viruses in CHD infants. Thirty-nine samples of nasopharyngeal aspirate were obtained from CHD infants with symptoms of respiratory infection. The Multiplex PCR (Seeplex® RV 12 ACE Detection) driven to the detection of 12 respiratory viruses was compared with the direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) and PCR, both targeting seven respiratory viruses. The positivity found by DFA, Multiplex and PCR was 33.3%, 51.3% and 48.7%, respectively. Kappa index comparing DFA and Multiplex, DFA and PCR and PCR and Multiplex PCR was 0.542, 0.483 and 0.539, respectively. The concordance between techniques was considered moderate. Both Multiplex PCR (p = 0.001) and PCR (p = 0.002) detected significantly more respiratory virus than DFA. As the performance of the tests may vary, the combination of two or more techniques may increase diagnostic sensitivity favoring the diagnosis of co-infections, early introduction of antiviral therapy and implementation of appropriate measures.

HRM specificities’ on Portugal hotel units

This paper presents the main Human Resources Management (HRM) specificities’ on Portuguese hotel units. We try to understand the role of HRM on behavior of co-workers and quality service in hotel units and to know the future tendency of human capital profile on Portuguese hotel units and the role of HRM function on management of their staff. We, also, try to explore if Portuguese culture has influence on HRM specificities’ of hotel units. This phenomenon has a special relevance in the Portuguese context, because this country is known a growing process of tourism industry in recent years. Furthermore, little is known about HRM department’ contributions to their human capital management and development. This paper is one of the first to focus specifically on Portuguese hotel units and it also seeks to present findings that stem from the Human Resources Managers’ perspective. The paper is based on qualitative case studies. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 12 human resource managers from 12 hotel units located in Portugal. The results show that although there is not an effective HRM, current HRM practices are enough to encouraging pro-environmental behavior in their staff and they have a direct effect on customer satisfaction and competitiveness of sector. However, managers recognize there is need introduce some change on short-term to promote a better performance of staff with effect on customers satisfaction and competitiveness on sector in Portugal. According to these results, the paper discusses the major theoretical and practical implications.

IMMUNODIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN STRONGYLOIDIASIS: USE OF SIX DIFFERENT ANTIGENIC FRACTIONS FROM Strongyloides venezuelensis PARASITIC FEMALES

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to evaluate six different antigenic fractions from Strongyloides venezuelensis parasitic females for the immunodiagnosis of human strongyloidiasis. Soluble and membrane fractions from S. venezuelensis parasitic females were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (SSF and SMF, respectively), Tris-HCl (TSF and TMF, respectively), and an alkaline buffer (ASF and AMF, respectively). Serum samples obtained from patients with strongyloidiasis or, other parasitic diseases, and healthy individuals were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Soluble fractions SSF, TSF, and ASF showed 85.0%, 75.0%, and 80.0% sensitivity and 93.1%, 93.1%, and 87.5% specificity, respectively. Membrane fractions SMF, TMF, and AMF showed 80.0%, 75.0%, and 85.0% sensitivity, and 95.8%, 90.3%, and 91.7% specificity, respectively. In conclusion, the present results suggest that the fractions obtained from parasitic females, especially the SSF and SMF, could be used as alternative antigen sources in the serodiagnosis of human strongyloidiasis.

Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato GENOTYPES IN DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK AND HUMANS IN GOLESTAN PROVINCE, IRAN

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a globally parasitic zoonosis caused by larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. This study investigated E. granulosus genotypes isolated from livestock and humans in the Golestan province, northern Iran, southeast of the Caspian sea, using partial sequencing data of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes. Seventy E. granulosus isolates were collected from animals in slaughterhouses: 18 isolates from sheep, 40 from cattle, nine from camels, two from buffaloes and one from a goat, along with four human isolates (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues) from CE patients of provincial hospitals. All isolates were successfully analysed by PCR amplification and sequencing. The sequence analysis found four E. granulosus genotypes among the 74 CE isolates: G1 (78.3%), G2 (2.7%), G3 (15%) and G6 (4%). The G1-G3 complex genotype was found in all of the sheep, goat, cattle and buffalo isolates. Among the nine camel isolates, the frequency of G1-G3 and G6 genotypes were 66.7% and 33.3%, respectively. All four human CE isolates belonged to E. granulosus sensu stricto. This study reports the first occurrence of the G2 genotype in cattle from Iran and confirms the previously reported G3 genotype in camels in the same country.

Análise Retrospectiva e Caracterização Epidemiológica de 151 Casos de Inflamação Ocular

Objectivo: Analisar e caracterizar uma amostra de doentes de uma consulta de inflamação ocular. Material e Métodos: Análise retrospectiva de 503 consultas realizadas por um clínico entre 1 de Agosto de 2012 e 31 de Agosto de 2013 no Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central com recurso aos respectivos processos clínicos. Na análise da casuística da consulta foram incluídos 151 doentes. Desses, 24 padeciam de doenças auto-imunes em seguimento para monitorização de toxicidade a fármacos mas sem registo de qualquer episódio de uveíte, pelo que foram excluídos da avaliação estatística referente às uveítes. Dos 127 doentes com uveíte foram incluídos 197 olhos. Resultados: A média de idades foi de 53,8±16,5 anos, sendo 60% do sexo feminino e 40% masculino. A inflamação foi bilateral em 70 e unilateral em 57 doentes. O tipo de uveíte mais frequente foi a anterior (51,2%), seguida da panuveíte (21,3%), posterior (19,7%), intermédia (3,9%), episclerite (3,2%) e esclerite (0,8%). As etiologias foram agrupadas em: doenças sistémicas (34%), doenças infecciosas (30%), idiopáticas (27%) e patologias oculares específicas (9%). A acuidade visual média nos olhos com uveíte anterior foi 0.8, panuveíte 0.2, uveíte posterior 0.2, uveíte intermédia 0.7, episclerite e esclerite 1.0. Dos 197 olhos com uveíte, 27 (13,7%) foram submetidos a cirurgia de catarata e 5 (2,5%) a cirurgia de glaucoma. Conclusões: Apesar de se tratar de uma amostra relativamente pequena, reveste-se de importância dado ser fundamental conhecer a realidade em cada centro de referência de forma a optimizar os recursos disponíveis e a melhorar a abordagem clínica.

Gastroenterite Aguda em Crianças Internadas na Área de Lisboa

Introdução: A Gastroenterite Aguda (GEA) é uma patologia com importante morbilidade sendo a segunda causa de internamento na idade pediátrica. Objetivo: Caracterizar a GEA, em crianças internadas em dois hospitais da área de Lisboa com diferentes características demográficas. Métodos: Estudo prospetivo de maio 2011 a junho 2012. Pesquisados potenciais agentes etiológicos por técnicas convencionais e de biologia molecular em amostras de fezes e analisados dados epidemiológicos e clínicos. Resultados: Total de 140 amostras de crianças com GEA com identificação do agente em 83,6%: 64,3% vírus, 27,9% parasitas e 21,4% bactérias. Os agentes mais frequentes foram rotavírus (26,4%), norovírus II (13,6%), enterovírus (12,1%), Microsporidia (11,4%), Escherichia coli (9,3%), Campylobacter jejuni (7,9%), Giardia sp. (5,7%), Cryptosporidium sp. (5%) e Salmonella sp. (4,3%). Coinfecções (2 ou mais agentes) em 40 doentes (28,6%). Mediana de idade de 1,4 anos (min-5 dias; max-17 anos) sendo a etiologia viral mais frequente abaixo dos 5 anos (p<0.01), com o rotavírus identificado em crianças mais jovens (média=1,7 anos). Dois picos sazonais: o rotavírus entre Janeiro e Março e norovírus entre Agosto e Outubro. Apenas 10 (7,1%) doentes estavam vacinados para rotavírus, mas nenhum com o esquema completo. A presença de sangue nas fezes (p=0,02) e a febre (p=0,039) foram mais frequentes na infeção bacteriana, os vómitos (p<0.01) e os sintomas respiratórios (p=0,046) na infeção por rotavírus. Registaram-se complicações clínicas em 50 doentes (35,7%): desidratação (47), invaginação íleo-cecal (1), adenite mesentérica (1) e apendicite fleimonosa (1). Conclusão: Os vírus são os agentes mais frequentes de GEA sobretudo na criança pequena (idade <5 anos), sendo o rotavírus e norovírus os principais agentes. O número de coinfecções foi significativo mas não se associou a maior morbilidade. A ausência de identificação de agente em alguns casos pode refletir a necessidade de outros meios diagnósticos ou a existência de agentes ainda desconhecidos.

Apontamento Sobre a Evolução da Técnica de Embolização das MAVs Cerebrais e Medulares, e seu Fundamento Clínico

Os AA revêem 4 casos de grandes malformações arteriovenosas (MAV5) — 3 cerebrais e 1 medular — que são ilustrativos da evolução da sua técnica de oclusão endovascular. O interesse das embolizações, que foram sempre preliminares da cirurgia, é discutido em função da clínica, do mais fácil acesso ao nidus e da potencial prevenção de alguns riscos operatórios.