Comparison of Aspergillus species-complexes detected in different environmental settings

Purpose: Samples from different environmental sources were screened for the presence of Aspergillus, and the distribution of the different species-complexes was determined in order to understand differences among that distribution in the several environmental sources and which of these species complexes are present in specific environmental settings. Methods: Four distinct environments (beaches, poultries, swineries and hospital) were studied and analyzed for which Aspergillus complexes were present in each setting. After plate incubation and colony isolation, morphological identification was done using macro- and microscopic characteristics. The universal fungal primers ITS1 and ITS4 were used to amplify DNA from all Aspergillus isolates, which was sequenced for identification to species complex level. SPSS v15.0 for Windows was used to perform the statistical analysis. Results: Thirty-nine isolates of Aspergillus were recovered from both the sand beach and poultries, 31 isolates from swineries, and 80 isolates from hospital environments, for a total 189 isolates. Eleven species complexes were found total. Isolates belonging to the Aspergillus Versicolores species-complex were the most frequently found (23.8%), followed by Flavi (18.0%), Fumigati (15.3%) and Nigri (13.2%) complexes. A significant association was found between the different environmental sources and the distribution of the several species-complexes (p<0.001); the hospital environment had a greater variability of species-complexes than other environmental locations (10 in hospital environment, against nine in swine, eight in poultries and seven in sand beach). Isolates belonging to Nidulantes complex were detected only in the hospital environment, whereas the other complexes were identified in more than one setting. Conclusion: Because different Aspergillus complexes have different susceptibilities to antifungal drugs, and different abilities in producing mycotoxins, knowledge of the species-complex epidemiology for each setting may allow preventive or corrective measures to be taken toward decreasing professional workers or patient exposure to those agents.

EDI e a fatura eletrónica redes colaborativas e desmaterialização

O Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) oferece um vasto leque de oportunidades para as empresas se tornarem mais competitivas. Não só na ótica dos processos de negócio de bens e serviços, como nas práticas organizacionais e de gestão. A adoção de tecnologias de informação e comunicação do comércio eletrónico B2B, visando o aumento da eficácia e eficiência na troca de documentos de negócio, possibilita a melhoria da colaboração entre agentes económicos de uma cadeia produtiva de bens ou serviços. O comércio eletrónico permitiu uma profunda transformação das práticas comerciais tradicionais, onde o EDI influenciou positivamente na forma de conduzir o negócio. Um conceito atualmente emergente é o de fatura eletrónica, essencial para o desenvolvimento da relação entre entidades (B2B). A desmaterialização da fatura acarreta inúmeros benefícios para as entidades envolvidas, tais como: a redução de custos, a redução do impacto ambiental e o aumento da produtividade e da transparência nos processos de negócio. Esta dissertação pretende abordar em detalhe as temáticas referentes ao EDI e à fatura eletrónica, no que concerne ao conceito, às mensagens, aos standards utilizados, aos benefícios e custos envolvidos, e a toda a sua envolvência ao longo de uma cadeia de abastecimento. Com base nestes conceitos, é apresentado um caso de estudo de sucesso na empresa nacional Sonae®, que pretende abordar todo o programa EDI da empresa. O esforço despendido na implementação do programa e na adoção da fatura eletrónica legal na Sonae® supera em larga escala os objetivos pretendidos, devido aos benefícios inerentes à utilização do EDI. A fatura eletrónica representa não só o conceito de troca de documentos via eletrónica, como também uma nova forma de conduzir os negócios.

Tecnologias de informação e comunicação (sistemas de informação): desenvolvimento sustentável e administração pública: na senda de uma fórmula integradora e virtuosa a ser considerada na auditoria

Mestrado em Auditoria

Sistema sem fios para controlo de iluminação decorativa

Este projecto surgiu no contexto da solicitação de um dos clientes da empresa Castros Iluminações que pretendia um sistema de iluminação decorativa (baseada em LED) de dois conjuntos de 288 janelas, pertencendo cada conjunto a uma fachada diferente do edifício. Este sistema teria que prever a possibilidade de controlar a cor de cada janela individualmente, dando ao cliente a possibilidade de alterar o ambiente decorativo das fachadas do edifício. A utilização de comunicação sem fios foi justificada pela necessidade de evitar a quantidade enorme de cabos que seria necessário passar utilizando os sistemas comerciais convencionais e a impossibilidade de os esconder. Esta solução foi pensada para ser implementada num edifício com 14 Andares, facto que por si só inviabiliza a passajem de cabos. Para interligar todos os dispositivos de iluminação decorativa com um controlador portátil, e eliminar os problemas ligados à cablagem, foi utilizado o protocolo de comunicações sem fios ZigBee™. A escolha recaiu neste protocolo devido a factores como os seus baixos consumos, simplicidade do protocolo comparativamente com outras redes e o seu baixo custo. No desenvolvimento deste projecto foi utilizada a stack da Microchip©, versão gratuita, disponibilizada na internet e os seus transceivers de comunicação Zigbee™, MRF24j40MA. Para fazer a interface de comunicação com o utilizador, foi desenvolvida uma aplicação de Software para correr em computadores com ambiente Windows™. Esta aplicação foi desenvolvida em Visual Studio™ utilizando a linguagem C#. Foram efectuados alguns testes para se perceber a eficiência e robustez da comunicação ZigBee™ e apesar do número de dispositivos disponíveis para ensaios ser muito reduzido, foi possível verificar que, mesmo funcionando correctamente, o desempenho do sistema poderá ser melhorado, quer seja a nível da gestão das comunicações, quer a nível do software informático para controlo do ambiente decorativo das fachadas do edifício. O sistema, no actual estado de desenvolvimento, permite controlar a cor dos vários dispositivos da rede através do computador, com uma resolução de 24bits. A aplicação desenvolvida em Visual Studio™ permite controlar de forma simples e intuitiva para o utilizador, a cor do material iluminativo dos vários dispositivos da rede.

A comunicação de risco na mitigação das alterações climáticas : como promover práticas pró-ambientais

Tese de Doutoramento, Gestão Interdisciplinar da Paisagem, 11 Fevereiro de 2016, Universidade dos Açores.

Molecular screening of 246 Portuguese Aspergillus isolates among different clinical and environmental sources

Clinical and environmental samples from Portugal were screened for the presence of Aspergillus and the distributions of the species complexes were determined in order to understand how their distributions differ based on their source. Fifty-seven Aspergillus isolates from clinical samples were collected from 10 health institutions. Six species complexes were detected by internal transcribed spacer sequencing; Fumigati, Flavi, and Nigri were found most frequently (50.9%, 21.0%, and 15.8%, respectively). β-tubulin and calmodulin sequencing resulted in seven cryptic species (A. awamorii, A. brasiliensis, A. fructus, A. lentulus, A. sydowii, A. tubingensis, Emericella echinulata) being identified among the 57 isolates. Thirty-nine isolates of Aspergillus were recovered from beach sand and poultry farms, 31 from swine farms, and 80 from hospital environments, for a total 189 isolates. Eleven species complexes were found in these 189 isolates, and those belonging to the Versicolores species complex were found most frequently (23.8%). There was a significant association between the different environmental sources and distribution of the species complexes; the hospital environment had greater variability of species complexes than other environmental locations. A high prevalence of cryptic species within the Circumdati complex was detected in several environments; from the isolates analyzed, at least four cryptic species were identified, most of them growing at 37ºC. Because Aspergillus species complexes have different susceptibilities to antifungals, knowing the species-complex epidemiology for each setting, as well as the identification of cryptic species among the collected clinical isolates, is important. This may allow preventive and corrective measures to be taken, which may result in decreased exposure to those organisms and a better prognosis.

An identity-based approch to communication

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the key elements in the construction of cosistent organisational messages over time. In order to accomplish that, we propose the aligment of several elements: vision, misson, objectives, cultural values, optimal identity attributes, positioning, type of messages, communication style and means, and image...

Environmental impact caused by fungal and particle contamination of Portuguese swine

Social concerns for environmental impact on air, water and soil pollution have grown along with the accelerated growth of pig production. This study intends to characterize air contamination caused by fungi and particles in swine production, and, additionally, to conclude about their eventual environmental impact. Fiftysix air samples of 50 litters were collected through impaction method. Air sampling and particle matter concentration were performed in indoor and also outdoor premises. Simultaneously, temperature and relative humidity were monitored according to the International Standard ISO 7726 – 1998. Aspergillus versicolor presents the highest indoor spore counts (>2000 CFU/m3) and the highest overall prevalence (40.5%), followed by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (17.0%) and Penicillium sp. (14.1%). All the swine farms showed indoor fungal species different from the ones identified outdoors and the most frequent genera were also different from the ones indoors. The distribution of particle size showed the same tendency in all swine farms (higher concentration values in PM5 and PM10 sizes). Through the ratio between the indoor and outdoor values, it was possible to conclude that CFU/m3 and particles presented an eventual impact in outdoor measurements.

Association of dental enamel lead levels with risk factors for environmental exposure

OBJECTIVE: To analyze household risk factors associated with high lead levels in surface dental enamel. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 160 Brazilian adolescents aged 14-18 years living in poor neighborhoods in the city of Bauru, southeastern Brazil, from August to December 2008. Body lead concentrations were assessed in surface dental enamel acid-etch microbiopsies. Dental enamel lead levels were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and phosphorus levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The parents answered a questionnaire about their children's potential early (05 years old) exposure to well-known lead sources. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between dental enamel lead levels and each environmental risk factor studied. Social and familial covariables were included in the models. RESULTS: The results suggest that the adolescents studied were exposed to lead sources during their first years of life. Risk factors associated with high dental enamel lead levels were living in or close to a contaminated area (OR = 4.49; 95% CI: 1.69;11.97); and member of the household worked in the manufacturing of paints, paint pigments, ceramics or batteries (OR = 3.43; 95% CI: 1.31;9.00). Home-based use of lead-glazed ceramics, low-quality pirated toys, anticorrosive paint on gates and/or sale of used car batteries (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 0.56;3.03) and smoking (OR = 1.66; 95% CI: 0.52;5.28) were not found to be associated with high dental enamel lead levels. CONCLUSIONS: Surface dental enamel can be used as a marker of past environmental exposure to lead and lead concentrations detected are associated to well-known sources of lead contamination.

Air pollution from traffic emissions in Oporto, Portugal: health and environmental implications

Air pollution represents a serious risk not only to environment and human health, but also to historical heritage. In this study, air pollution of the Oporto Metropolitan Area and its main impacts were characterized. The results showed that levels of CO, PM10 and SO2 have been continuously decreasing in the respective metropolitan area while levels of NOx and NO2 have not changed significantly. Traffic emissions were the main source of the determined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; 16 PAHs considered by U.S. EPA as priority pollutants, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene and benzo[j]fluoranthene) in air of the respective metropolitan area. The mean concentration of 18 PAHs in air was 69.9±39.7 ng m−3 with 3–4 rings PAHs accounting for 75% of the total ΣPAHs. The health risk analysis of PAHs in air showed that the estimated values of lifetime lung cancer risks considerably exceeded the health-based guideline level. Analytical results also confirm that historical monuments in urban areas act as passive repositories for air pollutants present in the surrounding atmosphere. FTIR and EDX analyses showed that gypsum was the most important constituent of black crusts of the characterized historical monument Monastery of Serra do Pilar classified as “UNESCO World Cultural Heritage”. In black crusts, 4–6 rings compounds accounted approximately for 85% of ΣPAHs. The diagnostic ratios confirmed that traffic emissions were the major source of PAHs in black crusts; PAH composition profiles were very similar for crusts and PM10 and PM2.5.

Economic, environmental and mixed objective functions in non-linear process optimization using simulated annealing and tabu search

Screening of topologies developed by hierarchical heuristic procedures can be carried out by comparing their optimal performance. In this work we will be exploiting mono-objective process optimization using two algorithms, simulated annealing and tabu search, and four different objective functions: two of the net present value type, one of them including environmental costs and two of the global potential impact type. The hydrodealkylation of toluene to produce benzene was used as case study, considering five topologies with different complexities mainly obtained by including or not liquid recycling and heat integration. The performance of the algorithms together with the objective functions was observed, analyzed and discussed from various perspectives: average deviation of results for each algorithm, capacity for producing high purity product, screening of topologies, objective functions robustness in screening of topologies, trade-offs between economic and environmental type objective functions and variability of optimum solutions.

Cultural organizations and communication in portuguese decentralization policy

This paper intends to show the Portuguese municipalities’ commitment, since the first decade of this century, in cultural facilities of municipal management and how it provided 12 of the 18 district capitals of mainland Portugal with cultural equipment, but after all we want to know if this effort resulted in a regular, diverse, and innovative schedule. Investing in urban regeneration, local governments have tried to convert cities’ demographic changes (strengthening of the most educated and professionally qualified groups) in effective cultural demands that consolidate the three axes of development competitiveness-innovation-creativity. What the empirical study to the programming and communication proposals of those equipment shows is that it is not enough to provide cities with facilities; to escape to a utilitarian conception of culture, there is a whole work to be done so that such equipment be experienced and felt as new public sphere. Equipment in which proposals go through a fluid bind, constructed through space and discourse with local community, devoted a diversified and innovative bet full filling development axis. This paper presents in a systematic way what contributes to this binding on the analyzed equipment.

Cultural organizations and communication in portuguese decentralization policy

This presentation intends to show to what extent the Portuguese municipalities’ commitment, from the first decade of this century, in cultural facilities of municipal management and which has provided 12 of the 18 district capitals of mainland Portugal with equipment, resulted in a regular, diverse and innovative schedule. Investing in urban regeneration, local government has tried to convert cities’ demographic changes (strengthening of the most educated and professionally qualified groups) in effective cultural demands that consolidate the three axes of development competitiveness-innovation-creativity. What the empirical study to the programming and communication proposals of those equipment shows is that it is not enough to provide cities with facilities; to escape to a utilitarian conception of culture, there is a whole work to be done so that such equipment be experienced and felt as new public sphere. Equipment in which proposals go through a fluid bind, constructed through space and discourse with local community, devotes a diversified and innovative bet full filling development axis. This paper presents in a systematic way what contributes to this binding on the analyzed equipment.

How new online communication tools and the availability of content influence the audiences and the creative process

We live in a changing world. At an impressive speed, every day new technological resources appear. We increasingly use the Internet to obtain and share information, and new online communication tools are emerging. Each of them encompasses new potential and creates new audiences. In recent years, we witnessed the emergence of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media platforms. They have provided us with an even greater interactivity between sender and receiver, as well as generated a new sense of community. At the same time we also see the availability of content like it never happened before. We are increasingly sharing texts, videos, photos, etc. This poster intends to explore the potential of using these new online communication tools in the cultural sphere to create new audiences, to develop of a new kind of community, to provide information as well as different ways of building organizations’ memory. The transience of performing arts is accompanied by the need to counter that transience by means of documentation. This desire to ‘save’ events reaches its expression with the information archive of the different production moments as well as the opportunity to record the event and present it through, for instance, digital platforms. In this poster we intend to answer the following questions: which online communication tools are being used to engage audiences in the cultural sphere (specifically between theater companies in Lisbon)? Is there a new relationship with the public? Are online communication tools creating a new kind of community? What changes are these tools introducing in the creative process? In what way the availability of content and its archive contribute to the organization memory? Among several references, we will approach the two-way communication model that James E. Grunig & Todd T. Hunt (1984) already presented and the concept of mass self-communication of Manuel Castells (2010). Castells also tells us that we have moved from traditional media to a system of communication networks. For Scott Kirsner (2010), we have entered an era of digital creativity, where artists have the tools to do what they imagined and the public no longer wants to just consume cultural goods, but instead to have a voice and participate. The creativity process is now depending on the public choice as they wander through the screen. It is the receiver who owns an object which can be exchanged. Virtual reality has encouraged the receiver to abandon its position of passive observer and to become a participant agent, which implies a challenge to organizations: inventing new forms of interfaces. Therefore, we intend to find new and effective online tools that can be used by cultural organizations; the best way to manage them; to show how organizations can create a community with the public and how the availability of online content and its archive can contribute to the organizations’ memory.

Beyond methodological nationalism: The contribution of Robert E. Park to the history of intercultural communication

The legacy of nineteenth century social theory followed a “nationalist” model of society, assuming that analysis of social realities depends upon national boundaries, taking the nation-state as the primary unit of analysis, and developing the concept of methodological nationalism. This perspective regarded the nation-state as the natural - and even necessary - form of society in modernity. Thus, the constitution of large cities, at the end of the 19th century, through the intense flows of immigrants coming from diverse political and linguistic communities posed an enormous challenge to all social research. One of the most significant studies responding to this set of issues was The Immigrant Press and its Control, by Robert E. Park, one of the most prominent American sociologists of the first half of the 20th century. The Immigrant Press and its Control was part of a larger project entitled Americanization Studies: The Acculturation of Immigrant Group into American Society, funded by the Carnagie Corporation following World War I, taking as its goal to study the so-called “Americanization methods” during the 1920s. This paper revisits that particular work by Park to reveal how his detailed analysis of the role of the immigrant press overcame the limitations of methodological nationalism. By granting importance to language as a tool uniting each community and by showing how the strength of foreign languages expressed itself through the immigrant press, Park demonstrated that the latter produces a more ambivalent phenomenon than simply the assimilation of immigrants. On the one hand, the immigrant press served as a connecting force, driven by the desire to preserve the mother tongue and culture while at the same time awakening national sentiments that had, until then, remained diffuse. Yet, on the other hand, it facilitated the adjustment of immigrants to the American context. As a result, Park’s work contributes to our understanding of a particular liminal moment inherent within many intercultural contexts, the space between emigrant identity (emphasizing the country of origin) and immigrant identity (emphasizing the newly adopted country). His focus on the role played by media in the socialization of immigrant groups presaged later work on this subject by communication scholars. Focusing attention on Park’s research leads to other studies of the immigrant experience from the same period (e.g., Thomas & Znaniecki, The Polish Peasant in Europe and America), and also to insights on multi-presence and interculturality as significant but often overlooked phenomena in the study of immigrant socialization.