Unstabilized rammed Earth: characterization of material collected from old constructions in South Portugal and comparison to normative requirements

Unstabilized rammed earth is a recyclable, economical, and eco-friendly building material, used in the past and still applied today. Traditionally, its use was based on a long empirical knowledge of the local materials. Because this knowledge was mostly lost or is no longer sufficient, in many countries normative documents have been produced to allow the assessment of rammed earth soils. With the aim of contributing for a refining of these normative requirements, this article presents a research work that included: (i) collection of Unstabilized rammed earth samples from six constructions in Portugal; (ii) a literature survey of normative and complementary documents to identify the most mentioned key-properties, the test procedures and the corresponding threshold limits; and (iii) a discussion of the test procedures and of the thresholds limits in the light of the experimental results. The analyzed properties are the particle size distribution, maximum particle size, plasticity, compaction, linear shrinkage, organic content, and salt content. The work highlights the advantages of taking into account the characteristics of existing constructions as a basis for the establishment and further refining of consistent threshold values. In particular, it shows that it is essential to adjust the requirements to the specificities of local materials.

Audiometric profile of civilian pilots according to noise exposure

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the audiometric profile of civilian pilots according to the noise exposure level. METHODS This observational cross-sectional study evaluated 3,130 male civilian pilots aged between 17 and 59 years. These pilots were subjected to audiometric examinations for obtaining or revalidating the functional capacity certificate in 2011. The degree of hearing loss was classified as normal, suspected noise-induced hearing loss, and no suspected hearing loss with other associated complications. Pure-tone air-conduction audiometry was performed using supra-aural headphones and acoustic stimulus of the pure-tone type, containing tone thresholds of frequencies between 250 Hz and 6,000 Hz. The independent variables were professional categories, length of service, hours of flight, and right or left ear. The dependent variable was pilots with suspected noise-induced hearing loss. The noise exposure level was considered low/medium or high, and the latter involved periods > 5,000 flight hours and > 10 years of flight service. RESULTS A total of 29.3% pilots had suspected noise-induced hearing loss, which was bilateral in 12.8% and predominant in the left ear (23.7%). The number of pilots with suspected hearing loss increased as the noise exposure level increased. CONCLUSIONS Hearing loss in civilian pilots may be associated with noise exposure during the period of service and hours of flight.

Educational inequality in the occurrence of abdominal obesity:Pró-Saúde Study

OBJECTIVE To estimate the degree of educational inequality in the occurrence of abdominal obesity in a population of non-faculty civil servants at university campi.METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we used data from 3,117 subjects of both genders aged 24 to 65-years old, regarding the baseline ofPró-Saúde Study, 1999-2001. Abdominal obesity was defined according to abdominal circumference thresholds of 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men. A multi-dimensional, self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate education levels and demographic variables. Slope and relative indices of inequality, and Chi-squared test for linear trend were used in the data analysis. All analyses were stratified by genders, and the indices of inequality were standardized by age.RESULTS Abdominal obesity was the most prevalent among women (43.5%; 95%CI 41.2;45.9), as compared to men (24.3%; 95%CI 22.1;26.7), in all educational strata and age ranges. The association between education levels and abdominal obesity was an inverse one among women (p < 0.001); it was not statistically significant among men (p = 0.436). The educational inequality regarding abdominal obesity in the female population, in absolute terms (slope index of inequality), was 24.0% (95%CI 15.5;32.6). In relative terms (relative index of inequality), it was 2.8 (95%CI 1.9;4.1), after the age adjustment.CONCLUSIONS Gender inequality in the prevalence of abdominal obesity increases with older age and lower education. The slope and relative indices of inequality summarize the strictly monotonous trend between education levels and abdominal obesity, and it described educational inequality regarding abdominal obesity among women. Such indices provide relevant quantitative estimates for monitoring abdominal obesity and dealing with health inequalities.

InOx thin films deposited by plasma assisted evaporation: application in light shutters

An integration of undoped InOx and commercial ITO thin films into laboratory assembled light shutter devices is made. Accordingly, undoped transparent conductive InOx thin films, about 100 nm thick, are deposited by radiofrequency plasma enhanced reactive thermal evaporation (rf-PERTE) of indium teardrops with no intentional heating of the glass substrates. The process of deposition occurs at very low deposition rates (0.1-0.3 nm/s) to establish an optimized reaction between the oxygen plasma and the metal vapor. These films show the following main characteristics: transparency of 87% (wavelength, lambda = 632.8 nm) and sheet resistance of 52 Omega/sq; while on commercial ITO films the transparency was of 92% and sheet resistance of 83 Omega/sq. The InOx thin film surface characterized by AFM shows a uniform grain texture with a root mean square surface roughness of Rq similar to 2.276 nm. In contrast, commercial ITO topography is characterized by two regions: one smoother with Rq similar to 0.973 nm and one with big grains (Rq similar to 3.617 nm). For the shutters assembled using commercial ITO, the light transmission coefficient (Tr) reaches the highest value (Tr-max) of 89% and the lowest (Tr-min) of 1.3% [13], while for the InOx shutters these values are 80.1% and 3.2%, respectively. Regarding the electric field required to achieve 90% of the maximum transmission in the ON state (E-on), the one presented by the devices assembled with commercial ITO coated glasses is 2.41 V/mu m while the one presented by the devices assembled with InOx coated glasses is smaller, 1.77 V/mu m. These results corroborate the device quality that depends on the base materials and fabrication process used. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scaling law in Saddle-node bifurcations for one-dimensional maps: A complex variable approach

The study of transient dynamical phenomena near bifurcation thresholds has attracted the interest of many researchers due to the relevance of bifurcations in different physical or biological systems. In the context of saddle-node bifurcations, where two or more fixed points collide annihilating each other, it is known that the dynamics can suffer the so-called delayed transition. This phenomenon emerges when the system spends a lot of time before reaching the remaining stable equilibrium, found after the bifurcation, because of the presence of a saddle-remnant in phase space. Some works have analytically tackled this phenomenon, especially in time-continuous dynamical systems, showing that the time delay, tau, scales according to an inverse square-root power law, tau similar to (mu-mu (c) )(-1/2), as the bifurcation parameter mu, is driven further away from its critical value, mu (c) . In this work, we first characterize analytically this scaling law using complex variable techniques for a family of one-dimensional maps, called the normal form for the saddle-node bifurcation. We then apply our general analytic results to a single-species ecological model with harvesting given by a unimodal map, characterizing the delayed transition and the scaling law arising due to the constant of harvesting. For both analyzed systems, we show that the numerical results are in perfect agreement with the analytical solutions we are providing. The procedure presented in this work can be used to characterize the scaling laws of one-dimensional discrete dynamical systems with saddle-node bifurcations.

2,4,6- Ttrichloroanisol:a consumer panel evaluation

“Cork taint” is a major problem in wine industry and is caused by contamination of wines. This contamination is usually attributed to wine cork stoppers and 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA) is one of the compounds mostly associated to this off-flavour. In this work, a consumer panel performed “forced choice” triangular tests in order to measure Odour Detection Thresholds (ODT) and Taste Detection Thresholds (TDT) of 2,4,6-TCA in water, hydro-alcoholic solutions (11.5% and 18% ethanol) and white and red wines. A paired preference test was also performed by the panel in order to measure Odour Rejection Threshold (ORT) in white and red wine spiked with 2,4,6-TCA. Results obtained show that the ODT and the TDT for 2,4,6-TCA in water were 0.2 and 0.3 ng/L, respectively. In hydro-alcoholic solutions with 11.5% and 18% ethanol the ODT were 4 and 10 ng/L respectively. In red wine the ODT and the TDT were 0.9 and 1.7 ng/L and in white wine were 1.5 and 1.0 ng/L respectively. ORT for white was 10.4 ng/L and for red wines 16.0 ng/L. These results suggest that although this group of consumers detected very low concentrations of 2,4,6-TCA in wines, they did not reject the wine at these low concentration values.

Couro pergaminho e couro transparente: desenvolvimento de processo

Mestrado em Engenharia Química - Ramo Optimização Energética na Indústria Química

A Contabilidade nas instituições particulares de solidariedade social em Portugal

Relatório de Estágio apresentado ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Contabilidade e Finanças, sob orientação do Mestre Adalmiro Álvaro Malheiro de Castro Andrade Pereira e do Engenheiro José Manuel Cadão Formosinho

Controlo interno na Administração Local implantação de um novo procedimento numa Autarquia

Trabalho de Projeto Apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria, sob orientação do Mestre Carlos Mendes e coorientação da Engª Sónia Rodrigues

A contabilidade de gestão nas autarquias locais: o caso do Município de Espinho

Trabalho de Projeto apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria Orientação: Doutora Alcina Augusta de Sena Portugal Dias Coorientação: Doutora Amélia Cristina Ferreira Silva

O auditor interno e a gestão do risco empresarial

O objetivo central deste estudo consiste em demonstrar de que forma o trabalho do auditor interno contribui no processo de gestão de riscos empresariais. Neste sentido, faz-se uma abordagem sobre o conceito de Auditoria Interna, sendo uma atividade destinada a acrescentar valor à organização na medida em que a auxilia na consecução dos seus objetivos, proporcionando-lhe informações oportunas e relevantes para a tomada de decisão. Faz também considerações ao Controlo Interno, no sentido de que as organizações vão sentir diferentes necessidades de controlo interno dependendo da sua dimensão e complexidade do negócio. O controlo interno é um processo desenvolvido pelos Orgãos de Gestão com o propósito de garantir uma segurança razoável no cumprimento dos objetivos estabelecidos. Cabe ao auditor interno auxiliar nesse sentido, ou seja, debruçar-se sobre a avaliação da adequação e eficiência do Sistema de Controlo Interno. Por fim é abordada a importância da Gestão do Risco, neste contexto as organizações têm como compromisso prioritário a implementação de mecanismos de avaliação e gestão dos riscos que possam afetar as suas operações e o cumprimento dos objetivos estratégicos definidos. A Auditoria Interna vai fornecer segurança acerca da eficácia das atividades de gestão do risco das organizações para assegurar que os principais riscos de negócio estão a ser geridos de forma apropriada bem como os sistemas de controlo interno estão a funcionar eficazmente. Ainda na gestão do risco é abordado o modelo COSO ERM, instrumento importante para as organizações na medida em que melhoram a performance e o desempenho dos controlos internos implementados e progridem para um processo de gestão do risco. Faz-se também uma breve referência sobre a Lei Sox, que veio promover uma profunda reforma na elaboração dos relatórios financeiros, no detalhe minucioso sobre os aspetos do controlo interno nas organizações e na transparência das informações divulgadas pelas organizações.

Domesticated domesticated! Some comments on the translation into English of José Carlos Somoza's La Caverna de las ideas

In order to cater for an extended readership, crime fiction, like most popular genres, is based on the repetition of a formula allowing for the reader's immediate identification. This first domestication is followed, at the time of its translation, by a second process, which wipes out those characteristics of the source text that may come into conflict with the dominant values of the target culture. An analysis of the textual and paratextual strategies used in the English translation of José Carlos Somoza's La caverna de las ideas (2000) shows the efforts to make the novel more easily marketable in the English-speaking world through the elimination of most of the obstacles to easy readability.

O relato integrado e a responsabilidade social da empresa no contexto da economia social

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Contabilidade e Finanças, sob orientação de Doutora Ana Maria Alves Bandeira e de Doutora Deolinda Aparício Meira

A relação entre o governo e das sociedades e a responsabilidade social: estudo de caso das empresas cotadas no PSI20

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria sob orientação de Mestre Helena Maria Santos de Oliveira

Is there space for senior civil servants hybrid management models across political- administrative systems?

Comunicação apresentada na 17.ª conferência anual da NISPACee, realizada de 14 a 16 de Maio de 2009.