Janelas inteligentes com efeito de memória

Neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um controlador electrónico de potência capaz de actuar sobre a janela inteligente por forma a permitir a transição do estado opaco para o estado transparente. O controlador foi desenhado com o propósito de ser o único elemento necessário para o funcionamento das janelas inteligentes, evitando assim a utilização de uma parafernália de equipamentos isolados, ligados entre si, para executarem o mesmo propósito. A topologia utilizada para criar este controlador baseou-se num módulo rectificador AC/DC, seguido por um módulo Buck e terminado por um inversor do tipo Boost. Esta topologia permitiu que se alcançasse uma grande amplitude de tensões á saída, as quais variam entre os 0V e os 600V, necessárias para o desenvolvimento das janelas inteligentes. Esta solução foi pensada por forma a permitir, no futuro, o desenvolvimento de um controlador capaz de fazer a transição do estado transparente para opaco e a ligação ao software laboratorial LabView para recolha de dados e interpretação dos mesmos.

E-Health individual adoption - empirical model based on UTAUT 2.

The future of health care delivery is becoming more citizen-centred, as today’s user is more active, better informed and more demanding. The European Commission is promoting online health services and, therefore, member states will need to boost deployment and use of online services. This makes e-health adoption an important field to be studied and understood. This study applied the extended unified theory of acceptance and usage technology (UTAUT2) to explain patients’ individual adoption of e-health. An online questionnaire was administrated Portugal using mostly the same instrument used in UTAUT2 adapted to e-health context. We collected 386 valid answers. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and habit had the most significant explanatory power over behavioural intention and habit and behavioural intention over technology use. The model explained 52% of the variance in behavioural intention and 32% of the variance in technology use. Our research helps to understand the desired technology characteristics of ehealth. By testing an information technology acceptance model, we are able to determine what is more valued by patients when it comes to deciding whether to adopt e-health systems or not.

Comparação entre sistemas de saúde oral de 8 países da união europeia e intervenções por estes desenvolvidas no seguimento das linhas de atuação definidas pela Organização Mundial de Saúde para o ano 2020

RESUMO - Hoje, facilmente se poderá constatar que as doenças orais possuem uma expressiva influência perante a saúde geral, não apenas pela presença da condição por si só, mas também a nível pessoal, social e económico. O seu reflexo traduz-se em parte, no absentismo escolar e laboral, diminuição considerável de produtividade e eficiência, falta de atenção e objetividade. Pelo que é então considerado, um grave problema de saúde pública, afetando de forma mais expressiva, grupos socioeconomicamente desfavorecidos. O acompanhamento e análise do desenvolvimento de iniciativas internacionais, no que ao seguimento das recomendações da Organização Mundial de Saúde diz respeito, poderá ser um ótimo beneficio e impulso para a identificação e aplicação de novos planos de ação. O presente projeto, pretendeu contribuir para a identificação de duas propostas de intervenção em saúde oral ajustadas ao alcance das recomendações da OMS que simultaneamente possam sejam proveitosas para a resolução dos problemas de saúde oral nacionais. Foi realizado um estudo observacional, descritivo e retrospetivo onde foram recolhidos dados acerca de 8 Sistemas de Saúde Oral europeus, previamente selecionados segundo critérios específicos, e iniciativas de saúde oral por eles desenvolvidas. Por fim, foram eleitas duas iniciativas de interesse, possíveis de aplicação futura. Os resultados do estudo apontam para a existência de diferentes iniciativas, enquadradas com as recomendações da OMS. De entre as mesmas, destaca-se uma implementada em 2009, na Suécia, que estando essencialmente assente num acessível subsidio anual fixo pago por cada indivíduo adulto, procura fundamentalmente preservar os esforços de prevenção aplicados nas últimas décadas.

Predictors of adherence to influenza vaccination for healthcare workers from a teaching hospital: a study in the prepandemic era

INTRODUCTION: Even before the 2009 pandemics, influenza in healthcare workers (HCW) was a known threat to patient safety, while Influenza vaccine coverage in the same group was generally low. Identification of predictors for HCW adherence to Influenza vaccination has challenged infection control committees. METHODS: Our group conducted a cross-sectional survey in December 2007, interviewing 125 HCWs from a teaching hospital to identify adherence predictors for Influenza vaccination. The outcomes of interest were: A - adherence to the 2007 vaccination campaign; B - adherence to at least three yearly campaigns in the past five years. Demographic and professional data were assessed through univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Of the HCWs interviewed, 43.2% were vaccinated against Influenza in 2007. However, only 34.3% of HCWs working in healthcare for more than five years had adhered to at least three of the last five vaccination campaigns. Multivariate analysis showed that working in a pediatric unit (OR = 7.35, 95%CI = 1.90-28.44, p = 0.004) and number of years in the job (OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.00-1.74, p = 0.049) were significant predictors of adherence to the 2007 campaign. Physicians returned the worst outcome performances in A (OR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.16-0.97, p = 0.04) and B (OR = 0.17, 95%CI = 0.05-0.60, p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to improve adherence to Influenza vaccination should focus on physicians and newly-recruited HCWs. New studies are required to assess the impact of the recent Influenza A pandemics on HCW-directed immunization policies.

Framework for the semantic alignment of enterprise’s domain knowledge

Nowadays, the consumption of goods and services on the Internet are increasing in a constant motion. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) mostly from the traditional industry sectors are usually make business in weak and fragile market sectors, where customized products and services prevail. To survive and compete in the actual markets they have to readjust their business strategies by creating new manufacturing processes and establishing new business networks through new technological approaches. In order to compete with big enterprises, these partnerships aim the sharing of resources, knowledge and strategies to boost the sector’s business consolidation through the creation of dynamic manufacturing networks. To facilitate such demand, it is proposed the development of a centralized information system, which allows enterprises to select and create dynamic manufacturing networks that would have the capability to monitor all the manufacturing process, including the assembly, packaging and distribution phases. Even the networking partners that come from the same area have multi and heterogeneous representations of the same knowledge, denoting their own view of the domain. Thus, different conceptual, semantic, and consequently, diverse lexically knowledge representations may occur in the network, causing non-transparent sharing of information and interoperability inconsistencies. The creation of a framework supported by a tool that in a flexible way would enable the identification, classification and resolution of such semantic heterogeneities is required. This tool will support the network in the semantic mapping establishments, to facilitate the various enterprises information systems integration.

PV systems linked to the grid: parameter identification with a heuristic procedure

This paper focuses on a PV system linked to the electric grid by power electronic converters, identification of the five parameters modeling for photovoltaic systems and the assessment of the shading effect. Normally, the technical information for photovoltaic panels is too restricted to identify the five parameters. An undemanding heuristic method is used to find the five parameters for photovoltaic systems, requiring only the open circuit, maximum power, and short circuit data. The I–V and the P–V curves for a monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous photovoltaic systems are computed from the parameters identification and validated by comparison with experimental ones. Also, the I–V and the P–V curves under the effect of partial shading are obtained from those parameters. The modeling for the converters emulates the association of a DC–DC boost with a two-level power inverter in order to follow the performance of a testing commercial inverter employed on an experimental system.

Fatores de risco no patrulhamento da GNR em ambiente operacional

In the mid-twentieth century, Portugal took the first big step towards social awareness of the Safety and Health at Work. Still later, the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization were responsible for setting global guidelines that clarified the States for the way forward in inguito of safeguarding the common interests of workers, businesses and the state. All workers should be covered by the rules governing matters relating to Safety, imperative requirements established in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. These also include those soldiers from National Guard who, in contemporary social conjecture face in their everyday life situations worthy of heightened risk aquidade. Ensure the identification of risk factors to which they are exposed, is, first, a big boost in the way of preserving the safety of these employees, who daily selflessly and under the most adverse working conditions fulfill the mission of the Guarda Nacional Republicana. Adverse weather conditions, and violence at work are two examples of risk factors to which the military Guard are daily exposed, and hence arise many days of absence from the workplace. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors to which the military from GNR are exposed during dismounted patrols, and also provide solutions on ways to mitigate and manage the risks presented. The cognitive distance traveled, throughout this study led us to demonstrate that it has been done by the GNR chain of Command, a huge effort to ensure through various forms (including emphasize the new Regulation of Uniforms), the resolution of the main factors that may jeopardize the integrity of the patrolmen, betting this Institution in the protection of the military that compose it, and the prevention of accidents at work through training and systematic monitoring that superiors expend with its employees.

Market risk charge of the trading book: a comparison of the Basel II and Basel III

This paper aims to investigate if the market capital charge of the trading book increased in Basel III compared to Basel II. I showed that the capital charge rises by 232% and 182% under the standardized and internal model, respectively. The varying liquidity horizons, the calibration to a stress period, the introduction of credit spread risk, the restrictions on correlations across risk categories and the incremental default charge boost Basel III requirements. Nevertheless, the impact of Expected shortfall at 97.5% is low and long term shocks decrease the charge. The standardized approach presents advantages and disadvantages relative to internal models.

Search-for-yield in Portuguese fixed-income mutual funds and monetary policy

This paper studies the effects of monetary policy on mutual fund risk taking using a sample of Portuguese fixed-income mutual funds in the 2000-2012 period. Firstly I estimate time-varying measures of risk exposure (betas) for the individual funds, for the benchmark portfolio, as well as for a representative equally-weighted portfolio, through 24-month rolling regressions of a two-factor model with two systematic risk factors: interest rate risk (TERM) and default risk (DEF). Next, in the second phase, using the estimated betas, I try to understand what portion of the risk exposure is in excess of the benchmark (active risk) and how it relates to monetary policy proxies (one-month rate, Taylor residual, real rate and first principal component of a cross-section of government yields and rates). Using this methodology, I provide empirical evidence that Portuguese fixed-income mutual funds respond to accommodative monetary policy by significantly increasing exposure, in excess of their benchmarks, to default risk rate and slightly to interest risk rate as well. I also find that the increase in funds’ risk exposure to gain a boost in return (search-for-yield) is more pronounced following the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, indicating that the current historic low interest rates may incentivize excessive risk taking. My results suggest that monetary policy affects the risk appetite of non-bank financial intermediaries.

The role of humor in television advertisement: A study regarding Portuguese consumers’ emotions and reactions

The purpose of this study is to explore the humorous side of television advertisement and its impact on Portuguese consumers’ hearts, minds and wallets. Both qualitative (through in-depth interviews) and quantitative (through an on-line survey and subsequent statistical data analysis) methods were used, guaranteeing a more consistent, strong and valid research. Twenty-five interviews with randomly chosen consumers were conducted face-to-face and three interviews via e-mail with marketers and television advertisers were performed in order to explore profoundly the subject. Moreover, 360 people have answered the on-line survey. Through the analysis of the data collected humor perception was found to be positively correlated with persuasion and intention to purchase the product; intention to share the advert; message comprehension; product liking and development of positive feelings towards the brand and brand credibility variables. The main implication of these findings relies on the fact that humor in advertising is able to boost its effectiveness.

A business plan for a new mobile application to the consumer foodservice industry

The Portuguese consumer foodservice industry is experiencing a boost in technology adoption, driven by significant changes in consumer behavior and business dynamics, due to mobile increasing penetration. Accordingly, the present work project consists on developing a business plan for meeting an identified opportunity in the technological foodservice landscape. Therefore, this report is divided into three sections, each of which addressing different objectives: (A) External Environment, providing key external insights that support the opportunity; (B) Strategy Formulation, establishing a strategic direction; and (C) Action Plan, determining an implementation plan for starting the business

The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection markers and socio-demographic risk factors in HIV-infected patients in Southern Brazil

IntroductionHepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are two of the world's most important infectious diseases. Our objective was to determine the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) prevalences among adult HIV-infected patients and identify the associations between socio-demographic variables and these HBV infection markers.MethodsThis study was performed from October 2012 to March 2013. Three hundred HIV-seropositive patients were monitored by the Clinical Analysis Laboratory of Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago University Hospital, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The blood tests included HBsAg, anti-HBc immunoglobulin M (IgM) and total anti-HBc. Patients reported their HIV viral loads and CD4+ T-cell counts using a questionnaire designed to collect sociodemographic data.ResultsThe mean patient age was 44.6 years, the mean CD4 T-cell count was 525/mm3, the mean time since beginning antiretroviral therapy was 7.6 years, and the mean time since HIV diagnosis was 9.6 years. The overall prevalences of HBsAg and total anti-HBc were 2.3% and 29.3%, respectively. Among the individuals analyzed, 0.3% were positive for HBsAg, 27.3% were positive for total anti-HBc, and 2.0% were positive either for HBsAg or total anti-HBc and were classified as chronically HBV-infected. Furthermore, 70.3% of the patients were classified as never having been infected. Male gender, age >40 years and Caucasian ethnicity were associated with an anti-HBc positive test.ConclusionsThe results showed an intermediate prevalence of HBsAg among the studied patients. Moreover, the associations between the anti-HBc marker and socio-demographic factors suggest a need for HBV immunization among these HIV-positive individuals, who are likely to have HIV/HBV coinfection.

Impact of the antipneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the occurrence of infectious respiratory diseases and hospitalization rates in children

INTRODUCTION: In 2010, to reduce the occurrence of serious pneumococcal disease, the Ministry of Health in Brazil incorporated the 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine in the immunization schedule of children younger than two years of age. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of vaccination on the incidence of infectious respiratory diseases in infants before and after the introduction of the 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved primary care and hospital networks from a city in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, between 2009 and 2012. RESULTS: A 40% reduction in the prevalence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) was observed after introducing the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Male children were 28% more likely to develop the disease. The prevalence ratio ([PR] = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.52 to 2.53, p < 0.05) suggested that not being vaccinated was associated with the occurrence of pneumonia. The prevalence of CAP was 70% lower (PR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.37, p<0.05) in children vaccinated as recommended compared to children with delayed vaccination, suggesting that the updated vaccine schedule improves protection. CONCLUSIONS: Immunization with the 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine appeared to reduce the number of pneumonia cases in children during the study period. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of the vaccine against the occurrence of pneumococcal pneumonia.

Arboviral diseases in the Western Brazilian Amazon: a perspective and analysis from a tertiary health & research center in Manaus, State of Amazonas

The Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), located in Manaus, the capital of the State of Amazonas (Western Brazilian Amazon), is a pioneering institution in this region regarding the syndromic surveillance of acute febrile illness, including arboviral infections. Based on the data from patients at the FMT-HVD, we have detected recurrent outbreaks in Manaus by the four dengue serotypes in the past 15 years, with increasing severity of the disease. This endemicity has culminated in the simultaneous circulation of all four serotypes in 2011, the first time this has been reported in Brazil. Between 1996 and 2009, 42 cases of yellow fever (YF) were registered in the State of Amazonas, and 71.4% (30/42) were fatal. Since 2010, no cases have been reported. Because the introduction of the yellow fever virus into a large city such as Manaus, which is widely infested by Aedes mosquitoes, may pose a real risk of a yellow fever outbreak, efforts to maintain an appropriate immunization policy for the populace are critical. Manaus has also suffered silent outbreaks of Mayaro and Oropouche fevers lately, most of which were misdiagnosed as dengue fever. The tropical conditions of the State of Amazonas favor the existence of other arboviruses capable of producing human disease. Under this real threat, represented by at least 4 arboviruses producing human infections in Manaus and in other neighboring countries, it is important to develop an efficient public health surveillance strategy, including laboratories that are able to make proper diagnoses of arboviruses.

Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most important cause of viral lower respiratory illness in infants and children worldwide. By the age of 2 years, nearly every child has become infected with respiratory syncytial virus and re-infections are common throughout life. Most infections are mild and can be managed at home, but this virus causes serious diseases in preterm children, especially those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Respiratory syncytial virus has also been recognized as an important pathogen in people with immunossupressive and other underlying medical problems and institutionalizated elderly, causing thousands of hospitalizations and deaths every year. The burden of these infections makes the development of vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus highly desirable, but the insuccess of a respiratory syncytial virus formalin-inactivated vaccine hampered the progress in this field. To date, there is no vaccine available for preventing respiratory syncytial virus infections, however, in the last years, there has been much progress in the understanding of immunology and immunopathologic mechanisms of respiratory syncytial virus diseases, which has allowed the development of new strategies for passive and active prophylaxis. In this article, the author presents a review about novel approaches to the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections, such as: passive immunization with human polyclonal intravenous immune globulin and humanized monoclonal antibodies (both already licensed for use in premature infants and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia), and many different vaccines that are potential candidates for active immunization against respiratory syncytial virus.