Complications of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in children: report of 5 cases and review of the literature

Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is one of leading causes of death in children, especially among those younger than 3 years of age. The inhalation of a foreign body may cause a wide variety of symptoms, and early diagnosis is highly associated with the successful removal of the inhaled foreign material. Despite the great advances in endoscopic procedures and anesthesia, a large number of difficulties and complications still result from foreign body aspiration. We describe 5 cases of serious acute complications following aspiration of foreign bodies that became lodged in the tracheobronchial tree, including pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, total atelectasis, foreign body dislodgment, and need for thoracotomy in children admitted into our intensive care unit in 1999 and 2000; these were all situations that could have been prevented with early recognition and prompt therapeutic intervention.

Assessing the role of social networks on migrant labor market outcomes: Evidence from a representative immigrant survey

What role do social networks play in determining migrant labor market outcomes? We examine this question using data from a random sample of 1500 immigrants living in Ireland. We propose a theoretical model formally predicting that immigrants with more contacts have additional access to job offers, and are therefore better able to become employed and choose higher paid jobs. Our empirical analysis confirms these findings, while focusing more generally on the relationship between migrants’ social networks and a variety of labor market outcomes (namely wages, employment, occupational choice and job security), contrary to the literature. We find evidence that having one more contact in the network is associated with an increase of 11pp in the probability of being employed and with an increase of about 100 euros in the average salary. However, our data is not suggestive of a network size effect on occupational choice and job security. Our findings are robust to sample selection and other endogeneity concerns.

Incisional hernia at the insertion site of the laparoscopic trocar: case report and review of the literature

Laparoscopic operations offer a myriad of advantages resulting in a rapid postoperative recovery. Incisional hernia is an uncommon cause of morbidity in operative procedures performed by laparoscopic access, and the diagnosis may not be easily made. In our service we identified 2 patients with incisional hernia the site of trocar insertion. The records of these 2 cases were reviewed. We report on these 2 cases and present a review of the literature.

Pulmonary artery catheter complications: report on a case of a knot accident and literature review

A particular event concerning a Swan-Ganz catheter complication is reported. A 41-year-old woman was admitted at the emergency room of our hospital with massive gastrointestinal bleeding. A total gastrectomy was performed. During the postoperative period in the intensive care unit , the patient maintained hemodynamic instability. Invasive hemodynamic monitoring with a pulmonary artery catheter was then indicated. During the maneuvers to insert the catheter, a true knot formation was identified at the level of the superior vena cava. Several maneuvers by radiological endovascular invasive techniques allowed removal of the catheter. The authors describe the details of this procedure and provide comments regarding the various techniques that were employed in overcoming this event. A comprehensive review of evidence regarding the benefits and risks of pulmonary artery catheterization was performed. The consensus statement regarding the indications, utilization, and management of the pulmonary artery catheterization that were issued by a consensus conference held in 1996 are also discussed in detail.

Recensão: Joana Ramôa, Christus Patiens. Representações do calvário na escultura tumular medieval portuguesa (século XIV)"

Recensão de: Joana Ramôa. 2008. Christus Patiens. Representações do calvário na escultura tumular medieval portuguesa (século XIV). Lisboa: Instituto de História da Arte - Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

O projecto Imago. A constituição de uma base de dados digital de iconografia medieval

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Fundação Millennium bcp, Direcção Geral do Livro e das Bibliotecas/MC, Instituto de Estudos Medievais – FCSH/UNL

Imagens de azul. Evidências do emprego do azul cobalto na cerâmica tardo medieval portuguesa

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Fundação Millennium bcp, Direcção Geral do Livro e das Bibliotecas/MC, Instituto de Estudos Medievais – FCSH/UNL

Anorectal leiomyomas: report of two cases with different anatomical patterns and literature review

Gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors comprise a rare group of gastrointestinal tract wall tumors that have long been a source of confusion and controversy, especially in terms of pathological classification, preoperative diagnosis, management strategies, and prognosis. This report describes the clinical manifestations and management of 2 rectal leiomyomas and reviews the pertinent literature. Case 1: A 44-year-old woman was admitted reporting a nodule in the right para-anal region for the previous 2 years. At proctological examination, a 4-cm diameter fibrous mass situated in the para-anal region that produced an arch under the smooth muscle on the right rectal wall just above the anorectal ring was noted. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen and pelvis showed the lesion and detected no other abnormalities. Surgical treatment consisted of wide local resection of the tumor through a para-anal incision, with no attempts to perform lymphadenectomy. Case 2: A 40-year-old male patient was admitted reporting constant anal pain for 4 months. He presented a 3-cm submucosal nodule at the anterior rectal wall just above the dentate line. After 2 inconclusive preoperative biopsies, transanal resection of the tumor was performed. Histological analysis of the specimen showed a benign leiomyoma. A review of the literature is presented, emphasizing some clinical and therapeutic aspects of this unusual rectal tumor.

The effect of deforestation on the water cycle in the amazon basin: an attempt reformulate the problem

If widespread deforestation in Amazon results in reduced evaporative water flux, then either a decrease in evaporation is compensated locally by reduced rainfall,or else changed moisture balance expresses itself downwind in the yet undisturbed forest. The question of where rain will occur is crucial. It is suggested that the appearance of clouds and the occurrence of rainout is governed primarily by the interplay of local meteorologic and physical geography parameters with the atmospheric stability structure except for a few well-defined periods when rain is dominated by large scale atmospheric instability. This means that the study of these phenomena (local heat balances,studies on cloud formation mechanism, vertical atmospheric stability, etc.) must be made on the scale of the cloud size, a few tens of kilometers at most.

The interception process in tropical rain forests: a literature review and critique (*).

A review of the literature on measurements of rain water interception processes by forests is made. Information on Africa, Central and South America, and Asia is given. A general analysis is made and the need to further the measurements under field conditions is stressed.

Assessing the role of social networks on migrant labor market outcomes: Evidence from a representative immigrant survey

What role do social networks play in determining migrant labor market outcomes? We examine this question using data from a random sample of 1500 immigrants living in Ireland. We propose a theoretical model formally predicting that immigrants with more contacts have additional access to job offers, and are therefore better able to become employed and choose higher paid jobs. Our empirical analysis confirms these findings, while focusing more generally on the relationship between migrants’ social networks and a variety of labor market outcomes (namely wages, employment, occupational choice and job security), contrary to the literature. We find evidence that having one more contact in the network is associated with an increase of 11pp in the probability of being employed and with an increase of about 100 euros in the average salary. However, our data is not suggestive of a network size effect on occupational choice and job security. Our findings are robust to sample selection and other endogeneity concerns.

Firing and training costs and labour market segmentation

This dissertation consists of three essays on the labour market impact of firing and training costs. The modelling framework resorts to the search and matching literature. The first chapter introduces firing costs, both liner and non-linear, in a new Keynesian model, analysing business cycle effects for different wage rigidity degrees. The second chapter adds training costs in a model of a segmented labour market, accessing the interaction between these two features and the skill composition of the labour force. Finally, the third chapter analyses empirically some of the issues raised in the second chapter.

Technological evolution

The evolution of a technology and the understanding of the moment in its life cycle is of the utmost importance to the entry strategy devised by any company. Having the entry of EDP Brazil on the micro-generation market as background, the present workproject attempts to summarize the most important topics in management literature concerning the theory of technology life-cycles and the updated literature on developments of photovoltaic technology to infer the current positioning of this technology in the theoretical models. The need for this type of work stems from the very common lack of bridging between the academic research of economic aspects relevant to the evolution of technologies and the agents of research on specific technological issues. When this occurs, namely due to the external nature of research to companies, thereby escaping the harsh economic controls of a profit seeking enterprise, the evolution many times lacks the appropriate framework to be studied on a more forward looking manner and to allow for management decisions to be based on.

FOOD CONCENTRATION AND TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON LIFE CYCLE CHARACTERISTICS OF TROPICAL CLADOCERA (Daphnia gessneri Herbst, Diaphanosoma sarsi Richard, Moina reticulata (Daday)): I. DEVELOPMENT TIME

The effects of food concentration and temperature on embryonic and postem-bryonic duration of three tropical species, Daphnia gessneri(1.5mm), Diaphanosoma sarsi(1.2mm) and Moina reticulata(0.8mm), were investigated as part of life cycle studies which included growth, body size and reproduction. These are the very first experimental studies undertaken on these species. The long-term growth experiments were performed under controlled laboratory conditions at all combinations of temperature (22"C, 27"C and 32"C) and constant food concentration (0.03, 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 mgC/L) of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus acutus.Animals were examined twice daily throughout their life cycle from the neonate to third adult instar. In all three species, temperature exerted the most powerful influence on embryonic duration but there was also a smaller food effect. In D. gessneri,postembry-onic durations remained more or less the same at food levels 0.25 mgC/L but were influenced by temperature. At food concentrations of 0.1 mgC/L or lower, postembryonic durations became increasingly prolonged, particularly at high temperatures. This threshold concentration is affected by temperature: in D. gessneri,it was 0.1 mgC/L at 22oC and 27oC but higher at 32oC (between 0.25 and 0.50 mgC/L). At the same temperature of 27oC, the food threshold level varied between species: it was higher (0.25 mgC/L) for D. sarsiand lower (0.05 mgC/L) for M. reticulatacompared with D. gessneri(0.1 mgC/L). In both embryonic and postembryonic durations there is a body size effect as the absolute durations were longest in the largest species and shortest in the smallest species In all three species, prolongation of postembryonic duration at combinations of high temperature and lowered food levels was accompanied by increased number of juvenile instars.

Inventário e Georreferenciação do mundo funerário rupestre medieval no Centro de Portugal

O presente relatório resultou do estágio efetuado na DGPC, no âmbito da componente não-letiva do Mestrado em Arqueologia. O seu propósito centrou-se no Inventário e Georreferenciação das manifestações funerárias rupestres medievais, enquadradas na região do Centro de Portugal. Este trabalho possibilitou a atualização e introdução de inúmeras ocorrências, respeitantes a sepulturas e necrópoles escavadas na rocha, na base de dados da DGPC – o Endovélico. A concretização deste objetivo assentou essencialmente na consulta de bibliografia especializada, assim como de relatórios técnico-científicos. Ao constar do Endovélico, a informação inserida afigura-se como um contributo para o conhecimento e divulgação deste tipo de património medieval, auxiliando, inevitavelmente, no que concerne à sua salvaguarda e proteção. O processamento e sistematização da vasta informação inventariada e georreferenciada possibilitou o desenvolvimento de uma análise, na perspetiva das sepulturas escavadas na rocha como fenómeno funerário alto-medieval. Esta permitiu a criação de uma imagem, ainda que incompleta, dos tipos de agrupamentos existentes e da relação entre as sepulturas e as zonas envolventes, com lugar numa parte do território de Viseu.