A import��ncia do planeamento e or��amenta����o nas empreitadas de obras de instala����es mec��nicas

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mec��nica

O papel estrat��gico das rela����es p��blicas nas organiza����es: o caso da Comiss��o Vitivin��cola da Regi��o de Lisboa (CVR Lisboa)

Trabalho de projeto apresentado �� Escola Superior de Comunica����o Social como parte dos requisitos para obten����o de grau de mestre em Gest��o Estrat��gica das Rela����es P��blicas.

Projeto de estruturas de um edif��cio em bet��o armado com recurso ao programa de c��lculo autom��tico ETABS

Trabalho de Projeto para obten����o do grau de mestre em Engenharia Civil

The impact of an online mathematics education project (MATACTIVA) on higher education students

The Online Mathematics Education Project (MatActiva) is an exciting new initiative which aims to support and enhance mathematics education. The project is led by the Institute of Accounting and Administration of Porto (ISCAP), part of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP). It provides innovative resources and carefully constructed materials around themes such as Elementary Mathematics, Calculus, Algebra, Statistics and Financial Mathematics to help support and inspire students and teachers of mathematics. The goal is to increase mathematical understanding, confidence and enjoyment, enrich the mathematical experience of each person, and promote creative and imaginative approaches to mathematics. Furthermore the project can be used to deliver engaging and effective mathematics instruction through the flipped classroom model. This paper also presents the findings of a large survey, whose propose was to study the student���s reaction to the project.

A Communication and Resources Management Scheme to Support the Smart Grid Integration of Multiplayers Access to Resources Information

The increasing and intensive integration of distributed energy resources into distribution systems requires adequate methodologies to ensure a secure operation according to the smart grid paradigm. In this context, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are an essential infrastructure. This paper presents a conceptual design of a communication and resources management scheme based on an intelligent SCADA with a decentralized, flexible, and intelligent approach, adaptive to the context (context awareness). The methodology is used to support the energy resource management considering all the involved costs, power flows, and electricity prices leading to the network reconfiguration. The methodology also addresses the definition of the information access permissions of each player to each resource. The paper includes a 33-bus network used in a case study that considers an intensive use of distributed energy resources in five distinct implemented operation contexts.

Projeto Estrutural de um Edif��cio em Bet��o Armado

O presente projeto foi elaborado no ��mbito da disciplina de DIPRE (Disserta����o/ Projeto/ Est��gio) referente ao Mestrado em Engenharia Civil do Ramo de Estruturas, no decorrer do ano letivo de 2012/13. A elabora����o do projeto teve in��cio em Dezembro, uma vez que at�� l�� foi necess��rio escolher orientador, tema e projeto de arquitetura. Inicialmente os avan��os foram reduzidos dado que foi necess��rio aprender a metodologia de uso de um programa de c��lculo de raiz. A escolha do uso do programa TRICALC foi aconselhado pela Engenheira Isabel Teles, conselho esse que foi aceite com todo o gosto. Com o presente trabalho demonstram-se algumas etapas no desenvolvimento de um projeto de estabilidade de um edif��cio com 14 pisos, desde a an��lise de projeto de arquitetura que serviu de base, �� fase final de produ����o de pe��as desenhadas, passando pelo moroso processo de dimensionamento e otimiza����o de elementos estruturais.

Safety and immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccine ButaNG in adults

Recombinant yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccine manufactured by Instituto Butantan was administered in two groups of adult volunteers (I, II) following two different schedules of immunization. In the first trial (10 <FONT FACE="Symbol">m</FONT>g doses and 0, 1, 3 months vaccination schedule) 106 individuals completed the full immunization program. The results of seroconversion by age group varied from 70 to 100% and the GMT from 46.5 to 124.9 mIU mL-1. In the second trial with 68 individuals (for dosage comparison and 0, 1, 6 months vaccination schedule) indicated that the vaccine formulated in 20 <FONT FACE="Symbol">m</FONT>g was more effective than in 10 <FONT FACE="Symbol">m</FONT>g. The adverse reactions observed in the vaccinees were less frequent than the ones previously found since the introduction of similar vaccines.

CDIO and the European Project Semester: a match for capstone projects?

The CDIO Initiative is an open innovative educational framework for engineering graduation degrees set in the context of Conceiving ��� Designing ��� Implementing ��� Operating real-world systems and products, which is embraced by a network of worldwide universities, the CDIO collaborators. A CDIO compliant engineering degree programme typically includes a capstone module on the final semester. Its purpose is to expose students to problems of a greater dimension and complexity than those faced throughout the degree programme as well as to put them in contact with the so-called real world, in opposition to the academic world. However, even in the CDIO context, there are barriers that separate engineering capstone students from the real world context of an engineering professional: (i) limited interaction with experts from diverse scientific areas; (ii) reduced cultural and scientific diversity within the teams; and (iii) lack of a project supportive framework to foster the complementary technical and non-technical skills required in an engineering professional. To address these shortcomings, we propose the adoption of the European Project Semester (EPS) framework, a one semester student centred international capstone programme offered by a group of European engineering schools (the EPS Providers) as part of their student exchange programme portfolio. The EPS package is organised around a central module ��� the EPS project ��� and a set of complementary supportive modules. Project proposals refer to open multidisciplinary real world problems and supervision becomes coaching. The students are organised in teams, grouping individuals from diverse academic backgrounds and nationalities, and each team is fully responsible for conducting its project. EPS complies with the CDIO directives on Design-Implement experiences and provides an integrated framework for undertaking capstone projects, which is focussed on multicultural and multidisciplinary teamwork, problem-solving, communication, creativity, leadership, entrepreneurship, ethical reasoning and global contextual analysis. As a result, we recommend the adoption of the EPS within CDIO capstone modules for the benefit of engineering students.

Morbidity and survival in advanced AIDS in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Opportunistic diseases (OD) are the most common cause of death in AIDS patients. To access the incidence of OD and survival in advanced immunodeficiency, we included 79 patients with AIDS treated at Hospital Evandro Chagas (FIOCRUZ) from September 1997 to December 1999 with at least one CD4 count <=100 cells/mm��. The incidence of OD was analyzed by Poisson's regression, and survival by Kaplan Meier and Cox analysis, considering a retrospective (before CD4 <=100 cells/mm��) and a prospective (after CD4 <=100 cells/mm��) period, and controlling for demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics. The confidence interval estipulated was 95%. Mean follow-up period was 733 days (CI = 683-782). During the study 9 (11.4%) patients died. Survival from AIDS diagnosis was a mean of 2589 days (CI = 2363-2816) and from the date of the CD4 count CD4 <=100 cells/mm�� was a mean of 1376 (CI = 1181-1572) days. Incidence of OD was 0.51 pp/y before CD4 <= 100 cells/mm�� and 0.29 pp/y after CD4 <= 100 cells/mm��. A lower number of ODs before CD4 < 100 cells/mm�� was associated with lower incidence rates after CD4 <= 100 cells/mm��. AIDS diagnosis based on CD4+ counts <= 200 cells/mm�� was associated with lower incidence rates after CD4 <= 100 cells/mm��. Baseline CD4 counts above 50 cells/mm�� (HR = 0.13) and restoration of baseline CD4+ counts above 100 cells/mm�� (HR = 0.16) were associated with a lower risk of death. Controling both variables, only restoration of baseline counts was statistically significant (HR = 0.22, p = 0.04). We found a very low incidence of OD and long survival after CD4 < 100 cells/mm��. Survival was significantly associated with restoration of baseline CD4 counts above 100 cells/mm��.

Design and Development of a Solar Dryer for Microalgae Retrieval - An EPS@ISEP 2013 Spring Project

Currently excessive fossil fuel consumption has become a serious problem. People are searching for new solutions of energy production and there are several options to obtain alternative sources of energy without further devastating the already destroyed environment. One of these solutions is growing microalgae, from which biodiesel can be obtained. The microalgae production is a growing business because of its many useful compounds. In order to collect these compounds microalgae must first be harvested and then dried. Nowadays the solutions used for drying use too much energy and therefore are too expensive and not sustainable. The goal of this project, one of the possible choices during the EPS@ISEP 2013 Spring, was to develop a solar microalgae dryer. The multinational team involved in its development was composed of five students, from distinct countries and fields of study, and was the responsible for designing a solar microalgae dryer prototype for the microalgae laboratory of the chemical engineering department at ISEP, suitable for future tests and incorporating control process (in order not to destroy the microalgae during the drying process). The solar microalgae dryer was built to work as a distiller that gets rid of the excess water from the microalgae suspension. This paper presents a possible solution for this problem, the steps to create the device to harvest the microalgae by drying them with the use of solar energy (also used as an energy source for the solar dryer control system), the technologies used to build the solar microalgae dryer, and the benefits it presents compared to current solutions. It also presents the device from the ethical and sustainable viewpoint. Such alternative to already existing methods is competitive as far as energy usage is concerned.

Edif��cio do Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leix��es: Acompanhamento dos trabalhos de Funda����es e Estruturas de Suporte.

Infraestrutura com mais de um s��culo de hist��ria, o Porto de Leix��es encontra-se em fase de renova����o com a cria����o de um emblem��tico Edif��cio de Terminal de Cruzeiros. Obra de arquitetura arrojada, o edif��cio �� implantado em condi����es geol��gico-geot��cnicas adversas e na conviv��ncia com o efeito da ��gua do mar e das respetivas mar��s. O presente relat��rio �� relativo a um Est��gio realizado na obra numa fase de execu����o dos trabalhos de funda����es e de conten����es perif��ricas (ensecadeira). Apresentam-se as solu����es sugeridas em projeto, as solu����es apresentadas inicialmente pelo construtor e as alternativas a estas, propostas j�� durante a obra. Descrevem-se as diferentes solu����es, identificando os equipamentos, recursos humanos e procedimentos envolvidos. Comparam-se os respetivos rendimentos e custos. Apresenta-se o Plano de Instrumenta����o e de Monitoriza����o implementado em obra. Descreve-se em pormenor o trabalho realizado pelo estagi��rio, em obra, no decurso do est��gio.

Learning sustainability by developing a solar dryer for microalgae retrieval

The development of nations depends on energy consumption, which is generally based on fossil fuels. This dependency produces irreversible and dramatic effects on the environment, e.g. large greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn cause global warming and climate changes, responsible for the rise of the sea level, floods, and other extreme weather events. Transportation is one of the main uses of energy, and its excessive fossil fuel dependency is driving the search for alternative and sustainable sources of energy such as microalgae, from which biodiesel, among other useful compounds, can be obtained. The process includes harvesting and drying, two energy consuming steps, which are, therefore, expensive and unsustainable. The goal of this EPS@ISEP Spring 2013 project was to develop a solar microalgae dryer for the microalgae laboratory of ISEP. A multinational team of five students from distinct fields of study was responsible for designing and building the solar microalgae dryer prototype. The prototype includes a control system to ensure that the microalgae are not destroyed during the drying process. The solar microalgae dryer works as a distiller, extracting the excess water from the microalgae suspension. This paper details the design steps, the building technologies, the ethical and sustainable concerns and compares the prototype with existing solutions. The proposed sustainable microalgae drying process is competitive as far as energy usage is concerned. Finally, the project contributed to increase the deontological ethics, social compromise skills and sustainable development awareness of the students.

Amplia����o e Reconstru����o de um Edif��cio Unifamiliar

Pretende-se com este trabalho apresentar os Projectos de estruturas, de Comportamento T��rmico e de Abastecimento de ��gua e Drenagem de ��guas Pluviais e Residuais de uma habita����o unifamiliar. Trata-se de um edif��cio situado no concelho de Ponte Lima que ser�� reconstru��do e ampliado de forma a se constituir uma habita����o de tipologia T3. Uma vez que a realidade da actividade do projecto de estruturas actual �� baseada na aplica����o de ferramentas de processo autom��tico de dados, foi naturalmente utilizado um programa de c��lculo na modela����o do edif��cio. No entanto, foram igualmente aplicados m��todos tradicionais, nomeadamente na fase de pr��-dimensionamento, na valida����o do modelo e no dimensionamento do edif��cio existente. O Estudo do Comportamento T��rmico teve como objectivo primordial optar por solu����es construtivas que permitissem, aos ocupantes da habita����o, um conforto t��rmico com o m��nimo esfor��o energ��tico poss��vel. Desta forma, analisaram-se as plantas de arquitectura, definiram-se os elementos da envolvente e os equipamentos necess��rios, e procedeu-a �� avalia����o t��rmica segundo o disposto na Legisla����o Nacional Para culminar o trabalho, desenvolveu-se o Projecto de Abastecimento de ��gua e Drenagem de ��guas Pluviais e Residuais, dispondo os elementos e acess��rios das redes segundo as regras de implanta����o e dimensionamento previstas na regulamenta����o em vigor.

Pseudo-outbreak of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) in a tertiary-care hospital

The objective of this study was to describe a pseudo-outbreak of C. difficile in a hospital, following a change in the method used to detect the toxin. In February 2002, there were two cases of CDAD and in March 7 occurred, coinciding with a change of the test (from detection of toxin A to toxin A/B). An outbreak was suspected. Active surveillance and education of staff were started. A CDAD case was defined as a patient with acute onset of diarrhea (�� three episodes of liquid stools) and a positive stool test. They were classified as hospital or community-acquired. Stool samples were also collected for C. difficile culture and isolates were typed using AP-PCR. From March 2002 through December 2003 there were 138 cases of CDAD: 70% were hospital-acquired and among the 30% with CDAD present on admission, most (81%) came directly from the community (50% had no history of hospitalization). Fifty-two percent of hospital-acquired CDAD and 94% of cases on admission had already used antibiotics. The incidence of CDAD in hospitalized patients during surveillance was 3.3 per 1000 patient-admissions. The incidence of CDAD present on admission was 6.1/1000 patients. Sixteen isolates were typed and presented 13 different profiles. In conclusion, the CDAD increase in our study occurred due to change in diagnostic methods and not due to an outbreak, as suspected initially. The incidence in hospitalized patients was much lower than in reported outbreaks. There were 13 molecular types suggesting that an outbreak did not occur. CDAD was largely community-acquired.

Biological predictors of survival in limphoma and mechanisms underlying follicular lymphoma transformaion into diffuse large B cell lymphoma (vol I e II)

RESUMO: Os biomarcadores tumorais permitem identificar os doentes com maior risco de recorr��ncia da doen��a, predizer a resposta tumoral �� terap��utica e, finalmente, definir candidatos a novos alvos terap��uticos. Novos biomarcadores s��o especialmente necess��rios na abordagem cl��nica dos linfomas. Actualmente, esses tumores s��o diagnosticados atrav��s de uma combina����o de caracter��sticas morfol��gicas, fenot��picas e moleculares, mas o progn��stico e o planeamento terap��utico est��o quase exclusivamente dependentes de caracter��sticas cl��nicas. Estes factores cl��nicos s��o, na maioria dos linfomas, insuficientes numa propor����o significativa dos doentes, em particular, aqueles com pior progn��stico. O linfoma folicular (LF) ��, globalmente, o segundo subtipo mais comum de linfoma. �� tipicamente uma doen��a indolente com uma sobrevida m��dia entre os 8 e 12 anos, mas �� geralmente fatal quando se transforma num linfoma agressivo de alto grau, habitualmente o linfoma difuso de grandes c��lulas B (LDGCB). Morfologicamente e funcionalmente, as c��lulas do LF recapitulam as c��lulas normais do centro germinativo na sua depend��ncia de sobreviv��ncia do microambiente n��o-tumoral, especialmente das c��lulas do sistema imunol��gico. Biomarcadores preditivos de transforma����o n��o existem pelo que um melhor conhecimento da biologia intr��nseca de progress��o do LF poder�� revelar novos candidatos. Nesta tese descrevo duas abordagens distintas para a descoberta de novos biomarcadores. A primeira, o estudo da express��o global de genes ('genomics') obtidos por t��cnicas de alto rendimento que analisam todo o genoma humano sequenciado, permitindo identificar novas anomalias gen��ticas que possam representar mecanismos biol��gicos importantes de transforma����o. S��o descritos novos genes e altera����es gen��micas associados �� transforma����o do LF, sendo especialmente relevantes as relacionadas com os eventos iniciais de transforma����o em LDGCB. A segunda, baseou-se em v��rias hip��teses centradas no microambiente do LF, rico em v��rios tipos de c��lulas n��omalignas. Os estudos imunoarquitectural de macr��fagos, c��lulas T regulat��rias e densidade de microvasos efectuado em biopsias de diagn��stico de doentes com LF tratados uniformemente correlacionaram-se significativamente, e independentemente dos crit��rios cl��nicos, com a evolu����o cl��nica e, mais importante, com o risco de transforma����o em LDGCB. Nesta tese, foram preferencialmente utilizadas (e optimizadas) t��cnicas que permitam o uso de amostras fixadas em parafina e formalina (FFPET). Estas s��o facilmente acess��veis a partir das biopsias de diagn��stico de rotina presentes nos arquivos de todos os departamentos de patologia, facilitando uma transi����o r��pida dos novos marcadores para a pr��tica cl��nica. Embora o FL fosse o tema principal da tese, os novos achados permitiram estender facilmente hip��teses semelhantes a outros subtipos de linfoma. Assim, s��o propostos e validados v��rios biomarcadores promissores e relacionados com o microambiente n��o tumoral, sobretudo dependentes das c��lulas do sistema imunol��gico, como contribuintes importantes para a biologia dos linfomas. Estes sugerem novas op����es para a abordagem cl��nica destas doen��as e, eventualmente, novos alvos terap��uticos.------------- ABSTRACT: Cancer biomarkers provide an opportunity to identify those patients most at risk for disease recurrence, predict which tumours will respond to different therapeutic approaches and ultimately define candidate biomarkers that may serve as targets for personalized therapy. New biomarkers are especially needed in the management of lymphoid cancers. At present, these tumours are diagnosed using a combination of morphologic, phenotypic and molecular features but prognosis and overall survival are mostly dependent on clinical characteristics. In most lymphoma types, these imprecisely assess a significant proportion of patients, in particular, those with very poor outcomes. Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common lymphoma subtype worldwide. It is typically an indolent disease with current median survivals in the range of 8-12 years, but is usually fatal when it transforms into an aggressive high-grade lymphoma, characteristically Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). Morphologically and functionally it recapitulates the normal cells of the germinal center with its survival dependency on non-malignant immune and immunerelated cells. Informative markers of transformation related to the intrinsic biology of FL progression are needed. Within this thesis two separate approaches to biomarker discovery were employed. The first was to study the global expression of genes (���genomics���) obtained using high-throughput, wholegenome-wide approaches that offered the possibility for discovery of new genetic abnormalities that might represent the important biological mechanisms of transformation. Gene signatures associated with early events of transformation were found. Another approach relied on hypothesis-driven concepts focusing upon the microenvironment, rich in several non-malignant cell types. The immunoarchitectural studies of macrophages, regulatory T cells and microvessel density on diagnostic biopsies of uniformly treated FL patients significantly predicted clinical outcome and, importantly, also informed on the risk of transformation. Techniques that enabled the use of routine formalin fixed paraffin embedded diagnostic specimens from the pathology department archives were preferentially used in this thesis with the goal of fulfilling a rapid bench-to-beside��� translation for these new findings. Although FL was the main subject of the thesis the new findings and hypotheses allowed easy transition into other lymphoma types. Several promising biomarkers were proposed and validated including the implication of several non-neoplastic immune cells as important contributors to lymphoma biology, opening new options for better treatment planning and eventually new therapeutic targets and candidate therapeutics.