O síndrome do silêncio: síndrome de Waardenbrug

Síndrome de Waardenburg - Perda de audição: neurossensorial, uni ou bilateral; possibilidade de existir micrótia ou apêndices pré-auriculares; nariz achatado – alargamento da pirâmide nasal; alterações na pigmentação de pele, cabelo e olhos.

A Correspondência luso-brasileira: narrativa de um trânsito intercultural

O artigo explora a experiência intercultural entre Portugal e o Brasil, entre 1807 e 1823, de duas famílias oriundas da pequena nobreza rural do Norte de Portugal, com especial atenção ao percurso intercultural feminino. A Correspondência é uma representação polifónica de um movimento de transculturação pessoal, familiar, social e grupal, ao longo de quase duas décadas, e funciona como uma tradução por vezes consecutiva, outras vezes simultânea, dos eventos históricos testemunhados. O conceito de tradução intercultural aqui utilizado baseia-se no pensamento de Boaventura de Sousa Santos (2006; 2008). Esta análise da Correspondência articula os contextos concretos e situados do seu objecto de estudo, com o propósito de construir o conhecimento de diferentes momentos históricos, racionalidades e mundividências.

Segurança em andaime: casos práticos

Desde sempre que os andaimes estão na origem da maior parte dos chamados acidentes em trabalhos em altura, tanto na construção como em trabalhos de manutenção, sejam eles de construção civil ou na industria, quer se tratem de meios de acesso, de estruturas de suporte ou de trabalho. Ao longo dos anos, temos vindo a assistir à introdução de melhorias nos métodos ou processos de trabalho adequados á legislação em vigor. Enquanto estagiário do departamento técnico os objectivos do estágio passavam essencialmente pelo desenvolvimento de alguns projectos relativamente a instruções de segurança sobre os andaimes, requisitos de segurança (prevenção), planos de inspecção, montagem e coordenação de montagens e desmontagens, inspecções e auditorias aos andaimes. O presente trabalho pretende contribuir para um desenvolvimento do sector, mais concretamente nas áreas de segurança em andaimes. Na parte final deste relatório apresentam-se algumas conclusões e recomendações.

Formação_de_tradutores@iscap.ipp.pt – perspectivas sobre o uso integrado da e-tradução e das ferramentas electrónicas

Tendo na sua génese a análise de um estudo realizado entre os alunos de Tradução Assistida por Computador (TAC), disciplina leccionada pela primeira vez no ano lectivo 2003/2004, no 1º ciclo do curso de Línguas e Secretariado do ISCAP, este artigo procurará reflectir sobre o(s) percurso(s) da formação para os novos tradutores. Para tal apoiar-se-á, também, nas impressões e reacções dos docentes do ramo da Tradução e Interpretação Especializadas (TIE), nomeadamente daqueles que leccionam ou leccionaram os seminários de Tradução Assistida por Computador, de Ferramentas Electrónicas para Tradução e de Tradução e Novas Tecnologias. A nossa atenção recairá, assim, sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem da tradução, tendo como pano de fundo o projecto de formação de tradutores do ISCAP e, em particular, a disciplina de TAC – onde se procura que os alunos adquiram competências que, muitas vezes, apenas são conseguidas fora do âmbito da formação académica, no exercício da profissão, tal como acontece com a aquisição de conhecimentos de software de Tradução Automática e Assistida, de Ferramentas Electrónicas, de noções de pesquisa em linha e de capacidade de trabalho em grupo. Neste sentido, procuraremos, primeiro, esboçar alguns pontos de vista sobre aquelas que nos parecem ser as principais lacunas dos tradutores recém-formados no mercado de tradução hodierno. De seguida, contextualizaremos a disciplina de TAC no plano de estudos de tradução do ISCAP e avaliaremos, com base num inquérito feito aos alunos, o primeiro semestre desta nova disciplina (TAC I) ao nível (i) das expectativas, (ii) das metodologias e (iii) dos conteúdos. Finalmente, esboçaremos algumas conclusões e caminhos de futuro que resultam da análise integrada das diferentes experiências e pontos de vista.

Antibiotic resistance in enterobacteriaceae isolated from Portuguese deli meats

This study aimed to identify the presence of β-lactam-resistant bacteria in different types of Portuguese deli meats. The numbers of ampicillin resistant bacteria varied from negative in 25 g to 1.0 × 108colony-forming units/g. Within 78 randomly selected β-lactam-resistant bacteria, 24 different resistant phenotypes were found and 35.9% were multidrug resistant (MDR). The majority (87.2%) of the isolates identified belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae family. The presence of the blaTEM gene was detected in 23 out of 67 isolates (34.3%) and 16 of them presented MDR phenotypes. Four Klebsiella oxytoca isolates (6%) harbored a gene for the CTX-M/OXY-type enzyme. The direct sequencing of their purified amplicons confirmed the presence of three types of blaOXYgenes (blaOXY-1, blaOXY-2 and blaOXY-5). These results suggest that without good hygienic practices, deli meats may act as a vehicle of transfer of β-lactam-resistant bacteria to the gastrointestinal tract of consumers.

Genotoxic effects in occupational exposure to formaldehyde: A study in anatomy and pathology laboratories and formaldehyde-resins production

Background - According to the Report on Carcinogens, formaldehyde ranks 25th in the overall U.S. chemical production, with more than 5 million tons produced each year. Given its economic importance and widespread use, many people are exposed to formaldehyde environmentally and/or occupationally. Presently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies formaldehyde as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans and in experimental animals. Manyfold in vitro studies clearly indicated that formaldehyde can induce genotoxic effects in proliferating cultured mammalian cells. Furthermore, some in vivo studies have found changes in epithelial cells and in peripheral blood lymphocytes related to formaldehyde exposure. Methods - A study was carried out in Portugal, using 80 workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde vapours: 30 workers from formaldehyde and formaldehyde-based resins production factory and 50 from 10 pathology and anatomy laboratories. A control group of 85 non-exposed subjects was considered. Exposure assessment was performed by applying simultaneously two techniques of air monitoring: NIOSH Method 2541 and Photo Ionization Detection equipment with simultaneously video recording. Evaluation of genotoxic effects was performed by application of micronucleus test in exfoliated epithelial cells from buccal mucosa and peripheral blood lymphocytes. Results - Time-weighted average concentrations not exceeded the reference value (0.75 ppm) in the two occupational settings studied. Ceiling concentrations, on the other hand, were higher than reference value (0.3 ppm) in both. The frequency of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes and in epithelial cells was significantly higher in both exposed groups than in the control group (p < 0.001). Moreover, the frequency of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes was significantly higher in the laboratories group than in the factory workers (p < 0.05). A moderate positive correlation was found between duration of occupational exposure to formaldehyde (years of exposure) and micronucleus frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes (r = 0.401; p < 0.001) and in epithelial cells (r = 0.209; p < 0.01). Conclusions - The population studied is exposed to high peak concentrations of formaldehyde with a long-term exposure. These two aspects, cumulatively, can be the cause of the observed genotoxic endpoint effects. The association of these cytogenetic effects with formaldehyde exposure gives important information to risk assessment process and may also be used to assess health risks for exposed workers.

Da comunicação popular

As manifestações públicas de cultura popular têm sido abordadas por diferentes áreas do conhecimento (antropologia, sociologia, história, etnografia e outras), mas as ciências da comunicação têm-lhes dado relativamente menos atenção. Do estudo de festas populares, sobretudo na investigação literária da sua matriz religiosa, passamos à investigação e à análise dos processos comunicacionais destas manifestações. O encontro com uma nova área das ciências da comunicação, a folkcomunicação, foi decisivo para a opção por paradigmas e instrumentos de análise que nos têm apoiado na investigação em curso sobre comunicação popular. Este texto tem como principal objectivo apresentar a origem e a evolução desta teoria comunicacional, Folkcomunicação, teoria inspirada na Escola de Chicago. Trata-se de um artigo teórico/conceptual, resultado de pesquisa bibliográfica e análise do Estado da Arte em relação à cultura popular e à folkcomunicação.

A checklist for patient safety rounds at the care pathway level

Objective - To define a checklist that can be used to assess the performance of a department and evaluate the implementation of quality management (QM) activities across departments or pathways in acute care hospitals. Design - We developed and tested a checklist for the assessment of QM activities at department level in a cross-sectional study using on-site visits by trained external auditors. Setting and Participants - A sample of 292 hospital departments of 74 acute care hospitals across seven European countries. In every hospital, four departments for the conditions: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, hip fracture and deliveries participated. Main outcome measures - Four measures of QM activities were evaluated at care pathway level focusing on specialized expertise and responsibility (SER), evidence-based organization of pathways (EBOP), patient safety strategies and clinical review (CR). Results - Participating departments attained mean values on the various scales between 1.2 and 3.7. The theoretical range was 0-4. Three of the four QM measures are identical for the four conditions, whereas one scale (EBOP) has condition-specific items. Correlations showed that every factor was related, but also distinct, and added to the overall picture of QM at pathway level. Conclusion - The newly developed checklist can be used across various types of departments and pathways in acute care hospitals like AMI, deliveries, stroke and hip fracture. The anticipated users of the checklist are internal (e.g. peers within the hospital and hospital executive board) and external auditors (e.g. healthcare inspectorate, professional or patient organizations).

A primeira vez no Moodle@FCT

Este manual, constituído por vários módulos, pretende ajudar os utilizadores do Moodle@FCT a dar os primeiros passos. Pretendemos demonstrar a simplicidade do Moodle e assim motivar os professores para a utilização da plataforma como suporte das suas suas actividades lectivas, reforçando a interacção entre alunos e professores.

Some pioneers of the applications of fractional calculus

In the last decades fractional calculus (FC) became an area of intensive research and development. This paper goes back and recalls important pioneers that started to apply FC to scientific and engineering problems during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Those we present are, in alphabetical order: Niels Abel, Kenneth and Robert Cole, Andrew Gemant, Andrey N. Gerasimov, Oliver Heaviside, Paul Lévy, Rashid Sh. Nigmatullin, Yuri N. Rabotnov, George Scott Blair.

Genotoxic effects in occupational exposure to formaldehyde: A study in anatomy and pathology laboratories and formaldehyde-resins production

ABSTRACT – Background: According to the Report on Carcinogens, formaldehyde ranks 25th in the overall U.S. chemical production, with more than 5 million tons produced each year. Given its economic importance and widespread use, many people are exposed to formaldehyde environmentally and/or occupationally. Presently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies formaldehyde as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans and in experimental animals. Manyfold in vitro studies clearly indicated that formaldehyde can induce genotoxic effects in proliferating cultured mammalian cells. Furthermore, some in vivo studies have found changes in epithelial cells and in peripheral blood lymphocytes related to formaldehyde exposure. Methods: A study was carried out in Portugal, using 80 workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde vapours: 30 workers from formaldehyde and formaldehyde-based resins production factory and 50 from 10 pathology and anatomy laboratories. A control group of 85 non-exposed subjects was considered. Exposure assessment was performed by applying simultaneously two techniques of air monitoring: NIOSH Method 2541 and Photo Ionization Detection equipment with simultaneously video recording. Evaluation of genotoxic effects was performed by application of micronucleus test in exfoliated epithelial cells from buccal mucosa and peripheral blood lymphocytes. Results: Time-weighted average concentrations not exceeded the reference value (0.75 ppm) in the two occupational settings studied. Ceiling concentrations, on the other hand, were higher than reference value (0.3 ppm) in both. The frequency of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes and in epithelial cells was significantly higher in both exposed groups than in the control group (p < 0.001). Moreover, the frequency of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes was significantly higher in the laboratories group than in the factory workers (p < 0.05). A moderate positive correlation was found between duration of occupational exposure to formaldehyde (years of exposure) and micronucleus frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes (r = 0.401; p < 0.001) and in epithelial cells (r = 0.209; p < 0.01). Conclusions: The population studied is exposed to high peak concentrations of formaldehyde with a long-term exposure. These two aspects, cumulatively, can be the cause of the observed genotoxic endpoint effects. The association of these cytogenetic effects with formaldehyde exposure gives important information to risk assessment process and may also be used to assess health risks for exposed worker

Relationship between ISO 9001 certification maturity and EFQM business excellence model results

Purpose: This exploratory research evaluates if there is a relationship between the number of years since an organization has achieved ISO 9001 certification and the highest level of recognition received by the same organization with the EFQM Business Excellence Model. Methodology/Approach: After state of the art review a detailed comparison between both models was made. Fifty two Portuguese organizations were considered and Correlation coefficient Spearman Rho was used to investigate the possible relationships. Findings: Conclusion is that there is indeed a moderate positive correlation between these two variables, the higher the number of years of ISO 9001 certification, the higher the results of the organization EFQM model evaluation and recognition. This supports the assumption that ISO 9001 International Standard by incorporating many of the principles present in the EFQM Business Excellence Model is consistent with this model and can be considered as a step towards that direction. Research Limitation/implication: Due to the dynamic nature of these models that might change over time and the possible time delays between implementation and results, more in-depth studies like experimental design or a longitudinal quasi-experimental design could be used to confirm the results of this investigation. Originality/Value of paper: This research gives additional insights on conjunct studies of both models. The use of external evaluation results carried out by the independent EFQM assessors minimizes the possible bias of previous studies accessing the value of ISO 9001 certification.

Equilibria of quantity setting differentiated duopoly with uncertainty

In this paper, we consider a Stackelberg duopoly competition with differentiated goods and with unknown costs. The firms' aim is to choose the output levels of their products according to the well-known concept of perfect Bayesian equilibrium. There is a firm ( F1 ) that chooses first the quantity 1 q of its good; the other firm ( F2 ) observes 1 q and then chooses the quantity 2 q of its good. We suppose that each firm has two different technologies, and uses one of them following a probability distribution. The use of either one or the other technology affects the unitary production cost. We show that there is exactly one perfect Bayesian equilibrium for this game. We analyse the advantages, for firms and for consumers, of using the technology with the highest production cost versus the one with the cheapest cost.

As guerras peninsulares na música portuguesa

No campo da música erudita, os efeitos mais profundos das invasões francesas, de 1807 a 1810, não se sentiram de imediato. A fuga da família real portuguesa para o Brasil e a tomada de Lisboa pelas tropas de Junot, em Novembro de 1807, longe de produzir um colapso na vida artística da capital, resultaram meramente numa mudança de direcção, pois a missão francesa não era apenas militar e econômica mas, em todos os sentidos, política. No caso específico do Teafro de São Carlos, por exemplo, o libreto da ópera Ifigênia in Aulide, do compositor italiano Luigi Giannella (?1778- -1817), representada em estreia absoluta a 16 de Janeiro de 1808, deixa a nova política bem clara.i Num Avertissement, o libretista, Stefano Vestris, afirma como se esforçara para escrever um texto adequado à nova situação em que o teatro «livre à Ia saine critique de Ia raison, et du goút, pourrait sortir de 1'état d'abjection dans le quel il se trouve maintenant.»^ O mais prestigiado compositor português da época, Marcos Portugal (1762-1830), foi, aparentemente, obrigado pelas autoridades francesas a assumir o cargo de maestro do Teatro, onde reviu substancialmente a sua ópera Demofoonte para celebrar o aniversário natalício de Napoleão, a 15 de Agosto.3 Contudo, no dia 30 do mesmo mês, na seqüência da derrota das tropas francesas na Batalha do Vimeiro, foi assinado o Tratado de Sintra, e em meados de Setembro Lisboa viu-se libertada pelas tropas inglesas e portuguesas, criando, assim, uma nova situação bastante diferente.