Mortality from asthma in the state of S. Paulo, Brazil (1970-1992)

Mortality from asthma has shown important variations over time in several countries. In Brazil, a mortality study performed in the 60s, covering the cities of S.Paulo and Ribeirão Preto, and other ten cities showed that S.Paulo presented the lowest death rate from asthma among of them all. It was decided to study the time trends of deaths from asthma and from the whole set of respiratory diseases from 1970 to 1992, in the population aged 15-34 yrs. old in the State of S.Paulo, as well as to compare them with those of other countries. Asthma mortality rates during the 23 years of observation since 1975, showed an oscillatory declining pattern with a peak of deaths in the initial years. The linearization of the curve allows the calculation of Pearson's correlation coefficient that was significantly negative, suggesting a decline in the mortality over this period, mainly in the 5-9 yrs. old and 30-34 yrs. old strata. The segmentation of data between the period of ICD-9, 1970 to 1978, and of ICD-9, 1979 and subsequent years, shows that there is stability within each period, in all age-groups, except for that of 5-9 yr. olds between 1970-1978. Comparing the rates of the population aged 15-34 yrs. old for the State of S. Paulo, Brazil, with trends observed in 14 other countries, an intermediate pattern for the first triennial period (1970-1972) as well as for the subsequent triennial periods, emerges. A prevalence study of asthma, a follow up program meant for using emergency rooms and a surveillance of deaths due to all respiratory diseases and specifically to asthma are strongly recommended.

Revestimento vinílico em pavimentos: características, execução e patologia

O desenvolvimento industrial, tecnológico e económico, conduziu ao aparecimento de soluções construtivas e de revestimentos disponíveis no mercado da construção, cada vez mais eficientes e economicamente vantajosas. Uma dessas soluções é o revestimento vinílico em pavimentos, utilizado a nível mundial principalmente em escritórios, hospitais e escolas. A sua resistência ao tráfego pedonal e facilidade de aplicação e manutenção fazem dele um revestimento de eleição. No entanto esta aparente versatilidade acaba por colocar dificuldades aos profissionais do projecto, da construção e da reabilitação de edifícios, em particular na escolha das melhores soluções para cada tipo de utilização. É pois importante que estes profissionais disponham de orientações práticas para que façam as suas escolhas de um modo objectivo. O presente trabalho propõe o desenvolvimento de uma análise aprofundada deste tipo de material, onde são abordadas as suas exigências funcionais, modo de aplicação e patologia associada, tentando evitar-se deste modo a ocorrência de eventuais erros sistemáticos e recorrentes.

Revestimentos descontínuos de coberturas: análise da normalização europeia aplicável

Esta dissertação tem como principais objectivos analisar a conformidade das características de revestimentos descontínuos de coberturas produzidos ou comercializados em Portugal com as exigências preconizadas nas normas europeias aplicáveis. Contudo, e tendo em conta a diversidade do tema, o presente estudo centralizou-se em três tipos de revestimentos descontínuos: fibrocimento, metais e plásticos. Optou-se por uma abordagem teórica complementada por uma campanha experimental. No caso da primeira, serão descritas as características de uma cobertura inclinada e alguns dos principais tipos de revestimentos descontínuos existentes. No que concerne à campanha experimental, para além da pesquisa efectuada ao nível do mercado nacional e dos contactos desenvolvidos para a recolha de amostras, realizaram-se ensaios de natureza geométrica de todas as amostras recolhidas. Em suma, a presente dissertação foi validada através de uma campanha experimental simples, que consistiu na análise do cumprimento das exigências das normas europeias aplicáveis aos produtos ensaiados, resultando numa avaliação crítica aos valores obtidos.

The role of an illiquidity factor in the Portuguese stock market

This study examines the role of illiquidity (proxied by the proportion of zero returns) as an additional risk factor in asset pricing. We use Portuguese monthly data, covering the period between January 1988 and December 2008. We compute an illiquidity factor using the Fama and French [Fama, E. F., and K. R. French (1993), "Common risk factors in the returns on stocks and bonds", Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 33, Nº. 1, pp. 3-56] procedure and analyze the performance of CAPM, Fama-French three-factor model and illiquidity-augmented versions of these models in explaining both the time-series and the cross-section of returns. Our results reveal that the effect of characteristic liquidity is subsumed by the models considered, but the risk of illiquidity is not priced in the Portuguese stock market.

Avaliação do perfil hemodinâmico de válvulas aórticas percutâneas: análise comparativa entre os dois dispositivos disponíveis no mercado - válvula auto-expansível e válvula expansível por balão

Mestrado em Tecnologia de Diagnóstico e Intervenção Cardiovascular. Área de especialização: Intervenção Cardiovascular.

Quantificação de fluxo do líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) por ressonância magnética

Mestrado em Radiações Aplicadas às Tecnologias da Saúde. Especialização: Ressonância Magnética.

Evaluation of alcohol outlet density and its relation with violence

OBJECTIVES: The current study set out to investigate alcohol availability in a densely populated, residential area of suburban São Paulo associated with high levels of social deprivation and violence. Gun-related deaths and a heavy concentration of alcohol outlets are notable features of the area surveyed. Given the strong evidence for a link between alcohol availability and a number of alcohol-related problems, including violent crime, measures designed to reduce accessibility have become a favored choice for alcohol prevention programs in recent years. METHODS: The interviewers were 24 residents of the area who were trained for the study. It was selected an area of nineteen streets, covering a total distance of 3.7 km. A profile of each alcohol outlet available on the area was recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and seven alcohol outlets were recorded. The number of other properties in the same area was counted at 1,202. Two measures of outlet density may thus be calculated: the number of outlets per kilometer of roadway (29 outlets/km); and the proportion of all properties that sold alcohol (1 in 12). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study is compared with others which are mainly from developed countries and shown that the area studied have the highest density of alcohol outlet density ever recorded in the medical literature. The implication of this data related to the violence of the region is discussed. By generating a profile of alcohol sales and selling points, it was hoped to gain a better understanding of alcohol access issues within the sample area. Future alcohol prevention policy would be well served by such knowledge.

Gestão de dados pessoais em saúde

Na presente dissertação pretendemos averiguar da pertinência prática do actual modelo de protecção de dados clínicos, ou seja, se nele está devidamente consagrada a autonomia e a individualidade do utente; pretendemos ainda perceber a tendência evolutiva do sistema português de protecção de dados clínicos, nomeadamente a sua capacidade de inovação e adaptação aos sistemas internacionais, respeitando o nosso ordenamento jurídico. Concretamente, pretendemos perceber de que forma esta informação estará protegida, bem como até onde os utentes estarão consciencializados dos perigos que enfrentam. Embora este seja um problema mundial, o facto é que a Gestão do Sistema de Protecção de Dados Pessoais e Clínicos suscita polémica e interpretações diferentes, dada a sensibilidade ética do tema, a integridade humana. Além deste facto, estamos perante uma problemática que irá sempre envolver vários interesses e consequentemente um confronto de posições. Este trabalho procura ilustrar de que forma se lida com a gestão de dados pessoais no nosso país, de que modo se harmonizam os diferentes interesses e perspectivas, que prioridades se encontram na orientação governamental nesta matéria, quais as penalizações para os eventuais incumpridores e qual o futuro possível dos dados pessoais em saúde, tendo como objectivo comum uma eficácia e sustentabilidade dos mecanismos utilizados. Vamos encontrar interesses divergentes, compromissos permissivos ou restritivos de tratamento de dados, tendências que suportam interesses privados e públicos que se vão concretizar em escolhas eficientes de gestão de dados. Esta diversidade de comportamentos vai ser objecto de estudo e análise neste trabalho, procurando aferir das vantagens e desvantagens de um sistema de informação em saúde: universal com a população coberta, e integrado a fim de compartilhar informações de todos os pacientes, de todas as unidades de prestação de cuidados de saúde.

A new control strategy with saturation effect compensation for an autonomous induction generator drivenby wide speed range turbines

This paper presents a variable speed autonomous squirrel cage generator excited by a current-controlled voltage source inverter to be used in stand-alone micro-hydro power plants. The paper proposes a system control strategy aiming to properly excite the machine as well as to achieve the load voltage control. A feed-forward control sets the appropriate generator flux by taking into account the actual speed and the desired load voltage. A load voltage control loop is used to adjust the generated active power in order to sustain the load voltage at a reference value. The control system is based on a rotor flux oriented vector control technique which takes into account the machine saturation effect. The proposed control strategy and the adopted system models were validated both by numerical simulation and by experimental results obtained from a laboratory prototype. Results covering the prototype start-up, as well as its steady-state and dynamical behavior are presented. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semiconductor Device as Optical Demultiplexer for Short Range Optical Communications

In this paper we present results on the use of a multilayered a-SiC:H heterostructure as a wavelength-division demultiplexing device for the visible light spectrum. The proposed device is composed of two stacked p-i-n photodiodes with intrinsic absorber regions adjusted to short and long wavelength absorption and carrier collection. An optoelectronic characterisation of the device was performed in the visible spectrum. Demonstration of the device functionality for WDM applications was done with three different input channels covering the long, the medium and the short wavelengths in the visible range. The recovery of the input channels is explained using the photocurrent spectral dependence on the applied voltage. An electrical model of the WDM device is proposed and supported by the solution of the respective circuit equations. Short range optical communications constitute the major application field, however other applications are also foreseen.

Study on the glycerolysis reaction of high free fatty acid oils for use as biodiesel feedstock

Biodiesel is the main alternative to fossil diesel and it may be produced from different feedstocks such as semi-refined vegetable oils, waste frying oils or animal fats. However, these feedstocks usually contain significant amounts of free fatty acids (FFA) that make them inadequate for the direct base catalyzed transesterification reaction (where the FFA content should be lower than 4%). The present work describes a possible method for the pre-treatment of oils with a high content of FFA (20 to 50%) by esterification with glycerol. In order to reduce the FFA content, the reaction between these FFA and an esterification agent is carried out before the transesterification reaction. The reaction kinetics was studied in terms of its main factors such astemperature, % of glycerin excess, % of catalyst used, stirring velocity and type of catalyst used. The results showed that glycerolysis is a promising pretreatment to acidic oils or fats (> 20%) as they led to the production of an intermediary material with a low content of FFA that can be used directly in thetransesterification reaction for the production of biodiesel. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fungal contamination in swine: a potential occupational health threat

Poor air quality in a pig-confinement building may potentially place farmers at higher health risk than other workers for exposure to airborne pollutants that may reach infectious levels. The aim of this study was to assess worker exposure to fungi in indoor environments in Portuguese swine buildings. Air samples from 7 swine farms were collected at a flow rate of 140 L/min, at 1 m height, onto malt extract agar supplemented with chloramphenicol (MEA). Surfaces samples of the same indoor sites were obtained by swabbing the surfaces. Samples from the floor covering were also collected from four of seven swine farms. All collected samples were incubated at 27°C for 5-7 days. After lab processing and incubation of obtained samples, quantitative colony-forming units (CFU)/m(3), CFU/cm(2), and CFU/g and qualitative results were determined with identification of isolated fungal species. Aspergillus versicolor was the most frequent species found in air (21%), followed by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (17%) and Penicillium sp. (14%). Aspergillus versicolor was also the most frequent species noted on surfaces (26.6%), followed by Cladosporium sp. (22.4%) and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (17.5%). Chrysosporium was the most frequently found genera in the new floor covering (38.5%), while Mucor was the most prevalent genera (25.1%) in used floor covering. Our findings corroborate a potential occupational health threat due to fungi exposure and suggest the need for a preventive strategy.

Políticas públicas municipais na era global: o Programa Município VerdeAzul em questão

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

European information users: topics from a comparative analysis within the European Union

Purpose – The aim of this article is to present some results from research undertaken into the information behaviour of European Documentation Centre (EDC) users. It will reflect on the practices of a group of 234 users of 55 EDCs covering 21 Member States of the European Union (EU), used to access European information. Design/methodology/approach – In order to collect the data presented here, five questionnaires were sent to users in all the EDCs in Finland, Ireland, Hungary and Portugal. In the remaining EU countries, five questionnaires were sent to two EDCs chosen at random. The questionnaires were sent by post, following telephone contact with the EDC managers. Findings – Factors determining access to information on the European Union and the frequency of this access are identified. The information providers most commonly used to access European information and the information sources considered the most reliable by respondents will also be analysed. Another area of analysis concerns the factors cited by respondents as facilitating access to information on Europe or, conversely, making it more difficult to access. Parallel to this, the aspects of accessing information on EU that are valued most by users will also be assessed. Research limitations/implications – Questionnaires had to be used, as the intention was to cover a very extensive geographical area. However, in opting for closed questions, it is acknowledged that standard responses have been obtained with no scope for capturing the individual circumstances of each respondent, thus making a qualitative approach difficult. Practical implications – The results provide an overall picture of certain aspects of the information behaviour of EDC users. They may serve as a starting point for planning training sessions designed to develop the skills required to search, access, evaluate and apply European information within an academic context. From a broader perspective, they also constitute factors which the European Commission should take into consideration when formulating its information and communication policy. Originality/value – This is the first piece of academic research into the EDCs and their users, which aimed to cover all Members State of the EU.

Mental health and psychiatry research in Brazil: scientific production from 1999 to 2003

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of mental health scientific production in Brazil from 1999 to 2003, and to identify the nature of the publications generated, their sources of finance and the ways of publicly disseminating the research findings. METHODS: Searches for publications were conducted in the Medline and PsychInfo databases for the period 1999-2003. A semi-structured questionnaire developed by an international team was applied to 626 mental health researchers, covering each interviewee's educational background, research experience, access to funding sources, public impact and research priorities. The sample was composed by 626 mental health researchers identified from 792 publications indexed on Medline and PsychInfo databases for the period above, and from a list of reviewers of Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria. RESULTS: In Brazil, 792 publications were produced by 525 authors between 1999 and 2003 (441 indexed in Medline and 398 in the ISI database). The main topics were: depression (29.1%), substance misuse (14.6%), psychoses (10%), childhood disorders (7%) and dementia (6.7%). Among the 626 Brazilian mental health researchers, 329 answered the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: There were steadily increasing numbers of Brazilian articles on mental health published in foreign journals from 1999 to 2003: the number of articles in Medline tripled and it doubled in the ISI database. The content of these articles corresponded to the priorities within mental health, but there is a need for better interlinking between researchers and mental health policymakers.