Contribution of traffic and tobacco smoke in the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on outdoor and indoor PM2.5

Traffic emissions and tobacco smoke are considered two main sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor and outdoor air. In this study, the impact of these sources on the level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and on the distribution of 15 PAHs regarded as priority pollutants by the US-EPA on PM2.5 were evaluated and compared. Outdoor and indoor PM2.5 samples were collected during winter 2008 in Oporto city in Portugal, for sampling periods of 12 and 24 hours, respectively. The outdoor PM2.5 were sampled at one site directly influenced by traffic emissions and the indoor PM2.5 samples were collected at one home directly influenced by tobacco smoke and another one without smoke. A methodology based on microwave-assisted extraction and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection was applied for the efficient PAHs determination in indoor and outdoor PM2.5. PAHs in indoor PM2.5 concentrations were significantly influenced by the presence of traffic and tobacco smoking emissions. The mean of ΣPAHs in the outdoor traffic PM2.5 was not significantly different from the value attained in the indoor without smoking site. The tobacco smoke increased significantly PAHs concentrations on average about 1000 times more, when compared with the outdoor profile samples suggesting that tobacco smoking may be the most important source of indoor PAHs pollution.

Portuguese newspapers’ front-page and the coverage of European Cultural Capital: Porto 2001 and Guimarães 2012

Portugal hosted in the last thirteen years, two editions of the event European Cultural Capital; this paper intends to illustrate the coverage that Portuguese newspapers (daily newspapers Público, Diário de Notícias, Correio da Manhã and Jornal de Notícias, a weekly newsmagazine Visão and a weekly newspaper Expresso) made, through referrals in front-page and respective developments within the editions, to each of the events and that allows us to define the main moments that marked each of them, patterns of action, the major players, planning and programming types. The European Cultural Capital project elects, from year to year, cities of different EU member states with the main goal of “contributing to bring together the Europe´s people" (words of Mélina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture who, in 1985, proposed the launch of this initiative) and encouraging the elected urban space to present new cultural paradigms. In the genesis of this model is the cultural decentralization’s vector, a possibility to medium-sized cities of funding public works, restoring heritage and promoting themselves in touristic terms, of giving visibility to cities away from cultural and creative industries’ major distribution centers. A crucial factor to achieve this goal is media coverage. This paper outline the information that the Portuguese press ran over the two years that elapsed the latest editions of the European Cultural Capital in Portugal, namely that media coverage have deviated from the disclosure of the events’ schedule to suggest itineraries of visit and little or not even question the role that cities, promoting such initiatives, have as places of innovation in terms of cultural policies, artistic production and innovation, in urban and environmental regeneration, in economic revitalization, in training and creating new artists and new audiences and in boosting the confidence of local communities. The content analysis performed to articles shows how press is essential to the promotion of cities as cultural/touristic destinations as it stimulates consumption among residents and attracts visitors, with the possible dire consequence of turning the cultural journalist into an agent of touristic instead of cultural promotion.

Distribution system operation supported by contextual energy resource management based on intelligent SCADA

Future distribution systems will have to deal with an intensive penetration of distributed energy resources ensuring reliable and secure operation according to the smart grid paradigm. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is an essential infrastructure for this evolution. This paper proposes a new conceptual design of an intelligent SCADA with a decentralized, flexible, and intelligent approach, adaptive to the context (context awareness). This SCADA model is used to support the energy resource management undertaken by a distribution network operator (DNO). Resource management considers all the involved costs, power flows, and electricity prices, allowing the use of network reconfiguration and load curtailment. Locational Marginal Prices (LMP) are evaluated and used in specific situations to apply Demand Response (DR) programs on a global or a local basis. The paper includes a case study using a 114 bus distribution network and load demand based on real data.

Ground reaction forces and plantar pressure distribution during occasional loaded gait

This study compared the ground reaction forces (GRF) and plantar pressures between unloaded and occasional loaded gait. The GRF and plantar pressures of 60 participants were recorded during unloaded gait and occasional loaded gait (wearing a backpack that raised their body mass index to 30); this load criterion was adopted because is considered potentially harmful in permanent loaded gait (obese people). The results indicate an overall increase (absolute values) of GRF and plantar pressures during occasional loaded gait (p < 0.05); also, higher normalized (by total weight) values in the medial midfoot and toes, and lower values in the lateral rearfoot region were observed. During loaded gait the magnitude of the vertical GRF (impact and thrust maximum) decreased and the shear forces increased more than did the proportion of the load (normalized values). These data suggest a different pattern of GRF and plantar pressure distribution during occasional loaded compared to unloaded gait.

Particulate matter distribution in selected Portuguese archives: a preliminary study

Particulate matter (PM) can have a significant impact on human health and on artifacts stored and kept inside museums and archives. To the author's knowledge, its immediate and/or longterm concentrations and distribution on Portuguese archives has never been determined. Four Portuguese archives (with and without HVAC/air filtration systems) were selected and the immediate concentration of airborne particulate matter was measured by active sampling. Indoor-outdoor ratios were also determined. International and national guidelines were used to ascertain the environment’s quality, both for the readers and staff and for the documents preserved in these institutions. Inside, PM2.5 ranged between 0.37μg/m3 and 27.61μg/m3, while PM10 ranged between 4.43μg/m3 and 285.52μg/m3. The lowest values were determined in storage rooms and the highest in reading rooms. In terms of human health, Portuguese guidelines for immediate PM10 concentration were not met in several locations. For conservation purposes, storage rooms were classified according to an original air quality grid. Air filtration systems proved valuable in maintaining a safe environment for our written heritage and the staff and readers that deal with it and care for it every day. This study constitutes the first snapshot of the particulate matter concentrations and distribution in Portuguese Archives.

Is adolescent pregnancy a risk factor for low birth weight?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether adolescent pregnancy is a risk factor for low birth weight (LBW) babies. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of mothers and their newborns from a birth cohort in Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil. Data were collected consecutively from March to July 2005. Information collected included socioeconomic, biological and reproductive aspects of the mothers, using a standardized questionnaire. The impact of early pregnancy on birth weight was evaluated by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: We studied 4,746 pairs of mothers and their babies. Of these, 20.6% were adolescents (< 20 years of age). Adolescent mothers had worse socioeconomic and reproductive conditions and perinatal outcomes when compared to other age groups. Having no prenatal care and smoking during pregnancy were the risk factors associated with low birth weight. Adolescent pregnancy, when linked to marital status "without partner", was associated with an increased proportion of low birth weight babies. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescence was a risk factor for LBW only for mothers without partners. Smoking during pregnancy and lack of prenatal care were considered to be independent risk factors for LBW.

Persisting problems related to race and ethnicity in public health and epidemiology research

A recent and comprehensive review of the use of race and ethnicity in research that address health disparities in epidemiology and public health is provided. First it is described the theoretical basis upon which race and ethnicity differ drawing from previous work in anthropology, social science and public health. Second, it is presented a review of 280 articles published in high impacts factor journals in regards to public health and epidemiology from 2009-2011. An analytical grid enabled the examination of conceptual, theoretical and methodological questions related to the use of both concepts. The majority of articles reviewed were grounded in a theoretical framework and provided interpretations from various models. However, key problems identified include a) a failure from researchers to differentiate between the concepts of race and ethnicity; b) an inappropriate use of racial categories to ascribe ethnicity; c) a lack of transparency in the methods used to assess both concepts; and d) failure to address limits associated with the construction of racial or ethnic taxonomies and their use. In conclusion, future studies examining health disparities should clearly establish the distinction between race and ethnicity, develop theoretically driven research and address specific questions about the relationships between race, ethnicity and health. One argue that one way to think about ethnicity, race and health is to dichotomize research into two sets of questions about the relationship between human diversity and health.

Análise crítica do Regulamento Geral dos Sistemas Públicos e Prediais de Distribuição de Água e de Drenagem de Águas Residuais

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Hidráulica

Iberosuchus et pristichampsus, crocodilians de l’éocène données complémentaires, discussion, distribution stratigraphique

Two eocene ziphodont crocodillans (Ilberosuchus and Pristichampsus) are dealt with. Their distinction seems possible, even with isolated teeth. The association of both in some localities may account for some previous identification difficulties. Geographical and stratigraphical distribution indicated: for Pristichampsus from Germany to Spain, Cuisan to to Upper Lutetian; for Iberosuchus from France to Portugal, lower Lutetian to Bartonian and maybe Ludian.

O conhecimento e inovação como factor de sucesso de uma organização : o caso Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Mestrado em Gestão e Empreendedorismo

O papel da inovação como factor de sucesso no mercado competitivo actual : um estudo aplicado à Portugal Telecom

Mestrado em Gestão e Empreendedorismo

Soils of the Jurassic formations in the central Algarve; their occurrence, distribution, genesis and site qualities

In the central Algarve different soils have developed dependent on petrography of the parent material, slope position and recent erosion. The general patterns of occurence and distribution of different soils are described. The age of an eutric Nitosol is estimated and the relation between the soil and the parent material is investigated. Some different soils are described as examples with their chemical and physical properties. The water budget of soils is described in general with considerations concerning ground water recharge and run-off as well as in dependence of climate and of different site conditions.

Probability distribution functions

This technical report describes the PDFs which have been implemented to model the behaviours of certain parameters of the Repeater-Based Hybrid Wired/Wireless PROFIBUS Network Simulator (RHW2PNetSim) and Bridge-Based Hybrid Wired/Wireless PROFIBUS Network Simulator (BHW2PNetSim).

Depressive symptoms in institutionalized older adults

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among institutionalized elderly individuals and to analyze factors associated with this condition. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study involving 462 individuals aged 60 or older, residents in long stay institutions in four Brazilian municipalities. The dependent variable was assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Poisson’s regression was used to evaluate associations with co-variables. We investigated which variables were most relevant in terms of presence of depressive symptoms within the studied context through factor analysis. RESULTS Prevalence of depressive symptoms was 48.7%. The variables associated with depressive symptoms were: regular/bad/very bad self-rated health; comorbidities; hospitalizations; and lack of friends in the institution. Five components accounted for 49.2% of total variance of the sample: functioning, social support, sensory deficiency, institutionalization and health conditions. In the factor analysis, functionality and social support were the components which explained a large part of observed variance. CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence of depressive symptoms, with significant variation in distribution, was observed. Such results emphasize the importance of health conditions and functioning for institutionalized older individuals developing depression. They also point to the importance of providing opportunities for interaction among institutionalized individuals.

A importância das tecnologias de informação e do factor humano nos sistemas antropocêntricos e flexíveis de produção

As Tecnologia de Informação, são certamente uma pedra base da sociedade de hoje e das vindouras. Estas têm modificado as relações sociais, culturais e organizacionais, tendo-se repercutido na sociedade, de diferentes formas. A análise aqui proposta, visa o mundo das organizações e o reconhecimento do peso do factor humano dentro desta, quer na forma como as relações entre os vários actores são mediadas por estas novas tecnologias, quer no que conceme às modificações produzidas por estas no trabalho e consequentemente nas qualificações dos operadores. O desenvolvimento desta análise, parte de uma perspectiva antropocêntrica, que tem, como premissas de partida o valor humano e as características culturais de cada organização. A proposta aqui apresentada, é sobretudo um alerta, para uma maior colaboração interdiscipliiar no desenho das Tecnologias de Informação, visando a plena integração do factor humano no desempenho destas tecnologias. Por último cabe aqui aludir ao estudo de caso, que tem por objecto de estudo um Sistema Flexível de Produção e a inclusão de um posto de trabaího no Sistema. A opção de organização do trabalho, visa sobretudo capacitar, o factor humano de competências e qualificações que lhe permitam o enobrecimento do seu posto de trabalho. É uma opção que assenta na divisão maleável do trabalho, sendo necessário um operador qualificado, mas também polivalente de forma a permitir ao indivíduo executar o conjunto de tarefas que comporta o posto de trabalho.