Vibration analysis and modal identification of a circular cable-stayed footbridge

Vibration measurements and modal identification were performed on a footbridge as part of the commissioning tests. The deck presents a circular configuration, in plant, and is suspended from eight cables connecting it to the extremity of a steel mast anchored to a concrete bulk situated on the riverside. The dynamic measurements were aimed to control the force installed in the cables during the tension operation and to characterize the dynamic parameters through output-only modal identification techniques in order to calibrate a Finite Element model. At last, groups of pedestrians crossed the bridge at various speeds allowing conclusions about the vibration amplitudes that can be expected during real use of the bridge

A Hidden Complication of Pigtail Catheter Insertion

Pigtail catheters have emerged as an effective and less morbid alternative to traditional chest tubes for evacuation of pleural air. Rare complications in the literature have been reported. We report a case of a 92-year-old male who presented with dyspnea and shock, noted to have a pneumothorax requiring tube thoracostomy. Computed tomography demonstrated pigtail within the lung parenchyma. We discuss the implications of this occurrence

Establishment of Detection and Correction Parameters for a Geostatistical Homogenisation Approach

Ribeiro, S., Caineta, J., Costa, A. C., & Soares, A. (2015). Establishment of Detection and Correction Parameters for a Geostatistical Homogenisation Approach. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 27, 83-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2015.07.115Abstract Non-natural irregularities are an inevitable part of long-time climate records. They are originated during the process of measuring and collecting data from weather stations. In order to use those records as an input for environmental projects or climate studies, it is essential to detect and correct the irregularities through the process of homogenisation. The use of geostatistical approaches as homogenisation techniques has already been proven to be successful. The gsimcli homogenisation process is based on a geostatistical simulation method, the direct sequential simulation. This method generates a set of equally probable and independent realisations, and calculates a probability distribution function at the candidate station's location. This probability distribution function is then used in the identification and correction of irregularities. Currently, gsimcli is being developed into an open source software package. During the homogenisation process, gsimcli requires the selection of several parameters in the detection and correction of irregularities. The candidate stations’ order to be homogenised, the value of the probability used in the detection of irregularities, and the statistic value to be used in the correction of the irregularity or in the replacement of missing data, are examples of parameters to be chosen for the homogenisation with gsimcli. This work presents a sensitivity analysis of those parameters, in order to find the most suitable set of values for the homogenisation of monthly precipitation data. A benchmark data set, comprising climate records from an Austrian precipitation network, will be used in this analysis. Performance metrics are calculated to evaluate the efficiency of the homogenisation process. The set of parameters providing the best values of performance metrics will be defined as the default set of homogenisation parameters for precipitation data.publishersversionpublishe

A Systematic Review

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.The recognition that the gut microbiota of obese children differs from lean children has grown, and some studies suggest that physical activity positively influences the gut microbiota. This systematic review explores the changes in the gut microbiota composition of obese and non-obese children and adolescents and provides an understanding of the effects of physical activity interventions in modulating their microbiota. The PRISMA protocol was used across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Overall, twenty-four research papers were included in accordance with the chosen inclusion and exclusion criteria, eighteen studies compared the gut microbiota of obese and normal-weight children and adolescents, and six studies explored the effect of physical activity interventions on the gut microbiota. The analysis indicated that obese gut microbiota is reduced in Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium and alpha diversity but enriched in Proteobacteria and Lactobacillus. Interventions with physical activity seem to improve the alpha diversity and beneficial bacteria linked to body weight loss in children and adolescents. The gut microbiota of obese children exhibited a remarkably individual variation. More interventions are needed to clearly and accurately explore the relationships between child obesity, gut microbiota, and physical activity and to develop approaches to decrease the incidence of paediatric obesity.publishersversionpublishe

Effects of Physical Activity and Nutrition Education on the Gut Microbiota in Overweight and Obese Children

Funding Information: This research was funding by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT/UIDB/00617/2020) and by the Portuguese Football Federation, Portugal Football School. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Childhood obesity continues to represent a growing challenge, and it has been associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. This study examines the gut microbiota composition in overweight and obese school children and assesses whether a 12-week multidisciplinary intervention can induce changes in the gut microbiota. The intervention, which combined recreational football and nutritional education, was implemented among 15 school children, aged 7–10 years, with a Body Mass Index ≥ 85th percentile. The children were assigned into two groups: Football Group (n = 9) and Nutrition and Football Group (n = 6). Faecal samples were collected at the beginning and end of the program and analysed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Over the intervention, a significant decrease was found collectively for Bifidobacterium genera (p = 0.011) and for Roseburia genera in the Football Group (p = 0.021). The relative abundance of Roseburia (p = 0.002) and Roseburia faecis (p = 0.009) was negatively correlated with moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), while Prevotella copri was positively correlated with MVPA (p = 0.010) and with the daily intake of protein (p = 0.008). Our findings suggest that a multidisciplinary intervention was capable of inducing limited but significant positive changes in the gut microbiota composition in overweight and obese school children.publishersversionpublishe

Semi-invasive aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient with Swyer-James-MacLeod Syndrome: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Invasive and semi-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis usually occurs in immunocompromised patients. It has been described occasionally in patients with normal immunity and previous lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.</p> <p>Swyer-James-MacLeod Syndrome is a rare condition characterized by hyperlucency of one lung, lobe or part of a lobe due to decreased vascularity and air trapping.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of semi-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a 38-year-old Portuguese, Caucasian man who is immunocompetent, with a pre-existing Swyer-James-McLeod Syndrome, a structural lung disease.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the literature on the relationship between these two diseases. Although rare, aspergillosis can occur in immunocompetent adults with a pre-existing lung disease other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.</p

Cultura em substratos orgânicos de Gerberas

O cultivo sem solo de Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) tem-se revelado uma técnica adequada, permitindo ultrapassar alguns dos problemas surgidos na cultura tradicional, em solo. No âmbito do Projecto Agro no197 “Cultura sem solo com reutilização do efluente, em estufa com controle ambiental melhorado”, desenvolvido pela Direcçao Regional de Agricultura do Algarve, pelo Cento de Hidroponia e Utilidades Hortofrutícolas e pela Universidade do Algarve testou-se o cultivo de gerbera em substratos alternativos, no Centro de Experimentação Hortofrutícola do Patacão. Cultivaram-se quatro cultivares de gerbera: Monika, Junkfrau, Venice e Lady, em substratos preparados à base de resíduos orgânicos: casca de pinho e bagaço de uva, durante dois anos consecutivos. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os substratos testados apresentam características adequadas à cultura da gerbera, tendo-se obtido as produções mais elevadas com o bagaço de uva compostado e a casca de pinho não compostada. Das cv. em estudo, no 1o ano a Venice apresentou o maior número de flores comercializáveis, seguida da Lady com mais flores na classe Extra. No 2o ano, a produção foi mais equilibrada entre as cultivares, sendo de registar o aumento da produção em duas cv., Junkfrau e Monica

Mechanical properties of fly ash geopolymers containing steelmaking ladle slag

The effect of adding steelmaking ladle slag to fly ash based geopolymers has been studied. For that, flexural and compression strengths were evaluated at 7 and 28 days after curing. It can be concluded that the increase in fly ash content has a relevant effect on the various mechanical properties.W2V, SA, Geodesigninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fracture behavior in geopolymer mixtures including fly ash and various industrial waste

The fracture resistance behavior of fly ash based geopolymer mixtures incorporating different types of industrial wastes has been investigated. Therefore, 4 different geopolymer mixtures were analyzed, with the intent to retrieve information about their Initial Flexural Stiffness (Ri), and Ultimate Load (Pu). A result analysis revealed that one type of mixture was considerably superior to the rest in terms of Initial Flexural Stiffness and Ultimate Load.W2V, SA, Geodesigninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio