BIM-based energy analysis and sustainability assessment - application to Portuguese buildings

Buildings are responsible for several negative impacts on the environment, most of them related to nonrenewable energy consumption, increasing the concern regarding buildings energy efficiency. In this context, computer software has been used to estimate the energy needs of the built environment, and the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology can be used to simplify this process. This study aims to validate a BIM-based framework to streamline the energy analysis of Portuguese buildings, based on the method of the national regulation for the thermal performance of residential buildings. Currently, designers need to spend considerable time assessing all the building characteristics and performing the mandatory calculations for energy performance analysis. It is also intended to link the results of the energy simulation with a Building Sustainability Assessment method—SBToolPT-H. The purpose is to demonstrate how it is possible to benefit from this approach to simultaneously improve building sustainability during the design stage. To do so, different case studies were modelled in Autodesk Revit and exported to a BIM energy tool to perform energy simulation analysis. The results were validated against the official assessment method of the Portuguese thermal regulation and were successfully used to assess the SBToolPT-H energy efficiency category. The research outcomes provide design teams with a reliable BIM-based framework to improve building energy performance and to develop thermal projects while enhancing building sustainability. It also increases the knowledge about the integration of sustainability assessment in the BIM environment, providing new insights for complete integration.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through the Regional Operation Programme of North (grant number SFRH/BD/145735/2019)

Sustentabilidade inteligente

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Arquitetura, apresentada na Universidade de Lisboa - Faculdade de Arquitetura

Peer effects and scholastic achievement: spatial models estimates using the student friendship network at the classroom level

Este artigo avalia o efeito dos pares sobre o desempenho escolar a partir da estrutura da rede de amizades do aluno. A estratégia de identificação explora a arquitetura dessas redes associadas a controles de efeitos fixos individuais e de grupo. Modelos de econometria espacial mostram que um aumento de um desvio padrão na nota agregada de matemática dos amigos, gera um aumento padronizado do rendimento individual em 6%. Ademais, quando os amigos indiretos são incluídos na análise, esse impacto aumenta para 45%. As estimações utilizam base inédita da FUNDAJ (2013) que traz o levantamento da rede de amizades do aluno na turma.This paper evaluates the peer effects on individual academic performance. The identification strategy considers the architecture of friendship networks within classrooms, in addition to group and individual fixed effects. Estimates of spatial autoregressive models show that an increase of one standard deviation (sd) in peers’ math grade improves by 6% sds the student’s grade. Furthermore, when we also consider the indirect friendship bonds, the aggregate peer impact raises to 45% sds of the individual math grade

Evaluation of the Rio de Janeiro State Flood Warning System: A Case Study for the Hydrographic Region of the Médio Paraíba do Sul (RJ), Brazil

This work is a case study for the Hydrographic Region of the Médio Paraíba do Sul located in the State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), which has natural disasters, such as floods, as the most recurrent. Due to the social, economic and environmental impacts that these disasters cause, this research aim to analyze the history of alerts issued by the Flood Warning System (FWS) and to assess its efficiency. Through the retro-analysis of Alert Trigger Events (ATE) that occurred in the monitored rivers, investigations were also carried out in the hydrological and meteorological scope. The results identified that  the Attention stage belonging to the operational protocol significantly reduces the efficiency of the FWS about sending alerts, causing high false alarm rate. Regarding the influence that variation in the type of data transmission has on the Operational Protocol in RH-III, it is considered that the time interval between data transmission and their availability on the State Environmental Institute (SEI) erver generates a false alarm, however the FWS is still efficient. Barra Mansa River is the only one that has flood events, which raises questions about the representativeness of the other stations spread across RH-III. In addition, 60% of alerts issued for RH-III were related to episodes of Cold Fronts and South Atlantic Convergence Zones. These information helps improve the description of the flood events in the region. Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) identified periods that the rainfall rate was below the climatological average, indicating a drier  environment, but with alerts issued

Eugenia Uniflora Dentifrice For Treating Gingivitis In Children: Antibacterial Assay And Randomized Clinical Trial

School-age children are frequently at high risk for the onset of biofilm-dependent conditions, including dental caries and periodontal diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a dentifrice containing Eugenia uniflora Linn. (Surinam cherry) extract versus a triclosan-based comparator in treating gingivitis in children aged 10-12 years. The in vitro antibacterial potential of the dentifrice was tested against oral pathogens (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis and Lactobacillus casei). Then a phase-II clinical trial was conducted with 50 subjects aged 10-12 years, with clinical signs of gingivitis. The subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=25) and control group (n=25), in which participants used the experimental dentifrice and a triclosan-based fluoridated dentifrice (Colgate Total 12(r)), respectively. Clinical examinations assessed the presence of gingivitis (primary outcome) and biofilm accumulation (secondary outcome) using the Gingival-Bleeding Index (GBI) and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), respectively, at baseline and after seven days of tooth brushing 3x/day. The data were analyzed using paired and unpaired t-test (GBI) and Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney (OHI-S), with p≤0.05. The experimental dentifrice showed efficient antibacterial activity in vitro. In the clinical trial, a significant reduction in gingival bleeding was observed in both experimental and control groups (p<0.0001), with no statistical difference between them (p=0.178), although a small size effect was observed. Biofilm accumulation was only reduced in the control group (p=0.0039). In conclusion, E. uniflora dentifrice showed anti-gingivitis properties in children aged 10-12 years. Thus, it may be a potentially efficient and safe product to be used alternatively in preventive dental practice27438739

A estética social e a sustentabilidade da estrutura aparente da arquitetura contemporânea de Marcos Acayaba / The social aesthetics and sustainability of the apparent structure of contemporary architecture by Marcos Acayaba

A ideia da estrutura aparente está ligada à expressão dos materiais usados em seu estado natural, de maneira que possa contribuir de forma positiva no pensar arquitetônico durante a elaboração de um projeto. Vigas, pilares, treliças, contrafortes e vários outros elementos estruturais muitas vezes são vistos como um componente meramente técnico das edificações, ou até que é um mal necessário. Em um projeto arquitetônico, a preocupação de como a estrutura pode auxiliar a agregar valor estético e funcional deve estar presente, pois além de enriquecer o projeto, haverá uma economia de materiais por conta da não utilização de revestimentos, dos quais, como alternativa, podem ser usados materiais de encaixe, fixados como vedação ou simplesmente não usar nenhum material para revestimento. Nesta pesquisa científica, com base nos projetos de Marcos Acayaba, pretende-se mostrar, dentro deste panorama da arquitetura contemporânea, como a estrutura pode e deve estar perfeitamente integrada e envolvida no processo criativo, desempenhando papéis significativos envolvendo os sentidos, sentimentos e a mente dos usuários das edificações. Quando a estrutura contribui esteticamente, além de cumprir seu papel de sustentação de cargas, pode influenciar para uma arquitetura cada vez mais sustentável e econômica, tornando-a também mais acessível

Academic League of Urgency and Emergency Nursing as A Health Educational Tool: Experience Report

Introduction: Academic leagues are created with the proposal of expanding the studies on certain fields as an educational tool. Objective: Describing experience of nursing students as member of activities in a Nursing Urgency and Emergency League in a Public University of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Methodology: Exploratory and descriptive study of the type experience report of nursing student participating in the League of Urgency and Emergency in Nursing called “LUREEN”, within the scope of the Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU). Results: Nursing students have taught by two professors. One of them has multiprofessional degree (nurse, physician and dental surgeon, besides master degree) and other is PhD in Nursing. A total of 20 students make up league team, most female (n=14; 70%) with a mean age of 23.80±4.10 years and attending the 6th period of nursing course (n=6; 30%). The main activities performed were: Classes and realistic clinical simulations through educational methodologies as Team-Based Learning (TBL), Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Case‐based learning (CBL); Health Continuous Education; Extra hospital activities and Coverage of cultural and sportive events by league. Final Considerations: The outcomes presented in that experience report show a great way to improve and increasing learning of nursing students in undergraduate trough an academic league as well as one of the best methodologies to provide real training in urgency and emergency situations. It is expected that future studies approach similar issues to improve nurse education courses

Zoneamento Climático da Cana-de-Açúcar, da Laranja e do Algodão Herbáceo para a Região Nordeste do Brasil

The present study had as objective to carry through a climatic zoning of the Northeast Region of Brazil for sugar cane, orange and herbaceous cotton cultures. The choice of these cultures was made through the identification of factors as the production performance, the dissemination of the culture in the region, the potential market and the social importance. The results were gotten through analysis of the water balance and average, maximum and minimum temperatures for meteorological stations located in 23 cities in the region. Waterbalance, calculated for the method of Thornthwaite & Mather (1955), and temperature data were gotten through the Climatic Data base of Brazil (EMBRAPA, 2003). The cities have been classified in apt, restricted, restrictedinapt and inapt, in accordance with the climatic requirements of each culture.The majority of the cities presents water restrictions for the sugar cane and orange agriculture while two-thirds of these were considered apt for the herbaceous cotton culture

Uso de lopinavir/ritonavir associado com ergotamina resultando em amputação de pé: comunicação breve

Mulher de 32 anos infectada pelo HIV 1, vinha utilizando zidovudina/lamivudina 300/150 mg um comprimido duas vezes ao dia e lopinavir/ritonavir 200/50 mg dois comprimidos duas vezes ao dia e profilaxia com sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim 800/160 mg uma vez ao dia, sem profilaxia com macrolídeos. A paciente apresentou enxaqueca severa com prescrição da associação tartarato de ergotamina 1 mg, cafeína 100 mg, paracetamol 220 mg, sulfato de hiosciamina 87,5 mcg, sulfato de atropina 12,5 mcg, dois comprimidos na crise, seguido de um comprimido a cada 30 minutos, com no máximo seis comprimidos ao dia. A paciente ingeriu seis comprimidos em um dia, surgindo uma dor em tornozelo esquerdo três dias depois, que evoluiu para ergotismo e amputação do pé.A 32-year-old female, was diagnosed in 2004 with a C1 HIV1 infection, using zidovudine/lamivudine 300/150 mg BID and lopinavir/ritonavir 400/100 mg BID, in addition to prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 800/160 mg QD, but no prophylaxis with macrolide antibiotics. The patient presented with a severe headache and was prescribed two capsules of the anti-migraine drug Ormigrein™, which contained ergotamine tartrate 1 mg, caffeine 100 mg, paracetamol 220 mg, hyoscyamine sulfate 87.5 mcg, and atropine sulfate 12.5 mcg. Afterwards she was prescribed one capsule of Ormigrein every 30 minutes for a total of six capsules a day. The patient took the medication as prescribed but developed a pain in her left ankle three days later, which evolved to the need for amputation