Modelling studies of solid oxide fuel cells with internal methane steam reforming

Imperial Users onl

WP2: Assessing multi-level activities in water and biodiversity governance. Report

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Evolution of the risk perception of infection by COVID-19 – Evidence from the COVID-19 Barometer: Social Opinion

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several non-phar-maceutical interventions (NPI) have been adopted worldwide in an attempt to keep the growing transmission of the virus under control. Several factors might influence the effectiveness of NPI. This study aimed to evaluate the evolution of the perception of the risk of infection by COVID-19 in Portugal between March 2020 and March 2022, and to identify associated factors. We used the "Covid-19 Barometer: Social Opinion" barometer, which was launched at the beginning of the pan-demic in Portugal to identify and monitor the evolution of the Portuguese population's perception of the pandemic and its impact on daily life and was online during two years. We also considered COVID-19 incidence, stringency data, COVID-19 variants’ prevalence and Google searches on COVID-19.The outcome considered was the per-ceived risk of infection by COVID-19, which was classified into low versus high/moderate. The explanatory variables from the Barometer were grouped into dimensions: general factors (socio-demographic and health-related variables), adherence to protection measures, vaccine hesitancy and coping mechanisms.Considering the nature of this study and the outcome variable, generalized linear models were used to study the temporal evolution of the considered variables – in particular, mixed effects logistic regressions. One model was fit per group of vari-ables/dimension. Preliminary results show that, linked to a higher risk perception are lower levels of education, poor health status and working full-time at the workplace (as opposed to remote working) – the last two with a growing tendency over time. On the other hand, individuals with a previous COVID-19 diagnosis and a better mental health status are more likely to perceive lower risks, a propensity that diminishes over time.Students and unemployed individuals are also more likely to have a lower perception of risk, when compared to employed individuals of the same age and sex. Additionally, there is in general a higher probabil-ity of perceiving a lower risk of infection as time progresses.Ackowledgments: This work is partially financed by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the project UIDB/00006/2020.N/

Association between the adrenoreceptor β2 gene and pediatric asthma severity – a study of the PACMAN cohort

"Pharmacogenetics of Asthma medication in Children: Medication with Anti-Inflammatory effects" (PACMAN) is an observational retrospective pharmacy-based study carried out in 2009, in the Netherlands, aiming to investigate the effects of genetic variation on treatment response to asthma medication in children and to identify (profiles of) SNPs that characterize response phenotypes. Data on respiratory symptoms and medication use, including medication type and amount, was collected from pharmaceutical records of asthmatic children and data on the children’s sex, age, genetic traits, and ethnicity. We aimed to assess the association between asthma severity and the Arg16Glu polymorphism of the β2 adrenoreceptor gene (ADRB2). This gene is expressed in bronchial muscle cells, which is involved in the physiological response of the airway response and has been associated with clinical drug response and asthma exacerbations. We used the PACMAN data and considered the dispensing of oral corticosteroid prescriptions as a proxy of the disease severity since corticoids are commonly used in uncontrolled asthmatic states (exacerbations). We considered two different genetic models – additive and genotypic, which can be translated for analysis purposes into a numeric format, corresponding to the number of copies of the minor allele, and categorical (each genotype representing a category), respectively. We used models of the class of the Generalized Linear Mixed Models for count data with excess of zeros, namely zero-inflated and hurdle models, considering a Negative Binomial distribution to account for overdispersion. Both models included the polymorphism in the zero and count components and were adjusted for children’s baseline characteristics. In both approaches to deal with the excess of zeros, a significant effect of the polymorphism was found only in the binary component of the models. In the count component, only sex and age showed a significant effect. This points towards the existence of an effect of the polymorphism in the presence of asthma exacerbations, with not shown effect in the frequency of OCS prescription.This work is partially financed by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the project UIDB/00006/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tradução e adaptação transcultural do Game Dice Task para população brasileira

OBJECTIVE: The Game Dice Task (GDT) was developed to measure decision making under known risk. The aim of this study was to translate and adapt the GDT to a Brazilian population. METHOD: After the GDT was translated and back-translated to Brazilian Portuguese and evaluated by eight bilingual judges, 175 Brazilian adults were divided into two groups - 160 healthy volunteers and 15 traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients - and had completed the GDT. RESULTS: Differences between genders, but not age, were observed in the healthy volunteer sample. Males more frequently chose a combination of three dice while females preferred four dice. TBI patients were more impulsive than healthy volunteers; they less frequently chose a combination of three dice and made more risky decisions. CONCLUSION: Because of the rigorous process used to translate and adapt the GDT and the differences observed between patients with TBI and healthy volunteers, the Brazilian GDT was considered satisfactory for research purposes.OBJETIVO: O Game Dice Task (GDT) foi desenvolvido para avaliar a tomada de decisão de indivíduos sob situações específicas de risco conhecido. O objetivo deste estudo foi traduzir e adaptar o GDT para a população brasileira. MÉTODOS: Após ter sido traduzido e retrotraduzido para o português e ter sido avaliado por oito juízes bilíngues, 175 adultos brasileiros completaram o GDT - 160 adultos saudáveis e 15 pacientes com traumatismo cranioencefálico (TCE). RESULTADOS: Foram observadas diferenças no desempenho quanto ao gênero, mas não quanto à idade, nos adultos saudáveis. Homens escolheram mais frequentemente a combinação com três dados, enquanto as mulheres preferiram quatro dados. Pacientes com TCE foram mais impulsivos, escolheram com menor frequência a combinação de três dados e tomaram decisões mais arriscadas. CONCLUSÃO: Por causa do rigoroso processo utilizado pra traduzir e adaptar o teste GTD e do poder de discriminação entre as amostras de adultos saudáveis e com TCE, a versão brasileira desse teste foi considerada satisfatória para utilização em pesquisa.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of PsychobiologyUNIFESP, Department of PsychobiologySciEL

MAPA – Material de Avaliação Prática da Aprendizagem na Graduação em Educação Física à Distância: Relato Ee Experiência

The intention of this study is to report the learning experience with the Practical Evaluation Material (MAP) in video format in the Physical Education undergraduate course, in the distance modality. This is an experience report of a descriptive reflexive-critical nature referring to the experience in the construction, realization and recording of the materials. The objectives, proposals and duration of the videos of the practical subjects attended from November 2018 to September 2019 were reported, totaling five practices in the subjects of 1. School Gymnastics; 2. Collective Sports: Futsal and Football; 3. Individual Sports: Athletics; 4. Rhythmic and Dance Fundamentals and 5. Fights. It can be concluded that the use of ABPM as a tool for evaluating practical activities in the distance physical education course allows the future teacher to experience activities that will later be passed on to students at school, making the new teacher able to train and/or act at different levels of education and the various contents proposed by the subjects of the Physical Education course. Keywords: Methodology. Teaching. Distance trainingA intenção deste estudo é relatar a experiência de aprendizagem com o Material de Avaliação Prática da Aprendizagem (MAPA) no formato de vídeo no curso de licenciatura em Educação Física, na modalidade à distância. Trata-se de um relato de experiência de cunho reflexivo-crítico descritivo referente a vivência na construção, realização e gravação dos materiais. Foram relatados os objetivos, propostas e duração dos vídeos das disciplinas práticas cursadas no período de novembro de 2018 a setembro de 2019, totalizando cinco práticas nas disciplinas de 1. Ginástica Escolar; 2. Esportes Coletivos: Futsal e Futebol; 3. Esportes Individuais: Atletismo; 4. Fundamentos de Rítmica e Dança e 5. Lutas. Conclui-se que a utilização dos MAPA’s como ferramenta de avaliação das atividades práticas no curso de Educação Física à distância permite que o futuro professor vivencie atividades que, posteriormente, serão repassadas aos alunos na escola, tornando o novo docente apto a estagiar e/ou atuar nos diferentes níveis de ensino e nos diversos conteúdos propostos pelas disciplinas do curso de Educação Física. Palavras-chave: Metodologia. Ensino. Formação à distância.  

Tuberculosis Presenting as Acute Sepsis and Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

We report the case of a 61-year-old man admitted to our emergency department with fever. At admission, he was hypotensive and tachycardic. In the initial investigation, elevation of inflammatory parameters, acute kidney injury (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 3), hyperbilirubinemia, and hepatic cytocholestasis were evident. Empirical antibiotic therapy was started, after sepsis was assumed without an identifiable cause. His condition took an unfavorable clinical course, with respiratory failure, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, hyperferritinemia and hypofibrinogenemia. Microbial culture studies and a general immunological study were negative and lymphoproliferative disease was therefore excluded. Bone marrow aspirate revealed hemophagocytosis without granulomas. A diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was assumed and pulse methylprednisolone therapy initiated. As this resulted in only a transient improvement, immunoglobulin and rituximab were initiated as a second-line therapy. The patient sadly had an unfavorable outcome despite all measures undertaken. In the postmortem study, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was isolated in the bone marrow aspirate, which led to the postmortem diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis and angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The clinical presentation of disseminated tuberculosis is non-specific and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is one of its rare presentations. The mortality rate of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is high and increases with delayed diagnosis of the underlying condition and respective treatment

CONVERSA: A Community of Conversation

In the past decade, Dublin has seen increasing development in many sectors, remarkably in the Education industry. The country has attracted many English learning seekers, students that come to Dublin to live, learn the language, and the local culture. However, exciting this adventure might seem, foreigners may still struggle to overcome a set of difficulties when learning another language in a different environment. For this reason, this project will try to develop an app that can help students meet new people with the primary objective to learn and practice English with people nearby. Users will be able to find people surrounding them on the same or a different level in the language, ultimately meeting up with fellow learners to practice English. The app will also provide the user with a group of features, such as chat and even the possibility to share new meetups on social media, showing how engaged they are and how they have been improving. This app will facilitate learning English around the city. Why talk online when you can make friends and practice English in real life? Go. Meet. Talk. This is Conversa: the community tool to practice English

Reflexões acerca do mundo do trabalho docente

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Avaliação e Caraterização da Ação Inibitória de Iminociclitóis na Atividade α-Glucosidase de Enterócitos de Mamífero

A diabetes, em particular a diabetes mellitus tipo 2, constitui um distúrbio metabólico que se carateriza por glicemias aumentadas resultantes de diminuição da libertação e/ou ação da insulina. Os inibidores das α-glucosidases surgem como agentes de elevado interesse terapêutico uma vez que podem contribuir para a diminuição da absorção intestinal de glicose e, consequentemente, para um desagravamento da hiperglicemia. Alguns compostos da família iminociclitol são inibidores das α- glucosidases [1] e têm vindo a ser sintetizados diversos compostos novos que podem ser promissores e cuja ação sobre a atividade α-glucosidase de mamífero ainda não foi estudada. Neste trabalho procurou-se estudar a ação de alguns novos compostos da família iminociclitol (figura 1) na atividade α-glucosidase de enterócitos de mamífero, tendo-se também avaliado o grau de toxidade. O efeito dos pares dos enantiómeros foi também estudado