Black hole superradiant instability from ultralight spin-2 fields

Ultralight bosonic fields are compelling dark-matter candidates and arise in a variety of beyond-Standard-Model scenarios. These fields can tap energy and angular momentum from spinning black holes through superradiant instabilities, during which a macroscopic bosonic condensate develops around the black hole. Striking features of this phenomenon include gaps in the spin-mass distribution of astrophysical black holes and a continuous gravitational-wave~(GW) signal emitted by the condensate. So far these processes have been studied in great detail for scalar fields and, more recently, for vector fields. Here we take an important step forward in the black-hole superradiance program by computing, analytically, the instability time scale, the direct GW emission, and the stochastic background, in the case of massive tensor (i.e., spin-$2$) fields. Our analysis is valid for any black hole spin and for small boson masses. The instability of massive spin-$2$ fields shares some properties with the scalar and vector cases, but its phenomenology is much richer, for example there exist multiple modes with comparable instability time scales, and the dominant GW signal is hexadecapolar rather than quadrupolar. Electromagnetic and GW observations of spinning black holes in the mass range $M\in(1,10^{10})M_\odot$ can constrain the mass of a putative spin-$2$ field in the range $10^{-22} \lesssim m_b\,{\rm c^2/eV} \lesssim 10^{-10}$. For $10^{-17}\lesssim m_b\,{\rm c^2/eV}\lesssim 10^{-15}$, the space mission LISA could detect the continuous GW signal for sources at redshift $z=20$, or even larger.Comment: 13 pages, 4 Figures; v3: minor changes to match published version in Physical Review Letter

Fungos em areias e águas costeiras e interiores em Portugal: relevância para a saúde humana e bem-estar

Dissertação de mestrado em Biologia Humana e Ambiente, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 2019O trabalho apresentado nesta Dissertação de Mestrado foi realizado no Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge sob a orientação direta da Doutora Elisabete Valério e contou com a coorientação do João Brandão.Os fungos filamentosos e as leveduras são omnipresentes na natureza, incluindo nas zonas balneares. A areia frequentada por pessoas e por animais tem uma população crescente de fungos específicos de humanos e específicos de animais, em comparação com a areia não frequentada por pessoas e animais. Contudo, certas espécies de fungos podem causar infeções ou alergias em humanos. Estudos anteriores mostraram que existem microrganismos patogénicos ou patogénicos oportunistas que sobrevivem e crescem na areia. O conjunto de doenças resulta da inalação e da ingestão de esporos fúngicos e de células vegetativas, ou do contato direto com células fúngicas. Uma vez que as zonas balneares são locais frequentados por um elevado número de pessoas, especialmente no verão, a qualidade microbiológica das areias e das águas balneares é particularmente importante. Assim sendo, o objetivo deste estudo é a recolha de dados sobre as espécies de fungos existentes nas três zonas balneares em estudo – Carcavelos, Alburrica e Praia Verde. A identificação dos isolados foi realizada através da observação de caracteres morfológicos e através de ferramentas moleculares. Para isto, foram analisadas 18 amostras de areia e 18 amostras de água. No total, nas amostras de areia foram identificados 1 538 isolados, ao passo que nas amostras de água foram identificados 180 isolados. Os isolados fúngicos detetados com mais frequência foram Cladosporium sp. (na Praia Verde e em Alburrica) e Acremonium kiliense (em Carcavelos). Foram também identificadas algumas espécies responsáveis por causar alergias e infeções, tais como Exophiala dermatitidis, Alternaria alternata, Trematosphaeria grisea e Aspergillus nidulans. No entanto, não foi possível identificar 19 isolados presentes nas amostras. A realização desta dissertação permitiu identificar os isolados fúngicos presentes nos locais em estudo, assim como a frequência de cada uma das espécies presente nas amostras. Permitiu também verificar a presença de determinadas espécies que podem provocar doenças graves, o que representa um risco para a saúde dos utilizadores das praias.Filamentous fungi and yeast are ubiquitous in nature, including bathing areas. Sand that is visited both by people and animals has a growing population of human and animal-specific fungi, in comparison to sand that is not. However, certain fungal species can cause infections or allergies in humans. Previous studies have shown that there are opportunistic or pathogenic microorganisms that can survive and grow in sand. The diseases can result from inhalation and ingestion of fungal spores and vegetative cells, or by direct contact with fungal cells. Since bathing areas are frequented by large numbers of people, especially during the summer months, the microbiological quality of sand and bathing water is particularly important. Thus, the aim of this study is to collect data on the fungal species present in the three bathing areas in this study - Carcavelos, Alburrica and Praia Verde. The identification of the isolates was performed by observing morphological characteristics and by using molecular tools. For this purpose, 18 sand samples and 18 water samples were analysed. The total number of colonies identified in sand samples was 1 538; the total number of colonies identified in water samples was 180. The most frequently isolated fungi were Cladosporium sp. (at Praia Verde and Alburrica) and Acremonium kiliense (at Carcavelos). Some species responsible for causing allergies and infections, such as Exophiala dermatitidis, Alternaria alternata, Trematosphaeria grisea and Aspergillus nidulans have also been identified. However, it was not possible to identify 19 isolates found on the samples. For this dissertation, it was possible to identify the fungal isolates present at the chosen locations. It was also possible to determine the frequency of each species present in the samples. Lastly, this work has made it possible to confirm the presence of certain species that can cause serious illness, which potentially poses a health risk to all beach users.N/

Australian men’s sheds and their role in the health and wellbeing of men : a systematic review

Men’s sheds are a community-based organisation that allows a space for a community of men to interact and engage with one another with hands-on activities. As such, men’s sheds form an appropriate setting to deliver health and wellbeing initiatives. This review aims to understand the role of Australian men’s sheds with respect to the health and wellbeing of their male participants. This review was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) following a three-step process of planning, conducting, and reporting the review. All three authors reviewed all the eligible articles. There was significant methodological heterogeneity between the sources identified (n = 11). A narrative synthesis identified three key themes: health promotion, wellbeing, and socialisation intergenerational mentoring and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men’s health. Men’s sheds serve as ideal locations for the delivery of initiatives that can positively impact on the health and wellbeing of their male participants. Furthermore, research is needed to explore the implementation and evaluation of these health and wellbeing initiatives for men in their respective communities

Strategic plan for a new restaurant business

The present Master thesis is introduced in the form of a Strategic Plan, with the purpose of expressing the commercial and strategic viability of a new restaurant located in Lisbon. The ambition of this start-up is to have a positive acceptance in the restaurant and similar market, taking advantage of the healthy food and lifestyle trends and offering better lunch options and other food solutions for customers. In order to fulfill the great objective proposed in this dissertation, always supported on the literature review based on different approaches to the concept of strategy and strategic control, it is carried out the internal and external analysis of the company, as well as the market in which it intends to penetrate. The strategic plan also consists in studying how to design and control the strategy and decisions that can best lead to business success, such as choosing a location, understanding the sector and industry, defining the marketing mix and other key aspects. The final chapter evaluates the impact of strategic control and the use of a Business Scorecard to make this plan the most complete and useful as possible

Students- perception of food and beverage social projects - a university study case

Although innovation has been present in our society for centuries, it is mainly related with specific fields. Approaching innovation as a social science has not received enough attention and there are still Social Innovation projects inadequately understood and executed. This study aims to find the possible challenges of implementating Food and Beverage options in the context of Social Enterprises on universities, both conceptually and practically addressing subjects such consumer understanding and awareness towards Social Enterprises and Social Innovation concepts, the consequently buying-behavior impact and the existence of an intention-behavior gap when purchasing in a social context

Impact of large scale PV deployment in the sizing of urban distribution transformers

UID/SOC/04647/2013 SFRH/BPD/76893/2011With the increasing deployment of solar systems in buildings in urban environments, a future scenario of high photovoltaic penetration is expected to produce impacts on the distribution grid. One of the challenges relates to the power balance at the power transformers, which might not have sufficient spare capacity to accommodate the solar electricity feed in. In this work, we estimate the power balance at the transformers in a small urban area of Lisbon, Portugal, considering full deployment of PV, installed on rooftops and building façades. The PV potential is estimated through two different approaches: the simplified Peak power method, which considers the typical peak power of a module and the available area, and the more labour-intensive Irradiance method that accounts for hourly time step solar irradiance and demand data or simulations. The main findings of this work point out that the Peak power method has limited success if PV facades are to be considered. Moreover, a high PV penetration scenario leads to a locally less resilient grid, hence a solar PV factor was proposed to account for future deployment of PV systems in urban environments.publishersversionpublishe

Radiologic evaluation of ARDS in long-term ECMO by CT scan

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2021INTRODUÇÃO: O síndrome de dificuldade respiratória aguda (SDRA) consiste numa doença potencialmente fatal, com expressão heterogénea e prognóstico incerto. As alterações radiológicas em SDRA têm sido correlacionadas com o prognóstico. Contudo, com o uso prolongado de extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), vários artigos relataram a possibilidade de recuperação pulmonar para além do que era previamente considerado possível. OBJETIVOS: Este estudo piloto pretende descrever os achados em tomografia computorizada (TC) em doentes com SDRA grave submetidos a ECMO, correlacionandoos com o prognóstico. MÉTODOS: Incluímos doentes com SDRA (definido pelos Critérios de Berlim) sob ECMO por pelo menos 7 dias, no Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa-Norte, de 01/01/2010 a 01/01/2020, que realizaram pelo menos uma TC torácica durante este episódio. Foram registados dados demográficos, parâmetros de ventilação e inflamação, e os achados radiológicos descritos nos relatórios das TC. Os dados foram analisados utilizando o STATA 15.1. Todos os dados foram pseudo-anonimisados. RESULTADOS: Dos 31 doentes incluídos, 9 faleceram na Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos. O tempo de ventilação mecânica invasiva até iniciar ECMO foi associado ao outcome (p = 0,02). A consolidação foi a alteração mais frequente (84,75%), mesmo 15 dias após a admissão. O padrão reticular e o crazy paving foram mais frequentes após 15 dias, sendo crazy paving associado ao prognóstico. Curiosamente, dos 7 doentes que realizaram a TC em média 32,57 ± 15,33 dias desde a admissão, todos estiveram sob ECMO >14 dias, e apesar de apresentarem consolidações, perda de volume pulmonar, e quistos subpleurais/intrapulmonares, todos sobreviveram ao internamento. CONCLUSÃO: Achados graves na TC podem não ser determinantes no outcome, e as alterações fibroproliferativas podem não ser completamente decisivas do prognóstico quando a ECMO confere tempo para ocorrer reparação pulmonar. Segundo este estudo piloto retrospetivo, são necessários estudos prospetivos para investigar alterações sucessivas na TC em long-term ECMO.INTRODUCTION: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) comprehends a lifethreatening syndrome, with heterogenous presentation and uncertain prognosis. Radiologic abnormalities have been associated with ARDS prognosis. However, since the more extended use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), several reports have point out the possibility of lung recovery beyond what was previously considered possible. OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aims to describe computed tomography (CT) findings in severe ARDS patients submitted to ECMO and to correlate them with prognosis. METHODS: We included patients with ARDS (defined according to Berlin Criteria) supported with ECMO for at least 7 days, at Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa-Norte (CHULN), from 01/01/2010 to 01/01/2020, who performed at least one thoracic CT scan during this episode. It was retrieved demographic data, ventilation and inflammatory parameters, and radiologic findings described in the imaging reports of CT scans. Data was analysed using STATA 15.1. All data was pseudo-anonymised. RESULTS: We included 31 patients, 9 of which died during intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Time in invasive mechanical ventilation until ECMO was associated with outcome (p = 0,02). Consolidation was the most frequent radiologic finding (84,75%), even after 15 days since ICU admission. Reticular pattern and crazy paving were more frequent after 15 days, and the last one was associated with prognosis. Interestingly, 7 patients who had a CT performed in average 32,57 ± 15,33 days since admission, were all under ECMO >14 days, and despite major consolidation, loss of lung volume and subpleural/ intrapulmonary cysts, all survived ICU stay. CONCLUSION: Severe CT findings may not be decisive on patient’s outcome, and fibroproliferative lung changes may not be completely defining of prognosis when ECMO buys time for lung repair. Based on this pilot retrospective study, further prospective studies should be designed to address successive CT alterations in long-term ECMO patients

Emoções e dependência de substâncias psicoativas em consumidores de longa duração

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo avaliar através da exposição a imagens faciais representativas de seis emoções básicas (raiva, alegria, tristeza, surpresa, medo e nojo) o processamento emocional de um subgrupo de consumidores de longa duração de substâncias psicoativas previamente identificados como alexitímicos (conforme resultados obtidos com a Escala de Alexitimia de Toronto, TAS-20). Procura-se ainda explorar eventuais diferenças no relato dos participantes tendo em conta as caracteristicas sócio demograficas, familiares e clínicas dos mesmos. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo e transversal que iniciou com recurso à aplicação de um Inquérito Sociodemográfico (ISD) e da Escala de Alexitimia de Toronto de vinte itens (TAS-20) a 118 consumidores de substâncias psicoativas, dos quais 26, considerados alexitímicos, integraram numa 2ª fase do projeto e a quem se aplicou uma entrevista Semiestruturada de Reconhecimento de Emoções Faciais (EREF). Esta permitiu a identificação de um pensamento concreto e orientado para o exterior no processamento emocional, assim como de dificuldades na identificação de sentimentos, resultados em linha com as dimensões avaliadas na TAS-20. A alegria, a tristeza e o nojo foram as emoções que os participantes identificaram com maior facilidade, sendo a descrição das emoções marcada por um evidente, embora infrutífero, esforço descritivo; a sua exemplificação, porém, ocorreu de modo correto. Verificou-se igualmente pobreza ao nível dos processos imaginativos, bem como uma associação das experiências emocionais relatadas a afeto negativo. Quer na descrição, quer na exemplificação das emoções, destaca-se a presença de um relato em torno do tema “solidão”, principalmente na faixa etária entre os 40-49 anos. É neste cenário que se destaca o distanciamento de relações de suporte, acompanhados de geralmente em processos de exclusão social. Os resultados do estudo realizado permitem afirmar serem grandes os desafios que esta população coloca à prática profissional dos trabalhadores sociais e aos modelos dominantes de intervenção, uma vez que as emoções se traduzem num processo crucial e básico numa comunicação e interação social eficazes.This dissertation aims to evaluate through exposure to representative facial images of six basic emotions (anger, joy, sadness, surprise, fear and disgust) the emotional processing of a long-term consumer subgroup of psychoactive substances previously identified as alexithymic (according to the results obtained with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS 20). It is also sought to explore possible differences in the participants’ report taking into account their socio-demographic, family and clinical characteristics. This qualitative and cross-sectional study began with the application of a Sociodemographic Questionnaire and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to 118 psychoactive substance users. From these, 26 who were considered alexithymics, took part of a 2nd phase of the project and were further assessed by means of a Semi-Structured Facial Emotions Recognition Interview (SFERI). This interview allowed the identification of concrete and outward-oriented thinking in emotional processing, as well as difficulties in identifying feelings, results that are in line with the dimensions assessed in the TAS-20. Joy, sadness and disgust were the emotions that participants most easily identified. Participants made significant efforts in describing the emotions, but these were mostly unsuccessful. Their exemplification, however, was made correctly. In addition, there was found great poverty at the level of imaginative processes, as well as an association between emotional experiences and negative affect. Both in the description and in the exemplification of emotions, “loneliness” appeared as a common theme, especially among those aged between 40 and 49 years old. It is in this scenario that stands out the distancing of supportive relationships, usually accompanied by processes of social exclusion. This study’s results show that the challenges posed by this population for the professional practice of social workers and the dominant models of intervention are great, since emotions constitute crucial and basic process for an effective communication and social interaction

The new words kids hear from translated picturebooks

This study shows how the language in translated picturebooks is enriched by the use of rare words. We document how the translation of picturebooks from English to Portuguese results in the use of rare words in Portuguese. Evidence indicates that children learn new vocabulary through readings of picturebooks (Noble et al., 2019) and that translators make choices that contribute to the use of rare words (Ketola, 2018). The sample of 86 picturebooks was selected from a list recommended by the Portuguese national reading plan for 3-5-year-olds. The identification of rare words was done using a frequency analysis in both Portuguese, using ESCOLEX, and English, using the ChildFreq tool. Findings indicate that translated picturebooks use rich and varied lexicon and include an average of 6.6 rare words. Twenty-two percent of these words originate from literal and non-literal translations and are not rare in the original texts. This indicates that the process of translation contributes to increasing children's exposure to rare words.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comunicação no Museu da Marioneta

Relatório de Estágio apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Comunicação com especialização em Comunicação e ArtesO presente trabalho documenta, de forma reflectida, os seis meses de estágio ao serviço da comunicação e relações públicas no Museu da Marioneta, em Lisboa. E serve como componente não lectiva do Mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação. Numa época em que a oferta cultural e de lazer é amplamente diversificada, também as organizações museológicas que reúnem objectivos de educação, investigação e fruição recorrem aos ensinamentos do marketing, das relações públicas e da publicidade para melhor competirem pela atenção dos seus públicos. Além do mais, estas ferramentas, sobretudo nos meios digitais, possibilitam também um diálogo multilateral entre instituições e os seus vários públicos, podendo enriquecer as próprias ofertas. No Museu da Marioneta, várias ferramentas são utilizadas para entrar em contacto com o exterior e promover a imagem e as ofertas da instituição. Este documento disseca e reflecte alguns desses meios, como newsletters, notas de imprensa, redes sociais, página na Internet, vídeos ou uma aplicação móvel, do ponto de vista de quem está responsável por os trabalhar. São ainda tidos em conta instrumentos de análise e estratégia: inquéritos às audiências, recortes de imprensa e o plano de comunicação e relações pública