O Teatro Aberto em Lisboa : Notas de pesquisa sobre uma experiência de participação cultural

Este artigo tem um carácter exploratório e pretende descrever uma experiência de um “encontro” cultural com os públicos no teatro. Inspirada pelos debates recentes sobre a participação cultural e os pressupostos do programa europeu Be SpectACTive !, esta experiência promoveu um contexto de interação próxima de um conjunto de indivíduos com perfis heterogéneos e os profissionais da companhia Novo Grupo – Teatro Aberto, em Lisboa. A história deste teatro e as especificidades do seu trabalho artístico foram partilhadas durante o “encontro”. Concluímos que os encontros com os públicos são micromomentos de participação cultural e diálogo que podem integrar-se nas missões, objetivos e atividades correntes das organizações teatrais e nas práticas e motivações dos seus responsáveis. O artigo utiliza as notas do diário de campo, as palavras dos responsáveis do teatro e uma sequência de fotografias que ilustram o percurso feito pelos participantes nos bastidores do teatro.This article takes an exploratory approach and seeks to describe the experience of a cultural “encounter” with theatre audiences. Inspired on the recent debates around cultural participation and the assumptions of the European Be SpectACTive! program, this experience staged a frame of interaction between a set of individuals with heterogeneous profiles and professionals from the theatre company Novo Grupo – Teatro Aberto in Lisbon. The history of this theatre and the specific characteristics of its artistic work were shared over the course of this “encounter”. We conclude that encounters with the public provide micro-moments of dialogue and cultural participation that may integrate both into the missions, objectives and current activities of theatrical organisations and into the practices and motivations of their leaders. This article deploys fieldwork notes, the declarations of those responsible for the theatre and a sequence of photographs that illustrate the path taken by these participants when backstage in the theatre

Assessment of the presence of Hepatitis E virus in surface water and drinking water in Portugal

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a non-enveloped single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus, belonging to the Hepeviridae family, resistant to environmental conditions, and transmitted by the consumption of contaminated water. This virus is responsible for both sporadic and epidemic outbreaks, leading to thousands of infections per year in several countries, and is thus considered an emerging disease in Europe and Asia. This study refers to a survey in Portugal during 2019, targeting the detection and eventual quantification of enteric viruses in samples from surface and drinking water. Samples positive for HEV RNA were recurrently found by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), in both types of matrix. The infectivity of these samples was evaluated in cultured Vero E6 cells and RNA from putative viruses produced in cultures evidencing cytopathic effects and was subjected to RT-qPCR targeting HEV genomic RNA. Our results evidenced the existence of samples positive either for HEV RNA (77.8% in surface water and 66.7% in drinking water) or for infectious HEV (23.0% in surface water and 27.7% in drinking water). These results highlight the need for effective virological control of water for human consumption and activities.This research was funded by Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres (EPAL) and Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Portugal through a Ph.D. grant to D. Salvador (PDE/BDE/114582/2016) and FCT/MCTES projects UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020 and UIDB/04295/2020 through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring waterborne pathogens in surface and drinking waters : are water treatment plants (WTPs) simultaneously efficient in the elimination of enteric viruses and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB)?

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Monitoring the quality of water is a requisite to prevent outbreaks related to waterborne diseases, predominantly caused by pathogens like enteric viruses, usually transmitted via the fecal-oral route. This study aimed to survey a group of enteric viruses (Enterovirus, Norovirus genogroups I and II, and hepatitis A virus) in two surface water sources of drinking water, also intending to evaluate the extent of their elimination in the two water treatment plants (WTPs) involved in drinking water production. Correlations between these viruses and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were also evaluated. Positive samples for viral RNA were recurrently found by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and quantified, in genomic copies per liter (gc/L) of sampled water. Viral RNAs were detected in 14 out of 27 samples of surface water, and 21 out of 36 samples of drinking water, NoV II having been the most frequently detected in both (0–78.6 gc/L and 0–12.5 gc/L, respectively). Both WTPs showed variable efficacies in the elimination of viral RNA. Only one correlation was found with FIB, between NoV II and intestinal enterococci. These results recommend the monitoring of enteric viruses over time and their inclusion in the mandatory analysis of water quality.This research was funded by the Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres (EPAL) and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Portugal through a Ph.D. grant to D. Salvador (PDE/BDE/114582/2016) and financial support to CESAM and ISAMB (FCT/MCTES projects UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020 and UIDB/04295/2020, respectively) through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparação entre a concentração atmosférica de Phl p5 e as contagens polínicas de gramíneas

A exposição a alergenos de gramíneas é actualmente calculada a partir de contagens polínicas dos respectivos tipos polínicos, efectuadas em amostras de ar atmosférico segundo uma metodologia normalizada e assente em equipamentos tipo HIRST. Não existe ainda suficiente evidência de que tais contagens representem uma boa estimativa da exposição aos aeroalergenos deste tipo polínico pelo que, neste estudo, se procurou analisar a relação entre tais contagens e a concentração de um dos alergenos polínicos mais importantes

Comparison between Poaceae pollen counts and ambient Phl p 5 concentration in Évora, south Portugal

Airborne pollen of grasses (Poaceae family) is the main aeroallergen in many european countries, namely in Portugal. Grasses includes many herbaceous species with an anemophyllous pollination

Detection of enteric viruses in samples of natural surface water and drinking water

©APESB 2020Water-related infectious diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality. Enterovirus and Hepatitis A and E viruses are, among others, representative of the enteric viruses, which are disease-causing agents mainly transmitted by the oral-fecal route, through water. The objective of this study is to search for enteric viruses by reverse transcription followed by Real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), in samples of natural surface water and in drinking water. It is also intended to evaluate the eventual association of these viruses with other fecal contamination indicators, and the efficacy of the water treatment plants in their elimination. It was confirmed the adequacy of the methodology implemented since, in the 15 samples analyzed so far, Hepatitis A virus and Enterovirus RNAs were detected in natural surface water samples, in two and three samples, respectively. Both viruses RNAs were detected in one of these samples. No viral nucleic acids were detected in drinking water samples. Fecal coliforms (microbial indicators of fecal contamination) were detected in natural water samples, but not in drinking water samples. Viral RNA and coliform detection only partially co-occurred.Este trabalho foi suportado pela Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres (EPAL) e pela Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia através da bolsa de Doutoramento PDE/BDE/114582/2016 - Daniel Salvador.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Applying computational fluid dynamics in the development of smart ripening rooms for traditional cheeses

Traditional ewe's cheese producers face certain challenges caused by fluctuating environmental parameters inside the ripening room, which lead to lack of homogeneity in the final product. The present research discusses the application of computer fluid dynamics for simulating the distribution of environmental parameters, predicting the airflow pattern, and identifying critical areas where such parameters could cause reduced cheese quality. A new monitoring system was developed including presence sensors, temperature and humidity dataloggers, pneumatic actuators, microcontrollers, and microcomputers connected remotely for control, data visualization, and processing. The validation of the computer simulation and monitoring system was made with a batch of 40 ewe's cheeses distributed in three different zones inside a prototype ripening room and ripened for 35 days. At 35 days, a physical, chemical, and microbiological characterization of cheeses was made for evaluation of the influence of environmental conditions on cheese quality. The comparison between simulated and local measurements showed close agreement, especially concerning air velocity inside the stacks of cheese. The results of Pearson's correlation analysis and PCA concluded that temperature affected the appearance of the rind, hardness, number and area occupied by holes. Humidity affected aw and mFeret. Air velocity affected pH and the circularity of gas holes

Guia ser sustentável: sugestões para viver de forma sustentável no campus …e fora dele...

Este guia é um recurso sobre como viver, trabalhar e estudar de forma sustentável na Universidade Aberta. Inclui cinco secções sendo que cada uma se centra numa área de ação da sustentabilidade, com conselhos importantes que pode realizar enquanto estiver no campus, em casa ou no trabalho, e elaboradas com base em no compromisso da UAb com a sustentabilidade.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prognostic value of MGMT promoter methylation in glioblastoma patients treated with temozolomide-based chemoradiation : a Portuguese multicentre study

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor. The identification of novel molecular prognostic markers of GBM has recently been an area of great interest in neuro-oncology. The methylation status of the MGMT gene promoter is currently a promising molecular prognostic marker, but some controversial data have precluded its clinical use. We analyzed MGMT methylation by methylation-specific PCR in 90 GBM patients from four Portuguese hospitals, uniformly treated with radiotherapy combined with concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (Stupp protocol). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to construct survival curves, and the log-rank test and a Cox-regression model were used to analyze patient survival. The methylation status of MGMT was successfully determined in 89% (80/90) of the tumors. The frequency of tumoral MGMT promoter methylation was 47.5%. The median overall survivals (OSs) were 16 months (95% CI 12.2-19.8) and 13 months (95% CI 13.3-18.7) for patients whose tumors had a methylated or unmethylated MGMT, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses did not show any statistically significant association between MGMT methylation status and patient OS (P=0.583 by the log-rank test; P=0.617 by the Cox-regression test) or progression-free survival (P=0.775 by the log-rank test; P=0.691 by the Cox-regression test). None of the patient clinical features were significantly correlated with survival. This is the first study to report the frequency of MGMT methylation among Portuguese GBM patients. Our data did not show statistically significant associations between MGMT promoter methylation and the outcome of GBM patients treated with temozolomide. Additional robust prospective studies are warranted to clarify whether the MGMT status should be used in clinical decisions.This project was sponsored, in part, by Schering-Ploug Farma (Portugal). B.M.C. and O.M. are recipients of fellowships from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (SFRH/BPD/33612/2009 and SFRH/BD/36463/ 2007). The funding institutions had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of the results, the preparation of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication

Exposição ensino das ciências e tecnologia em regime de e-learning

A Exposição apresenta um conjunto de recursos digitais de apoio ao ensino em elearning nas áreas das Ciências Exatas e Aplicadas, utilizados na Universidade Aberta, de acordo com o modelo pedagógico desenvolvido por esta instituição, alguns dos quais ainda em fase de desenvolvimento. Os recursos distribuem-se por 11 salas virtuais consoante a área científica, mais uma sala de aulas abertas.N/