>200 Gbit/s multicore fiber-based short-reach networks employing Kramers-Kronig receivers

This work proposes a short-reach network with more than 200 Gbit/s bit-rate per user using weakly-coupled multicore fibers (MCF) and Kramers-Kronig (KK) receivers with the goal of providing an alternative solution for high capacity short-reach networks, usually found in data centers (DC). The use of KK receivers combines the high order modulation formats, commonly found in coherent detection receivers, with the cost-effectiveness of direct-detection (DD), two important features in short-reach networks. The use of MCF has been proposed to increase the capacity and density of optical interconnects in DCs. The combined use of these two technologies significantly increases the capacity of shortreach networks while being cost effective and highly performing. A comparison of the performance of three different KK receiver implementations in the presence of inter-core crosstalk (ICXT) is carried out. The different KK receivers are the ideal KK receiver and two variations, one where the photo-current is AC coupled and another where the photo-current is clipped to increase the receiver performance. The outage probability is used as a metric for the performance of the system, it is estimated by Monte Carlo simulation and by the error vector magnitude (EVM). The results show that it is possible to estimate the outage probability of the system using the EVM with an estimation error not exceeding 0.8 dB for an outage probability of 10-3. In addition, the ideal KK receiver has the worst performance since it fails to mitigate the negative excursion of the signal close to zero.Este trabalho propõe uma rede de curto alcance com um débito binário por utilizador superior a 200 Gbit/s utilizando fibras multi-núcleo (MCF) e recetores de Kramers-Kronig (KK) como solução alternativa às redes de curto alcance de elevada capacidade, usadas em data centers (DC). Os recetores KK combinam modulações de ordem elevada, usadas em recetores coerentes, com a rentabilidade da deteção-direta. O uso de MCF tem sido proposto para aumentar a capacidade e a densidade de conectores em DCs. Combinando o uso de ambas as tecnologias, é possível aumentar a capacidade de redes de curto alcance a um baixo custo obtendo um elevado desempenho. Neste trabalho, é feita uma comparação entre diferentes versões de recetores KK na presença de diafonia entre núcleos. É considerado um recetor KK ideal e duas variações, uma onde a corrente foto-detetada é desacoplada e uma outra onde a corrente é limitada a um mínimo com a intenção de aumentar o desempenho do recetor. A probabilidade de indisponibilidade é usada como métrica para avaliar o desempenho do sistema e é estimada através de simulação de Monte Carlo e error vector magnitude (EVM). Os resultados mostram que é possível utilizar a EVM para estimar a probabilidade de indisponibilidade com um erro inferior a 0.8 dB para uma probabilidade de 10-3. Ainda, o desempenho do recetor KK ideal é inferior aos restantes, pois este não atenua o número de vezes que o sinal se aproxima da origem, ao contrário dos outros recetores

Herb-drug interactions among commonly used psychoactive substances by healthcare students

The concurrent use of herbs and/or nutritional supplements with psychoactive effect and prescription medications is common among college students. College students are a particularly vulnerable population, for they are under less social/familiar surveillance and seek greater independence, as well as under greater intellectual effort, stress, anxiety and depression, which predispose them to a higher consumption of psychoactive substances. Herbs, vitamins, and other dietary supplements may influence the effects of prescription and nonprescription drugs leading to adverse consequences, by increasing the potential for interactions. However, documented interactions between herbal medicinal products and prescribed drugs are rare. Objective: determine the prevalence of concomitant use of psychoactive substances among healthcare students in the Lisbon School of Health Technology, Portugal, in order to assess the risk of potential herb-drug interactions

Appropriateness of a standard daily dose to clinical practice for 163 antihypertensive drugs used for hypertension treatment

Introdução: Bases de dados de prescrições médicas e/ou registos de faturação das farmácias são uma fonte relevante de informação para o estudo da adesão à terapêutica, dependendo a sua utilização para esse fim de informação acerca do número de dias para os quais a medicação foi prescrita/dispensada. Objetivo: Analisar a adequabilidade de uma posologia padrão diária (PPD) para 163 medicamentos anti-hipertensivos, quando usados no tratamento da hipertensão arterial, que permita a determinação da duração de tratamento associada a cada embalagem. Métodos: Com base na informação constante no RCM, definiu-se uma PPD para cada um dos medicamentos em estudo, e avaliou-se a sua adequabilidade à prática clínica através de um painel de clínicos, de diferentes especialidades. Para cada medicamento verificou-se a concordância entre a PPD definida e a prática habitual de prescrição de cada clínico, bem como a concordância entre clínicos. O teste de kappa foi utilizado para a análise da concordância. Resultados: Verificou-se a adequabilidade da PPD para 96.3% dos medicamentos; maior concordância para medicamentos com PPD = 1, quando prescritos por um especialista em medicina geral e familiar e para os betabloqueadores. Medicamentos com maior variabilidade na sua posologia ou com um maior número de dosagens comercializadas apresentam uma menor concordância. Conclusões: As PPD definidas revelaram-se adequadas para a determinação da duração de tratamento associada a cada embalagem de anti-hipertensivos. A definição de uma posologia por medicamento e não por código ATC/substância ativa permitirá uma estimativa mais fiável das medidas de adesão à terapêutica quando se utilizam estas bases de dados.ABSTRACT - Introduction: Data sources of prescription and/or claims records are an important source of information for the study of adherence to medications. Their use for this purpose depends on the information about the number of days’ supplied/prescribed. Aim: To analyze the appropriateness of a standard daily dose (SDD) for 163 antihypertensive drugs, when used for hypertension treatment, allowing determining the theoretical duration of treatment for each package of these drugs. Methods: Based on the information of the SmPC, we defined an SDD for each of the drugs under study, and evaluated its appropriateness to clinical practice using a panel of clinicians from different specialties. For each drug, we analyzed the agreement for the defined SDD and the usual prescribing practice of each clinician, as well the agreement between clinicians. The kappa test was used for agreement’s analysis. Results: The SDD was found to be appropriate for 96.3% of antihypertensive drugs; highest agreement for drugs whose SDD = 1, when prescribed by a general practitioner, and for beta-blockers. Drugs with higher dosing variability or with a higher number of marketed dosages presented a lower agreement. Conclusions: The defined SDD were found to be appropriate for determining the theoretical duration of treatment for antihypertensive drugs. Defining a daily dose per drug and not per ATC code/active substance will allow a more reliable estimation of adherence to medications using prescription and/or claims records.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

1929: Reexistência em Barcelona

RESUMOO presente artigo busca entender a multiplicidade do conceito de reexistência por meio do Pavilhão de Barcelona, de Mies van der Rohe. Partindo de uma análise do contexto no qual a obra foi projetada, da sua estrutura e do seu design, busca-se evidenciar o seu legado único no século XX e a sua capacidade de ressignificar a ideia de reexistência. Nesse sentido, essa noção é aplicável na obra tanto para a experiência corpográfica do indivíduo na cidade espanhola, como trabalho artístico, quanto para a noção tida sobre a Alemanha na comunidade artística internacional em um momento delicado para o país, como símbolo de pensamento filosófico e construtivo.Palavras-chave: Pavilhão de Barcelona, Mies van der Rohe, Reexistência ABSTRACTThis present article is a case study that seeks to understand the multiplicity of the concept of Reexistence through the Barcelona Pavillion, by Mies van der Rohe. Through an analysis of the context in which the work was thought, of it´s structure and it´s design, it seeks to make clear the unique legacy the work has in the twentieth century and its capacity to give new meanings to the idea of Reexistence. In this sense, this notion is both applicable to the bodily expirience of the individual in the city, as a work of art, and to notion had about Germany in the international artistic community in a delicate moment for the country, as a symbol of philosophical and constructive thought.Keywords: Barcelona Pavillion, Mies van der Rohe, Reexistenc

Como eu me vejo e como ela me vê: um estudo exploratório sobre a consistência das declarações de raça/cor entre as mulheres de 15 a 59 anos no Recife, 2002.

The objective of this paper is to explore the consistency of racial/skin color declaration of females 15 to 59 years-old in Recife, Brazil. Data come from SRSR - Reproductive Health, Sexuality, and Race. Fieldwork took place in 2002 in Belo Horizonte and Recife and there are 1.106 complete interviews in Recife. The paper compares two forms of race/skin color declaration: self-classification and classification by the interviewer. The answer is pre-coded and the options are white, black, brown, yellow, and indigenous (Brazilian-native). The analysis takes into account whites, browns, and blacks. Results suggest that females who classify themselves as darker than the classification of interviewer have more years of schooling, whereas those who declare to be lighter than the opinion of the interviewer have less years of schooling. Multivariate analysis compares females with consistent versus inconsistent racial/skin color classification. Controlling for age and education, whites have more chance to have consistent declaration if compared to blacks and browns. However, females put into the category negra (blacks + browns) show more consistency than whites.racial/skin color classification, Brazil, SRSR

Entre a família e o trabalho: uma análise da qualidade da inserção ocupacional no Brasil urbano sob uma perspectiva de gênero, 1996-2006

This article analyzes the relationship between types of family arrangements and work quality regarding type of occupation, time in the occupation, status of occupation (whether under the Brazilian labor law or not) and income of the population aged 25 to 64 years in the Brazilian urban job market in 1996, 2001, and 2006. In order to achieve this objective we compare working women against working men so that we can identify sex differentials stemming from the different gender roles men and women take up in the family and in the job market. The models are specified for each sex assuming that the processes of division of household duties as well as the type and quality of work one can obtain in the job market is different for women and men. We fit multinomial logit models to adjust data from 1996, 2001, and 2006 Pesquisa Nacional de Domicílios (PNAD) to examine the significant associations between family arrangements and work quality. The coefficients are compared to check whether the difference between men’s and women’s are statistically significant. The results indicate that family arrangement, position in the family and domestic duties are factors associated with the higher odds of women, as compared to men, to be in job positions of lower quality. This situation has intensified in 2006, mainly amongst older women, in spite of the improvement of the job market from 2004 to 2006.Brazil, family arrangements, work quality

Abordagem conservadora na restauração de dentes endodonciados – caso clínico

Poster apresentado nas XXII Jornadas Internacionais de Medicina Dentária do ISCSEM, Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Egas Moniz, Caparica, 28-29 Março 2014

Digital rectal examination and balloon expulsion test in the study of defecatory disorders: are they suitable as screening or excluding tests?

Background. Rome III criteria add physiological criteria to symptom-based criteria of chronic constipation (CC) for the diagnosis of defecatory disorders (DD). However, a gold-standard test is still lacking and physiological examination is expensive and timeconsuming. Aim. Evaluate the usefulness of two low-cost tests-digital rectal examination (DRE) and balloon expulsion test (BET)-as screening or excluding tests ofDD. Methods. Weperformeda systematic search inPUBMEDandMEDLINE. We selected studies where constipated patients were evaluated by DRE or BET. Heterogeneity was assessed and random effect models were used to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) of the DRE and the BET. Results. Thirteen studies evaluating BET and four studies evaluating DRE (2329 patients) were selected. High heterogeneity (.. 2 > 80%) among studies was demonstrated. The studies evaluating the BET showed a sensitivity and specificity of 67% and 80%, respectively. Regarding the DRE, a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 84% were calculated. NPV of 72% for the BET and NPV of 64% for the DRE were estimated. The sensitivity and specificity were similar when we restrict the analysis to studies using Rome criteria to define CC. The BET seems to performbetter when a cut-off time of 2minutes is used and when it is compared with a combination of physiological tests. Considering the DRE, strict criteria seem to improve the sensitivity but not the specificity of the test. Conclusion. Neither of the low-cost tests seems suitable for screening or excluding DD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio