Estudo de compostos refletores no infravermelho próximo

Comunicação em painel P6 no IV Encontro em Técnicas de Caracterização e Análise Química, Braga, Portugal, 17 Junho 2016.Este estudo teve como objetivo explorar técnicas de caracterização que permitam avaliar o desempenho de pigmentos refletores na reflexão solar e o seu impacto no comportamento térmico dos substratos que sejam aplicados. Para este efeito, foram utilizadas a espetroscopia infravermelho próximo e termografia de infravermelho. A Termografia de infravermelhos pode ser definida como o mapeamento térmico de padrões da temperatura superficial de um objeto. Estes mapas são produzidos por instrumentos termográficos como a câmara termográfica e designam-se por termografias ou termogramas. Estes termogramas permitem uma análise não destrutiva das superfícies, identificando a temperatura superficial das amostras perante as condições ambientais que as rodeiam, como neste caso, durante a sua exposição solar. Foi então estudada a adição de pigmentos com diferentes composições e colorações a três tintas comerciais de diferente coloração para ver o impacto desta adição. Por espetroscopia verificaram-se alterações nos espectros de reflexão das amostras, alguns casos com melhoria da reflexão solar outros não. A termografia também revelou alterações de temperatura devido à presença destes pigmentos, permitindo assim estabelecer uma metodologia de avaliação do impacto deste tipo de pigmentos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The influence of WOM and peer interaction in the decision-making process of Generation Z within the family

Generation Z is the first generation who has grown up in the middle of an era of developed information technology, being one of the most critical users of social networking sites (SNS), constantly engaging in online exchanging of information and conversation between peers. The study of this generation’s consumer behaviors is an opportunity for marketers to get to know their preferences, identify the major influences on their decision-making process, and understand how to target them more effectively. In this paper, we designed a survey to study the effect of peer interaction and word-of-mouth (WOM) on the different stages of Generation Z’s decision-making process, and to understand how this generation’s preferences are formed. Data was analyzed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equations Modeling. Results showed that peer interaction positively influences Generation Z’s decision-making, most predominantly in the first stages of the process, while the influence of WOM was not statistically supported. Other factors should be considered in the future, to uncover the different determinants of generation Z’s decisions, so that marketers can develop more accurate strategies to best target this younger generation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trans-fatty acids in Portuguese food products

There is consistent evidence of adverse health effects from industrial trans-fatty acids (TFAs). Several measures to limit TFA intake have already been taken in various countries, but limited information is available in several countries on the actual TFA content in foods. In order to ensure accurate data on intake of TFAs, and to implement adequate measures to reduce their consumption, each country should have an estimate of the TFA content in the overall diet. The objective of this report is to provide updated data on the TFA content in Portuguese foods. It therefore details the results of 268 samples (acquired and analysed between October and December 2013), chosen based on a previous desk review to identify the food groups of higher concern in terms of their TFA content. The TFAs were quantified by gas chromatography after fat extraction. Potential unconformities were also estimated, taking as a basis a maximum limit of 2% TFAs in the fat.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Valoración de la capacidad física funcional, de personas mayores activas del C.D.M. Duquesa Villahermosa.

La actividad física es una herramienta que reporta múltiples beneficios en la salud de las personas, y que ayuda a mejorar y mantener las diferentes capacidades físicas. Por ello la actividad física puede ayudar a frenar las limitaciones que el proceso de envejecimiento va causando en las personas mayores, pero esta actividad debe ser lo más personalizada posible a las características de cada persona. Para ello es necesaria una valoración de su condición física. La Senior Fitness Test (SFT) es una batería para esa valoración y es una de las pocas adaptadas a las personas mayores. Por ello he usado esta batería para la valoración funcional de un grupo de personas mayores activas que realizan actividad física en el centro deportivo Duquesa Villahermosa en Zaragoza. Participaron en este estudio 25 personas mayores, 11 varones (64,63+3,58 años) y 14 mujeres (64,85+2,50 años), los cuales realizaron la SFT. Los resultados indican que ambos grupos tienen una capacidad funcional normal o por encima de ésta. Si valoramos los percentiles los resultados muestran que el grupo en general y respecto a los valores normativos del SFT, tienen elevados índices de fuerza, resistencia y flexibilidad, estando por encima del percentil 50 y una aceptable agilidad estando un poco por debajo del percentil 50. El grupo tiene una buena capacidad funcional. Es necesario a su vez disponer de referencias de población española. Además de incentivar una mayor promoción de programas de actividad física orientada a este tipo de población por los numerosos beneficios que ésta reporta

A review of recent machine learning advances for forecasting harmful Algal Blooms and shellfish contamination

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are among the most severe ecological marine problems worldwide. Under favorable climate and oceanographic conditions, toxin-producing microalgae species may proliferate, reach increasingly high cell concentrations in seawater, accumulate in shellfish, and threaten the health of seafood consumers. There is an urgent need for the development of effective tools to help shellfish farmers to cope and anticipate HAB events and shellfish contamination, which frequently leads to significant negative economic impacts. Statistical and machine learning forecasting tools have been developed in an attempt to better inform the shellfish industry to limit damages, improve mitigation measures and reduce production losses. This study presents a synoptic review covering the trends in machine learning methods for predicting HABs and shellfish biotoxin contamination, with a particular focus on autoregressive models, support vector machines, random forest, probabilistic graphical models, and artificial neural networks (ANN). Most efforts have been attempted to forecast HABs based on models of increased complexity over the years, coupled with increased multi-source data availability, with ANN architectures in the forefront to model these events. The purpose of this review is to help defining machine learning-based strategies to support shellfish industry to manage their harvesting/production, and decision making by governmental agencies with environmental responsibilities.CEECINST/00102/2018/ UIDB/04516/2020/ UIDB/00297/2020/ UIDB/50021/2020/ UID/Multi/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The social structure of european inequality: a multidimensional perspective

The aim of this article is to present some contributions to the understanding of social inequality in Europe today. We analyse the distributional inequalities of economic and educational resources as well as the categorical inequalities between nation states and between social classes. The source of the empirical data was the European Social Survey 2012. We were able to calculate European income deciles, build a matrix of class-country segments, and analyse the intersections of this structural matrix with the distributions of income and schooling. The results reveal high degrees of distributional inequality in Europe. They also show the structural configurations assumed in Europe by the intersection of distributive and categorical inequalities.O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar alguns contributos para a compreensão das desigualdades sociais na Europa atual. Analisam-se as desigualdades distributivas de recursos económicos e educativos assim como as desigualdades categoriais entre estados nacionais e entre classes sociais. A fonte de informação empírica foi o European Social Survey 2012. Foi possível calcular decis europeus de rendimentos, construir uma matriz de segmentos classe-país, e analisar as interseções dessa matriz estrutural com as distribuições de rendimentos e escolaridades. Os resultados revelam graus elevados de desigualdade distributiva na Europa. Mostram também as configurações estruturais assumidas na Europa pelas interseções de desigualdades distributivas e categoriais.L’objectif de cet article est de présenter quelques contributions pour la compréhension des inégalités sociales observées aujourd’hui en Europe. L’analyse porte sur les inégalités distributives de ressources économiques et éducatives ainsi que sur les inégalités catégorielles entre États nationaux et entre classes sociales. La source d’information empirique a été l’Enquête sociale européenne (ESS) 2012. Il a été possible de calculer les déciles européens de revenus, de construire une matrice de segments classe-pays et d’analyser les intersections de cette matrice structurelle avec les distributions de revenus et de scolarités. Les résultats révèlent des niveaux élevés d’inégalité distributive en Europe. Ils montrent aussi les configurations structurelles que prennent en Europe les intersections d’inégalités distributives et catégorielles.El objetivo de este artículo es presentar algunas contribuciones para la comprensión de las desigualdades sociales en la Europa actual. Se analizan las desigualdades distributivas de recursos económicos y educativos, así como las desigualdades de categorías entre estados nacionales y entre clases sociales. La fuente de información empírica fue el European Social Survey (ESS) 2012. Fue posible calcular deciles europeos de rendimientos, construir una matriz de segmentos clase-país, y analizar las intersecciones de esa matriz estructural con las distribuciones de rendimientos y escolaridades. Los resultados revelan grados elevados de desigualdad distributiva en Europa. También muestran las configuraciones estructurales asumidas en Europa por las intersecciones de desigualdades distributivas y entre categorías

findings from a scoping review on models of care

Funding Information: This project is supported by FCT\u2014Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the PhD grant awarded to STD (UI/BD/150882/2021) and the MyBack project (PTDC/SAU-SER/7406/2020), in which EBC is the principal investigator. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.Introduction Models of care (MoCs) describe evidence-informed healthcare that should be delivered to patients. Several MoCs have been implemented for low back pain (LBP) to reduce evidence-to-practice gaps and increase the effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare services. Objective To synthesise research evidence regarding core characteristics and key common elements of MoCs implemented in primary healthcare for the management of LBP. Design Scoping review. Data sources Searches on MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PEDro, Scopus, Web of Science and grey literature databases were conducted. Eligibility criteria Eligible records included MoCs implemented for adult LBP patients in primary healthcare settings. Data extraction and synthesis Data extraction was carried out independently by two researchers and included a summary of the studies, the identification of the MoCs and respective key elements, concerning levels of care, settings, health professionals involved, type of care delivered and core components of the interventions. Findings were investigated through a descriptive qualitative content analysis using a deductive approach. Results 29 studies reporting 11 MoCs were included. All MoCs were implemented in high-income countries and had clear objectives. Ten MoCs included a stratified care approach. The assessment of LBP patients typically occurred in primary healthcare while care delivery usually took place in community-based settings or outpatient clinics. Care provided by general practitioners and physiotherapists was reported in all MoCs. Education (n=10) and exercise (n=9) were the most common health interventions. However, intervention content, follow-ups and discharge criteria were not fully reported. Conclusions This study examines the features of MoCs for LBP, highlighting that research is in its early stages and stressing the need for better reporting to fill gaps in care delivery and implementation. This knowledge is crucial for researchers, clinicians and decision-makers in assessing the applicability and transferability of MoCs to primary healthcare settings.publishersversionpublishe

Aggressive Neuroblastoma in a Pediatric Patient with Severe Hemophilia A

Despite the extensive information regarding hemophilia's hemorrhagic complications, the literature on cancer in hemophilia is scarce, especially in pediatric patients. Many uncertainties remain concerning diagnosis and workup. We report a rare case of two severe diseases (neuroblastoma and hemophilia A (HA)) concomitantly present in the same pediatric patient. We highlight that the diagnosis of severe HA did not have a negative impact on the patient's oncologic course. This case also illustrates the significance of the cooperation among different specialties and hospitals when caring for the same patient.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nano-meter size WC whiskers grown over a compacted pellet of praphite: tungsten powder mixture heated with an ultra-fast heating rate by a concentrated solar beam

In equilibrium binary W-C system, mono-carbide WC is acknowledged as the stable phase under presence of excess free carbon up to temperature 2700 C whereas sub-carbideW2C would form between 1250 C and 2700 C under the carbon-deficiency condition. In unique setup of solar furnace at PROMES-CNRS in Odeillo (France), temperature of specimen is raised from the ambient temperature to target temperature up to 2000 C within fractions of a second. In the recent experimental attempts of W2C phase synthesis using this unique experimental facility starting from compacted pellet consisted of graphite and tungsten powders at ratios smaller than 0.50, we detected growth of nano-meter size WC whisker at the top surface directly exposed to the concentrated solar beam. The presence of WC was confirmed also by X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the top surface but, when the specimen as a whole was subjected to powder XRD analysis, WC became indiscernible being masked by principal W2C phase. Mechanism of formation of the detected WC nano-whisker over sub-stoichiometric C/W pellet during ultra-fast heating by concentrated solar beam is discussed

The constitution of a European inequality area

http://observatorio-das-desigualdades.com/Neste estudo apresenta-se um conjunto de contributos para a caracterização da estrutura do espaço de desigualdades que se formou na Europa atual. O estudo adota uma perspetiva multidimensional das desigualdades e analisa as interseções entre desigualdades distributivas (rendimentos, escolaridades) e desigualdades categoriais (estados nacionais, classes sociais). A pesquisa empírica recorre aos dados do European Social Survey (2012), abrangendo grande parte dos países da Europa. A análise avança uma série de elementos inovadores, nomeadamente: i) questiona as comparações internacionais habituais de rendimentos em PPC; ii) procede ao cálculo de decis de rendimentos transnacionais (europeus); iii) mapeia a localização dos múltiplos segmentos “classe-país” do espaço europeu nas distribuições europeias de recursos económicos (rendimentos); iv) faz o mesmo quanto às distribuições europeias de recursos educativos (escolaridades); v) integra esses elementos numa caracterização estrutural das desigualdades europeias contemporâneas.This study presents a set of contributions to the characterization of the inequality structure that came about in present-day Europe. The study holds a multidimensional perspective of inequality and examines the intersections between distributive inequalities (income, education) and categorical inequalities (national states, social classes). The empirical research draws on data from the European Social Survey (2012), covering most European countries. The analysis puts forward a series of innovative elements, namely: i) challenges the usual international comparisons of income in PPS; ii) carries out the calculation of transnational (European) income deciles; iii) maps the location of the multiple "class-country" segments of the European area in the European distribution of economic resources; iv) does the same for the European distribution of educational resources; v) integrates these elements in a structural characterization of contemporary European inequalities