The new automated daily mortality surveillance system

The experience reported in an earlier Eurosurveillance issue on a fast method to evaluate the impact of the 2003 heatwave on mortality in Portugal, generated a daily mortality surveillance system (VDM) that has been operating ever since jointly with the Portuguese Heat Health Watch Warning System. This work describes the VDM system and how it evolved to become an automated system operating year-round, and shows briefly its potential using mortality data from January 2006 to June 2009 collected by the system itself. The new system has important advantages such as: rapid information acquisition, completeness (the entire population is included), lightness (very little information is exchanged, date of death, age, sex, place of death registration). It allows rapid detection of impacts (within five days) and allows a quick preliminary quantification of impacts that usually took several years to be done. These characteristics make this system a powerful tool for public health action. The VDM system also represents an example of inter-institutional cooperation, bringing together organisations from two different ministries, Health and Justice, aiming at improving knowledge about the mortality in the population

Múltiplos sacos embrionários em ovários do acesso sexual de Brachiaria brizantha (Poaceae).

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Portuguese vs international millennials: How do their conflict management styles differ?

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how conflict management styles are valued and used differently by Portuguese and International Millennials.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tuned liquid dampers simulation for earthquake response control of buildings

This paper is focused on the study of an earthquake protection system, the Tuned Liquid Damper (TLD), which can, if adequately designed, reduce earthquake demands on buildings. This positive effect is accomplished taking into account the oscillation of the free surface of a fluid inside a tank (sloshing). The behaviour of an isolated Tuned Liquid Damper, subjected to a sinusoidal excitation at its base, with different displacement amplitudes, was studied by finite element analysis. The efficiency of the TLD in improving the seismic response of an existing building, representative of modern architecture buildings in southern European countries was also evaluated based on linear dynamic analyses

Pathway Weathering in Granitoid Rocks from Central Region of Angola: Geochemical and Mineralogical Data

The Central Region of Angola is characterized by the abundance of granitoid rocks, whose weathering “in situ” originated the so-called residual soils. The textural, geochemical and mineralogical properties of these soils depend not only on the chemical composition of parent rock, but mainly on the local climatic and geomorphological characteristics. In the study area, sampling sites were selected, which extend from the region of Kwanza- Norte (Kassenda, Dondo) through Kwanza-Sul (Cangulo, Quibala and Waco Kungo) until the plateau of Huambo, where samples of fresh rock, weathered rock and its residual soil were collected along each weathering profile. Chemical analytical data were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of the major and minor elements, whereas mineralogical data were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), on the samples of rock and on the respective residual soil. The results obtained and their comparative analysis between the sampling sites, as well as along each weathering profile is presented. This paper allows contributing to the knowledge of the geochemical weathering in tropical areas, as is the case of Angola

Identificação de sinais químicos envolvidos na infestação de Apis mellifera por Varroa destructor

A Varroa destructor é um ácaro ectoparasita da abelha melífera e agente causal da varroose, doença que pode levar à morte das abelhas. Sendo parasitas, estes ácaros requerem larvas imaturas de abelhas para garantir a procriação e abelhas adultas para a sua sobrevivência. Durante uma fase especifica do seu desenvolvimento, as larvas de abelhas produzem semioquímicos voláteis que estimulam as abelhas obreiras a fechar os favos com criação. Ao mesmo tempo estes mesmos compostos atraem os ácaros de Varroa a infestarem as larvas, escondendo-se no seu alimento até o favo ser fechado. Desta maneira, os sinais químicos emitidos pelas abelhas podem ser explorados de forma a orientar ou desorientar o ácaro e assim interferir com a sua fase de reprodução. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar e identificar os principais semioquímicos emitidos pelas larvas de abelha antes da operculação dos favos de criação. Para isso, foram recolhidos por microextração em fase sólida (SPME), os volatéis emitidos por larvas de zangão e obreiras em diferentes fases de desenvolvimento. A amostragem foi efetuada por dois processos distintos: ex-situ, retirando um determinado número de larvas para um frasco fechado e in-situ, em que a recolha foi efetuada diretamente no quadro com criação para reduzir o sfress das larvas. A análise dos voláteis recolhidos por GC-MS permitiu a identificação de terpenoides como y-terpineno, a-pineno, eucaliptol, p-ocimeno, 3-careno, limoneno, longifoleno, ácidos carboxílicos como o ácido hexanóico, ácido octanóico e ácido nonanóico, aldeídos como o octanal, nonanal e decanal, álcoois como 2-etil-hexan-l-ol e o álcool benzílico, ácidos fenilpropanóicos como o benzoato de metilo e hidrocarbonetos aromáticos como o o-cimeno. A quantidade dos voláteis identificados apresentou variabilidade dependendo dos diferentes estados larvares, verificando-se uma maior concentração de P-ocimeno nas primeiras fases. Após a análise dos voláteis emitidos pelas larvas, foi possível identificar semioquímicos (benzoato de metilo, decanal, ácido octanóico, ácido hexanóico, (3- ocimeno e 3-careno) potencialmente envolvidos no mecanismo de atração da Varroa e infestação das larvas. Para se confirmar este comportamento efetuaram-se bioensaios de comportamento da Varroa em placas de petri perante a presença de duas abelhas obreiras, tendo-se verificado em algumas situações um efeito de dose-resposta repelente e noutras um efeito atrativo. Apesar destes resultados promissores, serão necessários mais estudos ao nível dos órgãos receptores da Varroa de modo a entender melhor os mecanismos de acção destes potenciais sinalizadores químicos responsáveis pela infestação do ácaro.Este trabalho foi financiado pela FCT através dos projetos PTDC/CVT-EPI/2473/2012 e PestOE/AGR/UI0690/2011; A. S. Lima agradece o financiamento da FCT pela Bolsa de Doutoramento SFRH/BD/76091/2011.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can Classic Biomarkers be Prognosticators in Heart Failure? - Data from the REFERENCE study

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Neglected hematological parameters in heart failure prognosis – Disclosures from the REFERENCE study

Aims: In heart failure patients, anemia and iron deficiency are predictors of poor outcome. We studied the association of anemia, iron deficiency and related hematological parameters with short-term rehospitalization, short-term all-cause mortality and end of follow-up all-cause mortality in heart failure patients. Material and Methods: Anemia, iron deficiency, red cell distribution width and erythropoietin were assessed in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure. Univariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the relationship between variables and outcomes. Results: 65 patients were followed for a median of 13.7 (Q1-Q3 6.7-18.9) months. Mean age was 79.2 (SD 10.8) years. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 50.38 ± 19.07 %. Variables associated with an increased risk for short-term rehospitalization were red cell distribution width (HR 1.35; 95% CI 1.16- 1.58), anemia (HR 3.81; 95% CI 1.29-11.28) and anemia with iron deficiency (HR 3.50; 95% CI 1.30-9.38). Increased risk for short-term mortality was associated with red cell distribution width (HR 1.83; 95% CI 1.29-2.59), erythropoietin (HR 1.38; 95% CI 1.04-1.82), absolute iron deficiency (HR 7.22; 95% CI 1.50-34.81) and anemia with iron deficiency (HR 4.48; 95% CI 1.26-15.88). Variables associated with increased risk for end of follow-up mortality were red cell distribution width (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.12-1.54) and erythropoietin (HR 1.29; 95% CI 1.11-1.49). Conclusions: Conclusions: Anemia and red cell distribution width correlated with higher risk for short-term rehospitalization. Absolute iron deficiency, red cell distribution width and erythropoietin were associated with higher risk for short-term mortality. Red cell distribution width and erythropoietin were associated with higher risk for end of follow-up mortality.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio