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

Novel cell models to study breast tumour microenvironment and disease progression

Breast cancer is the most prevalent and deadly in woman. ER+ breast cancer represents around two-thirds of all cases and has a favourable prognosis due to good response to endocrine therapy. However, these tumours present 25% of disease relapse due to drug resistance and metastatic behaviour. Tumour progression and acquired drug resistance are modulated by the interactions between tumour cells and the surrounding microenvironment. Most models employed to address these mechanisms fail to reflect the complex tumour microenvironment and do not allow long-term monitoring of tumour progression. (...

VPRO - um identificador de padrões de seqüências.

bitstream/CNPTIA/11542/1/ct81.pdfAcesso em: 28 maio 2008

Toward automated evaluation of interactive segmentation

We previously described a system for evaluating interactive segmentation by means of user experiments (McGuinness and O’Connor, 2010). This method, while effective, is time-consuming and labor-intensive. This paper aims to make evaluation more practicable by investigating if it is feasible to automate user interactions. To this end, we propose a general algorithm for driving the segmentation that uses the ground truth and current segmentation error to automatically simulate user interactions. We investigate four strategies for selecting which pixels will form the next interaction. The first of these is a simple, deterministic strategy; the remaining three strategies are probabilistic, and focus on more realistically approximating a real user. We evaluate four interactive segmentation algorithms using these strategies, and compare the results with our previous user experiment-based evaluation. The results show that automated evaluation is both feasible and useful

Isomerização da D-glucose em D-frutose na presença de zeólitos modificados

A isomerização da D-glucose em D-frutose é uma reação de grande interesse para diferentes setores industriais. Presentemente, as aplicações da frutose incidem principalmente nos setores alimentar e farmacêutico. Contudo, esta reação é um passo chave na valorização da biomassa à base de carboidratos (os biopolímeros mais abundante no nosso planeta) para produzir compostos furânicos como bioprodutos plataforma, em biorrefinarias. Esta temática insere-se no grupo G4 - Biorrefinarias, Materiais de Origem Biológica e Reciclagem - do CICECO-Instituto de Materiais de Aveiro. Os processos industriais de produção da D-frutose usam biocatalisadores, os quais apresentam desvantagens como limitada estabilidade térmica e química e custo relativamente elevado. Seria desejável o uso de catalisadores heterogéneos robustos, possuindo propriedades básicas. Neste sentido, os zeólitos são catalisadores promissores, sendo alguns usados em refinarias de petróleo. Contudo, os zeólitos possuem um sistema de microporos que pode levar a limitações difusionais internas em reações envolvendo moléculas com tamanhos próximos ou maiores que a largura dos poros. Este trabalho centrou-se na modificação de zeólitos comerciais do tipo Beta e ZSM-5 de forma a introduzir espécies ativas e mesoporosidade para a isomerização da D-glucose em D-frutose, em fase aquosa, a 100 ºC. Os tratamentos pós-síntese consistiram em tratamentos alcalinos com NaOH ou KOH, seguido de impregnação em estado sólido com diferentes metais alcalinoterrosos (Me). Investigou-se a influência de diferentes parâmetros de preparação dos catalisadores nos seus desempenhos catalíticos, nomeadamente o tipo e concentração de base usada no tratamento alcalino, e o tipo e quantidade de metal alcalinoterroso impregnado. Os materiais foram caracterizados por SEM, EDS, mapeamento dos elementos constituintes, DRX de pós, isotérmicas de adsorção-dessorção de N2 a -196 ⁰C e espetroscopia de RMN de 27Al MAS. Os desempenhos catalíticos foram avaliados em termos de atividade, seletividade e estabilidade para a D-frutose. Os materiais contendo espécies à base de Me apresentaram maior atividade e seletividade para a D-frutose relativamente aos materiais precursores (sem Me). Obtiveram-se rendimentos em D-frutose até 24 %(mol/mol). Sendo a estabilidade catalítica um fator de extrema importância para aplicação industrial, estudou-se a estabilidade catalítica e a influência das condições de regeneração dos catalisadores, dada a sua extrema importância para aplicação industrial. Um dos materiais mais promissores foi preparado através de um tratamento alcalino com uma solução aquosa de hidróxido de potássio (0.4M), seguido de impregnação com magnésio numa quantidade de 2.5 %(m/m) e calcinação (o catalisador usado foi regenerado a 600 ⁰C).The isomerization of D-glucose into D-fructose is a reaction of great interest in several industrial sectors. Presently, the applications of D-fructose are mostly noted on the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Additionally, D-fructose can be used as an intermediate in reactions of carbohydrate biomass (carbohydrates are the most abundant natural polymers on Earth) that lead to bio-based platform chemicals, such as furanics for biorefineries. This topic lies in the context of G4-Biorefineries, Biobased Materiais and Recycling, of the research structure of CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials. Current industrial processes of D-fructose production use biocatalysts. These present disadvantages such as limited thermal and chemical stability and a relatively high cost. Robust heterogeneous catalysts with basic properties would be preferable. In this sense, zeolites (some of which are used in oil refineries) seem promising. Despite that, zeolites possess crystalline micropores structures which may lead to internal diffusional limitations in reactions which involve molecules of size similar or larger than the micropore sizes. This thesis focuses on the modification of commercial zeolites Beta and ZSM-5 in order to introduce active species and mesoporosity to promote the isomerization of D-glucose to D-fructose, using water as solvent, at 100 ºC. The post-synthesis modification consisted of alkaline treatment with either NaOH or KOH, followed by solid state impregnation with different alkaline earth metals (Me). The influence of different parameters of the synthesis on the catalytic performance of the catalysts was investigated, such as the amount and type of base used in the alkaline treatment, and the amount and type of Me impregnated. The materials were characterized by SEM, EDS, elemental mapping, powder XRD, adsorption-desorption isotherms of N2 at -196 ºC and 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic performances were evaluated according to the catalytic activity, selectivity to D-fructose and catalyst stability. The materials impregnated with Me possessed superior catalytic activity than their precursors without Me. D-Fructose yields of up to 24% (mol/mol) were reached. Since catalyst stability is of high importance for industrial use, the catalyst stability and regeneration conditions were investigated. One of the most promising catalysts was prepared via an alkaline treatment with an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (0.4 M), followed by solid state impregnation of magnesium in an amount of 2.5 % (m/m), and calcination (the catalyst was regenerated at 600 ºC).Mestrado em Engenharia Químic

Prática desportiva de adolescentes em acolhimento residencial : percepções, significados e motivações

Este estudo teve como principal objectivo analisar as percepções, significados e motivações que adolescentes em acolhimento residencial manifestam sobre a sua prática desportiva. Para o desenvolvimento desta investigação, foram entrevistados 25 adolescentes de três casas de acolhimento do distrito do Porto, com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 19 anos. Foi utilizado um guião semi-estruturado e realizada uma análise de conteúdo com recurso ao NVivo. Os resultados apontam para claros benefícios da prática de desporto ao nível do bem-estar dos adolescentes, influenciando-os de forma positiva no seu quotidiano. Os adolescentes identificam aprendizagens para a vida, tais como a persistência, a resiliência e o valor do esforço. Os dados sugerem a importância de se favorecer a prática desportiva de adolescentes em acolhimento residencial, intencionalizando estes momentos através da promoção de oportunidades de reflexão potenciadoras do desenvolvimento das crianças e jovens.The main objective of this study was to analyze the perceptions, meanings and motivations that teenagers in host institutions show about their sports practice. For the development of this research, 25 teenagers aged between 12 and 19 years, from three host institutions in Porto area, were questioned. A semi-structured script was used and a qualitative content analysis was performed through NVivo software. The obtained results point to clear benefits of practicing sport in terms of well-being, influencing teenagers in a positive way in their daily lives. Adolescents identify lifelong learning, such as persistence, resilience, and the value of effort. The obtained data suggest the importance of favoring the sports practice of teenagers in host institutions, by making these moments available through the promotion of reflection opportunities advantageous to the development of children and young people