Predicting Renal Scar after Pyelonephritis in Children Younger than Two Years of Age

Objectivos. Identificar factores laboratoriais e imagiológicos associados ao desenvolvimento de cicatriz renal sequelar após pielonefrite em doentes com menos de dois anos de idade e avaliar o papel da ecografia no estudo não invasivo de pielonefrite. Local. Hospital pediátrico universitário de nível III. População. Crianças com idade inferior a dois anos hospitalizadas com o diagnóstico de primeira pielonefrite. Métodos. Avaliação prospectiva do risco de cicatriz renal, através de parâmetros laboratoriais e imagiológicos. Estudo de efectividade da ecografia renal e vesical para identificar pielonefrite aguda e refluxo vesico-ureteral (RVU). Admite-se como método padrão para detecção de pielonefrite aguda e cicatriz renal a cintigrafia renal com DMSA e para detecção de RVU, a cisto-uretografia permiccional (CUM). Resultados. Estudaram-se 134 crianças, com mediana de idades de 3 meses (p25-p75: 1-9 meses) sendo 60% do sexo masculino. Acintigrafia em ambulatório evidenciou a presença de cicatriz renal em 42% das crianças. Valores de proteína C reactiva superiores a 5 mg/dl estiveram associados a alterações da cintigrafia em ambulatório [RR 2,7 (IC95% 1,1-7), VP+ 64,3%, VP– 76,5%]. A presença de RVU grau ≥ II esteve associada a cicatriz renal na cintigrafia em ambulatório [RR 2,6 (IC95% 1,7-4,2), VP+ 100%, VP–51,7%]. Vinte por cento das crianças tinha RVU verificado pela CUM, tendo a ecografia excluído de forma significativa a sua presença, em relação à CUM [LR+ 9,9 (1,4-69,3), VP– 94,4%]. Conclusões. No grupo estudado, o valor de proteína C reactiva e a presença de RVU grau ≥ II foram os principais factores preditivos de cicatriz renal. O papel da ecografia parece ser relevante no estudo de pielonefrite, sobretudo para excluir RVU

Low-field microwave absorption and magnetoresistance in iron nanostructures grown by electrodeposition on n-type lightly-doped silicon substrates

In this study we investigate magnetic properties, surface morphology and crystal structure in iron nanoclusters electrodeposited on lightly-doped (100) n-type silicon substrates. Our goal is to investigate the spin injection and detection in the Fe/Si lateral structures. The samples obtained under electric percolation were characterized by magnetoresistive and magnetic resonance measurements with cycling the sweeping applied field in order to understand the spin dynamics in the as-produced samples. The observed hysteresis in the magnetic resonance spectra, plus the presence of a broad peak in the non-saturated regime confirming the low field microwave absorption (LFMA), were correlated to the peaks and slopes found in the magnetoresistance curves. The results suggest long range spin injection and detection in low resistive silicon and the magnetic resonance technique is herein introduced as a promising tool for analysis of electric contactless magnetoresistive samples.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Built environment perceptions: How older people decode outdoor public spaces

When UN released the “Global Age Friendly Cities: A Guide” in 2007, the concern around ageing people and their needs was evident. As the world ages, the built environment requires special attention in order to assist this growing part of the society. An age-friendly city demands an inclusive design that includes e.g. green spaces, safe pavements and safe pedestrian crossings. Also, mobility in cities and new forms of transport as bicycles and electrical scooters demand the update of urban design guidelines and urban policies. The goals of this study are to provide an overview of existing literature regarding emotions and perception from older people related to the exterior built environment by mapping these publications according to several criteria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Older people perceptions on the built environment: A scoping review

As the world ages, the built environment requires special attention to assist this growing part of society and therefore the update of urban design guidelines and urban policies is required. The goal of this study is to provide an overview of existing literature regarding emotions and perceptions from older people related to the outdoor built environment. A scoping review was performed using empirical studies in 12 scientific databases in a fourteen-year period (2007–2021) involving people at least 60 years old and outdoor built environment perceptions. Collected evidence identified 52 papers following the PRISMA procedure. Studies reported basic emotions (e.g., fear, joy) and space perceptions (e.g., walkability, accessibility) regarding the outdoor built environment as sidewalks, streets, and greenery. Our study reinforces the importance of analyzing older people perceptions regarding the outdoor built environment so that architects, urban planners, and decision makers have information to design solutions that fit older people needs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dinosaurs and other vertebrates from the Papo-Seco Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of southern Portugal

New vertebrate remains reported from the Papo-Seco Formation (Lower Barremian, Lower Cretaceous) of Areias do Mastro, in Cabo Espichel, SW Portugal, south of Lisbon. The marine, lagoonal, and estuarine limestones, marls, sands and gravels have yielded remains of dinosaurs and other reptiles since the 19th century. Recent paleontological prospecting produced several vertebrate remains, including turtle shell fragments, crocodilian teeth, fish and pterosaurs. Research identified both bones and teeth of fish, crocodiles, dinosaurs Baryonyx and iguanodontian, as well as a ctenochasmatoid pterosaur, and a possible ornithocheirid pterosaur. These new disclosures are an important contribution to the knowledge of vertebrate diversity from the Portuguese Cretaceous. Faunal species combination proven to be similar to other faunal associations of Barremian formations in the Iberian Peninsula.Se presentan nuevos restos fósiles de vertebrados de la formación Papo-Seco (Barremiense inferior, Cretácico Inferior), en el yacimiento de Areias do Mastro, SW de Portugal, al sur de Lisboa. En las margas, arenas, areniscas y calizas de origen marino y estuarino de esta formación localizada en el Cabo Espichel, y ya desde el siglo XIX, se han encontrado restos de dinosaurios y otros reptiles. Recientemente, nuestra prospección sacó a la luz varios restos fósiles de vertebrados, entre los que se incluyen fragmentos de caparazón de tortuga, dientes de cocodrilo, de peces actinopterigios y de pterosaurio (ctenocasmatoideo y posiblemente ornitoqueiroideo), así como algunos huesos y dientes de dinosaurios. Hemos identificado restos de Baryonyx y de ornitópodos iguanodontios. Su descubrimiento representa una importante contribución al conocimiento de la diversidad de vertebrados existentes en el Cretácico portugués. La combinación de las especies muestra ser similar a otras asociaciones de la fauna de las formaciones Barremienses en la Península Ibérica

The Portuguese Polytechnicians of the ‘long nineteenth century’: technical expertise, military aspirations, and political disenchantment. A preliminary study

This article focuses on the career paths of students who completed the preparatory course addressed to future military officers and engineers offered by the Lisbon Polytechnic School. We show that, after completing their studies, the Lisbon polytechnicians held positions in the public service and carried out the policies of State modernization launched by the Liberals in the period known as the Regeneration (Regeneração: 1851 coup-d’état to 1868). The graduates became in this way part of the Portuguese “technoscientific aristocracy.” Yet, despite its key role in preparing this technoscientific bureaucracy, the Lisbon Polytechnic School did not turn into the alma mater of the Portuguese political elite, which continued to be the University of Coimbra. In effect, an overall study of the career paths of former students of the Lisbon Polytechnic points to a relatively low level of political formal engagement

On the probability distributions of the force and potential energy for a system with an infinite number of random point sources

In this work, we study the probability distribution for the force and potential energy of a test particle interacting with $N$ point random sources in the limit $N\rightarrow\infty$. The interaction is given by a central potential $V(R)=k/R^{\delta-1}$ in a $d$-dimensional euclidean space, where $R$ is the random relative distance between the source and the test particle, $\delta$ is the force exponent, and $k$ is the coupling parameter. In order to assure a well-defined limit for the probability distribution of the force and potential energy, we { must} renormalize the coupling parameter and/or the system size as a function of the number $N$ of sources. We show the existence of three non-singular limits, depending on the exponent $\delta$ and the spatial dimension $d$. (i) For $\delta<d$ the force and potential energy { converge} to their respective mean values. This limit is called Mean Field Limit. (ii) For $\delta>d+1$ the potential energy converges to a random variable and the force to a random vector. This limit is called Thermodynamic Limit. (iii) For $d<\delta<d+1$ the potential energy converges to its mean and the force to a random vector. This limit is called Mixed Limit Also, we show the existence of two singular limits: (iv) for $\delta=d$ the potential energy converges to its mean and the force to zero, and (v) for $\delta=d+1$ the energy converges to a finite value and the force to a random vector.Comment: 25 pages, 5 tables, Preprint Articl