Desenvolvimento e avaliação de um simulador de chuvas para teste acelerado de degradação

Entre os principais agentes de degradação em alvenarias externas e seus componentes, a chuva e o vento são considerados responsáveis por até 70% dos casos de infiltração, causando problemas que vão desde problemas estéticos a decomposição de elementos que constituem as fachadas. Apesar dos estudos de erosão se concentrarem na avaliação de blocos de terra, nos elementos a base de cimento Portland, a retirada do hidróxido de sódio livre por lixiviação, aumentando a porosidade, aumenta também a susceptibilidade ao ataque por sulfatos e a carbonatação e, por conseguinte, expõe os compostos cimentícios à decomposição. Por outro lado, o hidróxido de cálcio lixiviado reage com o gás carbônico presente no ar precipitando-se na superfície em forma de crostas brancas, reacção esta denominada de eflorescência. Apesar dos revestimentos protegerem as paredes de intempéries, os rebocos à base de cimento também estão passivos à ocorrência de eflorescência e, por conseguinte, de degradação pela acção de chuvas. Neste trabalho é feita uma breve revisão sobre os ensaios de simulação de chuvas já publicados e, em seguida, apresentada uma proposta de equipamento de ensaio, metodologia para levantamento de dados e validação do teste através da correlação dos parâmetros adoptados com os dados de caracterização de chuvas em Portugal

Durability performance of fly ash based one-part geopolymer mortars

Environmental concerns regarding the high CO2 emissions related to the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) led to research efforts on the development of eco-efficient alternative binders. Geopolymers constitute promising inorganic binders alternative to OPC which are based on aluminosilicates by-products and alkali activators. The geopolymerization technology of aluminosilicates is a complex chemical process evolving dissolution of raw materials, transportation, orientation and polycondensation of the reaction products. Classical two part geopolymers could become more eco-efficient with a lower CO2 footprint if sodium silicate usage is avoided. Besides current geopolymeric mixes can suffer from efflorescence originated by the fact that alkaline or soluble silicates that are added during processing cannot be totally consumed during geopolymerisation. Therefore, new and improved geopolymer mixes are needed. One-part geopolymers (sodium silicate free) were first proposed in 2007. However, very few papers were published on these materials. This paper presents experimental results on the durability performance of one-part geopolymers concerning water absorption, penetration of chloride, carbonation resistance and resistance to acid attack. Hydration products results assessed by FTIR spectra are also presented.(undefined

Green thermal aggregates: influence of the physical properties of recycled aggregates with phase change materials

Increasing construction and demolition waste (CDW) and the large amount of energy consumption in the building operation process are high-profile issues at present. In the construction industry, recycled aggregated (RA) from CDW can be reutilized in construction, along with green materials, for example, as a road base layer, as aggregate in concrete, etc. Phase change materials (PCM) are often used as building materials due to their good latent heat storage properties. With the use of RA as a matrix to absorb PCM, a thermal performance aggregate can be obtained. This work studied the physical properties of RA from Portugal and combined PCM with RA to prepare a green thermal aggregate through two methodologies using a vacuum and atmospheric pressure. The green aggregate was used in concrete to observe its effect on the compressive strength of concrete. The results showed that the amount of PCM absorbed by the RA mainly depends on the porosity of the matrix material. At the same time, the volume expansion coefficient of PCM was 2.7%, which was not enough to destroy the RA. Ultimately, as the amount of green thermal aggregate increases, the compressive strength of concrete decreases. Green thermal aggregate prepared under vacuum conditions has a greater negative impact on the compressive strength of concrete.This work was partly financed by the FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) received from the R&D Centre for Territory, Environment, and Construction (CTAC), under reference UIDB/04047/2020 and UIBD/152844/2022

Механические характеристики геополимерных растворов на основе тунисской кальцинированной глины, золы-уноса и метакаолина

Infrastructure rehabilitation represents a multitrillion dollar opportunity for the construction industry. Since the majority of the existent infrastructures are Portland cement concrete based this means that concrete infrastructure rehabilitation is a hot issue to be dealt with. Geopolymers are novel inorganic binders with high potential to replace Portland cement based ones. So far very few studies in the geopolymer field have addressed the rehabilitation of deteriorated concrete structures. This paper discloses results of an investigation concerning the development geopolymeric repair mortars. The mortars are based on Tunisian clay coming from Medenine region, plus calcium hydroxide, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. Results show that the geopolymeric mortar has a high compressive strength and a lower unrestrained shrinkage performance as long as partial replacement by metakaolin is carried out. The results also show that Tunisian calcined clay based mortars have hydration products with typical geopolymeric phases.s a high compressive strength and a lower unrestrained shrinkage performance as long as partial replacement by metakaolin is carried out. The results also show that Tunisian calcined clay based mortars have hydration products with typical geopolymeric phases.Восстановление инфраструктуры требует много- милионных затрат. Поскольку большая часть стро- ительных объектов возведена с использованием бе- тона на основе портландцемента, ремонт именно та- ких сооружений является важнейшим направлением дальнейших исследований. Геополимеры — новые не- органические вяжущие вещества, которые с высокой долей вероятности могут стать альтернативой портланд- цементу. Немногочисленные исследования геополи- меров были посвящены возможности их использо- вания при ремонте поврежденных бетонных кон- струкций. В данной работе представлены результаты исследований по разработке ремонтных растворов на основе геополимеров. В качестве основного ком- понента была выбрана тунисская глина из области Меденин с введением в качестве затворителя гидрок- сида кальция, натриевого жидкого стекла и гидрок- сида натрия. Результаты исследования показали, что геополимерный раствор обладает высокой прочно- стью при сжатии и низким уровнем усадки в свобод- ном состоянии (далее усадка) при условии частичной замены глины метакаолином. Кроме того, получен- ные результаты показали, что в растворах на основе тунисской кальцинированной глины продукты гидрата- ции соответствуют стандартным геополимерным фазам.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Global variations in diabetes mellitus based on fasting glucose and haemogloblin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but may identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening had elevated FPG, HbA1c, or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardised proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed, and detected in survey screening, ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the agestandardised proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global gap in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.peer-reviewe

Avaliação da durabilidade de concretos autoadensáveis com reduzido teor de cimento e elevados teores de adições minerais

A indústria de concreto é uma grande consumidora de recursos naturais, seja para a produção de agregados, ou para a produção de cimento Portland, onde grandes quantidades de calcário são extraídas. Além disso, a indústria do cimento tem uma grande contribuição na emissão de gases responsáveis pelo efeito estufa, portanto iniciativas que busquem reduzir o consumo de cimento nos concretos são importantes para a sustentabilidade das construções. Este trabalho avalia parâmetros de durabilidade de concretos autoadensáveis (CAA) com baixo consumo de cimento e elevados teores de cinza volante e metacaulim, com e sem a adição de cal, em comparação a dois concretos sem adições. Foram avaliados CAA com consumos de cimento entre 150 e 200 kg por m3 de concreto. Os ensaios realizados foram de resistividade, difusão de íons cloreto (LNEC E-463/2004), carbonatação acelerada e absorção por capilaridade. Os resultados demonstram a aptidão em produzir CAA com misturas terciárias e quaternárias com baixo consumo e que atendam as resistências correntes aos 28 dias (30 a 40 MPa), proporcionando ainda ganhos acentuados na durabilidade e elevadas resistências aos 90 dias

Características dos blocos de cimento furados para alvenaria

A utilização do bloco de cimento furado é uma das soluções construtivas em alvenaria e a sua adaptação de acordo com os benefícios económicos, construtivos, não é apenas uma necessidade atual, mas também nacional. A alvenaria é um sistema construtivo amplamente utilizado em todos os países que permite a utilização de paredes como envolvente vertical de edifícios. Os blocos de cimento são produzidos artificialmente, por isso é preciso analisar por meio dos ensaios laboratoriais as propriedades físicas e mecânicas dos materiais utilizados. As mudanças climáticas têm várias consequências em todo o mundo, inclusive nas construções de engenharia civil em geral. Os eventos de verão e inverno estão relacionados a danos à infraestrutura urbana e associados a riscos à sua segurança, tornando-se cada vez mais comuns no futuro. Os ensaios em relação com alvenarias são os ensaios de resistências à compressão, a porosidade, a densidade dos materiais. Há outros ensaios em relação com a durabilidade e a patologia da construção. Os resultados dos ensaios laboratoriais de caracterização e envelhecimento acelerado dos materiais são fundamentais para a obtenção da qualidade e durabilidade dos materiais da alvenaria de blocos de cimento. A resistência dos blocos de cimento está relacionada com a massa do provete. Quanto maior a massa do bloco de cimento, maior será a resistência, quanto menor a massa, menor será a resistência. As superfícies dos rebocos protegida por uma tinta de resina epóxi, resiste melhor ao ataque do sulfato de sódio.Este trabalho foi financiado pela Adenda nº 20 ao Protocolo de Cooperação Cultural, Científica, Pedagógica e Institucional entre a Universidade do Minho e a Universidade Nacional de Timor Lorosa'e