Subsidence Hazard in Limestone Cavities: The Case of “Grutas da Moeda”

“Grutas da Moeda” are natural touristic caves, located in the plateau of São Mamede, 5 minutes away from the Sanctuary of Fátima. They have been opened to the public since 1974, and receives about 75,000 visitors per year, from 76 nationalities. They are inserted in the “Maciço Calcário Estremenho”, composed by limestone deposits of the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian), corresponding to the Serra de Aire formation and Upper Jurassic limestone deposits corresponding to the Cabaços and Montejunto formations. The geological risk assessment is fundamental to guarantee the safety of its visitors and workers, therefore it is intended to develop methodologies of geotechnical monitoring in order to collect data to understand the risks that may be associated with this natural cavity and to identify critical areas of collapse. In the caves there are four main alignments (faults / joints), N35ºW, N150ºE, N75ºE and N100ºE, which assume a parallelism with the development of the caves. The trend of the layers in the cave are approximately N30ºE pending 17ºSE. In the year 2015, a geophysical study was carried out in the caves, using the 3D electrical resistivity method and, for one of the areas in particular, the georadar method. The georadar method allowed to map the anomalies corresponding to empty spaces that have been identified with the 3D electrical resistivity technique. This paper presents the results obtained, as well as proposals for geotechnical measures to mitigate the risk of collapse subsidence.GeoBioTe

Business Intelligence platform for COVID-19 Monitoring: A case study

With the emergence of the COVID-19 virus, the need to effectively and flexibly plan and manage the measures to be applied within a Healthcare institution has become imperative. New knowledge about the disease and legislative changes arose frequently and with high impacts on clinical practice and management. The platform developed under this case study aggregates data from multiple sources within the Healthcare Institution and also from external entities, such as clinical analysis laboratories. Thus, it provides a set of dashboards that seeks to present in a simple and intuitive way, data analysis ranging from COVID tests and their results, bed occupancy, with an exceptional focus in occupancy in Intensive Care Units, to monitoring the positive movements of COVID patients in the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto (CHUP), in almost real time. The development of this data collection, analysis and demonstration platform was created in response to a critical need for reliable information so that clinical and management decisions could be supported by solid foundations based on facts and current and reliable data.The work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Projects Scope: DSAIPA/DS/0084/201

Subsidence Hazard in Limestone Cavities: The Case of “Grutas da Moeda” (Fátima, Central Portugal)

“Grutas da Moeda” are natural touristic caves, located in the plateau of São Mamede, near Sanctuary of Fátima, in Portugal. They have been opened to the public since 1974, and receives about 75,000 visitors per year, from 76 nationalities. They are located in the “Maciço Calcário Estremenho”, composed by limestone deposits of the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian), corresponding to the Serra de Aire formation. The geological risk assessment is fundamental to guarantee the safety of its visitors and staff; therefore, it is intended to develop geotechnical monitoring methodologies in order to collect data to understand the risks that may be associated with this natural cavity and to identify critical areas of collapse. There are four main alignments (faults/joints), which assume parallelism with the development of the caves. The trend of the layers in the cave is approximately N30ºE; 17ºSE. In the year 2015, a geophysical study was carried out, using the 3D electrical resistivity method and, for one of the areas in particular, the georadar method. The georadar method allowed to map the anomalies corresponding to empty spaces that have been identified with the 3D electrical resistivity technique. This paper presents the results obtained, as well as proposals for geotechnical measures to mitigate the risk of collapse subsidence.GeoBioTe

Capturing complex human behaviors in representative sports contexts with a single camera

Background and objective. In the last years, several motion analysis methods have been developed without considering representative contexts for sports performance. The purpose of this paper was to explain and underscore a straightforward method to measure human behavior in these contexts. Material and methods. Procedures combining manual video tracking (with TACTO device) and bidimensional reconstruction (through direct linear transformation) using a single camera were used in order to capture kinematic data required to compute collective variable(s) and control parameter(s). These procedures were applied to a 1vs1 association football task as an illustrative subphase of team sports and will be presented in a tutorial fashion. Results. Preliminary analysis of distance and velocity data identified a collective variable (difference between the distance of the attacker and the defender to a target defensive area) and two nested control parameters (interpersonal distance and relative velocity). Conclusions. Findings demonstrated that the complementary use of TACTO software and direct linear transformation permit to capture and reconstruct complex human actions in their context in a low dimensional space (information reduction).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A 802.11p prototype implementation

This paper presents an IEEE 802.11p full-stack prototype implementation to data exchange among vehicles and between vehicles and the roadway infrastructures. The prototype architecture is based on FPGAs for Intermediate Frequency (IF) and base band purposes, using 802.11a based transceivers for RF interfaces. Power amplifiers were also addressed, by using commercial and in-house solutions. This implementation aims to provide technical solutions for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field, namely for tolling and traffic management related services, in order to promote safety, mobility and driving comfort through the dynamic and real-time cooperation among vehicles and/or between vehicles and infrastructures. The performance of the proposed scheme is tested under realistic urban and suburban driving conditions. Preliminary results are promising, since they comply with most of the 802.11p standard requirements

Cães naturalmente infectados por Rangelia vitalii, Babesia canis vogeli, e Ehrlichia canis em São Paulo, Brasil

As hemoparasitoses em cães podem ser causadas por diversos agentes, sendo essas doenças transmitidas por artrópodes hematófagos. Esses agentes podem causar diversas manifestações clínicas e, em alguns casos, podem matar o hospedeiro. Este estudo teve como objetivo detectar por PCR em tempo real a frequência de Ehrlichia canis, Rickettsia rickettsii, Anaplasma platys, Rangelia vitalii e Babesia canis vogeli em amostras de cães da zona sul da cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. Das 98 amostras de cães, 18 (18,4%) testaram positivo com reação em cadeia da polimerase em tempo real para pelo menos um agente estudado. Destas 18 amostras, 17 testaram positivo para um único agente (11,2% para B. canis vogeli, 1,02% para R. vitalii e 5,1% para E. canis), e uma apresentou coinfecção com B. canis vogeli e R. vitalii. Os resultados demonstram a presença de hemoparasitas nos animais estudados, o que pode influenciar a qualidade e a expectativa de vida desses animais. Além disso, é o primeiro relato da detecção de R. vitalli na zona sul de São Paulo e serve de alerta para os clínicos de pequenos animais incluírem esse agente como diagnóstico diferencial para as hemoparasitoses.Several agents can cause hemoparasitic diseases in dogs, and blood-sucking arthropods transmit these diseases. These agents can cause several clinical manifestations and, in some cases, can kill the host. Because these agents are essential in animal health, this study aims to detect the frequency of Ehrlichia canis, Rickettsia rickettsii, Anaplasma platys, and Rangelia vitalii by real-time PCR and Babesia vogeli in dogs in the southern region of the city of São Paulo, São Paulo. Of the 98 dog samples, 18 (18.4%) tested positive with real-time polymerase chain reaction for at least one studied agent. Of these 18 samples, 17 tested positive for a single agent (11.2% for B. canis vogeli, 1.02% for R. vitalii, and 5.1% for E. canis), and one showed co-infection with B. canis vogeli and R. vitalii. The results demonstrate the presence of hemoparasites in the studied animals, which can influence the quality and life expectancy of these animals. The Rangelia detection warns small animal clinicians to include it as a differential diagnosis for hemoparasitosis.

Gestão da água e das águas residuais para uma viticultura e enologia sustentáveis no sul de Portugal - Revisão

Assessing sustainability of the wine industry requires improved characterization of its environmental impacts, namely in terms of water use. Therefore, quantification of water inputs and wastewater (WW) outputs is needed to highlight inefficiencies in wine production and related consequences for the environment. Water use and WW generation in irrigated viticulture and oenology remains insufficiently quantified for dry Mediterranean regions (e.g. South Portugal). This paper is focused on wine production under warm and dry climate conditions in the winegrowing region of Alentejo (South Portugal). This region experiences increasingly dry conditions, while the irrigated area keeps expanding, which puts exacerbates the pressure on existing local and regional water resources. Additionally, more erratic variation in climate conditions and the tendency for increasingly extreme climate events (e.g. heat waves) pose more challenges to Alentejo’s wine sector. We conclude that quantitative information on water use and management is not always easy to obtain or access, which hinders improved strategies and/or policies for water use at farm, winery and region-level. Up-to-date statistics and robust metrics can help to better characterize water use and WW flows for Alentejo’s wine region, while optimizing management in vineyards and wineries, in companies and region-wide. The paper is focused on a “Farm-Winery" scenario, which is the most common in South Portugal's wine sectorA avaliação da sustentabilidade da indústria vitivinícola requer uma caracterização detalhada do seu impacto ambiental, nomeadamente ao nível do factor água. A quantificação detalhada dos consumos de água e das águas residuais produzidas (WW) é crucial para identificação de ineficiências na indústria da vinha e do vinho. A utilização da água e a gestão dos efluentes em viticultura regada e na adega permanecem pouco quantificados nas regiões mediterrânicas. O presente trabalho centra-se na produção de vinho em condições de clima quente e seco, tomando como exemplo a região vitivinícola do Alentejo (Sul de Portugal). A região está sujeita a situações de seca mais frequentes e severas, enquanto a área regada continua em expansão, o que pressiona os recursos hídricos locais e regionais. Além disso, as condições climáticas altamente variáveis e a maior tendência para eventos climáticos extremos (e.g. ondas de calor) colocam desafios ao setor vitivinícola no Sul de Portugal. Concluímos que a informação quantitativa relativa ao uso e gestão de água não está sempre facilmente disponível, limitando a otimização de estratégias e/ou políticas para o uso da água ao nível da vinha, da adega e da região. Dados atualizados e indicadores robustos podem ajudar a caracterizar melhor o uso de água e a geração de água residual na região vitivinícola do Alentejo, otimizando a gestão na vinha e na adega, ao nível da empresa e da região. O artigo centra-se num cenário de produtor-engarrafador (“Farm-Winery”), que é o mais comum no setor vitivinícola no Sul de Portugalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mixed carbon nanomaterial/epoxy resin for electrically conductive adhesives

The increasing complexity of printed circuit boards (PCBs) due to miniaturization, increased the density of electronic components, and demanding thermal management during the assembly triggered the research of innovative solder pastes and electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs). Current commercial ECAs are typically based on epoxy matrices with a high load (>60%) of silver particles, generally in the form of microflakes. The present work reports the production of ECAs based on epoxy/carbon nanomaterials using carbon nanotubes (single and multi-walled) and exfoliated graphite, as well as hybrid compositions, within a range of concentrations. The composites were tested for morphology (dispersion of the conductive nanomaterials), electrical and thermal conductivity, rheological characteristics and deposition on a test PCB. Finally, the ECA’s shelf life was assessed by mixing all the components and conductive nanomaterials, and evaluating the cure of the resin before and after freezing for a time range up to nine months. The ECAs produced could be stored at −18 °C without affecting the cure reaction.This research was funded by the Portugal Incentive System for Research and Technological Development,Project in Co-Promotion n◦039479/2019 (Factory of the Future: Smart Manufacturing 2019–202

Evidence-based practice questionnaire for physical therapists: Portuguese translation, adaptation, validity, and reliability

BACKGROUND: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is becoming increasingly important in Physical Therapy (PT). For proper designing, implementing, disseminating and evaluating EBP in PT, a valid and reliable questionnaire measuring attitudes, knowledge, behavior, prerequisites, and barriers related to EBP and guidelines is needed. One questionnaire that could be used to collect this information is the “EBP Questionnaire”, developed by Jette et al. 2003. However, to our knowledge, no Portuguese version or published study with the Portuguese PT population was performed using this questionnaire. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the “EBP Questionnaire” to European Portuguese and for the PT population. Material and Methods: A draft version was pilot tested for content validity (n=17), and a revised version was tested for test-retest reliability (n=72). The percentage of agreement and the Kappa coefficients between the 2 tests were analyzed. Additionally, the internal consistency was calculated. RESULTS: The preliminary final version of the European Portuguese EBP questionnaire was well accepted (only the items 22, 23, 45-51 needed to be reviewed). The mean average percentage of agreement was 82% (ranged 58–97%), and the Kappa coefficients were 0.658 (ranged 0.336–0.844). In the internal consistency, the mean average Cronbach’s ? coefficients were 0.665 (ranged 0.365–0.879). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that this questionnaire can be a useful instrument for measuring self-reported beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to EBP in the Portuguese PTs context