A roadmap for lifting restrictive measures for COVID-19

After more than one year of the pandemic, we now know that no single preventive measure affords fully effective control of virus transmission. Therefore, it is vital to combine different approaches to quickly identify the cases, trace their contacts, constantly reduce the risk of transmission, promptly respond to outbreaks or community transmission and monitor the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. The updated Strategic Framework presented sets out tools that were used to restore, in a phased approach, normality to life in Portugal on 11 March 2021. Immediate short-term government responses are needed to save lives and livelihoods. However, the crisis could also provide valuable lessons for longer-term resilience of systems that support well-being over time, such as social connections and social capital, opening up new ways of working and living, and reinforcing the capacity of public services and social safety nets to react in times of crisis. Should COVID-19 move to being an endemic or seasonal disease such as influenza, the lessons learned from the response to the pandemic will be helpful in successful containing and preventing new waves of COVID-19.The authors would like to thank S Marques and B Monteiro for the table design and formatting. AA holds a PhD Grant (Ref. 2020.09390.BD), co-funded by the FCT and the Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) Program

Adenovirus Infection in a Kidney–Pancreatic Transplant Recipient: Case Report

Adenovirus infection in transplant recipients may present from asymptomatic viremia to multisystemic involvement. Most frequently, it occurs in the first year after a kidney transplant, and it is secondary to the reactivation of latent disease. However, primary infection may occur, and disseminated disease is more common when related to primary infection. Kidney involvement may be confirmed by biopsy, although diagnosis may be presumptive. Reduction of immunosuppression and supportive care are important components of therapy. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 41-year-old female renal-pancreatic recipient 12 years before with chronic renal graft dysfunction and a functional pancreatic graft had a history of cytomegalovirus and polyoma virus infection 2 years after transplantation. She was taking tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone. The patient was admitted after persistent uncharacteristic diarrhea 3 weeks before hospitalization without any relevant epidemiologic context. She was dehydrated, and the lab results showed worsened kidney function and leucocytosis. The viral culture revealed adenovirus. Vigorous hydration was implemented, and the mycophenolate mofetil dose was reduced. The patient was discharged, and renal function returned to previous values. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Adenovirus infection has a wide clinical presentation, and multisystemic involvement may occur in transplant recipients. Supportive care is paramount. The clinical features and viral culture confirm the diagnosis, although tissue samples and quantitative polymerase chain reaction may be required in more severe cases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A whole genome screen for association with multiple sclerosis in portuguese patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is common in Europe affecting up to 1:500 people. In an effort to identify genes influencing susceptibility to the disease, we have performed a population-based whole genome screen for association. In this study, 6000 microsatellite markers were typed in separately pooled DNA samples from MS patients (n = 188) and matched controls (n = 188). Interpretable data was obtained from 4661 of these markers. Refining analysis of the most promising markers identified 10 showing potential evidence for association.SERONO (Portugal).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - grant FRH/BD/9111/2002.British Council/ICCTI.Wellcome Trust, Multiple Sclerosis Societies of the United States and Great Britain, Multiple Sclerosis International Federation - GAMES project - grant 057097

Predicting Function Delay with a Machine Learning Model: Improve the Long-term Survival of Pancreatic Grafts

The impact of delayed graft function on outcomes following various solid organ transplants is well documented and addressed in the literature. Delayed graft function following various solid organ transplants is associated with both short- and long-term graft survival issues. In a retrospective cohort study including 106 patients we evaluated whether pancreas graft survival differs according to moment of insulin therapy following simultaneous pancreaskidney transplant. As a result, we aimed to identify possible risk factors and build a machine-learning-based model that predicts the likelihood of dysfunction following SPK transplant patients based on day zero data after transplant, allowing to enhance pancreatic graft survival. Feature selection by Relief algorithm yielded donor features, age, cause of death, hemoglobin, gender, ventilation days, days in ICU, length of cardiac respiratory arrest and recipient features, gender, long-term insulin, dialysis type, time of diabetes mellitus, vPRA pre-Tx, number of HLA-A mismatches and PRDI, all contributed to the models' strength.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genotypes at the APOE and SCA2 loci do not predict the course of multiple sclerosis in patients of Portuguese origin

Prova tipográfica (In Press)Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease that affects about one in 500 young Europeans. In order to test the previously proposed influence of the APOE and SCA2 loci on susceptibility to MS, we studied these loci in 243 Portuguese patients and 192 healthy controls and both parents of 92 patients. We did not detect any significant difference when APOE and SCA2 allele frequencies of cases and controls were compared, or when we compared cases with different forms of the disease. Disequilibrium of transmission was tested for both loci in the 92 trios, and we did not observe segregation distortion. To test the influence of the APOE o4 and SCA2 22 CAGs alleles on severity of disease, we compared age at onset and progression rate between groups with and without those alleles. We did not observe an association of the o4 or the 22 CAGs alleles with rate of progression in our total patient population; allele o4 was associated with increased rate of progression of MS in a subset of patients with less than 10 years of the disease. However, globally in the Portuguese population, the APOE and SCA2 genes do not seem to be useful in the clinical context as prognostic markers of this disorder.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - grant SFRH/BD/9111/2002.Serono Portugal

UTILISATION D'UN TUBE À ONDES PROGRESSIVES POUR LA DÉTERMINATION DU DIAGRAMME DE DIRECTIVITÉ D'HYDROPHONES DE PETITE TAILLE

Cet article décrit un tube à ondes progressives permettant de déterminer les diagrammes de directivité d'hydrophones autodirectifs en basse fréquence (300 Hz - 4 kHz). Après une validation simple du dispositif, les premiers résultats sont présentés.This paper describes an acoustic waveguide in which the directivity patterns of directive hydrophones can be determined. The frequency range is 300 Hz - 4 kHz. Test cases are first analysed and then obtained results are presented and discussed

Towards sustainable transport in developing countries: Preliminary findings on the demand for mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) in Metro Manila

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a recent concept that is gaining momentum in both the scientific world and the private sector. First studies and field trials – essentially conducted in developed countries – suggest that MaaS can influence people's mobility behavior and create more efficient and sustainable transport systems for the future. We intend to contribute to the existing knowledge about MaaS by extending the scope to the context of developing countries where MaaS could be a potential strategy to address existing transport problems. Our case study focuses on Metro Manila (Philippines), an emerging Asian megacity. We analyzed its citizens’ (N = 238) readiness for and attitude towards MaaS, and how a MaaS-system could influence users’ mobility behavior. Considering mobility-related and socio-demographic characteristics, our statistical models give preliminary insights about the potential MaaS users and how a MaaS system would create value for them. While the vast majority (84%) of respondents stated they were likely to use a MaaS app, the main reasons for adoption appear to be reliability and cost savings. In addition, we found evidence that MaaS could shift users’ mobility behavior towards more sustainable transport modes (i.e., from private and low-capacity modes towards public transport). Policy implications and future research paths for MaaS in developing countries are also discussed. Considering the novelty and complexity of this research area, we call for additional research in this field. © 2021 Elsevier Lt

Integrated modeling of urban hierarchy and transportation network planning

A major problem addressed during the preparation of spatial development plans relates to the accessibility to facilities where services of general interest such as education, health care, public safety, and justice are offered to the population. In this context, planners typically aim at redefining the level of hierarchy to assign to the urban centers of the region under study (with a class of facilities associated with each level of hierarchy) and redesigning the region's transportation network. Traditionally, these two subjects - urban hierarchy and transportation network planning - have been addressed separately in the scientific literature. This paper presents an optimization model that simultaneously determines which urban centers and which network links should be promoted to a new level of hierarchy so as to maximize accessibility to all classes of facilities. The possible usefulness of the model for solving real-world problems of integrated urban hierarchy and transportation network planning is illustrated through an application to the Centro Region of Portugal.Regional planning Spatial development Urban hierarchy Facility location Network design Accessibility

Modélisation d'un tube à onde progressive pour la caractérisation de matériaux acoustiques de masquage

Afin de caractériser des matériaux de masquage en basse fréquence en mesurant leur efficacité de masquage, un tube à onde progressive a été développé. Cette communication décrit brièvement le formalisme utilisé ainsi que le modèle éléments finis employé pour simuler le comportement du tube à onde progressive.To characterize decoupling materials, at low frequencies, by measuring their decoupling efficiency, a progressive wave duct has been developed. This communication describes briefly the formalization used, and the finite element model used to simulate the progressive wave duct behaviour