Risk management of bored piling construction on sandy soils with real-time cost control

UIDP/GEO/04035/2020In a global society, in which geotechnical projects are increasingly designed in a country other than the one where construction takes place, geotechnical risk management must be extended to cover infrastructure works, which are smaller than dams and tunnels, for example, since there is a significant impact on works budget imponderables. Therefore, a risk management methodology based on the likelihood of the occurrence of certain events and their economic consequences is proposed, which is applicable to bored piles (Kelly drilled) in coarse soils, easy to use, and simple to implement since the initial stage of construction. Of 12 case studies of construction works involving bored piles (Kelly drilled) carried out in Luanda (Angola), two selected examples involving the proposed risk methodology on sandy soil layers with interbedded clays are discussed. Subsequently, whether the overall foundation contract budget is affected by assessed risk is determined, and what influence it has on the budget in the light of mitigating factors and associated real costs. This method intended to encourage the adaptation of sustainable risk management in bored piles construction by the site project managers, involving risk analysis concurrently with budgetary review. Though the level of assessed technical risk may be acceptable, overall costs associated with the contract in question may not be acceptable.publishersversionpublishe

Experimental research on rubble stone masonry walls

HMC08 - 1st Historical Mortars Conference: Characterization, Diagnosis, Conservation, Repair and Compatibility, LNEC, Lisbon, 24-26 September 2008This paper refers to the results of a research project carried out at Nova University of Lisbon (Pinho [8]), where several experimental models of rubble stone masonry walls were subjected to axial compression and shear-compression tests. The aim of this research project was the experimental evaluation of some structural strengthening solutions for rubble stone masonry buildings. The results of some tests performed to determine physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the constituent materials of the experimental masonry models are also presented. This experimental work was made in cooperation with LNEC, and it was sponsored by some industrial companies

Durability aspects related to rubble stone masonry walls strengthened with reinforced micro-concrete layers

International Seminar on Seismic Risk and Rehabilitation of Stone Masonry Housing, Azores, Portugal, 1998This paper analyses durability aspects related to the use of reinforced micro-concrete as strengthening material of ancient rubble stone masonry walls. The present study is a section of a research project carried out at the New University of Lisbon (Pinho, 2007), to evaluate some structural strengthening solutions for rubble stone masonry buildings. These kind of strengthening solutions, using sprayed micro-concrete layers (shotcrete layers), are very common in Portugal, namely in the rehabilitation of ancient buildings, as may be seen in Azores, after the earthquake of 1998

Conceitos e Aplicações na Geotecnia

A presente comunicação pretende contribuir para o desenvolvimento de uma “nova era” na gestão da informação geológica e geotécnica, e tem como objetivo auxiliar todos os stakeholders envolvidos na análise dos riscos intrínsecos a projetos geotécnicos, nomeadamente os que dependem de fundações, contenções ou túneis. Consiste em utilizar uma ferramenta complementar ao BIM - Building Information Modelling, um programa aplicado à geologia & geotecnia (G&G) que se designa por Geological & Geotechnical Information Modelling - GGIM. Pretende estimular a implementação da modelação 3D do meio G&G, bem como a introdução de ações no tempo, 4D. Possibilitará inferir riscos e custos, tanto mais assertivamente quanto maior for a quantidade de informação disponibilizada para a área em análise. Esta metodologia tem como fim último garantir a acessibilidade à informação G&G à comunidade interessada na mesma, salientando-se as potencialidades da sua funcionalidade através de uma análise SWOT. Discutem-se ainda quatro exemplos de obras problemáticas onde a existência de uma ferramenta deste tipo teria sido vantajosa.publishersversionpublishe

Safety and Family-Centered Care during Restriction of Hospital Visits due to COVID-19: The Experience of Family Members

Background: Person and Family Centered Care (PFCC) has demonstrated important contributions to health care outcomes. However, in response to the need for safety due to the pandemic COVID-19, measures were taken to restrict hospital visits. So, the aim of this study was to understand the healthcare experience of family members of patients hospitalized during the pandemic period regarding safety and person- and family-centered care. Methods: Qualitative interpretative study, conducted through semi-structured interviews with six family members of people hospitalized during the pandemic period. Content analysis was performed using Atlas.ti software version 22 (Berlin, Germany) and Bardin’s methodology. Results and Conclusions: Restrictions on hospital visits due to the pandemic of COVID-19 have led to a distancing of families from the hospital setting and influenced healthcare practice, making it difficult to involve families in the care process. In some cases, healthcare professionals made efforts to provide PFCC, attempting to minimize the impact of the visitation restriction. However, there were reported experiences of care delivery that did not consider social and psychological factors and did not place the person and family at the center of the care process, relying instead on the biomedical model. These practices left out important factors for the provision of safe care. It is crucial, even in pandemic settings, that healthcare professionals provide person- and family-centered care to the extent possible, promoting the safety of care. The family should be involved in the care of the person in the inpatient setting.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT2 attenuates oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction and improves insulin sensitivity in hepatocytes

Insulin resistance is a major predictor of the development of metabolic disorders. Sirtuins (SIRTs) have emerged as potential targets that can be manipulated to counteract age-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes. SIRT2 has been recently shown to exert important metabolic effects, but whether SIRT2 regulates insulin sensitivity in hepatocytes is currently unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate this possibility and to elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we show that SIRT2 is downregulated in insulin-resistant hepatocytes and livers, and this was accompanied by increased generation of reactive oxygen species, activation of stress-sensitive ERK1/2 kinase, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Conversely, SIRT2 overexpression in insulin-resistant hepatocytes improved insulin sensitivity, mitigated reactive oxygen species production and ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction. Further analysis revealed a reestablishment of mitochondrial morphology, with a higher number of elongated mitochondria rather than fragmented mitochondria instigated by insulin resistance. Mechanistically, SIRT2 was able to increase fusion-related protein Mfn2 and decrease mitochondrial-associated Drp1. SIRT2 also attenuated the downregulation of TFAM, a key mtDNA-associated protein, contributing to the increase in mitochondrial mass. Importantly, we found that SIRT2 expression in PBMCs of human subjects was negatively correlated with obesity and insulin resistance. These results suggest a novel function for hepatic SIRT2 in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and raise the possibility that SIRT2 activators may offer novel opportunities for preventing or treating insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Centro 2020 Regional Operational Programme (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012: HealthyAging2020); COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation and Portuguese national funds via FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440, SFRH/BPD/109347/2015 to R.M.O., SFRH/BD/86655/2012 to L.N. and SFRH/BPD/111815/2015 to P.G.); FLAD Life Science 2020 Grant to A.C.R.; European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO Installation Grant to T.F.O.); DFG Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB) to T.F.O

The NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT2 attenuates oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction and improves insulin sensitivity in hepatocytes

Funding Information: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Centro 2020 Regional Operational Programme (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012: HealthyAging2020); COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation and Portuguese national funds via FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440, SFRH/BPD/109347/ 2015 to R.M.O., SFRH/BD/86655/2012 to L.N. and SFRH/BPD/ 111815/2015 to P.G.); FLAD Life Science 2020 Grant to A.C.R.; European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO Installation Grant to T.F.O.); DFG Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB) to T.F.O.Insulin resistance is a major predictor of the development of metabolic disorders. Sirtuins (SIRTs) have emerged as potential targets that can be manipulated to counteract age-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes. SIRT2 has been recently shown to exert important metabolic effects, but whether SIRT2 regulates insulin sensitivity in hepatocytes is currently unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate this possibility and to elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we show that SIRT2 is downregulated in insulin-resistant hepatocytes and livers, and this was accompanied by increased generation of reactive oxygen species, activation of stress-sensitive ERK1/2 kinase, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Conversely, SIRT2 overexpression in insulin-resistant hepatocytes improved insulin sensitivity, mitigated reactive oxygen species production and ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction. Further analysis revealed a reestablishment of mitochondrial morphology, with a higher number of elongated mitochondria rather than fragmented mitochondria instigated by insulin resistance. Mechanistically, SIRT2 was able to increase fusion-related protein Mfn2 and decrease mitochondrial-associated Drp1. SIRT2 also attenuated the downregulation of TFAM, a key mtDNA-associated protein, contributing to the increase in mitochondrial mass. Importantly, we found that SIRT2 expression in PBMCs of human subjects was negatively correlated with obesity and insulin resistance. These results suggest a novel function for hepatic SIRT2 in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and raise the possibility that SIRT2 activators may offer novel opportunities for preventing or treating insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.publishersversionpublishe

Diego de Riaño y el cuadrante sureste de la Catedral de Sevilla: la expresión urbana de un organismo centralizado

Diego de Riaño presenta las trazas de la sacristía mayor como parte del pro yecto para la construcción de varias dependencias en el cuadrante sureste de la Catedral de Sevilla. El carácter experimental de la propuesta, apuesta clara por la apropiación de un modelo teórico renacentista, favorece su definición a través de la toma de decisiones singulares y personales, susceptibles de ser rastreadas. El estudio de las intenciones que se desprenden del análisis com binado de estas decisiones proporciona indicios razonables para suponer que el arquitecto plantea un complejo arquitectónico que gravita alrededor del espacio central de la sacristía, que es origen y da sentido a todo el conjunto. Sentido común que proporciona carácter unitario a la actuación y supone la recuperación, aunque sea parcial, del sentido monumental del espacio centra lizado del Renacimiento.As traças da sacristia maior foram concebidas por Diego de Riaño como parte de um projeto para a construção de várias dependências no quadrante sudeste da Catedral de Sevilha. A natureza experimental da proposta, claramente comprometida com a apropriação de um modelo teórico do Renascimento, favorece a sua definição através da tomada de decisões singulares e pessoais, susceptíveis de serem rastreadas. O estudo das intenções que emergem da análise combinada dessas decisões fornece evidências razoáveis para supor que o arquiteto concebe um complexo arquitetónico que gravita em torno do espaço central da sacristia, que é a origem e dá sentido ao todo. O sentido comum que proporciona um carácter unitário ao desempenho e envolve a recuperação, mesmo que parcial, do significado monumental do espaço cen tralizado do Renasciment

Social Networks Shape the Transmission Dynamics of Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects 170 million people worldwide, and is a major public health problem in Brazil, where over 1% of the population may be infected and where multiple viral genotypes co-circulate. Chronically infected individuals are both the source of transmission to others and are at risk for HCV-related diseases, such as liver cancer and cirrhosis. Before the adoption of anti-HCV control measures in blood banks, this virus was mainly transmitted via blood transfusion. Today, needle sharing among injecting drug users is the most common form of HCV transmission. Of particular importance is that HCV prevalence is growing in non-risk groups. Since there is no vaccine against HCV, it is important to determine the factors that control viral transmission in order to develop more efficient control measures. However, despite the health costs associated with HCV, the factors that determine the spread of virus at the epidemiological scale are often poorly understood. Here, we sequenced partial NS5b gene sequences sampled from blood samples collected from 591 patients in São Paulo state, Brazil. We show that different viral genotypes entered São Paulo at different times, grew at different rates, and are associated with different age groups and risk behaviors. In particular, subtype 1b is older and grew more slowly than subtypes 1a and 3a, and is associated with multiple age classes. In contrast, subtypes 1a and 3b are associated with younger people infected more recently, possibly with higher rates of sexual transmission. The transmission dynamics of HCV in São Paulo therefore vary by subtype and are determined by a combination of age, risk exposure and underlying social network. We conclude that social factors may play a key role in determining the rate and pattern of HCV spread, and should influence future intervention policies

Outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplantation among patients with acute myeloid leukemia presenting active disease: Experience of a single European Comprehensive Cancer Center

Introduction: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) represents a potentially curative approach for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We report the outcome of relapsed/refractory AML patients treated with ASCT.Method: A retrospective cohort from 1994 to 2013 that included 61 patients with diagnosis of relapsed/refractory AML. Outcomes of interest were transplant-related mortality (TRM), incidence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), relapse incidence, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.Results: The median age was 61 years (range 1 to 65). The cumulative incidence of 90 days, 1 year, and 3 years TRM were 60%, 26.7%, and 13.3%, respectively (p< 0.001). The incidence of relapse was 21.7% at 1 year, 13% at 3 years, and 8.7% at 5 years. Median OS was estimated to be 8 months (95CI 3.266-12.734) and median PFS, 3 months (95CI 1.835-4.165).Conclusion: In our cohort, TRM in first years after ASCT remains considerable, but ASCT in this setting seems to be a good choice for AML patients with active disease. However, novel approaches are needed to reduce TRM and relapse in this set of patients