Analysis of the Cytisetea scopario-striati scrubs in the south-west-centre of the Iberian Peninsula

The statistical and phytosociological study of 255 relevés taken in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula and made up of our own samples and previous publications reveals how close these relevés, previously ascribed to different syntaxa, really are. Our re-arrangement of the data leads us to propose for the territory the 15 associations already published and three new ones, namely: Genisto floridae-Adenocarpetum argyrophylli ass. nova hoc loco, Cytisetum bourgaei- eriocarpi nova, Lavandulo viridis-Cytisetum striati ass. nova hoc. loco. We also suggest a name correction, Adenocarpo anisochili-Cytisetum scoparii J.C. Costa et al. 2000 corr., and a status change, namely, Ulici latebracteati- Cytisetum striati (Costa et al. 2000) status novo

Near- and Middle-Infrared Monitoring of Burned Areas from Space

We describe a methodology to discriminate burned areas and date burning events that use a burn-sensitive (V, W) index system defined in near-/mid-infrared space. Discrimination of burned areas relies on a monthly composite of minimum of W and on the difference between this composite and that of the previous month. The rationale is to identify pixels with high confidence of having burned and aggregate new burned pixels on a contextual basis. Dating of burning events is based on the analysis of time series of W, and searching for the day before maximum temporal separability is achieved. The procedure is applied to the fire of Monchique, a large event that took place in the southwest of Portugal in August 2018. When the obtained pattern of burned pixels is compared against a reference map, the overall accuracy is larger than 99%; the commission and omission errors are lower than 5 and 10%, respectively; and the bias and the Dice coefficient are above 0.95 and 0.9, respectively. Differences between estimated dates of burning and reference dates derived from remote-sensed observations of active fires show a bias of 0.03 day and a root mean square difference of 0.24 day

Autoreb : robotization of the deburring of casting pieces

In the industry of foundry, the deburring of casting pieces is an important stage. Since the piece presents edges in the junction zone of the casting moulds, those usually are not desirable and should be eliminated. For solving this problem it was idealized a robotic system capable of deburring casting pieces with minimum human intervention. Consists of an ABB robot, a table of coordinates for fixation and movement of the casting pieces, an artificial vision system for identification and quality control of the casting pieces, a Bosch high frequency straight grinder and an force sensor that closes the feedback loop of the deburring process control

Automedicação numa cidade do norte de Portugal

A automedicação é definida como o consumo de um medicamento sem orientação ou prescrição de profissionais competentes, no qual o próprio paciente decide o produto que será utilizado, podendo ser realizada com produtos industrializados ou remédios caseiros. Objetivos: Determinar a prevalência e a frequência da automedicação; caracterizar a terapêutica usada, motivos, averiguar a comunicação ao médico, a ocorrência de efeitos indesejáveis e o conhecimento sobre os riscos; bem como determinar fatores associados à automedicação. Métodos: O estudo realizado foi do tipo transversal e descritivo-correlacional. Nele participaram 330 indivíduos, 57,0% do sexo feminino e 43,0% do sexo masculino, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 88 anos (média 41,3). A recolha de dados foi realizada através de um questionário de autopreenchimento. Na análise estatística aplicaram-se medidas de tendência central e de dispersão, e o teste do qui-quadrado considerando o nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: Verificou-se que a prevalência da automedicação foi de 87,6%, dos quais 78,2% afirmam tê-lo feito no último ano; a maioria (81,2%) afirma automedicar-se apenas algumas vezes por ano, havendo uma minoria que o faz diariamente (0,9%). Recorrem com mais frequência ao Paracetamol e ao Ibuprofeno, sendo as cefaleias e constipações os principais motivos. Dos indivíduos que se automedicam, 52,1% admitem informar o seu médico dos medicamentos não prescritos que utilizam e 83,0% afirmaram não ter notado a ocorrência de efeitos indesejáveis. Da totalidade dos indivíduos inquiridos, 88,2% afirmam que a automedicação constitui algum tipo de risco para a saúde. O género e a escolaridade parecem estar associados à automedicação (p<0,001 e p=0,01, respetivamente). Conclusão: A automedicação é bastante prevalente, mas pouco frequente ao longo do ano. Os analgésicos e anti-inflamatórios são os medicamentos mais usados, devido a dores de cabeça e constipações. Apenas cerca de metade dos indivíduos que se automedicam informam o médico, e a maioria não sentiu efeitos indesejados. A automedicação é considerada como perigosa para a saúde e parece estar associada ao género e escolaridade

Looking for earthquake sources in the Lisbon area

The Lisbon and surrounding areas have suffered the effect of historical earthquakes that caused important damages and loss of lives. Some of these earthquake sources are local but they are still poorly known. The knowledge of these sources is important for seismic hazard studies. The use of geophysical methods in the area is required due to the difficulty in finding geological outcrops, together with low-slip rates and erosion/sedimentation processes that erase surface ruptures. Furthermore, most of earthquake occurs at great depth, emphasizing the need for the application of the latter methods. In this paper we present a revised structural interpretation of the area using newly reprocessed and reinterpreted seismic reflection and potential-field data, relocated epicentres, geological outcrop and well data. This interpretation differs in some aspects from previous ones. Well known active faults zones like the Azambuja fault and the Pinhal Novo-Setúbal fault have new interpretations, while other previously unknown structures, like the Ota-V. F. de Xira-Lisbon-Sesimbra fault zone, for example, have been interpreted. These studies, together with shallow geophysical data, which has been and will be acquired over selected targets from this work, will constitute na improvement to the seismic hazard evaluation of the area

Self-Medication in a Northern Town of Portugal

Self-medication is defined as the consumption of a drug without guidance or prescription of competent professionals, in which the patient decides that the product will be used. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and frequency of self-medication; characterize the therapy used, reasons, verify the occurrence of undesirable effects and knowledge about the risks; and to determine associated factors. Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study, had a sample of 330 individuals, 57.0% females and 43.0% males, aged between 18 and 88 years (mean 41.3). Data collection was carried out through a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analyses were applied measures of central tendency and dispersion, and the chi-square considering a significance level of 5%. Results: The prevalence of self-medication was 87.6%, of which 78.2% self-medicated in the last year, the majority only a few times per year (81.2%), with a minority that makes daily (0.9%). The drugs most frequently used are Paracetamol (75.8%) and Ibuprofen (61.2%), headaches (67.0%) and colds (65.2%) being the main reasons. Among individuals who self-medicate, 52.1% admit to inform physician of non-prescribed drugs used and 83.0% reported not having notied the occurrence of undesirable effects. Of all individuals surveyed, 88.2% claim that self-medication is dangerous for health. Gender and educational level appear to be associated with self-medication (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). Conclusions: Self-medication is highly prevalent, but infrequent over the year. The analgesics and anti-inflammatorys are the most used due to headaches and colds. Self-medication is considered risky to health and appears to be linked to gender and education levelinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Integration of seismic, well, potential-field and geological data for ore prospecting in the Iberian Pyrite Belt

Ore prospecting using gravimetric and magnetic data has become one of the traditional approaches in the last decades, often complemented with electric and electromagnetic methods. However, due to the problem of non-uniqueness inherent to potential-filed modelling, constrains provided by structural methods such as seismic reflection are often used. During the exploration of massive sulphide polimetallic minerals in the Iberian Pyrite Belt Figueira de Cavaleiros sector, located in the Sado Tertiary Basin, several gravimetric and magnetic anomalies were considered as interesting targets. In order to reduce ambiguity of the gravimetric modelling and to confirm the geological model of the area, two seismic reflection profiles were acquired. The interpretation of these profiles was assisted by three mechanical boreholes, two of them located in the research area, in order to make a seismostratigraphic interpretation. Unfortunately, the gravimetric modelling suggests that the anomaly has a lithological and structural origin and is not related with massive sulphides. Nevertheless, a good agreement between the seismic and potential-field data was achieved and new insights into the geological model for the region were obtained form this work, with accurate data about the Tertiary cover and Palaeozoic basement

Production, immobilization and synthesis of pharmacological derivatives of lipase B from Candida antarctica in Pichia pastoris

Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) is widely used because of its excellent enantioselectivity. Producing this recombinant lipase in Pichia pastoris has advantages since it can be cultured in simple media and can reach high cell densities. This capability is especially important when using a constitutive promoter for lipase production, as here. The PPGK promoter is similar to the well-known PGAP promoter and also circumvents the need for inducing production with methanol, which is a hazard when used on a large scale and would increase the downstream production costs, which could be prohibitive for pharmaceutical products. This study tested two main fermentation strategies: continuous and fed-batch. In both cultures, different specific growth rates occurred (0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.18h–1), and process parameters (qP, qS, YX/S, YP/X, YP/S) were evaluated in order to properly compare them. The highest specific production rate achieved with a continuous culture was 57.71 U/gX.h with µ=0.15 h–1 and 16 U/gX.h with µ=0.14 h–1 for a fed-batch culture. Productivity decreased dramatically near the µmax (0.18 h–1) for P. pastoris (57.6% lower). The best strategy for production was calculated over a three-month period. In both cases, the enzyme is secreted to the supernatant and purification is needed to ensure that only LIPB participates in further reactions. The immobilization process is ideal because purification and concentration is achieved in only one step, reusability is made possible, and in certain cases, stability and efficiency are boosted. Hydrophobic core-shell polymeric supports synthesized by a combined suspension and emulsion polymerization process have shown good potential for lipase immobilization procedures and were used in this study, compared to traditional supports such as Accurel, in order to determine their efficiency. After the enzyme was immobilized, the reactions included the resolution of (±)-1,3,5-O-benzyl-myo-inositol (DL-1) via acylation using vinyl acetate in hexane, and resolution of (±)-1,2-O- isopropylidene-3,6-di-O-benzyl-myo-inositol (DL-2) via acylation using vinyl acetate (solvent-free system). The support used directly affected the reaction, but trends were observed. In general, the recombinant lipase produced (LIPB) had higher resolutions than the commercial lipase (CALB, Novozym 435). In the resolution of DL-1 and DL-2 via transesterification (using different media), LIPB immobilized in Accurel or PS-co-DVB/PS-co-DVB showed more activity per enzyme molecule than CALB immobilized in similar supports, while when immobilized in PMMA-co-DVB/ PMMA-co-DVB the activities of the two enzymes were similar. The recombinant LIPB immobilized on PS-co-DVB proved to be the most efficient in the enantioselective resolution of both racemic derivatives, DL-1 and DL-2. The productivity for DL-2 resolution was 50% higher than the commercial Novozym 435, and the new derivative was operationally more stable than Novozym 435. The products obtained had a high level of purity (ee of 99% for both derivatives). Both products of the enantio-selective reaction, L-2 and L-5, obtained from the racemic derivatives (DL-1 and DL-2, respectively), are intermediates from different pharmacological pathways involved in the synthesis of building blocks for drugs that inhibit the etiological agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi