Development of gas sensors for binary mixtures and solvent-free sample preparation techniques based on polymeric membranes

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Química. 2005. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Port

Characteristics, vulnerability and conservation value of active tufa-forming springs on coastal cliffs in the NW Iberian Peninsula

Tufa-forming hard water springs are classified as a priority natural habitat of community interest and described in Annex I of Community Directive 92/43/EEC as “ (Natura, 2000 habitat type 7220* Petrifying springs with tufa formation [Cratoneurion])”. This type of habitat is scarce along the European Atlantic coast. In this study, petrifying springs in 36 coastal locations in the NW Iberian Peninsula were described on the basis of their physiographical characteristics, geomorphologic context, water chemistry, floristic composition and the types of disturbance endangering their conservation. The springs under study differed from other coastal and inland examples of this type of habitat in relation to the abiotic factors controlling their distribution and also some botanical traits. They are the southernmost petrifying springs reported to date on the Atlantic coast of Europe. Unfortunately, one third of the study sites lie outside of the protected areas delimited in the European Natura 2000 Network. This suggests that the network should be extended in order to conserve biodiversity and natural heritage in Atlantic Europe.S

La responsabilidad social corporativa como oportunidad para las empresas turísticas

[Resumo] En primeiro lugar realízase unha aproximación xeral ao concepto de responsabilidade social empresarial e coméntanse algunhas das características deste novo modelo de xestión. A seguir, repásanse algunhas das responsabilidades que cabe esperar que as empresas turísticas asuman, así como tamén algunhas iniciativas de dentro e fóra do sector do turismo para fomentar a RSC por parte de distintos organismos internacionais, e as iniciativas desenvolvidas polas propias empresas neste sentido. Nas últimas seccións estúdase unha iniciativa concreta, a norma SA8000 de auditoría social, e as memorias de sustentabilidade.[Resumen] Primero se hace una aproximación general a la responsabilidad social empresarial y se comentan algunas características de este nuevo modelo de gestión. Después se hace un repaso de algunas de las responsabilidades que cabe esperar que desarrollen las empresas turísticas, así como algunas iniciativas, dentro y fuera del sector del turismo, para fomentar la responsabilidad por parte de distintos organismos internacionales, y las iniciativas desarrolla- das por las propias empresas. En los últimos apartados se estudia una iniciativa concreta, la norma SA8000 de auditoría social, y las memorias de sostenibilidad.[Abstract] This study begins with a general overview of corporate social responsibility, commenting on some of the characteristics of this new management model. The study then reviews some of the responsibilities that tourism companies can be expected to perform, as well as some ini- tiatives, both inside and outside the tourism sector, to promote responsibility by different international bodies, and the initiatives performed by the companies themselves. The final sec- tions study a specific initiative, standard SA8000 on social accountability, and sustainability reports

Evaluación del riesgo de desinformación: el mercado de noticias online en España

Los sitios web de noticias tienen incentivos económicos para difundir desinformación, con el fin de aumentar su tráfico web y, en última instancia, sus ingresos publicitarios. Mientras tanto, la difusión de desinformación tiene consecuencias disruptivas e impactantes. La pandemia de COVID-19 ofrece un ejemplo reciente. Al interrumpir el sentido compartido de la sociedad sobre los hechos aceptados, estas narrativas socavan la salud pública, la seguridad y las respuestas del gobierno. Para combatir la desinformación, debemos encontrar formas de transformar el sistema y su financiación. El Índice Global de Desinformación (GDI por sus siglas en inglés) se ha centrado en desarrollar una estrategia en esta dirección. En el GDI consideramos que se necesita una calificación de los riesgos de desinformación en los sitios de noticias que sea independiente, fiable e imparcial. Los anunciantes, plataformas y las empresas de tecnología publicitaria pueden utilizar esta clasificación para asegurarse de que destinan su gasto publicitario digital a espacios que estén alineados con su propia marca y tengan estrategias destinadas a mitigar los riesgos de la desinformación. El GDI define la desinformación como “narrativas antagonistas que causan daño en el mundo real” y la clasificación de riesgo del GDI proporciona información sobre una variedad de indicadores relacionados con el riesgo de que un sitio web de noticias determinado desinforme a sus lectores al difundir este tipo de narrativas. Estos indicadores se agrupan bajo los pilares de Contenido y de Operaciones de la clasificación del GDI, que miden respectivamente la calidad y confianza en el contenido de un dominio y su integridad operativa y editorial. La calificación de riesgo general de un sitio web se basa en la puntuación agregada de ese dominio en el conjunto de todos los indicadores y varía de cero (nivel de riesgo máximo) a 100 (nivel de riesgo mínimo). La metodología de clasificación de riesgo del GDI no es un intento de identificar y etiquetar sitios de desinformación o sitios de noticias fiables. En concreto, el enfoque del GDI se basa en la idea de presentar un conjunto combinado de indicadores que puedan reflejar el riesgo general de un sitio web de contener desinformación. Se debe considerar que las calificaciones ofrecen información inicial sobre el mercado de medios español y sus niveles generales de riesgo de desinformación, junto con las fortalezas y desafíos a los que se enfrentan los sitios web para mitigar los riesgos de la desinformación. El siguiente informe presenta los hallazgos relacionados con los riesgos de desinformación encontrados en el mercado de medios en España,1 basados en un estudio de 33 dominios de noticias. Estos hallazgos son el resultado de la investigación liderada por el GDI con la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, entre mayo y septiembre de 202

Técnicas participativas para favorecer el desarrollo de la expresión oral en los estudiantes de la licenciatura en cultura física (Original)

Achieving effective communication styles for the comprehensive training of the university student is one of the priorities of the teaching-learning process of any subject. Hence, it constitutes a challenge for teachers of Higher Education and improvement of the teaching of the mother tongue. The effort is precisely to ensure that each graduate expresses himself correctly in different contexts of social and professional communication. This work offers participatory techniques to promote the development of oral expression in university students of the Physical Culture specialty, since they allow adequate communication in various professional situations in the sport field. Linguistic learning must unfold from a pleasant environment in order to stimulate the spontaneous participation of students and promote interaction between them. For this, the teacher must choose the appropriate technique, according to the students´ diagnosis the objective conditions and the materials that support the cognitive process, as well as the contents and the projected objectives. The teachers´ preparation, knowledge and creativity are significant foundations for the expected result once the proposed participatory techniques have been implemented.Lograr estilos de comunicación efectiva para la formación integral del estudiante universitario es una de las prioridades del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de cualquier materia. De ahí que constituya un reto para los docentes de la Educación Superior el perfeccionamiento de la enseñanza de la lengua materna. El empeño está en que cada egresado se exprese correctamente en diferentes contextos de comunicación social y profesional. El presente trabajo analiza los principales referentes teóricos que fundamentan el uso de técnicas participativas para favorecer el desarrollo de la expresión oral en estudiantes de la Licenciatura en Cultura Física. Dichas técnicas permiten una adecuada comunicación en diversas situaciones profesionales del ámbito deportivo. El aprendizaje lingüístico debe desplegarse desde un ambiente agradable, en función de estimular la participación espontánea de los estudiantes y propiciar la interacción entre ellos. Para ello, el profesor debe escoger la técnica conveniente, según el diagnóstico de los estudiantes, las condiciones objetivas, los materiales en que se apoya el proceso cognoscitivo, así como los contenidos y los objetivos proyectados. La preparación, el conocimiento y la creatividad del docente son cimientos significativos para el resultado esperado, una vez implementadas determinadas técnicas participativas

Knowledge and behaviors of oral health in children: a cross-sectional and correlational study

Background: Due to their high prevalence and incidence, oral diseases represent one of the main health problems of children and adolescents. The early diagnosis of oral diseases and the identification of risk factors are essential to establish preventive measures, and nursing community intervention programs can reduce the negative impact of complications. Purpose: Understanding the influence of knowledge of oral health on the behaviors of 235 children attending the first cycle of basic education in a group of schools in a municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study was carried out, integrated in the community intervention project “Smiles at School”. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire built for the purpose, and all inherent ethical requirements were met. In the data analysis, descriptive statistics were used for categorical variables and inferential statistics for the analysis of the association between two categorical variables. Results: Children of older age and with a higher level of education and adequate oral hygiene habits have more knowledge. Children with knowledge of oral health report that the intake of cariogenic foods is sporadic and once or twice a week, with a statistically significant association. Boys have the most deficient hygiene habits. Regarding the ingestion of cariostatic foods, the pattern of consumption is found mostly at meals and at mealtimes. Conclusions/Implications to Practice: Children with knowledge of oral health have a lower number of decayed teeth and a greater number of treated teeth, have better oral hygiene behaviors, regularly carry out oral health surveillance and have correct eating habits. This confirms that knowledge of children/adolescents influences their behavior in the context of oral health. Projects in the field of oral health must be developed to empower and improve the knowledge and behavior of children/adolescents.publishe

The effects of supplementation with sunflower and soybean oils on the fatty acid profile of milk fat from grazing dairy cows

Copyright © INRA, EDP Sciences, 2005.The objective of this study was to observe the effect of supplementation with vegetable oils (VO) on the fatty acid profiles and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content of milk fat. Twelve dairy cows in mid lactation fed on pasture were blocked by body weight, milk production and days in lactation and randomly allocated from blocks to 3 treatments repeated in a Latin square design with periods of 28 day duration. The treatments were as follows: cows on pasture supplemented with 5 kg concentrate per head per day (C), supplemented with 4.5 kg concentrate + 0.5 kg sunflower oil per head per day (SFO) and supplemented with 4.5 kg concentrate + 0.5 kg soybean oil per head per day (SBO). The animals were grazed as a group and were stocked at 2.5 heads per hectare. The treatments had no effect on milk yield or protein yield and content, but decreased milk fat yield and content (P < 0.05). Milk fat from the cows supplemented with VO had a lower concentration of short and medium chain fatty acids (P < 0.05) and a higher concentration of long chain fatty acids (P < 0.05). The addition of VO to the diet also resulted in a reduction in saturated and an increase in unsaturated fatty acids of milk fat (P < 0.05). The hypercholesterolemic fatty acids in milk fat (i.e. C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0) decreased while the concentration of oleic and linoleic acids increased with VO (P < 0.05). There was no effect on linolenic acid. Finally, the inclusion of VO in the diet increased (P < 0.05) the contents in milk fat of the various cis/trans isomers of oleic acid (including trans-vacenic, TVA) and of CLA which increased by 61%

Effect of diet on the fatty acid pattern of milk from dairy cows

Copyright © INRA, EDP Sciences, 2004.Twelve dairy cows 130 days in milk were sorted by milk production and body weight and assigned to three feeding regimens in a 3 × 3 Latin-square design, in order to study the effects of diet on milk fatty acid (FA) composition. The cows were fed a total mixed ration (TMR) consisting of corn silage (60%) and concentrate (40%) on dry matter basis, or grazed pasture, without (P) or with 5 kg•d-1 concentrate as a supplement (SP). Supplemented grazing dairy cows produced significantly more milk than the cows on the TMR and P diets (P < 0.05). The supplementation of grazing dairy cows with a low fat concentrate did not significantly affect the milk fat FA profile. The pasture diet, with a supplement or not, decreased the concentration of saturated FA (P < 0.05) and increased the concentration of unsaturated FA (P < 0.05), of milk fat as compared to the TMR diet. The reduction in medium-chain FA was offset in large part by increases in long-chain FA (mainly oleic acid). The concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (P < 0.05) and trans-vaccenic acid were higher (P < 0.05) in the milk fat from the grazing cows. The results showed substantial variation among individual cows within treatments on milk fat content of CLA. Significant correlations were found for individual cow's milk fat CLA content across diets. Overall, this study indicates that the concentration of CLA in milk fat is enhanced by the dietary intake of pasture and that moderate low fat concentrate supplementation of grazing dairy cows increases performance without compromising the FA profile of milk fat

Análise de implantação de um sistema de aproveitamento de água pluvial em um empreendimento residencial na cidade de Recife-PE

Os sistemas de aproveitamento de água pluvial (SAAP) para fins não potáveis em edificações representam uma das medidas para reduzir a demanda de água potável e minimizar os problemas relacionados à disponibilidade dos recursos hídricos. O trabalho avaliou a viabilidade técnica e financeira da implantação de um SAAP em um empreendimento residencial- em construção- na Região Metropolitana do Recife por meio de uma simulação, fazendo uso da água da chuva para fins não potáveis na rega de jardins. Para tal, realizou-se um estudo dos índices pluviométricos da região e sua periodicidade, avaliando-se os meses de maior e menor precipitação. O reservatório de armazenamento foi dimensionado por meio do método computacional Netuno e em diferentes cenários de área de captação, de maneira a avaliar a situação ideal para suprir a demanda mensal de água da rega dos jardins. A análise econômica da construção do sistema mostrou que a sua implantação em uma edificação residencial com características similares a utilizada no estudo é tecnicamente e economicamente viável

Ammonia excretion by tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) related to water temperature and fish mass

A amônia, produto de excreção dos peixes, é tóxica para organismos aquáticos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar taxas de excreção diária de amônia em tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), principal espécie criada na Amazônia, que podem variar de acordo com a temperatura da água e a massa dos peixes. As taxas de excreção foram determinadas a cada 2 horas por um período de 24 horas e os resultados analisados por uma regressão linear múltipla. O tambaqui apresentou de dois a cinco picos de atividade de excreção durante 24 horas, caracterizados por rápidos aumentos de até dez vezes na taxa horária de excreção. O modelo desenvolvido pela regressão linear múltipla explicou 95,2% da taxa diária de excreção de amônia, que aumentou com a massa do peixe, mas diminuiu com o aumento da temperatura da água.Ammonia, an excretion product of fish, is toxic to aquatic organisms. The objective of this study was to account daily ammonia excretion rates of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), the main fish species of the Amazonia related to water temperature and fish mass. Ammonia excretion rates were measured every two hours during a 24-hour period and results were evaluated by a multiple linear regression. Tambaqui presented two to five excretion peaks during the 24-hour period, reaching up to ten times the mean excretion rates. The model developed by the multiple linear regression explained 95.2% of the daily ammonia excretion rates, which increased according to fish mass and decreased when water temperature increased