Avaliação de próteses de Si3N4/diamante por ressonância magnética

Mestrado em Materiais e Dispositivos BiomédicosA Ressonância Magnética (RM) é uma modalidade imagiológica que tem permitido grandes avanços na área do diagnóstico médico. Tem vindo a ser cada vez mais utilizada para avaliação pós-operatória em variadas situações. No entanto, existem alguns obstáculos à obtenção de imagens de qualidade. Esses obstáculos são, muitas vezes, provocados pela presença de material cirúrgico, como é caso das próteses da anca, que devido às suas características, dão origem a artefactos de suscetibilidade magnética que prejudicam a qualidade da imagem. O desenvolvimento de novos materiais tem demonstrado vantagens no que respeita aos artefactos provocados por estes em exames imagiológicos. Os cerâmicos de nitreto de silício (Si3N4) revestidos por diamante nanocristalino obtido por deposição química em fase vapor (CVD), desenvolvido nos laboratórios do Centro de Investigação em Materiais Cerâmicos e Compósitos (CICECO) da Universidade de Aveiro, é um novo material candidato à utilização em próteses articulares, nomeadamente na cabeça do fémur em próteses da anca. Estes cerâmicos apresentam excelentes características de resistência ao desgaste e de biocompatibilidade. Um estudo prévio com Tomografia Computorizada (TC) apresentou bons resultados com diminuição dos artefactos metálicos. Não são conhecidos estudos que avaliem o seu comportamento no contexto da RM. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o comportamento imagiológico deste novo material, Si3N4 revestido a nanodiamante, em RM e compará-lo com materiais atualmente comercializados. Para tal, utilizou-se um fantoma com características que não colocam em causa a segurança na realização dos testes no ambiente de RM. Foram utilizadas amostras de cabeças do fémur de próteses da anca de diferentes materiais nomeadamente Cobalto-Crómio, Oxinium, Zirconia-Toughened Alumina, Nitreto de Silício e Nitreto de Silício revestido com diamante. As imagens foram adquiridas em condições similares em dois equipamentos de RM, um de 3T no Instituto de Ciências Nucleares Aplicadas à Saúde (ICNAS) e outro de 1,5T no Centro de Tomografia Computorizada de Aveiro (CENTAC), procedendo-se posteriormente à análise das imagens, quantificação de artefactos e à comparação dos artefactos causados pelos diferentes materiais. Os resultados alcançados no contexto do presente estudo permitem evidenciar propriedades imagiológicas promissoras dos cerâmicos Si3N4/diamante, uma vez que os artefactos produzidos por estes cerâmicos são reduzidos quando comparados com os originados por outros materiais atualmente utilizados no fabrico deste tipo de próteses.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging modality that has allowed major advances in medical diagnostics. It has been increasingly used for postoperative evaluation in different situations. However, there are some obstacles to obtain quality images. These obstacles are often caused by the presence of surgical material, as it is the case of hip prostheses. Hip prostheses characteristics give rise to magnetic susceptibility artifacts that affects image quality. The development of new materials has shown advantages regarding artifacts in diagnostic imaging. Ceramic Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) coated nanocrystalline diamond obtained by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) developed in CICECO – Centre for Research in Ceramics and Composites Materials at the University of Aveiro is a new candidate to be used in joint prostheses, namely in hip prostheses of femur head. This ceramics material has excellent characteristics of wear resistance and biocompatibility. A previous study with CT showed good results since metal artifacts were reduced. Yet, no previous studies assessing Si3N4 coated nanocrystalline diamond behavior in MRI are found. This study is aimed at evaluating the imaging performance of this new material, Si3N4 coated nanocrystalline diamond in MRI, and comparing it with materials currently marketed. For this purpose, a phantom which does not jeopardize safety in testing MRI was used. Samples of hip prostheses femoral heads made of different materials, namely Cobalt-Chromium (CC), Oxinium (OX), Zirconia-Toughened Alumina (ZTA), Silicon Nitride (NS) and Silicon Nitride coated with diamond (NSD) were used. Images were acquired in two MRI equipments under similar conditions, a 3T at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS) and a 1.5T at the Centre of Computed Tomography of Aveiro (CENTAC). Images analysis, artifacts quantification and comparison of artifacts caused by different materials were performed. The results obtained in this study show promising imaging properties of Si3N4/diamond. The artifacts produced by this material are reduced when compared to those generated by other materials currently used in hip prostheses manufacture

Dimensionality and gender-based measurement invariance of the Compassion Scale in a community sample

Compassion has been proposed as relevant to psychological functioning and mental health, involving being compassionate and caring towards others in times of difficulty. The Compassion Scale (CS) proposes to assess compassion for others considering its different dimensions (Kindness; Common humanity; Mindfulness; Indifference; Separation, and Disengagement) and also offers a total score. The current work investigated the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of this instrument in adults (N=610). Results showed the acceptability of a two higher-order factor solution representing a negative and a positive valence of compassion (i.e., Compassion and Disconnectedness), with each higher-order factor comprising three different dimensions of compassion. Multi-group analyses established measurement invariance across gender; further mean comparison analyses showed that women presented higher levels of the positive dimensions of compassion, whereas men showed higher levels of the negative ones. The CS demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and limited validity in relation to external variables. Overall, these findings contribute to the validation of the CS in a non-clinical adult sample, supporting a new measurement model that partially concurs with the original one. It thus provides the user with a new way of assessing and interpreting compassion that may be useful both in research and clinical settings

Work Safety: Fuzzy Inference Model Specification for Evaluation of Heat Agent

This research proposes an inference model fuzzy to analyses hazardous environmental work conditions, specifically insalubrious work conditions relevant for heat risk to support the safety engineers for making decisions. The article presents a study that consists of a fuzzy inference model specification for the evaluation of heat agents. The structure of model fuzzy used are inputs temperature and metabolic rate, while the output is work environment condition that could be salubrious or insalubrious. Through, the inference method Mamdani and rules established according to Brazil legislation about heat, Occupational Hygiene Standard 06, the proposed model can determine the work conditions about the heat. The validation process is done in an industry from the Industrial Pole of Manaus, therefor all the process necessary for preparations to use the proposed model is described to obtain all the variables necessary in the field. As a result, the proposed model got the correct classification of work environment conditions with pertinent results according to current legislation and technical expertise.       &nbsp

ANÁLISE DAS PROPRIEDADES FÍSICAS DA MADEIRA DAS ESPÉCIES Azadirachta indica A. Juss. E Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC

A exploração da mata nativa para uso como fonte energética e a inserção e proliferação de espécies exóticas, ambos prejudicam o ecossistema e afetam a biodiversidade da Caatinga. Este trabalho busca avaliar o uso da madeira de duas espécies exóticas como lenha, através da análise das propriedades físicas das madeiras e do cálculo IVC, objetivando-se apontar a utilização dessas espécies exóticas, como forma de preservar a mata nativa. Foram coletadas amostras de 10 indivíduos por espécie, e realizadas as análises do teor de umidade e da densidade, e com os valores observados calculou-se os IVC’s. foi verificado que a espécie A. indica A. Juss. apresentou alto teor de umidade, o que influenciou no IVC da espécie. A densidade para ambas as espécies apresentou bons índices. O IVC da espécie A. indica A. Juss. foi de 0,015597, e o da espécie P. juliflora (Sw.) DC foi de 0,021866. Foi concluído que ambas as espécies podem ser utilizadas, onde para que a espécie A. indica A. Juss. possa ser utilizado é necessário passar por um processo de secagem

Avaliação da mobilidade elétrica no Brasil

Trabalho de conclusão de curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Elétrica, 2019.Apresenta-se neste trabalho estudos bibliográficos e análises com o objetivo de entender o contexto dos veículos elétricos e da mobilidade elétrica no mundo de uma forma geral, e no Brasil de forma específica, buscando compreender a realidade específica brasileira em torno desse assunto e como se viabilizará a implementação desse tipo de tecnologia. Inicialmente é mostrada um pouco da história dos veículos elétricos. Posteriormente foi realizada uma avaliação técnica relativa aos veículos a combustão e elétricos. Mais à frente, buscou-se entender a situação em alguns países do mundo que foram considerados como referência, Noruega, Japão, Estados Unidos e China. Por fim, estudou-se a situação no Brasil, e buscou-se colocar considerações sobre como se dará a implementação desse tipo de veículo na realidade brasileira.This work presents bibliographical studies and analyzes aiming to understand the context of electric vehicles and electric mobility in the world in general, and in Brazil in a specific way, seeking to understand the specific Brazilian reality around this subject and how the implementation of this type of technology will be enabled. Initially a little of the history of electric vehicles is shown. Subsequently, a technical evaluation was carried out for combustion and electric vehicles. Later, it was sought to understand the situation in some countries of the world that were considered as a reference, Norway, Japan, United States and China. Finally, the situation in Brazil was studied, and it was sought to put considerations on how this type of vehicle will be implemented in the Brazilian reality

Expanding the knowledge on the skillful yeast Cyberlindnera jadinii

Cyberlindnera jadinii is widely used as a source of single-cell protein and is known for its ability to synthesize a great variety of valuable compounds for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Its capacity to produce compounds such as food additives, supplements, and organic acids, among other fine chemicals, has turned it into an attractive microorganism in the biotechnology field. In this review, we performed a robust phylogenetic analysis using the core proteome of C. jadinii and other fungal species, from Asco- to Basidiomycota, to elucidate the evolutionary roots of this species. In addition, we report the evolution of this species nomenclature over-time and the existence of a teleomorph (C. jadinii) and anamorph state (Candida utilis) and summarize the current nomenclature of most common strains. Finally, we highlight relevant traits of its physiology, the solute membrane transporters so far characterized, as well as the molecular tools currently available for its genomic manipulation. The emerging applications of this yeast reinforce its potential in the white biotechnology sector. Nonetheless, it is necessary to expand the knowledge on its metabolism, regulatory networks, and transport mechanisms, as well as to develop more robust genetic manipulation systems and synthetic biology tools to promote the full exploitation of C. jadinii.This work was supported by the strategic program UID/BIA/04050/2019, funded by Portuguese funds through the FCT I.P., the projects: PTDC/BIAMIC/5184/2014, funded by national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) I.P. and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE 2020–Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI), and EcoAgriFood: Innovative green products and processes to promote AgriFood BioEconomy (operação NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000009), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). M.S.S. acknowledges the Norte2020 for the UMINHO/BD/25/2016 PhD grant with the reference NORTE-08–5369-FSE-000060

possible impact of healthcare burden and hospital bed occupancy on clinical management and outcomes, March-December 2020

Copyright © 2023 Ricoca Peixoto, Vieira, Aguiar, Carvalho, Thomas, Sousa, Nunes and Abrantes.AIM: Identify factors associated with COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death among hospitalized cases in Portugal, and variations from the first to the second wave in Portugal, March-December 2020. INTRODUCTION: Determinants of ICU admission and death for COVID-19 need further understanding and may change over time. We used hospital discharge data (ICD-10 diagnosis-related groups) to identify factors associated with COVID-19 outcomes in two epidemic periods with different hospital burdens to inform policy and practice. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all hospitalized cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in the Portuguese NHS hospitals, discharged from March to December 2020. We calculated sex, age, comorbidities, attack rates by period, and calculated adjusted relative risks (aRR) for the outcomes of admission to ICU and death, using Poisson regressions. We tested effect modification between two distinct pandemic periods (March-September/October-December) with lower and higher hospital burden, in other determinants. RESULTS: Of 18,105 COVID-19 hospitalized cases, 10.22% were admitted to the ICU and 20.28% died in hospital before discharge. Being aged 60-69 years (when compared with those aged 0-49) was the strongest independent risk factor for ICU admission (aRR 1.91, 95%CI 1.62-2.26). Unlike ICU admission, risk of death increased continuously with age and in the presence of specific comorbidities. Overall, the probability of ICU admission was reduced in the second period but the risk of death did not change. Risk factors for ICU admission and death differed by epidemic period. Testing interactions, in the period with high hospital burden, those aged 80-89, women, and those with specific comorbidities had a significantly lower aRR for ICU admission. Risk of death increased in the second period for those with dementia and diabetes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The probability of ICU admission was reduced in the second period. Different patient profiles were identified for ICU and deaths among COVID-19-hospitalized patients in different pandemic periods with lower and higher hospital burden, possibly implying changes in clinical practice, priority setting, or clinical presentation that should be further investigated and discussed considering impacts of higher burden on services in health outcomes, to inform preparedness, healthcare workforce planning, and pandemic prevention measures.publishersversionpublishe

Qualidade de vida das vitimas de trauma craniencefalico seis meses apos o trauma

OBJECTIVE: to describe the quality of life of victims of traumatic brain injury six months after the event and to show the relationship between the results observed and the clinical, sociodemographic and return to productivity data. METHOD: data were analyzed from 47 victims assisted in a trauma reference hospital in the municipality of Aracaju and monitored in an outpatient neurosurgery clinic. The data were obtained through analysis of the patient records and structured interviews, with the application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life, brief version, questionnaire. RESULTS: the victims presented positive perceptions of their quality of life, and the physical domain presented the highest mean value (68.4±22.9). Among the sociodemographic characteristics, a statistically significant correlation was found between marital status and the psychological domain. However, the return to productivity was related to all the domains. CONCLUSION: the return to productivity was an important factor for the quality of life of the victims of traumatic brain injury and should direct the public policies in promoting the health of these victims.OBJETIVOS: describir la calidad de vida de las víctimas de trauma craneoencefálico después de seis meses del evento y mostrar la relación entre los resultados observados y los datos clínicos, los sociodemográficos y el retorno la productividad. MÉTODO: fueron analizados datos de 47 víctimas asistidas en un hospital referencia en trauma en el municipio de Aracaju y acompañadas en ambulatorio de neurocirugía. Los datos fueron obtenidos por análisis de fichas y entrevistas estructuradas, con aplicación del cuestionario World Health Organization Quality of Life, versión breve. RESULTADOS: las víctimas presentaron una percepción positiva de su calidad de vida y el dominio físico (68,4±22,9) presentó el mayor valor promedio. Entre las características sociodemográficas, una correlación estadísticamente significante fue verificada entre el estado civil y el dominio psicológico. Entretanto el retorno a la productividad se relacionó con todos los dominios. CONCLUSIÓN: el retorno a la productividad fue un factor importante para la calidad de vida de las víctimas de trauma craneoencefálico y debe guiar las políticas públicas en la promoción de la salud de esas víctimas.OBJETIVOS: descrever a qualidade de vida das vítimas de trauma craniencefálico, após seis meses do evento, e mostrar a relação entre os resultados observados e os dados clínicos, sociodemográficos e retorno à produtividade. MÉTODO: foram analisados dados de 47 vítimas assistidas em hospital referência ao trauma, no município de Aracaju, SE, e acompanhadas em ambulatório de neurocirurgia. Os dados foram obtidos pela análise dos prontuários e entrevistas estruturadas, com aplicação do questionário World Health Organization Quality of Life, versão breve. RESULTADOS: as vítimas apresentaram percepção positiva de sua qualidade de vida e o domínio físico (68,4±22,9) apresentou o maior valor médio. Entre as características sociodemográficas, correlação estatisticamente significante foi verificada entre estado civil e o domínio psicológico. Entretanto, o retorno à produtividade se relacionou com todos os domínios. CONCLUSÃO: o retorno à produtividade foi fator importante para a qualidade de vida das vítimas de trauma craniencefálico e deve direcionar as políticas públicas na promoção à saúde dessas vítimas

Determinants for hospitalisations, intensive care unit admission and death among 20,293 reported COVID-19 cases in Portugal, March to April 2020

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.Background: Determinants of hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death are still unclear for COVID-19. Few studies have adjusted for confounding for different clinical outcomes including all reported cases within a country. Aim: We used routine surveillance data from Portugal to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes, and to support risk stratification, public health interventions, and planning of healthcare resources. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 20,293 laboratory- confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported between 1 March and 28 April 2020 through the national epidemiological surveillance system. We calculated absolute risk, relative risk (RR) and adjusted relative risk (aRR) to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with hospitalisation, ICU admission and death using Poisson regressions. Results: Increasing age (≥ 60 years) was the major determinant for all outcomes. Age ≥ 90 years was the strongest determinant of hospital admission (aRR: 6.1), and 70-79 years for ICU (aRR: 10.4). Comorbidities of cardiovascular, immunodeficiency, kidney and lung disease (aRR: 4.3, 2.8, 2.4, 2.0, respectively) had stronger associations with ICU admission, while for death they were kidney, cardiovascular and chronic neurological disease (aRR: 2.9, 2.6, 2.0). Conclusions: Older age was the strongest risk factor for all severe outcomes. These findings from the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic support risk-stratified public health measures that should prioritise protecting older people. Epidemiological scenarios and clinical guidelines should consider this, even though under-ascertainment should also be considered.publishersversionpublishe

Validação da acessibilidade na plataforma de eLearning: caso IPLeiria

Um dos aspetos focados por Martin Dougianas (2013), relativamente às melhorias do Moodle 2.5, diz respeito à acessibilidade e usabilidade. Segundo o cofundador do Moodle estas melhorias pretendem tornar mais eficiente a navegação nas páginas e as funcionalidades da aplicação. Considerando que um dos fatores fundamentais da acessibilidade é responder às necessidades dos diferentes perfis de utilizadores, procurámos, no IPLeiria, validar estas melhorias com utilizadores que apresentam necessidades específicas: navegação por teclado, navegação pela iris, navegação pelo movimento da cabeça e utilização de leitor de ecrã. Após a instalação, configuração e personalização da plataforma Moodle no servidor do IPLeiria, a Unidade de Ensino a Distância (UED) realizou testes de validação e pertinência das novas funcionalidades. Desenhou-se a unidade curricular (UC) Testes de Acessibilidade, onde foram disponibilizadas ferramentas de comunicação, diferentes tipos de recursos e diferentes tipos de atividades. Elaborou-se um guião com várias tarefas a realizar em diferentes páginas e foi disponibilizada uma lista de verificação das WCAG 2.0, elaborada a partir da Check list disponibilizada pelo W3C (2006) e adaptada aos testes da plataforma de eLearning (Moodle). Os testes foram realizados, autonomamente, por 2 estudantes do 2º ano do curso de Engenharia de Informática da ESTG - Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, um membro do núcleo de investigação iACT – inclusão e acessibilidade em ação, do IPLeiria, que utilizaram diferentes leitores de ecrã. Além destes testes foram ainda realizados testes com recurso ao apontador de cabeça SmartNAV (navegação através do movimento da cabeça) por um técnico da Unidade de Ensino a Distância. A usabilidade da plataforma foi também testada com dispositivos móveis sem apresentar problemas de navegação e de conteúdos. Os resultados obtidos permitiram detetar diversas barreiras à acessibilidade, pelo que propomos um conjunto de sugestões para os docentes, que visam ultrapassar algumas destas barreiras.Martin Dougianas (2013) stresses that accessibility and usability is some of the improvements in the Moodle 2.5 version. According to the Moodle co-founder, these improvements intended to make navigation on the pages and the features of the application more efficient. Whereas one of the fundamental factors of accessibility is to respond to the needs of different user profiles, we have sought, in IPLeiria, validate these improvements with users who have specific needs: keyboard navigation, navigation by iris, navigation by head movement and use of screen reader. After the installation, configuration and customization of Moodle platform on the IPLeiria server, the Distance Learning Unit (UED) conducted some validation accessibility tests and pertinence of new features. We designed the Accessibility Testing Course, where we made available some communication tools, different types of resources and different types of activities. We have drawn up a script with multiple tasks to perform on different pages and was provided a WCAG 2.0 checklist, based on the Check list provided by W3C (2006) and adapted to our eLearning platform (Moodle) tests. The tests were conducted independently by 2 blind students (from the 2nd year of Computer Engineering graduate course of the ESTG School), a member (blind person) of the iACT IPLeiria research center, which used different screen readers. In addition to these tests were also carried out tests using the head pointer SmartNAV (navigation through the head movement) by a technician from the UED and also member of the iACT Research Centre. The results obtained made it possible to detect some accessibility problems, for which we propose a set of suggestions for teachers, which aim to overcome some of these barriers, in particular for blind people. Some usability aspects were also tested with mobile devices, not having been verified relevant problems of navigation and presentation of the contentsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio