Growth patterns and scaling laws governing AIDS epidemic in Brazilian cities

Brazil holds approximately 1/3 of population living infected with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) in Central and South Americas, and it was also the first developing country to implement a large-scale control and intervention program against AIDS epidemic. In this scenario, we investigate the temporal evolution and current status of the AIDS epidemic in Brazil. Specifically, we analyze records of annual absolute frequency of cases for more than 5000 cities for the first 33 years of the infection in Brazil. We found that (i) the annual absolute frequencies exhibit a logistic-type growth with an exponential regime in the first few years of the AIDS spreading; (ii) the actual reproduction number decaying as a power law; (iii) the distribution of the annual absolute frequencies among cities decays with a power law behavior; (iv) the annual absolute frequencies and the number of inhabitants have an allometric relationship; (v) the temporal evolution of the annual absolute frequencies have different profile depending on the average annual absolute frequencies in the cities. These findings yield a general quantitative description of the AIDS infection dynamics in Brazil since the beginning. They also provide clues about the effectiveness of treatment and control programs against the infection, that has had a different impact depending on the number of inhabitants of cities. In this framework, our results give insights into the overall dynamics of AIDS epidemic, which may contribute to select empirically accurate models.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Study on the perception of DIY in domotics in Portugal

The growth of the home automation market depends on technological innovations, rapid evolution of the Internet of Things and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solutions. This project analysed the perception about domotics related to DIY in Portugal, intending to understand if smart home technologies are used and valued, which factors motivate their acquisition, their purpose and the advantages perceived by users. A questionnaire was used to collect data, resulting in an exploratory study based on data from a convenience sample. The model to evaluate this study was based on the constructs based on Technology Acceptance Models - TAM. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the respondents have a positive perception about domotics and its usefulness faced with DIY on the technologies that make a smart home. Regarding the acquisition and installation of technologies associated with home automation on their own, the respondents are divided, as half consider that they can do it autonomously and the other half only with the intervention of specialists in home automation

Dynamic capabilities: Antecedents and implications for firms' performance

Purpose: This paper aims to explore a new causal link between learning, market and entrepreneurial orientations and firms' performance by introducing dynamic capabilities and competitive advantages as mediator variables. Design/methodology/approach: The mediating role of dynamic capabilities and competitive advantages is tested using a sample of 1,190 Portuguese firms, and structural equation models. Findings: It is shown that dynamic capabilities mediate the relationship between the three orientations–learning, market and entrepreneurial–and competitive advantages of differentiation and cost leadership, and both competitive advantages lead to firm's performance. It is also shown that learning orientation is an antecedent of market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation. Practical implications: This research shows that firm's performance depends on the capacity of firms to learn, innovate, be proactive, take risks and collect the best market data. Indeed, by optimizing the internal management and knowledge dissemination, firms will develop a set of capabilities and competitive advantages that lead to an appropriate response to market challenges. Originality/value: This study tests the relationship between strategic orientations and firm's performance by taking the mediating effects of dynamic capabilities and competitive advantages into account. This research was conducted in Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Thermal comfort evaluation of an operating room through CFD methodology

Different studies have been evidencing that the surgeon, working with a high metabolic rate, feels uncomfortable after a time. This enforces the study of indoor thermal conditions in health care facilities. The main objective of the present work is the evaluation of the thermal comfort sensation experienced by surgeons and nurses inside a Portuguese orthopaedic surgical room, using the PMV index. Through CFD tools and a post-processing routine, it was obtained the PMV index in each domain node, in opposite to the typical use of average climate values. The use of average ventilation values, to calculate the index, does not provide a correct and enough descriptive evaluation of the surgical room thermal environment. It is noticeable that surgeons and nurses feel different thermal sensations in the same surgical room. For the studied case, the surgeon feels the room environment hotter than the nurse. The nurses feel a slightly cold sensation under the air supply diffuser and a neutral zone is located in the air stagnation zones close to the walls. As expected for both cases, lamps provide an uncomfortable sensation. The clothing used by both classes, as well as the ventilation conditions, shall be revised accordingly to the amount of persons in the room and the type of activity performed

Interferência na quantificação de proteínas em cultura de G. diazotrophicus em meio semi-sólido contendo glicose.

Apresenta as observações sobre os efeitos interferentes da glicose e apresenta subsídios para uma abordagem alternativa para dosagem de proteínas quando glicose estiver presente no meio de cultivo em condições específicas.bitstream/item/42763/1/COT121-09.pd

Surface-ATRP of PEGMA onto polydimethyl siloxane for biomedical applications

Silicone rubber (poly(dimethyl siloxane; PDMS)), is extensively used for biomedical implants due to its low toxicity, flexible processing techniques, long-term endurance and good blood compatibility. However, the presence of low molecular weight organic molecules and catalyst residues that cause host systemic inflammatory reactions. The hydrophobic nature of PDMS also allows microbial adhesion followed by infection. Hydrophilic PDMS surfaces would be of great value in inhibiting biofilm formation thus prolonging the lifetime of the implants. This could be obtained by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The robustness and versatility of ATRP allow the preparation of functional bioactive surfaces, including antifouling, antibacterial, stimuliresponsive, biomolecule-coupled and micropatterned surfaces.[1-3] We aim at establishing the experimental conditions allowing the surface-grafting of polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGMA) by surface attaching an initiator (1- trichlorosilyl-2-(chloromethylphenyl)ethane) onto PDMS (Sylgard ® 184). Here, cooper is being used as a metal catalyst and 2,2'-Bipyridine as a ligant. Polymerizations are being assayed in aqueous media. The native smooth and transparent surface of the PDMS could be preserved following polymerization (as confirmed by SEM). FTIR-ATR also showed the presence of PEGMA polymer chains. By contact angle measurement, a change in the surface hydrophobicity was observed, the values changing from 114º to 60º, following 30h polymerization. Work is in progress to optimize the modification of PDMS by PEGMA surface-ATRP. This implies following up the polymer chain growth kinetics, surface characterization by XPS, FTIR-ATR, SEM and contact angle measurements. Static and dynamic microbial adhesion, as well as biocompatibility studies are also envisaged