Optical demultiplexer device operating in the visible spectrum

In this paper, we present results on the use of multilayered a-SiC:H heterostructures as a device for wavelength-division demultiplexing of optical signals. These devices are useful in optical communications applications that use the wavelength division multiplexing technique to encode multiple signals into the same transmission medium. The device is composed of two stacked p-i-n photodiodes, both optimized for the selective collection of photo generated carriers. Band gap engineering was used to adjust the photogeneration and recombination rate profiles of the intrinsic absorber regions of each photodiode to short and long wavelength absorption in the visible spectrum. The photocurrent signal using different input optical channels was analyzed at reverse and forward bias and under steady state illumination. A demux algorithm based on the voltage controlled sensitivity of the device was proposed and tested. An electrical model of the WDM device is presented and supported by the solution of the respective circuit equations

The impact of changing wildfire regimes on wood availability from portuguese forests

This article belongs to the special issue: Fire policies and practices in Europe: solving the Fire ParadoxThe perception of the good capability of the Portuguese mainland for timber production has sustained forest expansion policies during the twentieth century. These policies led to an increase of production forests, maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) first and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) later to support establishment and development of wood based industries (sawn, pulp and paper). The most recent forest inventory from 2005/6 estimated an area of 885,000 ha for maritime pine (8.9% of the country) and 740,000 ha for eucalyptus (7.5%). Today wood based industries (sawn, pulp and paper) are important for jobs and economy, using essentially the raw material produced in the country. However, forests are at high risks of wildfires, with pine and eucalyptus burning at an annual rate of 3–4% between 1996 and 2005. This resulted in great concerns about the sustainability of the national supply of wood to forest industries. As a consequence the National Forest Strategy (DGRF, 2007) recognized the decrease of risks associated with wildfires as a main policy objective. We predict the effect of different wildfire scenarios on wood availability for pine and eucalyptus forests with Markov chain models, by using national forest inventory and wildfire data

Kidney Injury in type 2 diabetic: the role of berberine treatment

rType 2 diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial disease. Prolonged hyperglycemia is one of the major determinants of long-term complications of diabetes. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) refers to a set of structural and functional changes which arise in response to chronic glycemic attack. Because diabetes is a progressive disease, pharmacotherapies with complementary mechanisms of action will be necessary to achieve glycemic goals. Berberine is a natural alkaloid isolated from the Coptis Chinensis. Although routinely prescribe in Asian countries, an interest in its beneficial effects in metabolic diseases has been growing in the Western world over the last decade. The aim of our work was to analyze the effects of BBR in T2DM, specifically in several markers of diabetic nephropathy. To realize our work we analyzed the metabolic profile and several parameters (energy homeostasis, inflammation and fibrosis) in cortex kidney tissue of 12 month old rats. To testing the effects of this natural compound in diabetic renal disease, we will go studding the profile metabolic of these animals. In renal tissue we will go evaluated the activity of two enzymes activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Sirtuin (Sirt)-1. Besides that, it is essential to study the role of several parameters in the evolution of renal disease like, Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and pro-inflammatory cytokines In conclusion, berberine is a valuable candidate for diabetic renal disease therapy?info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multimodal Analgesia: Optimizing Perioperative Pain Management

Multimodal pain management is the action of utilizing at least two different medication classes mechanisms in conjunction with non-pharamacologic measures in order to optimize pain relief. Introduction: This teaching tool will be used to educate nurses on the use of Multimodal medications prior and after surgical procedures. With the recent increase in opioid prescription abuse, multimodal medications should be a first-line option utilized to help manage pain with minimal or no opioids throughout the operative process. Background: Pain after a surgical procedure is common and is often expected. Common Multimodal Analgesia Regimens include Acetaminophen, NSAIDs, COX-2 selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, Gabapentin or Pregabalin, as well as nerve blocks. Greenwich Hospital utilizes all of these modals for pain management. Multimodal analgesia can also be used when the patient is discharged after surgery which will hopefully decrease the amount of opioids prescribed upon discharge. Purpose: The purpose of using multimodal pain management at Greenwich Hospital is to not only provide patients with a more controlled pain management regimen but also address and lessen the current opioid crisis seen within our nation today. Implementation: This form of pain management will be implemented by the nurses through communication and working alongside our patient and their physician to discover which combination of multimodal regimens is most effective for them. Education will also be provided on the interest related to decreasing the opioid prescriptions overall. Conclusion: Utilizing the multimodal approach is the approach of choice for relieving postoperative pain. Incorporating this method can help to minimize side effects associated with opioid use and make strides towards fixing the current opioid crisis

Medical negligence in a case of brayn aneurysm

Traballo fin de grao (UDC.DER). Dereito. Curso 2016/201

O impacto da incapacidade física na qualidade de vida relacionada com a saúde nos doentes oncológicos : um estudo exploratório

Tese de mestrado, Psicologia (Secção de Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde - Núcleo de Psicologia da Saúde e da Doença), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, 2009Este estudo pretendeu explorar a relação entre a Incapacidade física e as percepções deQualidade de Vida Relacionada com a Saúde (QDVRS) em doentes oncológicos. E pretendeu tambémconhecer os temas ligados à vivência da incapacidade física e da funcionalidade nesses mesmosdoentes.Para este estudo, foi recolhida uma amostra de conveniência de 26 indivíduos (20 do sexofeminino e 6 do sexo masculino) com diagnóstico médico de doença oncológica, seguidos na Clínicada Dor do IPOLFG. Tendo em conta os objectivos da investigação foram aplicados os seguintesinstrumentos: Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy - General, version 4 (FACT-G, v.4, versãoportuguesa), Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short Form SF - 36, version 2 (SF-36, v.2, versãoportuguesa), Functional Living Índex - Cancer (FLI-C, traduzido e adaptado especialmente para esteestudo), e Termómetro do Distresse. Para além destes instrumentos, 15 dos 26 participantes, foramainda alvo de uma Entrevista Semi-Estruturada, e da Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) da CapacidadeFísica. Os discursos dos participantes foram categorizados num conjunto de Temas associados àexperiência da incapacidade física e da funcionalidade, através da análise de conteúdo das entrevistasrealizadas.A incapacidade física neste estudo foi mensurada através da EVA para a capacidade física eatravés das dimensões dos questionários que fazem apelo à capacidade física, pelo que esta foiinterpretada de acordo com o significado das dimensões desses questionários. Assim ao explorar arelação existente entre a incapacidade física e a QDVRS, verificou-se que a incapacidade física serelaciona de forma positiva com a QDVRS. Verificou-se também que a incapacidade física se podecorrelacionar negativamente com a QDVRS, contudo de forma menos expressiva. A correlaçãonegativa verificou-se entre as dimensões Funcionamento Físico e Dor Corporal do SF-36 e a escalaglobal de Bem-Estar do FACT-G, mostrando assim que níveis de QDVRS favoráveis se podem fazeracompanhar por baixos níveis de capacidade física. Através da análise qualitativa, foram identificados14 temas básicos considerados como os mais representativos e preponderantes na experiência daincapacidade física e da funcionalidade, em que destes temas se destaca o tema Descrição de sintomasfísicos incapacitantes.Assim, pode-se dizer que a incapacidade física pode interferir com a percepção que os doentesoncológicos fazem da sua QDVRS. Nesse sentido, diminuir a incapacidade fisica, nomeadamente ossintomas fisicos incapacitantes, é fundamental para promover uma melhor QDVRS nestes doentes.The present study was conducted to explore the relationship between physical disability andHealth Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in cancer patients. This study also pretend understand thecentral themes connected with living physical disability and functionality in that patients.In this study a convenience sample of twenty women and six men with a medical diagnosis ofCancer was collected at the Pain Clinic's IPOLFG. In accordance to the objectives of the presentresearch the following instruments were used: Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy - General,version 4 (FACT-G, v.4, Portuguese version), Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short Form SF -36, version 2 (SF-36, v.2, Portuguese version), Functional Living Índex - Cancer (FLI-C, translatedand adapted specifically for this study), e Thermometer of Distress. In addition to these instruments,15 of the 26 participants were given a semi-structured interview and a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)concerning the physical capacity . The discourse of the participants was content analised andcategorized through a number of issues associated with the experience of disability andfunctionality,.The disability in this study was assessed through the VAS for the physical capacity andthrough the dimensions of the questionaires related to physical capacity. Data was interpretedaccording to the meaning of the dimensions of these questionnaires. The data suggest that disabilityis related in a positive way with QDVRS. However, it was also suggested that the disability can becorrelated negatively with QDVRS, however not as significant. A negative correlation was foundbetween the dimensions Physical Functioning and Body Pain scales of the SF-36 and overall wellbeingof the FACT-G, showing that levels of favorable QDVRS can be accompanied by low levels ofphysical capacity, which is in contradiction with previous results that say that high values of physicalcapacity correspond to favorable QDVRS. Through qualitative analysis, 14 central themes wereidentified as the most representative and preponderant in the experience of disability andfunctionality, the most proeminent is Description disabling physical symptoms.We can say that physical disability may interfere with the cancer patients' perception of theirQDVRS. So, it seems that an effort to reduce the physical disability, including disabling physicalsymptoms, is essential to promote a better QDVRS in these patients

Noise on Board:Workers Protected?

[Resumo] Unha das moitas particularidades do traballo no mar, en concreto nos buques mercantes, é que os traballadores deben permanecer no centro de traballo, o buque, unha vez finalizada a xornada laboral. Non cabe dúbida da responsabilidade dos empresarios no tocante aos danos para a súa saúde que calquera traballador/a poida sufrir no seu traballo e durante a súa xornada laboral, mais até aí chega a súa responsabilidade, como sucede no resto de actividades laborais. Con todo, no mar, o buque non é só o lugar de traballo, tamén é a vivenda dos mariños, e podemos afirmar que as condicións de vida destes non son máis que unha continuación das súas condicións de traballo; ora ben, como debe considerarse un dano na saúde dos mariños nese intervalo de tempo non laboral que permanecen no centro de traballo, o buque? A xurisprudencia, por medio de numerosas sentenzas, estableceu o nexo causal entre o traballo dos mariños e o dano que poidan sufrir a bordo fóra da súa xornada laboral. Neste estudo tomouse o ruído como fío condutor da relación entre a responsabilidade dos empresarios e os danos que poden sufrir os traballadores non só na súa xornada laboral, senón tamén fóra dela. Mais que normativas sobre ruído se deben aplicar a ese período non laboral? Tecnicamente falando, trataríase de ruído laboral durante as oito horas da xeira e de ruído ambiental o resto da xornada, polo que entraría en escena non só a corresponsabilidade das autoridades (marítimas?, laborais?, de saúde pública?), senón tamén a normativa ambiental. Pola súa vez, o ámbito mundial do transporte marítimo trae consigo a aplicación de normativa internacional. No entanto, a pesar das variadas responsabilidades e das variadas normativas de aplicación, preguntámonos: fronte ao ruído a bordo, están os mariños protexidos?[Abstract] One of peculiarities of work at sea, in particular on merchant ships, is that the worker must remain at his workplace, on the ship, once his working shift has finalized. There is no doubt of the employers responsibility in regards to the health damages a worker can suffer in his job and during his working hours, but this is where his responsibilities end, as in other labour activities. However, at sea, the ship is not only the workplace, it is also the home of the marine and we can affirm that the conditions of life are not more than a continuation of his working conditions, but how ought we to considerer health damages to the marine in this interval of time, non-working hours, and who remains in the workplace, on the ship?. Jurisprudence, by means of numerous sentences, has established the causal link between the work of the marine and the damage, which he could suffer on board on his leisure time. In this study we adopt acoustic noise as a link between the responsibility of the employer and the damages that a worker may suffer, not only during his working shift, but also out of it. But what regulations must we apply to this during non-working periods?. Technically speaking, we refer to noise as that produced during the 8 hours of work and environmental noise during the rest of the day, by which the co-responsibilities of the authorities (maritime? labour? public health?) would enter into scene, as well as the environmental rules. In turn, the global stage of maritime transport brings about in its self the application of international rules. Nevertheless, in spite of the varied responsibilities and of the diverse rules of application, we ask ourselves in regards to the noise on board, is the marine protected