Applying a Life-Cycle Costs Approach to Water

This working paper presents findings and recommendations from the application of a life-cycle costs approach (LCCA) to water supply services in rural communities and small towns1 in four countries -- Andhra Pradesh (India), Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mozambique

Profissionais de RVC: uma nova atividade profissional no campo da formação de adultos

Esta investigación se centra en el análisis del grupo ocupacional profesional de RVC (Profesionales del Reconocimiento y Validación de Competencias), que aparece como un área relativamente nueva en la formación / educación de adultos en Portugal que es el reconocimiento del aprendizaje a través de la experiencia, que tiene lugar en los centros de Nuevas Oportunidades (CNO). Este estudio tiene por objetivo principal analizar las trayectorias profesionales y sus formas de identidad construidas por los profesionales de RVC que tuvo lugar en un CNO de Lisboa. El instrumento de recolección de datos utilizado fue una entrevista semi-estructurada. Los resultados permitirán obtener una visión más amplia y profunda sobre este grupo ocupacional y las tensiones que atraviesan.This research focuses on the analysis of the RVC Professionals occupational group (Professionals of Recognition and Validation of Competencies), which consists in a relatively new area in the adult training/education field in Portugal: the recognition of the experiential learning, taking place in New Opportunities Centres. This study´s main goal is to analyze career paths and forms of identity built by RVC Professionals. It took place in one New Opportunities Centre of Greater Lisbon. The data collection instrument used was a semi-structured interview type. The results led to a broader and profound vision about this occupational group and its tensions.Esta investigação centra-se na análise do grupo ocupacional Profissionais de RVC (Profissionais de Reconhecimento e Validação de Competências), que se enquadra numa área relativamente recenté da formação/educação de adultos em Portugal, que é o reconhecimento de adquiridos experienciais, que tem lugar nos Centros Novas Oportunidades (CNO). O estudo tem como objetivo principal analisar os percursos profissionais e as formas identitárias construídas pelos Profissionais de RVC e teve lugar num CNO da grande Lisboa. O instrumento de recolha de dados usado foi a entrevista de tipo semiestruturado. Os resultados permitiram obter uma visão mais alargada e profunda sobre este grupo ocupacional e das tensões que o atravessam

Equity research report Jerónimo Martins SGPS, SA

Projeto de mestrado em FinanceEste Equity Research Report é o resultado do Projeto de Mestrado realizado como parte do programa Mestrado em Finanças da Universidade do Minho. O relatório é sobre o Grupo Jerónimo Martins, uma empresa portuguesa que atua na indústria de Retalho e Distribuição Alimentar em Portugal, Polónia e Colômbia. A estrutura do documento segue as diretrizes fornecidas pelo CFA Institute. O estudo começa com uma introdução sobre a Jerónimo Martins e as suas marcas proeminentes, nomeadamente Pingo Doce, Recheio, Biedronka, Hebe e Ara. Em seguida, o relatório inclui uma análise do desempenho e metas ESG da empresa, bem como uma visão geral da indústria. As seções subsequentes abordam as informações financeiras do Grupo e explicam as metodologias de avaliação utilizadas para a análise. As informações financeiras da empresa foram principalmente obtidas a partir do Relatório Anual de 2021, complementadas pelo relatório preliminar de vendas de 2022. Outros valores incluídos na avaliação foram atualizados pela última vez no dia 25 de abril, sem ajustes subsequentes. O método principal de avaliação utilizado nesta pesquisa é a Avaliação de Fluxos de Caixa Descontados (FCD). Este é complementado por uma Análise de Sensibilidade, Análise de Cenários e Avaliação de Pares para enriquecer a análise e sustentar a recomendação de investimento. Por fim, o relatório é concluído com uma avaliação dos riscos de investimento associados à empresa, a probabilidade de ocorrência e o respetivo impacto. Os resultados da Avaliação FCD resultam num preço-alvo para a ação de 22,90€. Isto representa um potencial de valorização de 5,05% e leva a uma recomendação de investimento HOLD. Em conclusão, este Equity Research Report descreve informações relevantes sobre a Jerónimo Martins, como a estratégia de investimento sólida para a expansão da Ara na Colômbia, a importância das renovações para o Pingo Doce e a Biedronka, uma vez que são marcas mais maduras com forte presença em Portugal e Polónia, e a notável pontuação ESG que eles têm mantido consistentemente. Todos estes fatores destacam a Jerónimo Martins como uma oportunidade de investimento atrativa na indústria de Retalho e Distribuição Alimentar.This Equity Research Report is the outcome of the Master's Project conducted as part of the Master in Finance program at University of Minho. The report is about the Group Jerónimo Martins, a Portuguese company operating in the Food Retail and Distribution industry across Portugal, Poland, and Colombia. The structure of the document adheres to the guidelines provided by the CFA Institute. The study begins with an introduction to Jerónimo Martins and their prominent brands, namely Pingo Doce, Recheio, Biedronka, Hebe, and Ara. Afterwards, the report includes an analysis of their ESG performance and goals, as well as an industry overview. The subsequent sections delve into the financials of the Group and expound upon the valuation methodologies used for the analysis. The Company's financial information is primarily sourced from the 2021 Annual Report, supplemented by the preliminary sales report from 2022. Other valuation figures were last updated on April 25th, with no subsequent adjustments made. The main valuation method employed in this research is the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Valuation. It is complemented with a Sensitivity Analysis, Scenario Analysis, and Relative Valuation to enrich the analysis and support the investment recommendation. Lastly, the report is concluded with an assessment regarding the investment risks associated with the Company, the probability of occurrence and respective impact. The results from the DCF Valuation yield a target share price of 22.90€. This represents a potential upside of 5.05% and leads to a HOLD investment recommendation. In conclusion, this Equity Research Report offers valuable insights into Jerónimo Martins, such as the strong investment strategy in place for Ara’s expansion in Colombia, the importance of renovations for Pingo Doce and Biedronka as these are more mature brands with strong presence in Portugal and Poland respectively, and the notable ESG score they have consistently upheld. All these factors highlight Jerónimo Martins as an attractive investment opportunity in the Food Retail and Distribution industry

Gout flare and cardiovascular events

© 2023 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Leaving no stone unturned: the search for stroke associated with atrial fibrillation

© 2022 The Authors. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The diagnosis of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) continues to be a main priority in stroke patients. After the clinical trials that evaluated anticoagulation versus antiplatelet treatment in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) showed that there is no benefit of anticoagulation in the absence of a diagnosis of AF, diagnosing paroxysmal AF continues to be an essential part of the etiological investigation of stroke patients. However, finding paroxysmal AF may be challenging.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Upper airway assessment in cone-beam computed tomography for screening of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: development of an evaluation protocol in dentistry

Background: The upper airways are formed by the nasal cavities, pharynx, and larynx. There are several radiographic methods that allow evaluation of the craniofacial structure. Upper airway analysis in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) may be useful in diagnosing some pathologies such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). OSAS prevalence has increased significantly in recent decades, justified by increased obesity and average life expectancy. It can be associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. In some individuals with OSAS, the upper airway is compromised and narrowed. Nowadays, CBCT is widely used in dentistry by clinicians. Its use for upper airway assessment would be an advantage for screening some abnormalities related to an increased risk of pathologies such as OSAS. CBCT helps to calculate the total volume of the airways and their area in different anatomical planes (sagittal, coronal, and transverse). It also helps identify regions with the highest anteroposterior and laterolateral constriction of the airways. Despite its undoubted advantages, airway assessment is not routinely performed in dentistry. There is no protocol that allows comparisons between studies, which makes it difficult to obtain scientific evidence in this area. Hence, there is an urgent need to standardize the protocol for upper airway measurement to help clinicians identify at-risk patients. Objective: Our main aim is to develop a standard protocol for upper airway evaluation in CBCT for OSAS screening in dentistry. Methods: To measure and evaluate the upper airways, data are obtained using Planmeca ProMax 3D (Planmeca). Patient orientation is performed in accordance with the manufacturer's indications at the time of image acquisition. The exposure corresponds to 90 kV, 8 mA, and 13,713 seconds. The software used for upper airway analysis is Romexis (version 5.1.O.R; Planmeca). The images are exhibited in accordance with the field of view of 20.1×17.4 cm, size of 502×502×436 mm, and voxel size of 400 μm. Results: The protocol described and illustrated here allows for automatic calculation of the total volume of the pharyngeal airspace, its area of greatest narrowing, its location, and the smallest anteroposterior and laterolateral dimensions of the pharynx. These measurements are carried out automatically by the imaging software whose reliability is proven by the existing literature. Thus, we could reduce the possible bias of manual measurement, aiming at data collection. Conclusions: The use of this protocol by dentists will allow for standardization of the measurements and constitutes a valuable screening tool for OSAS. This protocol may also be suitable for other imaging software. The anatomical points used as reference are most relevant for standardizing studies in this field.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Arrangements and Cost of Providing Support to Rural Water Service Providers

This paper is about the costs of providing direct and indirect support to rural water service provision. It provides an overview of the features such support entails, how these features can be organized, what they cost and how they can be financed. It also provides recommendations to countries for strengthening support. The paper is based on a desk review of existing literature from seven countries and an analysis of primary cost data collected by the WASHCost project in Andhra Pradesh (India), Mozambique and Ghana in 2010 and 2011. Support to service providers in the form of monitoring, technical assistance and (re)training of service providers is called direct support whereas indirect support refers to aspects such as macro-level planning and policy making. Direct support can be provided in different forms: by specialized agencies, by local government or even by an association of service providers. However, the nature, scope and frequency of such support are often not sufficiently defined. There is, therefore, still little quantitative evidence that supports the premise that direct support has a positive impact on the quality and sustainability of services

Ingestão proteica na infância e risco de obesidade

Trabalho Complementar apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de licenciada em Ciências da NutriçãoIntrodução: A obesidade é uma doença crónica não transmissível que afeta milhões de indivíduos em todo o mundo, traduzindo-se numa acumulação excessiva de gordura. Maioritariamente em resultado de um desequilíbrio energético positivo, acarreta frequentemente consequências metabólicas importantes, comprometendo a saúde física e psicológica. O tema assume uma maior importância quando é percetível o aumento vertiginoso do número de crianças que apresentam excesso de peso e/ou obesidade. O excesso de ingestão proteica (IP) tem sido apontado como um fator promotor da obesidade. Objetivo: Analisar a relação entre ingestão proteica na infância e risco de obesidade. Métodos: O método utilizado consistiu na revisão de artigos científicos publicados desde o ano 2000 até ao presente ano na plataforma online Pubmed, com as palavraschave “protein”, “intake”, “childood”, “obesity”, “BMI”. A pesquisa incluiu artigos em português e inglês, realizados em humanos e com avaliação do IMC, velocidade de crescimento ou massa gorda. Foram incluídos estudos clínicos e observacionais que avaliavam a ingestão proteica nos primeiros dois anos de vida e a sua relação com risco de obesidade em idade pediátrica. Dos 303 artigos iniciais, foram selecionados 21 que cumpriam os critérios. Resultados: Dos 21 estudos, 11 analisam a ingestão proteica durante o período de amamentação. Destes, 10 apresentaram uma associação positiva entre a ingestão proteica e a velocidade de crescimento. A massa gorda foi avaliada apenas em 3 dos 11 estudos, sendo que em 2 deles a associação mostrou-se positiva. Dos 21 estudos, 14 avaliam o período de alimentação complementar, sendo que 12 destes associam de forma positiva a ingestão proteica com um maior valor de IMC. A massa gorda foi avaliada em 5 estudos, tendo sido encontrada uma associação positiva com IP em 4. Conclusão: A excessiva ingestão proteica na infância parece induzir uma maior velocidade de crescimento e apresenta associação com um maior IMC em idade pediátrica. Estes fatores parecem levar a uma maior acumulação de gordura, e, portanto, a um maior risco de obesidade na infância.Background: Obesity is a chronic non-communicable disease that affects millions of individuals worldwide, resulting in excessive fat accumulation. Mostly as a result of a positive energy balance, it has often important metabolic consequences, affecting the physical and psychological health. The issue is of utmost importance when it is noticeable the staggering number of children who are overweight and / or obese. Excessive protein intake (PI) has been implicated as an obesity promoter. Objective: To analyze the relationship between protein intake in childhood and obesity risk. Methods: The method used was the scientific articles revision published since 2000 to the current year on the online platform Pubmed with the keywords " protein" , "intake " , " childhood " , " obesity" , " BMI " . The search included articles in Portuguese and English, in human and including BMI evaluation, growth rate or body fat. Both clinical and observational studies were included, evaluating the protein intake in the first two years of life and its relation to obesity risk in children. Out of the 303 original articles 21were selected. Results: Out of the 21 studies, 11 analyzed protein intake during breastfeeding. From these, 10 showed a positive association between protein intake and growth rate. Fat mass was only measured in 3 of the 11 studies , and in 2 of them the association was positive. Out of the 21 studies, 14 assessed the complementary feeding period, and in 12 of these, a positive association between protein intake and increased BMI was found. Fat mass was evaluated by 5 studies, and a positive association with PI was found in 4. Conclusion: Excessive protein intake in childhood appears to induce a higher growth rate and associates with an increased BMI in children. These factors appear to lead to increased fat accumulation, and thus to a greater risk of childhood obesity.N/