ShakeMap: Combinação de observações instrumentais e macrossísmicas

Since 2008, the Portuguese seismological service, has implemented the ShakeMap software package provided by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in order to obtain reliable maps of peak ground motion parameters and seismic intensities for mainland Portugal. These maps identify the area affected by the earthquake and estimate the severity of ground shaking, thus providing important information for emergency response planning and for the general public. The maps are produced based on regional constraints from instrumental ground motions and site amplifications. In late 2009, USGS released a new version (V3.5) of ShakeMap software with added features. The new approach introduces several changes in the existing ShakeMap methodology, allowing the combination of direct observations (observed peak ground motion and seismic intensities), observations converted parameters and estimates. Some results are presented and discussed in this work

Sociocultural and educational factors in the sustainability of coastal zones : the prestige oil spill in Galicia, ten years later

Purpose - Environmental threats of immediate risk in areas such as coastal zones (CZ) have aroused new trends of citizenship and participatory democracy. This article intends to analyse elements within those trends, such as environmental culture; socio-political context; dynamics of social associative movement and integration of local knowledge. It also aims to contribute to an overview of the opportunities and barriers found in considering sociocultural and educational challenges in CZ. Design/methodology/approach - In this analysis, case studies of integrated coastal management occurring worldwide were selected and reviewed, considering several nuances of socio-economic and political contexts of CZ. Experiences of public response to coastal catastrophes such the Prestige oil spill in Spain, are also described. Findings – Whether implementing sustainable coastal management through either balanced systems (between large and small-scale strategies) or through largely bottom-up approaches, participation is detected as one of the main factors for a successul integrated approach. Principles such as participatory governance and social justice should be adopted in initial phases of sustainable management processes and preferably involve all of the implied actors of CZ. Originality/value - The literature reviewed provides specific highlights on factors that have empirically contributed to participatory sustainability of CZ, integrating three dimensions of citizenship: education, society’s dynamics and culture

The use of lean tools to improve the performance of an elevators company

This paper presents a project developed in an elevators company, in the framework of a master thesis at University of Minho. The main objective of this work was to analyse the production system of one assembly section of the company and to implement some proposals that would improve its performance. This objective was achieved by applying Lean Production tools and techniques namely, 5S, Visual Management and Standard Work. With the proposed improvements it was possible to increase the shop floor area, to reduce errors and nonconformities, to reduce the number of required operators and to improve the organization of the production system. These results promoted the reduction of energy and material consumption, mainly due to the decrease of defects and reduction of rework, which are some of the requisites for a company to become eco-efficient

An industrial application of the SMED methodology and other lean production tools

This paper describes the improvement of the setup process of a mechanical press machine in the metal-mechanic area of an elevators company. The work results from a master thesisc project conducted during a period of five months. The Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) methodology and other Lean Production tools (5S, Visual Management and Standard Work) were applied to reduce the setup times observed at the beginning of the project. With the developed solutions it was possible to reduce setup times, work-in-process (WIP) and distances travelled by operators. Additionally, the setup operations were standardized and consequently the process has become more fast and intuitive for the operators. These improvements allowed the reduction of energy and materials consumption and, consequently, a decrease on the Greenhouse Gases’ emissions

Diagnóstico sobre equipamentos para a educação ambiental no distrito de Lisboa : aspectos biofísicos e socioculturais nos projectos educativos

Tendo presente o papel dos Equipamentos para a Educação Ambiental (EqEA) no campo da Educação Ambiental (EA) não formal, pretendeu-se diagnosticar iniciativas desenvolvidas por EqEA no distrito de Lisboa. Estas iniciativas foram observadas à luz dos modelos/correntes genéricos de EA e do critério “impacto social”, considerando os elementos-recursos de um EqEA (instalações; recursos metodológicos; recursos humanos; sistema de avaliação, projeto educativo) e os níveis de integração de aspetos socioculturais nos projetos educativos. Deteta-se uma prevalência por práticas de EA com tendência conservacionista/naturalista e atitudinal/comportamental, centrados em temáticas como conservação da natureza/biodiversidade, poluição, alterações climáticas e resíduos urbanos em detrimento de outras práticas de modelos bioregionalistas e sociocríticos. Nestes, as temáticas envolvem mais as questões sociais, a qualidade de vida, a própria atividade económica, a nossa relação com a natureza, num equilíbrio/sustentabilidade socioambiental local, regional e globa

Relatório Final de Estágio

Relatório Final de Estágio Supervisionado, agregando os resultados das disciplinas de ESI e ESII, apresentado como requisito à obtençao do titulo de licenciado em Letras - Espanhol, na modalidade a distância, da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), realizado no Centro de Educação de Jovens e Adultos (CEJA)

Trypsin purification using magnetic particles of azocasein-iron composite

This work presents an inexpensive, simple and fast procedure to purify trypsin based on affinity binding with ferromagnetic particles of azocasein composite (mAzo). Crude extract was obtained from intestines of fish Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) homogenized in buffer (01 g tissue/ml). This extract was exposed to 100mg of mAzo and washed to remove unbound proteins by magnetic field. Trypsin was leached off under high ionic strength (3 M NaCl). Preparation was achieved containing specific activity about 60 times higher than that of the crude extract. SDS-PAGE showed that the purified protein had molecular weight (24 kDa) in concordance with the literature for the Nile tilapia trypsin. The mAzo composite can be reused and applied to purify trypsin from other sources.Authors are thankful to CNPq (grant 307273/2013-0) and CAPES (Scholarship to MHMEA) Brazil agencies as well as FCT (Scholarship to SICS and CN) Portugal Agencie

Diffuse idiopathic hyperostosis in human skeletons from a contemporary brazilian collection/ Hiperostose idiopática difusa em esqueletos humanos de uma coleção brasileira contemporânea

Objective: This work aimed to evaluate the occurrence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in human skeletons of a contemporary Brazilian Identified Skeletal Collection. Materials: A total of 362 skeletons were analyzed macroscopically using two diagnostic methods: Resnick and Niwayama (first analysis) and Rogers and Waldron (second analysis).Methods: The frequency, age groups, sex, the vertebral segment most involved with the ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament, and areas of most significant occurrence of enthesophytes were the variables used in this study. Results: In the first analysis, the DISH frequency in the sample was 5.5%, and in the second, 6.6%. The most frequent age group was 61 to 80 years old. The lower thoracic segment was most affected by the ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament. In this sample, the relationship between DISH and sex was not statistically significant. Conclusions: DISH affected the thoracic vertebrae of individuals of older ages with no relation to sex. Limitations: As they are the first data referring to contemporary identified skeletons in Brazil, it was not possible to carry out a comparative analysis.Suggestions for Further Research: Other studies aiming to evaluate DISH in other Brazilian collections must be carried out to accomplish the disease profile in this population and subsidize other areas of knowledge, such as Forensic Anthropology since DISH can be precious to contribute to a positive identification