30 research outputs found
Increased lung inflammation with oxygen supplementation in tracheotomized spontaneously breathing rabbits: an experimental prospective randomized study
Background
Mechanical ventilation is a well–known trigger for lung inflammation. Research focuses on tidal volume reduction to prevent ventilator-induced lung injury. Mechanical ventilation is usually applied with higher than physiological oxygen fractions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the after effect of oxygen supplementation during a spontaneous ventilation set up, in order to avoid the inflammatory response linked to mechanical ventilation.
Methods
A prospective randomised study using New Zealand rabbits in a university research laboratory was carried out. Rabbits (n = 20) were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 5 each group). Groups 1 and 2 were submitted to 0.5 L/min oxygen supplementation, for 20 or 75 minutes, respectively; groups 3 and 4 were left at room air for 20 or 75 minutes. Ketamine/xylazine was administered for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. Lungs were obtained for histological examination in light microscopy.
Results
All animals survived the complete experiment. Procedure duration did not influence the degree of inflammatory response. The hyperoxic environment was confirmed by blood gas analyses in animals that were subjected to oxygen supplementation, and was accompanied with lower mean respiratory rates. The non-oxygen supplemented group had lower mean oxygen arterial partial pressures and higher mean respiratory rates during the procedure. All animals showed some inflammatory lung response. However, rabbits submitted to oxygen supplementation showed significant more lung inflammation (Odds ratio = 16), characterized by more infiltrates and with higher cell counts; the acute inflammatory response cells was mainly constituted by eosinophils and neutrophils, with a relative proportion of 80 to 20% respectively. This cellular observation in lung tissue did not correlate with a similar increase in peripheral blood analysis.
Conclusions
Oxygen supplementation in spontaneous breathing is associated with an increased inflammatory response when compared to breathing normal room air. This inflammatory response was mainly constituted with polymorphonuclear cells (eosinophils and neutrophils). As confirmed in all animals by peripheral blood analyses, the eosinophilic inflammatory response was a local organ event
Interactive light and sound table: an EPS@ISEP project
Interactive products are appealing objects in a
technology-driven society and the offer in the market is wide and
varied. Most of the existing interactive products only provide
either light or sound experiences. Therefore, the goal of this
project was to develop a product aimed for children combining
both features. This project was developed by a team of four thirdyear
students with different engineering backgrounds and
nationalities during the European Project Semester at ISEP
(EPS@ISEP) in 2012. This paper presents the process that led to
the development of an interactive sound table that combines nine
identical interaction blocks, a control block and a sound block.
Each interaction block works independently and is composed of
four light emitting diodes (LED) and one infrared (IR) sensor.
The control is performed by an Arduino microcontroller and the
sound block includes a music shield and a pair of loud speakers. A
number of tests were carried out to assess whether the controller,
IR sensors, LED, music shield and speakers work together
properly and if the ensemble was a viable interactive light and
sound device for children
Level monitoring system for waste oil containers: an EPS@ISEP project
Waste oil recycling companies play a very important
role in our society. Competition among companies is tough and
process optimization is essential for survival. By equipping oil
containers with a level monitoring system that periodically reports
the level and alerts when it reaches the preset threshold, the oil
recycling companies are able to streamline the oil collection process
and, thus, reduce the operation costs while maintaining the quality of
service. This paper describes the development of this level
monitoring system by a team of four students from different
engineering backgrounds and nationalities. The team conducted a
study of the state of the art, draw marketing and sustainable
development plans and, finally, designed and implemented a
prototype that continuously measures the container content level and
sends an alert message as soon as it reaches the preset capacity
Corpo docente da Universidade do Minho: caraterização demográgica e estratégias de rejuvenescimento
Este relatório apresenta os principais resultados da pesquisa iniciada no final de 2019, relativa ao projeto “DocentesUM -- Corpo Docente: caracterização demográfica e estratégias de rejuvenescimento”. Tem um duplo objetivo: por um lado, caracterizar em termos demográficos a situação atual do corpo docente da UMinho e, por outro lado, apresentar propostas de intervenção geracional concordantes com o desígnio de reforçar a sustentabilidade da UMinho, a médio e longo prazo. A partir da análise de dados do corpo docente da Universidade do Minho que permitiram mapear as principais tendências relativas ao volume de aposentações nos próximos anos, o relatório apresenta as principais perceções dos docentes e investigadores auscultados e procura discernir algumas opções de política para a mitigação dos efeitos do envelhecimento, no quadro de estratégias institucionais mais gerais e, de algum modo, interdisciplinares. Na prática, o estudo envolveu o cruzamento de diversas técnicas de diagnóstico de índole qualitativa (entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupos de discussão) e quantitativa (dados administrativos e inquérito por questionário), procurando favorecer a participação alargada da população académica na compreensão do problema. A informação recolhida e tratada permite concluir que o envelhecimento docente é uma preocupação estrutural para a grande maioria das Escolas/Institutos e que reflete algumas tensões já constituintes dos quotidianos da gestão académica, em particular no que se refere à atribuição de serviço docente e, em consequência, a necessidade crescente de recorrer semestralmente a contratações de pessoas em regimes mais flexíveis e pouco estáveis. Ainda que o envelhecimento seja percebido de forma muito particular em algumas escolas com dinâmicas muito específicas no que respeita ao modo de estruturar o ensino, genericamente é entendido como um fenómeno que implica atenção especial à oferta formativa e à capacidade de manutenção de certas áreas e/ou cursos. Todavia, o estudo permite identificar outros vértices colaterais do problema, nomeadamente no que se refere ao desenvolvimento dos recursos docentes e ao interesse em se repensar alguns dos enquadramentos legais existentes, em especial no que se refere à ativação de modalidades que facilitam as decisões estratégicas a respeito das carreiras dos docentes e mudança/reconfiguração dos universos culturais que caraterizam os modos de estar na academia.Conselho Geral da Universidade do Minho. UIDB/00736/202
Saberes em viagem nos manuais pedagógicos: construções da escola em Portugal e no Brasil (1870-1970)
Para o estudo da evolução do ensino e da formação em administração educacional em Portugal
Estudos sobre a evolução do ensino de disciplinas, na formação de professores em Portugal, são recentes. O controle burocrático centralizado reteve as dimensões do controle político-administrativo. De certo modo, protegeu a esfera educativa das influências modernizantes, do capitalismo industrial e das lógicas mercantis e gerencialistas. Defendeu a educação do domínio político, da intervenção de movimentos sociais, das propagandas de ideais democráticos e da cidadania. A utilização da designação "Administração educacional" ilustra as dificuldades sentidas, ao longo dos últimos anos, em termos da construção acadêmica de uma área, seja pela falta de tradição, seja pelos antecedentes históricos.In Portugal, studies about the evolution of disciplines teaching in the teachers formation are recent. The centralized bureaucratic control has held back the dimensions of politic administrative control. In a certain way, it has protected the education against the new-fashioned influences, manufacturing capitalism, and mercantile and managerial logics. This centralized bureaucratic control has also profected the education against the politic dominion, the intervention of social movements, the advertising of democratic ideals, and against the citizenship. The use of the term "Educational administration" shows the difficulties met by the searchers along the latest years, since there is no tradiction nor historic antecedence
Entre consumos suntuários e comuns: a posse de objetos exóticos entre alguns habitantes do Porto (séculos XVI – XVII)
O estudo da documentação referente aos doadores da Misericórdia do Porto entre os séculos XVI e XVII, através dos objetos exóticos patentes nos respectivos testamentos e inven- tários – estes últimos provenientes de uma área que se estende de Macau ao Brasil –, permite discernir uma panóplia de objetos que mudaram a cultura material dos portuenses em contato com os territórios da expansão portuguesa. Um levantamento sistemático permitiu já rastrear, até o ano de 1699, 257 doadores, dos quais se apresentarão aqui apenas alguns, referentes a benfeitores que, não obstante possuírem bens móveis nesse âmbito, não são dados como tendo estado nos territórios de expansão transoceânica. Argumentar-se-á que essa circulação de objetos não foi exclusiva das elites nobiliárquicas, nem dos grandes centros urbanos, pelo que a sua difusão atingiu maiores proporções do que aquelas que a historiografia tem admitido até agora. A cidade em observação neste estudo – o Porto dos séculos XVI e XVII – estava longe de ser das maiores da Europa nesse período, quer em dimensão territorial, quer em efetivos populacionais, embora se situasse numa região de demografia pujante, que canalizou os seus excedentes desde cedo para a emigração interna e externa – o Entre Douro e Minho. Como teremos ocasião de verificar, fidalgos e nobres possuíam bens exóticos, mas estes encontravam-se também entre mercadores e até artesãos mais desafogados. Por outro lado, nem todos os objetos provenientes dos espaços da expansão transoceânica devem ser conotados com bens de luxo.The study of the sources referring to the donors of the Misericórdia of the city of Porto
during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has revealed the presence of numerous exotic objects in their last wills and inventories. A survey has traced 257 donors until 1699, some of them
having died in an area that extends from Macao to Brazil. Only a small number of cases shall be
presented here, pertaining to benefactors who, in spite of owning objects of transoceanic origin,
seem to have remained in mainland Portugal. It shall be argued that the circulation of objects has
not been exclusive either to the elites of the nobility or to the large urban centres, their diffusion having been on a larger scale than what has been admitted until now. The city under scrutiny in
this study – Porto during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries – was not one of the bigger cities
in this period, either in what respects to size or population, although it was located in an area of
flourishing demography, that channelled its surplus population early on to internal and external
emigration. Fidalgos and noblemen owned exotic goods, but these were to be found among
merchants and even well-to-do artisans. On the other hand, not all objects originating from the
areas of transoceanic expansion should be considered as luxury goods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
SARS-CoV-2 introductions and early dynamics of the epidemic in Portugal
Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal was rapidly implemented by
the National Institute of Health in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, in collaboration
with more than 50 laboratories distributed nationwide.
Methods By applying recent phylodynamic models that allow integration of individual-based
travel history, we reconstructed and characterized the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARSCoV-2 introductions and early dissemination in Portugal.
Results We detected at least 277 independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions, mostly from
European countries (namely the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland),
which were consistent with the countries with the highest connectivity with Portugal.
Although most introductions were estimated to have occurred during early March 2020, it is
likely that SARS-CoV-2 was silently circulating in Portugal throughout February, before the
first cases were confirmed.
Conclusions Here we conclude that the earlier implementation of measures could have
minimized the number of introductions and subsequent virus expansion in Portugal. This
study lays the foundation for genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, and highlights the need for systematic and geographically-representative genomic surveillance.We gratefully acknowledge to Sara Hill and Nuno Faria (University of Oxford) and
Joshua Quick and Nick Loman (University of Birmingham) for kindly providing us with
the initial sets of Artic Network primers for NGS; Rafael Mamede (MRamirez team,
IMM, Lisbon) for developing and sharing a bioinformatics script for sequence curation
(https://github.com/rfm-targa/BioinfUtils); Philippe Lemey (KU Leuven) for providing
guidance on the implementation of the phylodynamic models; Joshua L. Cherry
(National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National
Institutes of Health) for providing guidance with the subsampling strategies; and all
authors, originating and submitting laboratories who have contributed genome data on
GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) on which part of this research is based. The opinions
expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the view of the
National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the
United States government. This study is co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia
and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on
behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study
come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by
COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation
(POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal
Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL
2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio