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In Portugal, the integration of care services is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, a home support service called SAD (Serviço de Apoio Domiciliário-Domiciliary Support Service), provided by non-profit institutions to the elderly... more
In Portugal, the integration of care services is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, a home support service called SAD (Serviço de Apoio Domiciliário-Domiciliary Support Service), provided by non-profit institutions to the elderly population is believed to be a first approach to integrated care. The aim of this work is to describe and discuss the services provided by the institutions that participate in SAD and understand if this service is the first step in a change towards integrated care. The main data sources were documents provided by institutions like INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatística--National Institute of Statistics) and a questionnaire that was submitted to 75 institutions in order to capture: (a) demographic and structural data; (b) the type of information that the professionals need to fulfil their jobs and (c) the kind of relationship and constraints, if they exist, to better integration, between the institutions that provide SAD and the patients, the social and hea...
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The Schlieren effect is a consequence of light inflexions altering the spectrophotometric measurements that are due to the formation of optical artefacts such as mirror and lenses inside the flowing sample. It may influence... more
The Schlieren effect is a consequence of light inflexions altering the spectrophotometric measurements that are due to the formation of optical artefacts such as mirror and lenses inside the flowing sample. It may influence signal-to-noise ratio, sample throughput and measurement repeatability in spectrophotometric flow-based procedures. It was critically examined, in order to provide guidelines for system design. Results demonstrate that the magnitude of the Schlieren effect is governed by the combined influence of two components. The first is related to loss of light by reflection at sharp liquid interfaces and prevails under poor mixing conditions. In this situation the transmitted light becomes more intense and somewhat erratic. The second is related to light refraction in regions with pronounced refractive index gradients, and prevails under good mixing conditions. It can lead to positive or negative modifications of the transmitted light, the direction being dependent on the r...
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ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT 2-Azidoacetone (N3CH2COCH3) has been synthesized and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic techniques, and the thermal decomposition of this molecule at temperatures in the region 300−1150 K has been studied by matrix... more
ABSTRACT 2-Azidoacetone (N3CH2COCH3) has been synthesized and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic techniques, and the thermal decomposition of this molecule at temperatures in the region 300−1150 K has been studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and real-time ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show the effectively simultaneous production of six prominent decomposition products: CH2NH, CH2CO, HCN, CO, N2, and CH3CHO, and several reaction pathways are proposed to account for their formation. Results of ab initio molecular orbital calculations indicate that the primary reaction intermediate is the imine HNCHCOCH3, with the nitrene NCH2COCH3 being a transition state. No experimental evidence was found for the presence of the imine HNCHCOCH3, but mechanistic considerations, and the existence of several weak unassigned IR bands point to the presence of a further decomposition product, which may be CH2NCH3.
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Pulmonary aspiration (PA) is a significant respiratory disease in children. However, the diagnosis of aspiration is often difficult owing to the poor efficacy of currently available diagnostic tests. The aim of this study was to assess in... more
Pulmonary aspiration (PA) is a significant respiratory disease in children. However, the diagnosis of aspiration is often difficult owing to the poor efficacy of currently available diagnostic tests. The aim of this study was to assess in a mouse model the specificity of starch granule detection in BAL as a new method for detecting PA in children. Twenty BALB/c mice were divided into the following groups according to the solution instilled into the airways: corn flour milk 7.5%-a source of starch (CM), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, normal saline and a control group. BAL was performed 2 days after instillation. Detection of starch granules and lipid-laden macrophages were compared in BAL. Starch granules were detected in BAL fluids from all mice in the CM group (food aspiration model), whereas no starch granules were detected in the other three groups, demonstrating a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. On the other hand, lipid-laden macrophages were found in all mice from all the groups studied. The detection of starch granules in BAL is a simple and highly specific method for the diagnosis of PA in an experimental model. Clinical studies using the starch granule detection method in BAL should be tested in at risk patients to evaluate the utility of this method for investigating PA.
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Page 1. Polymer International 33 (1994) 293-302 Molecular Motions in Poly(viny1 acetate) Revisited. A Thermally Stimulated Current Study Ana B. Dias," Natalia T. Correia," Joaquim J.... more
Page 1. Polymer International 33 (1994) 293-302 Molecular Motions in Poly(viny1 acetate) Revisited. A Thermally Stimulated Current Study Ana B. Dias," Natalia T. Correia," Joaquim J. Moura-Ramosa* & Anabela C. Fernandesb ...
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Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated an association between parasitic infections and the allergic diseases. A protective effect in asthma was shown in animals infected with helminths. The aim of this study was to... more
Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated an association between parasitic infections and the allergic diseases. A protective effect in asthma was shown in animals infected with helminths. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Angiostrongylus costaricensis extract on inflammatory lung response to ovalbumin (OVA) in mice. Four BALB/c mice received A. costaricensis extract by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection on the first day. Mice were immunised against OVA by i.p. injection on day (D) 5 and D12 and received a daily intranasal OVA challenge (40 microl) between the D19 and D21. On D23, we performed a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on the mice. Four BALB/c mice (control group) were immunised against OVA using the same protocol, but did not receive parasite extract. Total cell counts (TCC) and differential cell counts were performed in BAL fluid samples. Eosinophil cell counts in BAL fluid were lower in the group that received A. costaricensis extract when compared with the control group (0.04 x 10(6) cells/ml and 0.01 x 10(6) cells/ml, respectively; p=0.04). TCC were not different between the groups studied. A. costaricensis extract in mice decreases eosinophilic response to OVA in BAL fluid.
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It is well known that machining results in residual stresses in the workpiece. These stresses correlate very closely with the cutting tool geometrical parameters as well as with the machining regime. This paper studies the residual stress... more
It is well known that machining results in residual stresses in the workpiece. These stresses correlate very closely with the cutting tool geometrical parameters as well as with the machining regime. This paper studies the residual stress induced in turning of AISI 316L steel. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the cutting parameters, such as the cutting speed,
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In metal cutting a large amount of the external energy supplied to the cutting system is converted into heat. Therefore, the study of the thermal phenomenon developed in the metal cutting process is of prime concern. This phenomenon has a... more
In metal cutting a large amount of the external energy supplied to the cutting system is converted into heat. Therefore, the study of the thermal phenomenon developed in the metal cutting process is of prime concern. This phenomenon has a great influence on many metal cutting variables as tool wear, residual stress, and part distortion. This article presents the experimental analysis of the temperature distribution in the three-dimensional cutting process. Specially designed thermal imaging equipment, included both hardware and software, was developed in order to determine the temperature distribution in the deformation zone. A detailed description of this equipment, its calibration procedure and a full analysis of the emissivity of the cutting system components (chip, tool, and workpiece) are discussed. The designed thermal imaging equipment was proven to be very powerful to analyze the influence of the cutting parameters (cutting speed, cutting feed, depth of cut, work material, tool geometry, and tool material) on this temperature distribution. This equipment can also be useful for the construction and validation of numerical and analytical models of the three-dimensional cutting process.
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ABSTRACT 2-Azidoacetic acid (N3CH2CO2H) has been synthesized and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic techniques, and the thermal decomposition of this molecule studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and real-time... more
ABSTRACT 2-Azidoacetic acid (N3CH2CO2H) has been synthesized and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic techniques, and the thermal decomposition of this molecule studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and real-time ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The results are consistent with the vapor phase thermal decomposition following a pathway involving concerted ejection of molecular N2 and the simultaneous formation of CO2 and methanimine (CH2NH). No evidence was found for the presence of intermediates such as the nitrene NCH2CO2H or the imine HNCHCO2H. At higher temperatures, CH2NH further decomposes to give HCN and H2.
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ABSTRACT
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A series of ionic dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes of general formula [MoO2Cl(L)]Y containing tridentate nitrogen ligands [L=1,4,7-triazacyclononane (tacn), 1,1,1-tris(methylaminomethyl)ethane (Me3-tame) and... more
A series of ionic dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes of general formula [MoO2Cl(L)]Y containing tridentate nitrogen ligands [L=1,4,7-triazacyclononane (tacn), 1,1,1-tris(methylaminomethyl)ethane (Me3-tame) and N,N′,N″-tribenzyl-1,1,1-tris(methylaminomethyl)ethane (Bn3Me3-tame); Y=Cl, BF4−] were prepared by replacement of the solvent molecules and one of the chloride ligands in the adducts MoO2Cl2(solv)2 (solv=THF, DMF). The complexes were examined as catalysts for the epoxidation of cyclooctene at 55°C, using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH)