Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2012"
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- Microalgae: An alternative as sustainable source of biofuels?Publication . Amaro, Helena M.; Macedo, Ângela C.; Malcata, F. XavierIn recent decades, the world has been confronted with an energy crisis associated with irreversible depletion of traditional sources of fossil fuels, coupled with atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The urgent need to replace traditional fuels led to emergence of biodiesel and biohydrogen as interesting alternatives, both of which can be obtained via microalga-mediated routes.
- The Budgeting of Portuguese Public Museums: A Dynamic Panel Data ApproachPublication . Santos, Carlos; Oliveira, Maria Alberta; Coelho, João
- Characterization of Indoor Environmental Quality in Primary Schools in Maia: A Portuguese Case StudyPublication . Macedo, Angela; Magalhães, Orlando; Brito, Ana; Mayan, OlgaScientific evidence associates indoor environment pollutants with respiratory effects (asthma and allergies), and children constitute one of most sensitive groups. Indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools may indeed be a significant health factor for children, with effects on school attendance and performance. Our aim was to characterize IAQ of classrooms in Maia County (north of Portugal) for which there was no information available. The study was conducted in 21 of the 40 primary schools, selected by stratified random sampling. Depending on the dimension, one or two classrooms were tested at each school. Walkthrough surveys of school grounds, buildings, and individual classrooms were done. Continuous measurements were taken of temperature, relative humidity, airborne respirable particles, total volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide, whereas bioaerosols were counted on Plate Count Agar during regular school activities. The indoor arithmetic mean for PM10, CO2, TCOV, and bioaerosol concentrations were 0.14 mg/m3, 999 ppm, 0.41 mg/m3, and 4140 UCF/m3, respectively. The values of PM10 and CO2 were close to their acceptable maximum values, but bioaerosols were much higher. This study supports previous studies conducted in school environments and emphasizes the need for proactive indoor air quality audits in school buildings.
- Exercise Training Improves Diastolic Function in Heart Failure PatientsPublication . ALVES, ALBERTO JORGE; RIBEIRO, FERNANDO; GOLDHAMMER, EHUD; RIVLIN, YELENA; ROSENSCHEIN, URI; VIANA, JOÃO LUÍS; DUARTE, JOSÉ ALBERTO; SAGIV, MICHAEL; OLIVEIRA, JOSÉThe study's purpose was to analyze the effects of exercise training on exercise tolerance and left ventricular systolic function and structure in heart failure patients with preserved, mild, and moderate to severe reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
- Accessibility of sports facilities for persons with reduced mobility and assessment of their motivation for practicePublication . Sá, Maria Manuel; Azevedo, Rui; Martins, Maria Cristina; Machado, Osvaldo; Tavares, JoãoThis study aims to create awareness, both within the scientific community and among providers of sports facilities, for individuals with impaired or reduced mobility, promoting the development of technical solutions that allow greater autonomy and social integration of people with disabilities. The purpose of this work is, on the one hand, to evaluate the accessibility of sports facilities for people with reduced mobility and, on the other hand, to investigate why this user group has such low rates of participation in sporting activities. Firstly, using the Portuguese norms and legislation transcribed from European Community directives, a check list was created comprising all the items that sports facilities should abide by in order to provide accessibility and safety to people with reduced mobility. Another questionnaire was designed aimed at this user group, with questions pertaining to their desire and ability to use sports facilities. This questionnaire was distributed in Portugal, in the greater metropolitan area of Porto, to users of Rehabilitation Centres and Physiotherapy Clinics. The results obtained from the check-list showed the compliances and non-compliances of the respective sports facilities, proving that many barriers preventing the participation of people with reduced mobility still exist. Twenty-four people with permanent impairment of the lower extremities (paraplegia) answered the questionnaire pertaining to the desire and ability to perform physical activity. Two individuals (8%) had sporting activities available to them in their area of residence and only five (21%) performed any physical activity. The main reason given for not taking part in any activity was the lack of adapted sports facilities. All the participants felt that taking part in sports is beneficial. The benefits stated were: general well-being and development of the psychomotor component (e.g. coordination, balance, body posture), of physical condition (e.g. strength, resistance, flexibility) and social integration and quality of life. Besides wellbeing, they also mentioned social interaction, a way of occupying their time and an escape from the routine as the main motives for which they would like to take up physical exercise.
- GNAS A-1121G Variant is Associated with Improved Diastolic Dysfunction in Response to Exercise Training in Heart Failure PatientsPublication . Alves, A.; Goldhammer, E.; Ribeiro, F.; Eynon, N.; Ben-Zaken Cohen, S.; Duarte, J.; Viana, J.; Sagiv, M.; Oliveira, J.β1-adrenergic receptors (ADRB1) and Gαs proteins (GNAS) play important roles in the regulation of cardiac function. The present study sought to investigate whether ADRB1 Arg389Gly (rs1801253), GNAS -1211 G/A (rs6123837) and GNAS 2291 C/T (rs6026584) variants are associated with left ventricular function and exercise tolerance in heart failure patients. 61 heart failure patients completed a 6-month exercise-training programme. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), mitral inflow velocities (deceleration time, and E/A ratio) and exercise tolerance (METs) were assessed at baseline and following exercise training. There were no associations between the studied variants and LVEF or E/A ratio measured at baseline and after exercise training. Deceleration time of early mitral flow was higher at baseline in GNAS -1211G allele carriers compared with -1211A allele homozygotes (P<0.05). Exercise training attenuated deceleration time in -1211G allele carriers (P<0.05) but not in -1211A allele homozygotes. Moreover, ADRB1 389Gly homozygotes had a greater training-induced increase in exercise tolerance than 389Arg homozygotes (P=0.04). This study shows that the functional GNAS -1121 G/A polymorphism is associated with diastolic function at baseline and in response to exercise training in heart failure patients. Furthermore, our data suggest that ADRB1 Arg389Gly polymorphism may influence exercise tolerance.
- Postural Stability Assessment during Manual Material Handling Tasks – Case StudyPublication . Azevedo, Rui; Martins, Cristina; Sá, Maria Manuel; Teixeira, José; Barroso, MónicaHuman body is a system of segments connected by joints; any voluntary motion of the body causes internal perturbation of balance. Manual handling of loads such as load lifting may increase these perturbations. In a bi-manual whole body lifting task, the grasp of a load and pick it up from the floor induces a forward shift in the position of the centre mass, challenging the dynamic balance regulation while simultaneously impending the ongoing extension movement. In order to compare the disturbance of balance both in back lifting or leg lifting of a frontal load a laboratory-based case-study was performed through the simulation of lifting tasks. A twenty-eight male worker frontally lifted a box from the floor. Two experimental conditions were applied: the participant used leg lift (straight back, bent legs) or back lift (straight legs, bent back) with combinations of two different weight materials. Through the application of the Index of Proximity to the Stability Boundary it was found that both techniques adopted for load lifting seem to equally influence postural balance control. In addition, it was concluded that manual lifting of heavier loads may jeopardize postural balance increasing the occurrence of falls.
- Portugal e a candidatura á organização do World Cup 2005 e a Ryder Cup 2010Publication . Durão, Ana Isabel Campos; Malcata, Ângela Macedo; Brito, Ana Paula Ferreira de
- Effectiveness of a neuromuscular and proprioceptive combination training program in preventing injuries in youth soccer playersPublication . Mourão, Paulo; Martins, Daniel; Gonçalves, Francisco; Abade, Eduardo; Carvalho, Alberto; Viana, João