eLabs – platform for online laboratory management

We observe, today, an unprecedented development of information technologies in various organizational, social and economic fields. The Web is the main driver of this evolution from a simple display system of linked pages to a powerful platform for information and communication, having the interaction, the dynamism and multimedia resources their main features. At the organizational level, the Web has introduced several improvements, turning the business processes more effective and centered on users. The deployment of portals to support management and communication in organizations was the first step in the integration of information technologies in several fields of organizations. One of the most relevant technologies to support business process management is workflow, representing the most significant solution for process automation and information management inside an organization. According to Hales (1997) workflow is a proactive management system that manages the workflow among the participants (users or other systems), according to predefined procedures that define the tasks. This article discusses the development of a platform for online laboratory management based on workflow technologies, with the main goals to improve communication, cooperation and integrated management of resources, promoting greater efficiency in laboratory management. The eLabs platform is been used in Instituto Politécnico de Bragança for laboratory management, integrating the management of internal and external services, equipment, resources and tasks. The results obtained demonstrate an improvement in the efficiency of resources management and the enhancement of quality of services realized inside the institution and to the community

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells using TiO2/reduced graphene oxide films as electron transport layers

In this study, we investigated inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells with the following configuration: fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) |TiO2/RGO|P3HT:PC61BM|V2O5 or PEDOT:PSS|Ag. The TiO2/GO dispersions were prepared by sol-gel method, employing titanium isopropoxide and graphene oxide (GO) as starting materials. The GO concentration was varied from 0.1 to 4.0 wt%. The corresponding dispersions were spin-coated onto FTO substrates and a thermal treatment was performed to remove organic materials and to reduce GO to reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The TiO2/RGO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and microscopy techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the addition of RGO significantly changes the morphology of the TiO2 films, with loss of uniformity and increase in surface roughness. Independent of the use of V2O5 or PEDOT: PSS films as the hole transport layer, the incorporation of 2.0 wt% of RGO into TiO2 films was the optimal concentration for the best organic photovoltaic performance. The solar cells based on TiO2/RGO (2.0 wt%) electrode exhibited a ∼22.3% and ∼28.9% short circuit current density (Jsc) and a power conversion efficiency enhancement, respectively, if compared with the devices based on pure TiO2 films. Kelvin probe force microscopy images suggest that the incorporation of RGO into TiO2 films can promote the appearance of regions with different charge dissipation capacities.The authors thank LNNano/LNLS for the AFM and KPFM images, and INEO, CNPq (fellowship 246430/2012-5), and FAPESP (fellowship 2010/18656-1) for the financial supports. MINECO for the economic support through the ENE2013-48816-C5-4-R project. The COST Action StableNextSol project MP1307. The Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca for the project 2014 SGR 1212. FASL would like to thank to the Secretary of Education of the State of Ceará (SEDUC-CE) for the financial support.Peer reviewe

Análise da estabilidade de pilares de zircónia 3Y-TZP após carga cíclica e termociclagem

Objectives: Although implant abutments made of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia poly crystal (3Y-TZP) show great predictability, some issues related to its aging require further study. The objective of this in vitro study is to assess the stability of 3Y-TZP zirconia implant abutments with two different implant connections when subjected to aging simulation through thermocycling and mechanical loading (TCML).Methods: Ten 3Y-TZP zirconia abutments were selected and equally divided into two groups (n = 5): CEZr, abutments for externally hexed implants; and CIZr, abutments for implants with an internal conical connection. The samples were subjected to thermocycling (5000 cycles; 5-55 C) and mechanical loading (1.2 x 106 cycles; 88.8 N; 4 Hz). Before and after the aging procedures, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was conducted to observe tetragonal monoclinic (t-m) phase transformation, and topographic surface analysis was performed by 3D profilometry, and data were analyzed using Mann-Witney test (p 0.05), before and after TCML, and between implants connections (test U= 57.0, p = 0.053 > 0.05) were not detected.Conclusions: After a 5-year simulation of its clinical use, the analyzed 3Y-TZP zirconia abutments did not show signs of aging. The connection's geometry does not interfere in aging.Objetivos Os pilares de zircónia tetragonal policristalina (Y-TZP) apresentam grande previsibilidade na sua utilização clínica. No entanto, existem ainda alguns aspetos relacionados com o envelhecimento que necessitam de ser estudados. O presente trabalho pretendeu avaliar a estabilidade de pilares de zircónia 3Y-TZP de 2 conexões implantares diferentes, quando submetidos a simulação de envelhecimento (TCML). Métodos Foram selecionados 10 pilares em zircónia 3Y-TZP, que foram divididos em 2 grupos (n = 5): CEZr, pilares para implantes de conexão de hexágono externo; e CIZr, pilares para implantes de conexão interna cónica-lobular. As amostras foram submetidas a termociclagem (5000 ciclos; 5-55 °C) e carga cíclica (1,2 × 106 ciclos; 88,8 N; 4 Hz). Antes e após TCML, os pilares foram sujeitos a análise por difração de raios X para determinação de alteração de fase cristalográfica de tetragonal para monoclínica (t-m) e a interferometria ótica sobre a superfície de assentamento das 2 conexões para a medição da sua topografia por perfilometria 3D. Análise estatística: Mann-Whitney test (p < 0,05). Resultados Após TCML não foi detetada fase monoclínica em nenhum dos pilares. A análise comparativa da rugosidade (com utilização do parâmetro Sa) sobre as plataformas protéticas dos pilares revelou ligeiro aumento da Sa em ambas as conexões após TCML. Não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas nos valores de Sa (test U = 57,0, p = 0,161 > 0,05), antes e após TCML, e entre conexões dos implantes (test U = 57,0, p = 0,053 > 0,05). Conclusões Após uma simulação de 5 anos de utilização clínica, os pilares de zircónia 3Y-TZP analisados não apresentaram sinais de envelhecimento. A geometria das conexões não interferiu no envelhecimento.Authors gratefully acknowledge the funding of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000022 - SciTech - Science and Technology for Competitive and Sustainable Industries, cofinanced by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE2020), through Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER)

The effects of pre-season and relationships with physical, physiological, body composition, and load markers: a case study comparing starters versus non-starters from an elite female professional soccer team

Background and Objectives: Research on female soccer players that analyzes playing status is scarce and has previously only examined load monitoring, while other markers, such as physical (i.e., strength, power, and agility), physiological (i.e., maximal oxygen uptake), and body composition (i.e., body fat mass, fat-free mass, body water, and phase angle) markers, warrant further investigation. Thus, the study aims were to (a) compare physical, physiological, body composition, and load markers between starters and non-starters; (b) compare measurements pre- and post-training intervention (five weeks); and (c) analyze any relationships between physical, physiological, body composition, and load markers in an elite female soccer team. Materials and Methods: Fourteen first-team players participated in the study (age 23.29 ± 3.19 years, weight 59.14 ± 6.87 kg, height 1.66 ± 0.08 m). Several physical (n = 15), physiological (n = 1), body composition (n = 11), and load markers (n = 14) were collected. In addition, participants were sub-divided into starters (n = 7) and non-starters (n = 7). Results: No differences were revealed between starters and non-starters in any of the examined variables. Moreover, following the training intervention, a significantly lower value was found for total body water/fat-free mass ratio (p = 0.043; ES = 0.582). In addition, there were several correlations detected between load and physical/physiological markers (n = 28); load and body composition markers (n = 6); physical/physiological and body composition markers (n = 34); and physical and physiological markers (n = 42). Conclusions: In conclusion, only a slight tendency of higher load values for starters than non-starters was observed. In addition, no differences in physical, physiological, and body composition markers were found between starters and non-starters, possibly suggesting that five weeks were not enough to improve such variables. Finally, the present results provide novel information assessing the effects of the pre-season in elite female Portuguese soccer players and contribute to a better understanding of the associations between different types of measurements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mountain hare transcriptome and diagnostic markers as resources to monitor hybridization with European hares

We report the first mountain hare (Lepus timidus) transcriptome, produced by de novo assembly of RNA-sequencing reads. Data were obtained from eight specimens sampled in two localities, Alps and Ireland. The mountain hare tends to be replaced by the invading European hare (Lepus europaeus) in their numerous contact zones where the species hybridize, which affects their gene pool to a yet unquantified degree. We characterize and annotate the mountain hare transcriptome, detect polymorphism in the two analysed populations and use previously published data on the European hare (three specimens, representing the European lineage of the species) to identify 4 672 putative diagnostic sites between the species. A subset of 85 random independent SNPs was successfully validated using PCR and Sanger sequencing. These valuable genomic resources can be used to design tools to assess population status and monitor hybridization between species

Nonatobase: A Database For Polychaeta (annelida) From The Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Networks can greatly advance data sharing attitudes by providing organized and useful data sets on marine biodiversity in a friendly and shared scientific environment. NONATObase, the interactive database on polychaetes presented herein, will provide new macroecological and taxonomic insights of the Southwestern Atlantic region. The database was developed by the NONATO network, a team of South American researchers, who integrated available information on polychaetes from between 5°N and 80°S in the Atlantic Ocean and near the Antarctic. The guiding principle of the database is to keep free and open access to data based on partnerships. Its architecture consists of a relational database integrated in the MySQL and PHP framework. Its web application allows access to the data from three different directions: species (qualitative data), abundance (quantitative data) and data set (reference data). The database has built-in functionality, such as the filter of data on user-defined taxonomic levels, characteristics of site, sample, sampler, and mesh size used. Considering that there are still many taxonomic issues related to poorly known regional fauna, a scientific committee was created to work out consistent solutions to current misidentifications and equivocal taxonomy status of some species. Expertise from this committee will be incorporated by NONATObase continually. The use of quantitative data was possible by standardization of a sample unit. All data, maps of distribution and references from a data set or a specified query can be visualized and exported to a commonly used data format in statistical analysis or reference manager software. The NONATO network has initialized with NONATObase, a valuable resource for marine ecologists and taxonomists. The database is expected to grow in functionality as it comes in useful, particularly regarding the challenges of dealing with molecular genetic data and tools to assess the effects of global environment change. Database URL: http://nonatobase.ufsc.br/.2014bau00

Development of thermo-and pH-sensitive liposomal magnetic carriers for new potential antitumor thienopyridine derivatives

The development of stimuli-sensitive drug delivery systems is a very attractive area of current research in cancer therapy. The deep knowledge on the microenvironment of tumors has supported the progress of nanosystems’ ability for controlled and local fusion as well as drug release. Temperature and pH are two of the most promising triggers in the development of sensitive formulations to improve the efficacy of anticancer agents. Herein, magnetic liposomes with fusogenic sensitivity to pH and temperature were developed aiming at dual cancer therapy (by chemotherapy and magnetic hyperthermia). Magnetic nanoparticles of mixed calcium/manganese ferrite were synthesized by co-precipitation with citrate and by sol–gel method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy in transmission mode (STEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The citrate-stabilized nanoparticles showed a small-sized population (around 8 nm, determined by XRD) and suitable magnetic properties, with a low coercivity and high saturation magnetization (~54 emu/g). The nanoparticles were incorporated into liposomes of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesteryl hemisuccinate (DPPC:CHEMS) and of the same components with a PEGylated lipid (DPPC:CHEMS:DSPE-PEG), resulting in magnetoliposomes with sizes around 100 nm. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electrophoretic light scattering (ELS) measurements were performed to investigate the pH-sensitivity of the magnetoliposomes’ fusogenic ability. Two new antitumor thienopyridine derivatives were efficiently encapsulated in the magnetic liposomes and the drug delivery capability of the loaded nanosystems was evaluated, under different pH and temperature conditions.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding of CF-UM-UP (UIDB/04650/2020) and through the research project PTDC/QUI-QFI/28020/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028020), financed by the European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER), COMPETE2020, and Portugal 2020. J.M.R. acknowledges FCT, ESF (European Social Fund—North Portugal Regional Operational Program) and HCOP (Human Capital Operational Program) for a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/115844/2016)

Surface crystallization of ionic liquid crystals

The evidence for surface crystallization in ionic liquids is scarce. The existing reports seem to be contradictory as for its driving forces, since in the two compounds investigated in the literature, the contribution of coloumbic and van der Waals forces is very different. In this work 1-dodecyl-3- methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate was studied and its surface crystallization characterized by surface tension, ellipsometry and optical microscopy. The results obtained seem to reconcile previous observations, and it was further shown, using the same techniques, that this phenomenon is prevalent in other ionic liquids. MD simulation results illustrate the different possibilities of organization, providing reasonable models to rationalize the experimental observations.This work was developed with the scope of the project CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, UID/CTM/50011/2019, Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM, UID/EQU/50020/2019, and of Instituto de Telecomunicaço˜es/IT (UID/EEA/50008/2013) – funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). M. A. R. M. acknowledges financial support from NORTE-01-0145-FEDER- 000006 – funded by NORTE2020 through PT2020 and ERDF, and P. J. C. acknowledges the FCT for the contract IF/00758/2015. A. R. Bastos from UA is acknowledged for help in the ellipsometry measurements. M. C. C. aknowledges FAPESP (2012/05027-1) and CNPq (310272/2017) for financial support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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