Jogo de damas, uma recriação fundamentada no storytelling interactivo

Dissertação de mestrado em Tecnologia e Arte DigitalO projecto Jogo de Damas, uma Recriação Fundamentada no Storytelling Interactivo, constitui uma Instalação interactiva que emergiu no contexto de criação em Tecnologia e Arte Digital. A Instalação procurou constituir um espaço de reflexão, em torno de questões que incidissem na violação dos Direitos Humanos, em particular a violação dos direitos das mulheres. Para o desenvolvimento do projecto foi delimitada a realidade a contemplar e, nesse sentido, delinear uma ilustração sobre o quadro do feminismo, no contexto português dos finais do século XIX e século XX. Ao mote de partida foi associada a exploração do jogo semântico da palavra Dama; instigaram-se, assim, o início dos trabalhos com a criação de uma narrativa ficcional que reporta para a Europa, num ambiente futuro, no ano de 3075. Mediante os cenários conferidos pela narrativa ocorreu, posteriormente, a criação de um espólio de imagens e a constituição do registo sonoro, a considerar na Instalação. Esta ficou constituída pela interface de jogo e contemplou a fusão do mundo real com o mundo virtual. A plataforma de jogo considerou, na sua componente tangível, um cubo e quatro peças de jogo. Na sua componente digital prevalecem duas projecções associadas ao elemento sonoro. O jogo pressupõe a participação de dois sujeitos que interajam entre si e com o sistema computacional desencadeando, desta forma, um conjunto de escolhas e de acções e ou imagens correspondentes a uma sequência narrativa, previamente estabelecida. Esta componente sensorial é obtida com recurso à utilização de um sistema de visão por computador. Às aplicações computacionais implementadas correspondem a linguagem Processing em conjunto com as bibliotecas OPENCV, Serial e ESS.The project Game of Checkers, a recreation based on Interactive Storytelling is an interactive installation that emerged in the context of Technology and Digital Art. This installation provides a space designed for reflection on issues that deal with the violation of human rights, in particular the violation of women's rights. In order to develop this project it was necessary to choose a suitable reality to work with, so we designed an illustration of the structure of feminism in the context of the Portuguese late nineteenth and twentieth century. As a starter there is a semantic exploration around the word “Dama”. The scenario and plot of the game are presented through a fictional story with a futuristic environment - Europe in the year 3075. Throughout the creation of the different narrative scenarios we also created a collection of images and sound records that are linked to the game. The installation is constituted by the game interface and contemplates the fusion of the real world with the virtual world. The platform of the game is composed by a cube and four pieces, the Checkers. It’s digital component includes two projections associated with the sound element. This game requires two players who interact with each other, with the computer system triggering a set of choices, actions and images corresponding to a previously established narrative sequence. The sensory component is obtained by using a computer vision system. The implemented computer applications use the Processing language with OpenCV, Serial libraries and ESS as well

Development of p-type oxide semiconductors based on tin oxide and its alloys: application to thin film transistors

In spite of the recent p-type oxide TFTs developments based on SnOx and CuxO, the results achieved so far refer to devices processed at high temperatures and are limited by a low hole mobility and a low On-Off ratio and still there is no report on p-type oxide TFTs with performance similar to n-type, especially when comparing their field-effect mobility values, which are at least one order of magnitude higher on n-type oxide TFTs. Achieving high performance p-type oxide TFTs will definitely promote a new era for electronics in rigid and flexible substrates, away from silicon. None of the few reported p-channel oxide TFTs is suitable for practical applications, which demand significant improvements in the device engineering to meet the real-world electronic requirements, where low processing temperatures together with high mobility and high On-Off ratio are required for TFT and CMOS applications. The present thesis focuses on the study and optimization of p-type thin film transistors based on oxide semiconductors deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering without intentional substrate heating. In this work several p-type oxide semiconductors were studied and optimized based on undoped tin oxide, Cu-doped SnOx and In-doped SnO2. The influence of the deposition parameters, such as the percentage of oxygen and the deposition pressure and post deposition annealing treatments (up to 200 °C) parameters was investigated in order to optimize the properties of the p-type thin films. The detailed study of the material was accomplished through various techniques of characterization of their electrical and optical properties, crystal structure, chemical composition, topology and morphology. The obtained undoped SnOx thin films showed p-type conduction for a narrow percentage of oxygen, between 2.5% and 4%, after an annealing treatment at 150 °C and 200 °C. The thin films have a mixture of both tetragonal β-Sn and α-SnO phases, mobilities between1.6 cm2/Vs and 2.6 cm2/Vs and a carrier concentration between 1016 and 1017 cm-3. TFTs produced with this material were optimized presenting very good electrical performances, with On-Off ratio ~104, µFE up to 3.5cm2/Vs and Vth between -0.41 V and 15 V. The influence of the dielectric was also studied and leading to new results. Depending on the gate dielectric used, n-, p-type and ambipolar devices were obtained for the same semiconductor deposition conditions. Doping SnOx with Cu also results in transparent p-type oxide semiconductors with mobilities between 1.6 cm2/Vs and 2.6 cm2/Vs and a carrier concentration between 1016 and 1017 cm-3. When applied as active layer, resulted in poor performance thin film transistors, with lower On-Off ratio and the higher Vth, despite µFE increased. When doping the SnO2 films with In, p-type conduction was achieved without the need of the annealing treatment. The obtained as deposited thin films are amorphous and show mobilities up to 27 cm2 /Vs and very low resistivities ~10-3 Ω cm, obtaining in this way the a p-type oxide transparent conductor with the lowest electrical resistivity so far reported in the literature

MSCs chondrogenesis in 3D scaffolds

Tese de mestrado. Engenharia Biomédica. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

The role of caregiver identity: effects on well-being and burden

Several factors that explore the consequences of caregiving on caregivers’ well-being have been studied in these last few years. However, the effects of caregiving on an individual’s self-concept and social identity have not been sufficiently explored.The goal of the present study is to address this issue and determine whether the existence of multiple nonconflicting identities, could have an effect on caregiver’s well-being and burden. The identities that were tested in this study were of adult child, caregiver and worker, for the existing literature indicates that these can be important in the caregiving context. Following the proposal of the study conducted by Brook et. al. (2008) our hypotheses was that the importance of these identities should affect well-being and perceived burden, particularly when they have less harmony between them. These effects should be mediated by self-discrepancies emotions. For this study a total of 40 caregivers of their elder parents were interviewed, and data was collected, using a telephone based procedure. Contact with participants was made through three institutions that provide home help services to the care recipients. Only working, adult-child caregivers were considered for this study, in order to fully test the identities mentioned. A series of instruments were applied in order to test an adapted model (Brook et. al., 2008) which aimed to verify an interaction between the importance of identities, identity harmony and their effect on Well-Being and Caregiving Subjective Burden (CB). Emotions related to self-discrepancies were also included in this model, as a mediator of this interaction. As expected, results indicated a significant interaction between the caregiver and the worker identities’ importance and harmony on caregiver burden. We did not find any effects regarding the relationship between the importance of son/daughter identities. Moreover, no effects were found regarding the mediation effect by self-discrepancy emotions. These results are discussed based on the social psychological and caregiving literatures.Vários factores que exploram as consequências da prestação de cuidados no bem-estar de cuidadores informais têm sido estudados nestes últimos anos, embora os efeitos da prestação de cuidados na identidade social e auto-conceito de um indivíduo não tenham sido ainda suficientemente explorados. O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar se a existência de múltiplas identidades não conflituosas, poderia ter um efeito sobre o bem-estar e sobrecarga do cuidador. As identidades que foram testadas neste estudo foram a de cuidador, a de filho(a), e a de trabalhador, pois a literatura existente indica que estes podem ser importantes no contexto da prestação de cuidados. Seguindo a proposta do estudo realizado por Brook et. al. (2008) a nossa hipótese indicava que a importância dessas identidades deveria afectar o bem-estar e a sobrecarga percebida, principalmente quando estas identidades têm menos harmonia entre elas. Pressupõe-se também que estes efeitos sejam mediados pelas emoções auto-discrepantes. Para este estudo um total de 40 cuidadores (n = 40) dos seus pais idosos foram entrevistados e os dados foram recolhidos utilizando um procedimento baseado no contacto telefónico. O contacto com os participantes foi estabelecido através de três instituições que prestam serviços de apoio domiciliário aos respectivos idosos. Apenas cuidadores que desempenhavam funções profissionais e eram filho(a) do receptor dos cuidados, foram considerados para este estudo, a fim de testar por completo as identidades mencionadas. Uma série de instrumentos foram aplicados a fim de testar um modelo adaptado, que teve como objetivo verificar a interação entre a importância das identidades, harmonia entre as identidade e os seus efeitos no bem-estar e sobrecarga subjetiva dos cuidadores. Emoções relacionadas com auto-discrepâncias foram também incluídas neste modelo, como um mediador desta interacção. Como esperado, os resultados indicaram uma interacção significativa entre a importância e harmonia das identidades de cuidador/ trabalhador na sobrecarga do cuidador. Não se verificou qualquer efeito na relação entre a importância da identidade de filho(a). Não se constatou também qualquer efeito de mediação das emoções auto-discrepantes. Estes resultados são discutidos com base na literatura relacionada com a psicologia social e cuidadores informais