Arquitectura inclusiva: projectar espaços invisíveis

A escolha deste tema, e não outro, foi, hipoteticamente, o facto de nem sempre a arquitectura ser observada como uma forma de expressão ou de um ponto de vista artístico, mas muitas vezes como um “tem que ser construído.” Somos rodeados por arquitectura mas nem sempre a vivemos da melhor forma, nem sempre sabemos tirar o melhor partido do que nos rodeia e nem sempre o que nos rodeia é o melhor para nós nem o que nos faz mais felizes. Esta realidade é ainda maior para indivíduos portadores de deficiência. Nota-se, hoje em dia, uma crescente preocupação para que as casas, e não só os espaços comerciais e públicos, sejam acessíveis a todas as pessoas. O Decreto-Lei nº. 163/2006 de 8 de Agosto, aprova o regime da acessibilidade aos edifícios e estabelecimentos que recebem público, via pública e edifícios habitacionais, revogando o Decreto-Lei nº. 123/97, de 22 de Maio. Pensando nisto, muitos profissionais da área da Arquitectura, Engenharia e Design de Interiores, desenvolvem os seus projectos levando em conta o desenho universal ou inclusivo. Design Universal, Total ou Inclusivo, significa "design que inclui" (o contrário de excluir) e "design para todos". São serviços e ambientes com a finalidade de serem usáveis pelo maior número de pessoas possível, independente da idade, habilidade ou situação. No Design Inclusivo, estuda-se uma série de questões que geralmente não são abordadas num projecto comum, porque neste caso consideram-se todas as possibilidades de uso, por usuários muito diferentes. Isso inclui questões sociais, históricas, antropológicas, económicas, políticas, tecnológicas, e principalmente de ergonomia e usabilidade. Por isso, o design inclusivo não é exclusivo às pessoas portadoras de deficiência. A aplicação destes princípios pode garantir, por exemplo, que uma mesma pessoa resida na mesma casa dos 0 aos 80 anos. As necessidades mudam ao longo da nossa vida. Uma casa inclusiva é por isso uma casa para toda a vida. Desde sempre que vivemos com, e de espaços e somos todos diferentes, basta perguntar a um grupo de pessoas qual a casa dos seus sonhos e de certeza que as respostas serão todas mais ou menos diferentes! Cada vez mais, caminhamos para um mundo em que mesmo diferentes, todos temos direito à igualdade de oportunidade, e os arquitectos têm um papel fundamental nesta igualdade. Daqui advém a necessidade de uma arquitectura mais inclusiva. Projectar sem barreiras e sem obstáculos, tentar com que as minorias sejam parte integrante de um mundo de igualdades, parece-nos fundamental. Não falamos apenas de deficientes físicos ou mentais, mas com a esperança média de vida a aumentar cada vez mais, todos nós de uma maneira ou de outra, vamos ter dificuldades em relação ao espaço que nos rodeia. Pensar no “projectar para todos” é essencial. Segundo o CEDIPOD (Centro de Documentação e Informação do Portador de Deficiência), mais ou menos 10% da população de um país em tempos de paz, é portadora de algum tipo de deficiência. Com base em dados do Censo 2000, o maior número é de deficientes visuais. Vivemos numa ditadura visual. Confiamos 100% na veracidade da visão e que esta é a única tradutora da verdade. E as pessoas que não vêem? Deixam de conhecer a veracidade das coisas porque não têm visão? A arquitectura não é somente uma superfície. Não é uma fotografia. Não a podemos economizar a um papel quando mais tarde ela ocupará um espaço gigante real. A arquitectura produz ambientes e desperta sensações. Daí não poder ser somente vista, ter que ser sentida! A visão é apenas uma ferramenta para percepcionar e experienciar a arquitectura. Um cego sente o espaço pela reverberação do som, a sua voz potencializa a sua localização, o tacto permite ver mais além das cores. Por isto, podemos afirmar que a arquitectura não é somente visão: é mão, pé, nariz, boca... Um arquitecto completo não somente vê, sente! Esta dissertação tem como principal objectivo analisar a importância da arquitectura inclusiva na rotina de pessoas invisuais, e mostrar se através dela podemos também melhorar a qualidade de vida de pessoas com outros tipos de deficiência ou mesmo sem qualquer tipo de incapacidades. É também propósito motivar a inclusão social e responder à seguinte questão: “Será a arquitectura exclusiva dos visuais?”. Já que a arquitectura apela a todos os nossos sentidos porque não trabalhar com diferentes materiais, diferentes níveis de luz, diferentes cores, diferentes texturas e diferentes sons. Tendo como fundo a cidade montanha da Covilhã, que pelos seus declives se torna num local difícil em termos de deslocação pedestre, o projecto final visa ser a proposta de uma A.C.A.P.O. (Associação para Cegos e Amblíopes de Portugal) que serve um público desta cidade e da sua envolvente. Mediante um estudo e análise teórica prévia, realizar-se-á uma proposta de projecto arquitectónico que motive a inclusão social para todas as pessoas com este tipo de deficiência. Este projecto terá ainda uma guest-house para qualquer pessoa cega ou amblíope que queira conhecer ou visitar a cidade

The enthalpies of dissociation of the N-O bonds in two quinoxaline derivatives

The present work reports the first experimental thermochemical study of mono-N-oxides derived from quinoxaline, namely, 3-methoxycarbonyl-2-methyl-quinoxaline N-oxide and 3-ethoxycarbonyl-2-methyl-quinoxaline N-oxide. The values of the enthalpies of formation, in the condensed state, and of the enthalpies of sublimation, derived from static bomb calorimetry and Calvet microcalorimetry measurements, respectively, are combined to derive the standard molar enthalpies of formation in the gaseous phase for these two compounds. From the latter values, the first and second N-O bond dissociation enthalpies for the corresponding di-N-oxides have been obtained. The gas-phase experimental results are also compared with calculated data obtained with a density functional theory approach. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Solid state electrochromic display based on polymer electrode-polymer electrolyte interface

The electropolymerization of ortho-toluidine and ortho-anisidine gave uniform electroactive polymer films which were analysed by cyclic voltammetry, impedance and uv-vis absorption spectra. These films exhibit a reversible electrochemical response during cyclic voltammetry experiments in aqueous, non-aqueous and polymer electrolytes. Their electrochromic efficiency is high in aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes but decreases in the polymer electrolyte. A solid state cell having the configuration ITO/TiO2-CeO2/LiN(SO2CF3)2-PEO complex/polymer/ITO, has been assembled. The transmittance variation of this system between the oxidized and reduced state is about 20% at 632.8 nm

The first observed stellar occultations by the irregular satellite Phoebe (Saturn IX) and improved rotational period

peer reviewedWe report six stellar occultations by Phoebe (Saturn IX), an irregular satellite of Saturn, obtained between mid-2017 and mid-2019. The 2017 July 6 event was the first stellar occultation by an irregular satellite ever observed. The occultation chords were compared to a 3D shape model of the satellite obtained from Cassini observations. The rotation period available in the literature led to a sub-observer point at the moment of the observed occultations where the chords could not fit the 3D model. A procedure was developed to identify the correct sub-observer longitude. It allowed us to obtain the rotation period with improved precision compared to the currently known value from literature. We show that the difference between the observed and the predicted sub-observer longitude suggests two possible solutions for the rotation period. By comparing these values with recently observed rotational light curves and single- chord stellar occultations, we can identify the best solution for Phoebe's rotational period as 9.27365 ± 0.00002 h. From the stellar occultations, we also obtained six geocentric astrometric positions in the ICRS as realized by the Gaia DR2 with uncertainties at the 1-mas level

Changing human hair fibre colour and shape from the follicle

Funding Information: This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS – Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. Teresa Matamá would like to acknowledge her Post-doctoral scholarship funded by FCT ( SFRH/BPD/102153/2014 ). Cristiana Costa would like to acknowledge her PhD scholarship funded by FCT ( SFRH/BD/139522/2018 ). Bruno Fernandes would like to acknowledge his PhD scholarship funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/131824/2017). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Funding Information: The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. Raquel Andrade, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Algarve for her help and guidance regarding the in situ hybridization technique. The authors would like to acknowledge Doctor Francisco X. Real (Epithelial Carcinogenesis Group, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, Spain) and Doctor Sofia Magina (Centro de Investigação Médica, Faculdade Medicina do Porto, Portugal) for their kind gifts, the SK-Mel-23 and SK-Mel-1 cell lines, respectively. The authors would like to acknowledge Marisa Azevedo, Senior Account Manager of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Portugal, and María Jesús García Ortiz, Senior Field Application Scientist of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Spain, for their incredible help and support of our qPCR experiments. The authors would like to acknowledge Prof Tim Beißbarth, Head of the Department Medical Bioinformatics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, for his valuable information on web tools for functional enrichment analysis. The authors would like to acknowledge Phillippe by Almada, Termas de S. Pedro do Sul, and Castelbel for providing us with free samples of their dermo-cosmetic products to thank our volunteers. The authors are grateful to all the volunteers who kindly and patiently provided their hair follicles and participated in our clinical study with the intervention of cosmetics. This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS – Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. Teresa Matamá would like to acknowledge her Post-doctoral scholarship funded by FCT (SFRH/BPD/102153/2014). Cristiana Costa would like to acknowledge her PhD scholarship funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/139522/2018). Bruno Fernandes would like to acknowledge his PhD scholarship funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/131824/2017). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Publisher Copyright: © 2024Introduction: Natural hair curvature and colour are genetically determined human traits, that we intentionally change by applying thermal and chemical treatments to the fibre. Presently, those cosmetic methodologies act externally and their recurrent use is quite detrimental to hair fibre quality and even to our health. Objectives: This work represents a disruptive concept to modify natural hair colour and curvature. We aim to model the fibre phenotype as it is actively produced in the follicle through the topical delivery of specific bioactive molecules to the scalp. Methods: Transcriptome differences between curly and straight hairs were identified by microarray. In scalp samples, the most variable transcripts were mapped by in situ hybridization. Then, by using appropriate cellular models, we screened a chemical library of 1200 generic drugs, searching for molecules that could lead to changes in either fibre colour or curvature. A pilot-scale, single-centre, investigator-initiated, prospective, blind, bilateral (split-scalp) placebo-controlled clinical study with the intervention of cosmetics was conducted to obtain a proof of concept (RNEC n.92938). Results: We found 85 genes transcribed significantly different between curly and straight hair, not previously associated with this human trait. Next, we mapped some of the most variable genes to the inner root sheath of follicles, reinforcing the role of this cell layer in fibre shape moulding. From the drug library screening, we selected 3 and 4 hits as modulators of melanin synthesis and gene transcription, respectively, to be further tested in 33 volunteers. The intentional specific hair change occurred: 8 of 14 volunteers exhibited colour changes, and 16 of 19 volunteers presented curvature modifications, by the end of the study. Conclusion: The promising results obtained are the first step towards future cosmetics, complementary or alternative to current methodologies, taking hair styling to a new level: changing hair from the inside out.publishersversioninpres

FIREBall-2: advancing TRL while doing proof-of-concept astrophysics on a suborbital platform

Here we discuss advances in UV technology over the last decade, with an emphasis on photon counting, low noise, high efficiency detectors in sub-orbital programs. We focus on the use of innovative UV detectors in a NASA astrophysics balloon telescope, FIREBall-2, which successfully flew in the Fall of 2018. The FIREBall-2 telescope is designed to make observations of distant galaxies to understand more about how they evolve by looking for diffuse hydrogen in the galactic halo. The payload utilizes a 1.0-meter class telescope with an ultraviolet multi-object spectrograph and is a joint collaboration between Caltech, JPL, LAM, CNES, Columbia, the University of Arizona, and NASA. The improved detector technology that was tested on FIREBall-2 can be applied to any UV mission. We discuss the results of the flight and detector performance. We will also discuss the utility of sub-orbital platforms (both balloon payloads and rockets) for testing new technologies and proof-of-concept scientific ideasComment: Submitted to the Proceedings of SPIE, Defense + Commercial Sensing (SI19

Color discrimination is affected by modulation of luminance noise in pseudoisochromatic stimuli

Pseudoisochromatic stimuli have been widely used to evaluate color discrimination and to identify color vision deficits. Luminance noise is one of the stimulus parameters used to ensure that subject´s response is due to their ability to discriminate target stimulus from the background based solely on the hue between the colors that compose such stimuli. We studied the influence of contrast modulation of the stimulus luminance noise on threshold and reaction time color discrimination. We evaluated color discrimination thresholds using the Cambridge Color Test (CCT) at six different stimulus mean luminances. Each mean luminance condition was tested using two protocols: constant absolute difference between maximum and minimum luminance of the luminance noise (constant delta protocol, CDP), and constant contrast modulation of the luminance noise (constant contrast protocol, CCP). MacAdam ellipses were fitted to the color discrimination thresholds in the CIE 1976 color space to quantify the color discrimination ellipses at threshold level. The same CDP and CCP protocols were applied in the experiment measuring RTs at three levels of stimulus mean luminance. The color threshold measurements show that for the CDP, ellipse areas decreased as a function of the mean luminance and they were significantly larger at the two lowest mean luminances, 10 cd/m2 and 13 cd/m2, compared to the highest one, 25 cd/m2. For the CCP, the ellipses areas also decreased as a function of the mean luminance, but there was no significant difference between ellipses areas estimated at six stimulus mean luminances. The exponent of the decrease of ellipse areas as a function of stimulus mean luminance was steeper in the CDP than CCP. Further, reaction time increased linearly with the reciprocal of the length of the chromatic vectors varying along the four chromatic half-axes. It decreased as a function of stimulus mean luminance in the CDP but not in the CCP. The findings indicated that visual performance using pseudoisochromatic stimuli was dependent on the Weber´s contrast of the luminance noise. Low Weber´s contrast in the luminance noise is suggested to have a reduced effect on chromatic information and, hence, facilitate desegregation of the hue-defined target from the background.Fil: Cormenzana Méndez, Iñaki. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Luminotecnia; ArgentinaFil: Martín, Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Investigación en Luz, Ambiente y Visión. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Instituto de Investigación en Luz, Ambiente y Visión; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Luminotecnia; ArgentinaFil: Charmichael, Teaire L.. Christian Brothers University; Estados UnidosFil: Jacob, Mellina M.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Lacerda, Eliza M. C. B.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Gomes, Bruno D.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Fitzgerald, Malinda E. C.. Christian Brothers University; Estados Unidos. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Ventura, Dora F.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Silveira, Luiz C. L.. Universidade do Ceuma; Brasil. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: O´donell, Beatriz Maria. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Luminotecnia; ArgentinaFil: Souza, Givago S.. Universidade Federal do Pará; Brasi