Internet of Things-based care monitoring for the elderly and those with special needs

As a society, we should provide support and care for individuals who are advanced in age or have special needs. We must offer them the opportunity to lead a safe and comfortable life. Sometimes, addressing simple things can mitigate critical problems. For instance, an improperly functioning heating system can put the users’ lives at risk, and a gas leak can prove fatal if not detected in time. Hence, this study aims to identify solutions that can help prevent accidents in such vulnerable populations. To achieve this, a safety device equipped with essential sensors continuously monitors the living environment of people with special needs. If there are any anomalies, the system will immediately alert the concerned family members and competent security authorities, ensuring a quick and efficient response to potential emergencies. The proposed safety device aims to provide extra protection and peace of mind for special care individuals. By implementing such safety measures, we can make significant strides in promoting the well-being and safety of vulnerable populations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

EDUCAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA: ROTAS PARA MARES DE CONHECIMENTOS

“EDUCAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA: ROTAS PARA MARES DE CONHECIMENTOS” é um texto poético na configuração de poesia livre, escrito a partir das experiências enquanto professor formador pelo Instituto Anísio Teixeira da Secretaria de Educação do Estado da Bahia, em um processo de Formação Continuada em Contexto Profissional que vem ocorrendo desde 2019 ,com previsão para conclusão em dezembro de 2022, com turmas de educadores que atuam como Coordenadores Pedagógicos e Diretores de Unidades Escolares em escolas públicas das redes estadual e municipais de Educação do Território de Identidade do Recôncavo Baiano. A motivação para a elaboração do texto parte da busca por incentivo ao uso da poesia nos processos formativos de educação, incentivo à formação leitora, inclusive pela poesia, e, manifestação de questões e informações envolvendo os processos educacionais em textos poéticos como parte do conjunto de textos científicos e relatórios, resultados de pesquisas acadêmicas – cientificas utilizados nas referências para a formação de profissionais da Educação. A opção metodológica é da escrita poética, versos livres a partir da visitação de teorias expressas em Nóvoa (2020), Morran (2005), Santos (1988) e Teixeira in Nunes (2000). Este texto poético, visto como produção didática pedagógica foi utilizado em encontros remotos e presenciais de educadores nos momentos de formação continuada com temas relacionados à formação de Professores.&nbsp

Feasibility study of a novel bio-based material through a design thinking approach.

Landfilling of non-biodegradable materials is one of the most significant long-term pollution legacies. This practice represents a loss of energy-intensive produced materials alongside with an opportunity for recycling. Environmental and economic concerns arising from the large-scale production and consumption of oil-based materials, have led to an increased interest in developing more sustainable alternatives. Natural fibres (e.g. sisal, jute, flax, etc.) offer a potentially low environmental impact raw material for the packaging industry. Current research in the use of natural fibres in composite materials is reviewed initially in this work. This covers natural fibre properties, surface treatments, composite properties, and manufacturing processes. The rationale for the use of poly(lactic) acid (PLA) as a matrix system is defined. There are studies on the use of Agave tequilana fibres (ATF), but, there is no work reported to date attempting their use as a reinforcement/filler for poly(lactic acid) to replace polystyrene in consumer good applications. In this research, the importance of using a design thinking method in the development of more sustainable materials to be integrated into a circular economy, is established and principles for doing so are drafted. An initial life-cycle approach was used to design a biodegradable ATF and poly(lactic acid) bio-based composite. Experimental work included the development of different grades of fully degradable ATF/PLA bio-based composites using two diverse manufacturing processes; extrusion-press moulding, and film stacking. Bio-based composite properties were modified by exploring several surface treatments. Their resulting bio-based composite properties were investigated to provide enough information about the material behaviour in order to evaluate its potential uses. Mechanical and physical properties (tension, flexural, impact, and moisture) were assessed using standardised tests and methods. The possible routes for recycling or energy recovery of the material to close the material life cycle loop were explored. Despite the by-product character of ATF, it offers a potential low-cost alternative as a reinforcement source for bio-based composites. ATF were observed to have a density of 1.2±0.1 g/cm³ with a tensile strength of 79±38 MPa, and Young’s modulus of 3.3±1.4 GPa. Surface treatments improved ATF tensile properties and interfacial shear strength (IFSS) with PLA. Alkali-treated ATF resulted in a maximum improvement of ~50% in tensile strength and IFSS. According to the results obtained, ATF/PLA bio-based composites with a high fibre content of 60wt% have some properties capable of outperforming those of general purpose polystyrene in several conditions (i.e. ~15% in flexural modulus and ~17% in flexural strength), while in other cases properties did not presented significant improvements (i.e. Young modulus ~3 GPa). The impact of the new ATF/PLA bio-based composite on the current waste management system in Mexico was studied in terms of the “best” economic-environmental-social balanced route at the end-of-life of the material. It is considered that a continuous looping with the least possible loss of carbon and energy is best achieved through biological recycling. Anaerobic digestion of the material was ~14% after 20 days of incubation, with production of ~20 mL CH₄/gVS. Due to the performance presented regarding their economic viability and environmental acceptability within a circular economy, ATF/PLA bio-based composites have the potential to be used in non-structural applications within the consumer goods industry, e.g., packaging, casings for electronic appliances, crates, etc.PhD in Wate

Avaliação da evolução da contaminação da Lagoa da Sancha

Tese de Mestrado, Geologia do Ambiente, Riscos Geológicos e Ordenamento de Território, 2021, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de CiênciasA Lagoa da Sancha encontra-se localizada na costa SW de Portugal, a cerca de 7 km a N de Sines, numa área ambiental protegida, pertencente ao concelho de Grândola, no distrito de Setúbal. Nos anos 2000, as características da água e de sedimentos do fundo da Lagoa da Sancha começaram a sofrer alterações significativas com o acumular de uma elevada concentração de metais e uma redução drástica dos valores de pH. Após vários estudos realizados sobre as fontes e os processos de contaminação na bacia hidrográfica da Lagoa da Sancha nos últimos anos, foi possível identificar a origem provável da contaminação e os processos que ocorrem para as alterações ambientais da massa de água. O presente trabalho, tem como objetivo principal avaliar a evolução da pluma de contaminação que chega à Lagoa da Sancha e propor medidas de mitigação. O percurso e evolução espacial dos contaminantes, entre a fonte e a Lagoa da Sancha, foram definidos através da utilização dos programas automáticos PhreeqcI, Processing Modflow e MT3DMS. Com estes programas foi possível modelar o fluxo de água subterrânea e o transporte de massa dos contaminantes em direção à Lagoa, determinar as quantidades aproximadas de contaminantes que saem da fonte, bem como as reações que ocorrem no hidrossoma e que contribuem para a alteração das características do mesmo. Tendo como referência os dados obtidos por Glória (2016), as análises realizadas nas amostras recolhidas em dezembro de 2020 serviram de comparação para avaliar o processo de evolução da contaminação na Lagoa da Sancha. Os resultados mais recentes mostraram que o pH da água está um pouco menos ácido e as concentrações em alguns metais diminuíram, sendo no entanto, ainda detetados hidrocarbonetos e concentração elevada de enxofre e ferro. Os resultados das análises químicas na água e nos sedimentos da Lagoa, combinados com a modelação do transporte de massa, permitiram a reconstrução dos processos que ocorreram desde a fonte de contaminação, até ao interior da Lagoa. Identificado e caracterizado o problema da contaminação na Lagoa da Sancha, levantam-se outras questões, nomeadamente que técnicas devem ser utilizadas para o processo de remediação da área contaminada. A modelação permitiu-nos também simular o comportamento do sistema 50 anos após a retirada da fonte de contaminação, mostrando que o sistema natural tem capacidade de regeneração, porque a concentração dos contaminantes utilizados na modelação diminui consideravelmente. Com os dados obtidos, foi possível propôr estratégias mais apropriadas que permitam resolver o problema da contaminação na Lagoa da Sancha.Lagoa da Sancha is located on the SW coast of Portugal, about 7 km N of Sines, in a protected environmental area belonging to the municipality of Grândola, in the district of Setúbal. In the 2000s, the characteristics of the water and sediments of the bottom of Lagoa da Sancha began to undergo significant changes with the accumulation of a high concentration of metals and a drastic reduction of pH values. After several studies conducted on the sources and processes of contamination in the watershed of Sancha Lagoon in recent years, it was possible to identify the probable origin of the contamination and the processes occurring for the environmental changes in the water body. The main objective of the present work is to evaluate the evolution of the contamination plume that reaches the lagoon and to propose mitigation measures. The path and spatial evolution of the contaminants between the source and Sancha lagoon were defined using the automatic programs PhreeqcI, Processing Modflow and MT3DMS. With these programs it was possible to model the groundwater flow and the mass transport of contaminants towards the lagoon, determine the approximate amounts of contaminants leaving the source, as well as the reactions that occur in the hydrosome and contribute to the change of its characteristics. With reference to the data obtained by Glória (2016), the analyses performed on the samples collected in December 2020 served as a comparison to evaluate the evolution process of contamination in Lagoa da Sancha. The most recent results showed that the pH of the water is slightly less acidic, and the concentrations of some metals have decreased, however, hydrocarbons and high concentrations of sulfur, iron, aluminum, and a small presence of hydrocarbons were still detected. The results of the chemical analyses in the lagoon water and sediments, combined with the mass transport modeling, allowed the reconstruction of the processes that occurred from the source of contamination to the interior of the lagoon. Once identified and characterized the problem of contamination in Sancha Lagoon, other questions arise, namely which techniques should be used for the remediation process of the contaminated area. The modeling also allowed us to simulate the behavior of the system 50 years after removal of the source of contamination, showing that the natural system has the capacity to regenerate, because the concentration of the contaminants used in the modeling decreases dramatically. With the data obtained, it was possible to propose more appropriate strategies to solve the problem of contamination in Sancha Lagoon

EDUCAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA: ROTAS PARA MARES DE CONHECIMENTOS

“EDUCAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA: ROTAS PARA MARES DE CONHECIMENTOS” é um texto poético na configuração de poesia livre, escrito a partir das experiências enquanto professor formador pelo Instituto Anísio Teixeira da Secretaria de Educação do Estado da Bahia, em um processo de Formação Continuada em Contexto Profissional que vem ocorrendo desde 2019 ,com previsão para conclusão em dezembro de 2022, com turmas de educadores que atuam como Coordenadores Pedagógicos e Diretores de Unidades Escolares em escolas públicas das redes estadual e municipais de Educação do Território de Identidade do Recôncavo Baiano. A motivação para a elaboração do texto parte da busca por incentivo ao uso da poesia nos processos formativos de educação, incentivo à formação leitora, inclusive pela poesia, e, manifestação de questões e informações envolvendo os processos educacionais em textos poéticos como parte do conjunto de textos científicos e relatórios, resultados de pesquisas acadêmicas – cientificas utilizados nas referências para a formação de profissionais da Educação. A opção metodológica é da escrita poética, versos livres a partir da visitação de teorias expressas em Nóvoa (2020), Morran (2005), Santos (1988) e Teixeira in Nunes (2000). Este texto poético, visto como produção didática pedagógica foi utilizado em encontros remotos e presenciais de educadores nos momentos de formação continuada com temas relacionados à formação de Professores.&nbsp

Absorption spectroscopy of quantum black holes with gravitational waves

The observation of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by matter was instrumental in revealing the quantum properties of atoms and molecules in the early XX century, and constituted a turning-point in the development of the quantum theory. Quantum mechanics changes dramatically the way radiation and matter interact, making the probability of emission and absorption of light strongly frequency dependent, as clearly manifested in atomic spectra. In this essay, we advocate that gravitational radiation can play, for the quantum aspects of black holes, a similar role as electromagnetic radiation did for atoms, and that the advent of gravitational-wave astronomy can bring this fascinating possibility to the realm of observations

Potential gravitational-wave signatures of quantum gravity

We show that gravitational-wave astronomy has the potential to inform us on quantum aspects of black holes. Based on Bekenstein's quantization, we find that black hole area discretization could impart observable imprints to the gravitational-wave signal from a pair of merging black holes, affecting their absorption properties during inspiral and their late-time relaxation after merger. In contrast with previous results, we find that black hole rotation, ubiquitous in astrophysics, improves our ability to probe quantum effects. Our analysis shows that gravitational-wave echoes and suppressed tidal heating are signs of new physics from which the fundamental quantum of black hole area can be measured, and which are within reach of future detectors. Our results also highlight the need to derive predictions from specific quantum gravity proposals.Comment: some comments and clarifications added; published versio

Building the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN): a novel approach for the exploration of distributed alien species data

The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN; http://easin.jrc.ec.europa.eu) aims to facilitate the exploration of existing alien species information from distributed sources through a network of interoperable web services, and to assist the implementation of European policies on biological invasions. The network allows extraction of alien species information from online information systems for all species included in the EASIN catalogue. This catalogue was based on an inventory of reported alien species in Europe that was produced by reviewing and standardizing information from 43 online databases. It includes information on taxonomy, synonyms, common names, pathways of introduction, native range in Europe, and impact. EASIN catalogue entails the basic information needed to efficiently link to existing online databases and retrieve spatial information for alien species distribution in Europe. Using search functionality powered by a widget framework, it is possible to make a tailored selection of a subgroup of species based on various criteria (e.g., environment, taxonomy, pathways). Distribution maps of the selected species can be produced dynamically and downloaded by the user. The EASIN web tools and services follow internationally recognized standards and protocols, and can be utilized freely and independently by any website, while ownership of the data remains with its source, which is properly cited and linked.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Bounds for the signless Laplacian energy

AbstractThe energy of a graph G is the sum of the absolute values of the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of G. The Laplacian (respectively, the signless Laplacian) energy of G is the sum of the absolute values of the differences between the eigenvalues of the Laplacian (respectively, signless Laplacian) matrix and the arithmetic mean of the vertex degrees of the graph. In this paper, among some results which relate these energies, we point out some bounds to them using the energy of the line graph of G. Most of these bounds are valid for both energies, Laplacian and signless Laplacian. However, we present two new upper bounds on the signless Laplacian which are not upper bounds for the Laplacian energy

um contributo exploratório

A presente investigação é subordinada ao tema “Abuso de Autoridade na Guarda Nacional Republicana: um contributo exploratório”, e realizou-se na tentativa de perceber de que formas se verifica o Abuso de Autoridade na instituição, bem como o seu impacto e formas de o reduzir. Posto isto, utilizamos um modelo dedutivo no desenvolvimento da investigação. Desta forma, pretendemos alcançar a resposta às perguntas derivadas para, de seguida, responder à questão principal. Utilizamos, maioritariamente, a metodologia de investigação definida por Sarmento (2013), onde nos debruçamos sobre análise documental e as entrevistas. Estruturamos o trabalho em vários capítulos, começando por uma introdução ampla, com uma breve reflexão acerca do Estado de Direito. De seguida, procuramos especificar a polícia no Estado de Direito (no caso português), a sua definição e os princípios orientadores. Após, abordamos a discricionariedade da actuação policial e definimos legalmente o Abuso de Autoridade. Por fim, na segunda parte do trabalho, analisamos os resultados obtidos na recolha e respondemos às questões colocadas, de forma a obtermos as nossas conclusões. No final, percebemos que existe, de facto, Abuso de Autoridade na Guarda Nacional Republicana. No entanto, a actuação tem melhorado, sendo que a sociedade não atribui um impacto negativo à Guarda Nacional Republicana por situações raras e residuais. Percebemos que a melhor forma de conseguir reduzir estas situações passa por uma aposta na formação, bem como na avaliação, controlo e fiscalização constante da actuação.The present investigation is subordinated to the topic "Abuse of Authority in the Republican National Guard: an exploring contribute", and it was carried out in an attempt to perceive in what forms the Abuse of Authority in the institution is verified, as well as its impact and ways of reducing it. Therefore, we use a deductive model in the development of the research. In this way, we wanted to answer the raised questions and then answer the main question. We use, mainly, the research methodology defined by Sarmento (2013), where we focus on document analysis and interviews. We have structured the work in several chapters, starting with a broad introduction, with a brief reflection on the State. Next, we tried to specify the police in the State (in the Portuguese case), its definition and the guiding principles. Afterwards, we approached the discretion of the police action and defined legally Abuse of Authority. Finally, in the second part of the paper, we analyzed the results obtained in the collection and answered to the questions asked in order to obtain our conclusions. In the end, we realize that there is, in fact, Abuse of Authority in the Republican National Guard. However, the action has improved, and the society does not assign a negative impact to the National Republican Guard because of this rare and residual situations. We realize that the best way to reduce these situations involves a commitment to training, as well as to the evaluation, control and constant monitoring of the action