Fluorescent probes for selective detection of ozone in plasma applications

This thesis presents an overview of the research activities undertaken during my PhD under the supervision of Dr. F. Iza from the School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering and Dr. B. Buckley from the Chemistry Department at Loughborough University. The thesis is divided as follows. The first chapter of the thesis presents an introduction to plasma and chemical probes as well as the motivation for developing fluorescent probes for plasma characterisation. Analytical techniques used during this work to analyse chemical substances are described in the second chapter. Results and discussions from the experiments are discussed in chapters 3 to 7. Conclusions and future work are presented in chapter 8. In chapter 9, experimental data is presented. In the last century, plasma has attracted the attention of numerous researchers. Due to the wide-range of applications of this ionised gas, people from different fields have focused their effort on studying plasma. Low-temperature plasmas have received growing attention in the last 50 years when the development in cold plasma devices made them more controllable. Plasma played (and continues to play) a critical role in the fabrication process of integrated circuits and recent advances in the generation of low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasmas have resulted in the emergence of new applications including treatment of temperature sensitive surfaces and biological targets. During the first months at Loughborough I worked on the ozonolysis of various alkenes with air plasmas. This allowed me to familiarised myself with plasma as this was new to me and get a feeling of some of the challenges lying ahead. Nonetheless, the data I obtained was encouraging and I presented the results of batch and flow plasma-based ozonolysis of alkenes at the Technological Plasma Workshop held in Manchester in January 2012. Once I had familiarised myself with the plasma system, I worked on synthesising fluorescent probes to detect ozone, one of the many reactive species that are typically generated in oxygen containing plasmas. Details of the experiments conducted to date and most significant findings are discussed in this thesis

Research Agenda on Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making: New Academic Debates in Business and Management

[EN] Systemic disruptions are becoming more continuous, intense, and persistent. Their effects have a severe impact on the economy in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments that are increasingly transversal to productive sectors and activities. Researchers have intensified their academic production of multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) in recent years. This article analyzes the research agenda through a systematic review of scientific articles in the Web of Science Core Collection according to the Journal Citation Report (JCR), both in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). According to the selected search criteria, 909 articles on MCDM published between 1979 and 2022 in Web of Science journals in the business and management categories were located. A bibliometric analysis of the main thematic clusters, the international collaboration networks, and the bibliographic coupling of articles was carried out. In addition, the analysis period is divided into two subperiods (1979¿2008 and 2009¿2022), establishing 2008 as the threshold, the year of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), to assess the evolution of the research agenda at the beginning of systemic disruptions. The bibliometric analysis allows the identification of the motor, basic, specialized, and emerging themes of each subperiod. The results show the similarities and differences between the academic debate before and after the GFC. The evidence found allows academics to be guided in their high-impact research in business and management using MCDM methodologies to address contemporary challenges. An important contribution of this study is to detect gaps in the literature, highlighting unclosed gaps and emerging trends in the field of study for journal editors.Castello-Sirvent, F.; Meneses-Eraso, C. (2022). Research Agenda on Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making: New Academic Debates in Business and Management. Axioms. 11(10):1-37. https://doi.org/10.3390/axioms11100515137111

Fluorescence probe for determining the ozone dose delivered by plasmas

Plasma composition is typically studied by absorption and emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and computational studies. While these techniques provide valuable information about the chemical species in the gas phase, in many applications it is desirable to have a direct measurement of the dose of chemical species delivered to a particular target. In this work, we will use a fluorescent chemical probe in order to characterize actual flux of ozone experienced by a target exposed to plasma

Comparative study of chemical probes for ozone detection

Plasma composition is typically studied by absorption and emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and computational studies. While these techniques provide valuable information about the chemical species in the gas phase, in many applications it is desirable to have a direct measurement of the dose of chemical species delivered to a particular target. For this purpose, chemical probes are particularly interesting as they can provide an inexpensive means for determining the dose of a particular compound. A number of chemical probes have recently been used by the plasma community, particularly those working in plasma medicine and with plasmas interacting with liquids. Generally, however, these probes were not initially intended for use in plasma environments and therefore, it is important to assess their suitability and identify any selectivity issue that could affect the correct interpretation of the measurements. Here, we report on a comparative study of three chemical probes aimed at the quantitative detection of ozone (Table 1): Indigo Carmine and two DCF-derived fluorescent probes

Plasmas for organic synthesis and chemical probes for plasma diagnostics

Although organic chemistry plays a critical role in many plasma applications, there is room for further cross-fertilization between the two disciplines. Here we explore two possible avenues: (1) plasma physics as a new tool for the organic chemist and (2) organic compounds as diagnostics for the plasma physicist

Ensaio não destrutivo para a quantificação da concentração de sal em argamassas de edifícios históricos

O sal, uma substância indispensável ao homem e a todos os tipos de vida animal, nem sempre nos traz benefícios. Os fenômenos da umidade e da salinidade se destacam entre os principais responsáveis pelos mais frequentes danos existentes em alvenarias revestidas com reboco em edifícios antigos. A verificação da existência de sais de cloreto, nitrato e sulfato em revestimentos argamassados constitui-se em um experimento simples e rápido. No entanto, a quantificação desses sais é realizada através de procedimentos efetuados em laboratórios, cujo custo é alto e o tempo pode ser considerado como relativamente longo. Esta pesquisa teve como proposta verificar a potencialidade de um condutivímetro na quantificação da concentração de sais (cloreto, nitrato e sulfato) presentes em argamassas de cal e areia e em argamassas de cimento, cal e areia. Para tanto, foram confeccionados corpos de prova de argamassas com diferentes traços e contaminadas com diferentes sais em quantidades pré-estabelecidas. A utilização do condutivímetro na quantificação de sais em argamassas apresentou-se como um método prático e rápido, possível de ser realizado in loco. Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão sobre o fenômeno da salinidade nas argamassas de edifícios históricos, a metodologia desenvolvida e os resultados obtidos

Continuous flow ozonolysis using atmospheric plasma

Ozonolysis is widely used in organic synthesis to obtain aldehydes and ketones from alkenes, a process of great interest, for example, for the pharmaceutical industry. This reaction is more environmentally accepted than other alternative oxidations and it has good atom efficiency. Ozonolysis, however, has an important drawback; the ozonides generated as intermediates in the process are unstable and pose a risk of explosion. To minimize this risk, continuous flow processing can be used, as this eliminates the accumulation of large amounts of hazardous intermediates, thereby offering an alternative to batch processing that greatly enhances the control and safety of the ozonolysis process.1,2 Here we report on the results obtained with an air plasma-driven continuous-flow ozonolysis system. (... continues

Projeto Casulo: uma experiência de educação sexual no ensino fundamentalCocoon Project : an experience with sexual education in elementary school

Relato de uma experiência de educação sexual na 4ª série do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola privada de Belo Horizonte. Apresentamos as condições de implantação do programa, defendemos uma concepção de educação sexual, discutindo a pertinência da intervenção pedagógica no campo da sexualidade com grupos de adolescentes e compartilhamos uma experiência de sala de aula avaliando o impacto da ação educativa sobre os agentes envolvidos.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Adolescência. Sexualidade. Educação  ABSTRACT:  This paper presents an experience with sexual education in the fourth grade of a private elementary school in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and the conditions under which it was implemented. We defend a concept of sexual education and discuss the relevance of pedagogic intervention in the field of sexuality with adolescent groups. We also share a classroom experience to evaluate the impact of educational action on the agents involved. KEY WORDS: Adolescence. Sexuality. Educatio

Three Decades of Fuzzy AHP: A Bibliometric Analysis

[EN] For decades, Fuzzy Sets Theory (FST) has been consistently developed, and its use has spread across multiple disciplines. In this process of knowledge transfer, fuzzy applications have experienced great diffusion. Among them, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) is one of the most widely used methodologies today. This study performs a systematic review following the PRISMA statement and addresses a bibliometric analysis of all articles published on fuzzy AHP in journals indexed in Web of Science, specifically in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). The analyzed database includes 2086 articles published between 1994 and 2022. The results show the thematic clusters, the evolution of the academic conversation and the main collaboration networks. The main contribution of this article is to clarify the research agenda on fuzzy AHP. The results of the study allow academics to detect publication opportunities. In addition, the evidence found allows researchers and academics setting the field¿s agenda to advise the editors of high-impact journals on gaps and new research trends.Castello-Sirvent, F.; Meneses-Eraso, C.; Alonso-Gómez, J.; Peris-Ortiz, M. (2022). Three Decades of Fuzzy AHP: A Bibliometric Analysis. Axioms. 11(10):1-34. https://doi.org/10.3390/axioms11100525134111

Novas tecnologias e suas implicações pedagógicas nas séries iniciais do ensino fundamental

O presente estudo analisou o impacto de Novas Tecnológicas de Informação e Comunicação – NTIC, principalmente quanto ao uso do computador e da internet, no âmbito das séries iniciais do ensino fundamental, em duas escolas do Distrito Federal. O tema é relevante e atual, principalmente quando consideramos a posição atribuída à educação no atual contexto da globalização e do paradigma emergente. O estudo contempla uma pesquisa bibliográfica e de campo. O referencial teórico, sobretudo as considerações de Tajra (2004), Behrens (2004), Moran (2004), Valente (1998) entre outros, contribuindo para a compreensão da realidade pesquisada. Para a realização dessa investigação apoiamo-nos nos pressupostos do paradigma emergente da educação, que engloba novas estratégias de ensino e aprendizagem na perspectiva da complexidade entre o individual e social. Em que medida a inserção dessa nova cultura influencia a prática pedagógica dos professores da série iniciais do ensino fundamental? Como nossos educadores estão articulando as potencialidades e as inovações das novas tecnologias com a exigência do projeto pedagógico? Para responder a essas questões desenvolvemos um estudo exploratório de natureza qualitativa. O interesse da presente monografia incide, portanto, no que consideramos único e particular em duas escolas do Distrito Federal, mesmo que posteriormente venham a ficar evidentes certas semelhanças com outros casos ou situações. No contexto da pesquisa de campo realizamos uma sondagem junto a oito professoras das duas escolas. Na análise qualitativa efetivada identificamos, tendências e concepções relacionadas ao uso das novas tecnologias, revelando que a maioria absoluta dos professores entrevistados concorda com a necessidade do uso do computador e da internet como mediadores e instrumentos pedagógicos; admitem que o uso do computador e da internet, facilita e possibilita o surgimento de novas relações no interior do processo ensino-aprendizagem. Por fim, os professores entrevistados consideram que o uso do computador e da internet constituem-se em importantes ferramentas educativas de motivação para os alunos. Diante dessa situação observada sugerimos uma análise dos aspectos relacionados a utilização das tecnologias na formação de professores; um aprofundamento da pesquisa em relação a outras experiências de Informática na Educação que acontecem nos diversos estados brasileiros e em outros países; entre outras