Preparation of gas-filled porous microparticles (GPPs) and microbubbles (MBs) by PGSS method

Dissertation to obtain the Master Degree in BiotechnologyThe main goal of this Project was the development of microbubbles (MBs) and gas-filled porous particles (GPPs) by supercritical fluids (SCF) processes, namely particles from gas saturated solution (PGSS). MBs of perfluorcarbons (PFC) are currently used as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging and as ultrasound-guided drug delivery for targeted therapeutic applications. They are normally produced by processes that present some limitations. The SCF processes are an innovative technology for the production of these MB’s that has not yet been exploited and can overcome these limitations. Carriers are used to prevent rapid diffusion of the gas out of the particle. In the first part of this thesis, a preliminary selection of carrier materials was carried out, including lipids of different hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) and hydrophilic polymers. Their behavior in the presence of PFC and mixtures of PFC and sc-CO2 was qualitatively studied. A lipid of high HLB value, Gelucire 50/13, was selected to produce the GPPs by PGSS. Main parameters of the process, temperature and pressure, were studied in the range from 55ºC to 80ºC and from 8,5 MPa to 15,4 MPa. Besides, the carrier:PFC ratio and the molecular structure of the PFC were investigated. Particle morphology was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and the presence of PFC was determined by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Small and non agglomerated particles were obtained at 80ºC and 8.5 MPa. Cyclic C4F8 was entrapped in lipid particles in higher amount than of linear C3F8. Nevertheless, the stability of particles obtained at the best operating conditions (80ºC and 8.5 MPa), was relatively short (below 3h) being the majority of the gas released in the first hour

European Intellectual Platform for Professionals in the Field of Typhlology: a challenge/proposal

AbstractThe creation of the “ European Intellectual Platform for Professionals, with a view toSharing Theoretical and Practical Knowledge in the Field of Visual Impairment and RelatedAreas” (we believe this will be essentially professionals in the field of typhlology)will make a promising inclusive reticular means, on the online socio-communicationaldimension, to exchange information and experiences about the unquestionable personaland social, as well as professional, capabilities and consequent employability ofblind and visually-impaired people. Our paper involves a challenge, or rather a proposal,in which we express all our academic and scientific interest in sharing widely inthe CONVIDA network and in the Enviter European Network on that Platform, in thefield of Communication and Education Sciences (from an educommunicational perspective),research and results in the graduation areas of Alternative Communicationand Support Technologies, advanced research and specialized training in InclusiveCommunication in the Special Education of Blind and Visually-Impaired Students, inthe Inclusive Communication in Early Intervention in Childhood, in Cultural Communicationand Mediation for All, including the exchange of in-depth issues leading tofull access and usability of online social media by blind and visually-impaired people.The School of Communication, Architecture, Arts and Information Technologies (ECATI)of Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (ULHT) is a pioneer inPortugal and in Europe in the research and development of in-depth issues in augmentativeand alternative communication and support technologies, having created aMaster degree in Alternative Communication and Support Technologies in 2005. Thisdegree has been in operation since then, and from its genesis research and developmentareas have been arising, namely “inclusive educommunication and culture”, and“typhloperceptibility and multisensory supplementarity”, “communication and socialinteraction of and with blind and visually-impaired, deaf, deafblind people, peoplewith multi-disabilities, with autism/global developmental delay, with neurogenic communicationalpathologies”, “interpersonal communication and inclusive social interaction:face-to-face and online networked”, “communicational ecology and inclusion”,“literacy and technological communication, special languages and personal learningenvironments”, the issue “of the empirical/multisensory to the abstraction and conceptualization– essentially in blindness, deafblindness and deafness”, the “communicationaluniversalization of accessible digital content”, the “foundations of the earlyintervention and communication theories in the issues of disability in general”, the “communicational didactics and sensory-cognitive development”, the “strategic methodologiesto assess and develop communicational competencies”, the “semiotics ofalternative languages: glossary and thematic dictionaries for the different communicationalproblems”.Keywords: Typhlo-perceptibility and inclusion; Multisensory supplementarity; Educommunicabilityand culture; Sociocommunicability; Communicational pedagogy;Communicational ecology.ResumoA criação da “Plataforma Intelectual Europeia para Profissionais, no sentido da Partilhade Conhecimento Teórico e Prático no Campo da Deficiência Visual e Áreas Relacionadas”(pensamos que se trate essencialmente de profissionais na área da tiflologia)constituirá um promissor meio reticular inclusivo, na dimensão sociocomunicacionalonline, para a troca de informações e experiências sobre as inquestionáveis capacidadese competências pessoais e sociais, profissionais e consequente empregabilidadedas pessoas cegas e com baixa visão. A nossa comunicação envolve um desafio, ou umaproposta, em que manifestamos todo o interesse académico e científico em partilharcom todos na Rede CONVIDA e na Rede Europeia Enviter nessa Plataforma, nas áreasdas Ciências da Comunicação e da Educação (numa perspetiva educomunicacional),investigação e resultados nos domínios da graduação em Comunicação Alternativa eTecnologias de Apoio, da investigação avançada e formação especializada em ComunicaçãoInclusiva na Educação Especial de Alunos Cegos e com Baixa Visão, na ComunicaçãoInclusiva em Intervenção Precoce na Infância, na Comunicação e MediaçãoCultural para Todos, incluindo a permuta de questões aprofundadas conducentes àplena acessibilidade e usabilidade nas redes sociais online, por parte das pessoas cegase com baixa visão.A Escola de Comunicação, Arquitetura, Artes e Tecnologias da Informação (ECATI) daUniversidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (ULHT) é pioneira em Portugale na Europa na investigação e desenvolvimento das questões aprofundadas da comunicaçãoaumentativa, alternativa e tecnologias de apoio, tendo criado em 2005 umMestrado em Comunicação Alternativa e Tecnologias de Apoio e tendo-o em funcionamentodesde essa data, em cuja génese têm vindo a nascer áreas de investigaçãoe desenvolvimento, designadamente a “educomunicação e cultura inclusivas”, a “tifloperceptibilidadee suplência multissensorial”, a “comunicação e interação social dee com pessoas cegas e com baixa visão, surdas, surdocegas, com multideficiência, comautismo/atraso global do desenvolvimento, com patologias neurogénicas da comunicação”,a “comunicação interpessoal e interação social inclusiva: em presença e emrede online”, a “ecologia comunicacional e inclusão”, a “comunicação literácita e tecnológica,linguagens especiais e ambientes pessoais de aprendizagem”, a questão “doempírico/multissensorial à abstração e conceptualização - essencialmente na cegueira,surdocegueira e surdez”, a “universalização comunicacional de conteúdos digitaisacessíveis”, os “fundamentos das teorias de intervenção precoce e comunicacionaisnas problemáticas da deficiência em geral”, a “didática comunicacional e desenvolvimentosensoriocognitivo”, as “metodologias estratégicas para aferição e desenvolvimentodas competências comunicativas”, a “semiótica das linguagens alternativas:glossários e dicionários temáticos para as diferentes problemáticas comunicacionais”.Palavras-chave: Tifloperceptibilidade e inclusão; Suplência multissensorial; Educomunicabilidadee cultura; Sociocomunicabilidade; Pedagogia comunicacional; Ecologiacomunicacional

Num novo paradigma para o Desenvolvimento Humano : «Comunicação e Cultura Inclusivas»

ResPublica : Revista Lusófona de Ciência Política, Segurança e Relações InternacionaisA «comunicação e a cultura inclusivas» constituem o móbil de um amplo desenvolvimento biopsicossocial e humano, numa dimensão de igualdade de circunstâncias e de oportunidades para todos, com lugar e qualidade de vida para todos, independentemente de dificuldades como, por exemplo, sensoriocognitivas, sociocognitivas, sociocomunicacionais, intelectuais, psíquicas, patologias neurogénicas da comunicação. Trata-se de uma «viagem» concisa, «passeando» num paradigma novo para o desenvolvimento humano, o da «educomunicção inclusiva», uma aglutinação conceptual consubstanciada no polinómio «educação+comunicação/TIC+cultura+pedagogia», que é o caminhar livre e seguro, digno e socializante, numa perspetiva ecoevolutiva humana profícua e eticizante da vida.«Inclusive communication and culture» are the mobile of a large biopsychosocial and human development, in a dimension of equal circumstances and opportunities for all, whit place and quality of life for everyone, regardless of, for instance, sensory-cognitive, socio-cognitive, socio-communicational, intellectual, pscyhicdifficulties and neurogenic pathologies of communication. It is a concise «journey», «walking» in a neu paragigm for human development, the «inclusive edu-communication», i.e. a conceptual assemblage embodied in the polynomial «education+comunication/ICT+culture+pedagogy», that represents a free and safe, dignified and socializing tread, in a fruitful and ethicizing human eco-evolutionary perspective of life

Remote Sensing and Geosciences for Archaeology

This book collects more than 20 papers, written by renowned experts and scientists from across the globe, that showcase the state-of-the-art and forefront research in archaeological remote sensing and the use of geoscientific techniques to investigate archaeological records and cultural heritage. Very high resolution satellite images from optical and radar space-borne sensors, airborne multi-spectral images, ground penetrating radar, terrestrial laser scanning, 3D modelling, Geographyc Information Systems (GIS) are among the techniques used in the archaeological studies published in this book. The reader can learn how to use these instruments and sensors, also in combination, to investigate cultural landscapes, discover new sites, reconstruct paleo-landscapes, augment the knowledge of monuments, and assess the condition of heritage at risk. Case studies scattered across Europe, Asia and America are presented: from the World UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa to heritage under threat in the Middle East and North Africa, from coastal heritage in the intertidal flats of the German North Sea to Early and Neolithic settlements in Thessaly. Beginners will learn robust research methodologies and take inspiration; mature scholars will for sure derive inputs for new research and applications

Análise ao conceito de culpa: da divergência conceptual à sua implicação para a investigação em enfermagem

Background: Guilt has been an object of study in several areas of knowledge, including nursing. However, this concept is defined differently across disciplines, which is one of the main obstacles to developing studies on this topic. Objective: This study results from a narrative literature review. It aims to present a conceptual analysis of guilt while reflecting on the need to study the definition of the concept based on the former carers’ experience of this phenomenon. Main topics of analysis: Definition of the concept of guilt in the light of philosophy, legal sciences, and nursing, and presentation of the need to map the concept as a key starting point for the production of scientific knowledge. Conclusion: The literature describes the concept of guilt as a multidisciplinary concept with multiple meanings. Mapping the concept of guilt in a specific population and context is a key starting point for developing future studies on this topic.Enquadramento: A culpa apresenta-se como um fenómeno alvo de estudo em várias áreas do conhecimento, inclusive em enfermagem. Contudo, a definição do seu conceito apresenta divergências entre as várias disciplinas, e tal emerge como um dos principais obstáculos à realização de estudos sobre o tema. Objetivo: O presente estudo, resultante de uma revisão narrativa da literatura, tem como objetivo apresentar uma análise conceptual ao conceito de culpa, refletindo concomitantemente sobre a necessidade de realizar um estudo sobre a definição do conceito face à vivência do fenómeno nos pós-cuidadores. Principais tópicos em análise: Definição do conceito de culpa à luz da filosofia, ciências jurídicas e enfermagem, e apresentação da necessidade de mapear o conceito como ponto de partida fundamental para a produção de conhecimento científico. Conclusão: O conceito de culpa é apresentado na literatura científica como um conceito multidisciplinar com múltiplos significados. O mapeamento do conceito de culpa numa população e contexto específicos apresenta-se como um ponto de partida fundamental para a condução de estudos futuros sobre a problemática.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Homoiōsis Theōi: aukščiausias ugdymo tikslas Platono filosofijoje

Many academics and researchers who publish scholarly articles on Plato’s philosophy of education claim that the ultimate educational goal for Plato is simply the acquisition of virtues. While such a claim may not be entirely incorrect, it is nevertheless substantially wanting; for although the acquisition of virtue is no doubt paramount, for Plato it primarily serves as a means to another end. In this paper, I aim to show that, for Plato, the final summit of all educational enterprise is not really to become virtuous but rather to attain the state of becoming like God, and that is, homoiōsis theōi.Daugelis akademikų, tyrinėjančių Platono ugdymo filosofiją, teigia, kad, anot Platono, aukščiausias ugdymo tikslas yra dorybių įgijimas. Toks požiūris nėra visiškai klaidingas, tačiau jis iš esmės nepakankamas; nors dorybių išugdymas iš tiesų yra pirmaeilės svarbos, visgi, anot Platono, ugdymas pirmiausia tarnauja kitam tikslui. Šiame straipsnyje siekiu parodyti, kad Platonui ugdymo viršūnė iš tikrųjų yra ne tapti dorybingam, o veikiau pasiekti būklę, kurioje tampama panašiam į Dievą, ir tai yra homoiōsis theōi

Porter and Weihrich: Two Faces of a Strategic Matrix for Developing the Portuguese Molds Industry

The Portuguese producers of Molds are in its majority of small or medium dimension, competing in highly competitive international markets and using processes, which incorporate new technologies. The present study aims to identify the strategic quadrants for developing the Portuguese Molds Industry, in order to overcome the growing competition originated by the producers located in East Europe, and in Asia. In this sense, a strategic diagnosis is made, using, in first place, the model of the five competitive forces of Porter (1986) and, in second place, the TOWS Matrix of Weihrich (1982). Through the identification of the five competitive forces, we find out that the suppliers have a considerable bargaining power, and that the threat of new enters doesn't exercise great pressure on the industry, in analysis. Furthermore, the determinants of the rivalry are strong, whereas the threat for substitutes is weak. According to the application of the TOWS Matrix, we retain that this industry presents a good competitive positioning in the international markets; nevertheless, she has to bet in the formation of a specialized labour force, and in the promotion of a trade mark image, in order to increase the market power, and to overcome the direct competitors.Clusters, Competitive Strategy, Molds.

Geohazards affecting UNESCO WHL sites in the UK observed from geological data and satellite InSAR

Geohazards pose significant threats to cultural and natural heritage worldwide. In the UK, only 1 out of 29 UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) sites has been inscribed on the list of World Heritage in Danger, whilst it is widely accepted that many more could be affected by geohazards. In this paper we set out the foundations of a methodological approach to analyse geological, geohazard and remote sensing data available at the British Geological Survey to retrieve an overview of geohazards affecting the UK WHL sites. The Castles and Town Walls (constructed in the time of King Edward I) in Gwynedd in north Wales are used as test sites to showcase the methodology for geohazard assessment at the scale of individual property also to account for situations of varied geology and local topography across multiproperty WHL sites. How such baseline geohazard assessment can be combined with space-borne radar interferometry (InSAR) data is showcased for the four UNESCO WHL sites located in Greater London. Our analysis feeds into the innovative contribution that the JPI-CH project PROTHEGO ‘PROTection of European cultural HEritage from GeOhazards’ (www.prothego.eu) is making towards mapping geohazards in the 400+ WHL sites of Europe by exploiting non-invasive remote sensing methods and surveying technologies

Fair care in time of COVID-19 pandemic

The concept of “fair care” proposed by Vieira [1], applies to healthcare in general and nursing care in particular. According to the different scientific approaches, different perspectives in health sciences can be found. Medicine will focus the concept on the search for the most appropriate treatment for the disease and Nursing will consider “fair care” the most appropriate therapeutic intervention according to the human responses to people health-disease situations. In Ethics4Care Project of the Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Health (CIIS) of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, we are developing a study that seeks to build this “fair care” concept in health care. In this pandemic moment of COVID-19 in which we live, the definition of this concept is essential. Currently, we are experiencing a conflict between what is necessary and what is possible in health care, therefore the search for “fair care” appears to be the greatest ethical challenge for professionals. In this article, we present the preliminary results of a literature review that aimed to synthesize the “the state of art” on the current knowledge in this field.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio