Renewable Energy Support Mechanisms – Present Status

Renewable energy production is important to solve problems related to security of supply, economic competitiveness, reduction of the economic energy burden to citizens and environmental impacts such as CO2 emissions and pollution. Besides this the scenarios for the future foresee an increase in energy demand mainly due emerging economies and by this reason all the above mentioned issues will be crucial for EU Member States and many other countries around the world. Due to the inability of market to move to more sustainable energy systems, using a higher share of energy from renewable energy sources, it was necessary public action, creating RES support mechanisms in the majority of countries.N/

Technological Policing: Big data vs real data

Big Data assume um papel preponderante na intervenção nas mais diversas áreas, à qual não é alheia a área policial. O presente artigo teórico procura de abrir caminhos para a compreensão do fenómeno Big Data na intervenção policial a nível micro e macro, enquanto ferramenta inserida na tecnologia policial. Por outro lado, apresentar o conceito agregado à data real, e o seu distanciamento na intervenção policial. A metodologia utilizada para o efeito foi a de análise bibliográfica, em que se apresentar critérios de inclusão e exclusão, por forma, a consolidar a análise em questão. Na perspetiva dos autores salienta-se que enquanto instrumento da tecnologia policial, Big Data providencia a informação necessária, em termos de volume e quantidade, tendo em conta, os diferentes níveis de intervenção policial, e é um recurso que incrementa a sua eficiência na manutenção da ordem pública.Big Data assumes a preponderant role in the intervention in the most diverse areas of intervention, to which the police area is no stranger. This theoretical article seeks to open ways to understand the Big Data phenomenon in police intervention at micro and macro levels, as a tool inserted in police technology. On the other hand, to present the concept aggregated to real data, and its distancing in police intervention. The methodology used for this purpose was literature analysis, in which inclusion and exclusion criteria are presented to consolidate the analysis in question. From the authors' perspective, it is pointed out that as an instrument of police technology, Big Data provides the necessary information, in terms of volume and quantity, taking into account the different levels of police intervention, and is a resource that increases efficiency in the maintenance of public order.El Big Data assume un papel preponderante en la intervención en los más diversos ámbitos de intervención, al que no es ajeno el área policial. Este artículo teórico pretende abrir caminos para entender el fenómeno del Big Data en la intervención policial a nivel micro y macro, como herramienta inserta en la tecnología policial. Por otro lado, presentar el concepto agregado a los datos reales, y su distanciamiento en la intervención policial. La metodología utilizada para ello fue el análisis bibliográfico, en el que se presentan los criterios de inclusión y exclusión para consolidar el análisis en cuestión. Desde la perspectiva de los autores, se señala que como instrumento de la tecnología policial, el Big Data proporciona la información necesaria, en volumen y cantidad, teniendo en cuenta los diferentes niveles de intervención policial, y es un recurso que aumenta la eficiencia en el mantenimiento del orden público.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

RES Efficiency Indicators for Portugal, Slovakia and Czech Republic

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Potentialities of LL37 for Wound Healing Applications: Study of Its Activity in Synergy with Biodegradable Composites Made of PVA and CA

Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process that results from the interaction between cytokines, growth factors, blood components and the extracellular matrix. Conventional dressings made of natural or synthetic materials have only the ability to manage the wound and protect it from repeated trauma. With the advancement of technology, wound dressings have evolved and are now capable of intervening in the healing process by targeting specific features of the wound, aside from protecting the wounded site. In this work, bioactive dressings capable of promoting healing and fighting infection in chronic wounds were explored. Various antimicrobial biomolecules were examined in light of their pathogen fighting skills and immunoregulatory potentialities. Dressing production processes were also investigated. Biodegradable composite dressings made of poly(vinyl alcohol), polycaprolactone, chitosan and cellulose blends were our main focus. The goal was to evaluate the synergistic effect of biomolecules and biodegradable polymeric dressings, considering the local and systemic treatment demands of chronic wounds.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), FEDER funds by means of Competitive Factors Operational Program (POCI) for funding the projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028074 and UID/CTM/00264/201

Electrospun polymeric dressings functionalized with antimicrobial peptides and collagen type I for enhanced wound healing

Modern wound dressings combine medical textiles with active compounds that stimulate wound healing while protecting against infection. Electrospun wound dressings have been extensively studied and the electrospinning technique recognized as an efficient approach for the production of nanoscale fibrous mats. The unique diverse function and architecture of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has attracted considerable attention as a tool for the design of new anti-infective drugs. Functionalizing electrospun wound dressings with these AMPs is nowadays being researched. In the present work, we explore these new systems by highlighting the most important characteristics of electropsun wound dressings, revealing the importance of AMPs to wound healing, and the methods available to functionalize the electrospun mats with these molecules. The combined therapeutic potential of collagen type I and these AMP functionalized dressings will be highlighted as well; the significance of these new strategies for the future of wound healing will be clarified.FCT -Fuel Cell Technologies Program(POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antimicrobial peptides in infected wounds

Wound healing is a fundamental process to re-establish tissue integrity. Microbial infections, however, may hinder this process and compromise our health. The increasing resistance of microorganisms colonizing infections to conventional antibiotics has raised many concerns. Hence, new treatment options have been researched and new biomolecules uncovered. As known, multicellular organisms are endowed with an arsenal of host-defense molecules, the Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) that fight microbial invaders and modulate the host’s immune response. In recent years, research has been focused on the development of such molecules with lower toxicity and improved activity compared to their endogenous counterparts for potential applications in wound healing. The present work offers a review over AMPs involved in wound healing and used against infected wounds, their potentialities and limitations, and highlights their mode of action. The challenges with the use of AMPs and the current strategies to prevent those challenges are also enumerated

Synergistically enhanced stability of laccase immobilized on synthesized silver nanoparticles with water-soluble polymers

"In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 12 March 2017"Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by citrate reduction method in the presence of polymers, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan, used as stabilizing agents, and an oxidoreductase enzyme, laccase (Lac), with the goal of expanding the NPs antimicrobial action. AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectrometry, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. As protecting agents, PEG and PVA promoted the formation of spherical uniformly-shaped, small-sized, monodispersed AgNPs (≈ 20 nm). High Mw polymers were established as most effective in producing small-sized NPs. Chitosan's viscosity led to the formation of aggregates. Despite the decrease in Lac activity registered for the hybrid formulation, AgNPs-polymer-Lac, a significant augment in stability over time (up to 13 days, at 50 °C) was observed. This novel formulation displays improved synergistic performance over AgNPs-Lac or polymer-Lac conjugates, since in the former the Lac activity becomes residual at the end of 3 days. By enabling many ionic interactions, chitosan restricted the mass transfer between Lac and substrate and, thus, inhibited the enzymatic activity. These hybrid nanocomposites made up of inorganic NPs, organic polymers and immobilized antimicrobial oxidoreductive enzymes represent a new class of materials with improved synergistic performance. Moreover, the Lac and the AgNPs different antimicrobial action, both in time and mechanism, may also constitute a new alternative to reduce the probability of developing resistance-associated mutations.This work was funded by Portuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyFCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and co-financed by European funds (FEDER) through the PT2020 program, research projectM-ERA-NET/0006/2014. A. Zille and H. P. Felgueiras also acknowledge funding from FCT within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136 and UID/CTM/00264

A buil-in mixed-signal block observer (BIMBO) to improve observability in 1149.4 environments

This document proposes an extension to the IEEE 1149.4 test infrastructure, whereby a bank of sigma-delta first order modulators enables the simultaneous observation of several analog pins in a single component. The modulator output bit streams are shifted out and made available to an external test controller that comprises the corresponding bank of decimation filters and other decision and control logic. The architecture proposed is fully non-intrusive and may be used to support debug and test operations in mixed-signal environments

Lighting spectra for the maximum colorfulness

The advent of modern solid-state sources enabled almost any spectrum for lighting and a wide range of possibilities in color rendering. The quality of the lighting has been typically evaluated by the color rendering index which measures how much the colors of objects illuminated by the light under test look similar to those produced when the objects are illuminated by the daylight or a conventional incandescent light. On the other hand, how colorful or vivid the colors under the illumination are perceived is also an important quality to evaluate lighting. We investigated, computationally, the spectral profiles of the illumination that maximizes the theoretical limit of the perceivable object colors. A large number of metamers with various degree of smoothness were generated using the Schmitt’s elements method at chromaticity points on and around the Planckian locus ranging from 2,222 K to 20,000 K. The general color rendering index (CRI) and MacAdam volumes in CIELAB color space were calculated for each metamer. The metamers maximizing the CRI had smoother spectra than the metamers maximizing the MacAdam volume. These results show that maximum colorfulness in nature can only be obtained with spectrally non-smooth illuminatio

New trends in energy production and utilization

Energy has been the engine of nations’ development, and this has driven mankind towards growing energy needs, in particular for transportation, agricultural and industrial activities and buildings. Energy for transportation is based on oil derived fuel, whereas energy in buildings consists mainly of electricity, which is produced from fossil fuels, nuclear power and/or from renewable energy sources, such as hydro and solar. Agricultural and industrial activities use a combination of fossil fuels and electric energy. To increase the sustainability of energy production and efficient energy use, it is urgent that better monitoring and control systems are used, and increase the energy production from renewable sources. This drives the energy sector towards the need for Life Cycle Analysis of energy processes to support the selection and implementation of more sustainable energy systems, as well as to develop better and more intelligent electric energy grids, where storage energy systems plays an essential role. These questions will be briefly discussed in this paper, focusing in the current situation, existing problems and potential solutions, and expected developments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio