Fabrication of Skin-Like Sensors in Thin Polymeric Membranes

Recently, research in health care improved the creation of devices that accurately monitor various physiological stimuli (wearable devices) which provide better health care and help to predict possible diseases through continuous data collection. However, wearable devices are at an early stage of development and several improvements must be made, both at structural and materials level. Some examples of devices on the market such as smartwatches or fitness bands are still very bulky and the goal is to make them as small and functional as possible. This work focuses on the improvement of fabrication process steps of pressure sensors, based on micro-structured thin polymeric films of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or Parylene C, namely micro-structuration techniques and electrode deposition. To create domeshaped structures, Polystyrene (PS) microspheres were deposited by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) process over Parylene C and then subjected to a Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) process to create the mold. Pyramidal structures were made by anisotropic etching of silicon with potassium hydroxide (KOH) to make molds. Both molds were further used to produce micro-structured PDMS films by soft lithography. Through these techniques, PDMS domes with diameters between 2.3 m and 3.0 m and heights between 1.6 m and 1.7 m, and PDMS pyramids with a size of 50 m to 100 m and a height of 34.3 m to 66.4 m were achieved. To work as a piezoresistive pressure sensor, the micro-structures must be covered with a conductive layer that will play the role of electrode. To overcome adhesion issues between PDMS and some metals, the possibility of using a thin film of Parylene C on top of PDMS was studied. The metals explored were aluminium, copper, and titanium with gold, where the latter presented better adhesion and electrical properties. The developed micro-structured films were assembled and tested as piezoresistive or capacitive pressure sensors achieving sensitivities up to -1.1 102 kPa1 and 3.1 102 kPa1 respectively

Adsorption Sites of Individual Metal Atoms on Ultrathin MgO(100) Films

We use Ca doping during growth of one and two monolayer thick MgO films on Ag(100) to identify the adsorption sites of individual adatoms with scanning tunneling microscopy. For this we combine atomic resolution images of the bare MgO layer with images of the adsorbates and the substitutional Ca atoms taken at larger tip-sample distance. For Ho atoms, the adsorption sites depend on MgO thickness. On the monolayer, they are distributed on the O and bridge sites according to the abundance of those sites, 1/3 and 2/3 respectively. On the MgO bilayer, Ho atoms populate almost exclusively the O site. A third species adsorbed on Mg is predicted by density functional theory and can be created by atomic manipulation. Au atoms adsorb on the bridge sites for both MgO thicknesses, while Co and Fe atoms prefer the O sites, again for both thickness.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, part of the work presented at the DPG Spring meeting in Dresden, 201

Characterization of Combustion Chemiluminescence: An Image Processing Approach

AbstractThe applicability of image data processing to estimate the spatial distribution of Air/Fuel ratio at the flame front on gas combustion systems are presented and discussed. The objective is to devise a procedure capable of converting a single RGB image data, obtained by conventional CCD cameras, into a reliable sensing on local combustion state for practical application on atmospheric flames of premixed methane and propane gases. In this context, this paper proposes a fast and innovative image processing methodology. An image processing algorithm based on the camera sensor transfer function, a lookup calibration table, and sparse matrices operations is proposed. The optimized version of our image processing algorithm is able to process high resolution images at rates as high as 0.6 Mpixel/s on a standard personal computer (3.5GHz clock frequency). As a result, color RGB images are converted into quasi real-time detectors of local combustion state for practical flames of CH4 and C3H8 gases. It has been experimentally observed that camera blue and green channels mimic the flame CH* and C* chemiluminescence emissions, revealing a wide applicability on φ detection (Air/Fuel ratio), roughly ranging between 0.8 and 1.4

O papel do SEPNA na gestão e encaminhamento de resíduos

A índole consumista da sociedade moderna, proporcionada pelo desenvolvimento, traduz-se numa utilização exacerbada de recursos naturais e consequentemente, numa produção excessiva de resíduos. A gestão deste material tem um papel fundamental no desempenho ambiental nacional e internacional e constitui uma atividade basilar para o desenvolvimento sustentável. Esta investigação tem como objetivo geral avaliar o contributo da atuação do SEPNA para a correta gestão e encaminhamento de resíduos. Para a sua consecução, foi formulada a questão de partida “qual o contributo da atuação do SEPNA na gestão e encaminhamento de resíduos para a melhoria do ambiente?”, bem como algumas questões derivadas desta, com as respetivas hipóteses e utilizado o método hipotético-dedutivo para a sua confirmação/refutação. A metodologia empregue comportou três fases, a fase concetual, a fase metodológica e a fase empírica. Estruturalmente, este trabalho divide-se em quatro partes, a parte introdutória, a parte teórica, a parte prática e a parte conclusiva. Na parte teórica operacionalizaram-se conceitos importantes para a leitura e compreensão desta investigação e na parte prática procedeu-se à apresentação, análise e discussão dos dados recolhidos através dos instrumentos: inquérito por questionário, a uma população composta por 584 militares do SEPNA; entrevistas, a engenheiros e técnicos do setor dos resíduos e militares com funções específicas no SEPNA; observação ocasional, através do acompanhamento dos militares no terreno; e análise estatística, de autos de fornecidos pela Direção SEPNA. A análise dos resultados permitiu verificar que a atuação do SEPNA funciona como um agente de mudança na sociedade em geral e no meio específico dos produtores e operadores de gestão de resíduos. Concluiu-se com este trabalho, que a criação do SEPNA reforçou a capacidade de fiscalização do Estado colmatando lacunas existentes e contribuiu para a correta gestão e encaminhamento de resíduos, devido ao seu policiamento de proximidade ambiental, à sua especificidade de atuação, à sua abrangência territorial, prontidão operacional contínua e ação preventiva e pedagógica. Desta forma, são preservados recursos e reduzido o impacto na saúde pública e ambiente, garantindo a sustentabilidade ambiental.Abstract The consumerist nature of modern society, deriving from development, results both in an exaggerated use of natural resources and in an excessive production of waste. The management of this waste has a key role in the environmental national and international performance, and also constitutes a central activity for sustainable development. This field research aims at evaluating the contribution of the performance of SEPNA for proper waste management and routing. Therefore, the initial question of this study is "what is the contribution of the performance of SEPNA in terms of management and referral of waste to improve the environment?”. Other questions and hypotheses arose, leading to the use of the hypothetical-deductive method for its confirmation / refutation. Methodologically, the study had three phases: the conceptual, methodological and empirical phases. In terms of structure, this field research is divided into four parts: the introduction, the theoretical part, the practical part and the conclusion. In the theoretical part important concepts are prepared for the understanding and reading of this field research. The practical part consists of the presentation, analysis and discussion of the data collected by means of: questionnaire surveys, a population composed of 584 military SEPNA; interviews, engineers and technicians from the waste sector and military specific functions in SEPNA; casual observation, rough monitoring of military on the ground; and statistical analysis, of records provided by the Direction of SEPNA. The analysis has shown that the performance of SEPNA works as an agent of transformation in society in general and also within the particular field of waste management producers and operators. The conclusion was that the creation of SEPNA strengthened the capacity of the State to supervise and control. The creation of SEPNA also contributed to the correct waste management and routing, by bridging existing gaps due to its proximity policing environment, its specificity in terms of action, its territorial scope, continuous operational readiness and preventive and pedagogical action. This way, resources are preserved and the impact on public health and the environment is reduced, therefore ensuring environmental sustainability

Adsorption Sites of Metal Atoms on MgO Thin Films and Rotational Quantum State Spectroscopy of Physisorbed H₂

The work presented in this thesis covers two different topics of surface science, both investigated with the scanning tunneling miscroscopy and spectroscopy at low temperatures (5~K). First, we are interested in the spectroscopic properties of physisorbed H2 (and D2) layers on metallic samples. The energy of the first rotational quantum state transition for H2 (D2) is characterized on a variety of metallic substrates. For homonuclear molecules, these rotational quantum states are directly dependent on the nuclear spin arrangement. Thus the rotational spectroscopy of molecular H2 (D2) allows for unprecedented spatial resolution of nuclear spin configurations. To isolate one physisorbed molecule from the surface, we grow Xe islands before exposing the sample to H2 (D2). Reducing the Xe islands size to support only one molecule would allow us to probe the rotational quantum state at the individual molecule level. We show that rotational spectroscopy of H2 (D2) on Xe islands is feasible. We find that this method is not viable to isolate a H2 (D2) molecule as small Xe islands become unstable in presence of them. The second topic deals with the adsorption of metallic atoms on thin MgO(100) films grown on a Ag(100) substrate. We use Ca-doping of the MgO layer to identify the Mg lattice positions. Subsequent adsorption of Ho allows the determination of their adsorption site, on top of the O and on the bridge site, halfway between two O (Mg) lattice positions. The abundance of the population over these sites differs with the MgO thickness. On the MgO monolayer, the Ho adatoms are distributed following the abundance of these sites, i.e., 1/3 and 2/3, respectively. On the MgO bilayer, exclusively the O site is populated. Atomic manipulation of the Ho adatoms with the STM tip permits the creation of a new species, adsorbing on the Mg site, which was correctly predicted by DFT. Adsorption sites for other metal atoms have further been measured. Dy and Er adsorb on the bridge and O site, with abundances depending upon the atomic species and the MgO thickness. Au adsorbs exclusively on bridge sites. Fe and Co populate uniquely the O site, independent of MgO thickness, while Tb adsorbs on all the three sites, i.e., O, bridge, and Mg. We finally investigated the Ho adsorption sites as a function of deposition and annealing temperature. Ho atoms on the O site become unstable at a temperature between 58 K and 77 K, while Ho atoms on the bridge site start to diffuse only at 125 K. This results in a hopping to the bridge site of all the Ho adatoms adsorbing on O between 58 K and 77 K. Additionally, we show that evaporation of Ho on the MgO bilayer held at 30 K gives rise to adsorption on almost uniquely bridge sites, in neat contrast to what is found for lower temperature (approximatively 10 K). We interpret this result as the action of entropy which changes the free energy of the two types of adsorption site as the temperature increases. Ideas for the source of entropy are given, but the amount of entropy needed to explain our observations is unrealistically large

Licurgo, Oração contra Leócrates

O texto Oração contra Leócrates, da autoria do ateniense Licurgo, remete para um processo judicial ocorrido em 330 a. C., movido a Leócrates, um outro cidadão de Atenas, por traição à polis após a derrota na Batalha de Queroneia, em 338 a. C. Nesta edição, da responsabilidade do Professor Doutor José António Segurado e Campos, optou-se pela tradução do original grego, pela incorporação de textos históricos e historiográficos sobre Licurgo ou as matérias do processo e por esclarecimentos prest..

Dual-pool, three-phase kinetic model of anaerobic digestion in batch mode

Research ArticleThe ability of anaerobic digestion to create value from waste gives it an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in the transition to a circular economy. For a better understanding of the digestion process and in order to reduce the number of time-consuming batch tests, an analytical model was developed to describe the kinetics of biogas production. Assuming that the organic fraction of the substrate has different degradation rates, the whole process was modelled as two groups of 1storder reactions. The model was tested with published data and showed an excellent performance in reproducing the experimental information. Moreover, its kinetic constants provided a useful insight into the internal processes of anaerobic digestion and the substrate characteristics. Given its accuracy in fitting the data, the model can be used as an auxiliary tool to determine the biogas potential, presenting itself as the most complete empirical model currently availableinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Radiopharmaceuticals for myocardial perfusion imaging: SPECT & PET

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is used on a daily basis to access coronary blood flow in patients that are suspected or have known Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). A Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) or and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan are used to access regional blood flow quantification either at rest or stress, the imaging acquisition is connected to an Electrocardiogram (ECG) and it is able to determine and quantify other myocardial parameters like myocardial wall thickness and wall motion. PET is not used so broadly due to its high procedure cost, the proximity with cyclotron, where are produced the majority of radiopharmaceuticals used in PET, due to their shor thalf-life. This work is intended to carry out a review of the tests relating to radiopharmaceuticals that are used in clinical practice in SPECT or PET for assessment of myocardial perfusion, also focusing very promising radiopharmaceuticals that are under investigation or in clinical trials with great potential for conventional nuclear medicine or PET, proceeding to a comparative analysis of both techniques and respective radiopharmaceuticals used

Comunidades helenógrafas en la Lusitania visigoda (s. vi)

La afluencia de grupos de orientales a Hispania se prolongó incluso tras la caída del Imperio Romano de Occidente. En las localidades modernas de Mérida, Mértola y Plasenzuela se encontró material epigráfico —mayoritariamente epitafios— inscrito en griego por inmigrantes que se establecieron en la provincia de Lusitania. El presente ensayo propone un origen en la zona egeoanatolia para al menos parte de estos grupos de inmigrantes y discute las motivaciones de su venida, sumando evidencias históricas y arqueológicas a los datos epigráficos y lingüísticos, estos dos últimos los principales testigos de su permanencia en territorio lusitano

RELATÓRIO DE ESTÁGIO - Desenvolvimento de Competências Especializadas em Enfermagem na Área da Pessoa em Situação Crítica

O desenvolvimento da especialidade em Enfermagem Médica Cirúrgica na Área da Pessoa em Situação Critica compreende a aquisição de competências comuns e específicas inerentes à mesma. Os estágios realizados visam contribuir para a formação do enfermeiro especialista, fomentando a prática baseada na evidência na prestação de cuidados de enfermagem, quer pelo próprio quer pelos pares. Neste sentido foi desenvolvido uma investigação-ação no contexto de local de trabalho, na temática da pronação em doentes despertos com dificuldade respiratória. Os objetivos deste trabalho visam evidenciar as competências comuns e específicas adquiridas em Enfermagem Médico-Cirúrgica na Área da Pessoa em Situação Crítica e capacitar os enfermeiros, de um serviço de um hospital da região centro, para a tomada de decisão de pronar doentes com dificuldade respiratória. O trabalho desenvolvido tem cariz quantitativo, correlacional e prospetivo. A partir de uma revisão integrativa da literatura elaborou-se um questionário para avaliação do conhecimento dos enfermeiros sobre a técnica de pronar e um fluxograma sobre tomada de decisão. Após aplicação do fluxograma, como intervenção da técnica de pronar, constituíram-se dois grupos focais, um com enfermeiros especialistas e outro com enfermeiros generalistas. Na fase anterior à aplicação do fluxograma não se observaram a adoção de técnica de pronação. Após formação de pares observaram-se 14 casos com critérios de pronação, dos quais seis foram alvo deste posicionamento. A tomada de decisão foi efetuada por enfermeiros que frequentaram a formação (valor p <0,05), detentores de especialidade (valor p < 0,05). Conclusão: A formação de pares contribuiu para a tomada de decisão no ato de pronar doentes com dificuldade respiratória, sobretudo em enfermeiros especialistas. Abordagens complementares à formação poderão contribuir para uma maior capacitação dos enfermeiros, tais como a construção e divulgação de protocolo de tomada de decisão por meios eletrónicos e presencialmente junto dos profissionais