Family relations, parents’ educational practices, and Angolan adolescents’ values

The purpose of this study was three-fold. First, to analyze psychometric properties of the instruments used to evaluate the perceived Family relations, Familiar socialization and Angolan adolescents’ Values. Second, to predict the adolescents’ Values based on Family relations and Family socialization.Third, to analyze adolescents’ Values sex differences. For this aim, 917 adolescents (384 males, 533 females) ages 14 to 17 years (M = 15.68; SD = 1.06)completed Portuguese translations of the Family relations, Family socialization and Value questionnaires. When psychometric properties of the instruments were assessed, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) controlling for sex was carried out, with Family relations and Family socialization as independent variables, and adolescents’ Values as dependent variables. Results showed acceptable psychometric properties of the Portuguese versions of the instruments. Related to the SEM, Familiar functioning predicted Achievement, Universalism, Securityand Conformity; Parents’ Support predicted Benevolence and Conformity; Family difficulties were negatively related with Achievement and Conformity; and Punishment/coercion were negatively related with Achievement, Benevolence and Conformity. The sex variable only differentiated two adolescents’ values. Boys assigned priority to Universalism and girls assigned priority to Conformity. These findings are discussed with regard to the implications to adolescents’ socialization

Fundamentals and applications of Raman-based techniques for the design and development of active biomedical materials

Raman spectroscopy is an analytical method based on light–matter interactions that can interrogate the vibrational modes of matter and provide representative molecular fingerprints. Mediated by its label-free, non-invasive nature, and high molecular specificity, Raman-based techniques have become ubiquitous tools for in situ characterization of materials. This review comprehensively describes the theoretical and practical background of Raman spectroscopy and its advanced variants. The numerous facets of material characterization that Raman scattering can reveal, including biomolecular identification, solid-to-solid phase transitions, and spatial mapping of biomolecular species in bioactive materials, are highlighted. The review illustrates the potential of these techniques in the context of active biomedical material design and development by highlighting representative studies from the literature. These studies cover the use of Raman spectroscopy for the characterization of both natural and synthetic biomaterials, including engineered tissue constructs, biopolymer systems, ceramics, and nanoparticle formulations, among others. To increase the accessibility and adoption of these techniques, the present review also provides the reader with practical recommendations on the integration of Raman techniques into the experimental laboratory toolbox. Finally, perspectives on how recent developments in plasmon- and coherently-enhanced Raman spectroscopy can propel Raman from underutilized to critical for biomaterial development are provided

Structural investigation of MOVPE-Grown GaAs on Ge by X-ray techniques

The selection of appropriate characterisation methodologies is vital for analysing and comprehending the sources of defects and their influence on the properties of heteroepitaxially grown III-V layers. In this work we investigate the structural properties of GaAs layers grown by Metal-Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) on Ge substrates – (100) with 6⁰ offset towards – under various growth conditions. Synchrotron X-ray topography (SXRT) is employed to investigate the nature of extended linear defects formed in GaAs epilayers. Other X-ray techniques, such as reciprocal space mapping (RSM) and triple axis ω-scans of (00l)-reflections (l = 2, 4, 6) are used to quantify the degree of relaxation and presence of antiphase domains (APDs) in the GaAs crystals. The surface roughness is found to be closely related to the size of APDs formed at the GaAs/Ge heterointerface, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

Structural investigation of MOVPE-Grown GaAs on Ge by X-ray techniques

The selection of appropriate characterisation methodologies is vital for analysing and comprehending the sources of defects and their influence on the properties of heteroepitaxially grown III-V layers. In this work we investigate the structural properties of GaAs layers grown by Metal-Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) on Ge substrates – (100) with 6⁰ offset towards – under various growth conditions. Synchrotron X-ray topography (SXRT) is employed to investigate the nature of extended linear defects formed in GaAs epilayers. Other X-ray techniques, such as reciprocal space mapping (RSM) and triple axis ω-scans of (00l)-reflections (l = 2, 4, 6) are used to quantify the degree of relaxation and presence of antiphase domains (APDs) in the GaAs crystals. The surface roughness is found to be closely related to the size of APDs formed at the GaAs/Ge heterointerface, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

Socio-Demographic Variables and Successful Aging of the Angolan Elderly

The proportion of elderly people is growing faster than any other age group. Amongst them, the group of oldest old is indeed the segment of the elderly population with the fastest growth rate. The increase in the proportion of elderly in the Angolan population makes research on this area badly needed. Within the theoretical framework of successful aging, the study aims to test for sociodemographic group differences in perceived health, life satisfaction, and social relations in Angolan elderly. The dependent variables are three of the components of what has been called successful aging. Data came from a cross-sectional survey of elderly people living in Luanda. 1003 Angolan elderly were surveyed on sociodemographic information, perceived health, life satisfaction, and social support. MANOVAs were calculated to test for mean differences in the dependent variables. Results permit to conclude that the factors associated with the largest differences on the Angolan elderly’s quality of life and social relations were age (becoming oldest old) and institutionalization. The interactions of several factors with age pointed out that the oldest old were clearly a group in which the decreased quality of life due to becoming oldest old could not be compensated by other factors, as it was the case in the group of young old

Multi-technique characterisation of MOVPE-grown GaAs on Si

The heterogeneous integration of III-V materials on a Si CMOS platform offers tremendous prospects for future high speed and low power logic applications. That said this integration generates immense scientific and technological challenges. In this work multi-technique characterisation is used to investigate properties of GaAs layers grown by Metal-Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) on Si substrates - (100) with 4⁰ offset towards - under various growth conditions. This being a crucial first step towards the production of III-V template layers with a relatively lower density of defects for selective epitaxial overgrowth of device quality material. The optical and structural properties of heteroepitaxial GaAs are first investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence and reflectance measurements. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) is used to investigate structural properties. Advanced XRD techniques, including double-axis diffraction and X-ray crystallographic mapping are used to evaluate degrees of relaxation and distribution of the grain orientations in the epilayers, respectively. Results obtained from the different methodologies are compared in an attempt to understand growth kinetics of the materials system. The GaAs overlayer grown with annealing at 735⁰C following As predeposition at 500⁰C shows the best crystallinity. Close inspection confirms the growth of epitaxial GaAs preferentially oriented along (100) embedded in a highly-textured polycrystalline structure

Apuntes sobre la reforma laboral de 2012

Since during last decades labor reforms take place under the key “flexibilization”, we try to clarify what should be understood as “flexibility” and analyse the most recent milestone of the above mentioned process: the labor reform in 2012. This paper does not aimed at a mere exegetical study of the rules, but at indicating the most relevant aspects of the labor reform and, especially, at rising some questions regarding the contents, which are supposed not to be adequate to the constitutional frame.A partir de la constatación de que las reformas laborales en clave “flexibilizadora” se vienen sucediendo desde hace décadas y tras un clarificador análisis de lo que por “flexibilidad” deba entenderse, el estudio examina el más reciente hito de dicho proceso: la reforma laboral de 2012. Bien entendido que no se trata de un análisis meramente exegético de preceptos, sino de señalar los aspectos más relevantes de la reforma y, sobre todo, de plantear algunos interrogantes sobre parte de su contenido que suscita dudas sobre su adecuación al marco constitucional

Frequency-Dependent Squeezing for Advanced LIGO

The first detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015 launched the era of gravitational wave astronomy. The quest for gravitational wave signals from objects that are fainter or farther away impels technological advances to realize ever more sensitive detectors. Since 2019, one advanced technique, the injection of squeezed states of light is being used to improve the shot noise limit to the sensitivity of the Advanced LIGO detectors, at frequencies above $\sim 50$ Hz. Below this frequency, quantum back action, in the form of radiation pressure induced motion of the mirrors, degrades the sensitivity. To simultaneously reduce shot noise at high frequencies and quantum radiation pressure noise at low frequencies requires a quantum noise filter cavity with low optical losses to rotate the squeezed quadrature as a function of frequency. We report on the observation of frequency-dependent squeezed quadrature rotation with rotation frequency of 30Hz, using a 16m long filter cavity. A novel control scheme is developed for this frequency-dependent squeezed vacuum source, and the results presented here demonstrate that a low-loss filter cavity can achieve the squeezed quadrature rotation necessary for the next planned upgrade to Advanced LIGO, known as "A+."Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let