Is Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) a suitable substrate for ALD?: A review

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a thermoplastic synthetic polymer, which displays superior characteristics such as transparency, good tensile strength, and processability. Its performance can be improved by surface engineering via the use of functionalized thin film coatings, resulting in its versatility across a host of applications including, energy harvesting, dielectric layers and water purification. Modification of the PMMA surface can be achieved by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a vapor-phase, chemical deposition technique, which permits atomic-level control. However, PMMA presents a challenge for ALD due to its lack of active surface sites, necessary for gas precursor reaction, nucleation, and subsequent growth. The purpose of this review is to discuss the research related to the employment of PMMA as either a substrate, support, or masking layer over a range of ALD thin film growth techniques, namely, thermal, plasma-enhanced, and area-selective atomic layer deposition. It also highlights applications in the selected fields of flexible electronics, biomaterials, sensing, and photocatalysis, and underscores relevant characterization techniques. Further, it concludes with a prospective view of the role of ALD in PMMA processing.e Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal)/PIDDAC through the Strategic Funds project reference UIDB/04650/2020-2023. This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTE

Assertividade em contexto escolar : a importância de um instrumento de avaliação

1.º Congresso Internacional de Educação, Psicologia e Neurociências: Sinapses, Educar no Século XXI. Vila Franca do Campo: 30 de março e 1 de abril.Este trabalho tem por objetivo contribuir para o desenvolvimento da Escala de Atitudes Assertivas em Contexto Escolar (EAACE)

Das leis inclusivas às práticas sociais no âmbito de uma sociedade para todos

The present article attempts to present some factors that subsidize the construction of a society for all, in which less social inequality is observed and where people with disabilities can exercise their role as citizens, moving from a segregated life to an active, social, participative life. The Brazilian Law of Inclusion or Statute of Persons with Disabilities of 2016 gave legal and constitutional apparatus to such visions, making the struggle for inclusive social actions an ideological struggle, of attitudinal actions. Inclusion of all must overcome exclusion barriers. This struggle exists and persists so that people with disabilities, those suffering from racist, religious, sexual, linguistic, cultural or social prejudices may have the same opportunities for development and social practice as those who do not.El artículo busca presentar factores que ayudan la construcción de una sociedad para todos, en la que haya menos desigualdad social y que las personas con deficiencias puedan ejercer papel ciudadano. El estudio se estructuró en una investigación cualitativa documental, que proporcionó el apoyo científico para la profundización del estudio de la historia de personas con deficiencias físicas, su aceptación e inclusión social. La Ley Brasileña de Inclusión de 2016 dio aparato legal y constitucional a tales visiones, haciendo que la lucha por la inclusión persista para garantizar que las personas con deficiencias, que sufren diversos tipos de discriminación tengan las mismas oportunidades de elecciones y de práctica social de aquellos que no sufren tales situaciones.O presente artigo busca apresentar alguns fatores que subsidiam a construção de uma sociedade para todos, em que haja menos desigualdade social e que as pessoas com deficiências possam exercer seu papel de cidadão, passando de uma vida segregada a uma vida ativa, social, participativa. A Lei Brasileira de Inclusão ou Estatuto da Pessoa com Deficiência de 2016 deu aparato legal e constitucional a tais visões, fazendo com que a luta por ações sociais inclusivas sejam uma luta ideológica, de ações atitudinais. A inclusão de todos deve transpor as barreiras da exclusão. Essa luta existe e persiste para que as pessoas com deficiências, as que sofrem preconceitos de ordem racista, religiosa, sexual, linguística, cultural ou social possam ter as mesmas oportunidades de desenvolvimento e de prática social daqueles que não sofrem tais situações

A importância das feiras de arte: o caso da feira de arte e antiguidades da associação portuguesa dos antiquários

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o papel das feiras de arte dentro dos mercados da arte em termos globais e, mais especificamente, caracterizar este nicho de mercado em Portugal, analisando a Feira de Arte e Antiguidades de Lisboa organizada pela Associação Portuguesa dos Antiquários (APA). Este trabalho inicia-se com a contextualização global das feiras de arte, onde são apresentados os diferentes processos de legitimação e as principais motivações sociais e económicas que influenciam os vários participantes nestes eventos, bem como as tendências atuais das feiras de arte. Além disso, são identificadas as principais características das feiras de arte e, ainda, os eventos com mais impacto internacional e as estratégias adotadas pelos mesmos num período bastante competitivo como é o atual. O estudo prossegue com a contextualização e caracterização da evolução das feiras de arte em Portugal com a intenção de compreender a representatividade deste evento no mercado da arte nacional. De igual modo, são apresentadas as características distintivas da Feira de Arte e Antiguidades de Lisboa, realçando a sua importância nos contextos económico, cultural e artístico nacional, distinguindo a APA como uma associação profissional que legitima o comércio de obras de arte, principalmente das antiguidades, em Portugal. Por fim, apresenta-se um plano estratégico para a Feira de Arte e Antiguidades de Lisboa com os objetivos de otimizar e maximizar as relações entre a comissão organizadora da feira, os agentes do mercado e os visitantes, aproximando o evento aos padrões internacionaisThis dissertation aims to analyze the role of art fairs within the global art market, in particular, to characterize this market segment in Portugal, performing an analysis of the Lisbon Antiques Art Fair, organized by the Antiques Portuguese Association (APA). It begins with the global art fair context, in which we present the different legitimation processes and the main economic and social motivations that influence the participants on these events, as well as the current trends of this specific segment of the market. It is also identified the main goal of art fairs and the events that have a more international impact and their strategies in a period quite competitive as it is nowadays. The study continues with the context and description of the evolution in the portuguese art fairs with the intent to understand the representativeness of these events in the art market. At the same time, we present the distinctive features of the Lisbon Antiques Art Fair, highlighting its importance in economic, cultural and artistic contexts; and we distinguish the APA as a professional association that legitimates the art trade in Portugal, mainly in antiques. Finally, it is presented a strategic plan for the Lisbon Antiques Art Fair with the purpose to optimize and maximize the relationship between the organizing committee of the fair, the market players and visitors, bringing international standards to the event

Descobrir a geologia através do quartzo

Mestrado em Ensino de Geologia e BiologiaO presente trabalho envolveu a concepção e elaboração de um ante-projecto de uma exposição com o título: “Descobrir a Geologia através do Quartzo” para ser exibida no Departamento de Geociências da Universidade de Aveiro. Um dos principais objectivos da exposição é mostrar como é que os átomos se ligam entre si para formar minerais, a influência que a composição química e a estrutura exercem nas suas propriedades e os modos como os minerais se combinam para originar diferentes tipos de rochas, usando o quartzo como fio condutor. A informação fornecida permitirá ilustrar a importância que o conhecimento em Mineralogia desempenha na compreensão dos processos que operam na Terra e noutros planetas assim como a relevância dos sistemas geológicos na vida quotidiana. Deste modo, espera-se que a implementação do projecto contribua para: (a) estimular junto do público, em geral, e dos jovens estudantes, em particular, o interesse pela Geologia e Mineralogia; (b) despertar a curiosidade acerca do mundo natural e motivar para a aprendizagem científica e (c) criar um ambiente de educação não formal para o ensino / aprendizagem de conceitos básicos de Mineralogia e Geologia que complemente a abordagem formal de sala de aula. O desenvolvimento do projecto incluiu três fases principais. Na primeira fase definiu-se o tema da exposição, o tipo de público-alvo e o espaço em que a exposição iria ser montada. A segunda fase foi dedicada à pesquisa bibliográfica e à documentação sobre o tema em foco, tendo culminado com a apresentação de uma proposta preliminar com a estrutura geral e o itinerário da exposição. Na última fase, elaboraram-se os textos, prepararam-se os materiais ilustrativos (figuras, esquemas, fotografias), seleccionaram-se as amostras de minerais a expor e criou-se o guião final. Esta tese está estruturada em cinco capítulos. No primeiro capítulo, abordamse os principais objectivos do trabalho e a metodologia adoptada. Os Capítulos II, III e IV incluem uma revisão bibliográfica de alguns conceitos básicos de Mineralogia que serviram de suporte teórico à exposição. Finalmente, no Capítulo V apresenta-se o plano geral da exposição e a descrição pormenorizada dos diferentes módulos que a integram. ABSTRACT: The present work involved the conceptual development, planning and design of a science outreach project of an exhibition entitled “Discovering Geology through the study of Quartz”, to be displayed in the Department of Geosciences of the University of Aveiro. One of the major goals of this exhibition is to show how atoms are packed together to form minerals, how chemical composition and structure affects mineral properties, and how minerals are combined to make different rock types, using quartz as an example. The information provided demonstrates the importance of the knowledge in Mineralogy for understanding how the Earth and other planets operate and the relevance of geological and earth systems science to everyday life. As such, the implementation of this exhibition is expected to contribute: (a) to increase the interest of the public, in general, and young students, in particular, in the study of Geology and Mineralogy; (b) to enhance the curiosity for natural sciences and to motivate for scientific learning; (c) to create a non-formal educational setting for teaching basic concepts of Mineralogy and Geology, complementing the formal approach given inside the classroom. The project was developed in three main stages. The first stage included the definition of the main topic of the exhibition, the target audiences and the place where the exhibition will be displayed. The second stage was devoted to bibliographic research and to the study of the topic. It culminated with the presentation of a preliminary proposal including the general structure and the itinerary of the exhibition. The last stage involved the creation of easily readable texts, the preparation of illustrative materials (figures, schemes, photographs), the selection of mineral samples and the elaboration of the final guide of the exhibition. This thesis is structured in five chapters. The first chapter presents the main objectives of the work and the adopted methodology. Chapters II, III and IV provide a literature review of some basic concepts of Mineralogy. Finally, Chapter V includes the plan of the exhibition and a detailed description of the different modules

Industrial by-product valorisation as new biomaterials: adsorption as a solution for the environmental problems caused by pharmaceuticals

One of the most important environmental problems the modern world has to tackle with is water pollution derived from emerging pollutants (EPs). Pharmaceutical consumption has been increasing for decades, turning pharmaceuticals (PhACs) into the most frequently detected EPs. These compounds are persistent and resistant to degradation, so they can have harmful consequences on the environment and human health. Adsorption is a suitable alternative for the removal of PhACs from wastewater. The objective of this study is the production of biomaterials that can act as adsorbents. Based on circular economy principles, the raw material for the synthesis of the biomaterials was an industrial by-product (pine bark), which underwent surface modification through chemical and high-pressure modification processes. In the case of the chemical modifications, the experimental tested conditions included the particle size (1-1.4 mm), temperature (25 oC), time (24 h), agitation (180 rpm), solid:liquid ratio (1:30 - 1:100 g/mL), chemical reagent (acid: HNO3 1M, base: NaOH 2.5 M, oxidising agent: H2O2 1 M). High-pressure modifications were conducted in an autoclave with the following conditions: particle size (1-1.4 mm), temperature (121 oC), time (30 min), solid:liquid ratio (1:50 g/mL). The produced biosorbents were washed with distilled water until no colour and constant pH and then dried. Biomaterials were used to remove two PhACs, fluoxetine (FLX) and carbamazepine (CBZ), in a binary system. Adsorption tests were performed using solid:liquid ratio (10 g/L), FLX 5 mg/L, CBZ 5 mg/L, natural pH (5.5), constant agitation (160 rpm) and temperature (25 oC). The best adsorption results for both PhACs were obtained with the biosorbent produced by chemical modification using NaOH. In the case of CBZ, this biosorbent reached removal levels of 30.09% in 48 h. FLX adsorption was much faster, thus after 2.5 min around 78.71% of removal was obtained with a maximum at 30 min (97.10%). The obtained results show that chemical modification using NaOH allows, in a simple way, the transformation of wastes into biomaterials with high adsorptive capacities.This research has been financially supported Project PID2020-113667GB-I00 funded by MCIN / AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and PDC2021-121394-I00 funded by MCIN / AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union Next Generation EU / PRTR. Authors are grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities by founding the researcher Valeria Acevedo-García (FPI program PRE2018-086993). Also, the authors want to thank that this study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Immune Response Regulation by Leishmania Secreted and Nonsecreted Antigens

Leishmania infection consists in two sequential events, the host cell colonization followed by the proliferation/dissemination of the parasite. In this review, we discuss the importance of two distinct sets of molecules, the secreted and/or surface and the nonsecreted antigens. The importance of the immune response against secreted and surface antigens is noted in the establishment of the infection and we dissect the contribution of the nonsecreted antigens in the immunopathology associated with leishmaniasis, showing the importance of these panantigens during the course of the infection. As a further example of proteins belonging to these two different groups, we include several laboratorial observations on Leishmania Sir2 and LicTXNPx as excreted/secreted proteins and LmS3arp and LimTXNPx as nonsecreted/panantigens. The role of these two groups of antigens in the immune response observed during the infection is discussed

Antibiotic-resistant E.Coli in an UV-treated effluent: Troubled waters ahead?

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio