Flexible three-dimensional microelectrode array for neural applications

A neural electrode array design is proposed with 3 mm long sharpened pillars made from an aluminumbased substrate. The array is composed by 25 electrically insulated pillars in a 5 x 5 matrix, in which each aluminum pillar was precisely machined via dicing saw technique. The result is an aluminum structure with high-aspect-ratio pillars (19:1), each with a tip radius of 10 mu m. A thin-film of platinum was deposited via sputtering technique to perform the ionic signal transduction. Each pillar was encapsulated with an epoxy resin insulating the entire pillar excluding the tip. This process resulted in mechanically robust electrodes each capable of withstanding loads up to 200 mN before bending. The array implantation tests were conducted on agar gel at speeds of 50 mm/min, 120 mm/min and 180 mm/min which resulted in average implantation forces of 119 mN, 145 mN and 150 mN, respectively. Insertion and withdrawal tests were also performed in porcine cadaver brain showing a necessary force of 66 mN forsuccessful explantation. A three point flexural test demonstrated a displacement of 0.8 mm before array's breakage. The electrode's impedance was characterized showing a near resistive impedance of 385 Omega in the frequency range from 2 kHz to 125 kHz. The resultant array, as well as the fabrication technique, is an innovative alternative to silicon-based electrode solutions, avoiding some fabrication methods and limitations related to silicon and increasing the mechanical flexibility of the array.A.C. Peixoto is supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under grant SFRH/BD/89509/2012. This work was supported by FCT with the reference project FCOMP 01 0124-FEDER-010909 (FCT/PTDC/SAU-BEB/100392/2008). The authors wish to thank Professor Senentxu Lanceros-Mendez for kindly granting access to the Shimadzu dynamometer and also to Pedro Libânio Martins for the valuable suggestions and technical assistance during the implantation tests.A. C. Peixoto is supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under grant SFRH/BD/89509/2012. This work was supported by FCT with the reference project FCOMP 01 0124- FEDER-010909 (FCT/PTDC/SAU-BEB/100392/2008). The authors wish to thank Professor Senentxu Lanceros-Mendez for kindly granting access to the Shimadzu dynamometer and also to Pedro Libânio Martins for the valuable suggestions and technical assistance during the implantation tests

Dual-Cathode CsI Covered Microstrip Plate as VUV High Efficiency Photosensor

A Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter based on a dual-cathode Microstrip Plate covered with a CsI film is described. This new dual-cathode technique has the advantage of increasing the VUV sensitive area of the Microstrip Plate. A detailed description of the technique is presented together with a discussion of the performance. The results obtained for a xenon filled Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter show an improvement of the energy resolution for 5.9 keV X-rays from 12.7%, for a single cathode device, to 11.1% for the dual-cathode devic

Tecnologias e estratégias de comunicação online durante a pandemia covid-19: o caso das instituições de ensino superior em Portugal

The suspension of classroom classes from March 2020, determined by the Portuguese government in response to the CoViD-19 pandemic, imposed on educational institutions an unprecedented urgency of innovative pedagogical practices facilitated by technology. Among the many challenges, teachers had to adapt and reinvent their teaching strategies and methodologies. Having additional difficulties such as the lack of access to technologies that facilitate online classes and a concern about the possible decrease in the quality of learning due to the sudden switch to emergency remote learning (ERE). This communication proposal is an integral part of a broader study, still in progress, and from which we will present the results regarding the use of technologies for synchronous and asynchronous communication, in Portuguese higher education institutions, during the period of social confinement. The main objective of the investigation was to understand how higher education professors and students experienced the digital transition to the ERE, the pedagogical practices and the communication strategies adopted during this period. The investigation used mixed methods and, in order to respond to the proposed objectives and describe the pedagogical practices implemented and the communication strategies, specific instruments were built for data collection. A questionnaire was developed, aimed at students, and interviews aimed at both students and teachers, focusing on the technological, pedagogical and emotional dimensions, as well as on the evaluation of the experience. Data collection was carried out after the first confinement, at the end of the first semester of 2020, and took place in eight Portuguese higher education institutions (four Universities and four Polytechnic Institutes). In this communication, we will present a preliminary analysis of the results obtained and that are related to the pedagogical strategies adopted and the use of technology in synchronous and asynchronous online communication. We will also discuss the impacts of remote teaching on teaching work, evaluating whether they can bring positive and/or negative consequences to the pedagogical activity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relationship between functional fitness, medication costs and mood in elderly people

Objective: to verify if functional fitness (FF) is associated with the annual cost of medication consumption and mood states (MSt) in elderly people. Methods: a cross-sectional study with 229 elderly people aged 65 years or more at Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Coimbra, Portugal. Seniors with physical and psychological limitations were excluded, as well as those using medication that limits performance on the tests. The Senior Fitness Test was used to evaluate FF, and the Profile of Mood States - Short Form to evaluate the MSt. The statistical analysis was based on Mancova, with adjustment for age, for comparison between men and women, and adjustment for sex, for comparison between cardiorespiratory fitness quintiles. The association between the variables under study was made with partial correlation, controlling for the effects of age, sex and body mass index. Results: an inverse correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness and the annual cost of medication consumption was found (p < 0.01). FF is also inversely associated with MSt (p < 0.05). Comparisons between cardiorespiratory fitness quintiles showed higher medication consumption costs in seniors with lower aerobic endurance, as well as higher deterioration in MSt (p < 0.01). Conclusion: elderly people with better FF and, specifically, better cardiorespiratory fitness present lower medication consumption costs and a more positive MSt

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Unusual circulation patterns of the rias baixas induced by minho freshwater intrusion (NW of the Iberian Peninsula)

The Minho River, situated 30 km south of the Rias Baixas, is the most important freshwater source flowing into the Western Galician coast (NW of the Iberian Peninsula). The buoyancy generated by the Minho estuarine plume can reverse the normal circulation pattern inside the Rias Baixas affecting the exchange between the Rias and the ocean, changing the input of nutrients. Nevertheless, this inversion of the circulation patterns is not a well-monitored phenomenon. The only published results based on in situ data related to the presence of the Minho River plume inside the Rias de Vigo and Pontevedra correspond to an event measured on spring 1998. In this case unexpectedly higher inflow surface current velocities were found at the Ria de Pontevedra, located further away from Minho River. Thus, the main aim of this study is to research the main factors inducing this unusual pattern on the circulation of the Rias de Vigo and Pontevedra. A numerical model implementation of MOHID previously developed, calibrated, and validated for this coastal area was used. Several scenarios were performed in order to explain the individual effect of the Minho River, rivers discharging into each Rias, and estuarine morphology changes. According to the model results, the Minho River discharge is a key factor in the establishment of the negative circulation, while small rivers inside the Rias slightly attenuate this circulation. The negative circulation was stronger in Ria de Pontevedra independently of the distance of this coastal system from the Minho River mouth, showing that morphologic estuarine features are the main factor justifying the different local circulation patterns

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia