The effect of carbon nanotubes on viscoelastic behaviour of biomedical grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

Nanocomposites of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (UHMWPE/MWCNT) have been prepared with different volume fractions of MWCNTs: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0%. DMTA experiments were carried out using a TA Instruments Q800 equipment and the samples were cut from the compressed sheets of polymer and composites. The experiments were conducted on each sample at 12 different frequencies varying from 0.1 Hz to 100 Hz over the temperature range of 22-82 degrees C at an interval of 5 degrees C where the reference temperature was kept at 37 degrees C. It was verified that both horizontal and vertical shifts are necessary to superimpose the dynamic modulus/frequency curves of all cases. The MWCNT did not seem to change the viscoelastic nature of the UHMWPE, i.e. incorporation of up to I wt.% of MWCNTs has negligible influence on the viscoelastic behaviour of the UHMWPE. Hence the same analytical model is applicable for the viscoelastic description of the nanocomposites

Feeding soy or fish meal to Alaskan reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) – effects on animal performance and meat quality

Fourteen reindeer (8 steers and 6 females) were used to compare the effects of two different reindeer diets (a feed mix based on barley, brome hay and soybean meal (SBM) or fishmeal (WFM) as protein source) on animal growth performance, feed conversion efficiency and ultimate meat quality. Samples from free-ranging reindeer (n=4; 2 steers and 2 females) on the Seward Peninsula were included to provide comparisons with the traditional reindeer meat produced in Alaska. No significant difference was observed in overall weight gain between the WFM and SBM animals or between females and steers; however, the feed conversion efficiency was significantly higher for the reindeer fed the WFM mix. Carcass dressing percentage from the SBM group was higher compared with the WFM animals. No differences were found in live weight, carcass characteristics, meat pH, temperature decline, shear force, meat color or cooking loss when comparing the treatment groups. The meat samples (M. longissimus) from the free-range group had the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids and also the highest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Meat from the animals fed SBM was significantly higher in triglyceride content and lower in phospholipid content compared with the two other groups. No significant differences were found when the trained panel compared the sensory attributes of the meat. Off-flavor attributes related to “wild’ or “gamey” flavor was reported by consumers for samples from the WFM and free-range reindeer (15 and 24 per cent of the consumers, respectively). No “fish-related” flavor was reported. In conclusion, no negative effects in either animal performance or meat quality characteristics by using fish meal as opposed to soybean meal as a protein supplement in a milled reindeer diet were found.Abstract in Swedish / Sammandrag:Utfordring av ren med soja- eller fiskmjøl – effekter på tillväxt, foderutnyttjande och köttkvalitet I vår undersökning ingick 14 renar (8 kastrerade sarvar (härkar)och 6 vajor) för att jämföra effekter av två olika renfoder (baserade på korn, hö och soja- (SBM) eller fiskmjöl (WFM) som proteintillskott) med avseende på tillväxt, foderutnyttjande och köttkvalitet. Köttprover från naturbetande renar (n=4; 2 härkar och 2 vajor) från Seward Peninsula inkluderades i studien för att representera kvaliteten på traditionellt producerat renkött från Alaska. Inga signifikanta skillnader i tillväxt observerades, varken mellan SBM- och WFM-grupperna eller mellan härkar och vajor. Foderutnyttjandet var dock signifikant bättre hos WFM-renarna. Slaktutbytet var högst för renarna i SBM-gruppen, däremot rapporterades inga skillnader i levandevikt, slaktkroppsegenskaper, pH-värde och temperatur i ytterfilén, skärmotstånd, färg eller vattenhållande förmåga i köttet när de tre grupperna av renar jämfördes (SBM, WFM och naturbetande djur). Köttet från de naturbetande renarna hade det signifikant högsta innehållet av både omega-3-fettsyror och av fleromättade fettsyror. Kött från SBM-renarna hade det högsta innehållet av triglycerider och det lägsta innehållet av fosfolipider jämfört med de andra två grupperna. Den tränade smakpanelen kunde inte hitta några skillnader i sensoriska egenskaper hos köttet från renarna i de tre olika grupperna. I en konsumentundersökning rapporterades kommentarer om olika ”vilt-relaterade” bismaker i kött från naturbetande renar (24% av konsumenterna) och från WFM-gruppen (15% av konsumenterna), men inga ”fisk-liknande” bismaker i köttet kunde påvisas. Att byta ut sojamjöl mot fiskmjöl som proteintillskott i renfoder hade inga negativa effekter på renarnas tillväxt, foderutnyttjande eller på renköttets kvalitet

A review of solar thermochemical CO2 splitting using ceria-based ceramics with designed morphologies and microstructures

ABSTRACT: This review explores the advances in the synthesis of ceria materials with specific morphologies or porous macro- and microstructures for the solar-driven production of carbon monoxide (CO) from carbon dioxide (CO2). As the demand for renewable energy and fuels continues to grow, there is a great deal of interest in solar thermochemical fuel production (STFP), with the use of concentrated solar light to power the splitting of carbon dioxide. This can be achieved in a two-step cycle, involving the reduction of CeO2 at high temperatures, followed by oxidation at lower temperatures with CO2, splitting it to produce CO, driven by concentrated solar radiation obtained with concentrating solar technologies (CST) to provide the high reaction temperatures of typically up to 1,500 degrees C. Since cerium oxide was first explored as a solar-driven redox material in 2006, and to specifically split CO2 in 2010, there has been an increasing interest in this material. The solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency is influenced by the material composition itself, but also by the material morphology that mostly determines the available surface area for solid/gas reactions (the material oxidation mechanism is mainly governed by surface reaction). The diffusion length and specific surface area affect, respectively, the reduction and oxidation steps. They both depend on the reactive material morphology that also substantially affects the reaction kinetics and heat and mass transport in the material. Accordingly, the main relevant options for materials shaping are summarized. We explore the effects of microstructure and porosity, and the exploitation of designed structures such as fibers, 3-DOM (three-dimensionally ordered macroporous) materials, reticulated and replicated foams, and the new area of biomimetic/biomorphous porous ceria redox materials produced from natural and sustainable templates such as wood or cork, also known as ecoceramics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

3DOM ceria ecoceramics from sustainable cork templates for solar thermochemical CO2 splitting

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Description of hospital pharmacy management practice

Health institutions, particularly hospitals, are characterized as complex structures that need managers with a global view of the institution and its relations with the external environment. The hospital pharmacy is a strategic unit, which cooperates with the institutional management and integrates the multiprofessional team in the process related to the acquisition, provision and control of essential inputs for the inpatient care process. The objective in this study is to demonstrate the applicability, in the context of hospital-based health, of a performance measuring system at the pharmacy. Method: A descriptive and longitudinal study was undertaken on the evolution of the key indicator Absence Rate of Standardized Drugs in inpatient care between March 2004 and December 2013. This indicator was employed to monitor the impact of changes the Pharmacy Division has been implementing, as the first step of the pharmaceutical care cycle in the model of the process-based managed approach at a public university hospital. Qualitative data collection methods were used, including observation and documentary analysis, as well as quantitative data collection. Results: After the application of the model, one point of change in the key performance indicator was detected in the tenth month, when the process-based management model was implemented at the pharmacy. Conclusions: The process-based management approach was effective for the hospital pharmacy. The premise adopted is that the administrative changes (interferences), focused on the improvement of the processes and the selection and monitoring of indicators, influence the processes, reducing the variability and improving the qualityAs instituições de saúde, especialmente hospitais, são caracterizadas como estruturas complexas que precisam de administradores com uma visão global da instituição e de suas relações com o ambiente externo. A farmácia hospitalar é uma unidade estratégica, que colabora com a administração institucional e integra a equipe multiprofissional no processo que tange a aquisição, provisão e controle de insumos essenciais para o processo do atendimento do paciente internado. Este estudo tem como objetivo demonstrar a aplicabilidade, no contexto da saúde hospitalar, de um sistema de medição de desempenho da farmácia. Método: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, longitudinal, sobre a evolução do indicador chave Taxa de Falta de Medicamentos Padronizados na assistência do paciente internado, no período de março de 2004 a dezembro de 2013. Esse indicador foi empregado para monitoramento do impacto de mudanças que a Divisão de Farmácia vem implementando, como primeira etapa do ciclo de assistência farmacêutica dentro do modelo da abordagem de gestão por processos, em um hospital público universitário. Foram usados métodos de coleta de dados qualitativos, incluindo a observação e análise documental, bem como coleta de dados quantitativos. Resultados: Após a aplicação do modelo, um ponto de mudança no indicador chave de desempenho, foi detectado no 10º mês, quando o modelo de gestão baseado em processo foi implementado na farmácia. Conclusões: A abordagem de gestão baseada em processos foi eficaz para a farmácia hospitalar. A premissa adotada é que as mudanças administrativas (interferências), com foco na melhoria dos processos e seleção e acompanhamento de indicadores, têm influencia sobre os processos, reduzindo a variabilidade e melhoria da qualidad

Certificação sísmica das construções e perigosidade sísmica em Portugal

A análise dos efeitos dos sismos nas construções permite evidenciar, novamente, que as estruturas construídas de acordo com as modernas regulamentações para o dimensionamento sísmico de estruturas se comportam bem, sendo naquelas que não obedecem a estas regulamentações que se verificam os maiores danos e que originam um grande número de mortes. A necessidade de garantir que todas as novas estruturas, ou aquelas que vierem a ser reabilitadas ou reconstruídas, cumpram as prescrições previstas na regulamentação para as dotar de bom comportamento sísmico deve, assim, constituir uma preocupação essencial das sociedades que habitam zonas em que exista um significativo risco sísmico, como é caso de Portugal. Neste contexto, a Sociedade Portuguesa de Engenharia Sísmica (SPES) tem ao longo dos últimos anos vindo a desenvolver campanhas para sensibilizar os poderes políticos para a necessidade de certificar as construções existentes. Nesse sentido a SPES está a desenvolver metodologias para brevemente apresentar uma proposta para a certificação do comportamento sísmico das construções onde serão identificados os procedimentos que devem ser adotados para a certificação dos edifícios existentes. Acrescente-se, ainda, uma outra preocupação da SPES, relacionada com os diferentes mapas de perigosidade sísmica para Portugal continental que têm resultado de vários projetos nacionais e internacionais, e que traduzem níveis de perigosidade sísmica muito diferentes para algumas regiões do território português, particularmente para o sul de Portugal. A SPES, espelhando a inquietude existente na comunidade científica, considerou urgente e promoveu a realização de um estudo criterioso acerca das opções tomadas, nos diferentes estudos, de forma a tentar perceber os fatores que mais contribuíram para as diferenças evidenciadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perception and consumption habits regarding functional foods

Nos dias de hoje, os consumidores questionam cada vez mais a relação entre saúde, alimentação e bem-estar. A procura de alimentos com efeitos benéficos para a saúde é um dos grandes impulsos para o desenvolvimento de alimentos funcionais, que contêm ingredientes com esse efeito. Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de um inquérito que avaliou a perceção do consumidor e os seus hábitos de consumo relativamente a alimentos funcionais. Foram inquiridos 233 indivíduos, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 77 anos. Dos inquiridos, 87% afirmam saber que existem alimentos com efeitos mais significativos na saúde e bem- -estar, apesar de só 58% dizerem saber o que são alimentos funcionais. A maioria da população inquirida (97%) considera necessário melhorar o nível de informação relativa a este tipo de alimentos, apontando as campanhas de informação, criação de símbolos para a rápida identificação do produto/benefício, educação nas escolas e melhoria da informação dos rótulos das embalagens, como algumas das medidas necessárias.Currently, consumers are increasingly interested in the relationship between health, food and well-being. The demand for food with beneficial effects on health is one of the great impulses for the development of functional foods that contain ingredients with this effect. This work presents the results of a survey that aimed to assess the consumer's perception and consumption habits regarding functional foods. A total of 233 individuals, aged between 18 and 77 years, were surveyed. Of the respondents, 87% know that there are foods with more significant effects on health and well-being, although only 58% know what functional foods are. The majority of the surveyed population (97%) agrees that it is necessary to improve the level of information on this type of food, pointing out information campaigns, creation of symbols for fast identification of the product/benefit, education in schools and improvement of information on packaging labels, as some of the necessary measures.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo INSA, I.P., no âmbito do projeto MELON4FOOD (2018DAN1492) e pela FCT/MCTES através de fundos nacionais (UID/QUI/50006/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vivo performance of chitosan/soy-based membranes as wound dressing devices for acute skin wounds

Wound management represents a major clinical challenge on what concerns healing enhancement and pain control. The selection of an appropriate dressing plays an important role in both recovery and esthetic ap- pearance of the regenerated tissue. Despite the wide range of available dressings, the progress in the wound care market relies on the increasing interest in using natural-based biomedical products. Herein, a rat wound- dressing model of partial-thickness skin wounds was used to study newly developed chitosan/soy (cht/soy)- based membranes as wound-dressing materials. Healing and repair of nondressed, cht/soy membrane-dressed, and Epigard -dressed wounds were followed macroscopically and histologically for 1 and 2 weeks. cht/soy membranes performed better than the controls, promoting a faster wound repair. Re-epithelialization, ob- served 1 week after wounding, was followed by cornification of the outermost epidermal layer at the second week of dressing, indicating repair of the wounded tissue. The use of this rodent model, although in impaired healing conditions, may enclose some drawbacks regarding the inevitable wound contraction. Moreover, being the main purpose the evaluation of cht/soy-based membranes’ performance in the absence of growth factors, the choice of a clinically relevant positive control was limited to a polymeric mesh, without any growth factor influencing skin healing/repair, Epigard. These new cht/soy membranes possess the desired features regarding healing/repair stimulation, ease of handling, and final esthetic appearance-thus, valuable prop- erties for wound dressings.The author Tircia C. Santos acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/40861/2007). This work was developed under the scope of the European Network of Excellence EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-5000283)

Magnetoliposomes based on manganese ferrite nanoparticles for guided transport of antitumor drugs

Publicado em "RICI6 abstract book"In this work, manganese ferrite nanoparticles with size distribution of 46 ± 17 nm and superparamagnetic behavior were synthesized by coprecipitation method. These magnetic nanoparticles were either entrapped in liposomes, originating aqueous magnetoliposomes (AMLs), or covered with a lipid bilayer, forming solid magnetoliposomes (SMLs).MAP-Fis PhD Programme, FEDER, COMPETE/QREN/EU for financial support to CFUM (PEst-C/FIS/UI0607/2013) and FCT and POPH/QREN for PhD grant (SFRH/BD/90949/2012)

Maternal Deprivation Increases Anxiety- and Depressive-Like Behaviors in an Age-Dependent Fashion and Reduces Neuropeptide Y Expression in the Amygdala and Hippocampus of Male and Female Young Adult Rats

Maternal deprivation for 24 h produces an immediate increase in basal and stress-induced corticosterone (CORT) secretion. Given the impact of elevated CORT levels on brain development, the goal of the present study was to characterize the effects of maternal deprivation at postnatal days 3 (DEP3) or 11 (DEP11) on emotional behavior and neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) of male and female rats. Litters were distributed in control non-deprived (CTL), DEP3, or DEP11 groups. In Experiment 1, within each litter, one male and one female were submitted to one of the following tests: novelty suppressed feeding (NSF), sucrose negative contrast test (SNCT), and forced swimming test (FST), between postnatal days 52 and 60. In Experiment 2, two males and two females per litter were exposed to the elevated plus maze and 1 h later, perfused for investigation of NPY-ir, on PND 52. The results showed that DEP3 rats displayed greater anxiety-like behavior in the NSF and EPM, compared to CTL and DEP11 counterparts. In the SNCT, DEP3 and DEP11 males showed less suppression of the lower sucrose concentration intake, whereas all females suppressed less than males. Both manipulated groups displayed more immobility in the FST, although this effect was greater in DEP3 than in DEP11 rats. NPY-ir was reduced in DEP3 and DEP11 males and females in the BLA, whereas in the dHPC, DEP3 males showed less NPY-ir than DEP11, which, in turn, presented less NPY-ir than CTL rats. Females showed less NPY-ir than males in both structures. Because the deprivation effects were more intense in DEP3 than in DEP11, in Experiment 3, the frequency of nursing posture, licking-grooming, and interaction with pups was assessed upon litter reunion with mothers. Mothers of DEP11 litters engaged more in anogenital licking than mothers of DEP3 litters. The present results indicate that maternal deprivation changed affective behavior with greater impact in the earlier age and reduced the expression of NPY in emotion-related brain areas. The age-dependent differential effects of deprivation on maternal behavior could, at least in part, explain the outcomes in young adult rats