Evaluation of the gas emissions during the thermochemical conversion of eucalyptus woodchips

The combustion of solid biomass in industrial boilers involves a sequence of processes that include heating, drying, devolatilization, and char conversion. To maintain a repeatable and fully controlled environment, and to monitor all the dynamics involved in the phenomena at a real scale, field-scale experiments become necessary to perform investigations. In this way, to evaluate different thermochemical conversion conditions of biomass particles under an oxidative atmosphere, and to quantify the emission of the main gas compounds continuously, a small-scale reactor was developed and presented in this paper. Hence, in this work, larger particles of eucalyptus are burned at 400 and 800 °C under different stoichiometric conditions to understand the differences between different biomass conversion regimes (gasification and combustion). The analysis of the mass loss at the different temperatures was characterized by only two different and consecutive stages for both thermochemical conditions. The first region does not present the influence on the air flow rate; however, there is a significant difference in the second region. This fact highlighted the importance of the diffusion of oxygen during the char conversion. Regarding the quantification of the gas compounds, an increase of around 3 times in the CO and CO2 emissions when gasification occurs was observed at 400 °C. However, at 800 °C, the same trend was verified, also verifying a considerable amount of CH4.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) within the R&D Units Project Scope UIDB/00319/2020 (ALGORITMI), and R&D Units Project Scope UIDP/04077/2020 (MEtRICs

Micro/nanofluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices for biomedical applications

Micro/Nanofluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices have been increasingly used in biomedical research [1]. Because of their adaptability, feasibility, and cost-efficiency, these devices can revolutionize the future of preclinical technologies. Furthermore, they allow insights into the performance and toxic effects of responsive drug delivery nanocarriers to be obtained, which consequently allow the shortcomings of two/three-dimensional static cultures and animal testing to be overcome and help to reduce drug development costs and time [2–4]. With the constant advancements in biomedical technology, the development of enhanced microfluidic devices has accelerated, and numerous models have been reported. Given the multidisciplinary of this Special Issue (SI), papers on different subjects were published making a total of 14 contributions, 10 original research papers, and 4 review papers. The review paper of Ko et al. [1] provides a comprehensive overview of the significant advancements in engineered organ-on-a-chip research in a general way while in the review presented by Kanabekova and colleagues [2], a thorough analysis of microphysiological platforms used for modeling liver diseases can be found. To get a summary of the numerical models of microfluidic organ-on-a-chip devices developed in recent years, the review presented by Carvalho et al. [5] can be read. On the other hand, Maia et al. [6] report a systematic review of the diagnosis methods developed for COVID-19, providing an overview of the advancements made since the start of the pandemic. In the following, a brief summary of the research papers published in this SI will be presented, with organs-on-a-chip, microfluidic devices for detection, and device optimization having been identified as the main topics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Application of a cost-benefit model to evaluate the investment viability of the small-scale cogeneration systems in the Portuguese context

Increasingly, modern society is dependent on energy to thrive. Remarkable attention is being drawn to high energy-efficient conversion systems such as cogeneration. World energy sustainability depends on the rational use of energy, fulfilling the demands without compromising the future of energy supply. The market trends foresee the use of decentralized production and the increasing replacement of conventional systems by small-scale cogeneration units as solutions to meet the energy needs of the building sector. Analysing the influence of the variables that determine the economic viability of decentralized energy production systems has become more important given the scenario of energy dependence and high energy costs for the final consumer. A cost-benefit model was developed and presented to identify the potential of small commercial scale cogeneration systems in the Portuguese building sector, based on cost-benefit analysis methodology. Five case-scenarios were analysed based on commercial models, using different technologies such as internal combustion engines, gas turbines and Stirling engines. A positive value of CBA analysis was obtained for all the tested cases, however, the use of classic economic evaluation criteria such as the net present value, internal rate of return and payback period results led to different investment decisions. The model also highlights the influence of energy prices in the economic viability of these energy power plants. The inclusion of subsidized tariffs for efficient energy production is the most contributing aspect in the analysis of the economic viability of small-scale cogeneration systems in the Portuguese building sector. Only in that case, it would be possible for an investor to recover the capital costs of such technology, even if the technical and societal benefits are accounted for

Dashboard for the Management and Acceptance of Customer Orders

Background: This paper focuses on activities related to Customer Orders Management withing an auto components plant in the Automotive Industry. The main challenge was highlighted: customers don’t always regard the flexibility rules agreed with the company. Hence, planners must decide if variation in ordered quantity can be accepted in the forecast period or if adjusting is necessary. Objectives: The purpose was not only to streamline the decision-making process in the planning team but also to provide essential tools for the execution of their daily tasks – a visual and interactive dashboard to assess whether variations in customer orders were within the limits agreed with the company. Methods/Approach: Following Lean information management and business intelligence principles, a thorough process analysis was carried out, centralized and standardized reports were created that served as databases, and the dashboard was developed. Results: The proposed tool allowed reductions from 3,5h per week, spent mainly on collecting data, calculating variations, and selecting and adjusting the flexibility limits, to 0,2h a day per planner. Conclusions: Besides streamlining planners’ daily activities, main contributions regard the promotion of digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and an automated record of customer order variations that could easily be adapted to suppliers

A protocol proposal on calculation of the metabolic rate for surgeons in an operating room

Thermal comfort is a subject of great importance for the well-being and productivity of people in general, thus, a good work environment is something that should be sought whenever possible. Within this subject, the determination of the metabolic rate has great importance, although its calculation can be a laborious task. In this work, a protocol is presented to calculate the metabolic rate of a surgeon when performing his work in an operating room. The clothing, environmental conditions as well as the different tasks of the surgeon were collected through observation of three surgeries in a Portuguese hospital. These conditions were then recreated on a controlled environment of a climatic chamber and a set of tasks to reproduce the physical workload performed by the surgeon. In this controlled environment, the metabolic rate was measured using oxygen measurement and the results were compared with ISO 8996: 2004 standard values. The obtained results showed a good approach to this standard

Project-Based Learning and its Effects on Freshmen Social Skills in an Engineering Program

This chapter reports some effects of project-based learning (PBL) on development of social skills on Industrial Engineering freshmen (first-year) students. PBL is an active learning and student-centered methodology that promotes skills development such as the 4C—Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity. These skills should be an integral part of the expected engineering competences needed for professional proficiency, in order to comply with a changeable world and instable marketplaces, which require competences well beyond the technical ones. Through a survey to the first-year students and interviews to recently graduated professionals, some interesting results about the effects of PBL on social skills development were acquired. Some of these results relate to the recognition of acquiring competences during the project development and the usefulness and applicability of these in their daily professional activity. Among others, these encompass the capability to lead projects and produce effective work within multidisciplinary teams, to deal with conflicts, and to provide effective oral and written communication and capability to adapt to different work environments and assuming responsibilities, reflecting and assessing the own learning and the work of others, and to respect the attitudes and work of others

Recursos digitais no Jardim de Infância: a narrativa digital para promover multiliteracias

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Educação (área de especialização em Tecnologia Educativa)Perante a realidade social e as mudanças que se verificam atualmente, no campo dos novos paradigmas educativos, os Educadores não podem descurar a importância dos novos recursos educativos tecnológicos que existem e já fazem parte do contexto social e familiar. Devem, por isso, aceitar os novos desafios colocados por essas tecnologias. Na procura de respostas válidas e credíveis para o uso de recursos digitais no jardim-deinfância, implementámos o projeto de investigação “Narrativas Digitais”, onde procurámos demonstrar que os novos recursos educativos digitais são uma ferramenta tecnológica muito útil no desenvolvimento de multiliteracias em contexto de Jardim-de- Infância. Mudar práticas pedagógicas, no sentido de criar e dinamizar atividades que desenvolvam o gosto por aprender nas crianças em idade pré-escolar, foi o propósito deste estudo, implementado numa sala do Jardim-de-Infância, com crianças de 5 anos, no ano letivo 2013-2014. Procuramos com o estudo observar, através da criação de histórias utilizando meios digitais, como esses meios podem ajudar a construção do saber nas crianças e alunos de hoje. Para responder à questão principal da investigação “A utilização dos recursos digitais no Jardim-de-Infância, nomeadamente a criação de narrativas digitais, promove o desenvolvimento de multiliteracias, em crianças do Pré-Escolar?” desenvolvemos um estudo de caso. A recolha de dados foi feita através de observação participante, entrevistas, comentários das partilhas e publicações no blogue. Para a análise desses dados recorremos à análise de conteúdo. Foi possível concluir que houve mudanças significativas nas práticas pedagógicas, com reflexos no desenvolvimento dos contextos educacionais, numa articulação entre escola - família e outros parceiros sociais. Verificamos ainda que, neste contexto, os meios digitais desempenharam um papel importante na construção do conhecimento por parte das crianças, particularmente no que se refere a literacia múltiplas.Through social reality and the changes that are currently being verified in the field of new educational paradigms, educators cannot ignore the importance of new technological and educational resources that are already part of the family and social context. Therefore, they must accept new challenges posed by these technologies. In order to search for valid and reliable answers for using digital resources in a nursery, a research project called "Digital Narratives" was implemented, which seeks to demonstrate that new digital learning resources are a very useful technological tool in the development of multiliteracies within the context of a nursery. The purpose of this study was to change pedagogical practices in order to create and develop activities which encourage a love of learning for pre-school aged children. This was implemented in a nursery room of 5 year old children, in the 2013-2014 academic year. With this study and by creating stories using digital media, we try to observe how these can help the construction of knowledge in today’s children and students. To answer the main research question, "Does the use of digital resources in a nursery, namely the creation of digital storytelling, promote the development of multiliteracies for children in pre-school?” we developed a case study. Data was collected through participant observation, interviews, shared reviews and blog posts. To analyse this data we looked at analysing the content. It was possible to conclude that there were significant changes in pedagogical practices. This was reflected in the development of educational contexts, articulated between school - family and other social means. We have also noticed that, within this context, digital media played an important role in the construction of knowledge for children, in particular, regarding multiple literacy

i9MASKS Workshop: Extended Abstracts

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has spread quickly and has caused a great number of deaths worldwide. Due to the progressively increase of infected patients, countries have used preventive measures against this pandemic, such as the use of face masks. The masks have become indispensable to control both public and personal health, by reducing the transmission and spreading rate of the virus. Nevertheless, the traditional masks hide our facial expressions and emotions, and also communication obstacles. In this way, the project, i9MASKS (supported by the Grant-in-Aid “Verão com Ciência” approved by Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT)), aimed to develop transparent facial masks by using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and as a result to reduce not only the transmission and spreading rate of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 but also to minimize the social and environmental impact of the masks. Besides the transparency, the material (PDMS) used to make the masks, has unique and advantageous properties, such as biocompatibility, gas permeability, flexibility and supports autoclaving processes allowing its reuse. To develop these PDMS masks, students and researchers have worked together and acquired multidisciplinary and innovative knowledge at a wide variety of fields, such as computer-aided design, rapid prototyping and 3D printing, microfabrication and microfluidics techniques, numerical simulations, microelectronics and optics, and nanotechnology and nanoparticle synthesis. From this project, several outstanding research works have been performed including both experimental and numerical investigations, which were later presented at the i9MASKS workshop . This book represents a collection of scientific extended abstract that were presented at the i9Masks workshop in October 2020, at the School of Engineering of Minho University, in Guimarães, Portugal.Publishe

In vitro biomodels in stenotic arteries to perform blood analogues flow visualizations and measurements: a review

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death globally and the most common pathological process is atherosclerosis. Over the years, these cardiovascular complications have been extensively studied by applying in vivo, in vitro and numerical methods (in silico). In vivo studies represent more accurately the physiological conditions and provide the most realistic data. Nevertheless, these approaches are expensive, and it is complex to control several physiological variables. Hence, the continuous effort to find reliable alternative methods has been growing. In the last decades, numerical simulations have been widely used to assess the blood flow behavior in stenotic arteries and, consequently, providing insights into the cardiovascular disease condition, its progression and therapeutic optimization. However, it is necessary to ensure its accuracy and reliability by comparing the numerical simulations with clinical and experimental data. For this reason, with the progress of the in vitro flow measurement techniques and rapid prototyping, experimental investigation of hemodynamics has gained widespread attention. The present work reviews state-of-the-art in vitro macro-scale arterial stenotic biomodels for flow measurements, summarizing the different fabrication methods, blood analogues and highlighting advantages and limitations of the most used techniques.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020, UIDB/04077/2020, UIDB/00690/2020, UIDB/04436/2020 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030171, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-029394 funded by COMPETE2020, NORTE 2020, PORTUGAL 2020, Lisb@2020 and FEDER.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio