The right to be forgotten on the Internet for children and teenagers. A survey in Spain

The right to be forgotten is one of the hallmarks of privacy regulation on the Internet. The article explores the arguments advocating for a right to be forgotten specifically in cases regarding children, and examines whether minors see the need for such a right. In doing so, it addresses criticism that children’s rights studies often fail to consider the views of minors. The methodology adopted consists firstly of a literary review on children’s right to be forgotten. This work was complemented by a survey of 652 children and teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18, from all Spanish regions, which offered evidence of their views on the right to be forgotten.El derecho al olvido es uno de los aspectos distintivos de la regulación de la privacidad en Internet. El artículo revisa los argumentos que apoyan la existencia de un derecho al olvido específico de los menores de edad, y estudia si los menores perciben la necesidad de este derecho. De esta forma se responde a la crítica, habitual en este tipo de trabajos propositivos, de no haber atendido a la opinión de los sujetos implicados. La metodología seguida tiene dos elementos esenciales. En primer lugar, se procede a una revisión de la literatura que ha tratado el tema del derecho al olvido de los menores en Internet. Se completa la investigación con una encuesta dirigida a niños y adolescentes entre 13 y 18 años, de todas las Comunidades Autónomicas de España, que ofrece evidencias sobre sus percepciones acerca del derecho al olvido en su uso de las redes sociales

Nanoscale color control of TiO2 films with embedded Au nanoparticles

Article in pressWe demonstrate an efficient nanoscale control of the optical properties of TiO2 films by tuning the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) in the embedded Au nanoparticles. The films were grown by reactive magnetron sputtering. SPR tuning was achieved by different annealings, which affected the shape and size of the Au nanoparticles, and also the phase of the dielectric matrix. These changes promoted the variations on the optical properties. As shown by the modeling of the effective dielectric function of the TiO2/Au in the SPR region, the variation of their optical absorption spectra correlates with morphological changes.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/CTM/70037/2006

Functional and optical properties of Au :TiO2 nanocomposite films : the influence of thermal annealing

A set of nanocomposite thin films consisting of Au nanoclusters dispersed in a TiO2 dielectric matrix was deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering, and subjected to thermal annealing in vacuum, at temperatures ranging from 200 to 800 ◦C. The obtained results show that the structure and the size of Au clusters, together with the matrix crystallinity, changed as a result of the annealing, and were shown to be able to change the optical properties of the films and keeping good mechanical properties, opening thus a wide number of possible applications. The crystallization of the gold nanoclusters induced by the annealing was followed by a systematic change in the overall coating behaviour, namely the appearance of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) behaviour. This effect enables to tailor the thin films reflectivity, absorbance and colour coordinates, contributing to the importance of this thin film system. The different attained optical characteristics (reflectance values ranging from interference to metallic-like behaviours and colour varying for interference rainbow-like to several tones of red-brownish), associated with a reasonable mechanical resistance of the coatings (good adhesion to different substrates and hardness values ranging from 5 to 7.5 GPa), induce the possibility to use this film system in a wide range of decorative applications.Fundac¸ ão para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/CTM/70037/2006

Olean (1, 7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane): A novel intraspecific chemical cue in coraebus undatus (f.) (coleoptera: Buprestidae)

The main aim of this work was to identify semiochemicals from the jewel beetle Coraebus undatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) that may aid in the improvement of current monitoring tools. First, HS-SPME collections revealed that individually sampled adults (>7 days old) of both sexes release the spiroacetal 1, 7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane (olean). Electroantennographic recordings from both sexes exposed to increasing amounts of olean followed a dose-dependent pattern, with females being more responsive than males to the highest amount of the compound (100 µg). In double-choice assays, adults older than seven days were significantly attracted to olean, whereas this attraction was not detected in insects aged less than seven days. Indeed, a repellent effect was observed in young females. Subsequent field trials employing sticky purple prism traps revealed that there were no differences among the number of insects caught in control and olean-baited traps at two different release rates (0.75 and 3.75 mg/day). Interestingly, all the trapped specimens were determined as mated females, regardless of the presence of olean. Overall, these findings provide a basis for unraveling the chemical ecology of the species, although further research is still needed to determine the specific role of this compound within the chemical communication of the species. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Tuning of the surface plasmon resonance in TiO2/Au thin films grown by magnetron sputtering : the effect of thermal annealing

Nanocomposites consisting of a dielectric matrix, such as TiO2, with embedded noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) possess specific optical properties due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, interesting for several applications. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that these properties are sensitive to the nanostructure of magnetron-sputtered TiO2/Au thin films, which can be tuned by annealing. We study the role of the shape and size distribution of the NPs, as well as the influence of the crystallinity and phase composition of the host matrix on the optical response of the films. All these characteristics can be modified by vacuum annealing treatments of the deposited films. A theoretical interpretation and modeling of the experimental results obtained is presented. The model involves a modified Maxwell-Garnett approach for the effective dielectric function of the composite (describing the SPR effect) and the transfer matrix formalism for multilayer optics. Input data are based on the experimental information obtained from the detailed structural characterization of the films. It is shown that the annealing treatments can be used for controlling the optical properties of the composite films, making them attractive for decorative coatings.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/CTM/70037/200

Protective Ag :TiO2 thin films for pressure sensors in orthopedic prosthesis: the importance of composition, structural and morphological features on the biological response of the coatings

DC reactive magnetron sputtered Ag:TiO2 nanocomposite thin films were developed to be used as protective coatings in pressure sensor devices. The coatings, with Ag content varying from 0 to about 30 at.%, were prepared and characterized in order to study their biological response. The as-deposited samples were annealed in vacuum at 500 °C in order to evaluate the influence of their morphological and structural differences over the response elicited upon contact with simulated bodily fluids and cultured human cells, as well as selected microorganisms. The results showed that the annealing treatment produced less porous films with an enhanced structure, with a significant reduction in structural defects and improved crystallinity. Additionally, samples with higher Ag contents (≥12.8 at.%) exhibited Ag agglomerates/clusters at the surface, a result anticipated from the XRD data. The crystallization of the TiO2 matrix was also observed by XRD analysis, albeit delayed by the dispersion of Ag into the matrix. Biological characterization showed that the antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of the coatings were directly related with their composition, closely followed by the particular structural and morphological features, namely those resulting from annealing process.This research is partially sponsored by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE—Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade and by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under the projects PEst-C/EME/UI0285/2011, PTDC/SAU-ENB/116850/2010, PTDC/CTM-NAN/112574/2009P. T Matamá acknowledges FCT for Grant SFRH/BPD/47555/2008

Thin films composed of Ag nanoclusters dispersed in TiO2: Influence of composition and thermal annealing on the microstructure and physical responses

Noble metal powders containing gold and silver have been used for many centuries, providing different colours in the windows of the medieval cathedrals and in ancient Roman glasses. Nowadays, the interest in nanocomposite materials containing noble nanoparticles embedded in dielectric matrices is related with their potential use for a wide range of advanced technological applications. They have been proposed for environmental and biological sensing, tailoring colour of functional coatings, or for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Most of these applications rely on the so-called localised surface plasmon resonance absorption, which is governed by the type of the noble metal nanoparticles, their distribution, size and shape and as well as of the dielectric characteristics of the host matrix. The aim of this work is to study the influence of the composition and thermal annealing on the morphological and structural changes of thin films composed of Ag metal clusters embedded in a dielectric TiO2 matrix. Since changes in size, shape and distribution of the clusters are fundamental parameters for tailoring the properties of plasmonic materials, a set of films with different Ag concentrations was prepared. The optical properties and the thermal behaviour of the films were correlated with the structural and morphological changes promoted by annealing. The films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering and in order to promote the clustering of the Ag nanoparticles the as-deposited samples were subjected to an in-air annealing protocol. It was demonstrated that the clustering of metallic Ag affects the optical response spectrum and the thermal behaviour of the films.This research was sponsored by FEDER funds through the COMPETE program (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade) and by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), under the projects PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2013 and PEst-C/EME/UI0285/2013. The authors also acknowledge the financial support by the project Nano4color – Design and develop a new generation of color PVD coatings for decorative applications (FP7 EC R4SME Project No. 315286). J. Borges also acknowledges the support by the European social fund within the framework of realising the project “Support of inter-sectoral mobility and quality enhancement of research teams at Czech Technical University in Prague”, CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0034. C. Lopes acknowledges FCT for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/103373/2014. F.M. Couto acknowledges CAPES – Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília – DF 70040-20, Brazil, funding by stage sandwich doctorate, through PDSE – Doctoral Program Sandwich

Structural and optical properties of Ag: TiO2 nanocomposite films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Three sets of nanocomposite films consisting of different atomic concentrations of Ag dispersed in a TiO2 dielectric matrix were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering, and subjected to several thermal annealing experiments in vacuum, for temperatures ranging from 200 to 600 ºC. The main goal of the present study is to analyse the optical properties of the as-deposited and annealed films in order to clarify the role of Ag inclusions in the TiO2 dielectric matrix. The influence of the thermal annealing in the structural and morphological evolution was then correlated with the changes in the optical behavior of the samples. Significant structural and morphological changes were observed, consisting on the crystallization of Ag and their clustering. Clusters growth as a function of temperature was also observed by the evolution of the diffractograms with the temperature increase. The present study allowed to conclude that at certain concentrations (close to 10 at. %), the films revealed some important changes on the optical properties, commonly known as Surface Plasmon Resonance, SPR. This change in the optical behavior of the films was found to be in accordance with the clusters growth as concluded from the evolution of the diffraction patterns. The optical changes, and the correspondent Surface Plasmon Resonance effect were confirmed by reflectivity and CIELab colour measurements. The samples with lower Ag content (11 at. % and 7 at. %) show typical interferometric behavior on the reflectivity curves, similar to those of “pure” TiO2 samples. After a minimum of reflectance at 300 nm, there was an increase of the reflectivity at higher wavelengths. For the samples annealed between 400 and 600 °C, a red-shift centered at around 500-550 nm is visible in the absorbance spectrum.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/CTM/ 70037/2006