Investigation of Boiling Performance of Graphene-coated Surfaces

In this Capstone Project, I sought to investigate the boiling performance of graphene-coated surfaces. Boiling was accomplished in a pool boiling chamber, with samples of graphene-coating SiO2 wafers. I developed a procedure for graphene transfer for sample fabrication. Samples were prepared with graphene grown on copper substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Graphene was transferred from copper substrates to SiO­2 wafers by a thermal release transfer tape. Copper was etched away from the tape-graphene combination by ferric chloride, and the tape was peeled away after heating, leaving graphene on the SiO2 substrate. Contact angles were measured to verify the beneficial hydrophobic properties of the surface, thereby indicating a successful transfer. Raman spectra were taken of the samples at discrete spots to analyze sample quality and uniformity, before and after boiling. Boiling was controlled by a resistance heater on the back of the SiO2 samples, composed of Indium Titanium Oxide (ITO) and two copper electrodes. Samples were epoxied onto a platform in the boiling chamber, and soldered to a power supply. Heat flux was incrementally increased until critical heat flux (CHF) was reached. Experiments found that the boiling process destroyed the bulk of the graphene on the samples, the resulting curves of which reflected both hydrophobic and hydrophilic behavior from the samples. Heat transfer coefficient and CHF of samples were both found to be superior to a blank SiO2 sample, but graphene destruction in the process proves problematic. Furthermore, leakage of water from the tank may have caused an artificially high CHF for one sample. Further investigation of different transfer methods that prevent graphene from leaving the surface is a primary focus of future research

Perspective-taking in the workplace : can a priming manipulation encourage employees to empathise with their colleagues?

The current study attempted to expand perspective-taking literature in an organisational context by testing whether a priming mechanism could encourage employees to empathise with their colleagues. 140 full-time employees in New Zealand were randomly assigned to an imagine-other empathy prime condition, a control, or an objectively primed condition. They were then presented with an audio vignette depicting a young woman experiencing hardship in her personal life that was impacting her performance at work. Participants then responded to a questionnaire capturing perspective-taking, empathic concern, positive attributions, unconditionality, and level of regard. These scales were adapted to relate specifically to participants’ colleagues, thus investigating if the priming manipulation affected their feelings towards their own workmates. Results showed no significant difference between groups for any of the dependent variables, suggesting either that a priming effect did not occur, or that the prime did not transfer to participants’ empathy towards their own colleagues. Given the lack of research into empathy in an organisational context, these results provide a number of valuable insights as to how future research can continue to broaden this field

Masculinidades na seleção de parceiros entre usuários do Grindr na cidade de Santa Maria - RS

A pesquisa tem como tema a busca afetiva-sexual entre homens usuários doaplicativo Grindr em Santa Maria-RS. O Grindr é um aplicativo de geolocalização desenvolvido, inicialmente, para homens gays e bissexuais se relacionarem. Ele foi criado pelo norte-americano Joel Simkhai. O aplicativo pode ser acessado em smartphones e tablets, e está disponível para Android e Iphone. Estudos sobre a plataforma evidenciam padrões recorrentes na busca afetiva-sexual dos usuários, destacando rígidas normas estéticas de construção do corpo e da masculinidade, que se materializam na construção dos perfis e nos critérios subjetivos da busca. Compreendendo que padrões associados à masculinidade hegemônica influenciam na seleção de parceiros, busco investigar os espaços urbanos da cidade de Santa Maria-RS, caracterizada como grande polo militar e universitário, e como esses espaços influenciam na (in)visibilidade de determinados perfis. O estudo está em andamento e utiliza-se da etnografia digital, compreendendo as plataformas digitais como espaços passíveis de investigação sociológica. Os métodos de coleta de dados consistem na análise dos perfis que integram a plataforma e na entrevista semiestruturada com usuários do aplicativo. A análise coloca em evidência a pluralidade de discursos referentes à masculinidade. Há presença de perfis de usuários que reiteram uma masculinidade pautada na heterossexualidade ao se descreverem como machos ou “normais”, no entanto, há também perfis que desconstroem essa norma de masculinidade e reivindicam outras formas de existência para além das concepções hegemônicas de masculinidade.Palavras-Chave: Masculinidades; Aplicativos; Mídias Digitais; Grindr

“Não é uma realidade de todo mundo”: a normativa n°2.803/2013 e o acesso ao SUS por pessoas trans no município de Santa Maria-RS

Em 1997 o Conselho Federal de Medicina através da resolução 1.482 autorizou a realização de cirurgias de transgenitalização em pacientes transexuais. Observou-se a necessidade de ampliar o processo de transição de gênero para o âmbito do sistema único de saúde, este cenário tornou possível a emergência da normativa n°2.803/2013, que garante o acesso ao tratamento ambulatorial e hospitalar de forma gratuita mediante o Código Internacional de Doenças (CID). O acesso ao tratamento hormonal encontra entraves nas unidades básicas de saúde, devido a estigmatização de pessoas trans por profissionais de saúde. O objetivo do trabalho foi descobrir como a população trans do município de Santa Maria- RS utiliza o sistema único de saúde para a transição de gênero, compreender a importância da formação de gênero nas matrizes curriculares dos cursos, a fim de desconstruir estigmas sociais contra minorias, no caso, a população trans e por fim identificar quais parâmetros sociais facilitam o acesso ao tratamento hormonal seja pelo SUS, rede privada de saúde e auto-hormonização. O acesso ao tratamento hormonal e a procedimentos cirúrgicos são a oportunidade de modificação corporal, ou seja, de transformar esse corpo em uma casa confortável, incorporando elementos na construção da identidade transexual. Acessar os meios para modificar o corpo não é tão simples como formulado na normativa 2.803/2013, pois, as modificações corporais estão condicionadas a fatores como classe social, raça/etnia, capital cultural e regionalidade. A metodologia consistiu em uma pesquisa qualitativa com entrevistas não-diretivas aplicadas a três mulheres transexuais e dois homens transexuais que residem em Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul​

Food neophobia across the life course: Pooling data from five national cross-sectional surveys in Ireland

Food neophobia describes a reluctance to eat novel foods. Levels of food neophobia vary throughout life and are thought to peak in childhood. However, the trajectory of food neophobia across the life course is not fully clear. Using data from five national cross-sectional surveys in Ireland we explored levels of food neophobia in males and females aged 1–87 years. In addition, we assessed the influence of sociodemographic factors, breastfeeding and parental food neophobia on food neophobia. Food neophobia was measured using the Food Neophobia Scale in adults and adolescents and with the Children\u27s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire in preschool and school aged children. A total of 3246 participants (female, 49.9%) were included. Food neophobia increased with age from 1 to ∼6 years, then decreased until early adulthood where it remained stable until increasing with age in older adults (\u3e54 years). In adults, lower education level, social class and rural residency were associated with higher food neophobia. When preschool and school aged children surveys were pooled (ages 1–12), higher food neophobia was seen in males, children with lower parental education and those who were not breastfed. Sociodemographic factors were not significantly associated with food neophobia in adolescents. Breastfeeding duration was negatively associated with food neophobia in children and adolescents and parental food neophobia was positively associated with child\u27s food neophobia in preschool and school aged children. The influence of socioeconomic factors was more pronounced in adults than in children or adolescents. However, sociodemographic factors only explained a small proportion of the variation in food neophobia across all ages. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand how changes in age or socioeconomic circumstance influence food neophobia at an individual level

Persistence of Effects of VLBW/PT Birth Status and Maternal Emotional Availability (EA) on Child EA Trajectories

Few studies have examined the longitudinal impact of birth status on the infant–mother relationship and on children’s socio-emotional development. In the present study we investigated developmental patterns of such relationships [using the Emotional Availability (EA) Scales] in fullterm and VLBW/PT infants from infancy to emerging school age. Our objectives were to: (a) model the developmental trajectories of EA dimensions (maternal sensitivity, structuring, non-hostility; child responsiveness, involvement) in a VLBW/PT and fullterm sample, (b) identify potential effects of VLBW/PT status on these trajectories, and (c) determine whether the effects of VLBW/PT status on children’s socio-emotional development (child EA) remained after accounting for the effect of maternal EA. Child–mother dyads (n = 109) were observed in home-based interactions (face-to-face and free play) when children were 6, 12, 18, and 57-months-old in fullterm (37–41 weeks, >2500 g; n = 48) and healthy VLBW/PT (26–32 weeks gestation, birth weight 800–1500 g, corrected for gestational age; n = 61) children. Developmental trajectories of maternal and child EA were assessed using multilevel growth modeling in Mplus. Results indicated that, even after controlling for maternal EA, there was a persistent negative effect of VLBW/PT birth status on child EA trajectories. Both initially and over time, VLBW/PT infants lagged behind their fullterm counterparts on levels of responsiveness and involvement with mothers. There was also a persistent positive effect of maternal EA (sensitivity and structuring) on child EA trajectories. Higher average levels of maternal sensitivity and structuring across time were also associated with higher and persistent levels of child responsiveness and involvement of their mothers. Importantly, results held after modeling both effects together, and after controlling for maternal education and child gender. Our results have implications for VLBW/PT children’s development, the parent–child relationship, and integrating family level factors and relationship dimensions in early prevention and intervention programs

A study of the norcaradiene-cycloheptatriene equilibrium in a series of azulenones by NMR spectroscopy; the impact of substitution on the position of equilibrium

A systematic investigation of the influence of substitution at positions C-2 and C-3 on the azulenone skeleton, based on NMR characterisation, is discussed with particular focus on the impact of the steric and electronic characteristics of substituents on the position of the norcaradiene-cycloheptatriene (NCD-CHT) equilibrium. Variable temperature (VT) NMR studies, undertaken to enable the resolution of signals for the equilibrating valence tautomers revealed, in addition, interesting shifts in the equilibrium

In vivo tumor growth of high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines

OBJECTIVE: Genomic studies of ovarian cancer (OC) cell lines frequently used in research revealed that these cells do not fully represent high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), the most common OC histologic type. However, OC lines that appear to genomically resemble HGSOC have not been extensively used and their growth characteristics in murine xenografts are essentially unknown. METHODS: To better understand growth patterns and characteristics of HGSOC cell lines in vivo, CAOV3, COV362, KURAMOCHI, NIH-OVCAR3, OVCAR4, OVCAR5, OVCAR8, OVSAHO, OVKATE, SNU119 and UWB1.289 cells were assessed for tumor formation in nude mice. Cells were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) or subcutaneously (s.c.) in female athymic nude mice and allowed to grow (maximum of 90 days) and tumor formation was analyzed. All tumors were sectioned and assessed using H&E staining and immunohistochemistry for p53, PAX8 and WT1 expression. RESULTS: Six lines (OVCAR3, OVCAR4, OVCAR5, OVCAR8, CAOV3, and OVSAHO) formed i.p xenografts with HGSOC histology. OVKATE and COV362 formed s.c. tumors only. Rapid tumor formation was observed for OVCAR3, OVCAR5 and OVCAR8, but only OVCAR8 reliably formed ascites. Tumors derived from OVCAR3, OVCAR4, and OVKATE displayed papillary features. Of the 11 lines examined, three (Kuramochi, SNU119 and UWB1.289) were non-tumorigenic. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings help further define which HGSOC cell models reliably generate tumors and/or ascites, critical information for preclinical drug development, validating in vitro findings, imaging and prevention studies by the OC research community