The mediator role of psychological morbidity in patients with chronic low back pain in differentiated treatments

This study analyzed the mediating role of psychological morbidity and the variables that discriminated low versus high disability, in patients receiving physiotherapy and acupuncture. A total of 203 patients answered measures of illness and medication representations, coping, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and functional disability. Morbidity was a mediator between functional disability and quality of life. Treatment consequences and quality of life, in the acupuncture group, and emotional representations, quality of life, depression, anxiety, and active strategies for pain relief, in the physiotherapy group, discriminated patients with low versus high disability. These results have important implications for identifying high-risk patients.

Experimental procedures for the identification of material properties of intervertebal disc - a contribution for the development of biomimetic substitutes for the nucleus pulposus

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Mecânica.

Massage therapy reduces pain in pregnant women, alleviates prenatal depression in both parents and improves their relationships

Prenatally depressed women (N=47) were randomly assigned to a group that received massage twice weekly from their partners from 20 weeks gestation until the end of pregnancy or a control group. Self-reported leg pain, back pain, depression, anxiety and anger decreased more for the massaged pregnant women than for the control group women. In addition, the partners who massaged the pregnant women versus the control group partners reported less depressed mood, anxiety and anger across the course of the massage therapy period. Finally, scores on a relationship questionnaire improved more for both the women and the partners in the massage group. These data suggest that not only mood states but also relationships improve mutually when depressed pregnant women are massaged by their partners.

Development of foam one-part geopolymers with enhanced thermal insulation performance and low carbon dioxide emissions

Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, increasing building energy efficiency is one the most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions. The use of thermal insulation materials could constitute the most effective way of reducing heat losses in buildings by minimising heat energy needs. These materials have a thermal conductivity factor, k (W/m.K) lower than 0.065 while other insulation materials such as aerated concrete can go up to 0.11. Current insulation materials are associated with negative impacts in terms of toxicity. Polystyrene, for example contains anti-oxidant additives and ignition retardants. In addition, its production involves the generation of benzene and chlorofluorocarbons. Polyurethane is obtained from isocyanates, which are widely known for their tragic association with the Bhopal disaster. Besides current insulation materials releases toxic fumes when subjected to fire. This paper presents experimental results on one-part geopolymers. It also includes global warming potential assessment and cost analysis. The results show that only the use of aluminium powder allows the production mixtures with a high compressive strength however its high cost means they are commercially useless when facing the competition of commercial cellular concrete. The results also show that one-part geopolymer mixtures based on 26%OPC +58.3%FA +8%CS +7.7%CH and 3.5% hydrogen peroxide constitute a promising cost efficient (67 euro/m3), thermal insulation solution for floor heating systems with low global warming potential of 443 KgCO2eq/m3.

Inkjet printing technology for flexible pressure sensors

Tese de Doutoramento Ciência e Engenharia de Polímeros e Compósitos.

Search for low-scale gravity signatures in multi-jet final states with the ATLAS detector at s√ = 8 TeV

We search for evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model in the production of final states with multiple high transverse momentum jets, using 20.3 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at s√ = 8 TeV. No excess of events beyond Standard Model expectations is observed, and upper limits on the visible cross-section for non-Standard Model production of multi-jet final states are set. Using a wide variety of models for black hole and string ball production and decay, the limit on the cross-section times acceptance is as low as 0.16 fb at the 95% CL for a minimum scalar sum of jet transverse momentum in the event of about 4.3 TeV. Using models for black hole and string ball production and decay, exclusion contours are determined as a function of the production mass threshold and the gravity scale. These limits can be interpreted in terms of lower-mass limits on black hole and string ball production that range from 4.6 to 6.2 TeV.

Cost-efficient one-part alkali-activated mortars with low global warming potential for floor heating systems applications

Increasing building energy efficiency is one the most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions. The use of thermal insulation materials mitigates heat loss in buildings, therefore minimising heat energy needs. In recent years, several papers were published on the subject of foam alkali-activated cements with enhanced thermal conductivity. However, on those papers cost analysis was strangely avoided. This paper presents experimental results on one-part alkali-activated cements. It also includes global warming potential assessment and cost analysis. Foam one-part alkali-activated cements cost simulations considering two carbon dioxide social costs scenarios are also included. The results show that one-part alkali-activated cements mixtures based on 26%OPC + 58.3%FA + 8%CS + 7.7%CH and 3.5% hydrogen peroxide constitute a promising cost-efficient (67 euro/m3), thermal insulation solution for floor heating systems. This mixture presents a low global warming potential of 443 KgCO2eq/m3. The results confirm that in both carbon dioxide social cost scenarios the mixture 26 OPC + 58.3 FA + 8 CS + 7.7 CH with 3.5% hydrogen peroxide foaming agent is still the most cost efficient.

Postcolonial co-ordinary literature and the Web 2.0/3.0: "Thinking Back" within transmediatic knowledge

Pedro Andrade destaca o papel que as literacias híbridas preenchem numa redefinição pós-colonial da Europa. Em sua opinião, as literacias híbridas constituem uma condição necessária para a desconstrução do discurso colonial e a posterior reconstrução de literacias e literaturas pós-coloniais. Como parte deste processo, o autor argumenta a necessidade de vários tipos de competências que enfatizem a leitura e escrita não apenas dentro de sua própria cultura, mas também nas culturas dos outros. A literacia digital desempenha um papel particularmente importante neste processo, o que nos permite enfatizar as multivocalidades desta alteridade, igualmente na interação entre diferentes tradições de literacia: Ocidental e Oriental, nacional e transnacional, verbal e mediática. Andrade exemplifica o conceito de literatura transmediática com uma série de projetos em que esteve envolvido, por exemplo a Web 3.0 Novel enquanto modalidade daquilo que ele nomeia "GeoNeoLogic Novel". Este género de novel experimental mistura a narrativa com a teoria e a recolha de dados no campo empírico, promovendo uma abordagem que se apresenta simultaneamente regional e global. Em suma, o autor sugere diversos conceitos em primeira mão que classifica de ‘origem Lusófona’, e que representam diversas estratégias pós-coloniais globais também visíveis na área social, política e cultural da Lusofonia: o ‘pensamento-réplica’ (thinking back); o 'conhecimento transmediático' (transmediatic knowledge); a ‘sociedade da escrita comum’ (common writing society); as ‘redes comuns de conflito/significado’ (common webs of conflict and meaning); a literatura co-ordinária (co-ordinary literature).

Quantifying, generating and mitigating radio interference in Low-Power Wireless Networks

Doctoral Programme in Telecommunication - MAP-tele

Análise experimental do comportamento ao corte de paredes reforçadas em alvenaria de BTC

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil

Fluência no betão desde as primeiras idades: um estudo experimental

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil

Experimental validation of a proposed single-phase five-level active rectifier operating with model predictive current control

This paper presents a model predictive current control applied to a proposed single-phase five-level active rectifier (FLAR). This current control strategy uses the discrete-time nature of the active rectifier to define its state in each sampling interval. Although the switching frequency is not constant, this current control strategy allows to follow the reference with low total harmonic distortion (THDF). The implementation of the active rectifier that was used to obtain the experimental results is described in detail along the paper, presenting the circuit topology, the principle of operation, the power theory, and the current control strategy. The experimental results confirm the robustness and good performance (with low current THDF and controlled output voltage) of the proposed single-phase FLAR operating with model predictive current control.