Development and characterization of lipid-based nanosystems for controlled release of bioactive compounds

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Química e Biológica.

Development of an integral viscoelastic flow solver in OpenFOAM®

The usual high cost of commercial codes, and some technical limitations, clearly limits the employment of numerical modelling tools in both industry and academia. Consequently, the number of companies that use numerical code is limited and there a lot of effort put on the development and maintenance of in-house academic based codes. Having in mind the potential of using numerical modelling tools as a design aid, of both products and processes, different research teams have been contributing to the development of open source codes/libraries. In this framework, any individual can take advantage of the available code capabilities and/or implement additional features based on his specific needs. These type of codes are usually developed by large communities, which provide improvements and new features in their specific fields of research, thus increasing significantly the code development process. Among others, OpenFOAM® multi-physics computational library, developed by a very large and dynamic community, nowadays comprises several features usually only available in their commercial counterparts; e.g. dynamic meshes, large diversity of complex physical models, parallelization, multiphase models, to name just a few. This computational library is developed in C++ and makes use of most of all language capabilities to facilitate the implementation of new functionalities. Concerning the field of computational rheology, OpenFOAM® solvers were recently developed to deal with the most relevant differential viscoelastic rheological models, and stabilization techniques are currently being verified. This work describes the implementation of a new solver in OpenFOAM® library, able to cope with integral viscoelastic models based on the deformation field method. The implemented solver is verified through the comparison of the predicted results with analytical solutions, results published in the literature and by using the Method of Manufactured Solutions.

Development of an intelligent bio-based packaging system

[Extrat] Currently there is a growing interest in the development of eco-efficient bio-based packaging, being active, smart and intelligent packaging the most highlighted among various innovations. Intelligent packaging has the ability to detect and mark, in real time, changes that might occur within the package/in the food product. Their main purpose is to help the consumer decide whether to buy a certain food product, ensuring that when it is bought it has not suffered significant changes influencing its quality and safety. (...)

Development of a dextrin-based hydrogel for bone regeneration

[Excerpt] Bone tissue engineering is a very challenging and promising field, which handles with the limitations of bone regenerative capacity and the failure of current orthopedic implants [1]. This work describes the preparation and characterization of an injectable dextrin-based hydrogel (oDex) able to incorporate nanoparticles, cells, biomolecules or Bonelike~ granules [2]. (...)

Mechanical, fatigue and wear properties of sintered Carbon Nanotube-based functionally graded materials

Tese de Doutoramento Engenharia Mecânica

Development of advanced cell/tissue culture systems, based on enhanced polymeric scaffolds and sophisticated bioreactors, for tissue engineering applications

Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Biomédica

Development of Monoolein-based lipofection vectors for therapeutic siRNA delivery

Tese de Doutoramento em Biologia Molecular e Ambiental - Especialidade em Biologia Celular e Saúde

Development of a novel aptamer-based multi-sensor device for the detection of osteopontin

Doctoral Dissertation for PhD degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering

Development of multifunctional coatings deposited on polymers based sensors for biomedical applications

Tese de Doutoramento (Programa Doutoral em Engenharia de Materiais)

Development of a poly(L-Lactic acid) based drug release system

Dissertação de mestrado em Biofísica e Bionanossistemas

Development of active bio-based multilayer systems: encapsulation of cinnamaldehyde and their physicochemical characterization

[Excerpt] In this work, different multilayer structures, using a polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate film with a valerate content of 8% (PHBV8) as support, were developed aiming the development of active bio-based multilayer systems. An interlayer based on zein nanofibers with and without cinnamaldehyde were electrospun in the PHBV8 film and three multilayer systems were developed: 1) without an outer layer; 2) using a PHBV8 film as outer layer; and 3) using an alginate-based film as outer layer. Their physico-chemical properties were evaluated through: water vapour and oxygen permeabilities and colour measurements, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermal analyses. Results showed that the presence of different outer layers affected the water vapour permeability and transparency of the multilayer films. (...)

A cumulative risk model of child physical maltreatment potential: findings from a community-based study

"Published online before print November 20, 2015"

Insights into bacterial colony morphology evolution and diversification during infection development in cystic fibrosis

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Biomédica.