Tube-jack and sonic testing for the evaluation of the state of stress in historical masonry

In the investigation and diagnosis of damages to historical masonry structures, the state of stress of the masonry is an important characteristic that must be determined with as much accuracy as possible. Flat-jack testing is a traditional method used to determine the state of stress in historical masonry structures. However, when irregular masonry is tested the method can cause damage to the masonry units and the accuracy of the method is reduced. An enhanced technique, called tube-jack testing, is being developed at the University of Minho to reduce the damage caused during testing and improve the accuracy when used on irregular masonry. This method uses multiple cylindrical jacks inserted in a line of holes drilled in the mortar joints of the masonry, avoiding damage to the masonry units. Concurrently with the development of tube-jack testing, the effect of stress state on sonic testing is being studied. Sonic testing is often used to determine locations of voids and damage in masonry. The focus of these studies was to determine if the state of stress is influencing the sonic test results. In this paper the results of tube-jack testing and sonic testing on masonry walls, built for the purpose of this study in the laboratory, loaded in compression is presented. The tube-jack testing is used to estimate the state of stress in the masonry and the sonic test results are evaluated based on the effect of the applied load on the wall. Future testing and study are suggested for continued development of these test methods.

Studying conformally flat spacetimes with an elastic stress energy tensor using 1+3 formalism

Conformally flat spacetimes with an elastic stress energy tensor having diagonal trace-free anisotropic pressure are investigated using 1+3 formalism. The 1+3 Bianchi and Jacobi identities and Einstein field equations are written for a particular case with a conformal factor dependent on only one spatial coordinate. Solutions with non null anisotropic pressure are obtained.

Stress, personalidade, coping e bem-estar: relação com o sucesso e excelência em contextos de realização desportiva

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia

Autocontrolo, coping e controlo atencional em situações de stress e pressão competitiva: estudo exploratório no basquetebol

Dissertação de mestrado em Psicologia Aplicada

Qualidade de vida, morbilidade psicológica e stress familiar em idosos residentes na comunidade

Este estudo procurou investigar as relações existentes entre morbilidade psicológica, stress familiar e qualidade de vida (QV) da pessoa idosa. A amostra foi constituída por 126 idosos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GSI), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); e Index of Family Relations (IFR). Os resultados revelaram a importância da idade, estado civil, escolaridade e número de patologias assim como o género na capacidade funcional, morbilidade, stress familiar e QV. Ao nível dos preditores, a depressão foi a variável que mais contribuiu para a QV. Não foram encontradas variáveis moderadoras no modelo. A discussão e implicações dos resultados são abordadas bem como a intervenção psicológica nesta população.

An efficient chronic unpredictable stress protocol to induce stress-related responses in C57BL/6 mice

Exposure to chronic stress can have broad effects on health ranging from increased predisposition for neuropsychiatric disorders to deregulation of immune responses. The chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) protocol has been widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in several animal models and consists in the random, intermittent, and unpredictable exposure to a variety of stressors during several weeks. CUS has consistently been shown to induce behavioral and immunological alterations typical of the chronic stress-response. Unfortunately C57BL/6 mice, one of the most widely used mouse strains, due to the great variety of genetically modified lines, seem to be resistant to the commonly used 4-week-long CUS protocol. The definition of an alternative CUS protocol allowing the use of C57BL/6 mice in chronic stress experiments is a need. Here, we show that by extending the CUS protocol to 8?weeks is possible to induce a chronic stress-response in C57BL/6 mice, as revealed by abrogated body weight gain, increased adrenals weight, and an overactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with increased levels of serum corticosterone. Moreover, we also observed stress-associated behavioral alterations, including the potentiation of anxious-like and depressive-like behaviors and a reduction of exploratory behavior, as well as subtle stress-related changes in the cell population of the thymus and of the spleen. The present protocol for C57BL/6 mice consistently triggers the spectrum of CUS-induced changes observed in rats and, thus, will be highly useful to researchers that need to use this particular mouse strain as an animal model of neuropsychiatric disorders and/or immune deregulation related to CUS.

Processamento e caracterização mecânica e metalográfica de compósitos adiamantados à base de cobre-níquel obtidos por hot pressing

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia de Materiais

Occupational stress and coping among portuguese military police officers

This study describes the professional experience of military police officers from the Portuguese Republican National Guard (N = 95). We focused on the main sources and consequences of stress and the coping strategies used to deal with stress. The evaluation protocol included one closed-ended question and four open-ended questions. Data analysis of meaningful text segments was conceptually based and data categorization followed deductive content analysis. Results allowed the identification of 483 meaning units. Factors intrinsic to the job and the relationships at work were the main stressors referred by participants. The consequences of stressors were evident at an individual level, affecting family, psychological, and physical/health domains. The coping strategies used to deal with the main source of stress in the professional career were focused on problem solving (e.g., active confrontation) and emotional regulation (e.g., situation acceptance). Practical implications and future avenues of research with these professionals are discussed.

In vivo antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds: facts and gaps

Background: Numerous diseases have been related with free radicals overproduction and oxidative stress. Botanical preparations possess a multitude of bioactive properties, including antioxidant potential, which has been mainly related with the presence of phenolic compounds. However, the mechanisms of action of these phytochemicals, in vivo effects, bioavailability and bio-efficacy still need research. Scope and Approach: The present report aims to provide a critical review on the aspects related with the in vivo antioxidant activity of phenolic extracts and compounds from plant origin. Key findings: Biological functions beyond the human metabolism were discussed, comparing in vivo vs. in vitro studies, as also focusing the conditioning factors for phenolic compounds bioavailability and bio-efficacy. Furthermore, an upcoming perspective about the use of phytochemicals as life expectancy promoters and anti-aging factors in human individuals was provided. Conclusions: Overall, and despite all of those advances, the study of the biological potential of numerous natural matrices still remains a hot topic among the scientific community. In fact, the available knowledge about the responsible phytochemicals for the biological potential, their mechanisms of action, the establishment of therapeutic and prophylactic doses, and even the occurrence of biochemical inter-relations, is considerable scarce.

Financial stress and sovereign debt composition

"Published online: 19 Oct 2015"

The influence of kaolin application on key metabolic pathways associated with grape berry quality: a molecular and biochemical analysis

Dissertação de mestrado em Biologia Molecular, Biotecnologia e Bioempreendedorismo em Plantas

Hot-dip galvanized steel dip-coatedwith ureasilicate hybrid in simulated concrete pore solution: Assessment of coating morphology and corrosion protection efficiency

The barrier effect and the performance of an organic–inorganic hybrid (OIH) sol–gel coating are highlydependent on the coating deposition method as well as processing conditions. In this work, studies onthe influence of experimental parameters using the dip coating method were performed. Factors suchas residence time (Rt), a curing step between each dip step and the number of layers of sol–gel OIHfilms deposited on HDGS to prevent corrosion in highly alkaline environments were studied. These OIHcoatings were obtained using a functionalized siloxane, 3-isociantepropyltriethoxysilane that reactedwith a diamino-functionalized oligopolymer (Jeffamine®D-230). The barrier efficiency of OIH coatings insimulated concrete pore solutions (SCPS) was assessed in the first moments of contact, by electrochemicalimpedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic methods. The durability and stability of the OIH coatings inSCPS was monitored during eight days by macrocell current density. The morphological characterizationof the surface was performed by scanning electronic microscopy before and after exposure to SCPS.Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy was used to obtain quantitative composition profiles toinvestigate the thickness of the OIH coatings as a function of the number of layers deposited and theinfluence of the Rt in the coating thickness.

Effect of argon ion energy on the performance of silicon nitridemultilayer permeation barriers grown by hot-wire CVD on polymers

One of the authors (S.M.) acknowledges Direction des Relations Extérieures of Ecole Polytechnique for financial support.

Stress-triggered synaptic malfunction: a gate along the path from depressionto dementia

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Saúde.

The effect of high-fat diet on rat’s mood, feeding behavior and response to stress

An association between obesity and depression has been indicated in studies addressing common physical (metabolic) and psychological (anxiety, low self-esteem) outcomes. Of consideration in both obesity and depression are chronic mild stressors to which individuals are exposed to on a daily basis. However, the response to stress is remarkably variable depending on numerous factors, such as the physical health and the mental state at the time of exposure. Here a chronic mild stress (CMS) protocol was used to assess the effect of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity on response to stress in a rat model. In addition to the development of metabolic complications, such as glucose intolerance, diet-induced obesity caused behavioral alterations. Specifically, animals fed on HFD displayed depressive- and anxious-like behaviors that were only present in the normal diet (ND) group upon exposure to CMS. Of notice, these mood impairments were not further aggravated when the HFD animals were exposed to CMS, which suggest a ceiling effect. Moreover, although there was a sudden drop of food consumption in the first 3 weeks of the CMS protocol in both ND and HFD groups, only the CMS-HFD displayed an overall noticeable decrease in total food intake during the 6 weeks of the CMS protocol. Altogether, the study suggests that HFD impacts on the response to CMS, which should be considered when addressing the consequences of obesity in behavior.