The influence of the boundary conditions on low-velocity impact composite damage

The objective of this work was to study the influence of the boundary conditions on low-velocity impact behaviour of carbon-epoxy composite plates. Experimental work and numerical analysis were performed on [04,904]s laminates. The influence of different boundary conditions on the impacted plates was analysed considering rectangular and square plates. The X-radiography was used as a non-destructive technique to evaluate the internal damage caused by impact loading. A three-dimensional numerical analysis was also performed considering progressive damage modelling. The model includes three-dimensional solid elements and interface finite elements including a cohesive mixed-mode damage model, which allows simulating delamination between different oriented layers. It was verified that plate’s boundary conditions have influence on the delaminated area. Good agreement between experimental and numerical analysis for shape, orientation and size of the delamination was obtained.

Drilling damage in composite material

The characteristics of carbon fibre reinforced laminates have widened their use from aerospace to domestic appliances, and new possibilities for their usage emerge almost daily. In many of the possible applications, the laminates need to be drilled for assembly purposes. It is known that a drilling process that reduces the drill thrust force can decrease the risk of delamination. In this work, damage assessment methods based on data extracted from radiographic images are compared and correlated with mechanical test results—bearing test and delamination onset test—and analytical models. The results demonstrate the importance of an adequate selection of drilling tools and machining parameters to extend the life cycle of these laminates as a consequence of enhanced reliability.

Production of recombinant protein hLIF in static and dynamic systems of animal cell culture

Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science in Biotechnology Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Estudo da produção e aplicação de cola animal

Com as crescentes exigências do mercado e fortes restrições a nível ambiental, as indústrias modernas tendem a progredir no sentido da eficiência, sustentabilidade e rentabilidade dos seus processos produtivos. Sendo a indústria dos curtumes uma forte geradora de resíduos sólidos, é indispensável criar alternativas à valorização desses mesmos resíduos de forma a cumprir todos os requisitos ambientais. Este trabalho remete à reutilização dos resíduos, provenientes da divisão da pele em tripa após operação de descarna, com o intuito de se desenvolver um novo bio-produto apto para ser utilizado noutros sectores industriais. Os resíduos em causa consistem maioritariamente em colagéneo, que apresenta um enorme potencial para se produzir cola animal. Desta forma, este trabalho tem como objectivo principal avaliar a utilização deste tipo de resíduo na produção de um novo bio-produto, cola animal, e testar a sua aplicabilidade técnica e funcional. Com a realização deste trabalho, mostrou-se ser possível produzir um produto, a partir de retalhos da indústria de curtumes, com um perfil de carácter positivo no que diz respeito à viabilidade técnica e funcional da utilização da cola animal como eventual alternativa a um ligante, para formulações de colas de base aquosa para a indústria gráfica e do papel.

Species and biotype distribution of thermotolerant Campylobacters in animal reservoirs in Southern Chile

The prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacters in mammals and birds from Southern Chile was determined. Campylobacters were isolated from 46.3% of the animals studied being C. jejuni biotipe 1 the most frequent (25.7%) followed by C. coli (17.4%) and C. jejuni biotipe 2 (3.2%).

A detecção remota e os SIG na produção animal - análise da contribuição e situação actual

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciência e Sistemas de Informação Geográfica

Chronic myocardial damage in experimental T. cruzi infection of a new world primate, Cebus sp. monkey

Eighteen Cebus apella monkeys, (juvenile and adult of both sexes) were inoculated five years ago, with three Trypanosoma cruzi strains (CA1, n = 10; Colombian, n=4 and Tulahuen, n=4), either by conjunctival or intraperitoneal route, once or repeatedly. Parasitological, hematological, serological, enzymatic, radiographic, electro and echocardiographic findings have been peviously published15 and they are similar to those observed in human pathology. The most frequent electrocardiographic alteration was right branch bundle block. Six animals, chosen at random, were sacrificed. Those sacrificed 20 to 25 months post-first inoculation showed focal accumuli of leukocytes with myocytolysis. Foci of diffuse interstitial fibrosis with mild infiltrate of leukocytes among fibers were observed in the animals sacrificed 36 to 47 months post-inoculation. No parasites were seen. The lesions were more prominent in the ventricular walls and the septum. The fact that the infiltrates were predominant in the animals sacrificed at a shorter time after first inoculation and that fibrosis was more severe in those sacrificed at a longer time suggests that there is a progression of the infiltrative lesions to fibrosis, with a leukocytic activity indicative of a chronic phase. These lesions are similar to those described in human chronic Chagas' disease. This would demonstrate that this model is useful in evaluating a progress in the knowledge of the pathogenesis which is still a controversial issue, immunology, immunogenesis and chemotherapeutic agents of the chronic and indeterminate phases of this disease.

Damage detection in structures using a transmissibility-based Mahalanobis distance

In this paper, a damage-detection approach using the Mahalanobis distance with structural forced dynamic response data, in the form of transmissibility, is proposed. Transmissibility, as a damage-sensitive feature, varies in accordance with the damage level. Besides, Mahalanobis distance can distinguish the damaged structural state condition from the undamaged one by condensing the baseline data. For comparison reasons, the Mahalanobis distance results using transmissibility are compared with those using frequency response functions. The experiment results reveal quite a significant capacity for damage detection, and the comparison between the use of transmissibility and frequency response functions shows that, in both cases, the different damage scenarios could be well detected. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Febre purpúrica brasileira, virulência em modelo animal do Haemophilus Aegyptius (H. influenzae biogrupo aegyptius)

Febre Purpúrica Brasileira (FPB) é causada por cepas invasoras de Haemophilus aegyptius (H. influenzae biogrupo aegyptius, Hae). Estas cepas invasoras foram diferenciadas de cepas de Hae associadas apenas a conjuntivites (cepas não invasoras) através de marcadores moleculares específicos. Modelo de ratos recém nascidos depletados de complemento foi aplicado ao estudo de cepas de Hae, associadas e não associadas a FPB, com o objetivo de se caracterizar seus potenciais de virulência. Com dose infectante de 10(5) células, as cepas invasoras causaram bacteriemia em 80-100% dos ratos inoculados,.e a magnitude da bacteriemia variou de 10(2,5±0,49) a > 10(4,69) ufc/ml de sangue. Usando a mesma dose infectante as cepas controles não causaram bacteriemia frequente (0 a 50%) e a magnitude variou de 0 a 10(3,69±0,53) ufc/ml de sangue. As doses infectantes capazes de causar bacteriemia em 50% dos ratos inoculados (DB50%) para as cepas invasoras de Hae variaram de < 10³ a 10(4,2) bactérias, enquanto que para as cepas não invasoras, as DB50% variaram de 10(6,2) a > 10(7,3) bactérias. Imunização passiva com antissoros produzidos com cepas invasoras demonstrou que os ratos foram protegidos das bacteriemias causadas pelas cepas homólogas, mas não da infecção causada pela cepa heteróloga. Comparando a bacteriemia causada pelas cepas de Hae com a bacteriemia causada pelo H. influenzae b, cepa Eagan (Hib), foi demonstrado o maior potencial de invasibilidade de Hib. Este modelo animal demonstrou ser útil para esclarecer o maior potencial de virulência das cepas invasoras de Hae.

Properties and Sustainability of Biodiesel from Animal Fats and Fish Oil

This work presents and analyses the fat and fuel properties and the methyl ester profile of biodiesel from animal fats and fish oil (beef tallow, pork lard, chicken fat and sardine oil). Also, their sustainability is evaluated in comparison with rapeseed biodiesel and fossil diesel, currently the dominant liquid fuels for transportation in Europe. Results show that from a technological point of view it is possible to use animal fats and fish oil as feedstock for biodiesel production. From the sustainability perspective, beef tallow biodiesel seems to be the most sustainable one, as its contribution to global warming has the same value of fossil diesel and in terms of energy efficiency it has the best value of the biodiesels under consideration. Although biodiesel is not so energy efficient as fossil diesel there is room to improve it, for example, by replacing the fossil energy used in the process with renewable energy generated using co-products (e.g. straw, biomass cake, glycerine).

Single side damage simulations and detection in beam-like structures

Beam-like structures are the most common components in real engineering, while single side damage is often encountered. In this study, a numerical analysis of single side damage in a free-free beam is analysed with three different finite element models; namely solid, shell and beam models for demonstrating their performance in simulating real structures. Similar to experiment, damage is introduced into one side of the beam, and natural frequencies are extracted from the simulations and compared with experimental and analytical results. Mode shapes are also analysed with modal assurance criterion. The results from simulations reveal a good performance of the three models in extracting natural frequencies, and solid model performs better than shell while shell model performs better than beam model under intact state. For damaged states, the natural frequencies captured from solid model show more sensitivity to damage severity than shell model and shell model performs similar to the beam model in distinguishing damage. The main contribution of this paper is to perform a comparison between three finite element models and experimental data as well as analytical solutions. The finite element results show a relatively well performance.

Projeto de conceito e estrutura de website para o combate ao abandono animal em Portugal

Trabalho de projeto apresentado à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

Massive shift in the pneumococcal nasopharyngeal flora after the 7-valent conjugate vaccine: epidemiological studies and testing pathogenic potential in animal models

Dissertation presented to obtain the PhD degree in Biology/Molecular Biology by Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica

Paracoccidioides brasilienses isolates obtained from patients with acute and chronic disease exhibit morphological differences after animal passage

The basis for virulence in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is not completely understood. There is a consensus that the sequencial in vitro subcultivation of P. brasiliensis leads to loss of its pathogenicity, which can be reverted by reisolation from animal passage. Attention to morphological and biochemical properties that are regained or demonstrated after animal passage may provide new insights into factors related to the pathogenicity and virulence of P. brasiliensis. We evaluated morphological characters: the percentage of budding cells, number of buds by cell and the diameter of 100 mother cells of yeast-like cells of 30 P. brasiliensis isolates, before and after animal passage. The isolates were obtained from patients with different clinical forms of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM): acute form (group A, n=15) and chronic form (group C, n=15). The measurement of the yeast cell sizes was carried out with the aid of an Olympus CBB microscope coupled with a micrometer disc. We measured the major transverse and longitudinal axes of 100 viable cells of each preparation. The percentage of budding cells as also the number of buds by cell was not influenced by animal passage, regardless of the source of the strain (acute or chronic groups). The size values of P. brasiliensis isolates from groups A and C, measured before the animal passage exhibited the same behavior. After animal passage, there was a statistically significant difference between the cell sizes of P. brasiliensis isolates recovered from testicles inoculated with strains from groups A and C. The maximum diameter of mother cells from group A isolates exhibited a size of 42.1mm in contrast with 32.9mm exhibited by mother cells from group C (p<0.05). The diameter of 1500 mother cells from group A isolates exhibited a medium size of 16.0mm (SD ± 4.0), a value significantly higher than the 14.1mm (SD = ± 3.3) exhibited by 1500 mother cells from group C isolates (p<0.05). Our results reinforce the polymorphism exhibited by P. brasiliensis in biological material and the need for further investigations to elucidate the role of morphological parameters of the fungus in the natural history of the disease.

Pesquisa de factores de virulência em estirpes de Escherichia coli em resíduos de produção animal

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Biotecnologia