Those Who Belong and Those Who Don’t: Physical and Mental Borders in Europe

Europe promotes migration and mobility but new or ‘different’ Europeans are still stigmatised and marginalised in our societies. Today, neither refugee status nor citizenship can tear down the mental borders between people who inhabit the same cities or neighbourhoods. Sociology professor Nira Yuval-Davis writes about the meaning of borders, and how they make us differentiate between ‘us’ and ‘the other’ in our daily lives.

Physical and chemical kinetics of structural build-up of cement suspensions

Abstract : The structural build-up of fresh cement-based materials has a great impact on their structural performance after casting. Accordingly, the mixture design should be tailored to adapt the kinetics of build-up given the application on hand. The rate of structural build-up of cement-based suspensions at rest is a complex phenomenon affected by both physical and chemical structuration processes. The structuration kinetics are strongly dependent on the mixture’s composition, testing parameters, as well as the shear history. Accurate measurements of build-up rely on the efficiency of the applied pre-shear regime to achieve an initial well-dispersed state as well as the applied stress during the liquid-solid transition. Studying the physical and chemical mechanisms of build-up of cement suspensions at rest can enhance the fundamental understanding of this phenomenon. This can, therefore, allow a better control of the rheological and time-dependent properties of cement-based materials. The research focused on the use of dynamic rheology in investigating the kinetics of structural build-up of fresh cement pastes. The research program was conducted in three different phases. The first phase was devoted to evaluating the dispersing efficiency of various disruptive shear techniques. The investigated shearing profiles included rotational, oscillatory, and combination of both. The initial and final states of suspension’s structure, before and after disruption, were determined by applying a small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS). The difference between the viscoelastic values before and after disruption was used to express the degree of dispersion. An efficient technique to disperse concentrated cement suspensions was developed. The second phase aimed to establish a rheometric approach to dissociate and monitor the individual physical and chemical mechanisms of build-up of cement paste. In this regard, the non-destructive dynamic rheometry was used to investigate the evolutions of both storage modulus and phase angle of inert calcium carbonate and cement suspensions. Two independent build-up indices were proposed. The structural build-up of various cement suspensions made with different cement contents, silica fume replacement percentages, and high-range water reducer dosages was evaluated using the proposed indices. These indices were then compared to the well-known thixotropic index (Athix.). Furthermore, the proposed indices were correlated to the decay in lateral pressure determined for various cement pastes cast in a pressure column. The proposed pre-shearing protocol and build-up indices (phases 1 and 2) were then used to investigate the effect of mixture’s parameters on the kinetics of structural build-up in phase 3. The investigated mixture’s parameters included cement content and fineness, alkali sulfate content, and temperature of cement suspension. Zeta potential, calorimetric, spectrometric measurements were performed to explore the corresponding microstructural changes in cement suspensions, such as inter-particle cohesion, rate of Brownian flocculation, and nucleation rate. A model linking the build-up indices and the microstructural characteristics was developed to predict the build-up behaviour of cement-based suspensions The obtained results showed that oscillatory shear may have a greater effect on dispersing concentrated cement suspension than the rotational shear. Furthermore, the increase in induced shear strain was found to enhance the breakdown of suspension’s structure until a critical point, after which thickening effects dominate. An effective dispersing method is then proposed. This consists of applying a rotational shear around the transitional value between the linear and non-linear variations of the apparent viscosity with shear rate, followed by an oscillatory shear at the crossover shear strain and high angular frequency of 100 rad/s. Investigating the evolutions of viscoelastic properties of inert calcite-based and cement suspensions and allowed establishing two independent build-up indices. The first one (the percolation time) can represent the rest time needed to form the elastic network. On the other hand, the second one (rigidification rate) can describe the increase in stress-bearing capacity of formed network due to cement hydration. In addition, results showed that combining the percolation time and the rigidification rate can provide deeper insight into the structuration process of cement suspensions. Furthermore, these indices were found to be well-correlated to the decay in the lateral pressure of cement suspensions. The variations of proposed build-up indices with mixture’s parameters showed that the percolation time is most likely controlled by the frequency of Brownian collisions, distance between dispersed particles, and intensity of cohesion between cement particles. On the other hand, a higher rigidification rate can be secured by increasing the number of contact points per unit volume of paste, nucleation rate of cement hydrates, and intensity of inter-particle cohesion.

Reclaiming the Fall Zone: Mediating Physical and Cultural Exchange in Richmond, VA

This thesis will address cultural and physical place reclamation, at the ambiguous intersection of ‘city’ and nature.’ By creating a juxtaposed sequence of multi-scalar interventions, which challenge the conventional boundaries of architecture, and landscape architecture; in order to make commonplace a new dynamic threshold condition in Richmond, Virginia. At its core, this thesis is an attempt at place-making on a site which has become ‘no place.’ This concept will be manifest via a landscape park on Mayo Island in Richmond, anchored by a community retreat center, and architectural follies along a constructed path. The interventions will coincide with value of place in historical Richmond: an integrated, socially desegregated waterfront hinge; a social nexus of inherent change, at the point which the river itself changes at the fall line.

Modeling the impact of social discrimination on the physical and mental health of portuguese gay, lesbian and bisexual people

Background: Despite growing acceptance of same-sex sexuality in Portugal, identity development of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals is still restricted by negative societal attitudes, which maintain the experience of stigmatization and discrimination. The purpose of this study is to document the frequency of discriminatory events experienced by sexual minorities and their association with indicators of physical and mental health in Portugal. Methods: A total of 610 LGB participants completed an online survey (mean age = 34.48, SD = 11.54). Most participants were single and self-identified as gay (73.8%). The survey included five categories of survey items: demographic information, social support, physical health, mental health, and discrimination experiences. Results: Physical and mental health results revealed that bisexual people were more likely to report higher levels of psychological distress than gay men. Overall, between one-fifth and one-fourth of the participants in this sample frequently felt the need to hide their sexual orientation to prevent discrimination experiences across the different settings. Regarding actual discrimination experiences, close to 20% reported having suffered from verbal abuse, followed by close to 10% who suffered from written threats, harassment, and physical threats. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of anticipated and actual discrimination on mental health. Possible confounding variables were added in the first block – age, sexual orientation, being in a relationship, body mass index, and HIV status. Anticipated and actual discrimination experiences were added in the second block. The first block of the analysis explained 6% of the overall variance, while the second block – discrimination experiences – explained an additional 17%. Conclusion: Portuguese culture and stigma/discrimination create discriminatory experiences which impact LGB people’s health. Unless policies are changed to allow for the acceptance of LGB people, they will continue to experience violence and discrimination as a result of homophobia.

Changes in physical and chemical parameters of the traditional portuguese product água-mel during the production process

Changes in physical and chemical parameters (viscosity, total soluble solids and Hunter color parameters L*, a*, b*, chroma and hue angle) of água-mel were investigated throughout processing. Kinetic parameters for color change of heatprocessed água-mel were monitored. A zero-order kinetic model was applied to changes in L* and b*, while a* and C* were described using a first-order kinetic model. The heating process changed all three color parameters (L*, a*, b*), causing a shift toward the darker colors. Parameters L* decreased, while a*, b*, C* and hue angle (°h) increased during heating. Regarding changes in total soluble solids and in apparent viscosity, both fitted first-order kinetics. A direct relationship was found between the changes in these two parameters. The increase in both total soluble solids and viscosity affected a*, b* and C*. In addition, a flow diagram for the Portuguese água-mel production process has been established.

Physical and chemical properties of starch and flour from different common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivar.

The physical, chemical and pasting properties of the flour and isolated starches from six different bean cultivars (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were investigated in order to obtain information for application in new products. The protein and total starch contents of the bean flours ranged from 17.72 to 20.27% and from 39.68 to 43.78%, respectively. The bean starches had low amounts of proteins, lipids and ash and showed an amylose content ranging between 45.32 and 51.11% and absolute density values between 1.55 and 1.78 g.cm?3. The bean starch granules were round to oval with a smooth surface. Results viscoamylographic profiles of the starches and flours showed the possibility of selecting cultivars for specific applications according to these characteristics.

Study of the Electrochemical, Physical and Morphological Characteristics of Anode Catalysts for Perfluorosulfonic Acid (PFSA) Membrane Water Electrolysers

A number of supported and un-supported Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) iridium based electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) were synthesized using a polyol method. The electrocatalysts and the supports were characterized using a wide range of physical and electrochemical characterization methods. The effect of morphological characteristics of the OER electrocatalyst and the support on the OER activity was studied. The results of this thesis contribute to the existing research to reduce the cost of PEMWE by enhancing the utilization of precious metal for OER electrocatalysis. Iridium electrocatalysts supported on antimony tin oxide (Ir/ATO) were synthesized using the polyol method with two different heating techniques: conventional and microwave-irradiation. It was shown that the physical morphology and electrochemical properties of Ir/ATO synthesized with the two heating methods were comparable. However, the microwave irradiation method was extremely faster than the conventional heating method. Additionally, the effect of heat treatment (calcination temperature) on the morphology and OER activity of Ir/ATO synthesized electrocatalyst with the conventional polyol method. It was found that the iridium electrocatalyst synthesized with the polyol method, consisted of 1-5 nm particles, possessed an amorphous structure, and contained iridium with an average oxidation state of less than +4. Calcining the catalyst at temperatures more than 400 ºC and less than 700ºC: 1) increased the size of the iridium particles to 30 nm, 2) changed the structure of iridium particles from amorphous to crystalline, 3) increased the iridium oxidation state to +4 (IrO2), 4) reduced the electrochemically active surface area by approximately 50%, and 5) reduced the OER activity by approximately 25%; however, it had no significant effect on the physical and chemical morphology of the ATO support. Moreover, potential support metal carbides and oxides including: Tantalum Carbide (TaC), Niobium Oxide (Nb2O5), Niobium Carbide (NbC), Titanium Carbide (TiC), Tungsten Carbide (WC) and Antimony-doped Tin Oxide (ATO, Sb2O5-SnO2), were characterized, and used as support for the iridium OER electrocatalysts. TaC was found to be a promising support, and increasing its surface area by 4% improved the OER performance of the final supported catalyst by approximately 50%.

The potential of symbolic approximation. Disentangling the effects of approximation vs. calculation demands in nonsymbolic and symbolic representations.

Mathematical skills that we acquire during formal education mostly entail exact numerical processing. Besides this specifically human faculty, an additional system exists to represent and manipulate quantities in an approximate manner. We share this innate approximate number system (ANS) with other nonhuman animals and are able to use it to process large numerosities long before we can master the formal algorithms taught in school. Dehaene´s (1992) Triple Code Model (TCM) states that also after the onset of formal education, approximate processing is carried out in this analogue magnitude code no matter if the original problem was presented nonsymbolically or symbolically. Despite the wide acceptance of the model, most research only uses nonsymbolic tasks to assess ANS acuity. Due to this silent assumption that genuine approximation can only be tested with nonsymbolic presentations, up to now important implications in research domains of high practical relevance remain unclear, and existing potential is not fully exploited. For instance, it has been found that nonsymbolic approximation can predict math achievement one year later (Gilmore, McCarthy, & Spelke, 2010), that it is robust against the detrimental influence of learners´ socioeconomic status (SES), and that it is suited to foster performance in exact arithmetic in the short-term (Hyde, Khanum, & Spelke, 2014). We provided evidence that symbolic approximation might be equally and in some cases even better suited to generate predictions and foster more formal math skills independently of SES. In two longitudinal studies, we realized exact and approximate arithmetic tasks in both a nonsymbolic and a symbolic format. With first graders, we demonstrated that performance in symbolic approximation at the beginning of term was the only measure consistently not varying according to children´s SES, and among both approximate tasks it was the better predictor for math achievement at the end of first grade. In part, the strong connection seems to come about from mediation through ordinal skills. In two further experiments, we tested the suitability of both approximation formats to induce an arithmetic principle in elementary school children. We found that symbolic approximation was equally effective in making children exploit the additive law of commutativity in a subsequent formal task as a direct instruction. Nonsymbolic approximation on the other hand had no beneficial effect. The positive influence of the symbolic approximate induction was strongest in children just starting school and decreased with age. However, even third graders still profited from the induction. The results show that also symbolic problems can be processed as genuine approximation, but that beyond that they have their own specific value with regard to didactic-educational concerns. Our findings furthermore demonstrate that the two often con-founded factors ꞌformatꞌ and ꞌdemanded accuracyꞌ cannot be disentangled easily in first graders numerical understanding, but that children´s SES also influences existing interrelations between the different abilities tested here.

Activated Carbons Produced from Mixtures of Synthetic Polymers by Physical and Chemical Activation: Application on MCPA Removal

The production of AC was achieved using the most common industrial and consumer solid waste, namely PET, alone or blended with other synthetic polymer such PAN. The PET-PAN mixture (1:1 W/W %) was subjected to carbonization, with a pyrolysis yield off 31.9%, between that obtained with PET (16.9%) or PAN (42.6%) separately. By mixing PET, as a raw material, with PAN (different ratio), an improvement in the final yield of the AC production, for the same activation time, with CO2, was found.

Activated Carbons Produced from Mixtures of Synthetic Polymers by Physical and Chemical Activation: Application on MCPA Removal

The production of AC was achieved using the most common industrial and consumer solid waste, namely PET, alone or blended with other synthetic polymer such PAN. The PET-PAN mixture (1:1 W/W %) was subjected to carbonization, with a pyrolysis yield off 31.9%, between that obtained with PET (16.9%) or PAN (42.6%) separately. By mixing PET, as a raw material, with PAN (different ratio), an improvement in the final yield of the AC production, for the same activation time, with CO2, was found.

Effects of pitch area-restrictions on tactical behavior, physical and physiological performances in soccer large-sided games

The aim of this study was to identify how pitch area-restrictions affects the tactical behavior, physical and physiological performances of players during soccer large-sided games. A 10 vs. 9 large-sided game was performed under three experimental conditions: (i) restricted-spacing, the pitch was divided into specific areas where players were assigned and they should not leave it; (ii) contiguous-spacing, the pitch was divided into specific areas where the players were only allowed to move to a neighboring one; (iii) free-spacing, the players had no restrictions in space occupation. The positional data were used to compute players’ spatial exploration index and also the distance, coefficient of variation, approximate entropy and frequency of near-in-phase displacements synchronization of players’ dyads formed by the outfield teammates. Players’ physical and physiological performances were assessed by the distance covered at different speed categories, game pace and heart rate. Most likely higher values were found in players’ spatial exploration index under free-spacing conditions. The synchronization between dyads’ displacements showed higher values for contiguous-spacing and free-spacing conditions. In contrast, for the jogging and running intensity zones, restricted-spacing demanded a moderate effect and most likely decrease compared to other scenarios (~20-50% to jogging and ~60-90% to running). Overall, the effects of limiting players’ spatial exploration greatly impaired the co-adaptation between teammates’ positioning while decreasing the physical and physiological performances. These results allow for a better understanding of players’ decision-making process according to specific task rules and can be relevant to enrich practice task design, such that coaches acknowledge the differential effect by using specific pitch-position areas restrictions.

Chemo-physical and biological mechanisms behind the anticancer activity of plasma activated Ringer's Lactate solution for the treatment of peritoneal carcinosis from primitive epithelial ovarian/tubular tumor

Cancer research and development of targeting agents in this field is based on robust studies using preclinical models. The failure rate of standardized treatment approaches for several solid tumors has led to the urgent need to fine-tune more sophisticated and faithful preclinical models able to recapitulate the features of in vivo human tumors, with the final aim to shed light on new potential therapeutic targets. Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) serous histotype (HGSOC) is one of the most lethal diseases in women due to its high aggressiveness (75% of patients diagnosed at FIGO III-IV state) and poor prognosis (less of 50% in 5 years), whose therapy often fails as chemoresistance sets in. This thesis aimed at using the novel perfusion-based bioreactor U-CUP that provides direct perfusion throughout the tumor tissue seeking to obtain an EOC 3D ex vivo model able to recapitulate the features of the original tumor including the tumor microenvironment and maintaining its cellular heterogeneity. Moreover, we optimized this approach so that it can be successfully applied to slow-frozen tumoral tissues, further extending the usefulness of this tool. We also investigated the effectiveness of Plasma Activated Ringer’s Lactate solution (PA-RL) against Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) serous histotype in both 2D and 3D cultures using ex-vivo specimens from HGSOC patients. We propose PA-RL as a novel therapy with local intraperitoneal administration, which could act on primary or metastatic ovarian tumors inducing a specific cancer cell death with reduced damage on the surrounding healthy tissues.

Coworking spaces: thriving and organizing in the new world of work

The present Ph.D. thesis proposes three studies on coworking spaces to understand how they foster thriving and organizing in the new world of work. The first study maps and analyzes the thematic structure and evolution of the academic debate that has emerged around coworking spaces in recent years. In doing so, it conducts a science mapping analysis of 351 publications on coworking spaces to detect and visualize key themes in the literature and their co-occurrence with subthemes. The second study proposes an interpretive review of 98 publications from multiple disciplines to shed light on how coworking spaces emerge as sites of organizing for professionals who are not formally connected to one another. It suggests five dimensions that articulate coworking spaces as sites of organizing – ‘materiality,’ ‘temporality,’ ‘affect,’ ‘identity,’ and ‘formalization.’ This study aims to go beyond the community-related understanding of coworking that has characterized most scholarly attention, instead focusing on coworking spaces’ organizational character. The third study investigates what drives thriving at work for remote workers in coworking spaces. In doing so, it acknowledges the potential complex set of interrelationships underpinning thriving at work and mobilizes complexity theory and qualitative comparative analysis to uncover six different, yet equifinal, configurations of antecedents driving remote workers’ thriving in coworking spaces.

A ética econômica das classes trabalhadoras: a gramática social do comportamento econômico da nova pequena burguesia comercial de Natal/RN

Rogram relying on sociological interface between Economic Sociology, Sociology of Moral Theory of Socialization and Social Stratification, this dissertation research makes use of theoretical contributions Luic Boltanski, Charles Taylor, Axel Honneth, Pierre Bourdieu and Bernard Lahire to problematize the generally about the physical and symbolic production and social reproduction of the type of "economic ethics" predominant in the new petite bourgeoisie Brazilian. In other words, the goal is to explain and analyze the objective conditions (economic needs and moral grammar) and intersubjective (modes of socialization and social networks) and update the social genesis and contextual transcontextual beliefs, biases, inclinations and cultural regularities observed the economic behavior of individual profiles for the fractions of the urban petty bourgeoisie and commercial upward Natal / RN. With regard to methodological strategies adopted in data collection will be conducted qualitative interviews (semistructured) and ethnographic notes. In turn, the analytical treatment of the collected empirical content is based on the approach dispositionalist (Pierre Bourdieu, Loïc Wacquant and Bernard Lahire) that emphasizes the study of the past embedded agents and the different contexts of incorporation / activation / inhibition of "provisions" individual cultural