Electrochemical sensor for simultaneous determination of herbicide MCPA and its metabolite 4-chloro-2-methylphenol. Application to photodegradation environmental monitoring

The development and application of a polyaniline/carbon nanotube (CNT) cyclodextrin matrix (PANI-β-CD/MWCNT)-based electrochemical sensor for the quantitative determination of the herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) and its main transformation product 4-chloro-2-methylphenol in natural waters are described. A simple cyclic voltammetry-based electrochemical methodology, in phosphate buffer solution at pH 6.0, was used to develop a method to determine both MCPA and 4-chloro-2-methylphenol, without any previous extraction or derivatization steps. A linear concentration range (10 to 50 μmol L−1) and detection limits of 1.1 and 1.9 μmol L−1, respectively, were achieved using optimized cyclic voltammetric parameters. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of MCPA and 4-chloro-2-methylphenol in natural water samples with satisfactory recoveries (94 to 107 %) and in good agreement with the results obtained by an established high-performance liquid chromatography technique, no significant differences being found between the methods. Interferences from ionic species and other herbicides used for broad-leaf weed control were shown to be small. The newly developed methodology was also successfully applied to MCPA photodegradation environmental studies.

Application of Infrared Thermal Imaging in a Violinist with Temporomandibular Disorder

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) consist of a group of pathologies that affect the masticatory muscles, temporomandibular joints (TMJ), and/or related structures. String instrumentalists, like many orchestra musicians, can spend hours with head postures that may influence the biomechanical behavior of the TMJ and the muscles of the craniocervicomandibular complex (CCMC). The adoption of abnormal postures acquired during performance by musicians can lead to muscular hyperactivity of the head and cervical muscles, with the possible appearance of TMD. Medical infrared thermography is a non-invasive procedure that can monitor the changes in the superficial tissue related to blood circulation and may serve as a complement to the clinical examination. The objective of this study was to use infrared thermography to evaluate, in one subject, the cutaneous thermal changes adjacent to the CCMC that occur before, during, and after playing a string instrument.

APPLICATION OF 6-NITROCOUMARIN AS A SUBSTRATE FOR THE FLUORESCENT DETECTION OF NITROREDUCTASE ACTIVITY IN Sporothrix schenckii

Introduction Sporothrix schenckii is a thermal dimorphic pathogenic fungus causing a subcutaneous mycosis, sporotrichosis. Nitrocoumarin represents a fluorogenic substrate class where the microbial nitroreductase activity produces several derivatives, already used in several other enzyme assays. The objective of this study was the analysis of 6-nitrocoumarin (6-NC) as a substrate to study the nitroreductase activity in Sporothrix schenckii. Methods Thirty-five samples of S. schenckii were cultivated for seven, 14 and 21 days at 35 °C in a microculture containing 6-nitrocoumarin or 6-aminocoumarin (6-AC) dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide or dimethyl sulfoxide as a negative control, for posterior examination under an epifluorescence microscope. The organic layer of the seven, 14 and 21-day cultures was analyzed by means of direct illumination with 365 nm UV light and by means of elution on G silica gel plate with hexane:ethyl acetate 1:4 unveiled with UV light. Results All of the strains showed the presence of 6-AC (yellow fluorescence) and 6-hydroxylaminocoumarin (blue fluorescence) in thin layer chromatography, which explains the green fluorescence observed in the fungus structure. Conclusion The nitroreductase activity is widely distributed in the S. schenckii complex and 6-NC is a fluorogenic substrate of easy access and applicability for the nitroreductase activity detection.

Urban sprawl analysis and modeling in Asmara, Eritreia: Application of Geospatial Tools

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Creating a GWT web application for the SOS standard enhanced profile

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

A Web based geospatial application for disaster preparedness in Uganda

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Uma solução de ancoragem na rede IMS para Application Servers que têm de gerir domínios GSM

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Eletrotécnica

Factorization of elliptic boundary value problems by invariant embedding and application to overdetermined problems

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Matemática

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry: new application for urinary stones analysis

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Física

Application of ionic liquids and enzymes for the removal of proteinaceous layers from polychrome of works of art and evaluation of the cleaning effectiveness

Dissertação Apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Conservação, especialização em Pintura

Understanding the internet banking adoption by Portuguese customers - a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and perceived risk application.

Trabalho de Projeto apresentado como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

WIFI indoor positioning for mobile devices, an application for the UJI Smart Campus

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Web-application for gathering, analyzing, and processing health information about allergy data

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

The sum-of-the-parts method: An international application

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics