Propriedades de lamas de salinas de Aveiro, tendo em vista aplicações dermoterapêuticas e dermocosméticas

Desde tempos históricos que diferentes tipos de lama são utilizados para aplicações externas no corpo humano, para fins terapêuticos e cosméticos. As lamas cuja beneficiação e caracterização físico-química são apresentadas nesta dissertação são formadas no ambiente hipersalino que existe nas salinas da Troncalhada e de São Tiago da Fonte, localizadas no estuário do rio Vouga, em Aveiro, Portugal. As salinas são constituídas por uma sequência de tanques onde, no período de verão, da água do mar e por evaporação natural, se produz sal marinho que precipita no último tanque (o cristalizador) do qual é extraído. Na base dos tanques ocorrem lamas que correspondem a sedimentos constituídos por material argiloso de cor preto-cinzento e que incorporam argila, silte, areia, bioclastos, sal, matéria orgânica e gás. A componente inorgânica da lama extraída do cristalizador foi estudada por Difracção de Raios-X (DRX) e Fluorescência de Raios-X (FRX), enquanto a componente orgânica da mesma lama foi estudada por Cromatografia de Gás- Espectrometria de Massa (GC-MS). Os estudos efectuados incidiram sobre amostras representativas de lama, obtidas antes e após refinação e beneficiação a que foi submetida a lama tal-qual colhida nas salinas. Foram utilizados métodos geofísicos para caracterizar e distinguir as lamas depositadas na época de safra e no período de interregno. Para o efeito, foram cravados tubos amostradores no sedimento que reveste o fundo dos tanques, tubos que seguidamente foram transportados para o laboratório para medição da condutividade eléctrica do topo até à base da coluna de sedimento amostrado. A refinação foi efectuada por elutriação de suspensões aquosas de lama utilizando um equipamento desenvolvido para o efeito e que permitiu concentrar a lama fina no overflow. Após floculação, sifonagem da água sobrenadante, dessalinização e centrifugação a lama refinada e beneficiada pôde ser incorporada em formulações com objectivos terapêuticos e cosméticos. O estudo microbiológico efectuado nas amostras de lama com sal e sem sal e na água das salinas permitiu identificar diversos tipos de bactérias e colónias presentes na lama e avaliar também os processos de esterilização testados. Concluiu-se que a lama hipersalina ou dessalinizada resultante do processamento a que foram submetidas, não deve ser aplicada ou incorporada em formulações tal-qual, pelo facto de em ambas terem sido identificadas bactérias como é o caso de Clostridium perfringens. Não obstante, se submetidas a esterilização utilizando autoclave a lama salina refinada e beneficiada poderá ser aplicada como peloide extemporâneo. Assim sendo foram desenvolvidas formulações dermoterapêuticas e dermocosméticas contendo lama beneficiada e dessalinizada e esterilizada termicamente.

Compressive sensing in Clifford analysis

Compressed sensing is a new paradigm in signal processing which states that for certain matrices sparse representations can be obtained by a simple l1-minimization. In this thesis we explore this paradigm for higher-dimensional signal. In particular three cases are being studied: signals taking values in a bicomplex algebra, quaternionic signals, and complex signals which are representable by a nonlinear Fourier basis, a so-called Takenaka-Malmquist system.

Development of infrared spectroscopy for assessing bacterial quality in foods

Rapid and specific detection of foodborne bacteria that can cause food spoilage or illness associated to its consumption is an increasingly important task in food industry. Bacterial detection, identification, and classification are generally performed using traditional methods based on biochemical or serological tests and the molecular methods based on DNA or RNA fingerprints. However, these methodologies are expensive, time consuming and laborious. Infrared spectroscopy is a reliable, rapid, and economic technique which could be explored as a tool for bacterial analysis in the food industry. In this thesis it was evaluated the potential of IR spectroscopy to study the bacterial quality of foods. In Chapter 2, it was developed a calibration model that successfully allowed to predict the bacterial concentration of naturally contaminated cooked ham samples kept at refrigeration temperature during 8 days. In this part, it was developed the methodology that allowed the best reproducibility of spectra from bacteria colonies with minimal sample preparation, which was used in the subsequent work. Several attempts trying different resolutions and number of scans in the IR were made. A spectral resolution of 4 cm-1, with 32 scans were the settings that allowed the best results. Subsequently, in Chapter 3, it was made an attempt to identify 22 different foodborne bacterial genera/species using IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis. The principal component analysis, used as an exploratory technique, allowed to form distinct groups, each one corresponding to a different genus, in most of the cases. Then, a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to further analyse the group formation and the possibility of distinction between species of the same bacterial genus. It was observed that IR spectroscopy not only is suitable to the distinction of the different genera, but also to differentiate species of the same genus, with the simultaneous use of principal component analysis and cluster analysis techniques. The utilization of IR spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis were also investigated in Chapter 4, in order to confirm the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. isolated from contaminated foods, after growth in selective medium. This would allow to substitute the traditional biochemical and serological methods that are used to confirm these pathogens and that delay the obtainment of the results up to 2 days. The obtained results allowed the distinction of 3 different Listeria species and the distinction of Salmonella spp. from other bacteria that can be mistaken with them. Finally, in chapter 5, high pressure processing, an emerging methodology that permits to produce microbiologically safe foods and extend their shelf-life, was applied to 12 foodborne bacteria to determine their resistance and the effects of pressure in cells. A treatment of 300 MPa, during 15 minutes at room temperature was applied. Gram-negative bacteria were inactivated to undetectable levels and Gram-positive showed different resistances. Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus decreased only 2 logs and Listeria innocua decreased about 5 logs. IR spectroscopy was performed in bacterial colonies before and after HPP in order to investigate the alterations of the cellular compounds. It was found that high pressure alters bands assigned to some cellular components as proteins, lipids, oligopolysaccharides, phosphate groups from the cell wall and nucleic acids, suggesting disruption of the cell envelopes. In this work, bacterial quantification and classification, as well as assessment of cellular compounds modification with high pressure processing were successfully performed. Taking this into account, it was showed that IR spectroscopy is a very promising technique to analyse bacteria in a simple and inexpensive manner.

Concentration of tumor biomarkers using aqueous biphasic systems

According to the World Health Organization, around 8.2 million people die each year with cancer. Most patients do not perform routine diagnoses and the symptoms, in most situations, occur when the patient is already at an advanced stage of the disease, consequently resulting in a high cancer mortality. Currently, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death among males worldwide. In Portugal, this is the most diagnosed type of cancer and the third that causes more deaths. Taking into account that there is no cure for advanced stages of prostate cancer, the main strategy comprises an early diagnosis to increase the successful rate of the treatment. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) is an important biomarker of prostate cancer that can be detected in biological fluids, including blood, urine and semen. However, the commercial kits available are addressed for blood samples and the commonly used analytical methods for their detection and quantification requires specialized staff, specific equipment and extensive sample processing, resulting in an expensive process. Thus, the aim of this MSc thesis consisted on the development of a simple, efficient and less expensive method for the extraction and concentration of PSA from urine samples using aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of ionic liquids. Initially, the phase diagrams of a set of aqueous biphasic systems composed of an organic salt and ionic liquids were determined. Then, their ability to extract PSA was ascertained. The obtained results reveal that in the tested systems the prostate specific antigen is completely extracted to the ionic-liquid-rich phase in a single step. Subsequently, the applicability of the investigated ABS for the concentration of PSA was addressed, either from aqueous solutions or urine samples. The low concentration of this biomarker in urine (clinically significant below 150 ng/mL) usually hinders its detection by conventional analytical techniques. The obtained results showed that it is possible to extract and concentrate PSA, up to 250 times in a single-step, so that it can be identified and quantified using less expensive techniques.

Concentration of tumor biomarkers using aqueous biphasic systems

According to the World Health Organization, around 8.2 million people die each year with cancer. Most patients do not perform routine diagnoses and the symptoms, in most situations, occur when the patient is already at an advanced stage of the disease, consequently resulting in a high cancer mortality. Currently, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death among males worldwide. In Portugal, this is the most diagnosed type of cancer and the third that causes more deaths. Taking into account that there is no cure for advanced stages of prostate cancer, the main strategy comprises an early diagnosis to increase the successful rate of the treatment. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) is an important biomarker of prostate cancer that can be detected in biological fluids, including blood, urine and semen. However, the commercial kits available are addressed for blood samples and the commonly used analytical methods for their detection and quantification requires specialized staff, specific equipment and extensive sample processing, resulting in an expensive process. Thus, the aim of this MSc thesis consisted on the development of a simple, efficient and less expensive method for the extraction and concentration of PSA from urine samples using aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of ionic liquids. Initially, the phase diagrams of a set of aqueous biphasic systems composed of an organic salt and ionic liquids were determined. Then, their ability to extract PSA was ascertained. The obtained results reveal that in the tested systems the prostate specific antigen is completely extracted to the ionic-liquid-rich phase in a single step. Subsequently, the applicability of the investigated ABS for the concentration of PSA was addressed, either from aqueous solutions or urine samples. The low concentration of this biomarker in urine (clinically significant below 150 ng/mL) usually hinders its detection by conventional analytical techniques. The obtained results showed that it is possible to extract and concentrate PSA, up to 250 times in a single-step, so that it can be identified and quantified using less expensive techniques.

Segmentação de imagens acústicas

O processamento de imagem tem entre outras aplicações a melhoria a codificação e o reconhecimento de padrões, pode se citar como exemplos de áreas onde se efectua essa aplicação: o diagnostico medico (raios X, ressonância magnética, ultra som) a detecção remota (aviões e satélites) e a geologia (análise dados sonares e sísmocos).

Estimating bottom properties with a vector sensor array during MakaiEx 2005

Nowadays, vector sensors which measure both acoustic pressure and particle velocity begin to be available in underwater acoustic systems, normally configured as vector sensor arrays (VSA). The spatial filtering capabilities of a VSA can be used, with advantage over traditional pressure only hydrophone arrays, for estimating acoustic field directionality as well as arrival times and spectral content, which could open up the possibility for its use in bottom properties' estimation. An additional motivation for this work is to test the possibility of using high frequency probe signals (say above 2 kHz) for reducing size and cost of actual sub bottom profilers and current geoacoustic inversion methods. This work studies the bottom related structure of the VSA acquired signals, regarding the emitted signal waveform, frequency band and source-receiver geometry in order to estimate bottom properties, specially bottom reflection coefficient characteristics. Such a system was used during the Makai 2005 experiment, off Kauai I., Hawai (USA) to receive precoded signals in a broad frequency band from 8 up to 14 kHz. The agreement between the observed and the modelled acoustic data is discussed and preliminary results on the bottom reflection estimation are presented.

Source localization with vector sensor array during the makai experiment

Vector sensors measure both the acoustic pressure and the three components of particle velocity. Because of this, a vector sensor array (VSA) has the advantage of being able to provide substantially higher directivity with a much smaller aperture than an array of traditional scalar (pressure only) hydrophones. Although several, most of them theoretic, works were published from early nineties, only in the last years due to improvements and availability of vector sensor technology, the interest on field experiments with VSA increased in the scientific community. During the Makai Experiment, that took place off the coast of Kauai I., Hawaii, in September 2005, real data were collected with a 4 element vertical VSA. These data will be discussed in the present paper. The acoustic signals were emitted from a near source (low frequency ship noise) and two high frequency controlled acoustic sources located within a range of 2km from the VSA. The advantages of the VSA over traditional scalar hydrophone arrays in source localization will be addressed using conventional beamforming.

Fine arts edutainment: the amateur painter

A new scheme for painterly rendering (NPR) has been developed. This scheme is based on visual perception, in particular themulti-scale line/edge representation in the visual cortex. The Amateur Painter (TAP) is the user interface on top of the rendering scheme. It allows to (semi)automatically create paintings from photographs, with different types of brush strokes and colour manipulations. In contrast to similar painting tools, TAP has a set of menus that reflects the procedure followed by a normal painter. In addition, menus and options have been designed such that they are very intuitive, avoiding a jungle of sub-menus with options from image processing that children and laymen do not understand. Our goal is to create a tool that is extremely easy to use, with the possibility that the user becomes interested in painting techniques, styles, and fine arts in general.

Perception-based painterly rendering: funcionality and interface design

Painterly rendering (non-photorealistic rendering or NPR) aims at translating photographs into paintings with discrete brush strokes, simulating certain techniques (im- or expressionism) and media (oil or watercolour). Recently, our research into visual perception and models of processes in the visual cortex resulted in a new rendering scheme, in which detected lines and edges at different scales are translated into brush strokes of different sizes. In order to prepare a version which is suitable for many users, including children, the design of the interface in terms of window and menu system is very important. Discussions with artists and non-artists led to three design criteria: (1) the interface must reflect the procedures and possibilities that real painters follow and use, (2) it must be based on only one window, and (3) the menu system must be very simple, avoiding a jungle of menus and sub-menus. This paper explains the interface that has been developed.

Soft-computing techniques applied to artificial tissue temperature estimation

Tese dout., Engenharia electrónica e computação - Processamento de sinal, Universidade do Algarve, 2008

A palinologia ao acesso de todos?: estudo comparativo de duas técnicas de análise de sedimentos

Dissertação mest., Biologia e Geologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2006

Relação entre o clima de agitação marítima e aspectos da morfologia costeira, na costa rochosa do Algarve central (Galé a Olhos de Água)

Dissertação mest., Oceanografia, Universidade do Algarve, 2008

Spectral analysis of embolic signals

Tese de dout., Engenharia Electrónica e Computação, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Univ. do Algarve, 2005

Paralelização automática de algoritmos matriciais

Tese de dout., Engenharia Electrónica e Computação, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Univ. do Algarve, 2003