Bacterial vaginosis biofilms: challenges to current therapies and emerging solutions

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common genital tract infection in women during their reproductive years and it has been associated with serious health complications, such as preterm delivery and acquisition or transmission of several sexually transmitted agents. BV is characterized by a reduction of beneficial lactobacilli and a significant increase in number of anaerobic bacteria, including Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Mobiluncus spp., Bacteroides spp. and Prevotella spp.. Being polymicrobial in nature, BV etiology remains unclear. However, it is certain that BV involves the presence of a thick vaginal multi-species biofilm, where G. vaginalis is the predominant species. Similar to what happens in many other biofilm-related infections, standard antibiotics, like metronidazole, are unable to fully eradicate the vaginal biofilm, which can explain the high recurrence rates of BV. Furthermore, antibiotic therapy can also cause a negative impact on the healthy vaginal microflora. These issues sparked the interest in developing alternative therapeutic strategies. This review provides a quick synopsis of the currently approved and available antibiotics for BV treatment while presenting an overview of novel strategies that are being explored for the treatment of this disorder, with special focus on natural compounds that are able to overcome biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance.

Assessment of innovative solutions for non-load bearing masonry enclosures

This paper presents some of the results of the research project “Masonry Enclosures” developed in the framework of the transnational access (TA) to LNEC’s triaxial shake table within the FP7 project SERIES.

Libertação fotocontrolada de moléculas bioativas a partir de conjugados de cumarinas

Dissertação de mestrado em Química Medicinal

Projecto de componentes estruturais recorrendo a soluções avançadas em aços de alta resistência

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Projeto de produção de tubo elíptico em aço avançado de elevada resistência para uma serra de arco

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Otimização da remoção de condensados num mural de frio

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Desenvolvimento e otimização do projeto mecatrónico de um tribómetro rotativo (FRICTORQ)

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Implementação de um sistema de customer relationship management na broaden information solutions

Dissertação de mestrado em Sistemas de Informação

Study of the of the concept of community buildings and its importance for land use efficiency

Nowadays cities are facing several environmental problems due to the population migration to urban areas, which is causing urban sprawl. This way, it is very important to define solutions to improve Land Use Efficiency (LUE). This article proposes the use of community buildings features as a solution to increase land use efficiency. Community buildings consider the design of shared building spaces to reduce the floor area of buildings. This work tests the performance of some case-study buildings regarding LUE to analyse its possible pros and cons. A quantifiable method is used to assess buildingsâ LUE, which considers the number of occupants, the gross floor area, the functional area, the implantation area and the allotment area. Buildings with higher values for this index have reduced environmental impacts because they use less construction materials, produce less construction and demolition wastes and require less energy for building operation. The results showed that the use of community building features can increase Land Use Efficiency of buildings.

Seismic behavior of concrete block masonry buildings

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Civil

Hand gesture recognition system based in computer vision and machine learning: Applications on human-machine interaction

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia de Eletrónica e de Computadores

Sustainability assessment of envelope wall solutions using MAXergy methodology

Projeto de investigação integrado de International Master in Sustainable Built Environment

Indicadores chave de sustentabilidade para edifícios residenciais em estrutura metálica

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil

PDMS encasing system for integrated lab-on-chip Ag/AgCl reference electrodes

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is an organosilicon polymer widely used in the fabrication of microfluidic systems to integrate biochips. In this study, we propose the use of an adapted PDMS mould for the creation of a miniaturized, reusable, reference electrode for in-chip electrochemical measurements. Through its integrated microfluidic system it is possible to replenish internal buffer solutions, unclog critical junctions and treat the electrode’s surface, assuring a long term reuse of the same device. Planar Ag/AgCl reference electrodes were microfabricated over a passivated p-type Silicon Wafer. The PDMS mould, containing an integrated microfluidic system, was fabricated based on patterned SU-8 mould, which includes a lateral horizontal inlet access point. Surface oxidation was used for irreversible permanent bondage between flat surfaces. The final result was planar Ag/AgCl reference electrode with integrated microfluidic that allows for electrochemical analysis in biochips

Development of an intelligent earthwork optimization system

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Civil.