University of Minho

About: University of Minho is a education organization based out in Braga, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Population. The organization has 10585 authors who have published 34736 publications receiving 732436 citations. The organization is also known as: Universidade do Minho & UMinho.

Round Robin Test on tensile and bond behaviour of Steel Reinforced Grout systems

Abstract: Mortar-based reinforcements are an innovative solution for retrofitting existing structures that combine effectiveness, compatibility, and sustainability. Despite the recent spreading of field applications, there is still insufficient knowledge on their fundamental mechanical properties, and a regulatory gap for experimental procedures and design criteria. A Round Robin Test initiative was organized by the Rilem TC 250-CSM (Composites for the Sustainable strengthening of Masonry) to investigate the tensile and bond behaviour of mortar-based composites with basalt, carbon, glass, polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO), aramid and steel textiles. This paper presents the tests carried out on Steel Reinforced Grout (SRG) systems, comprising three textile and four mortar types, supplied by three producers. Ten laboratories from Italy, Poland and Portugal were involved for a total of 150 tests, including direct tensile tests on textiles and composites, and single-lap bond tests on masonry substrate. The influence of the layout of the textile, the mechanical properties of the mortar matrix, the manufacturing and curing conditions, as well as the testing setup and instrumentation, is discussed to contribute to the optimization of the reinforcement systems and to the development of recommendations for laboratory testing. Finally, results are combined to derive engineering parameters for qualification and design purposes.

Polymer-based microparticles in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Abstract: Different types of biomaterials, processed into different shapes, have been proposed as temporary support for cells in tissue engineering (TE) strategies. The manufacturing methods used in the production of particles in drug delivery strategies have been adapted for the development of microparticles in the fields of TE and regenerative medicine (RM). Microparticles have been applied as building blocks and matrices for the delivery of soluble factors, aiming for the construction of TE scaffolds, either by fusion giving rise to porous scaffolds or as injectable systems for in situ scaffold formation, avoiding complicated surgery procedures. More recently, organ printing strategies have been developed by the fusion of hydrogel particles with encapsulated cells, aiming the production of organs in in vitro conditions. Mesoscale self-assembly of hydrogel microblocks and the use of leachable particles in threedimensional (3D) layer-by-layer (LbL) techniques have been suggested as well in recent works. Along with innovative applications, new perspectives are open for the use of these versatile structures, and different directions can still be followed to use all the potential that such systems can bring. This review focuses on polymeric microparticle processing techniques and overviews several examples and general concepts related to the use of these systems in TE and RE applications. The use of materials in the development of microparticles from research to clinical applications is also discussed. V C 2011 American Institute of

Performance measures in English small and medium enterprises: survey results

Abstract: Purpose – To determine the current state of knowledge related to performance measures and their degree of implementation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in England.Design/methodology/approach – The paper starts with a literature review and then goes on to discuss the methodology used. The survey is briefly presented together with the analysis of the resultant data. General opinions regarding performance measurement in English SMEs are described, including the most important measures and the biggest obstacles to the adoption of new ones. Hypotheses about differences between groups are tested and discussed.Findings – This work concludes that there is a gap between the theory/knowledge of performance measures and the practice in English SMEs. Training of employees and difficulty in defining new performance measures were highlighted as the major obstacles to the adoption of new performance measures.Research limitations/implications – The low response rate of the survey precludes the generalisation of t...

Interactions between cells or proteins and surfaces exhibiting extreme wettabilities

Abstract: Regulation of protein adsorption and cell adhesion on surfaces is a key aspect in the field of biomedicine and tissue engineering. Beside the general studies on hydrophilic/hydrophobic surfaces, there are both fundamental and practical interests to extend the investigation of the interaction between proteins or cells and surfaces to the two extreme wettability ranges, namely superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity. This review gave an overview of recent studies on proteins or cells action on these two special wettability ranges. The first part will focus on the interaction between proteins and superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic surfaces. The second part will focus on cells adhesion on these extreme wettable surfaces. Surfaces can be patterned to control in space the wettability within extreme values. As an application of such substrates, flat chips for high-throughput screening are also addressed to offer new insight on the design of a new type of bioanalysis supports.

Eating disorder examination questionnaire: psychometric properties and norms for the Portuguese population.

Abstract: Objective The first aim of the current study was to establish general population norms for the Portuguese version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in a large community sample of female adolescents and young women, as well, for a diverse Eating Disorder (ED) clinical sample, and for women with obesity without an ED. A second aim of the study was to assess the discriminant validity of the EDE-Q and providing cut-off scores for the total scale and subscales. Method A sample of female adolescents and young women (N = 4091) from the general population, 416 women who met diagnostic criteria for an ED and 138 women seeking obesity treatment completed the EDE-Q. Results Norms for the EDE-Q global subscale were provided. Within the community sample, norms were provided for both high school and college samples. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the EDE-Q total score accurately discriminate between participants with and without an ED. Current norm contributes to the clinical utility of the EDE-Q, providing both a cut-off score and reliable change index. Results showed that the EDE-Q is a reliable instrument, but the theorized four subscales structure was not supported by an explorative factor analysis. Conclusion Results will help both researchers and clinicians interpreting the EDE-Q scores and to establish comparison with data produced in different countries. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.