Publications

Abstract <jats:p>Recent developments in vehicle automation are leading a paradigm change in respect to mobility of goods and people. Pushed by environmental concerns, researchers and practitioners seek new and innovative solutions. Nevertheless, the challenge of sustainable transport does not end with the use of clean fuels, as faster, cheaper, and more efficient transport is still desired by operators. The concepts behind truck automation and truck platooning technologies present potential for operations management efficiency and cost reduction. On the other hand, as drivers are still the main piece on a safe and efficient transport system, their working conditions must be ensured. Therefore, a multidisciplinary perspective on truck platooning is required, comprising the view of all the stakeholders involved in the development of safe and easily adopted technologies. In the context of the project TRAIN, we have developed exploratory research towards understanding and mapping the requirements for deploying truck platooning technology. Through a qualitative research, based on focus groups, we have identified three main areas of requirements from logistics companies: (i) labor, (ii) safety and liability, and (iii) transport and logistics. The analysis also showed that these areas are related to three research domains: (i) human factors and human-machine interaction, (ii) operations research and management, and (iii) policy and regulation.</jats:p>

Abstract In this work, we intend to reflect on digital media in science and ma- thematics teaching from theoretical readings and empirical works that consider, mainly, the Portuguese case. First, we will situate the debate in the internal con- tradictions of the representations of the school and the idea of crisis associated with digital media. Then we will address the problems specifically associated with the Internet and the way in which it is integrated into pedagogical practices and, subsequently, into the participatory culture. We will see how the gap between promises and reality is constant and significant. We will end our work with a brief reflection in which we call on those responsible for education to reflect on the role of the school in the appropriation of digital media and the Internet.

Abstract Background: Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) treated with immunomodulatory therapy present an increased susceptibility to infections. Vaccination is a crucial element in the management of IMID patients; however, rates remain suboptimal. This study intended to clarify the adherence to prescribed vaccines. Materials and methods: This prospective cohort study included 262 consecutive adults with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatological diseases who underwent an infectious diseases evaluation before initiating or switching immunosuppressive/biological therapy. Vaccine prescription and adherence were assessed during an infectious diseases (ID) consultation using a real-world multidisciplinary clinical project. Results: At baseline, less than 5% had all their vaccines up-to-date. More than 650 vaccines were prescribed to 250 (95.4%) patients. The most prescribed were pneumococcal and influenza vaccines, followed by hepatitis A and B vaccines. Adherence to each of the vaccines ranged from 69.1-87.3%. Complete adherence to vaccines occurred in 151 (60.4%) patients, while 190 (76%) got at least two-thirds of them. Twenty patients (8%) did not adhere to any of the vaccines. No significant differences were found in the adherence rates of patients with different sociodemographic and health-related determinants. Conclusions: ID physicians can play a role in the process of increasing vaccine prescription and adherence. However, more data on patients' beliefs and vaccine hesitancy, along with mobilization of all health care professionals and adequate local interventions, shall be considered to improve vaccine adherence.

Abstract Background. No Man's Sky (NMS) is a sci-fi videogame about survival and exploration where players fly spaceships, search for elements, and use them to build, trade, and survive. Despite evolving around scientific concepts, NMS isn't a serious game, and not all the scientific content in the game is presented with evidence.Theory and Method. Looking at the interceptions between videogames and science, and moving to how science communication, both in theory and practice, can be explored within the videogame's paradigm, a survey was developed to better understand how NMS players perceive the scientific content in the game.Aims. Are players aware of the scientific content and how it is presented in NMS? Can they decipher it, question it and understand it under real-world rules? With the data collected from 124 respondents from 23 countries, we aim to better understand how an entertainment videogame can potentially help scientists, educators, and science communicators reach a growing, evolving, vibrant, diverse, and demanding audience.Results. Players seem aware of the scientific content in NMS, with a positive attitude through it. But players showed problems identifying what is right and wrong, while also pointing to the idea that every videogame that deals with science should strive to treat it with evidence. 57% of the respondents answered that NMS motivated them to know more about chemistry, with more than 35% revealing that they learned something new and understood the role of some scientific fundaments in certain real-world situations like new energy sources, biomes, or the role of carbon and oxygen.Discussion and Conclusion. With the growth of the videogames' audience, educators, science communicators, scientists, and policymakers can find in the medium - in any shape or form - a fun and interactive ally to engage with younger audiences and promote dialogues that can be transformative around scientific topics.

Abstract Science communication is an essential activity for institutions and scientists seeking to reach out to the public, find funding opportunities or career advancement. In this article, we intend to better present the reality of science communication practices in Portuguese research units. A questionnaire was drawn up and data from 124 centers were analyzed. Traditional strategies such as public events, science fairs or open days continue to be strong allies to the Portuguese scientific community, as does direct communication with journalists. But social media platforms, used by 109 of 124 respondents, are becoming fundamental. The Portuguese scientific community is experimenting with videos, animations, applications, or podcasts, suggesting that practice in science communication is becoming more demanding, specialized, and focused on finding multiple ways to reach the community.

Abstract Mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants often originate bilayer structures, such as vesicles and lamellar liquid crystals, that can be explored as model membranes for fundamental studies or as drug and gene nanocarriers. Here, we investigated the aggregation properties of two catanionic mixtures containing biomimetic surfactants derived from serine. The mixtures are designated as 12Ser/8-8Ser and 14Ser/10-10Ser, where mSer is a cationic, single-chained surfactant and n-nSer is an anionic, double-chained one (m and n being the C atoms in the alkyl chains). Our goal was to investigate the effects of total chain length and chain length asymmetry of the catanionic pair on the formation of catanionic vesicles, the vesicle properties and the vesicle/micelle transitions. Ocular observations, surface tension measurements, video-enhanced light microscopy, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering were used to monitor the self-assembly process and the aggregate properties. Catanionic vesicles were indeed found in both systems for molar fractions of cationic surfactant >= 0.40, always possessing positive zeta potentials (zeta = +35-50 mV), even for equimolar sample compositions. Furthermore, the 14Ser/10-10Ser vesicles were only found as single aggregates (i.e., without coexisting micelles) in a very narrow compositional range and as a bimodal population (average diameters of 80 and 300 nm). In contrast, the 12Ser/8-8Ser vesicles were found for a wider sample compositional range and as unimodal or bimodal populations, depending on the mixing ratio. The aggregate size, pH and zeta potential of the mixtures were further investigated. The unimodal 12Ser/8-8Ser vesicles (<D-H> approximate to 250 nm, pH approximate to 7-8, zeta approximate to +32 mV and a cationic/anionic molar ratio of approximate to 2:1) are particularly promising for application as drug/gene nanocarriers. Both chain length asymmetry and total length play a key role in the aggregation features of the two systems. Molecular insights are provided by the main findings.

Abstract Interactions between polymers (P) and surfactants (S) in aqueous solution lead to interfacial and aggregation phenomena that are not only of great interest in physical chemistry but also important for many industrial applications, such as the development of detergents and fabric softeners. Here, we synthesized two ionic derivatives-sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and quaternized cellulose (QC)-from cellulose recycled from textile wastes and then explored the interactions of these polymers with assorted surfactants-cationic (CTAB, gemini), anionic (SDS, SDBS) and nonionic (TX-100)-commonly used in the textile industry. We obtained surface tension curves of the P/S mixtures by fixing the polymer concentration and then increasing the surfactant concentration. In mixtures where polymer and surfactant are oppositely charged (P-/S+ and P+/S-), a strong association is observed, and from the surface tension curves, we determined the critical aggregation concentration (cac) and critical micelle concentration in the presence of polymer (cmc(p)). For mixtures of similar charge (P+/S+ and P-/S-), virtually no interactions are observed, with the notable exception of the QC/CTAB system, which is much more surface active than the neat CTAB. We further investigated the effect of oppositely charged P/S mixtures on hydrophilicity by measuring the contact angles of aqueous droplets on a hydrophobic textile substrate. Significantly, both P-/S+ and P+/S- systems greatly enhance the hydrophilicity of the substrate at much lower surfactant concentrations than the surfactant alone (in particular in the QC/SDBS and QC/SDS systems).

Abstract Spatially and temporally localized delivery is a promising strategy to circumvent adverse effects of traditional drug therapy such as drug toxicity and prolonged treatments. Stimuli-responsive colloidal nanocarriers can be crucial to attain such goals. Here, we develop a delivery system based on dual light and pH responsive vesicles having a cationic bis-quat gemini surfactant, 12-2-12, and a negatively charged amphiphilic chalcone, C4SCh. The premise is to exploit the chalcone/flavylium interconversion to elicit a morphological change of the vesicles leading to the controlled release of an encapsulated drug. First, the phase behavior of the catanionic system is studied and the desirable composition yielding stable unilamellar vesicles identified and selected for further studies. The solutions containing vesicles (Dh & AP;200 nm, & zeta;-potential & AP;80 mV) are in-depth characterized by light microscopy, cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and surface tension measurements. Upon subjecting the vesicles to UV irradiation (& lambda; = 365 nm) at near neutral pH (& AP; 6.0), no morphological effects are observed, yet when irradiation is coupled with pH = 3.0, the majority of the vesicles are disrupted into bilayer fragments. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) is successfully entrapped in the non-irradiated vesicles, yielding an encapsulation efficiency of & AP;25% and a loading capacity of & AP;3%. The release profile of the drug-loaded vesicles is then studied in vitro in four conditions: i) no stimuli (pH = 6.0); ii) irradiation, pH = 6.0; iii) no irradiation and adjusted pH = 3.0; iv) irradiation and adjusted pH = 3.0 Crucially, irradiation at pH = 3.0 leads to a sustained release of DOX to ca. 80% (within 4 h), whereas cases i) and ii) lead to only & AP;25 % release and case iii) to 50% release but precipitation of the vesicles. Thus, our initial hypothesis is confirmed: we present a proof of concept delivery system where light and pH act as inputs of an AND logic gate mechanism for the controlled release of a relevant biomedical drug (output). This may prove useful if the irradiated nanocarriers meet acidified physiological environments such as tumors sites, endosomes or lysosomes.