REPOSITÓRIO P.PORTO
Repositório Científico do Politécnico do Porto
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Influence of Cork Particle Incorporation on the Mechanical Behaviour of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Laminates
Publication . TAVARES, GABRIELA ISABEL GALIB; Magalhães, António Gonçalves
This dissertation investigates the influence of cork particle incorporation on the mechanical
behaviour and impact damage response of glass fibre-reinforced polymer laminates, assessing
whether cork particles can improve low-velocity impact performance while identifying possible
effects on static tensile properties. Composite laminates were manufactured using glass fibre
reinforcement and polymer matrices, with cork particles incorporated at different contents.
The manufacturing route comprised resin preparation, cork particle dispersion when
applicable, manual impregnation and stacking of the glass fibre plies by hand lay-up,
consolidation by manual compression between mould plates, and room-temperature curing
under compression. The experimental programme included low-velocity impact tests,
penetrant-enhanced radiographic inspection and tensile tests on selected configurations. The
impact response was analysed through force, displacement and energy histories, while
radiographic images were used to evaluate the apparent internal damage area after impact.
Complementary laminate configurations were also considered to support the discussion of the
influence of matrix system, reinforcement architecture and fibre orientation on the observed
behaviour. The results showed that cork particle incorporation affected the impact response of
the main laminate configurations. Compared with the cork-free reference, the cork-modified
laminates generally reached higher maximum impact forces, increasing by approximately 37.7–
48.6%, and presented lower apparent radiographic damage areas, with reductions of
approximately 47.1–78.4%. The most favourable response was obtained for the representative
5 wt.% cork configuration, which increased the maximum impact force from 1604.42 N to
2384.36 N and reduced the apparent radiographic damage area from 635.82 mm² to 137.08
mm². However, the response did not improve continuously with increasing cork content, since
the highest cork content showed a reduction in impact performance when compared with the
intermediate configuration. This behaviour was associated with possible processing-related
limitations, mainly increased resin viscosity and reduced flowability, which may have affected
fibre impregnation, particle dispersion and laminate homogeneity. The radiographic analysis
confirmed that cork particle incorporation modified the damage response under the adopted
impact conditions, although the method provided a two-dimensional projection of penetrantaccessible
damage rather than a three-dimensional characterisation. The tensile results showed
reductions of approximately 58.6% in tensile strength and 59.0% in Young’s modulus, while
strain at failure increased by approximately 16.5%. These results indicate that, particularly in
the unsaturated polyester-based laminate configurations, cork particle incorporation may
improve the apparent impact damage response, although with a reduction in static tensile
performance. Therefore, the use of cork particles as a dispersed phase in composite laminates
requires an appropriate balance between impact damage tolerance, tensile properties, cork
content, particle dispersion, matrix system and manufacturing quality. Overall, cork particles
showed potential as functional modifiers for glass fibre-reinforced unsaturated polyester
laminates subjected to low-velocity impact, while highlighting the need for optimisation of
particle content and size, processing conditions and damage characterisation methods.
Heallth sciences students' attitudes towards statistics
Publication . Pimenta, Rui Esteves; Alves, Sandra M.; Nascimento, Ana Paula; Faria, Brígida M.; Pereira, Ilídio; Borges, Janete; Martins, João Paulo; Pimenta, Rui; Alves, Sandra Maria; Nascimento, Ana Paula; Faria, Brigida Monica; Borges, Janete; Oliveira Martins, João Paulo; IATED
Statistics plays a fundamental role in health science courses, making it essential to understand students' attitudes regarding this subject to promote more effective learning. This study aims to assess the attitudes towards statistics of higher education students in a health science institution. Students enrolled in an Health School who were currently undertaking a statistics course were inquired using the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS-28) instrument. STAS-28 is a item scale (5 points Likert scale, Strongly Disagree (1) Strongly Agree (5)) with 4 domains: affect, cognitive, value and difficulty. The total and domains scores were obtained using the mean response of the corresponding items, higher values correspond to positive attitudes. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and comparisons based on socio-demographic and academic variables were assessed using independent sample t-tests, Cohen´s d was calculated to assess effect size. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee. The sample consisted of 411 students, with a majority being female (81.3%, n=334) and 17.8% male (n=73). Most participants were between 18-20 years old (n=236, 57.4%). Regarding academic status, 84.9% were full-time students, while 14.1% were working students. A total of 366 (89.1%) were enrolled in undergraduate programs, and 39 (9.5%) were in master's programs. The vast majority had never failed statistics (n=377, 91.7%), and nearly three-quarters had never failed any higher education course (n=296, 72%), while 21.4% (n=88) had failed one or two courses. The SATS-28 instrument demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.85 for the affect domain, 0.77 for the cognitive, 0.85 for the value, and 0.75 for the difficulty domain. The mean for the total score was 3.2 (sd 0.45) indicating a slightly positive attitude. Higher values were observed in the cognitive and value domains (mean 3.55 (sd 0.64) and 3.55 (sd 0.66)), the affect and difficulty domains presented minor negative values (mean 2.97 (sd 0.52) and 2.75 (sd 0.59)). Male students and Master’s students (mean 3.71 (sd 0.66) and mean 3.79 (sd 3.53)) gave more importance to the value component, in comparison to female and undergraduate students (mean 3.51 (sd 0.66) and mean 3.53 (sd 0.67)), respectively (p=.008, d=.31; p=.008, d=.41). Working students (mean 2.58 (sd 0.63)) showed higher perceived difficulty in comparison to full-time students (mean 2.78 (sd 0.58)) (p=.009, d=.34). Students who had never failed in statistics had higher average scores in all components (affect domain (never failed-mean 3.0(sd 0.52) failed mean 2.60 (sd 0.50) p<0.001 d=0.8) cognitive domain (never failed-mean 3.59(sd 0.62) failed mean 3.06 (sd 0.59) p<0.001 d=0.86) value domain (never failed-mean 3.57(sd 0.66) failed mean 3.33 (sd 0.62) p=0.024 d= 0.36) difficulty domain (never failed-mean 2.79(sd 0.58) failed mean 2.33 (sd 0.58) p<0.001 d=0.79) attitude (never failed-mean 3.24(sd 0.43) failed mean 2.83 (sd 0.44) p<0.001 d=0.94) ). These findings highlight the importance of pedagogical strategies that reduce perceived difficulty and enhance more positive attitudes toward statistics, especially among students at higher risk of failure. The study contributes to a better understanding of the attitudes of health science students, enabling targeted interventions to improve their relationship with statistics and, consequently, their academic performance.
Redação de Documentos Académicos e Científicos
Publication . Cunha, Agostinho; Jesus, Ângelo; Oliveira, Ana Isabel; Silva, Ana Luísa; Madureira-Carvalho, Áurea; Gomes, Bruno; Pinho, Cláudia; Silva, Diana Dias da; Moreira, Fernando; Barreto, João Francisco; Santos, Marlene; Correia, Patrícia; Oliveira, Rita Ferraz; Azevedo, Rui; Ferreira, Sónia; Lima, Teresa; Jacinto, Tiago; Dias da Silva, Diana Cristina; Moreira, Fernando; Barreto, João Francisco; Santos, Marlene; Correia, Patrícia Carla dos Santos Correia; Ferraz Oliveira, Rita
O livro, Redação de Documentos Académicos e Científicos pretende ser um manual abrangente e de apoio aos estudantes na produção de documentos de qualidade. Combina a teoria e a prática para responder às necessidades do percurso académico nas Ciências da Saúde. Encontra-se dividido em duas partes. A primeira parte aborda os fundamentos da comunicação científica: tipologias de trabalho, normas de formatação, estruturação de documentos e o processo de submissão e revisão de artigos. Inclui ainda capítulos essenciais sobre ética na investigação, combate ao plágio, identificação de revistas predatórias e compreensão de indicadores bibliométricos. A segunda parte apresenta orientações específicas para diferentes tipos de documentos: relatórios de estágio e laboratoriais, resumos científicos, posters, comunicações orais, projetos de investigação, artigos científicos e documentos de candidatura profissional (CV e cartas de apresentação). Com exemplos práticos, esquemas, diagramas e várias sugestões, o livro constitui uma ferramenta de consulta permanente, adequada tanto à aprendizagem inicial como ao aperfeiçoamento dos mais experientes. Este manual foi escrito por docentes e especialistas de várias áreas e instituições, num exercício de sinergia que pretende responder às especificidades do contexto académico nacional e europeu, preenchendo uma lacuna importante na literatura, em português, sobre comunicação científica.
Aconselhamento e Dispensa de Produtos de Saúde e Produtos de Puericultura em Farmácia Comunitária
Publication . Cruz, Agostinho; Alexandrino, Ana Silva; Oliveira, Ana Isabel; Jesus, Ângelo; Montes, António Mesquita; Nogueira, Catarina; Pinho, Cláudia; Carneiro, Daniela F.; Tomé, David; Silva, Diana Dias da; Moreira, Fernando; Pais, Inês Duarte; Alves, Leonel A. T.; Garcia, Maria Rita; Santos, Marlene; Correia, Patrícia; Carmo, Paulo; Oliveira, Rita Ferraz; Machado, Sara; Sequeira, Susana; Costa, Vitória; Cruz, Agostinho; Alexandrino, Ana Silva; Jesus, Ângelo; Mesquita Montes, António; Dias da Silva, Diana Cristina; Moreira, Fernando; Correia, Patrícia Carla dos Santos Correia; Ferraz Oliveira, Rita
Aconselhamento e Dispensa de Produtos de Saúde e Produtos de Puericultura em Farmácia Comunitária constitui uma obra de referência dedicada ao papel do farmacêutico e do técnico de farmácia na seleção, dispensa e aconselhamento de produtos de saúde e de puericultura. Reunindo contributos de 21 autores, o livro aborda de forma sistematizada e baseada na evidência científica um vasto conjunto de produtos disponíveis em farmácia comunitária, frequentemente utilizados como instrumentos de prevenção, diagnóstico, tratamento e promoção da saúde. A obra inicia-se com o enquadramento legal aplicável em Portugal e na União Europeia, seguindo-se capítulos dedicados a áreas essenciais da prática diária, como puericultura, dispositivos médicos para os olhos, audição e vias respiratórias, produtos para higiene e cuidados da pele, material de penso, terapias compressivas, dispositivos de autodiagnóstico, medição da pressão arterial, administração oral de medicamentos, higiene oral e proteção solar, entre outras. Com uma abordagem clara, prática e atual, este livro pretende colmatar a escassez de guias independentes e apoiar uma prática profissional mais informada, crítica e centrada no utente, reforçando o papel da farmácia comunitária como espaço privilegiado de literacia em saúde.
CIIMAR Blue Biobank: A repository of marine biological resources with biotechnological potential
Publication . Alexandrino, Diogo A. M.; Mucha, Ana P.; Ozório, Rodrigo; Alexandrino, Diogo
The Blue Hub Leixões (https://hubazulleixoes.com/), a node of the Portuguese Blue Hub network, is a consortium composed by R&D institutions (CIIMAR, INESC-TEC and INEGI), a local governmental entity (Matosinhos City Hall), a port authority (APDL) and a Blue Economy Cluster NGO (Fórum Oceano). This consortium is working to foster the regional development of the Blue Engineering and Biotechnology sectors in northern Portugal. In this context, CIIMAR is the strategic partner of the consortium responsible for the dynamization of the Blue Biotechnology vector and aims to achieve so through the establishment of the CIIMAR Blue Biobank (CBB). CBB will be a centralized repository of marine biological resources that are part of CIIMAR’s main culture collections: LEGE-CC (cyanobacteria and microalgae), CM2C (bacteria and fungi) and DEEP-Biobank (deep-sea marine invertebrates). This centralization effort will confer CBB a privileged positioning in the Blue Biotechnology ecosystem, as it will streamline the curation, biobanking, digitization and access to over 1500 microbial strains with a well-mapped biotechnological potential, as well as to hundreds of deep-sea corals and sponges which can also be made available for further biotechnological bioprospecting and valorization. The core R&D strategy of CBB will rely on three key axes: (1) pilot scale cultivation of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms; (2) development and optimization of bioprocesses for biodiscovery, biorefinery and bioremediation applications; (3) valorization of biomaterials sourced from deep-sea invertebrates for tissue engineering and biomimetic applications; and (4) a marine experimentation system, at the mesocosm scale, in close coordination with a scientific diving center. Thus, CBB will be outfitted with the necessary capabilities to provide R&D services that cover various technology readiness levels (TRL) across the Blue Biotechnology value chain, spanning from bioprospecting (TRL 1) to pilot scale cultivation and mesocosm experimentation (TRL 4). These capabilities will significantly narrow the academia-industry gap and enhance the functionalization of the large selection of marine biological resources that CIIMAR is currently curating.