Abstract: A hydrogel formulation of oxidized dextrin is reticulated with adipic acid dihydrazide, which may embody polysaccharides, proteins, nanogels, granular materials, bioactive molecules and cells for tissue regeneration and controlled drug delivery. A hydrogel can be injectable, highly biocompatible and biodegradable, for tissue regenerative applications, performing simultaneously as a vehicle e.g. for nanogels, granular materials and cells, and as controlled drug delivery systems, e.g. of hydrophobic molecules and therapeutic proteins.

Abstract: The invention refers to a new keyboard based in a polymeric, copolymeric or composite film (11) with piezo- and pyroelectric properties capable of receiving a tactile signal and giving a respond in the form of an electrical signal. The system described in this invention includes one or more keys (10), being each one of them made by a piezoelectric film (11) with electric conductive contacts, transparent or not, above and below the piezoelectric film and with the inferior layer of grounded electrodes (13).

Abstract: Four peptide nucleic acid probes (PNA) are for the detection of Helicobacter pylori and/or response analysis of Helicobacter pylori strains to clarithromycin. The probes are based in molecular biology methods, namely fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) that are used in H. pylori clarithromycin susceptibility diagnosis in several sample types, including clinical isolates and biopsies. Due to physical and chemical characteristics inherent in its structure, the probes allow a faster and more sensitive hybridization. A kit may use one or several probes described here and the related process of detection or quantification. The kit identifies H. pylori and its response to clarithromycin in clinical samples.

Abstract: The invention presented is an apparatus specifically designed for the high rate anaerobic treatment of (waste)waters with relatively high concentrations of lipidic compounds, referred to as the Inverted Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (IASB) reactor. Contrary to conventional anaerobic reactors, it avoids the need of sludge with good settling properties and exploits the problem of sludge flotation due to long chain fatty acid (LCFA) or biogas adsorption onto the sludge and/or biogas encapsulation by the sludge. Furthermore, it provides an increased specific sludge surface area for better LCFA degradation. It is fed from the top and is equipped with a separation step at the bottom. Reactor contents are thoroughly mixed by the novel combined action of a gas lift loop and a liquid recycle over the reactor. The reactor can be operated in continuous and sequential mode. Although it is specifically designed for lipid degradation, its application is not limited to this.

Abstract: The present invention describes a novel molecular method based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a multiplex variant in order to detect and identify Candida species with clinical relevance, namely C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, C. lusitaniae e C. dubliniensis. The strategy uses the existence of sequences, whether conserved or variable, in fungal ribosomal genes and in the use of a combination of universal primers, specific for fungi, and internal primers, specific for each one of the Candida species (FIG. 1). In this sense, two fragments from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) are amplified by multiplex PCR, allowing the easy identification of the Candida species in question. This methodology allows a rapid, effective and low-cost identification of Candida species with clinical relevance, bearing several advantages over the currently available diagnostic methods.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a radiation or high energy particles detector, which can be used in obtaining digital radiographic images. The detector is composed of two parts: a scintillator matrix (30) embedded in walls manufactured from a reflector material (10), and a matrix of image elements (pixels), where each element is constituted by a photodetector (21) and an analog to digital converter. The walls manufactured from the reflector material (10) form light guides that prevent the dispersion of the visible light produced by the scintillators (30) and the consequent interference between each pixel and its neighbors.

Abstract: The invention concerns a multiaxial universal testing machine, which allows evaluating the mechanical behavior and performance of materials with planar structures, such as fabrics, composites and laminates. The machine comprises 4 horizontal axes, each one with 2 arms, resulting in a final arrangement of 8 gripping jaws at 45°, displaceable along slide rails and moved by the action of 8 independent motors. The connection between a gripping jaw and its respective motor is assured by a linear actuator. The test specimen is fixed by the gripping jaws and can be subject to tensile, compression and fatigue testing, making possible the analysis of the materials behavior under simultaneous multi-directional loads.

Abstract: The invention presented is an apparatus specifically designed for the high rate anaerobic treatment of (waste)waters with relatively high concentrations of lipidic compounds, referred to as the Inverted Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (IASB) reactor. Contrary to conventional anaerobic reactors, it avoids the need of sludge with good settling properties and exploits the problem of sludge flotation due to long chain fatty acid (LCFA) or biogas adsorption onto the sludge and/or biogas encapsulation by the sludge. Furthermore, it provides an increased specific sludge surface area for better LCFA degradation. It is fed from the top and is equipped with a separation step at the bottom. Reactor contents are thoroughly mixed by the novel combined action of a gas lift loop and a liquid recycle over the reactor. The reactor can be operated in continuous and sequential mode. Although it is specifically designed for lipid degradation, its application is not limited to this.

Abstract: The invention reports a new film of the beta phase of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its processing for the elimination of porosity, using a compression force along the thickness direction of the sample at a high temperature. The join action of the compression force and the temperature eliminates the porosity of the PVDF beta phase, improving its mechanical (Young's modulus, yielding and breaking stress, yielding and breaking strain), electrical (dielectric constant, electric rupture) and electromechanical properties (electromechanical coupling, piezoelectric coefficients) and, therefore, the use of the material in technological applications.

Abstract: Microcapsules for smart textile materials, containing an active product and with reactive groups, with the objective of chemically binding the microcapsules to the fibres. The microcapsules contain active products such as PCM (phase change materials), or can be of controlled release of products such as fragrances, essential oils, antibacterial and others with the objective to add specific functional properties to the textile materials. They can be applied by padding and spraying followed by thermofixation. In case of products such as knitwear the application process can also be by exhaustion process, given that the microcapsules acquire affinity towards the fibres and react with the fibres during the process. The chemical bond of the controlled release microcapsules with the fibres confers them a higher resistance to washing than the existing microcapsules glued to the fabric by printing or padding.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a biosorption system composed of a bacterial biofilm supported in synthetic zeolites, for usage in various types of industry for the removal of hexavalent chromium, through the retention of metal ions in the biofilm, in solutions with concentrations between 50 and 250 mgCr/L, process for obtaining it and respective usages. This process consists in obtaining a bacterial biofilm of Arthrobacter viscosus, supported on a faujasite (FAU) zeolite. The biofilm promotes the reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) and, subsequently, Cr (III) is fixed in the zeolite by ion exchange. Several characterization procedures, like spectroscopic techniques (FTIR and ICP-AES), surface analysis (XRD and SEM) and thermal analysis (TGA) reveal that the biosorption process does not modify the morphology or the structure of the FAU zeolite.

Abstract: The present invention describes a tunable micro-antenna of reduced electrical dimensions. This antenna consists of the agglutination of several substrate layers (11), identical or distinct, with electrical, thermal and mechanical properties compatible with the manufacturing processes of integrated circuits. These layers are interleaved with metallic sheets (12) that are interconnected by metallized walls or vias, in such a way that they form a radiating structure (15) and a ground plane (14). The radiating structure includes slots in one or more levels, therefore allowing a greater reduction of the antennas' electrical length. These slots may include switches, used to render the antenna tunable.

Abstract: The present invention refers to an on-line rotational/oscillatory rheometrical device inserted in the barrel of an extruder (1), composed of a main body (2), a cleaning ring (5) and a lower support (6), kept at a constant temperature, and a set of plates, upper (3) and lower (4) with an adjustable separation, with the upper plate being animated with a rotating or oscillating movement, via a coupling to a rotation/measuring head of a commercial controlled-stress rheometer. The rotation of the ensemble allows a sample of material to be collected from the interior of the extruder and its subsequent rheological characterisation in the device.

Abstract: The invention refers to a micro-extrusion line that comprises a single screw (2) micro-extruder (1), a die (7), a cooling bath (17) and a haul-off (19), which together enables the manufacture of extruded profiles from small amounts of raw material. The rotation of the micro-extruder screw, together with the high temperatures created by the heater bands, produces the conveying, melting, mixing and pumping of the material through the die. The extrudate is cooled down in a bath containing a cooling liquid and winded in a coil (19), which has a linear speed higher than that of the extrusion, thus enabling the control of the extrudate cross-section.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of production of functionally graded materials based on an incremental melting and solidification process. Its operation principle can be described as follows: the materials (metal elements, alloys or ceramics) are melt by the induction heating in the mould, and the continual granules, powders or wire, or even liquid materials, of another metal alloys are fed to the mould. The heating zone is limited to a small part of the mould. The incremental melting and solidification process proceeds from the bottom to the top of the mould by changing the relative position between the mould and the heating apparatus. Usage of this method ensures the obtainment of components with no particular alloy composition, but with a gradual changing of the chemical composition along the casting.

Abstract: The present invention relates a laboratorial microsystem for biological fluid analysis, especially the concentration measurement of biomolecules in those fluids, for application in clinical analyses. This device combines in a single microsystem the microchannels, the optical filters, the detectors and the readout electronics, enabling the measurement of the concentration of several biomolecules using white light source as illumination, thus avoiding the use of a wavelength dependent light source (such as a laser, for example). Its operation is based on colorimetric detection by optical absorption. A white light beam is guided through the microchannels containing the samples to analyse. The impinging light is filtered by a narrow passband optical filter at the wavelength defined by the biomolecule being analysed.

Abstract: The present invention concerns double-walled microcapsules with an outer thermoplastic wall and an application process thereof on substrates, namely textile substrate. The microcapsules are applied to fibres so as to produce a slow release of products such as fragrances, antimicrobial, insecticides, antioxidants, vitamins or they can be used as materials such as thermochromic pigments, that change colour when heated, or “phase change materials” (PCM), that convey thermal insulation/control.

Abstract: The invention refers to a system to measure the topography of both surfaces of the cornea (6) and it is thickness, based on a collimated light beam, namely a laser beam, expanded in a fan shape (5) by a cylindrical lens (4) provided with rotational movement. The fan expanded beam (5) produces an image of a corneal section by light diffusion; this image is captured by one or more video cameras (2, 3). The rotation of the cylindrical lens (4) causes the simultaneous rotation of the corneal section image, producing a complete scanning of the same cornea (6).