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Low Cost Smart Homes for Elders
Publication . Ferreira, Gabriel; Penicheiro, Paulo; Bernardo, Ruben; Mendes, Luís; Barroso, João; Pereira, António
The increase in life expectancy and the consequent aging of the general population pose, nowadays, major challenges to modern societies. Most elderly people have the usual problems related to old age, like health chronic problems and sensory and cognitive impairments. Besides that, in today’s modern societies, where families have less and less time to look after for their old relatives, the isolation of the elderly is a real concern and a very current problem, which is enhanced if the elders live alone. To solve or, at least, mitigate that problem, it was developed a smart home for elders that is presented and described in this paper. The developed assistive home system, which is based on available technology, can ensure the quality of life, safety and well-being of all older adults that want or desire to live in the comfort of their home, near to their friends and in their neighborhood, instead of living in elder care centers.
Optimization of an Indoor DWC Hydroponic Lettuce Production System to Generate a Low N and P Content Wastewater
Publication . Aires, Luis M. I.; Ispolnov, Kirill; Luz, Tomás R.; Pala, Helena; Vieira, Judite S.
Hydroponic production raises economic and environmental issues related to the treatment, recovery or disposal of hydroponic wastewater, which can be rich in eutrophication-related nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Little focus has been put on the influence of the growth conditions on the N and P content in hydroponic wastewater, which is of uttermost importance when it is intended to reuse the wastewater for irrigation or other purposes with reduced impact on the environment. This study aimed to optimize an indoor non-recirculating deep-water culture (DWC) hydroponic system for lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa) production, in terms of daily light integral (DLI) and volume of nutrient solution (NS) per plant, to maximize both the biomass production and the N and P removal, allowing for the wastewater to meet the criteria established for reusing in irrigation and minimizing the eutrophication impacts. A small-scale DWC hydroponic system with a fluorescent light fixture was built to study lettuce growth indoors for 35 days after transplanting (DAT). A first experiment was conducted under 14, 20 or 23 mol m−2 d−1 DLI and with 1.5 or 2 L of NS per plant. A pronounced inner leaf tip burn was observed, regardless of the volume of NS solution used, related to the unventilated conditions under high radiation. Total biomass was similar in all treatments and N and P removal was higher than 95% and 94%, respectively, at 35 DAT. Lettuces grown in 2 L of NS per plant exhibited higher average biomass. A second experiment was performed under 8, 10 or 12 mol m−2 d−1 DLI and with 2 or 3 L of NS per plant, making it possible to achieve healthy biomass at 35 DAT with higher water and light-use efficiency when compared to the first experiment. A DLI of 10 or 12 mol m−2 d−1 with 2 L of NS per plant and a DLI of 12 mol m−2 d−1 with 3 L of NS per plant made it possible to achieve both the best total biomass production and the highest N and P removal from water. Under those conditions, hydroponic wastewater complied with N and P criteria for reuse in irrigation, showing potential to be used as an alternative resource for agriculture and to minimize negative impacts on the environment.
Estágio curricular na Área de Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar: Atoubal e QSConsult como Contexto de Aplicação Profissional
Publication . Cazar, Melissa Anahi Solarte; Tecelão , Carla Sofia Ramos; Oliveira , Alexandre
O presente relatório descreve o estágio curricular realizado no âmbito do Mestrado em Gestão da Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, durante o ano letivo de 2024/2025. O estágio decorreu na QSConsult, uma empresa especializada em consultoria e auditoria no setor alimentar, com atividades igualmente desenvolvidas nas empresas parceiras Pão de Ló Ti’Piedade – Pastelaria Regional e Similares, S.A.; Atelier do Doce, Lda; E. Timóteo, Lda; Ro - Rações Oeste Para Animais, Lda; Atoubal-Padaria, Lda; Nls, Lda; Gelpinhos – Indústria e Comércio de Produtos Alimentares, Lda e Eurofrutas – Sociedade de Frutas, S.A..
As principais tarefas realizadas incluíram auditorias internas, testes de produtos, controlo de qualidade, verificação documental, rotulagem e embalamento. Estas atividades permitiram aplicar os conhecimentos teóricos em contextos práticos, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de competências técnicas e profissionais.
O relatório encontra-se estruturado em cinco secções: introdução, caracterização da entidade de acolhimento, descrição das atividades realizadas, análise crítica e propostas de melhoria e conclusão. O estágio possibilitou uma forte integração entre teoria e prática.
Effects of Anaesthesia on Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolic Parameters in Wistar Rats
Publication . Guarino, Maria Pedro; Santos, Ana Isabel; Mota-Carmo, Miguel; Costa, Pedro Freire
We compared the effects of two different anaesthetics, sodium pentobarbital (65 mg/kg) and ketamine (30 mg/kg) plus xylazine (4 mg/kg) (KX) on insulin sensitivity, fasting glycaemia, insulinaemia and free fatty acids (FFA). Four groups of Wistar rats were used: KX group (n=6), pentobarbital group (n=6), high-sucrose diet group (n=6) and the conscious group (n=6). The insulin tolerance test (ITT) was used to measure insulin sensitivity, and metabolic biomarkers were determined using commercial kits. Pentobarbital did not alter plasma insulin, glucose, FFA or the ITT results compared to conscious animals. In contrast, KX anaesthesia induced hyperglycaemia, increased serum FFA and altered the ITT results compared to the conscious animal group. Moreover, under pentobarbital anaesthesia, the ITT proved to be a suitable method to detect insulin resistance in an animal model of diet-induced insulin resistance. We concluded that sodium pentobarbital anaesthesia should be used in metabolic studies since it does not interfere with plasma glucose, insulin, F FA or insulin sensitivity quantification in Wistar rats.
The Interaction Between Intra-Cyclic Variation of the Velocity and Mean Swimming Velocity in Young Competitive Swimmers
Publication . Barbosa, T.; Morouço, Pedro G.; Jesus, S.; Feitosa, W.; Costa, M.; Marinho, D.; Silva, A.; Garrido, N.
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the intra-cyclic variation of the horizontal velocity (dv) and the velocity of the 4 competitive swimming techniques in young swimmers. 45 young swimmers performed a set of maximal 4 × 25 m (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfl y stroke) swims with in water start. A speed-meter cable was attached to the swimmer’s hip. The dv and the swimming velocity were analyzed. Within-subject tests presented signifi cant variations in the dv based on the swimming technique. Post-hoc test revealed signifi cant diff erences across all pairwised swimming techniques (P < 0.001), except for the comparison between freestyle and backstroke
(P = 0.98). The dv was higher in the breaststroke, followed by the butterfl y, the backstroke and the freestyle. The quadratic models had the best goodness-of-fi t and the lower error of estimation for the relationship between the dv and the swimming velocity in all swimming techniques (0.24 ≤ R 2 ≤ 0.51). As a conclusion, there is a non-linear relationship where the increase of swimming velocity leads to a decrease of dv in young competitive swimmers.