The thesis focuses on minimum wage. The aim of the work is to evaluate the impact of the growth of the minimum wage on disposable incomes of natural persons from employment and self-employed activity from 2011 to 2019. Subsequently, there are suggested measures to help reduce the levies on the income of individuals, thus maintaining the highest disposable income.

Global plastic pollution of the natural environment is extremely detrimental as it is causing deaths of animal species. More than 80 % of marine litter is made up by plastics and 70 % of those are made up by disposable items. For this reason, the European Parliament has agreed to abolish the top ten single-use plastic items found in the marine environment from the EU market from 2021. Therefore, the fossil-based disposables will need to be substituted by disposables made from renewable materials. It is thus important to investigate the environmental impact of these alternatives through their life cycle in order to support sustainable consumption and production. In this study, environmental impact of disposable plates made from two different renewable materials (paper and leaf) were analysed by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). The aim of the study was to examine the environmental performance of the two plates in the impact category global warming potential (GWP); and reveal the processes with the largest contributions to the overall GWP of each plate. The leaf plate was produced in India and the paper plate in the Nordics, however, both plates were used and disposed of in Uppsala, Sweden. The results showed that the leaf plate has a higher GWP due to its long-distance transport and electricity use derived from fossil fuels. Scenario analysis has proved that its GWP can be reduced when sea transport route is chosen instead of flying and production is increased. When it comes to the paper plate life cycle, the processing stage was identified to contribute the most to the total GWP. It could be further improved by applying a biodegradable layer for its coating. To keep the good performance in GWP the plate should be incinerated with energy recovery. The disposal of the plates has a substantial positive influence on their total carbon footprint as both plates substitute use of fossil fuels. However, the credits allocated for the different waste management options are specific to Uppsala and thus the results of this study should be applied only under similar conditions.

O cortisol é um hormônio associado a vários processos fisiológicos importantes. Esta dissertação apresenta estudos sobre o desenvolvimento de um sensor eletroquímico simples e de baixo custo visando à quantificação do cortisol sem a necessidade de modificação da superfície do sensor com biomoléculas. Inicialmente, o foco do trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de um método analítico visando à detecção direta de cortisol utilizando eletrodos não modificados de carbono vítreo. Estes estudos mostraram problemas de reprodutibilidade devido à grande adsorção da molécula de cortisol ou seus produtos de redução na superfície do eletrodo. Assim, avaliou-se o uso de eletrodos de grafite como dispositivos descartáveis em plataformas de papel. Uma boa linearidade foi observada em um intervalo de concentração semelhante ao apresentado nos estudos envolvendo o eletrodo de carbono vítreo (10 a 100 181.mol L-1). Diante desse resultado, os dispositivos portáteis de baixo custo apresentaram ótimas características analíticas em comparação ao método anterior mostrando à potencialidade para aplicação em amostras reais. Concomitantemente, polímeros impressos molecularmente (MIPs) fabricados por processos químicos e eletroquímicos foram estudados com o intuito de aumentar a seletividade para a análise de cortisol. Os MIPs quimicamente fabricados foram sintetizados usando acrilamida como monômero e N, N\'-metilenobisacrilamida como agente de reticulante. Este material recombina-se com sucesso com o analito segundo os estudos de UV-Vis, no entanto a imobilização na superfície do eletrodo não foi possível. Assim, a polimerização eletroquímica do pirrol foi avaliada como uma maneira simples de produzir o MIP diretamente na superfície do eletrodo. A recombinação da molécula molde com os eletrodos modificados foi verificada por voltametria cíclica e técnica de microbalança eletroquímica de cristal de quartzo. A segunda abordagem apontou resultados promissores para o desenvolvimento de sensor piezelétrico modificado para detecção de cortisol. / Cortisol is a hormone associated with several important physiological processes. This masters dissertation reports studies about the development of a simple and low cost electrochemical sensor aiming at the quantification of cortisol without the need of biomolecules immobilized at sensor surface. Initially, the focus was the development of an analytical method for the direct detection of cortisol using bare glassy carbon electrodes. These studies have shown problems of reproducibility due to large adsorption of the cortisol molecule or its reduction products on the electrode surface. Thus, it was evaluated the use of graphite electrodes as disposable devices in paperbased platform. A good linearity was observed in a concentration range similar to that obtained in studies involving the glassy carbon electrode (from 10 to 100 µmol L-1). In light of this result, the proposed low-cost portable devices presented great analytical features and low-cost in comparison with the previous method with potentiality for application in real samples. Concomitantly, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) fabricated by chemical and electrochemical processes were studied to enhance the selectivity for cortisol analysis. The chemically manufactured MIPs were synthesized using acrylamide as monomer and N, N\'-methylenebisacrylamide as crosslinking agent. This material recombine successfully with the analyte according the UV-Vis study, but it was difficult to immobilize this material at the electrode surface. The electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole was evaluated as a simple way to produce the MIP directly on the electrode surface. The recombination of the template molecule with the modified electrodes was verified by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance technique. The second approach pointed out promisor results to the development of modified piezoelectric sensor for cortisol detection.

Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif de fournir un panorama aussi complet que possible de la pauvreté et des inégalités la retraite, en France et en Europe de la fin du vingtième siècle à aujourd'hui, mais également d'identifier le rôle de certaines politiques publiques dans la lutte contre la pauvreté et les inégalités. Compte tenu des contraintes économique et démographique pesant sur les systèmes de retraites, étudier les sources d'inégalités et de pauvreté, mais aussi les mécanismes efficaces en matière de lutte contre les inégalités et la pauvreté à la retraite, est actuellement pertinent de manière à anticiper au mieux les risques futurs. Pour ce faire, nous identifions les populations retraitées pauvres, ainsi que les facteurs d'inégalité et d'inéquité tout en définissant les concepts centraux que sont les inégalités et l'équité intragénérationnelles, intergénérationnelles, mais également ce qu'est la pauvreté des retraités dans les pays développés aujourd'hui. Nous proposons dans un premier temps un modèle d'équilibre général pour évaluer les impacts de chocs de politique économique, ainsi que les conséquences d'un choc démographique. Puis des analyses empiriques des inégalités et de la pauvreté sont proposées de manière à mettre en évidence le lien entre les systèmes fiscaux, de protection sociale, de redistribution d'une part, et les inégalités à la retraite d'autre part.Nous arrivons à la conclusion que les systèmes de retraite et l'architecture de la redistribution, en France et en Europe, ont permis de réduire les inégalités et la pauvreté à la retraite. Le niveau de vie moyen des ménages retraités apparaît désormais équivalent à celui des ménages actifs. Les réformes des systèmes de retraite en cours devront donc tenir compte non seulement de l'environnement démographique et économique dégradé (ralentissement de la croissance économique, augmentation du taux de chômage et des aléas de carrières, etc.) mais également du caractère efficient de l'architecture redistributive telle qu'elle existe aujourd'hui. / We provide a large picture of the inequalities and the poverty among the French and the European pensioners, from the late twentieth century to today. The public pension systems support strong economic and demographic constraints, which could involve a higher risk of poverty and/or risk of inequality during the retirement. We focus on the role of the public policies in reducing these inequalities. To do this, we identify the poor populations and shed light on the inequality and poverty factors. Through the chapters, we define the inequality, the poverty of the retirees in developed countries, the inter- and intergenerational inequalities. We put into perspective the efficient mechanisms to reduce the inequalities and the poverty among the pensioners. In the first chapter, we propose a general equilibrium model to explore the impact of parametric reforms and the impact of a demographic shock on the inequality level. Then, we address the question of the social protection impact on the poverty and the inequality level among the European retirees at the end of the last century. To finish, the last chapter focus on the relationship between the architecture of the redistribution in France, including the socialbenefits and taxes, and the inequalities. We distinguish in this last chapter the inequality level among pensioners and among workers from the inequalities between pensioners and workers. We conclude that the pension systems and the redistribution architecture, in France and in Europe, permitted to reduce the inequalities and the poverty among pensioners. The retirees' and the workers' households have now the same living standard. Our findings suggest that the future pension reforms should take into consideration the bad economic and demographic environments, but also the efficiency of the actual redistributive architecture.

O cortisol é um hormônio associado a vários processos fisiológicos importantes. Esta dissertação apresenta estudos sobre o desenvolvimento de um sensor eletroquímico simples e de baixo custo visando à quantificação do cortisol sem a necessidade de modificação da superfície do sensor com biomoléculas. Inicialmente, o foco do trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de um método analítico visando à detecção direta de cortisol utilizando eletrodos não modificados de carbono vítreo. Estes estudos mostraram problemas de reprodutibilidade devido à grande adsorção da molécula de cortisol ou seus produtos de redução na superfície do eletrodo. Assim, avaliou-se o uso de eletrodos de grafite como dispositivos descartáveis em plataformas de papel. Uma boa linearidade foi observada em um intervalo de concentração semelhante ao apresentado nos estudos envolvendo o eletrodo de carbono vítreo (10 a 100 181.mol L-1). Diante desse resultado, os dispositivos portáteis de baixo custo apresentaram ótimas características analíticas em comparação ao método anterior mostrando à potencialidade para aplicação em amostras reais. Concomitantemente, polímeros impressos molecularmente (MIPs) fabricados por processos químicos e eletroquímicos foram estudados com o intuito de aumentar a seletividade para a análise de cortisol. Os MIPs quimicamente fabricados foram sintetizados usando acrilamida como monômero e N, N\'-metilenobisacrilamida como agente de reticulante. Este material recombina-se com sucesso com o analito segundo os estudos de UV-Vis, no entanto a imobilização na superfície do eletrodo não foi possível. Assim, a polimerização eletroquímica do pirrol foi avaliada como uma maneira simples de produzir o MIP diretamente na superfície do eletrodo. A recombinação da molécula molde com os eletrodos modificados foi verificada por voltametria cíclica e técnica de microbalança eletroquímica de cristal de quartzo. A segunda abordagem apontou resultados promissores para o desenvolvimento de sensor piezelétrico modificado para detecção de cortisol. / Cortisol is a hormone associated with several important physiological processes. This masters dissertation reports studies about the development of a simple and low cost electrochemical sensor aiming at the quantification of cortisol without the need of biomolecules immobilized at sensor surface. Initially, the focus was the development of an analytical method for the direct detection of cortisol using bare glassy carbon electrodes. These studies have shown problems of reproducibility due to large adsorption of the cortisol molecule or its reduction products on the electrode surface. Thus, it was evaluated the use of graphite electrodes as disposable devices in paperbased platform. A good linearity was observed in a concentration range similar to that obtained in studies involving the glassy carbon electrode (from 10 to 100 µmol L-1). In light of this result, the proposed low-cost portable devices presented great analytical features and low-cost in comparison with the previous method with potentiality for application in real samples. Concomitantly, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) fabricated by chemical and electrochemical processes were studied to enhance the selectivity for cortisol analysis. The chemically manufactured MIPs were synthesized using acrylamide as monomer and N, N\'-methylenebisacrylamide as crosslinking agent. This material recombine successfully with the analyte according the UV-Vis study, but it was difficult to immobilize this material at the electrode surface. The electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole was evaluated as a simple way to produce the MIP directly on the electrode surface. The recombination of the template molecule with the modified electrodes was verified by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance technique. The second approach pointed out promisor results to the development of modified piezoelectric sensor for cortisol detection.

A Quimioterapia antineoplásica (QtA) adjuvante para câncer colorretal (CCR) traz consequências fisiológicas e psicossociais como os eventos adversos (EA) gastrintestinais e dermatológicos, que podem trazer dificuldades na utilização de equipamentos para os pacientes com estomia intestinal. Este estudo teve por objetivos analisar a produção científica nacional e internacional sobre os EA gastrintestinais e dermatológicos para pacientes com CCR em QtA adjuvante; e estabelecer as recomendações em relação à indicação de equipamentos coletores e adjuvantes para os pacientes com estomia intestinal por CCR, assim como para os cuidados com a estomia intestinal e o manejo destes equipamentos durante a QtA, com base nas evidências científicas. Trata-se de uma Revisão Integrativa, fundamentada na Prática Baseada em Evidências, cuja pergunta formulada foi: Quais os EA gastrintestinal e dermatológico decorrentes da quimioterapia adjuvante em pacientes com câncer colorretal? Os descritores utilizados para as buscas foram Neoplasias Colorretais, Quimioterapia, Toxicidade, Efeitos adversos, nas bases de indexação eletrônica PubMed, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), e Excerpta Médica (EMBASE), mediante os critérios de inclusão: estudos que abordassem a ocorrência e o tratamento de EA gastrintestinais ou dermatológicos em pacientes com CCR em QtA adjuvante; e estudos publicados em inglês, português ou espanhol, sem corte temporal de publicação; obtidos na íntegra via Biblioteca Central do Campus de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo; e os critérios de exclusão que foram estudos em modelo animal e modelo in vitro; estudos sobre metástases associadas ao tumor primário colorretal. Do total de 4.021 artigos científicos, resultantes das buscas, foram selecionados mediante os critérios de inclusão e exclusão, 20 estudos que constituíram a amostra final, sendo que todos foram publicados em inglês, com níveis de evidência pouco fortes em 65% (IV e VI) e cujos aspectos abordados foram categorizados em quatro temáticas: Diarreia e demais EA gastrintestinais; Diarreia e EA Gastrodermatológicos; EA Gastrintestinais; e EA Dermatológicos. No tema Diarreia e demais EA gastrintestinais evidenciou-se diarreia, náusea, perda de apetite e constipação, vinculados à QtA adjuvante com 5-FU, capecitabina e irinotecano. No tema Diarreia e EA Gastrodermatológicos evidenciou-se síndrome palmar-plantar, outras afecções cutâneas (eritema, úlcera, descamação, prurido, eritema, bolha), estomatite, edema das mãos/face/boca, e hipersensibilidade por capecitabina e oxaliplatina. No tema EA Gastrintestinais verificamos que náusea e vômito foram mais frequentes e relacionados à oxaliplatina. No tema EA Dermatológicos, evidenciou-se rash cutâneo, rubor, prurido, reações alérgicas, síndrome palmar-plantar nos esquemas com 5-FU, capecitabina, oxaliplatina e irinotecano. Considerando estas evidências e a necessidade de utilização de equipamentos coletores do paciente com estomia intestinal por CCR em QtA adjuvante, a assistência de enfermagem especializada deve assegurar a demarcação de estoma, ensino do autocuidado sobre EA e seu manejo, indicação e fornecimento de equipamentos coletores e adjuvantes, que atendam as suas necessidades, assim como o desenvolvimento de protocolos para avaliação dos EA gastrintestinais e dermatológicos durante a QtA adjuvante / The antineoplastic chemotherapy for adjuvant colorectal cancer (ACC) brings physiological and psychosocial consequences such as gastrointestinal and dermatologic adverse events (AE), which can cause difficulties in using equipment for patients with ostomy. This study aimed to analyze the national and international scientific literature on the gastrointestinal and dermatological EA for patients with CRC in adjuvant chemotherapy; and establish recommendations regarding the indication of equipment supplies and also aid for patients with ostomy by CRC, as well as for ostomy care and management of this equipment during the chemotherapy, based on scientific evidence. This is an integrative review, based on the evidence-based practice, whose question was: What are the gastrointestinal and dermatological EA resulting from adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer? The descriptors used for the search were Colorectal neoplasms, Drug therapy, Toxicity, and Adverse effects, in electronics PubMed indexing bases, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) and Excerpta Medical (EMBASE) by the inclusion criteria: studies that addressed the occurrence and treatment of gastrointestinal or dermatological EA in patients with CRC in adjuvant chemotherapy; and studies published in English, Portuguese or Spanish, without temporal cutting time publication; obtained in entirety at Ribeirão Preto Campus Central Library of the University of São Paulo; and the exclusion criteria were studies in animal models and in vitro model; studies on colorectal metastases associated with primary tumor. Of the total of 4,021 scientific articles resulting from the searches, they were selected by the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies which formed the final sample, all of which have been published in English, with little strong evidence levels 65% (IV and VI) and whose addressed aspects were categorized into four themes: Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal EA; Diarrhea and gastrointestinal and dermatologic EA; Gastrointestinal EA; Dermatologic EA. In the subject Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal EA became evident diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite and constipation linked with adjuvant 5-FU, capecitabine, and irinotecan. On the topic diarrhea and Gastrointestinal and dermatologic EA showed up hand-foot syndrome, other skin disorders (erythema, ulcers, peeling, itching, erythema, and bubble), and stomatitis, swelling of the hands / face / mouth, and hypersensitivity oxaliplatin and capecitabine. On the topic Gastrointestinal EA were found that nausea and vomiting were more frequent and related to oxaliplatin. On the topic of Dermatological EA, evidence of skin rash, redness, itching, allergic reactions and palmar-plantar syndrome in the schemes with 5-FU, capecitabine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan. Considering this evidence and the need for equipment supplies in patients with ostomy by CRC in chemotherapy, specialized nursing care to ensure the demarcation of stoma, self-care education on EA and its management, display and supply collectors equipment and adjuvants that meet their needs, as well as the development of protocols for evaluation of gastrointestinal and dermatological EA during adjuvant chemotherapy.

Delaminations in concrete bridge decks result primarily from corrosion of the reinforcing bars (or rebar). This corrosion leads to volumetric expansion of the rebar. When the rebar expands, concrete cracks, and there is a localized separation of the concrete cover from the underlying concrete. Impact-echo testing is an effective technique to map delaminations on concrete bridge decks. However, mapping speed is limited by necessary retrieval of the impactor for traditional tests. To achieve higher scanning speeds, it is advantageous to use both a non-contact measurement (air-coupled impact-echo) and disposable-impactor excitation. Disposable impactors have the potential advantage of achieving greater deck scanning speeds because they do not need to be retrieved, and they can also be used with air-coupled measurement systems. This thesis reports impact excitation of concrete using disposable impactors such as water droplets and ice balls. The impact characteristics of these impactors are compared with those of steel balls and chain links. Comparing the acoustic recordings on intact and delaminated concrete surface shows that water droplets and ice balls are able to excite flexural resonant modes associated with delamination defects. The use of water droplets and ice balls for shallow delamination detection in concrete is thus demonstrated.

<p><font face="Times-Roman" size="3"><font face="Times-Roman" size="3"><font face="Times-Roman" size="3"><font face="Times-Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">The purpose of this research effort is to contribute to the discussion on consumer indebtedness and poverty, analyse the causes and levels of indebtedness as well as the role played by both the consumer and the credit provider in the growth of consumer indebtedness among the sampled population of the Cape Flats area of West Bank in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The methodology used in this study included both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The research methods comprised of a comprehensive literature study and secondary data analysis, immersion in the case study area in order to observe the consumer credit market dynamics and its trends. In-depth informal and semi-formal interviewing, focus group discussions as well as a questionnaire survey were also used to gather primary data.</p> </font></font></font></font></p>

This thesis is a quantitative study of distributive justice between generations or age groups. It is theoretically informed by a synchronic generation approach and John Rawls’s theory of justice-as-fairness. The empirical part compares the economic positions of, and public spending on, children, adults and the elderly in 16 European countries. The theoretical part is used as a platform for the empirical analysis. In addition to Rawls, a discussion of distributive justice includes the classical theories of Plato and Aristotle and more recent utilitarian, egalitarian and desert-based theories. The synchronic generation approach is presented and compared to diachronic approaches to studies of generational relations. The synchronic approach is theorized by scholars working in the tradition of the social studies of childhood. The chapter on methods identifies children, adults and the old by way of age brackets, it presents indicators of public spending and income, and it points out empirical applications of equality, equal opportunity and the difference principle. The techniques of analyses are presented; descriptive analysis and OLS regression. The explanatory variables vary, but in all cases include economic performance, age structure and a modified version of Esping-Andersen`s classification of welfare states (Social Democratic, Conservative, Liberal and Southern European). Six research questions are answered in the empirical part, using official statistics from Eurostat, OECD and Statistics Norway. Over the past few decades there is an extensive growth on spending on the elderly, but spending on family and children does not decline. Multivariate analyses indicate that the size of old age and family and child benefits vary across welfare regimes. The Social Democratic and Conservative welfare states are more egalitarian and have lower poverty rates compared to the Liberal and Southern European welfare states. These regime variances are also seen in multivariate analyses of child poverty and old age poverty. Risk factors for child poverty are parental unemployment, children living with single parents, young parents, ethnic parents, and low educated parents. A multivariate analysis points to a link between the size of family and child benefits and fertility rates. / Children`s welfare: money, time and space

In recent years, as biological information analysis technology rapidly develops in hematology, biochemistry and microbiology areas, demand for portable measurement systems become more and more important. This study makes efforts in developing disposable hydrogen and potassium ion sensor and microsystem for analysis application. The measured ion concentration data by this analysis microsystem provide people a judgement on their health condition, and furthermore an important reference for medical treatment for patients. There are several advantages in using IC or MEMS technology to manufacture portable measurement system, the advantages are down-scaling, short reaction time, trace chemical analysis, low power dissipation, and low cost. So the thesis uses extended gate field effect transistor, in order to measure multiple ions at the same time, multiple transistors are manufactured on the same chip with an ion selective membrane on top of the gate sensitive layer. This allows the measurement result of the multiple ion be shown at the same time. The main processing steps of the ion sensor developed in this study involve at least four photolithographic and three thin-film deposition processes. Based on the measurement result, the hydrogen ion sensor¡¦s sensitivity is 30.7 mV/decade for a sensing range pH1 ~ pH13. The sensitivity of the potassium ion sensor is 11.5 mV/decade for a sensing range 10-1M to 10-3M.