Poor air quality can greatly affect the public health. Research studies indicate that indoor air can be more polluted than the outdoor air. An indoor air quality monitoring system will help to create an awareness of the quality of air inside which will eventually help in improving it. The objective of this research is to develop a low cost wireless sensor system for indoor air quality monitoring. The major cost reduction of the system is achieved by using low priced sensors. Interface circuits had to be designed to make these sensors more accurate. The system is capable of measuring carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, temperature, humidity and volatile organic compounds. The prototype sensor node modules were developed. The sensor nodes were the connected together by Zigbee network. The nodes were developed in such a way that it is compact in size and wireless connection of sensor nodes enable to collect air quality data from multiple locations simultaneously. The collected data was stored in a computer. We employed linear least-square approach for the calibration of each sensor to derive a conversion formula for converting the sensor readings to engineering units. The system was tested with different pollutants and data collected was compared with a professional grade monitoring system for analyzing its performance. The results indicated that the data from our system matched quite well with the professional grade monitoring system.

This thesis examines the use of modelling approaches in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) at node and sink to: reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted by each node and estimate sensor readings for locations where no data is available. First, to contextualise the contributions in this thesis, a framework for WSN monitoring applications (FieldMAP) is proposed. FieldMAP provides a structure for developing monitoring applications that advocates the use of modelling to improve the informational output of WSNs and goes beyond the sense- and-send approach commonly found in current, elded WSN applications. Rather than report raw sensor readings, FieldMAP advocates the use of a state vector to encapsulate the state of the phenomena sensed by the node. Second, the Spanish Inquisition Protocol (SIP) is presented. SIP reduces the amount of data that a sensor node must transmit by combining model-based ltering with Dual-Prediction approaches. SIP makes use of the state vector component of FieldMAP to form a simple predictive model that allows the sink to estimate sensor readings without requiring regular updates from the node. Transmissions are only made when the node detects that the predictive model no longer matches the evolving data stream. SIP is shown to produce up to a 99% reduction in the number of samples that require transmission on certain data sets using a simple linear approach and consistently outperforms comparable algorithms when used to compress the same data streams. Furthermore, the relationship between the user-specied error threshold and number of transmissions required to reconstruct a data set is explored, and a method to estimate the number of transmissions required to reconstruct the data stream at a given error threshold is proposed. When multiple parameters are sensed by a node, SIP allows them to be combined into a single state vector. This is demonstrated to further reduce the number of model updates required compared to processing each sensor stream individually. iii Third, a sink-based, on-line mechanism to impute missing sensor values and predict future readings from sensor nodes is developed and evaluated in the context of an on-line monitoring system for a Water Distribution System (WDS). The mechanism is based on a machine learning approach called Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), and is implemented such that it can exploit correlations between nodes in the network to improve predictions. An on-line windowing algorithm deals with data arriving out of order and provides a feedback mechanism to predict values when data is not received in a timely manner. A novel approach to create virtual sensors that allows a data stream to be predicted where no physical sensor is permanently deployed is developed from the on-line GPR mechanism. The use of correlation in prediction is shown to improve the accuracy of predicted data from 1.55 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) to 0.01 PSI RMSE. In-situ evaluation of the Virtual Sensors approach over 36 days showed that an accuracy of 0:75 PSI was maintained. The protocols developed in this thesis present an opportunity to improve the output of environmental monitoring applications. By improving energy consumption, long-lived networks that collect detailed data are made possible. Furthermore, the utility of the data collected by these networks is increased by using it to improve coverage over areas where measurements are not taken or available.

Cyclodextrins, a family of compounds formed from a cyclic array of glucose monomers, contain a hydrophobic cavity which displays selective complexation of size specific guests. This selective molecular recognition is critical to the development of successful chemosensors. A selection of cyclodextrin-conjugates have been designed to report complexation of guests into the cyclodextrin cavity by optical and electrochemical means. Alkylated cyclodextrins containing a single linker group have been synthesised allowing the development of two cyclen-appended cyclodextrin conjugates and their lanthanide complexes. The tetraamide ligand (25) displayed a high rigidity, assessed by (^1)H NMR and luminescence methods. The Tb complex of the monoamide ligand [Tb.26] displayed long lived luminescence arising from energy transfer from cyclodextrin-complexed napthalene to the lanthanide. The association constant, K(_11), between naphthalene and the cyclodextrin [Tb.26], was calculated as 10,200 M(^-1). K(_11) between the Gd complex [Gd.26] and GdDOTAPh (40) was determined to be 1740M(^-1) by NMRD. These association constants are ca 14 and 7 times greater respectively than for the corresponding complexes with β-cyclodextrin (1). Bromonaphthalenes exhibit long lived phosphorescence when complexed within cyclodextrins. Four bromonaphthalene-appended cyclodextrins (57-60) were designed to form inframolecular self-complexes. Competitive complexation of optically transparent guests was expected to reduce the lifetime of phosphorescent emission. The four conjugates were successfully synthesised, although luminescence studies revealed no evidence for complex formation and no response upon competitive guest complexation was observed. The rotaxane (95) and corresponding thread (92) of a hydrophilic ferrocene- cyclodextrin conjugate were made and structurally assessed by CD, (^-1)H NMR and MALDI-TOF MS. The hydrophilic per-O-ethyl conjugates (93 & 100) were also synthesised. A lipophilic quinoline-cyclodextrin conjugate (94) was made, which, when incorporated into an optode membrane, allowed the detection of acetylcholine at micromolar concentrations.

O laboratório de biomagnetismo tem realizado com sucesso estudos da motilidade gastrointestinal medindo tempos de trânsito e de esvaziamento de diferentes segmentos do trato gastrointestinal. Nesse estudo tanto a magnetização remanente como a susceptibilidade magnética de diferentes regiões do trato gastrointestinal são medidas. Os sensores magnetoresistivos serão utilizados para estudo de marcadores ferromagnéticos ou pequenos imãs (aproximados por dipolos magnéticos) in vitro, que possibilitará em trabalhos futuros serem utilizados no estudo de marcadores magnéticos no trato gastrintestinal. Neste trabalho testaremos a idéia de um concentrador de fluxo magnético, que seja capaz de aumentar a densidade de linhas de campo magnético na região próxima ao sensor. Desenvolvemos a instrumentação de uma ponte de prova que contivesse um único sensor magnetorresistivo ligado a uma placa de condicionamento dos sinais. A ponta de prova foi utilizada para teste da eficiência dos concentradores de fluxo magnético e para fazermos varredura de regiões com o auxilio de uma mesa xy, com a finalidade de construir mapas densidade de campo magnético de dipolos estáticos no tempo. Terminaremos o trabalho mostrando a possibilidade construir imagens de dipolos que se movem, desenvolvendo um sistema de aquisição dos sinais dos sensores em tempo real, será utilizando uma matriz com dezesseis sensores magnetorresistivos os sinais serão tratados e a imagem construída pelo método de interpolação matemática, este sistema abre a possibilidade para aplicação em trabalhos futuros no estudo da motilidade gastrointestinal medindo tempos de transito usando a técnica de susceptibilidade magnética marcadores ferromagnéticos e também de dipolos permanentes sem a necessidade de campo externo aplicado. / The biomagnetism laboratory has successively performing studies of gastrointestinal (GI) motility by the measurement of transit times and emptying times of different segments of the GI tract. In this kind of work the remanent magnetization as well as the magnetic susceptibility are measured in different regions of the GI tract. Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors are used to study ferromagnetic markers along the GI tract. Recently this potential was demonstrated in a doctoral thesis done at this group, where image formation of magnetic particles was studied. In this work it became clear that the small region sampled by the MR sensors and the necessity to increase the area sampled by each sensor. One of the goals of this work is to develop a magnetic flux concentrator that could be able to focus the magnetic field of an area on the order of a few centimeters in the MR sensor, usually much smaller. The signal conditioning, acquisition and processing will also be developed in this work. As can be verified it is possible to use the MR sensors with advantages in relation to other sensors in some specific applications.

Orientador: Maria Del Pilar Taboada Sotomayor / Banca: Flavio Santos Damos / Banca: Arnaldo Cesar Pereira / Resumo: Eletrodos quimicamente modificados à base de pasta de carbono foram construídos para determinação de captopril, empregando catalisadores biomiméticos em potencial da enzima P450. O complexo que permitiu obter os resultados mais satisfatórios foi o bis(piridil)ftalocianinaferro (II) [Fe(dipy)Pc]. O sensor proposto foi avaliado em batelada e em sistema de análise por injeção em fluxo (FIA), e as condições de análise foram devidamente otimizadas empregando a amperometria. Em batelada obtiveram-se os melhores resultados aplicando potencial de 0,175 V vs Ag|AgCl(KClsat) e usando solução tampão TRIS 0,1 mol L-1 como eletrólito em pH 8,0. Nestas condições observou-se uma faixa linear de resposta para o sensor entre 25 e 165 μmol L-1; com uma sensibilidade de 2.315(±61) μA L mol-1 e um limite de detecção e quantificação de 0,9 e 3,1 μmol L-1, respectivamente. Em sistema em fluxo, os melhores resultados foram obtidos aplicando potencial de 0,100 V vs Ag|AgCl (KClsat) em solução carregadora de tampão TRIS 0,1 mol L-1 e pH 8.0, com volume de amostra injetado de 75 μL e vazão de 1,4 mL min-1. A faixa linear de resposta obtida no sistema em fluxo (FIA) foi entre 5,0 x 10-5 e 2,5 x 10-2 mol L-1, com uma sensibilidade de 210(±1) μA L mol-1 e uma reprodutibilidade menor que 4%, avaliado pelo valor do desvio padrão médio relativo (R.S.D.) para sete injeções consecutivas de solução padrão de captopril 2,5 x 10-3 mol L-1. A biomimeticidade do sensor foi estudada, assim como a seletividade e seus possíveis interferentes. O sensor biomimético foi aplicado na análise de formulações comerciais, amostras biológicas e ambientais (águas de rios e esgoto). Os resultados obtidos quando comparados com o método oficial de análise baseado na cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC), mostraram boa eficiência do sensor desenvolvido na quantificação do captopril / Abstract: Chemically modified electrodes based on carbon paste were constructed for determination of captopril, catalysts employing biomimetic of the P450 enzyme. The compound that allowed to obtain the most satisfying results was the iron (II) phthalocyanine bis(pyridine) complex [Fe(dipy)Pc]. The proposed sensor was evaluated in batch system and flow injection analysis (FIA) and the analysis conditions were properly optimized employing amperometry. In batch experiments were obtaining the best results by applying a potential of 0,175 V vs Ag | AgCl (KClsat) and using 0.1 mol L-1 TRIS buffer at pH 8.0, the electrolyte. These conditions was observed under the linear response range for the sensor between 25 and 165 μmol L-1, with a sensitivity of 2315 (± 61) μA L mol-1 and quantification and detection limits of 0.9 and 3.1 μmol L-1, respectively . In the flow system the best results were obtained at the potential of 0,1 V vs. Ag | AgCl (KClsat) in carrier solution of 0.1 mol L-1 TRIS buffer at pH 8.0, with the injected sample volume of 75 mL and flow rate of 1.4 mL min-1. The linear response range obtained in the FIA system was between 5.0 x 10-5 and 2.5 x 10-2 mol L-1, with a sensitivity of 210 (± 1) μA L mol L-1 and the reproducibility value lower than 4 %, calculated the relative standard deviation (RSD) for seven consecutive injections of standard solution of captopril 2.5 x 10-3 mol L-1. The biomimetic characteristics of the sensor was studied and the selectivity and possible interfering. The biomimetic sensor has been applied to analysis of commercial formulations, biological and environmental samples (river water and sewage). The results compared with the official method of analysis based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed the good efficiency of this sensor is developed quantification of captopril / Mestre

This thesis describes the development and characterisation of palladium optical coatings for hydrogen sensing. The main aim of the thesis was to optimise an optically interrogated palladium coated substrate to detect hydrogen at concentrations less than 1% in humid conditions (50-80%). An optical set up was constructed to investigate the change in the coatings in transmission at 650 nm on exposure to varying hydrogen concentrations in dry and wet conditions. Three different optical substrates; Polymer Optical Fibre (POF), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and glass were evaluated to determine the best support for palladium; criteria of selection were based on hydrogen detection performance in dry and humid condition (50%). PMMA was shown to be the ideal support as effect of humidity on hydrogen detection was minimal. Palladium was deposited by sputter coating technique and the coating thickness demonstrates a dependence on the deposition time and position of the substrate inside the coating chamber. The coating developed showed a response time of 1s at 5%H2, a detection range of 0-9.1% with a demonstrated detection limit of 200 parts per million (ppm) and a predicted limit of detection of 15 ppm. The rate of hydrogen detection was proposed to be diffusion limited for coating thickness up to the threshold thickness. At thicknesses less than the threshold thickness, the rate limiting step was related to the binding force between the coating and the support. The coating performance was unaffected by cross sensitive gases such as hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide, methane and ethene. In the presence of Relative Humidity (50-80%), the coating reached a limit of detection at 0.1% H2. However, over exposure to humidity lead to temperature effect which was compensated using a temperature compensation model developed. The surface of the coating developed was characterised by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and revealed that the coating developed is unaffected by the tests carried out through the PhD.