We have investigated electropolymerisation for fabrication of a chemically modified working electrode for the determination of dopamine and catechol neurotransmitters in the presence of ascorbic acid. A variety of film compositions were investigated that would allow discrimination of the neurotransmitters through a combination of electrostatic barrier and the film porosity. The films investigated were based on different compositions of () poly-o-toluidine-co-aniline (POT-co-PA), () poly-o-toluidine-co-o-anisidine (POT-co-POA) and () polyacriflavine (PAF). The POT-co-PA and POT-co-POA gave the most promising result although the POT-co-PA was preferred because of higher current enhancement and better separation of dopamine and catechol neurotransmitters in the presence of ascorbic acid. The uses of electropolymerisation make the investigated films attractive candidates for the fabrication of a chemically modified microelectrode with application in capillary electrophoresis separation with electrochemical detection. The active area of nano particle (Au, Pt and Ag) screen printed electrodes was determined using cyclic voltammogram with ferro/ferricyanide couple. The active surface of the nano particle coated electrode was found surprisingly to be 5% - 65% lower than that geometrically calculated surface area for the electrode. This is ascribed to the limitation of the screen printing approach that was used. A low cost high replication approach that would allow development of a capillary electrophoresis microfluidic chip with electrochemical detection (CE-ECD) on a polymer substrate was investigated. A fluidic top layer was fabricated using hot embossing and an electrode bottom layer by metal patterning on a polymer substrate using metallisation and photolithography.

The semiconducting properties of a bithiophene-naphthalene diimide copolymer (PNDIT2) prepared by Ni-catalyzed chain-growth polycondensation (P1) and commercially available N2200 synthesized by Pd-catalyzed step-growth polycondensation were compared. Both polymers show similar electron mobility of [similar]0.2 cm2 V−1 s−1, as measured in top-gate OFETs with Au source/drain electrodes. It is noteworthy that the new synthesis has several technological advantages compared to traditional Stille polycondensation, as it proceeds rapidly at room temperature and does not involve toxic tin-based monomers. Furthermore, a step forward to fully printed polymeric devices was achieved. To this end, transistors with PEDOT:PSS source/drain electrodes were fabricated on plastic foils by means of mass printing technologies in a roll-to-roll printing press. Surface treatment of the printed electrodes with PEIE, which reduces the work function of PEDOT:PSS, was essential to lower the threshold voltage and achieve high electron mobility. Fully polymeric P1 and N2200-based OFETs achieved average linear and saturation FET mobilities of >0.08 cm2 V−1 s−1. Hence, the performance of n-type, plastic OFET devices prepared in ambient laboratory conditions approaches those achieved by more sophisticated and expensive technologies, utilizing gold electrodes and time/energy consuming thermal annealing and lithographic steps. / Dieser Beitrag ist aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Although digital media has been exploited to improve digital libraries, social networking sites, and book promotion for adult and child stakeholders, but encouraging children who have the choice to either read from a book or on a screen remains limited worldwide, including Jordan. This interest has meant that data about children's reading habits were needed, and the present study was intended as a contribution towards this aim. Interviews were conducted with Jordanian writers, publishers, child specialists, and various children's cultural centres. The managers and personnel unanimously showed that Jordanian children are not good readers and that a limited number of books are published for children as there are actual boundaries preventing Jordanian writers from publishing books. In particular, subjecting the typical sorts of children's websites - 'Club Penguin', 'PBS Kids', 'A Story before Bed', 'Baraem', 'Storyline Online', and 'Raneen' - to evaluation showed that 'Club Penguin' got the highest rank among the other websites in terms of multimodal features, usability, and language, while 'PBS Kids' got the highest rank regarding interactivity, and 'A Story before Bed' got the highest rank in reading activities. Although it was realised that most children were satisfied with the aspects of usability and ease of use rather than the structure or the aesthetic of the website, and were more attracted to the websites that provide multimodal features such as special characters, narration, gesture, and interactivity. The targeted websites' parameters obtained from the survey were used as guidance in the design structure of the KITABAK website, as a virtual reading environment for children's reading practices. The evaluation results that were obtained showed that there is a significant correlation towards encouraging children's reading habits and reading from printed books accompanying the website; girls showed more interest in reading iv than boys; and there is an obvious willingness for the adaptation of the website as a part of the Jordanian school curriculum. In addition, the KITABAK website was accepted significantly more than 'Club Penguin', mainly because the KITABAK website has facilities, games and reading activities. Also, results showed that children who were subjected to testing the KITABAK website for a one-week period proved to accept the website significantly more than those who were subjected to testing it once.

This study was a follow up to P. C. Dams' (1996) unpublished University of North Texas masters thesis, The effect of defect probability during training on inspection accuracy in a quality control simulation. Graphics of computer circuit boards were presented in dyads with an error free sample on the left and a comparison on the right. Comparisons had either a rotation or transposition defect, or were error free. Subjects had 10-s to accept or reject the comparison as identical to the sample. They were trained using two different stimulus fading procedures (using descending defect probabilities) and immediate feedback. Defect probabilities for the Tens were 0.60, 0.50, 0.40, and 0.30 and for the Twenties were 1.00, 0.80, 0.60, and 0.40. The last 4 pretraining and posttraining sessions were compared and the posttraining performance of the Twenties, as compared to the Tens, demonstrated greater improvement over pretraining performance. No firm conclusions could be drawn as to the effectiveness of either training procedure. The significance of the current investigation and suggestions for future research are discussed.

This thesis presents the design and development of a hand-held electronic reader, designed to decode conductive patterns printed on a paper substrate. Data read from the patterns, by the reader, is used to trigger events in the digital domain. The reader and associated conductive patterns are devices for linking paper documents with the digital world. The patterns are formed by masking conductive-coated paper with a non-conductive, printed lacquer. The reader is a low cost and ergonomic device, capable of transmitting the embedded data from the conductive paper to the computer. The first reader designed and developed was tethered to a computer by data cable, using the USB communication protocol. The second design was developed further, with transmission of data achieved by replacing the cable with short-range Bluetooth wireless technology. Both devices were designed and developed using embedded systems and low cost electronic components. Additional work was undertaken to optimise the device's mechanical structure, ergonomics and integration of hardware. Alongside the development of the reader, test and development work was carried out to optimise the printed media, in materials and design. User trials demonstrated that the complete printed and reading system was functional, with varied rates of success among participants. Further work is required to improve the conductivity of the coated paper, and the accuracy of the decoding algorithm.

[pt] Esta dissertação tem como objetivo descrever e analisar modos de interação entre crianças e veículos jornalísticos a elas destinados: as opiniões delas sobre o material impresso, suas formas de ler e sua maneira de fazer um jornalismo que consideram de qualidade, destinado a outras crianças de mesma faixa etária. Toma como principal referência teórica os estudos de Roger Chartier, que afirmam que a leitura constitui sempre uma produção de sentido e que é necessário investigar o leitor não só a partir do que consome, mas de como consome. A pesquisa de campo, de base qualitativa, foi realizada em oficinas semanais, com duração média de três meses, em duas escolas de realidades distintas: uma pública, localizada no Leblon, e uma particular, na Barra da Tijuca. Foram ao todo 59 crianças, de faixa etária em torno dos 11 anos, que participaram das atividades organizadas em grupos de 15 a 20 alunos. A partir do registro da fala dessas crianças sobre os materiais impressos a elas oferecidos e da observação de suas práticas leitoras, pretendeu-se entender de que forma elas se relacionam com jornais e revistas; como realizam a leitura de impressos jornalísticos voltados para o público infantil, especificamente a revista Recreio e o suplemento Globinho; que considerações fazem sobre texto, imagens e pautas destes veículos; e o que fazem com as informações de que se apropriam. Os resultados foram analisados à luz da teoria de Roger Chartier e dos estudos de recepção latino-americanos, nos quais o consumidor de mídia, neste caso leitor, é visto como sujeito ativo, seletivo e informado. A análise do registro das oficinas indica que há, por parte dessas crianças, grande interesse por notícias, mas aquelas que fazem parte do jornalismo feito para adultos e não só para o público infantil. Leitores exigentes e bons conhecedores de mídia, essas crianças afirmam que os tipos de informação que mais os atraem não se encontram necessariamente em suplementos ou revistas segmentados para o público infantil. / [en] This Master Dissertation is a result of the records and analysis of the interaction between children and journalistic vehicles addressed to them: their opinions about the material, their reading practices and, in a final moment, their ways of making a journalism they consider qualified to other children. It takes as main reference Roger Chartier´s theory, which argues that reading is always a sense production and that is necessary to investigate the reader not only based on what he consumes, but on how he consumes. The fieldwork was carried out through weakly workshops, with three-month duration, in two schools with different realities: a public one, located in Leblon, and a private one, in Barra da Tijuca. In a total, 59 nine children, with ages around 11 years old, took part on this research, divided in groups of 15 to 20 students. Based on the records of these children speeches about the print material offered to them and the observation of their reading practices, the purpose of this study was to understand how they relate to newspapers and magazines; how they read print journalistic vehicles addresses to children, especially Recreio magazine and Globinho section; which considerations they make about the text, the images and the themes brought by these special vehicles; and what they do with the information they are exposed to. The results were analyzed through Roger Chartier´s theory and latinamerican reception studies, which understand the media consumer - the reader, in this case - as an active, selective and informed individual. The analyses of the workshops´ records indicate that these children have a great interest on news, but mostly news written for adults. Having a good knowledge of media, even print media, these students say that the most interesting information for them is not necessarily on newspaper sections or magazines addressed to children.

Cette thèse porte sur l’étude de la stabilité et de la fiabilité de transistors organiques imprimés au CEA-Liten. Des OTFTs de type P ont été fabriqués sur plastique, avec un polymère semi-conducteur (SCO) de type P (SP400 de Merck) et un fluoropolymère en tant que diélectrique. Tout d’abord, un protocole expérimental pour la caractérisation électrique a été mis en place afin de s’affranchir de potentiels effets dus à l’environnement, la mesure ou le vieillissement des OTFTs. Puis un modèle basé sur l’expression de la charge d’accumulation dans le transistor a été développé. Ce modèle a permis l’extraction des paramètres des OTFTs lors de mesures à basses températures, qui ont mis en évidence un transport de charges en température dans le SCO. Enfin, l’impact du stress électrique de grille négatif sur les caractéristiques des transistors a été étudié. La stabilité électrique des P-OTFTs a été mesurée sur plusieurs empilements afin d’étudier l’influence du diélectrique ou de sa méthode de dépôt et l’influence de la grille (électrode en encre argent imprimée ou en or pulvérisée). / This thesis project is about the study of stability and reliability of organic transistors printed at CEA-Liten. P-Type OTFTs were manufactured on plastic substrate, with a p-type polymer semiconductor (SP400 from Merck) and a fluoropolymer as dielectric. First, an experimental protocol for electrical characterization was determined in order to overcome potential effects due to environment, measurements or aging of OTFTs. Then a model based on the expression of the accumulation charge in the transistor was developed. This model allowed the OTFT parameters’ extraction during low temperature measurements, which showed a temperature-activated charges transport in the OSC. Finally, the impact of negative gate bias stress on OTFTs’ characteristics was studied. The electrical stability of the P-OTFTs was measured on several stacks to study the influence of the dielectric material or its deposition method and the influence of the gate (printed silver ink or sputtered gold electrode).

A geração global de resíduo eletrônico (REEE) cresce a uma taxa de cerca de 40 milhões de toneladas por ano. Este constante incremento na geração dos REEEs somado às recentes legislações tem impulsionado pesquisas focadas no desenvolvimento de processos para recuperação de materiais e sustentabilidade da indústria eletroeletrônica. Dentro destes resíduos encontram-se as placas de circuito impresso (PCIs) que estão presentes na maioria dos EEEs, têm composição heterogênea que varia conforme a fonte, país de proveniência e época, e tecnologia de fabricação. Assim, este trabalho teve por objetivo a realização de rota hidrometalúrgica (extração sólido/líquido) e biohidrometalúrgica para reciclagem de placas de circuito impresso provenientes de impressoras visando a recuperação de cobre. Para tanto fez-se inicialmente a caracterização da PCI e o desenvolvimento de uma rota combinada de processamento físico seguida por processo hidrometalúrgico ou biohidrometalúrgico. O processamento físico e de caracterização foi composto por etapas de cominuição, separação magnética, classificação granulométrica, visualização em lupa binocular, microscópio eletrônico de varredura acoplado com detector de energia dispersiva de raios X (MEV/EDS), digestão ácida, perda ao fogo e análise química por AAS e ICP. Já, o processamento hidrometalúrgico foi composto por duas etapas de extração sólido/líquido: a primeira em meio sulfúrico e a segunda em meio sulfúrico oxidante. Para os ensaios de biolixiviação utilizou-se uma cepa bacteriana composta por 3 espécies microbianas: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans e Leptospirillum ferrooxidans. Verificou-se que a placa possui 4 camadas de Cu intercaladas por fibra de vidro, é lead free e seus componentes representam 53,3 % do seu peso. A porcentagem em massa correspondente ao material não magnético é de 74,6 % e do magnético 25,4 %. Os materiais moído e não magnético apresentaram tendência em se acumular nas frações mais grossas. Já na fração magnética, o acúmulo do material ocorreu na fração mais fina (0,053 mm). A separação dos metais através de classificação granulométrica não foi possível. A PCI estudada é composta por: 44% de metais, 28,5 % de polímeros e 27,5 % de cerâmicas. Sendo: Ag-0,31 %; Al3,73 %; Au0,004 %; Cu 32,5 %; Fe1,42 %; Ni0,34 %; Sn0,96 % e Zn0,64 %. A extração de Cu no processamento hidrometalúrgico foi de 100 % e o fator de recuperação 98,46 %, o que corresponde a uma recuperação de 32 kg de Cu em 100 kg de PCI. Já no processamento biohidrometalúrgico, a extração de Cu alcança 100 % quando utilizados 2 % de densidade de polpa e 100 % de inóculo. O fator de recuperação é de 100 % e a recuperação de Cu em 100 kg de PCI é de 32,5 kg. O processamento hidrometalúrgico apresenta como vantagens quando comparado ao biohidrometalúrgico: menor tempo de extração (8 h versus 4 dias); seletividade de Cu; maior densidade de polpa (10 % versus 2 %). Já a biolixiviação utiliza menor temperatura de trabalho (36 ºC versus 75 ºC) e dispensa a etapa de separação magnética. / The increase in the generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), 40 tons per year, allied with the enactment of new laws encouraged researches focused on the developing of processes to reclaim materials and on the sustainability of the electrical and electronics industry. Whithin the WEEEs, printed circuit boards (PCB) composition is heterogeneous and varies according to several factors, including: kind of EEE, when and where it was produced and fabrication technology. The goal of this work is to perfom a hydrometallurgical route (solid/liquid extraction) and a biohydrometallurgical route to recycle PCB from discarded printers aiming the recovery of copper. To do so, the first step is to characterize the PCB and the development of a combined fisical processing followed by hydrometallurgical and biohydrometallurgical routes. The fisical and the characterization processes, in that order, consisted on griding, magnetic separation, granulometric screening, visual assessement by binocular magnifier, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), acid digestion, loss on fire, and chemical analyzes by AAS and ACP-OES. The hydrometallurgical stage consisted on two steps: solid/liquid extraction by sulfuric acid leaching and solid/liquid extraction by sulfuric acid leaching with an oxidizing agent. The bioleaching tests used a mixed bacterial strain: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans. The results showed that PCB consisted on 4 layers of copper and fiber glass, not possesing lead (leadfree) on its composition and its components constitute 53.3 % weight percentage. The non-magnetic fraction (NMA) weight percentage represents 74.6 %, the magnetc fraction (MA) represents 25.4 %. The grinded material and the non-magnetic fraction presented an inclination to build up on thickest fractions. On the magnetic fraction this behavior occurred on the thinnest fraction (0.053 mm). The metal separation using granulometric screening was not possible and the visual assessement by binocular magnifier was conclusive for this research. The composition of the studied PCB is: 44 % metal, 28.5 % polymer and 27.5 % ceramics. Beeing: Ag-0.31 %, Al-3.73 %, Au-0.004 %, Cu-32.5 %, Fe-1.42 %, Ni-0.34 %, Sn-0.96 %, Zn-0.64 % and other metals-4.10 %. Copper extraction in the hydrometallurgical process achieved 100 % and the recuperation factor 98.46 %, which means a recovery of 32 kg of copper in 100 kg of PCB. However in biohydrometallurgical process, the copper extraction reached 100 % on the forth day using a 2 % pulp density and 100 % inoculum. The recuperation factor achieved 100 % and, therefore, copper recovery in 100 kg of PCB is equivalent to 32.5 kg. The hydrometallurgical processing has many advantages compared to the biohydrometallurgical processing: a smaller extraction time (8 h versus 4 days); Cu selectivity; higher pulp density (10 % versus 2 %). However, bioleaching uses an inferior working temperature (36 ºC versus 75 ºC) and dont require magnetic separation.

Nas últimas décadas, a informatização das redações de jornais e o desenvolvimento de softwares gráficos possibilitaram a consolidação do uso da infografia como ferramenta auxiliar na transmissão da notícia nos jornais impressos diários. A prática editorial do infojornalismo integra textos verbais com diferentes expressões não verbais, tais como ilustrações, mapas, gráficos, tabelas, fotografias, entre outros. Partindo da noção de texto como mecanismo semiótico gerador de sentidos, analisamos oito textos infográficos em três coberturas noticiosas extraídas do jornal Folha de S.Paulo, com o objetivo de apontar formas de estruturação das infografias e as decorrências dessa modelização na formação de sentidos. Com base na observação do corpus, identificamos como o infojornalismo incorpora e adapta recursos externos ao jornalismo e distinguimos fluxos de significações possíveis no diálogo que o texto infográfico estabelece com os demais textos da página do jornal. Esses elementos nos permitiram relacionar as funções básicas que a infografia pode cumprir no jornal impresso. / For the last decades, the informatization of newspaper publishing, as well as the development of desk top publishing software, have made it possible to consolidate the application of infographics as an ancillary tool to news transmission on daily printed periodicals. The publishing practices of infojournalism integrate verbal texts with different non-verbal expressions, such as illustrations, maps, charts, tables, pictures, among others. Departing from the concept of text as a semiotic mechanism generating senses, we have analyzed eight infographic texts in three news coverages taken out from the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, for the purpose of pointing at structuring formats of infographics, and such modeling implications on the formation of senses. Based on the observation of the corpus, we have identified how infojournalism incorporates and adapts external resources into journalism, and have distinguished possible signifying flows in the dialogue that an infographic text establishes with the other texts on a newspaper page. These elements have allowed us to establish the relations of the basic roles that infographics may play in a printed newspaper.

Esta tese tem por objetivos apresentar a edição criteriosa de manuscritos brasileiros seiscentistas; mostrar tendências gramaticais do português do século XVII, com base nesses manuscritos e em impressos coetâneos; analisar a retenção gráfica desses textos, muito mais próxima da escrita fonética do que da etimológica e, ainda, analisar o uso freqüente das conjunções coordenativas. A preocupação com o estado da língua portuguesa no século XVII justifica-se pela pouca quantidade de estudos voltados especificamente a esse período, através de fontes primárias, e por ser este um período em que a escrita, baseada de modo geral nos textos literários, é considerada pelos lingüistas de modo geral como pseudo-etimológica, contrariando fatos apresentados nas cartas e textos notariais seiscentistas. Os passos seguidos para a análise partiram da edição criteriosa de manuscritos seiscentistas brasileiros, da comparação com impressos e com gramáticas e tratados de ortografia de mesma época e do confronto com o que dizem os atuais especialistas em lingüística diacrônica. Os resultados obtidos permitemnos afirmar que a ortografia portuguesa do século XVII e o uso dos nexos de coordenação apresentam fortes características do português medieval, contrariando o que se pregava na época, em função da revolução filosófica desencadeada pelo Renascimento. Tal conclusão, a nosso ver, deve-se, especialmente, ao fato de a educação em Portugal, e conseqüentemente no Brasil, estar nas mãos da Companhia de Jesus, defensora da filosofia escolástica e opositora, portanto, ao pensamento racional e cartesiano dos países reformados, o que manteve Portugal afastado das grandes correntes filosóficas do século em questão. / The purpose of this thesis is to present a discerning edition of seventeenth Brazilian manuscripts; to demonstrate grammatical trends of Portuguese from the Seventeenth Century, based on these manuscripts and on coetaneous printed versions; to analyze the graphical retention of these texts, much more near to the phonetic writing than to the etymological one, and, also, to analyze the frequent use of the coordinative conjunctions in those texts. The concern with the Portuguese language condition in the Seventeenth Century is justified by the little quantity of studies specifically focused on that period, through primary sources, and because that is a period in which the writing, usually based upon literary texts, is considered by almost all linguists as pseudo-etymological, contesting facts presented in letters and in seventeenth century notarial texts.The steps followed for the analysis arose from the discerning edition of seventeenth Brazilian manuscripts, the comparison with printed versions and with grammar books and treaties on orthography from the same period and from the parallel with what the specialists on diachronic linguistic say. The obtained results allow us to affirm that the Portuguese orthography from the Seventeenth Century and the use of the coordination nexus present strong characteristics of medieval Portuguese, opposing to what was preached in that period, on account of the philosophical revolution broken out by the Renascence. Such conclusion, in our point of view, is specially due to the fact that the Education in Portugal, and consequently in Brazil, in the hands of \"Companhia de Jesus\", defensor of the scholastic philosophy and, therefore, opponent of the Rational and Cartesian thought of the reformed countries, what kept Portugal away from the great philosophical chains of the century under discussion.