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Investigating Air Quality in Schools with Advanced Sensors and Innovative Strategies

Investigating Air Quality in Schools with Advanced Sensors and Innovative Strategies

The LEARN project team is focused on understanding how air quality in schools affects children’s learning abilities. This unique EU-funded project aims to overcome existing technological barriers and develop new sensors to detect harmful air pollutants like volatile organic compounds and ultrafine particles. By measuring and studying indoor and outdoor air pollutants, as well as biomarkers of exposure, the researchers will assess their impact on children’s cognition. To achieve the project’s goals, a diverse team of leading researchers from various fields, such as environmental epidemiology, toxicology, air quality, systems biology, engineering, and social sciences, was assembled. To further explore these effects, INL researchers are using C. elegans as biosensors. Nivedita Chatterjee, who works in the Nanosafety research group, explains that “at INL, we set up a non-mammalian alternative model to study toxicity, development and behaviour, and we have been obtaining fascinating results. This will help us to better learn the effect of air pollutants on children’s health“. With LEARN‘s scientific achievements, we will have long-term impacts on indoor air quality technology, significantly improving the quality of life for children in Europe and leading to positive changes in society and the economy. Learn more about LEARN project and follow the project on social […]

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Revolutionising optical systems: INL’s cutting-edge micro-mirror technology

Revolutionising optical systems: INL’s cutting-edge micro-mirror technology

Micro mirrors with large two-dimensional fields of view are a crucial breakthrough for achieving compact optical systems capable of reliable light manipulation, powering revolutionary applications like LIDAR and laser microscopy. INL researchers, in collaboration with the University of Minho and Bosch, have developed ground-breaking 1D and 2D micro-mirror technology using state-of-the-art MEMS (Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems) silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-based bulk micromachining. Impressively, neither complex bonding processes nor piezoelectric materials are needed to fabricate these mirrors, paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective solutions. The developed micro-mirrors feature purely electrostatic torsional out-of-plane actuation and capacitive sensing on both axes. “The unique self-aligned greyscale lithography micromachining process developed at INL, reduces gap tolerances and boosts performance by defining the vertical asymmetry of the comb electrodes with precision”, explains Inês Garcia, one of the leading researchers responsible for the success of the project. This technology has already made strides in LIDAR prototypes for automotive applications, but the potential does not end there. Diogo Aguiam adds “we are excited about the prospects of its implementation in compact laser microscopy and laser projection, opening up new horizons in scientific research and entertainment”.

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Celebrating World Brain Day: INL’s JumpIN project advances brain health and spinal cord injury research

Celebrating World Brain Day: INL’s JumpIN project advances brain health and spinal cord injury research

World Brain Day is an annual global initiative dedicated to raising awareness about neurological disorders and promoting brain health. Today we want to highlight one of the projects that we are working on at INL – JumpIN, which aligns with the mission of World Brain Day to promote brain health and combat the challenges posed by brain-related diseases. Spinal cord injury is a significant global health concern, with approximately 500,000 new cases reported each year. These injuries result in neurological deficits, and studies indicate that 99% of patients experience lifelong functional impairment, ranging from partial paralysis to full tetraplegia. The prognosis of recovery largely depends on the number of surviving neurons close to the injury site, as these neurons can contribute to functional improvements through neuroplasticity (i.e. the ability of the brain to change and adapt). The JumpIN project aims to develop efficient strategies to promote neuronal repair and regeneration following spinal cord injury. The new approach aims to achieve therapy administration using minimally invasive methods, which are preferred because they can reduce the risk of complications, minimise tissue damage, and potentially lead to faster recovery times. Researchers at INL are contributing to this innovative project by adding their expertise in […]

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INL researchers actively engaged in hydrogen and renewable gas research

INL researchers actively engaged in hydrogen and renewable gas research

INL researchers from the Clean Energy cluster are actively engaged in hydrogen and renewable gas research. Hydrogen holds tremendous potential to revolutionize our society in various ways. As a clean and versatile energy carrier, hydrogen offers a promising solution to mitigate climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It can be produced from water and renewable electricity, and it can be transformed into a wide range of synthetic fuels. Advancements in hydrogen research are driving the development of efficient and cost-effective methods for hydrogen production, storage, and utilisation. Hydrogen can be directly used in fuel cells for transportation, enabling zero-emission vehicles and reducing air pollution. It can also be used in industrial processes and power generation, fostering a sustainable energy ecosystem. Furthermore, by combining hydrogen with other abundant gases, it is possible to produce methane, methanol or other renewable gases, that are compatible with existing natural gas and energy infrastructure. While these factors open up opportunities for the widespread adoption of hydrogen, there is still a need to develop more efficient electrolysers and other systems that use fewer critical raw materials. Moreover, hydrogen can be applied in various sectors, including industrial processes, power generation, and residential applications, further contributing […]

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Revolutionizing quantum technologies – INL researcher, Leonardo Novo, published groundbreaking findings in Nature Photonics

Revolutionizing quantum technologies – INL researcher, Leonardo Novo, published groundbreaking findings in Nature Photonics

Leonardo Novo, Staff Researcher at the Quantum and Linear-Optical Computation, has just published a scientific paper in the renowned journal Nature Photonics entitled “Boson bunching is not maximized by indistinguishable particles”. In this work, the team proposed an experiment that contradicts common knowledge on the so-called bunching property of photons.  The observation of this abnormal effect seems to be within reach of today’s photonic technologies. The quantum world is indeed very complex to understand, and today we meet Leonardo so he can explain his most recent work on Boson bunching. Leonardo, congratulations on your latest work published in Nature Photonics! Can you explain what Boson bunching is? Before explaining Boson bunching let me just mention what a Boson is. For all we know, the fundamental particles that we encounter in our universe are divided into two groups: the bosons and the fermions. The ‘most famous’ bosons are the photons, the particles from which light is made, whereas electrons, protons or neutrons are fermions. There is a very powerful principle in quantum mechanics that allows us to predict many phenomena, which, in very simple terms, says that fermions have the tendency to avoid each other while bosons have the tendency to stay […]

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hOLIVEcream – healthy creams based on olive oil enriched with red fruits

hOLIVEcream – healthy creams based on olive oil enriched with red fruits

Currently, some strategies are focused on developing “clean label” products, which consider the current sustainability requirements, rely on natural products, and present a healthy nutritional profile. In this context, the project hOLIVEcream project aimed to create new creams that use vegetable fat and incorporate red fruits for pastry and bakery products. These products guarantee healthy lipidic profiles, with low saturated fat and high antioxidant content. INL researchers were in charge of developing and characterising the new formulations. Decorgel has partnered with INL has obtained so these new solutions could be incorporated into creams to be used in pastry and bakery products. This project brought significant advantages, with the development and introduction in the market of noel products that currently do not exist internationally. INL researchers thoroughly investigated the new fats to be incorporated in bakery and pastries, including textural, sensorial, rheological (deformation) and structural evaluations, at the micro and nanoscale. Buse Gurbuz, a researcher in the Food Processing and Nutrition research group at INL, explains that “all formulations were designed considering the characteristics of the products already used in the pastry sector, as a slight modification could alter the sensory perception of the final baking product”. Olive oil, an endogenous […]

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INL researchers develop a new model to predict toxicity of nanomaterials

INL researchers develop a new model to predict toxicity of nanomaterials

Engineered nanomaterials based on metal oxide nanoparticles offer many promising applications – from cosmetics and sunscreens to diagnostic devices and textiles. These nanomaterials offer exciting technological properties. However, it is crucial to understand their interaction with the biological environment, such as marine, atmospheric and terrestrial ecosystems.  Alarmingly, emerging studies suggest that engineered nanomaterials might present toxic effects on human lungs, and there is still no international consensus on the metrics and exposure limits of these nanomaterials, as toxicity studies are usually conducted in non-human laboratory models. Researchers from the Nanosafety research group at INL are innovating and using in silico experiments to predict the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials – i.e., these toxicity studies can be performed using an artificial intelligence-assisted and data-driven framework.  João Meneses, the leading author of this study, explains “We developed a machine learning model to predict the potential human lung cell toxicity induced by metal oxide nanoparticles exposure”. The group has successfully shown that it is possible to build a simple, easy-to-interpret, and robust model aligning with the principle of Safe-by-Design. João adds that the recently published study “could pave the way for efficient decision-making, prediction, and mitigation of the potential occupational and environmental risks associated with engineered nanomaterials”. This […]

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INL develops new mechanisms to improve sensitivity and noise reduction in accelerometers

INL develops new mechanisms to improve sensitivity and noise reduction in accelerometers

The demand for low-cost and low-power consumption solutions for high-resolution seismic and gravity measurements is on the rise. This is largely due to the increasing need for accurate and reliable data for various applications such as geotechnical surveying, navigation systems, or natural hazards monitoring, for example, earthquakes. This information is usually obtained using very sensitive instruments such as accelerometers. Accelerometers, as the name suggests, measure acceleration, i.e. velocity over time, and are commonly used in various applications from smartphones and cars to navigation systems and aeroplanes.  INL researchers have developed a new mechanism to improve sensitivity and noise reduction in accelerometers. More specifically, the electronic readout is typically the bottleneck that limits sensitivity/resolution in accelerometers using capacitive transduction (the commonly used mechanism). With the prototype developed at INL, researchers are using their expertise in Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems, known as MEMS structures, to increase the accuracy of accelerometers.  Rosana Dias, the researcher at the Integrated Micro and Nanotechnologies research group, explains that “the duration of pull-in non-linear transitions is very sensitive to external forces, under specific actuation and damping conditions. We are using know-how on the electrostatic pull-in dynamic behaviour of MEMS structures and the interaction of the several force contributions to […]

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