Esta dissertação tem como objectivo revelar impressões digitais latentes, que assegurem e não comprometam a qualidade necessária para posterior identificação dos indivíduos através da correspondência de pontos característicos. A técnica utilizada para a revelação de impressões digitais é a pulverização catódica magnetrão. Para tal, os parâmetros de deposição são optimizados de modo a que esta ocorra preferencialmente nas cristas das impressões digitais. Neste estudo foram produzidos filmes finos de cobre e ouro utilizando substratos de aço inoxidável. Uma vez definidas as condições óptimas de deposição, foi estudada a influência de alguns factores - “idade” das impressões digitais, dador e teor sebáceo. A qualidade da revelação das impressões digitais foi avaliada visualmente e recorrendo à microscopia óptica e electrónica de varrimento. A morfologia dos filmes finos de cobre e ouro foi observada por microscopia electrónica de varrimento de alta resolução. Utilizando substratos de silício, foi efectuada uma análise topográfica por perfilometria tridimensional. A deposição preferencial por pulverização catódica magnetrão de filmes finos de cobre e ouro, com espessuras entre 20 e 30 nm, permite revelar impressões digitais latentes. Os filmes de ouro são mais promissores, sobretudo na revelação de impressões digitais não “frescas” e na conservação das impressões reveladas pois, ao contrário do cobre, não oxidam com o tempo. De facto, foi possível detectar os contornos das cristas dermopapilares e pontos característicos numa impressão com um mês de “idade” revelada através da deposição de ouro. Estes filmes possuem uma superfície descontínua e secção transversal colunar, enquanto que os filmes finos de cobre apresentam uma morfologia mais compacta.

The aim of the present work is to develop latent fingerprints, in order to guarantee the quality required for a positive identification through the correspondence of characteristic points. The technique used for the development of fingerprints is magnetron sputtering. To promote the preferential deposition onto fingerprints ridges, the deposition parameters should be optimised. In this study, copper and gold thin films were produced using stainless steel substrates. After optimising the deposition parameters, the influence of the fingerprints’ age and donor were studied. The quality of the developed fingermarks was evaluated visually and through optical and scanning electronic microscopy observations. The morphology of the copper and gold thin films was examined by high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Using silicon substrates, a topographic analysis was carried out by tridimensional profilometry. The preferential magnetron sputtering deposition of copper and gold thin films, 20-30 nm thick, allows latent fingerprints to be developed. The gold films are more promising, especially for detecting non-fresh fingerprints and for conserving the developed prints since, unlikely copper, they do not oxidise with time. In fact, it was possible to detect the contours of the ridges and the characteristic points in a one-month aged impression developed by gold deposition. These films present discontinuous surface and columnar cross-section morphology, while copper thin films have a more compact morphology.

The potencies of mammalian cell-derived recombinant human erythropoietin pharmaceutical preparations, from a total of five manufacturers, were assessed by in vivo bioassay using standardized protocols. Eight-week-old normocythemic mice received a single subcutaneous injection followed by blood sampling 96 h later or multiple daily injections with blood sampling 24 h after the last injection. Reticulocyte counting by microscopic examination was employed as the end-point using the brilliant cresyl blue or selective hemolysis methods, together with automated flow cytometry. Different injection schedules were investigated and dose-response curves for the European Pharmacopoeia Biological Reference Preparation of erythropoietin were compared. Manual and automated methods of reticulocyte counting were correlated with respect to assay validity and precision. Using 8 mice per treatment group, intra-assay precision determined for all of the assays in the study showed coefficients of variation of 12.1-28.4% for the brilliant cresyl blue method, 14.1-30.8% for the selective hemolysis method and 8.5-19.7% for the flow cytometry method. Applying the single injection protocol, a combination of at least two independent assays was required to achieve the precision potency and confidence limits indicated by the manufacturers, while the multiple daily injection protocol yielded the same acceptable results within a single assay. Although the latter protocol using flow cytometry for reticulocyte counting gave more precise and reproducible results (intra-assay coefficients of variation: 5.9-14.2%), the well-characterized manual methods provide equally valid alternatives for the quality control of recombinant human erythropoietin therapeutic products.