Improving selective collection of urban waste using a business intelligence system

Today recovering urban waste requires effective management services, which usually imply sophisticated monitoring and analysis mechanisms. This is essential for the smooth running of the entire recycling process as well as for planning and control urban waste recovering. In this paper we present a business intelligence system especially designed and im- plemented to support regular decision-making tasks on urban waste management processes. The system provides a set of domain-oriented analytical tools for studying and characterizing poten- tial scenarios of collection processes of urban waste, as well as for supporting waste manage- ment in urban areas, allowing for the organization and optimization of collection services. In or- der to clarify the way the system was developed and the how it operates, particularly in process visualization and data analysis, we also present the organization model of the system, the ser- vices it disposes, and the interface platforms for exploring data.

Late-medieval construction site management at the Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon

Through the analysis of the exceptional accounting documents of 1517 related to the construction of the Monastery of Jerónimos (Lisbon), this paper discusses the main characteristics of a new model of construction site organization. In the later Middle Ages we can find, among others, two main models of constructing site organization. One, older and more widespread, consisted in a centralized and pyramidal management model. The other, apparently more recent, was based in the existence of several autonomous teams working simultaneously, each one responsible for building a specific part or section of the building. This paper describes and discusses this new organizational model as it was adopted and implemented by João de Castilho (1470–1552) for the construction of the Monastery of Jerónimos in 1517, probably for the first time in Portugal, but with some parallels in other places in Europe.

Extensive admixture and selective pressure across the Sahel Belt

Genome-wide studies of African populations have the potential to reveal powerful insights into the evolution of our species, as these diverse populations have been exposed to intense selective pressures imposed by infectious diseases, diet, and environmental factors. Within Africa, the Sahel Belt extensively overlaps the geographical center of several endemic infections such as malaria, trypanosomiasis, meningitis, and hemorrhagic fevers. We screened 2.5 million single nucleotide polymorphisms in 161 individuals from 13 Sahelian populations, which together with published data cover Western, Central, and Eastern Sahel, and include both nomadic and sedentary groups. We confirmed the role of this Belt as a main corridor for human migrations across the continent. Strong admixture was observed in both Central and Eastern Sahelian populations, with North Africans and Near Eastern/Arabians, respectively, but it was inexistent in Western Sahelian populations. Genome-wide local ancestry inference in admixed Sahelian populations revealed several candidate regions that were significantly enriched for non-autochthonous haplotypes, and many showed to be under positive selection. The DARC gene region in Arabs and Nubians was enriched for African ancestry, whereas the RAB3GAP1/LCT/MCM6 region in Oromo, the TAS2R gene family in Fulani, and the ALMS1/NAT8 in Turkana and Samburu were enriched for non-African ancestry. Signals of positive selection varied in terms of geographic amplitude. Some genomic regions were selected across the Belt, the most striking example being the malaria-related DARC gene. Others were Western-specific (oxytocin, calcium, and heart pathways), Eastern-specific (lipid pathways), or even population-restricted (TAS2R genes in Fulani, which may reflect sexual selection).

Protein-based nanodevices for therapeutic applications

Tese de Doutoramento em Biologia Molecular e Ambiental (área de especialização em Biologia Celular e Saúde).

Exploring silk based biomaterials functionalized with antimicrobial peptides to prevent surgical site infections

Surgical site infections (SSI) often occur after invasive surgery, which is as a serious health problem, making it important to develop new biomaterials to prevent infections. Spider silk is a natural biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility, low immunogenicity and controllable biodegradability. Through recombinant DNA technology, spider silk-based materials can be bioengineered and functionalized with antimicrobial (AM) peptides 1. The aim of this study is to develop new materials by combining spider silk chimeric proteins with AM properties and silk fibroin extracted from Bombyx mori cocoons to prevent microbial infection. Here, spider silk domains derived from the dragline sequence of the spider Nephila clavipes (6 mer and 15 mer) were fused with the AM peptides Hepcidin and Human Neutrophil peptide 1 (HNP1). The spider silk domain maintained its self-assembly features allowing the formation of beta-sheets to lock in structures without any chemical cross-linking. The AM properties of the developed chimeric proteins showed that 6 mer + HNP1 protein had a broad microbicidal activity against pathogens. The 6 mer + HNP-1 protein was then assembled with different percentages of silk fibroin into multifunctional films. In vitro cell studies with a human fibroblasts cell line (MRC5) showed nontoxic and cytocompatible behavior of the films. The positive cellular response, together with structural properties, suggests that this new fusion protein plus silk fibroin may be good candidates as multifunctional materials to prevent SSI.

As particularidades do jornalismo online ao serviço das preferências dos leitores: análise dos elementos multimédia no site Maisfutebol

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Informação e Jornalismo)