Experimental dam-break waves profile analysis: horizontal mobile bed

River Flow, Vol. 2

Maximum level and time to peak of dam-break waves on mobile horizontal bed

Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 135, No. 11, November 1, 2009

Geomorphic dam-break flows. Part II: numerical simulation

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water Management 163 Issue WM6

The impact of pharmaceutical policy measures: a structural-break approach

Pharmaceutical spending in many other countries has had a steep increase in the last decade. The Portuguese Government has adopted several measures to reduce pharmaceutical expenditure growth, ranging from increased co-payments to price decreases determined administratively. Promotion of generic consumption has also ranked high in political priorities. We assess the overall impact of the several policy measures on total pharmaceutical spending, using monthly data over the period January 1995 – August 2008. Endogenous structural breaks (time-series) methods were employed. Our findings suggest that policy measures aimed at controlling pharmaceutical expenditure have been, in general, unsuccessful. Two breaks were identified. Both coincide with administratively determined price decreases. Measures aimed at increasing competition in the market had no visible effect on the dynamics of Government spending in pharmaceutical products. In particular, the introduction of reference pricing had only a transitory effect of less than one year, with historical growth resuming quickly. The consequence of it is a transfer of financial burden from the Government to the patients, with no apparent effect on the dynamics of pharmaceutical spending. This strongly suggests that pharmaceutical companies have been able to adjust to policy measures, in order to sustain their sales. It remains a challenge for the future to identify firms’ strategies that supported continued growth of sales, despite the several policy measures adop

Geomorphic dam-break flows. Part I: conceptual model

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water Management 163 Issue WM6

Insights into the role of almond CBF transcription factors in the environmental control of cold acclimation and dormancy break

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biology

Information Society in Croatia, Landsc@pes of Knowledge for Development

Sabbatical Studies Report

Business plan for the brand My Tea Break

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) and great tit (Parus major) in Portugal

In the present work, we studied a common outbreaking Lepidoptera species in Portuguese pine stands – Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Den. & Schiff.) - and one of its potential predators – Parus major (L.). The population dynamics of the immature stages of the Lepidoptera was studied in several types of Pinus pinaster (Aiton) plantations in three different areas: Setúbal Peninsula, Abrantes and National Pine Forest of Leiria. Location and plantation structure was the most important factors determining population density of T. pityocampa. Setubal and Abrantes was highly susceptible to attacks by the Lepidoptera, whereas Leiria had lower densities. Young and homogeneous pine stands was more susceptible to attacks than older and more heterogeneous pines stands. However, a desynchronized population of T. pityocampa, in which the larvae develops during summer instead of during winter, reached high densities also in Leiria. The impact of several mortality factors and climatic conditions on the immature stages of the insect (eggs and larvae), in normal and desynchronized populations are discussed, as well as possible evolutionary implications of the sudden appearance of the new version of T. pityocampa. The break of the pupa diapause and adult emergence times the annual life cycle of this insect. Adults from the desynchronized population emerged earlier than adults from the normal population, which in turn determined the change in the larvae development period. Different factors, potentially affecting the timing of adult emergence in both normal and abnormal populations are also discussed. To study P. Major, nest-boxes were placed in the areas of Setúbal and Leiria and they were monitored during three seasons. The nest-boxes increased the density of breeding and wintering birds in the studied pine plantations, indicating that a lack of natural holes are in fact a limiting factor for this populations. The earliest breeding start for this species was recorded in my study area, indicating that Portuguese coastal pines provide good breeding conditions earlier than in other areas of Europe and North Africa. This leads to an overlap between the end of the larvae stage of T. pityocampa and the beginning of the breeding season of P. major. Key-words: Thaumetopoea pityocampa, Parus major, Pinus pinaster, population dynamics, Portugal.

Zinc-substituted desulfovibrio gigas desulforedoxins

Protein Science (2002), 11:2464–2470

Development of Chitosan and Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Blended scaffolds for cell culture using supercritical fluids technology

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Molybdenum-containing proteins from Sulphate Reducing Bacteria: studying proteins with novel cofactors and revealing new features of old enzymes

Dissertação apresentada para a obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Bioquímica, especialidade de Bioquímica-Física pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Assinatura tectono-sedimentar do auge da compressão bética em Portugal: a descontinuidade sedimentar Valesiano terminal-Turoliano

An Upper Miocene important sedimentary break can be accurately recognised in the Portuguese basins and is reflected by a drastic palaeogeographic change in relation to a large-scale tectonic event of probable uppermost Vallesian-Turolian (9,5 Ma; middle Tortonian) age. The characterisation of the sedimentary record of this tectonic event, as well as its relations with interpreted active faults is made for different situations: Douro (NW border), Mondego, Lower-Tagus and Sado Tertiary basins. The sedimentary record, considered upper Tortonian-Messinian ? (uppermost Vallesian-Turolian ?) is interpreted mainly as endorheic alluvial fans (internal drainage), developed along active NNE-SSW indent-linked strike-slip faults and NE-SW reverse faults. At NE Portugal, proximal fluvial systems of an endorheic hydrographic network drained eastwards to the Spanish Duero interior Basin. The main evidences of the betic compression clímax in Portugal mainland are presented; the interpreted active tectonic structures are in accordance with an intense NNW-SSE crustal shortening, but some regional differences are also documented.

L’instabilité dynamique pendant le Toarcien dans le Moyen Atlas (Maroc): mise en évidence de glissements synsédimentaires dans le synclinal de Bou Angar

During the Toarcian, shelves undergo block-faulting with mechanisms of tilting. It results the break up of the Middle Atlas basin in subsident sectors separated by resistant ridges. This device is highlighted by strong variations of facies, more or less extended lacunar zones, reefs aligned on the ridges and of synsedimentary tectonics structures. Within the framework of mapping survey carried out in the south-west of Middle Atlas, a meticulous prospection of Bou Angar synclinal allowed the description of a new outcrop of Toarcian. This one offers good examples of extensional structures and bio-accumulations. These data, supplemented by other witnesses of the dynamic instability in the rest of the Middle Atlas, permit to propose a paleogeographic map of the Middle Atlas basin during the Toarcian.

A conceptual model for sheet-flow drawn from rapid granular flow theories

33rd IAHR Congress: Water Engineering for a Sustainable Environment