Information flow analysis using data-dependent logical propositions

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Sustainability of systems interoperability in dynamic business networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Information Systems Outsourcing Adoption

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

Public Participation geographic information systems in developing countries: lessons from Uganda on the impacts of interactive screens PPGIS and community perceptions of space

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

A systems biology framework for pathway level culture media engineering: pplication to Pichia pastoris cultures

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Comparative analysis: Public and private school management systems

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

Data queries over heterogeneous sources

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Adapter module for self-learning production systems

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica, Sistemas e Computadores

Intrusion tolerant routing with data consensus in wireless sensor networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

TSKY: a dependable middleware solution for data privacy using public storage clouds

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Hub-and-spoke Interoperability: an out of the skies approach for large-scale data interoperability

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Data fusion with computational intelligence techniques: a case study of fuzzy inference for terrain assessment

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Combining WLAN fingerprint-based localization with sensor data for indoor navigation using mobile devices

This project proposes an approach for supporting Indoor Navigation Systems using Pedestrian Dead Reckoning-based methods and by analyzing motion sensor data available in most modern smartphones. Processes suggested in this investigation are able to calculate the distance traveled by a user while he or she is walking. WLAN fingerprint- based navigation systems benefit from the processes followed in this research and results achieved to reduce its workload and improve its positioning estimations.

Biological effects of acrylic engineered particulate-systems

Polymeric particulate-systems are of great relevance due to their possible biomedical applications, among them as carriers for the nano- or microencapsulation of drugs. However, due to their unique specific properties, namely small size range, toxicity issues must be discarded before allowing its use on health-related applications. Several polymers, as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), have proved to be suitable for the preparation of particulate-systems. However, a major drawback of its use refers to incomplete drug release from particles matrix. Recent strategies to improve PMMA release properties mention the inclusion of other acrylic polymers as Eudragit (EUD) on particles formulation. Though PMMA and EUD are accepted by the FDA as biocompatible, their safety on particle composition lacks sufficient toxicological data. The main objective of this thesis was to evaluate the biological effects of engineered acrylic particulate-systems. Preparation, physicochemical characterization and in vitro toxicity evaluation were assessed on PMMA and PMMA-EUD (50:50) particles. The emulsification-solvent evaporation methodology allowed the preparation of particles with spherical and smooth surfaces within the micrometer range (±500 nm), opposing surface charges and different levels of hydrophobicity. It was observed that particles physicochemical properties (size and charge) were influenced by biological media composition, such as serum concentration, ionic strength or pH. In what concerns to the in vitro toxicological studies, particle cellular uptake was observed on different cell lines (macrophages, osteoblasts and fibroblasts). Cytotoxicity effects were only found after 72 h of cells exposure to the particles, while no oxidative damage was observed neither on osteoblasts nor fibroblasts. Also, no genotoxicity was found in fibroblast using the comet assay to assess DNA damage. This observation should be further confirmed with other validated genotoxicity assays (e.g. Micronucleus Assay). The present study suggests that the evaluated acrylic particles are biocompatible, showing promising biological properties for potential use as carriers in drug-delivery systems.

A DSL for querying building data streams of energy, eeather and occupation data

The superfluous consumption of energy is faced by the modern society as a Socio-Economical and Environmental problem of the present days. This situation is worsening given that it is becoming clear that the tendency is to increase energy price every year. It is also noticeable that people, not necessarily proficient in technology, are not able to know where savings can be achieved, due to the absence of accessible awareness mechanisms. One of the home user concerns is to balance the need of reducing energy consumption, while producing the same activity with all the comfort and work efficiency. The common techniques to reduce the consumption are to use a less wasteful equipment, altering the equipment program to a more economical one or disconnecting appliances that are not necessary at the moment. However, there is no direct feedback from this performed actions, which leads to the situation where the user is not aware of the influence that these techniques have in the electrical bill. With the intension to give some control over the home consumption, Energy Management Systems (EMS) were developed. These systems allow the access to the consumption information and help understanding the energy waste. However, some studies have proven that these systems have a clear mismatch between the information that is presented and the one the user finds useful for his daily life, leading to demotivation of use. In order to create a solution more oriented towards the user’s demands, a specially tailored language (DSL) was implemented. This solution allows the user to acquire the information he considers useful, through the construction of questions about his energy consumption. The development of this language, following the Model Driven Development (MDD) approach, took into consideration the ideas of facility managers and home users in the phases of design and validation. These opinions were gathered through meetings with experts and a survey, which was conducted to the purpose of collecting statistics about what home users want to know.