UJI Navigation Network, Development of a pedestrian spatial network within the University Jaume I of Castellón (Spain)

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

Virtual Campus for the University of Jaume I, Castelló, Spain: 3D Modelling of the Campus Buildings using CityEngine

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

Old cellulose for new multifunctional networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais

Intrusion tolerant routing with data consensus in wireless sensor networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Things we see: Portuguese anthropology on material culture

Part of the objects that anthropologists can now find in Lisbon result from the existence of networks with rather diverse historical, social and cultural origins, linking Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Brazil and Portugal, as well as the countries which have attracted all these countries’ diasporas. The publishing of papers by Portuguese and Brazilian anthropologists in this dossier dedicated to consumption might come to generate a productive collaboration between researchers from both countries, which for over five centuries have seen arriving from the other side of the Atlantic strange objects that, in turn, have taken the routes of the diasporas mentioned above, from luxurious and whimsical items as the indigenous leaders’ feathers and the carriages of the Portuguese royalty, to common and irreplaceable goods as the havaianas.

STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF MULTI-COPPER OXIDASES

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry, Structural Biochemistry

Functional and structural studies of a mini-ferritin protein

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Bioquímica

Planning and verification of multipath routing protocols

Conventionally the problem of the best path in a network refers to the shortest path problem. However, for the vast majority of networks present nowadays this solution has some limitations which directly affect their proper functioning, as well as an inefficient use of their potentialities. Problems at the level of large networks where graphs of high complexity are commonly present as well as the appearing of new services and their respective requirements, are intrinsically related to the inability of this solution. In order to overcome the needs present in these networks, a new approach to the problem of the best path must be explored. One solution that has aroused more interest in the scientific community considers the use of multiple paths between two network nodes, where they can all now be considered as the best path between those nodes. Therefore, the routing will be discontinued only by minimizing one metric, where only one path between nodes is chosen, and shall be made by the selection of one of many paths, thereby allowing the use of a greater diversity of the present paths (obviously, if the network consents). The establishment of multi-path routing in a given network has several advantages for its operation. Its use may well improve the distribution of network traffic, improve recovery time to failure, or it can still offer a greater control of the network by its administrator. These factors still have greater relevance when networks have large dimensions, as well as when their constitution is of high complexity, such as the Internet, where multiple networks managed by different entities are interconnected. A large part of the growing need to use multipath protocols is associated to the routing made based on policies. Therefore, paths with different characteristics can be considered with equal level of preference, and thus be part of the solution for the best way problem. To perform multi-path routing using protocols based only on the destination address has some limitations but it is possible. Concepts of graph theory of algebraic structures can be used to describe how the routes are calculated and classified, enabling to model the routing problem. This thesis studies and analyzes multi-path routing protocols from the known literature and derives a new algebraic condition which allows the correct operation of these protocols without any network restriction. It also develops a range of software tools that allows the planning and the respective verification/validation of new protocols models according to the study made.

Determination of the most suitable oil pipeline route using GIS least cost path analysis

The Keystone XL has a big role for transforming Canadian oil to the USA. The function of the pipeline is decreasing the dependency of the American oil industry on other countries and it will help to limit external debt. The proposed pipeline seeks the most suitable route which cannot damage agricultural and natural water recourses such as the Ogallala Aquifer. Using the Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, the suggested path in this study got extremely high correct results that will help in the future to use the least cost analysis for similar studies. The route analysis contains different weighted overlay surfaces, each, was influenced by various criteria (slope, geology, population and land use). The resulted least cost path routes for each weighted overlay surface were compared with the original proposed pipeline and each displayed surface was more effective than the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Efficiency optimization of the transportation supply chain activity: the maritime option for Volkswagen Autoeuropa

Field Lab of Entrepreneurial Innovative Ventures

A maritimidade portuguesa : a extensão da plataforma continental

As potencialidades da plataforma continental estendida são enormes e variadas, desde as que podem ser obtidas através de sectores tradicionais – como portos e marinas ou turismo náutico – até as que advirão de novos sectores como a exploração dos fundos do mar ou a energia das ondas, entre outras. Com efeito, devido ao alargamento resultante das negociações nas Nações Unidas, é praticamente garantido que Portugal passe a controlar um espaço marítimo, acrescido de 2.1 milhões de km2, isto é, vinte vezes a extensão da sua superfície terrestre. A maritimidade de Portugal constitui um traço profundamente marcado na sua história, bem como nas suas tradicionais práticas económicas, sociais e simbólicas. Na verdade, os últimos anos testemunharam a criação de um amplo consenso quanto ao papel determinante que o desenvolvimento costeiro, a superfície e o comprimento dos limites do “Mar Português” terá no futuro do país. Da articulação entre o Território Nacional, o Oceano Atlântico e o Continente Europeu, associada à confluência das vias de comunicação marítimas que ligam a Europa à América do Norte e do Sul configurar-e-ão os aspectos essenciais do designado “Espaço Estratégico de Interesse Nacional Permanente”. A área geográfica prioritária para o desenvolvimento das acções militares de Defesa Nacional e dos interesses vitais permanentes inclui assim – para além do Território Nacional – o Espaço Interterritorial, o Mar Territorial (MT), o espaço aéreo sob responsabilidade nacional e a Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE). O País é titular de soberania no território continental e nos arquipélagos da Madeira dos Açores, para além de estar comprometido com alguns Estados da CPLP, que têm no Atlântico Sul uma importante e poderosa presença. Pela geografia e pela definição dos interesses dos Estados e dos grandes espaços em que estão incluídos, Portugal está na articulação da segurança do Atlântico Norte com a segurança do Atlântico Sul. Esta realidade acarreta novos desafios para a Defesa Nacional, assumindo como preocupações acrescidas o terrorismo, o tráfico e a pirataria marítimas, entre outras.

Engineering bio-based polymers using alternative solvents and processes

The work presented in this thesis explores novel routes for the processing of bio-based polymers, developing a sustainable approach based on the use of alternative solvents such as supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DES). The feasibility to produce polymeric foams via supercritical fluid (SCF) foaming, combined with these solvents was assessed, in order to replace conventional foaming techniques that use toxic and harmful solvents. A polymer processing methodology is presented, based on SCF foaming and using scCO2 as a foaming agent. The SCF foaming of different starch based polymeric blends was performed, namely starch/poly(lactic acid) (SPLA) and starch/poly(ε-caprolactone) (SPCL). The foaming process is based on the fact that CO2 molecules can dissolve in the polymer, changing their mechanical properties and after suitable depressurization, are able to create a foamed (porous) material. In these polymer blends, CO2 presents limited solubility and in order to enhance the foaming effect, two different imidazolium based ILs (IBILs) were combined with this process, by doping the blends with IL. The use of ILs proved useful and improved the foaming effect in these starch-based polymer blends. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) proved the existence of interactions between the polymer blend SPLA and ILs, which in turn diminish the forces that hold the polymeric structure. This is directly related with the ability of ILs to dissolve more CO2. This is also clear from the sorption experiments results, where the obtained apparent sorption coefficients in presence of IL are higher compared to the ones of the blend SPLA without IL. The doping of SPCL with ILs was also performed. The foaming of the blend was achieved and resulted in porous materials with conductivity values close to the ones of pure ILs. This can open doors to applications as self-supported conductive materials. A different type of solvents were also used in the previously presented processing method. If different applications of the bio-based polymers are envisaged, replacing ILs must be considered, especially due to the poor sustainability of some ILs and the fact that there is not a well-established toxicity profile. In this work natural DES – NADES – were the solvents of choice. They present some advantages relatively to ILs since they are easy to produce, cheaper, biodegradable and often biocompatible, mainly due to the fact that they are composed of primary metabolites such as sugars, carboxylic acids and amino-acids. NADES were prepared and their physicochemical properties were assessed, namely the thermal behavior, conductivity, density, viscosity and polarity. With this study, it became clear that these properties can vary with the composition of NADES, as well as with their initial water content. The use of NADES in the SCF foaming of SPCL, acting as foaming agent, was also performed and proved successful. The SPCL structure obtained after SCF foaming presented enhanced characteristics (such as porosity) when compared with the ones obtained using ILs as foaming enhancers. DES constituted by therapeutic compounds (THEDES) were also prepared. The combination of choline chloride-mandelic acid, and menthol-ibuprofen, resulted in THEDES with thermal behavior very distinct from the one of their components. The foaming of SPCL with THEDES was successful, and the impregnation of THEDES in SPCL matrices via SCF foaming was successful, and a controlled release system was obtained in the case of menthol-ibuprofen THEDES.

Depois de Orpheu : 1916-1935

O objetivo deste trabalho era verificar como, nos jornais e revistas, o Primeiro Modernismo tinha sido acolhido. Depois do escândalo de Orpheu e da forma agressiva como os seus colaboradores tinham sido recebidos, cabia verificar se tinha havido, ou não, uma evolução na análise da sua obra ao longo dos anos, de 1916 a 1935, tanto mais que as vidas de cada um destes tinha evoluído de forma diferenciada. As mortes prematuras de uns, a subida a postos de influência e poder, ou a longevidade de outros foram fatores que poderiam ter condicionado a evolução da crítica jornalística. Por um lado, os críticos poderiam ter alterado a sua visão face a estes criadores, podendo o tempo ter funcionado a favor destes. O que em 1915 era estranho e bizarro poderia em 1935 ser inédito e original. Por outro lado, a conjuntura política poderia condicionar não só a criação artística, mas também o seu enquadramento social. Em 1915, a guerra entre monárquicos e republicanos foi marcada pelas referências a Orpheu. Mais tarde com a ditadura militar e a ascensão do Estado Novo poderão os nossos artistas voltar a ser alvo de referências políticas. A verdade é que tal não acontece. O poder político menospreza-os, apesar de nalguns casos terem uma participação ativa nas suas fileiras. A verdade é que os autores mais importantes e significativos foram, pouco a pouco, e com o passar dos anos, integrados na sociedade literária e começaram a ser vistos como criadores a ter em conta, senão mesmo de referência. O seu aparecimento em jornais e revistas na qualidade de escritores, jornalistas, artistas plásticos ou mesmo críticos fez com que estivessem sob os holofotes da imprensa e como tal sujeitos a uma análise permanente. E esta foi-se alterando com o passar do tempo e com o reconhecimento dos mesmos. Hoje ninguém duvida do seu valor, mas entre 1915 (data da publicação de Orpheu e 1935 (ano da morte de Pessoa) todos eram vistos como loucos, jovens com alguma habilidade para a escrita, promessas do panorama literário e finalmente, em alguns casos, motivos de orgulho para o nosso património artístico. Só uma leitura dos periódicos mais relevantes permitiria estudar a receção do nosso Primeiro Modernismo. E foi esse o objetivo desta tese.