Context-aware multi-factor authentication

Trabalho apresentado no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

The brushstroke and materials of Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso combined in an authentication tool

Nowadays, authentication studies for paintings require a multidisciplinary approach, based on the contribution of visual features analysis but also on characterizations of materials and techniques. Moreover, it is important that the assessment of the authorship of a painting is supported by technical studies of a selected number of original artworks that cover the entire career of an artist. This dissertation is concerned about the work of modernist painter Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso. It is divided in three parts. In the first part, we propose a tool based on image processing that combines information obtained by brushstroke and materials analysis. The resulting tool provides qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the authorship of the paintings; the quantitative element is particularly relevant, as it could be crucial in solving authorship controversies, such as judicial disputes. The brushstroke analysis was performed by combining two algorithms for feature detection, namely Gabor filter and Scale Invariant Feature Transform. Thanks to this combination (and to the use of the Bag-of-Features model), the proposed method shows an accuracy higher than 90% in distinguishing between images of Amadeo’s paintings and images of artworks by other contemporary artists. For the molecular analysis, we implemented a semi-automatic system that uses hyperspectral imaging and elemental analysis. The system provides as output an image that depicts the mapping of the pigments present, together with the areas made using materials not coherent with Amadeo’s palette, if any. This visual output is a simple and effective way of assessing the results of the system. The tool proposed based on the combination of brushstroke and molecular information was tested in twelve paintings obtaining promising results. The second part of the thesis presents a systematic study of four selected paintings made by Amadeo in 1917. Although untitled, three of these paintings are commonly known as BRUT, Entrada and Coty; they are considered as his most successful and genuine works. The materials and techniques of these artworks have never been studied before. The paintings were studied with a multi-analytical approach using micro-Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy, micro-Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy, micro-Spectrofluorimetry and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The characterization of Amadeo’s materials and techniques used on his last paintings, as well as the investigation of some of the conservation problems that affect these paintings, is essential to enrich the knowledge on this artist. Moreover, the study of the materials in the four paintings reveals commonalities between the paintings BRUT and Entrada. This observation is supported also by the analysis of the elements present in a photograph of a collage (conserved at the Art Library of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), the only remaining evidence of a supposed maquete of these paintings. The final part of the thesis describes the application of the image processing tools developed in the first part of the thesis on a set of case studies; this experience demonstrates the potential of the tool to support painting analysis and authentication studies. The brushstroke analysis was used as additional analysis on the evaluation process of four paintings attributed to Amadeo, and the system based on hyperspectral analysis was applied on the painting dated 1917. The case studies therefore serve as a bridge between the first two parts of the dissertation.

Pattern operators for grid

The definition and programming of distributed applications has become a major research issue due to the increasing availability of (large scale) distributed platforms and the requirements posed by the economical globalization. However, such a task requires a huge effort due to the complexity of the distributed environments: large amount of users may communicate and share information across different authority domains; moreover, the “execution environment” or “computations” are dynamic since the number of users and the computational infrastructure change in time. Grid environments, in particular, promise to be an answer to deal with such complexity, by providing high performance execution support to large amount of users, and resource sharing across different organizations. Nevertheless, programming in Grid environments is still a difficult task. There is a lack of high level programming paradigms and support tools that may guide the application developer and allow reusability of state-of-the-art solutions. Specifically, the main goal of the work presented in this thesis is to contribute to the simplification of the development cycle of applications for Grid environments by bringing structure and flexibility to three stages of that cycle through a commonmodel. The stages are: the design phase, the execution phase, and the reconfiguration phase. The common model is based on the manipulation of patterns through pattern operators, and the division of both patterns and operators into two categories, namely structural and behavioural. Moreover, both structural and behavioural patterns are first class entities at each of the aforesaid stages. At the design phase, patterns can be manipulated like other first class entities such as components. This allows a more structured way to build applications by reusing and composing state-of-the-art patterns. At the execution phase, patterns are units of execution control: it is possible, for example, to start or stop and to resume the execution of a pattern as a single entity. At the reconfiguration phase, patterns can also be manipulated as single entities with the additional advantage that it is possible to perform a structural reconfiguration while keeping some of the behavioural constraints, and vice-versa. For example, it is possible to replace a behavioural pattern, which was applied to some structural pattern, with another behavioural pattern. In this thesis, besides the proposal of the methodology for distributed application development, as sketched above, a definition of a relevant set of pattern operators was made. The methodology and the expressivity of the pattern operators were assessed through the development of several representative distributed applications. To support this validation, a prototype was designed and implemented, encompassing some relevant patterns and a significant part of the patterns operators defined. This prototype was based in the Triana environment; Triana supports the development and deployment of distributed applications in the Grid through a dataflow-based programming model. Additionally, this thesis also presents the analysis of a mapping of some operators for execution control onto the Distributed Resource Management Application API (DRMAA). This assessment confirmed the suitability of the proposed model, as well as the generality and flexibility of the defined pattern operators

Depósitos messinianos do sul de Portugal, mamíferos (incluindo Rodentia e Logomorpha) e idades K-Ar

In the southern part of Tagus basin, North of paleozoic rocks of Valverde-Senhor das Chagas (near Alcácer do Sal) horst, a marine transgression has been recognized, Upper Serravallian, and maybe Lower Tortonian in age. There are no earlier marine deposits, and no younger ones are known either. Paleozoic behaved as a barrier separating two basins, distinct at least since Middle Miocene until Upper Pleistocene. Until now, both were regarded as a single entity, the so-called «Sado basin» Southwards (Alvalade basin) there has been a single transgression. It was assummed that it was the same one as the former. Indeed it is not definitely so. Later transgression accounts for Esbarrondadoiro Formation, whose deposits have been ascribed to Tortonian or even to Middle Miocene. However they are Upper Messinian to Lower Zanclean. Esbarrondadoiro Formation is younger than Lower Member of Cacela Formation in Algarve and, with even stronger reason, than the upper-most well dated marine levels in Tagus basin. Age of Miocene units dealt with here has been based on small mammals found in marine sands.

Importance of global co-innovation networks: A TCS case study

Today all kinds of innovations and research work is done by partnerships of competent entities each having some specialized skills. Like the development of the global economy, global innovation partnerships have grown considerably and form the basis of most of the sophisticated innovations today. To further streamline and simplify such cooperation, several innovation networks have been formed, both at local and global levels. This paper discusses the different types of innovations and how cooperation can benefit innovation in terms of pooling of resources and sharing of risks. One example of an open global co-innovation network promoted by Tata Consultancy Services, the TCS COIN is taken as a case. It enables venture capitalists, consultants, research agencies, companies and universities form nodes of the network so that each entity can play a meaningful role in the innovation network. Further, two innovation projects implemented using the COIN are discussed. Innovation Networks like these could form the basis of a unique global innovation network, which is not owned by any company and is used by innovation partners globally to collaborate and conduct research and development.

DSAAR: distributed software architecture for autonomous robots

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica

Diagnosis of an EPS module

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e Computadores

Historically accurate reconstructions and characterisation of chrome yellow pigments

Dissertation presented at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New University of Lisbon in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master degree in Conservation Science

A plugin for spatial and thematic comparison in the cadastral domain.

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

Time – intangible tangible –

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Arte e Ciência do Vidro

Chromatin dynamics in Arbidopsis development: a live cell imaging approach

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biology

BIWiki - Using a Business Intelligence Wiki to Form a Virtual Community of Practice for Portuguese Master's Students

Web 2.0 software in general and wikis in particular have been receiving growing attention as they constitute new and powerful tools, capable of supporting information sharing, creation of knowledge and a wide range of collaborative processes and learning activities. This paper introduces briefly some of the new opportunities made possible by Web 2.0 or the social Internet, focusing on those offered by the use of wikis as learning spaces. A wiki allows documents to be created, edited and shared on a group basis; it has a very easy and efficient markup language, using a simple Web browser. One of the most important characteristics of wiki technology is the ease with which pages are created and edited. The facility for wiki content to be edited by its users means that its pages and structure form a dynamic entity, in permanent evolution, where users can insert new ideas, supplement previously existing information and correct errors and typos in a document at any time, up to the agreed final version. This paper explores wikis as a collaborative learning and knowledge-building space and its potential for supporting Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs). In the academic years (2007/8 and 2008/9), students of the Business Intelligence module at the Master's programme of studies on Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence at Instituto Superior de Estatistica e Gestao de Informacao of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, have been actively involved in the creation of BIWiki - a wiki for Business Intelligence in the Portuguese language. Based on usage patterns and feedback from students participating in this experience, some conclusions are drawn regarding the potential of this technology to support the emergence of VCoPs; some provisional suggestions will be made regarding the use of wikis to support information sharing, knowledge creation and transfer and collaborative learning in Higher Education.

Proactive services ecosystem framework

Dissertation presented to obtain the degree of Doctor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specialization on Collaborative Enterprise Networks

Mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector: An empirical review of the impact of merger announcement on abnormal returns

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

Primary and hospitalar health care: Building a happy marriage

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