Portuguese footwear

This case study deals with the reasons why the Portuguese Footwear Cluster evolved from a small industry focused on the Portuguese internal market into a high-tech industry capable of designing and producing some of the best and most expensive shoes in the world. It went from using the low labor costs of an under-developed economy to produce long series of shoes for pre-designated brands in Northern Europe to having the ability to produce some of the highest quality shoes in the world, in small orders, designed and delivered in record timing, while offering a service of excellence. In 1960, when Portugal became a founding member of EFTA, the footwear industry in Portugal was globally irrelevant, producing low quality shoes directed to the puny internal market and its African colonies. The new free trade zone with economies much more developed that itself, led to the transfer of the labor-intensive, low skilled manufacture from the UK and Scandinavian countries to Portugal. Mostly through joint ventures, the industry was able to mechanize itself so it could produce shoes in long series at low prices. It grew based on that model up until the 1990s, when the emergence of the Asian countries meant either a different strategy or extinction. Taking advantage of a clarified leadership of its trade association, it used the European funds made available to it during the 1990s, to modernize its factory floors, so it could become more nimble and flexible, expand its design capabilities and dramatically change its image abroad. The role of the trade association, APICCAPS, was instrumental throughout the process going well beyond what came to be expected of trade associations. It used its privileged position to provide understanding regarding the current situation and competitive landscape, alerting for changes ahead and at the same time providing a strategic vision on how to deal with the challenges. Moreover, it helped companies get the resources they needed by creating a research center in collaboration with a University, by creating a process that allowed companies to learn from each other via the show casing of projects sponsored by the association or by helping industrials traveling to locations where new customers could be found. The case study provides insight on how the trade association leadership, which has no formal authority over its members, was able to guide and motivate an industry through a consistent positive approach. That approach focused on the solutions, on the opportunities and on the success stories of companies in the cluster rather than on what was wrong or needed to be addressed. Based on this case, one could use the leadership role of the trade association to discuss and change leaders’ roles and styles in other sectors or even companies.

Computational design with flexible backbone sampling for protein remodeling and scaffolding of complex binding sites

Dissertation presented to obtain the Doutoramento (Ph.D.) degree in Biochemistry at the Instituto de Tecnologia Qu mica e Biol ogica da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Working in IT projects – Options and Limits of Work Design

Flexible forms of work like project work are gaining importance in industry and services. Looking at the research on project work, the vast majority of present literature is on project management, but increasingly, problems concerning the quality of work and the efficiency of project teams become visible. The question now is how project work can be structured in order to simultaneously provide efficient and flexible work and healthy working conditions ensuring the development of human resources for a long time. Selected results of publicly funded research into project work will be presented based on case studies in 7 software development /IT consulting project teams (N=34). A set of different methods was applied: interviews with management/project managers, group interviews on work constraints, a monthly diary about well-being and critical incidences in the course of the project, and a final evaluation questionnaire on project outcomes focusing on economic and health aspects. Findings reveal that different types of projects exist with varying degree of team members’ autonomy and influence on work structuring. An effect of self-regulation on mental strain could not be found. The results emphasize, that contradicting requirements and insufficient organizational resources with respect to the work requirements lead to an increased work intensity or work obstruction. These contradicting requirements are identified as main drivers for generating stress. Finally, employees with high values on stress for more than 2 months have significantly higher exhaustion rates than those with only one month peaks. Structuring project work and taking into account the dynamics of project work, there is a need for an active role of the project team in contract negotiation or the detailed definition of work – this is not only a question of individual autonomy but of negotiation the range of option for work structuring. Therefore, along with the sequential definition of the (software) product, the working conditions need to be re-defined.

Optimização energética no terminal portuário do complexo petroquímico de Sines

Actualmente a indústria petroquímica é cada vez mais confrontada com a necessidade de poupança de custos. O presente trabalho surge dessa mesma necessidade e foi desenvolvido, no âmbito de um estágio curricular, no Complexo Petroquímico da Repsol, em Sines, durante um período de seis meses. O principal objectivo do estágio foi a optimização energética dos períodos diários de envio de etileno, dentro do complexo, bem como a avaliação energética dos sistemas de refrigeração, no terminal portuário, tendo-se utilizado o software Aspen HYSYS como simulador dos processos. Essa avaliação energética consistiu no cálculo dos coeficientes de performance e das eficiências dos vários compressores, tendo-se verificado que ambos os parâmetros encontram-se abaixo das condições de design para todos os processos, com a excepção do coeficiente de performance do sistema de refrigeração do 1,3-butadieno. Foram desenvolvidas ferramentas em excel que permitem a avaliação em tempo real da eficiência dos vários sistemas de refrigeração, que pode ser usada na sua optimização, ajustando as eficiências reais às de design. Foram estudados dois projectos a implementar no terminal portuário: um sobre a implementação de variadores de frequência nas liquefacções de etileno, que permitirá uma poupança de 62 kW-h/t de etileno recebida, e outro projecto sobre a instalação de um permutador refrigerado com água salgada, que seria colocado a jusante dos aero-arrefecedores, nas liquefacções. Este estudo permitiu concluir que no caso em que o aero-arrefecedor está desligado, poupar-se-ia em média 2,95 kW-h/t de etileno, e quando o aero-arrefecedor estiver em série com o permutador, poupar-se-ia em média 1,88 kW-h/t de etileno. No âmbito da avaliação energética, foram estimadas também as perdas energéticas nos vários compressores do terminal portuário, tendo-se constatado que os compressores do sistema de refrigeração do 1,3-butadieno apresentam maiores perdas por tonelada de produto recebido. No caso da optimização energética, verificou-se que os casos mais rentáveis eram o 3, 4 e o de estudo, sendo que estes permitiram poupanças na ordem dos 900000 €. Concluiu-se também que liquefazer no terminal é melhor das Segundas às Sextas, a partir de 2 t/h, enquanto que aos Sábado, é a partir de 3 t/h. Aos Domingos liquefazer no terminal compensa sempre, porque não há horas de ponta nem horas cheias.

Airport pavements evaluation

The airport pavement deteriorates during service due to traffic and climate effects therefore systematic monitoring is required in order to assess their structural and functional condition. The aim of this work is to present the methodologies used nowadays for airport pavement evaluation and to contribute to their improvement in structural analysis area The main aspects that are addressed are the application of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and the use of the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests, for structural evaluation, and the use of the GRIP tester and the measurement of texture depth of the wearing course layer, for the functional evaluation of the runway. Also, freeware computer softwares used to design new runways (FAARFIELD and COMFAA) are presented and examples are given. Case studies are described both for structural and functional evaluation.

Experimental design methodologies for the identification of Michaelis-Menten type kinetics

The main objective of this work was to investigate the application of experimental design techniques for the identification of Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters. More specifically, this study attempts to elucidate the relative advantages/disadvantages of employing complex experimental design techniques in relation to equidistant sampling when applied to different reactor operation modes. All studies were supported by simulation data of a generic enzymatic process that obeys to the Michaelis-Menten kinetic equation. Different aspects were investigated, such as the influence of the reactor operation mode (batch, fed-batch with pulse wise feeding and fed-batch with continuous feeding) and the experimental design optimality criteria on the effectiveness of kinetic parameters identification. The following experimental design optimality criteria were investigated: 1) minimization of the sum of the diagonal of the Fisher information matrix (FIM) inverse (A-criterion), 2) maximization of the determinant of the FIM (D-criterion), 3) maximization of the smallest eigenvalue of the FIM (E-criterion) and 4) minimization of the quotient between the largest and the smallest eigenvalue (modified E-criterion). The comparison and assessment of the different methodologies was made on the basis of the Cramér-Rao lower bounds (CRLB) error in respect to the parameters vmax and Km of the Michaelis-Menten kinetic equation. In what concerns the reactor operation mode, it was concluded that fed-batch (pulses) is better than batch operation for parameter identification. When the former operation mode is adopted, the vmax CRLB error is lowered by 18.6 % while the Km CRLB error is lowered by 26.4 % when compared to the batch operation mode. Regarding the optimality criteria, the best method was the A-criterion, with an average vmax CRLB of 6.34 % and 5.27 %, for batch and fed-batch (pulses), respectively, while presenting a Km’s CRLB of 25.1 % and 18.1 %, for batch and fed-batch (pulses), respectively. As a general conclusion of the present study, it can be stated that experimental design is justified if the starting parameters CRLB errors are inferior to 19.5 % (vmax) and 45% (Km), for batch processes, and inferior to 42 % and to 50% for fed-batch (pulses) process. Otherwise equidistant sampling is a more rational decision. This conclusion clearly supports that, for fed-batch operation, the use of experimental design is likely to largely improve the identification of Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters.

Ensaio de síntese crítica acerca do Cretácico terminal e do Paleogénico de Portugal

A synthetic essay about portuguese Late Cretaceous (Upper Campanian-Maastrichtian) and Paleogene is presented. This does include most of the so far known data, a critical approach to the problems of such formations, and to previous works on them. Our viewpoints (party original) are exposed in a shorter text in French where most of the discussion was suppressed (see reference in Resumo).

Le Crétacé terminal de Beira Litoral, Portugal: remarques stratigraphiques et écologiques,étude complémentaire de Rosasia soutoi (Chelonii, Bothremydidae)

The synthetic study of the uppermost Cretaceous of the Beira Litoral (fauna, flora) confirms its upper Campanian-Maastrichtian age. It shows the presence of a tropical to subtropical climate in an area constituted by a low coastal plain only occasionally linked to the sea, saturated with fresh water and possessing accordingly, a predominantely freshwater fauna (Viso, Aveiro); this plain changed towards the interior into a drier more forested zone with a more abundant terrestrial fauna which includes mammals (Taveiro). A thorough study of the chelonian Rosasia, abundant on the coastal plain, was made possible thanks to the discovery of a skull: it demonstrates that the genus belongs to the family Bothremydidae, revalided here. The composition of this family is presented, its phylogenetic and paleobiogeographic relation with the other pleurodires are analyzed, and its diagnosis established. The family is constituted of three groups; Rosasia belongs to one of these, the Bothremys group.

The globalisation in the clothing sector and its implications for work organisation: a view from the Portuguese case

The clothing sector in Portugal is still seen, in many aspects as a traditional sector with some average characteristics, such as: low level of qualifications, less flexible labour legislation and stronger unionisation, very low salaries and low capability of investment in innovation and new technology. Is, nevertheless, a very important sector in terms of labour market, with increased weight in the exporting structure. Globalisation and delocalisation are having a strong impact in the organisation of work and in occupational careers in the sector. With the pressure of global competitiveness in what concerns time and prices, very few companies are able to keep a position in the market without changes in organisation of work and workers. And those that can perform good responses to such challenges are achieving a better economical stability. The companies have found different ways to face this reality according to size, capital and position. We could find two main paths: one where companies outsource a part or the entire production to another territory (for example, several manufacturing tasks), close and/or dismissal the workers. Other path, where companies up skilled their capacities investing, for example, in design, workers training, conception and introduction of new or original products. This paper will present some results from the European project WORKS – Work organisation and restructuring in the knowledge society (6th Framework Programme), focusing the Portuguese case studies in several clothing companies in what concern implications of global context for the companies in general and for the workers in particular, in a comparative analysis with some other European countries.

Design and implementation of a behaviorally typed programming system for web services

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática.

Alternativas de design no moodle

Este guião de apoio à formação tem como objectivo apoiar docentes em (1) aprender boas práticas no design de páginas web, (2) conhecer aspectos de versatilidade do moodle e (3) configurar o bloco "course menu".

Design of a doctorate programme on technology assessment: A sabbatical leave project

The work agenda includes the production of a report on different doctoral programmes on “Technology Assessment” in Europe, the US and Japan, in order to analyse collaborative post-graduation activities. Finally, the proposals on collaborative post-graduation programme between FCTUNL and ITAS-FZK will be organised by an ongoing discussion process with colleagues from ITAS.

Analyse paléoécologique des formations récifales du golfe de Skoura (bordure méridionale du sillon Sud rifain; SE de Fés; Maroc). Implications paléogéographiques: communications Atlantique - Méditerranée au Miocène Terminal

The reef levels of the gulf of Skoura belong to the reef formation of the Upper Miocene of the South-Rifan straits. A detailed analysis of the vertical distribution of various forms of colonies has led to the establishment of precise coral morphologies zonation. This palaeoecological approach leads us to distinguish between two environments in the Skoura gulf, probably corresponding to two reef episodes. The palaeogeographical implications (relationships between the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean sea) will be pointed out.

Towards a GIS-T database design and implementation for public transit planning: the case study of Dar-Es-salaam metropolitan city, Tanzania.

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

Analysis of support for modularity in object teams based on design patterns

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática