Functional and molecular characterization of SR45, a plant-specific factor involved in sugar and stress signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Molecular Biology

Soils of the Jurassic formations in the central Algarve; their occurrence, distribution, genesis and site qualities

In the central Algarve different soils have developed dependent on petrography of the parent material, slope position and recent erosion. The general patterns of occurence and distribution of different soils are described. The age of an eutric Nitosol is estimated and the relation between the soil and the parent material is investigated. Some different soils are described as examples with their chemical and physical properties. The water budget of soils is described in general with considerations concerning ground water recharge and run-off as well as in dependence of climate and of different site conditions.

Assessment of climate change statistical downscaling methods: Application and comparison of two statistical methods to a single site in Lisbon

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

A high level e-maintenance architecture to support on-site teams

Emergent architectures and paradigms targeting reconfigurable manufacturing systems increasingly rely on intelligent modules to maximize the robustness and responsiveness of modern installations. Although intelligent behaviour significantly minimizes the occurrence of faults and breakdowns it does not exclude them nor can prevent equipment’s normal wear. Adequate maintenance is fundamental to extend equipments’ life cycle. It is of major importance the ability of each intelligent device to take an active role in maintenance support. Further this paradigm shift towards “embedded intelligence”, supported by cross platform technologies, induces relevant organizational and functional changes on local maintenance teams. On the one hand, the possibility of outsourcing maintenance activities, with the warranty of a timely response, through the use of pervasive networking technologies and, on the other hand, the optimization of local maintenance staff are some examples of how IT is changing the scenario in maintenance. The concept of e-maintenance is, in this context, emerging as a new discipline with defined socio-economic challenges. This paper proposes a high level maintenance architecture supporting maintenance teams’ management and offering contextualized operational support. All the functionalities hosted by the architecture are offered to the remaining system as network services. Any intelligent module, implementing the services’ interface, can report diagnostic, prognostic and maintenance recommendations that enable the core of the platform to decide on the best course of action.

Characterization of the volatile fraction emitted by phloems of four pinus species by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Pine forests constitute some of the most important renewable resources supplying timber, paper and chemical industries, among other functions. Characterization of the volatiles emitted by different Pinus species has proven to be an important tool to decode the process of host tree selection by herbivore insects, some of which cause serious economic damage to pines. Variations in the relative composition of the bouquet of semiochemicals are responsible for the outcome of different biological processes, such as mate finding, egg-laying site recognition and host selection. The volatiles present in phloem samples of four pine species, P. halepensis, P. sylvestris, P. pinaster and P. pinea, were identified and characterized with the aim of finding possible host-plant attractants for native pests, such as the bark beetle Tomicus piniperda. The volatile compounds emitted by phloem samples of pines were extracted by headspace solid-phase micro extraction, using a 2 cm 50/30 mm divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane table flex solid-phase microextraction fiber and its contents analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography, using flame ionization and a non polar and chiral column phases. The components of the volatile fraction emitted by the phloem samples were identified by mass spectrometry using time-of-flight and quadrupole mass analyzers. The estimated relative composition was used to perform a discriminant analysis among pine species, by means of cluster and principal component analysis. It can be concluded that it is possible to discriminate pine species based on the monoterpenes emissions of phloem samples.

Assessing the balance between biodiversity conservation and coastal and estuarine management of the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, Portugal, using BIO-SAFE

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, perfil de Engenharia Ecológica

A proteomic approach toward the selection of proteins with enhanced intrinsic conformational stability

Journal of Proteome Research (2006)5: 2720-2726

Enterococcus and biocides: mechanisms of tolerance and selection for vancomycin resistance

Dissertation presented to obtain a Doctoral degree in Biology, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Concepção e implementação do site do Colectivo Fantasma

rabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários  à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Práicas Web

Literatura mundial: concepção e planeamento de um site

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Práticas Web

A importância da construção do site na comunicação de marcas de luxo

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Comunicação Estratégica.

O paradoxo da intimidade publicizada. A visibilidade contemporânea no site de rede social Facebook

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Comunicação

Biogenic amines in wine: gene transcription as a tool for selection of Oenococcus oeni starter strains

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biology

The tetranuclear copper active site of nitrous oxide reductase: the CuZ center

J Biol Inorg Chem (2011) 16:183–194 DOI 10.1007/s00775-011-0753-3

A copper protein and a cytochrome bind at the same site on bacterial cytochrome c peroxidase

Biochemistry, 2004, 43 (46), pp 14566–14576 DOI: 10.1021/bi0485833