Applications of Fourier methods to the analysis of some stochastic processes

Dissertação de Doutoramento em Matemática: Processos Estocásticos

Multivariate analysis applied to clinical analysis data

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

Exploring Literary Landscapes: From Texts to Spatiotemporal Analysis through Collaborative Work and GIS

This article argues that the study of literary representations of landscapes can be aided and enriched by the application of digital geographic technologies. As an example, the article focuses on the methods and preliminary findings of LITESCAPE.PT—Atlas of Literary Landscapes of Mainland Portugal, an on-going project that aims to study literary representations of mainland Portugal and to explore their connections with social and environmental realities both in the past and in the present. LITESCAPE.PT integrates traditional reading practices and ‘distant reading’ approaches, along with collaborative work, relational databases, and geographic information systems (GIS) in order to classify and analyse excerpts from 350 works of Portuguese literature according to a set of ecological, socioeconomic, temporal and cultural themes. As we argue herein this combination of qualitative and quantitative methods—itself a response to the difficulty of obtaining external funding—can lead to (a) increased productivity, (b) the pursuit of new research goals, and (c) the creation of new knowledge about natural and cultural history. As proof of concept, the article presents two initial outcomes of the LITESCAPE.PT project: a case study documenting the evolving literary geography of Lisbon and a case study exploring the representation of wolves in Portuguese literature.

Analysis of metabolic flux distributions in relation to the extracellular environment in Avian cells

Continuous cell lines that proliferate in chemically defined and simple media have been highly regarded as suitable alternatives for vaccine production. One such cell line is the AG1.CR.pIX avian cell line developed by PROBIOGEN. This cell line can be cultivated in a fully scalable suspension culture and adapted to grow in chemically defined, calf serum free, medium [1]–[5]. The medium composition and cultivation strategy are important factors for reaching high virus titers. In this project, a series of computational methods was used to simulate the cell’s response to different environments. The study is based on the metabolic model of the central metabolism proposed in [1]. In a first step, Metabolic Flux Analysis (MFA) was used along with measured uptake and secretion fluxes to estimate intracellular flux values. The network and data were found to be consistent. In a second step, Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) was performed to access the cell’s biological objective. The objective that resulted in the best predicted results fit to the experimental data was the minimization of oxidative phosphorylation. Employing this objective, in the next step Flux Variability Analysis (FVA) was used to characterize the flux solution space. Furthermore, various scenarios, where a reaction deletion (elimination of the compound from the media) was simulated, were performed and the flux solution space for each scenario was calculated. Growth restrictions caused by essential and non-essential amino acids were accurately predicted. Fluxes related to the essential amino acids uptake and catabolism, the lipid synthesis and ATP production via TCA were found to be essential to exponential growth. Finally, the data gathered during the previous steps were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), in order to assess potential changes in the physiological state of the cell. Three metabolic states were found, which correspond to zero, partial and maximum biomass growth rate. Elimination of non-essential amino acids or pyruvate from the media showed no impact on the cell’s assumed normal metabolic state.

The African studies course of the Instituto de Estudos Superiores Militares. An analysis of the correlations and conflictive character inside the triangle - Development, environment and security - in Africa’s Nigeria

Relatório de Estágio de Mestrado em Ciência Política e Relações Internacionais Globalização e Ambiente

Aumento das taxas moderadoras nas urgências hospitalares : que impacto sobre a procura?

RESUMO - Objetivo: Quantificar a variação da procura ocorrida no Serviço de Urgência Hospitalar (SUH) de um hospital na zona de Lisboa face ao aumento de preço da taxa moderadora da urgência em janeiro de 2012. Metodologia: O presente trabalho recorre à análise de micro dados sobre a utilização do Serviço de Urgência do Hospital Garcia de Orta (HGO) em dois períodos: 1 de janeiro de 2011 a 30 de junho de 2011 e 1 de janeiro de 2012 a 30 de junho de 2012. A amostra é constituída por 156.654 idas ao SUH do HGO. Aferiu-se ainda a elasticidade da procura face ao preço por sexo, escalão etário, proveniência, local e causa da admissão e destino dos utentes. Resultados: Existiram 80.344 episódios de urgência em 2011 e 76.310 em 2012 (-5%).Em relação aos utentes não isentos, houve uma redução de 12% no total de episódios de urgência (26.168 em 2011 e 23.037 em 2012). O preço da urgência aumentou 108% para os indivíduos não isentos (€9,6 para €20). Os valores obtidos para a elasticidade da procura face ao preço são próximos de zero para o total da procura bem como para as restantes variáveis. Conclusões: Conclui-se que a procura de cuidados de urgência é inelástica face ao aumento do preço no hospital analisado. Embora se tenha verificado uma redução dos cuidados procurados (12%), esta foi muito inferior ao aumento ocorrido no preço (108%).

Parametric analog signal amplification applied to nanoscale cmos wireless digital transceivers

Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Electrical and Computer Engineering by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa,Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Cochineal, a precious source of red: cochineal dyes characterization by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and principal component analysis

Presented at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias, Universidade de Lisboa, to obtain the Master Degree in Conservation and Restoration of Textiles

Determinant factors to merger control decisions in Portugal

The present paper aims to investigate the determinant factors of Portuguese merger control. Our sample comprises 652 M&A cases occurred between January of 2003 and September of 2015. Through a probit model we have tested the relevance of product and geographic market, entry barriers, type of concentration, merger effects, year of decision and the President of the Competition Authority at the time. The results suggests that the conglomerate and vertical effects, the existence of barriers to entry as well as the number of regulatory agencies listened are the main explanatory variables to determine a need for an in-depth investigation and to make a final decision. According to the evidence, cases cleared at Phase 1 are increasing over time. The number of prohibited mergers is close to zero.