Untitled: connecting layers of confusion, sensation and transformation

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

Acidogenic digestion of effluents of the cheese industry in packed bed biofilm reactors

Dissertation for the Master degree in Biotechnology

Coherent structures in open channel flows with bed load transport over an hydraulically rough bed

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil – Perfil de Estruturas

Predicting market direction with hidden Markov models

This paper develops the model of Bicego, Grosso, and Otranto (2008) and applies Hidden Markov Models to predict market direction. The paper draws an analogy between financial markets and speech recognition, seeking inspiration from the latter to solve common issues in quantitative investing. Whereas previous works focus mostly on very complex modifications of the original hidden markov model algorithm, the current paper provides an innovative methodology by drawing inspiration from thoroughly tested, yet simple, speech recognition methodologies. By grouping returns into sequences, Hidden Markov Models can then predict market direction the same way they are used to identify phonemes in speech recognition. The model proves highly successful in identifying market direction but fails to consistently identify whether a trend is in place. All in all, the current paper seeks to bridge the gap between speech recognition and quantitative finance and, even though the model is not fully successful, several refinements are suggested and the room for improvement is significant.

Optimal design and operation of compact simulated moving bed processes for enantioseparations

Simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography is attracting more and more attention since it is a powerful technique for complex separation tasks. Nowadays, more than 60% of preparative SMB units are installed in the pharmaceutical and in the food in- dustry [SDI, Preparative and Process Liquid Chromatography: The Future of Process Separations, International Strategic Directions, Los Angeles, USA, 2002. http://www. strategicdirections.com]. Chromatography is the method of choice in these ¯elds, be- cause often pharmaceuticals and ¯ne-chemicals have physico-chemical properties which di®er little from those of the by-products, and they may be thermally instable. In these cases, standard separation techniques as distillation and extraction are not applicable. The noteworthiness of preparative chromatography, particulary SMB process, as a sep- aration and puri¯cation process in the above mentioned industries has been increasing, due to its °exibility, energy e±ciency and higher product purity performance. Consequently, a new SMB paradigm is requested by the large number of potential small- scale applications of the SMB technology, which exploits the °exibility and versatility of the technology. In this new SMB paradigm, a number of possibilities for improving SMB performance through variation of parameters during a switching interval, are pushing the trend toward the use of units with smaller number of columns because less stationary phase is used and the setup is more economical. This is especially important for the phar- maceutical industry, where SMBs are seen as multipurpose units that can be applied to di®erent separations in all stages of the drug-development cycle. In order to reduce the experimental e®ort and accordingly the coast associated with the development of separation processes, simulation models are intensively used. One impor- tant aspect in this context refers to the determination of the adsorption isotherms in SMB chromatography, where separations are usually carried out under strongly nonlinear conditions in order to achieve higher productivities. The accurate determination of the competitive adsorption equilibrium of the enantiomeric species is thus of fundamental importance to allow computer-assisted optimization or process scale-up. Two major SMB operating problems are apparent at production scale: the assessment of product quality and the maintenance of long-term stable and controlled operation. Constraints regarding product purity, dictated by pharmaceutical and food regulatory organizations, have drastically increased the demand for product quality control. The strict imposed regulations are increasing the need for developing optically pure drugs.(...)

Hot-dip galvanized steel dip-coatedwith ureasilicate hybrid in simulated concrete pore solution: Assessment of coating morphology and corrosion protection efficiency

The barrier effect and the performance of an organic–inorganic hybrid (OIH) sol–gel coating are highlydependent on the coating deposition method as well as processing conditions. In this work, studies onthe influence of experimental parameters using the dip coating method were performed. Factors suchas residence time (Rt), a curing step between each dip step and the number of layers of sol–gel OIHfilms deposited on HDGS to prevent corrosion in highly alkaline environments were studied. These OIHcoatings were obtained using a functionalized siloxane, 3-isociantepropyltriethoxysilane that reactedwith a diamino-functionalized oligopolymer (Jeffamine®D-230). The barrier efficiency of OIH coatings insimulated concrete pore solutions (SCPS) was assessed in the first moments of contact, by electrochemicalimpedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic methods. The durability and stability of the OIH coatings inSCPS was monitored during eight days by macrocell current density. The morphological characterizationof the surface was performed by scanning electronic microscopy before and after exposure to SCPS.Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy was used to obtain quantitative composition profiles toinvestigate the thickness of the OIH coatings as a function of the number of layers deposited and theinfluence of the Rt in the coating thickness.

Analysis of heterogeneously catalyzed ester hydrolysis reactions in a fixed-bed chromatographic reactor

Reactive Chromatography, Fixed-Bed Reactor, Heterogeneous, Hydrolysis, Ester, Catalyst, Adsorption, Ion-Exchange Resin

On design and control of simulated moving bed plants

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Diss., 2010

Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899 : sous le commandement de A. de Gerlache de Gomery. Rapports scientifiques publiés aux frais du gouvernement belge, sous la direction de la Commission de la Belgica.

R15, Zoologie, Céphalopodes

Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899 : sous le commandement de A. de Gerlache de Gomery. Rapports scientifiques publiés aux frais du gouvernement belge, sous la direction de la Commission de la Belgica.

R10, Zoologie, Copepoden

Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899 : sous le commandement de A. de Gerlache de Gomery. Rapports scientifiques publiés aux frais du gouvernement belge, sous la direction de la Commission de la Belgica.

R13, Botanique, Lichens

Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899 : sous le commandement de A. de Gerlache de Gomery. Rapports scientifiques publiés aux frais du gouvernement belge, sous la direction de la Commission de la Belgica.

R26, Zoologie, Organogénie des pinnipèdes, les ext

Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899 : sous le commandement de A. de Gerlache de Gomery. Rapports scientifiques publiés aux frais du gouvernement belge, sous la direction de la Commission de la Belgica.

R30-A50, Zoologie, Insectes