Digital microfluidic devices: the role of the dielectric layer

Digital microfluidics (DMF) is a field which has emerged in the last decade as a re-liable and versatile tool for sensing applications based on liquid reactions. DMF allows the discrete displacement of droplets, over an array of electrodes, by the application of voltage, and also the dispensing from a reservoir, mixing, merging and splitting fluidic operations. The main drawback of these devices is due to the need of high driving volt-ages for droplet operations. In this work, alternative dielectric layers combinations were studied aiming the reduction of these driving voltages. DMF chips were designed, pro-duced and optimized according to the theory of electrowetting-on-dielectric, adopting different combinations of parylene-C and tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) as dielectric ma-terials, and Teflon as hydrophobic layer. With both devices��� configurations, i.e., Parylene as single dielectric, and multilayer chips combining Parylene and Ta2O5, it was possible to perform all the fluidic opera-tions in the microliter down to hundreds of nanoliters range. Multilayer chips presented significant reduction on driving voltages for droplet op-erations in silicone oil filler medium: from 70 V (parylene only) down to 30 V (parylene/Ta2O5) for dispensing; and from 50 V (parylene only) down to 15 V (parylene/Ta2O5) for movement. Peroxidase colorimetric reactions were successfully performed as proof-of-concept, using multilayer configuration devices.

Digital microfluidics on paper

This thesis is one of the first reports of digital microfluidics on paper and the first in which the chip���s circuit was screen printed unto the paper. The use of the screen printing technique, being a low cost and fast method for electrodes deposition, makes the all chip processing much more aligned with the low cost choice of paper as a substrate. Functioning chips were developed that were capable of working at as low as 50 V, performing all the digital microfluidics operations: movement, dispensing, merging and splitting of the droplets. Silver ink electrodes were screen printed unto paper substrates, covered by Parylene-C (through vapor deposition) as dielectric and Teflon AF 1600 (through spin coating) as hydrophobic layer. The morphology of different paper substrates, silver inks (with different annealing conditions) and Parylene deposition conditions were studied by optical microscopy, AFM, SEM and 3D profilometry. Resolution tests for the printing process and electrical characterization of the silver electrodes were also made. As a showcase of the applications potential of these chips as a biosensing device, a colorimetric peroxidase detection test was successfully done on chip, using 200 nL to 350 nL droplets dispensed from 1 ��L drops.

Web Design como ferramenta de Comunica����o Digital

WEB DESIGN COMO FERRAMENTA DE COMUNICA����O DIGITAL: DESIGN E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE SITES, UTILIZANDO O GESTOR DE CONTE��DOS WORDPRESS; DESIGN DE CONTE��DOS VISUAIS PARA O FACEBOOK DE UMA MARCA

DYNAMOD ��� A dynamic agent based modelling framework for digital businesses

Digital Businesses have become a major driver for economic growth and have seen an explosion of new startups. At the same time, it also includes mature enterprises that have become global giants in a relatively short period of time. Digital Businesses have unique characteristics that make the running and management of a Digital Business much different from traditional offline businesses. Digital businesses respond to online users who are highly interconnected and networked. This enables a rapid flow of word of mouth, at a pace far greater than ever envisioned when dealing with traditional products and services. The relatively low cost of incremental user addition has led to a variety of innovation in pricing of digital products, including various forms of free and freemium pricing models. This thesis explores the unique characteristics and complexities of Digital Businesses and its implications on the design of Digital Business Models and Revenue Models. The thesis proposes an Agent Based Modeling Framework that can be used to develop Simulation Models that simulate the complex dynamics of Digital Businesses and the user interactions between users of a digital product. Such Simulation models can be used for a variety of purposes such as simple forecasting, analysing the impact of market disturbances, analysing the impact of changes in pricing models and optimising the pricing for maximum revenue generation or a balance between growth in usage and revenue generation. These models can be developed for a mature enterprise with a large historical record of user growth rate as well as for early stage enterprises without much historical data. Through three case studies, the thesis demonstrates the applicability of the Framework and its potential applications.

Jornalismo Cultural na Era Digital: O caso do Expresso

O presente relat��rio �� o resultado de uma reflex��o que tem como base um est��gio de tr��s meses na redac����o do jornal Expresso, nomeadamente na sec����o do Di��rio e do Online. A partir de uma an��lise ��s publica����es dedicadas �� cultura, pretende-se explorar as potencialidades digitais como contributo para uma narrativa din��mica, interactiva e imersiva. Procura-se compreender se, de facto, os elementos multim��dia ganham mais possibilidades criativas quando aplicados no jornalismo cultural. Para esse efeito, este relat��rio encontra-se dividido em quatro partes consoante o enquadramento dos temas analisados. Primeiramente estabelece-se um enquadramento te��rico que conceptualiza as duas tem��ticas centrais deste relat��rio: jornalismo cultural e jornalismo digital. Numa segunda fase �� descrita a experi��ncia de um est��gio no Expresso, bem como se contextualizam os seus anos de est��rias. De seguida, surgem as quest��es de investiga����o devidamente aplicadas no ��mbito de an��lise. Atrav��s de uma reflex��o qualitativa ��s publica����es do Expresso Online e Di��rio dedicadas a tem��ticas culturais e publicadas durante o per��odo de um m��s, conclui-se que o jornalismo cultural pode possibilitar ao leitor uma experi��ncia completa. As potencialidades digitais servem como contributo para o despertar de sensa����es, para uma narrativa abrangente e reflexiva. H�� falta de activismo jornal��stico ou, antes, de explora����o das capacidades da ��rea que v��o muito para al��m do car��cter informativo

Aplica����o da teoria moderna do portf��lio �� selec����o de canais de marketing digital

O intuito desta disserta����o �� investigar em que medida a Teoria Moderna do Portf��lio pode ser aplicada �� selec����o de um portf��lio de canais ou de t��cticas de Marketing Digital, de modo a obter o melhor compromisso entre o retorno esperado do investimento e o respectivo risco. Anteriores aplica����es da teoria do portf��lio ao Marketing, enquanto meio de racionalizar a selec����o do portf��lio, concentraram-se no uso deste modelo em decis��es relacionadas com portf��lios de produtos, de clientes e segmentos de clientes, de formatos de retalho e de promo����es de pre��o. N��o se encontraram evid��ncias de que a abordagem proposta neste texto tenha j�� sido tentada. A evolu����o tecnol��gica nas ��ltimas duas d��cadas trouxe a adop����o generalizada de smartphones e tablets e tamb��m a revolu����o da internet, originando a prolifera����o do e-mail, dos blogs e dos sites de redes sociais. Devido �� infinidade de meios para chegar aos consumidores, os marketers enfrentam actualmente grandes desafios no planeamento e na defini����o das suas estrat��gias de Marketing. Em resposta, consultoras det��m ferramentas para a an��lise de portf��lios de canais de Marketing que permitem ��s empresas e aos marketers, em particular, melhorar o desempenho da sua actividade e maximizar o rendimento da sua despesa de Marketing. Contudo, al��m de dispendiosas e estritamente anal��ticas, estas ferramentas s��o muito sofisticadas, baseando-se em algoritmos e racioc��nios complexos que nem sempre s��o evidentes para os marketers, o que dificulta a sua compreens��o e consequentemente a sua adop����o. Sem uma ferramenta de an��lise, �� frequente os marketers fundamentarem as suas decis��es nos resultados das campanhas online anteriores, registados pelas Web Analytics, e na sua experi��ncia profissional. Assim, cr��-se que a Teoria Moderna do Portf��lio, baseando-se em conceitos estat��sticos simples, possa representar para os marketers uma ferramenta ��til no apoio �� selec����o do conjunto de canais ou de t��cticas de Marketing Digital que melhor se adequa aos interesses e aos objectivos estrat��gicos das organiza����es. A Teoria Moderna do Portf��lio tem como principais vantagens a an��lise e selec����o de portf��lios com base na sua combina����o de retorno esperado e risco de investimento (retorno ajustado ao risco), por oposi����o a considerar exclusivamente o retorno esperado, e a simplicidade estat��stica do modelo, por oposi����o aos softwares das consultoras. O presente estudo fundamentou-se na literatura existente acerca da Teoria Moderna do Portf��lio, concebida em 1952 por Harry Markowitz, bem como no conceito de Sharpe Ratio, por William Sharpe, tendo-se revisto tamb��m conceitos gen��ricos de Marketing e Marketing Digital. Dado que a medi����o do retorno financeiro do investimento em Marketing ��� central ao estudo ��� n��o �� t��o linear quanto a medi����o dos retornos de activos financeiros, revelou-se necess��rio introduzir algumas altera����es �� teoria do portf��lio original. Estas altera����es tomaram em considera����o as principais conclus��es dos estudos anteriores sobre a aplica����o do modelo a outras ��reas. Para desenvolver o modelo proposto, utilizou-se o Microsoft Excel. Seguidamente, procedeu-se �� sua prova de conceito atrav��s de uma abordagem emp��rica, utilizando dados de uma empresa portuguesa de Marketing Digital. Concluiu-se que �� poss��vel aplicar a Teoria Moderna do Portf��lio �� selec����o de canais ou t��cticas de Marketing Digital de uma empresa, com as devidas adapta����es, para determinar as parcelas do or��amento de comunica����o de uma organiza����o a alocar a cada tipo de canal ou t��ctica.

O Corpo Masculino Queer e Digital na Arte Contempor��nea: Ryan Trecartin e Jacolby Satterwhite

Esta disserta����o pretende analisar as pr��ticas de dois artistas contempor��neos, Ryan Trecartin e Jacolby Satterwhite, nomeadamente a n��vel do modo como trabalham a intersec����o do v��deo digital e da performance como forma de manifesta����o de corporaliza����es queer atrav��s do corpo masculino. Mais concretamente, interessa-nos focar processos de ���queerifica����o��� e de produ����o de corpos que emergem intrinsecamente pelo m��dium digital, e que exploram as possibilidades transformativas do m��dium tanto a n��vel de representa����o, cria����o e muta����o de formas, como a n��vel comunicacional e de possibilidades de subjectiva����o e corporaliza����es m��ltiplas. Para tal, partimos dos dois campos te��ricos que se mostraram mais pertinentes relativamente aos processos art��sticos em an��lise, nomeadamente: a teoria queer pelo modo como definiu o car��cter performativo das normas de g��nero e as categoriza����es identit��rias sexuais como suporte da heteronormatividade, identificando estrat��gias para a sua re-significa����o; e o pensamento sobre a rela����o do corpo com o m��dium digital, pelo modo como delineou processos de corporaliza����o atrav��s da tecnologia digital. A an��lise dos processos art��sticos de Ryan Trecartin e Jacolby Satterwhite demonstra como a arte contempor��nea �� um territ��rio f��rtil n��o apenas para a exposi����o de matrizes normativas de opress��o, mas tamb��m para a cria����o de mundos radicalmente queer em que, fazendo uso do potencial transformativo do m��dium digital, se manifestam realidades e corpos onde a normatividade �� totalmente implodida.

From "Humanities and Computing" to "Digital Humanities": Digital Humanities in Portugal with a focus on Historical Research

In the following text I will develop three major aspects. The first is to draw attention to those who seem to have been the disciplinary fields where, despite everything, the Digital Humanities (in the broad perspective as will be regarded here) have asserted themselves in a more comprehensive manner. I think it is here that I run into greater risks, not only for what I have mentioned above, but certainly because a significant part, perhaps, of the achievements and of the researchers might have escaped the look that I sought to cast upon the past few decades, always influenced by my own experience and the work carried out in the field of History. But this can be considered as a work in progress and it is open to criticism and suggestions. A second point to note is that emphasis will be given to the main lines of development in the relationship between historical research and digital methodologies, resources and tools. Finally, I will try to make a brief analysis of what has been the Digital Humanities discourse appropriation in recent years, with very debatable data and methods for sure, because studies are still scarce and little systematic information is available that would allow to go beyond an introductory reflection.

Revista de Bordo Digital

A revista de bordo �� um produto editorial bem conhecido do passageiro a��reo. Ela faz parte do universo da avia����o h�� v��rias d��cadas, servindo tanto o prop��sito de distrair os passageiros com medo de voar, como o de veicular artigos de viagem de qualidade a amantes deste tipo de narrativa. Mas a crise financeira de 2008 e o aumento do pre��o do petr��leo come��aram a mudar a maneira como os gestores das companhias a��reas olham para este produto t��o familiar aos passageiros. O novo s��culo traz novos desafios e p��e em causa a continua����o deste tipo de publica����o, pelo custo que representa para as companhias e para o meio ambiente. Mas a evolu����o da tecnologia e a crise que o pr��prio jornalismo atravessa na transi����o para o online podem conter a chave para este problema. Uma publica����o de bordo nativa digital pode oferecer potencialidades ��nicas aos passageiros, ao mesmo tempo que lidera o caminho da inova����o jornal��stica.

Os movimentos sociais na era digital

A onda de protestos globais de 2011 reacendeu o debate sobre as potencialidades e limita����es que derivam da incorpora����o de novas tecnologias de informa����o e comunica����o (TIC) por parte dos movimentos sociais. Que caracter��sticas diferenciam os movimentos sociais tradicionais dos contempor��neos? Quais os efeitos transformativos da apropria����o das novas tecnologias por parte dos grupos de a����o coletiva? De que modo as tecnologias digitais podem contribuir para o engajamento c��vico e pol��tico? Esta disserta����o pretende refletir sobre estas quest��es, atrav��s da an��lise de distintos casos de estudo onde que se incluem os mais medi��ticos movimentos sociais dos ��ltimos anos: a revolu����o tunisina e eg��pcia enquanto exemplos ilustrativos da ���Primavera ��rabe���; o caso island��s, onde as manifesta����es culminaram num inovador projeto de e-democracy; e o movimento espanhol 15M/Indignados, que mobilizou milhares de pessoas em prol de uma renova����o do sistema democr��tico.

O projecto Imago. A constitui����o de uma base de dados digital de iconografia medieval

Funda����o para a Ci��ncia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Funda����o Millennium bcp, Direc����o Geral do Livro e das Bibliotecas/MC, Instituto de Estudos Medievais ��� FCSH/UNL

An equity wealth preservation strategy: Following the macro trend

Financial crisis have happened in the past and will continue to do so in the future. In the most recent 2008 crisis, global equities (as measured by the MSCI ACWI index) lost a staggering 54.2% in USD, on the year. During those periods wealth preservation becomes at the top of most investor���s concerns. The purpose of this paper is to develop a strategy that protects the investment during bear markets and significant market corrections, generates capital appreciation, and that can support Millennium BCP���s Wealth Management Unit on their asset allocation procedures. This strategy extends the Dual Momentum approach introduced by Gary Antonacci (2014) in two ways. First, the investable set of securities in the equities space increases from two to four. Besides the US it will comprise the Japanese, European (excl. UK) and EM equity indices. Secondly, it adds a volatility filter as well as three indicators related to the business cycle and the state of the economy, which are relevant to decide on the strategy���s exposure to equities. Overall the results attest the resiliency of the strategy before, during and after historical financial crashes, as it drastically reduces the downside exposure and consistently outperforms the benchmark index by providing higher mean returns with lower variance.

Cultural journalism in a digital environment : new models, practices and possibilities

Both culture coverage and digital journalism are contemporary phenomena that have undergone several transformations within a short period of time. Whenever the media enters a period of uncertainty such as the present one, there is an attempt to innovate in order to seek sustainability, skip the crisis or find a new public. This indicates that there are new trends to be understood and explored, i.e., how are media innovating in a digital environment? Not only does the professional debate about the future of journalism justify the need to explore the issue, but so do the academic approaches to cultural journalism. However, none of the studies so far have considered innovation as a motto or driver and tried to explain how the media are covering culture, achieving sustainability and engaging with the readers in a digital environment. This research examines how European media which specialize in culture or have an important cultural section are innovating in a digital environment. Specifically, we see how these innovation strategies are being taken in relation to the approach to culture and dominant cultural areas, editorial models, the use of digital tools for telling stories, overall brand positioning and extensions, engagement with the public and business models. We conducted a mixed methods study combining case studies of four media projects, which integrates qualitative web features and content analysis, with quantitative web content analysis. Two major general-interest journalistic brands which started as physical newspapers ��� The Guardian (London, UK) and P��blico (Lisbon, Portugal) ��� a magazine specialized in international affairs, culture and design ��� Monocle (London, UK) ��� and a native digital media project that was launched by a cultural organization ��� Notodo, by La F��brica ��� were the four case studies chosen. Findings suggest, on one hand, that we are witnessing a paradigm shift in culture coverage in a digital environment, challenging traditional boundaries related to cultural themes and scope, angles, genres, content format and delivery, engagement and business models. Innovation in the four case studies lies especially along the product dimensions (format and content), brand positioning and process (business model and ways to engage with users). On the other hand, there are still perennial values that are crucial to innovation and sustainability, such as commitment to journalism, consistency (to the reader, to brand extensions and to the advertiser), intelligent differentiation and the capability of knowing what innovation means and how it can be applied, since this thesis also confirms that one formula doesn��t suit all. Changing minds, exceeding cultural inertia and optimizing the memory of the websites, looking at them as living, organic bodies, which continuously interact with the readers in many different ways, and not as a closed collection of articles, are still the main challenges for some media.

How to increase reach efficiency and effectiveness of Meo's digital marketing campaigns

Field lab: Business project