A middleware for service oriented computing in dynamic environments

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

Living and growing within a museum: re-creating video art for conservation

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Conservação e Restauro

Static laws in dynamic environments (bridging science to legislation)

Proceedings of the First International Conference on Coastal Conservation and Management in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, p. 193-200

Demonstration of the Multi-Agent Simulator of Competitive Electricity Markets

Electricity markets are complex environments with very particular characteristics. A critical issue concerns the constant changes they are subject to. This is a result of the electricity markets’ restructuring, performed so that the competitiveness could be increased, but with exponential implications in the increase of the complexity and unpredictability in those markets’ scope. The constant growth in markets unpredictability resulted in an amplified need for market intervenient entities in foreseeing market behavior. The need for understanding the market mechanisms and how the involved players’ interaction affects the outcomes of the markets, contributed to the growth of usage of simulation tools. Multi-agent based software is particularly well fitted to analyze dynamic and adaptive systems with complex interactions among its constituents, such as electricity markets. This paper presents the Multi-Agent System for Competitive Electricity Markets (MASCEM) – a simulator based on multi-agent technology that provides a realistic platform to simulate electricity markets, the numerous negotiation opportunities and the participating entities.

Dynamic and interaction of cytochrome c with Pf1 virus

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

Dynamic Approach and Testbed for Small and Medium Players Simulation in Smart Grid Environments

The Smart Grid environment allows the integration of resources of small and medium players through the use of Demand Response programs. Despite the clear advantages for the grid, the integration of consumers must be carefully done. This paper proposes a system which simulates small and medium players. The system is essential to produce tests and studies about the active participation of small and medium players in the Smart Grid environment. When comparing to similar systems, the advantages comprise the capability to deal with three types of loads – virtual, contextual and real. It can have several loads optimization modules and it can run in real time. The use of modules and the dynamic configuration of the player results in a system which can represent different players in an easy and independent way. This paper describes the system and all its capabilities.

Virulence Factors IN Fungi OF Systemic Mycoses

Pathogenic fungi that cause systemic mycoses retain several factors which allow their growth in adverse conditions provided by the host, leading to the establishment of the parasitic relationship and contributing to disease development. These factors are known as virulence factors which favor the infection process and the pathogenesis of the mycoses. The present study evaluates the virulence factors of pathogenic fungi such as Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in terms of thermotolerance, dimorphism, capsule or cell wall components as well as enzyme production. Virulence factors favor fungal adhesion, colonization, dissemination and the ability to survive in hostile environments and elude the immune response mechanisms of the host. Both the virulence factors presented by different fungi and the defense mechanisms provided by the host require action and interaction of complex processes whose knowledge allows a better understanding of the pathogenesis of systemic mycoses.

SOLAP+: extending the interaction model

Thesis submitted to Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Computer Science

Models and tools for value systems analysis in collaborative environments

Dissertation to obtain the degree of Doctor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specialization of Collaborative Networks

Multifunctional Biosensor Based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Monitoring Small Molecule–Protein Interaction

We report an optical sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to study small-molecule protein interaction combining high sensitivity refractive index sensing for quantitative binding information and subsequent conformation-sensitive plasmon-activated circular dichroism spectroscopy. The interaction of α-amylase and a small-size molecule (PGG, pentagalloyl glucose) was log concentration-dependent from 0.5 to 154 μM. In situ tests were additionally successfully applied to the analysis of real wine samples. These studies demonstrate that LSPR sensors to monitor small molecule–protein interactions in real time and in situ, which is a great advance within technological platforms for drug discovery.

Protein–polyphenol interaction on silica beads for astringency tests based on eye, photography or reflectance detection modes

Astringency is an organoleptic property of beverages and food products resulting mainly from the interaction of salivary proteins with dietary polyphenols. It is of great importance to consumers, but the only effective way of measuring it involves trained sensorial panellists, providing subjective and expensive responses. Concurrent chemical evaluations try to screen food astringency, by means of polyphenol and protein precipitation procedures, but these are far from the real human astringency sensation where not all polyphenol–protein interactions lead to the occurrence of precipitate. Here, a novel chemical approach that tries to mimic protein–polyphenol interactions in the mouth is presented to evaluate astringency. A protein, acting as a salivary protein, is attached to a solid support to which the polyphenol binds (just as happens when drinking wine), with subsequent colour alteration that is fully independent from the occurrence of precipitate. Employing this simple concept, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) was selected as the model salivary protein and used to cover the surface of silica beads. Tannic Acid (TA), employed as the model polyphenol, was allowed to interact with the BSA on the silica support and its adsorption to the protein was detected by reaction with Fe(III) and subsequent colour development. Quantitative data of TA in the samples were extracted by colorimetric or reflectance studies over the solid materials. The analysis was done by taking a regular picture with a digital camera, opening the image file in common software and extracting the colour coordinates from HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) and RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour model systems; linear ranges were observed from 10.6 to 106.0 μmol L−1. The latter was based on the Kubelka–Munk response, showing a linear gain with concentrations from 0.3 to 10.5 μmol L−1. In either of these two approaches, semi-quantitative estimation of TA was enabled by direct eye comparison. The correlation between the levels of adsorbed TA and the astringency of beverages was tested by using the assay to check the astringency of wines and comparing these to the response of sensorial panellists. Results of the two methods correlated well. The proposed sensor has significant potential as a robust tool for the quantitative/semi-quantitative evaluation of astringency in wine.

Application of Visual-Inertial SLAM for 3D Mapping of Underground Environments

The underground scenarios are one of the most challenging environments for accurate and precise 3d mapping where hostile conditions like absence of Global Positioning Systems, extreme lighting variations and geometrically smooth surfaces may be expected. So far, the state-of-the-art methods in underground modelling remain restricted to environments in which pronounced geometric features are abundant. This limitation is a consequence of the scan matching algorithms used to solve the localization and registration problems. This paper contributes to the expansion of the modelling capabilities to structures characterized by uniform geometry and smooth surfaces, as is the case of road and train tunnels. To achieve that, we combine some state of the art techniques from mobile robotics, and propose a method for 6DOF platform positioning in such scenarios, that is latter used for the environment modelling. A visual monocular Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (MonoSLAM) approach based on the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), complemented by the introduction of inertial measurements in the prediction step, allows our system to localize himself over long distances, using exclusively sensors carried on board a mobile platform. By feeding the Extended Kalman Filter with inertial data we were able to overcome the major problem related with MonoSLAM implementations, known as scale factor ambiguity. Despite extreme lighting variations, reliable visual features were extracted through the SIFT algorithm, and inserted directly in the EKF mechanism according to the Inverse Depth Parametrization. Through the 1-Point RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus) wrong frame-to-frame feature matches were rejected. The developed method was tested based on a dataset acquired inside a road tunnel and the navigation results compared with a ground truth obtained by post-processing a high grade Inertial Navigation System and L1/L2 RTK-GPS measurements acquired outside the tunnel. Results from the localization strategy are presented and analyzed.

Teaching accounting and management through business simulation

Everyday accounting and management teachers face the challenge of creating learning environments that motivate students. This chapter describes the Business Simulation (BS) experience that has taken place at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Institute of Accounting and Administration (IPP/ISCAP). The chapter presents students’ perceptions about the course and the teaching/learning approach. The results show that pedagogical methods used (competency-oriented), generic competencies (cooperation and group work), and interpersonal skills (organisational and communication skills) are relevant for future accounting professionals. In addition, positive remarks and possible constraints based on observation, staff meetings, and past research are reported. The chapter concludes with some recommendations from the project implementation

Simulation Environment for Multi-Robot Cooperative 3D Target Perception

4th International Conference, SIMPAR 2014, Bergamo, Italy, October 20-23, 2014