Relat��rio de est��gio na Empresa Biodroid Entertainment

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia de Redes de Comunica����o e Multim��dia

Interoperability on e-learning 2.0: the PEACE case study

The confluence of education with the evolution of technology boosted the paradigm shift of the face-to-face learning to distance learning. In this scenario e-Learning plays an essential role as a facilitator of the teaching/learning process. However new demands associated with the new Web paradigm require that existent e-Learning environments characterized mostly by monolithic systems begin interacting with new specialized services. In this decentralized scenario the definition of a strategy of interoperability is the cornerstone to ensure the standardization communication among systems. This paper presents a definition of an interoperability strategy for an e-Learning environment at our School (ESEIG) called PEACE ��� Project for ESEIG Academic Content Environment. This new interoperability model relies on the application of several coordination and integration standards on several services, controlled by teachers and students, and included in the PEACE environment such as social networks, repositories, libraries, e-portfolios, intelligent tutors, recommendation systems and virtual classrooms.

Intelligent Distributed Environmental Decision Support System

This article discusses the development of an Intelligent Distributed Environmental Decision Support System, built upon the association of a Multi-agent Belief Revision System with a Geographical Information System (GIS). The inherent multidisciplinary features of the involved expertises in the field of environmental management, the need to define clear policies that allow the synthesis of divergent perspectives, its systematic application, and the reduction of the costs and time that result from this integration, are the main reasons that motivate the proposal of this project. This paper is organised in two parts: in the first part we present and discuss the developed Distributed Belief Revision Test-bed ��� DiBeRT; in the second part we analyse its application to the environmental decision support domain, with special emphasis on the interface with a GIS.

���Thy love afar is spite at home' Emerson, Thoreau and Carey: an alternative perspective of communication in US

The conquest of the West by the stagecoaches and then by railway, Ford and the automobile civilization, the Moon landing by Apollo 11, Microsoft, Apple, CNN, Google and Facebook have appeared to us as celebratory examples of the willingness and ability of the US to overcome the distance and the absence through so-called modern progress of transportation and communication. Undoubtedly, the imaginary and the instrumental power associated to transports and communication of the last century and a half are identified with the mental images that the world has of the US. A world that has eagerly imported and copy their technology and technological culture. Beyond the illusions, this attempting, which has always been praised to transcende space and eclipse the time to get to places and peole increasingly distant and fast, has always a dark side: the political control of population, commercial advertising, the spread of the rumors, noise and gossip. However, since at least the nineteenth century, the political project incorporated in modern transportation and communication technologies was not shared by some of the most remarkable thinkers in the US not only in that century, but also in the 20th century. This paper begins by rescue Ralph W. Emerson and Henry D. Thoreau legacy regarding to communication. Emerson conceived communication as a give-and-take with no coordination between the two, and does not involve contact with the other. Thoreau, in turn, argued that modern trasnportation and communications inventions are but pretty toys which distract attention from serious things, nothing more than 'improved means to an end that is not perfected.' Secondly, we show that this skeptical view of the techological improvement of transport and communication was proceed in an original way with James W. Carey, a media studies thinker who became known for his criticism of the transmission view of communication.

A relev��ncia da comunica����o integrada no web marketing: estudo de um caso pr��tico

Disserta����o de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administra����o do Porto para a obten����o do grau de Mestre em Marketing Digital, sob orienta����o do Prof. Paulo Alexandre Pires

RealCrono ���sistema de difus��o de resultados em tempo real na web

A velocidade de difus��o de conte��dos numa plataforma web, assume uma elevada relev��ncia em servi��os onde a informa����o se pretende atualizada e em tempo real. Este projeto de Mestrado, apresenta uma abordagem de um sistema distribu��do de recolher e difundir resultados em tempo real entre v��rias plataformas, nomeadamente sistemas m��veis. Neste contexto, tempo real entende-se como uma diferen��a de tempo nula entre a recolha e difus��o, ignorando fatores que n��o podem ser controlados pelo sistema, como lat��ncia de comunica����o e tempo de processamento. Este projeto tem como base uma arquitetura existente de processamento e publica����o de resultados desportivos, que apresentava alguns problemas relacionados com escalabilidade, seguran��a, tempos de entrega de resultados longos e sem integra����o com outras plataformas. Ao longo deste trabalho procurou-se investigar fatores que condicionassem a escalabilidade de uma aplica����o web dando ��nfase �� implementa����o de uma solu����o baseada em replica����o e escalabilidade horizontal. Procurou-se tamb��m apresentar uma solu����o de interoperabilidade entre sistemas e plataformas heterog��neas, mantendo sempre elevados n��veis de performance e promovendo a introdu����o de plataformas m��veis no sistema. De v��rias abordagens existentes para comunica����o em tempo real sobre uma plataforma web, adotou-se um implementa����o baseada em WebSocket que elimina o tempo desperdi��ado entre a recolha de informa����o e sua difus��o. Neste projeto �� descrito o processo de implementa����o da API de recolha de dados (Collector), da biblioteca de comunica����o com o Collector, da aplica����o web (Publisher) e sua API, da biblioteca de comunica����o com o Publisher e por fim a implementa����o da aplica����o m��vel multi-plataforma. Com os componentes criados, avaliaram-se os resultados obtidos com a nova arquitetura de forma a aferir a escalabilidade e performance da solu����o criada e sua adapta����o ao sistema existente.

Como integrar as TIC em contexto did��tico das Artes explorando a distribui����o EVTux na ��rea do cinema de anima����o

Com a implementa����o do Plano Tecnol��gico da Educa����o e consequente apetrechamento das Escolas com recursos tecnol��gicos avan��ados, surge agora a necessidade de criar condi����es favor��veis para a efetiva integra����o das TIC no curr��culo, nomeadamente na ��rea das Artes. Decorrente das caracter��sticas singulares desta ��rea curricular, s��o muitas as ferramentas digitais que podemos utilizar em contexto educativo mobilizando-as para experi��ncias de aprendizagem baseadas em projetos que integrem as tecnologias. Este �� o caso do EVTux, uma distribui����o livre de Linux que permite a cria����o efetiva de projetos de cinema de anima����o em contexto educativo com recurso ��s tecnologias, caso que agora se apresenta como exemplo neste artigo e que atualmente faz parte de uma s��ntese do trabalho que se integra no projeto europeu TACCLE2 no qual participamos.

Developing an aquaponics system to learn sustainability and social compromise skills

The goal of this project, one of the proposals of the EPS@ISEP Spring 2014, was to develop an Aquaponics System. Over recent years Aquaponics systems have received increased attention since they contribute to reduce the strain on resources within 1st and 3rd world countries. Aquaponics is the combination of Hydroponics and Aquaculture, mimicking a natural environment in order to successfully apply and enhance the understanding of natural cycles within an indoor process. Using this knowledge of natural cycles, it was possible to create a system with capabilities similar to that of a natural environment with the support of electronics, enhancing the overall efficiency of the system. The multinational team involved in the development of this system was composed of five students from five countries and fields of study. This paper describes their solution, including the overall design, the technology involved and the benefits it can bring to the current market. The team was able to design and render the Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings of the prototype, assemble all components, successfully test the electronics and comply with the budget. Furthermore, the designed solution was supported by a product sustainability study and included a specific marketing plan. Last but not least, the students enrolled in this project obtained new multidisciplinary knowledge and increased their team work and cross-cultural communication skills.

The Entre4Future project

This paper presents some of the results already achieved in the European project titled "Simulation for Entrepreneurship - ENTRE4FUTURE". Seven organizations from six different countries participate in this project. Organizations are from two different groups. We have a group of five educational organizations from Romania (project leader), Portugal, Spain, Austria and Denmark. The second group is constituted by two affiliates of chambers of commerce of Romania and Cyprus. The purpose of ENTRE4FUTURE is the exchange of professional experience in matters relating to teaching methodologies, with the curricula of the business simulation and the methodology used in the business simulation courses as an effective method in entrepreneurship for education among young people, the use of the innovative technologies in the business simulation courses between two levels of education - high school and university. The project had its start in 2014 and the end will be in 2016. By this time some results have already been achieved, which passed through the creation of the project website, the reports of the three meetings already held, the presentation of a new curricula for the business simulation courses and a first draft of the Good Practice Guide "Simulation for entrepreneurship".

Esta����es de tratamento de ��guas residuais: conceitos e dimensionamento

O presente relat��rio �� o corol��rio do Est��gio Curricular que a autora efetuou, durante o segundo semestre do ano letivo de 2014/2015 na SBS ��� Engenharia Civil, Hidr��ulica e Ambiente, Lda. Nesta empresa a autora foi integrada na equipa t��cnica que elaborou um Projeto de Execu����o para uma Esta����o de Tratamento de ��guas Residuais que ir�� ser constru��da em Montemor-o-Novo, tendo-lhe sido atribu��das as seguintes tarefas principais: i) estudo de ferramentas de dimensionamento de ETAR; e ii) estudo dos processos de tratamento de ��guas residuais a instalar. O tratamento de ��guas residuais n��o �� mat��ria que conste do atual Plano de Estudos do Mestrado em Engenharia Civil do ISEP. Este facto, associado �� premente necessidade de dar resposta ��s expectativas da Entidade Acolhedora, obrigou a autora a um esfor��o de aprendizagem significativo. Nesta fase foi executada uma aprofundada pesquisa bibliogr��fica que permitiu �� autora obter o n��vel de conhecimentos te��ricos necess��rio para a plena integra����o na Equipa de Projeto. J�� integrada na Equipa de Projeto o primeiro trabalho desenvolvido pela autora foi a an��lise detalhada do Caderno de Encargos e da respetiva Nota T��cnica. Seguidamente a autora participou em todas as fases do Projeto tendo, por isso, colaborado na an��lise do Estudo Geot��cnico, no dimensionamento dos ��rg��os da ETAR, no c��lculo do perfil hidr��ulico, na defini����o de formas (plantas e cortes) dos ��rg��os, na elabora����o da Lista de Equipamentos e do Mapa de Quantidades e, por ��ltimo, na elabora����o da Mem��ria Descritiva e Justificativa do Processo de Tratamento e Equipamentos. O Caso Pr��tico inclu��do no presente documento ��, em larga medida, o corol��rio do processo de aprendizagem de que a autora beneficiou no decorrer do Est��gio Curricular. Grande parte das tarefas que a autora executou ao longo da elabora����o do projeto relacionaram-se com o dimensionamento dos ��rg��os da ETAR e com os respetivos c��lculos hidr��ulicos. Os conhecimentos te��rico-pr��ticos desta forma adquiridos foram reunidos num conjunto de ferramentas, maioritariamente folhas de c��lculo, que se verificou serem ��teis nos processos de dimensionamento e de teste de solu����es alternativas. �� parte integrante deste relat��rio um cap��tulo no qual �� feita uma detalhada apresenta����o dos conceitos te��ricos subjacentes ao Projeto de ETAR. Este cap��tulo reflete o estudo que a autora teve necessidade de efetuar antes de se sentir capaz de integrar a Equipa de Projeto.

A strategic plan for ���ADHD Project���

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA ��� School of Business and Economics

Cost-to-serve customers��� optimization: Macro project Unilever ��� Jer��nimo Martins

The objective of this work project is to analyse and discuss the importance of the ���Cost to Serve��� as a differentiation key factor, by accessing cost to serve customers of a Portuguese subsidiary of a multinational company, which is operating in the sector of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) ��� Unilever ��� Jer��nimo Martins (UJM). I will also suggest and quantify key proposals to decrease costs and increase customers��� value. Hence, the scope of this work project is focused on logistics and distribution processes of the company supply chain.

Assessment by doppler ultrasound of entheseal lesions in spondyloarthritis : a longitudial study to determine structural damage and disease activity lesions

RESUMO: Enthesitis is the hallmark of spondyloarthritis (SpA), and is observed in all subtypes. Wide information on SpA abnormalities, including synovitis, tendinitis and enthesitis, can be efficiently perceived by Doppler ultrasound. Furthermore, several studies on imaging of enthesis showed that imaging techniques are better than clinical examination to detect enthesis alterations; and vascularized enthesitis detected by Doppler ultrasound appears to be a valuable diagnostic tool to confirm SpA diagnosis. However, data published until now concerning entheseal elementary alterations that characterize SpA enthesitis (enthesis inflammatory activity) or enthesopathy (permanent structural changes) reflect rather the authors��� empiric opinion than a methodological validation process. In this sense it seems crucial to identify elementary entheseal lesions associated with activity or damage, in order to improve monitoring and treatment response in SpA patients. The development of better assessment tools is today a challenge and a need in SpA. The first study of this thesis focused on the analysis of the reliability of inter-lector and inter-ultrasonography equipment of Madrid sonography enthesitis index (MASEI). Fundamental data for the remaining unrolling project validity. In the second and third studies we concerned about two entheseal elemental lesions: erosions and bursa. In literature erosions represent a permanent structural damage, being useful for monitoring joint injury, disease activity and therapeutic response in many rheumatic diseases; and to date, this concept has been mostly applied in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Unquestionably, erosion is a tissue-related damage and a structural change. However, the hypothesis that we decided to test was if erosions represent a permanent structural change that can only grow and worsen over time, as occurs in RA, or a transitory alteration. A longitudinal study of early SpA patients was undertaken, and the Achilles enthesis was used as a model. Our results strongly suggested that previously detected erosions could disappear during the course of the disease, being consistent with the dynamic behavior of erosion over time. Based on these striking results it seems reasonable to suggest that the new-bone formation process in SpA could be associated with the resolution of cortical entheseal erosion over time. These results could also be in agreement with the apparent failure of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies to control bone proliferation in SpA; and with the relation of TNF-��, Dickkopf-related protein 1 (Dkk-1) and the regulatory molecule of the Wnt signaling pathway in the bone proliferation in SpA. In the same model, we then proceeded to study the enthesis bursa. Interestingly, the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) enthesopathy definition does not include bursa as an elementary entheseal lesion. Nonetheless, bursa was included in 46% of the enthesis studies in a recently systematic literature review, being in agreement with the concept of ���synovio-entheseal complex��� that includes the link between enthesitis and osteitis in SpA. It has been clarified in recent data that there is not only a close functional integration of the enthesis with the neighboring bone, but also a connection between enthesitis and synovitis. Therefore, we tried to assess the prevalence and relevance of the bursa-synovial lesion in SpA. Our findings showed a significant increase of Achilles bursa presence and thickness in SpA patients compared to controls (healthy/mechanical controls and RA controls). These results raise awareness to the need to improve the enthesopathy ultrasonographic definition. In the final work of this thesis, we have explored new perspectives, not previously reported, about construct validity of enthesis ultrasound as a possible activity outcome in SpA. We performed a longitudinal Achilles enthesis ultrasound study in patients with early SpA. Achilles ultrasound examinations were performed at baseline, six- and twelve-month time periods and compared with clinical outcome measures collected at basal visit. Our results showed that basal erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are higher in patients with Doppler signal in enthesis, and even that higher basal ESR, CRP and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) predicted a higher Doppler signal (an ultrasound alteration accepted as representative of inflammation) six months later. Patients with very high disease activity assessed by ASDAS (>3.5) at baseline had significantly higher Achilles total ultrasound score verified at the same time; and ASDAS <1.3 predicted no Doppler signal at six and twelve months. This seems to represent a connection between classical biomarkers and clinical outcomes associated with SpA activity and Doppler signal, not only at the same time, but also for the following months. Remarkably, patients with inactive disease (ASDAS < 1.3) at baseline had no Doppler signal at six and twelve months. These findings reinforce the potential use of ultrasound related techniques for disease progression assessment and prognosis purposes. Intriguingly, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) didn���t show significant differences between different cut-offs concerning ultrasound lesions or Doppler signal, while verified with ASDAS. These results seem to indicate that ASDAS reflects better than BASDAI what happens in the enthesis. The work herein discussed clearly shows the potential utility of ultrasound in enthesis assessment in SpA patients, and can be important for the development of ultrasound activity and structural damage scores for diagnosis and monitoring purposes. Therefore, local promotion of this technique constitutes a medical intervention that is worth being tested in SpA patients for diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis purposes.

An essay on agile project management practices

The main goals for the current dissertation is to research on how practices and concepts from Agile Project Management can be applied in a non-IT context and to discover which aspects should be considered when deciding if whether an Agile approach should be implemented or not. Previous studies reflect on the adoption for the identified context. However, the recognition of these practices and concepts by the Project Management field of studies still remains unresolved. The adoption of Agile Project Management emerges as a manifestation against traditional approaches, mainly due to their inability of accepting requirements��� changes. Therefore, these practices and concepts can be considered in order to reduce the risks concerning the increase of competition and innovation ��� which does not apply to the IT sector solely. The current study reviews the literature on Agile Project Management and its adoption across different sectors in order to assess which practices and concepts can be applied on a non-IT context. Nine different methods are reviewed, where two of these show a higher relevance ��� Scrum and Extreme Programming. The identified practices and concepts can be separated into four different groups: Cultural and Organizational Structures, Process, Practices, and Artefacts. A framework based on the work by Boehm & Turner in 2004 is developed in order to support the decision of adopting agile methods. A survey intended for project managers was carried in order to assess the implementation of the identified practices and concepts and to evaluate which variables have the highest importance on the developed decision support framework. It is concluded that New Product Development is the project type with the highest potential to implement an agile approach and that the Project Final Product���s Innovativeness, Competitiveness, and the Project Member���s Experience and Autonomy are the most important aspects to consider an implementation of an Agile approach.

On project finance and the first road concession in Portugal

In broad sense, Project Financing1 as a mean of financing large scale infrastructural projects worldwide has had a steady growth in popularity for the last 20 years. This growth has been relatively unscathed from most economic cycles. However in the wake of the 2007 systemic Financial Crisis, Project Financing was also in trouble. The liquidity freeze and credit crunch that ensued affected all parties involved. Traditional Lenders, of this type of financial instrument, locked-in long-term contractual obligations, were severely hit with scarcity of funding compounded by rapidly increasing cost of funding. All the while, Banks were ���rescued��� by the concerted actions of Central Banks and other Multi-Lateral Agencies around the world but at the same time ���stressed��� by upcoming regulatory effort (Basel Committee). This impact resulted in specific changes to this type of long-term financing. Changes such as Commercial Banks��� increased risk aversion; pricing increase and maturities decrease of credit facilities; enforcement of Market Disruption Event clauses; partial responsibility for project risk by Multilateral Agencies; and adoption of utility-like availability payments in other industrial sectors such as transportation and even social infrastructure. To the extent possible, this report is then divided in three parts. First, it begins with a more instructional part, touching academic literature (theory) and giving the Banks perspective (practice), but mostly as an overview of Project Finance for awareness��� sake. The renowned Harvard Business School professor ��� Benjamin Esty, states2 that Project Finance is a ���relatively unexplored territory for both empirical and theoretical research��� which means that academic research efforts are lagging the practice of Project Finance. Second, the report presents a practical case regarding the first Road Concession in Portugal in 1998 ending with the lessons learned 10 years after Financial Close. Lastly, the report concludes with the analysis of the current trends and changes to the industry post Financial Crisis of the late 2000���s. To achieve this I���ll reference relevant papers, books on the subject, online articles and my own experience in the Project Finance Department at a major Portuguese Investment Bank. Regarding the latter, with the signing of a confidentiality agreement, I���m duly omitting sensitive and proprietary bank information.