ZoomAzores project: implementation of a WebGIS for Nature and Adventure Tourism.

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

Foresight studies on work in the knowledge society: a 2nd international conference at UNL

The 2nd International Conference on "Foresight Studies on Work in the Knowledge Society" was organised by IET, the Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation, at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of "Universidade Nova de Lisboa" (FCT-UNL), and took place on January 26 and 27 of 2009 with the support of the European project WORKS-Work Organisation Re-structuring in the Knowledge Society (financed by the European Commission, and co-ordinated by HIVA Leuven)

NMR studies of transiente protein complexes

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Bioquímica,especialidade Bioquímica Física,pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa,Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Crystallographic studies on molybdopterin-dependent enzymes

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Bioquímica, Especialidade Bioquímica Estrutural

Cluster Turismo Sustentável em Áreas Protegidas: o caso do Alente

Local Tourist Systems (LTS) can be analyzed according to an investigation structure that derives from industrial economics on industrial districts, local productive systems or learning regions. LTS concept is a useful analytical tool that can seize the resorts diversity and organization. Resorts can be conceived both as clusters or industrial districts, either with a perfect agreement between productive sphere and local community or a mere industrial juxtaposition without any economic or social connection. On the other hand tourist clusters analysis has cross referred almost exclusively to socio-economic criteria. Environmental issues were almost disregarded. Approaches swing from the “greening” of products and practices to initiatives focused on an integrated approach, linking environment and tourist development. This paper tries to discuss how to favor – inside a tourist destination - the creation of clusters grounded on sustainable tourism. The case studies (the 5 Alentejo Natural Reserves: Estuário do Sado; Lagoas de Santo André e da Sancha; Vale do Guadiana; Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina; Serra de S. Mamede) are analyzed under the light of how microstructures groups can allow a territorial sustainable tourist development. The issues of “resources and competences” and “governance” ar

SPR based Studies for Pentagalloyl Glucose Binding to α-Amylase

Astringency is an organoleptic property resulting mostly from the interaction of salivary proteins with dietary polyphenols. It is of great importance to consumers but being typically measured by sensorial panels it turns out subjective and expensive. The main goal of the present work is to develop a sensory system to estimate astringency relying on protein/polyphenol interactions. For this purpose, a model protein was immobilized on a sensory gold surface and its subsequent interaction with polyphenols was measured by Surface Plasma Resonance (SPR). α-amylase and pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) were selected as model protein and polyphenol, respectively. To ensure specific binding between these, various surface chemistries were tested. Carboxylic terminated thiol decreased the binding ability of PGG and allowed covalent attachment of α-amylase to the surface. The pH 5 was the optimal condition for α-amylase immobilization on the surface. Further studies focus on Localized SPR sensor and application to wine samples, providing objectivity when compared to a trained panel.

Crystallographic studies on two hyperthermophilic enzymes

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry

Functional studies on BolA and related genes: increasing the understanding of a protein with pleiotropic effects

Dissertation presented to obtain a Doctoral degree in Biology by Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica

Studies on entomological monitoring: mosquito species frequency in riverine habitats of the Igarapava Dam, Southern Region, Brazil

Diversity of mosquito species was evaluated in different habitats before and after the Igarapava reservoir flooding in the Grande River, Southern Cerrado of Brazil. We aimed at verifying changes in these mosquito populations in consequence of the lake formation. Four habitats were selected as sampling stations: peridomiciliary habitat, pasture, "veredas" and gallery forest patch. Bimonthly collections were made with the Shannon trap and human bait, including diurnal, crepuscular and nocturnal period of mosquito activity. The Shannon Index results from the potential vectors were compared using Student t-test. Aedes scapularis, Anopheles darlingi and An. albitarsis senso latu seasonal abundance were described with moving average and compared using chi2 test. There were changes in the mosquito frequency in the habitats, except for the "veredas" that was 13 km away from the catchment area. The altering in mosquito species seasonal abundance suggests breeding places expansion. Diversity indexes can be used to monitor changes in mosquito vector population in environments where abrupt disturbance can alter disease transmission cycles.

Molecular and seroepidemiologic studies of Enterovirus 71 infection in the State of Pará, Brazil

In many countries, the Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) Picornaviridae family is associated to hand, foot and mouth disease in addition to acute neurological diseases while in Brazil these viruses are more closely associated to the latter group. The aim of this research was to use the first EV-71 isolate of the Northern region of Brazil in molecular and seroepidemiologic studies. Two (2.2%) out of 88 stool samples (44 cases of AFP), collected from January 1998 to December 2000 were positive for EV-71 isolation (73442/PA/99). Nucleotide sequence of the gen that codifies the VP1 protein showed that isolate 73442/PA/99 was similar to the EV-71 strains belonging to genotype B - more closely identified with EV-71 from North America. Neutralization test with 389 sera samples collected from January 1998 to November 2001, from individuals ranging from 0 to 15 years of age living in the city of Belém, State of Pará showed the following results in relation to isolate 73442/PA/99 and prototype BrCr: a total of 207 individuals (53.2%) had neutralization antibodies to both viruses, 167 (42.9%) had no antibodies and 15 showed the presence of neutralizing antibodies to one of the two viruses. Only 20.2% of the children aged 0 to 3 had neutralizing antibodies to EV-71, indicating that these children were more susceptible to the infection. Both the seroprevalence study and VP1 sequencing were important to demonstrate the spread and the molecular pattern of the EV-71 circulating in the Northern Region of Brazil.

Autonomous guided vehicles applied to industrial engineering and management studies

This article presents a framework to an Industrial Engineering and Management Science course from School of Management and Industrial Studies using Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGV) to supply materials to a production line as an experimental setup for the students to acquire knowledge in the production robotics area. The students must be capable to understand and put into good use several concepts that will be of utmost importance in their professional life such as critical decisions regarding the study, development and implementation of a production line. The main focus is a production line using AGVs, where the students are required to address several topics such as: sensors actuators, controllers and an high level management and optimization software. The presented framework brings to the robotics teaching community methodologies that allow students from different backgrounds, that normally don’t experiment with the robotics concepts in practice due to the big gap between theory and practice, to go straight to ”making” robotics. Our aim was to suppress the minimum start point level thus allowing any student to fully experience robotics with little background knowledge.

Optimization of random amplified polymorphic DNA techniques for use in genetic studies of Cuban triatominae

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique is a simple and reliable method to detect DNA polymorphism. Several factors can affect the amplification profiles, thereby causing false bands and non-reproducibility of assay. In this study, we analyzed the effect of changing the concentration of primer, magnesium chloride, template DNA and Taq DNA polymerase with the objective of determining their optimum concentration for the standardization of RAPD technique for genetic studies of Cuban Triatominae. Reproducible amplification patterns were obtained using 5 pmoL of primer, 2.5 mM of MgCl2, 25 ng of template DNA and 2 U of Taq DNA polymerase in 25 µL of the reaction. A panel of five random primers was used to evaluate the genetic variability of T. flavida. Three of these (OPA-1, OPA-2 and OPA-4) generated reproducible and distinguishable fingerprinting patterns of Triatominae. Numerical analysis of 52 RAPD amplified bands generated for all five primers was carried out with unweighted pair group method analysis (UPGMA). Jaccard's Similarity Coefficient data were used to construct a dendrogram. Two groups could be distinguished by RAPD data and these groups coincided with geographic origin, i.e. the populations captured in areas from east and west of Guanahacabibes, Pinar del Río. T. flavida present low interpopulation variability that could result in greater susceptibility to pesticides in control programs. The RAPD protocol and the selected primers are useful for molecular characterization of Cuban Triatominae.

How does gender affect visiting a world heritage site?

To date few studies have been undertaken in Portugal dealing with the attitudes, motivations, and profile of tourists who visit World Heritage Sites. Also, few studies have dealt with destination image (e.g., Agapito, Mendes & Valle, 2010; Lopes, 2011). As far as it is known, none have approached the issue of gender differences in the choice of a Portuguese heritage destination. Since cultural tourism destinations need to differentiate themselves from each other, appropriate market segmentation must be based on a deep understanding of the customers’ motivations and preferences. Keeping in mind results from empirical literature (e.g., Silberberg, 1995; Beerli & Martin, 2004; Richards, 2004; Pérez, 2009; Sheng, Shen, & Chen, 2008), gender seems to be a possible approach to market segmentation, whether for Guimarães or for other cultural tourism destinations around the world. Located in the north-western region of Portugal, Guimarães is a city of strong symbolic and cultural significance, and the nomination of its historical centre as a World Heritage Site in 2001 enhanced its tourism potential. This study analyses the possible relation between gender and attitudes and motivations towards a World Heritage Site, such as Guimarães. Additionally, the empirical approach used in the study tries to capture differences in the perceived attributes of the city. Commonalities and distinctions within and between groups of tourists, by focusing on the specific characteristic of gender, were analysed. The study addressed two main questions: first, whether males and females have similar or different preferences in choosing the city as their destination; and, second, whether there are gender differences in the perception of the attributes of Guimarães. A better understanding of the gendered nature of the destination is a valuable cue for shaping products and services according to visitors’ preferences.