Technical optimization of the synthesis of flavours

The goal of this thesis is the investigation and optimization of the synthesis of potential fragrances. This work is projected as collaboration between the University of Applied Sciences in Merseburg and the company Miltitz Aromatics GmbH in Bitterfeld���Wolfen (Germany). Flavoured compounds can be synthesized in different ways and by various methods. In this work, methods like the phase transfer catalysis and the Cope���rearrangement were investigated and applied, for getting a high yield and quantity of the desired substances and without any by���products or side reactions. This involved the study of syntheses with different process parameters such as temperature, solvent, pressure and reaction time. The main focus was on Cope���rearrangement, which is a common method in the synthesis of new potential fragrance compounds. The substances synthesized in this work have a hepta���1,5���diene���structure and that is why they can easily undergo this [3,3]���sigma tropic rearrangement. The lead compound of all research was 2,5���dimethyl���2���vinyl���4���hexenenitrile (Neronil). Neronil is synthesized by an alkylation of 2���methyl���3���butenenitrile with prenylchloride under basic conditions in a phase���transfer system. In this work the yield of isolated Neronil is improved from about 35% to 46% by according to the execution conditions of the reaction. Additionally the amount of side product was decreased. This synthesized hexenenitrile involved not only the aforementioned 1,5���diene���structure, but also a cyano group, that makes this structure a suitable base for the synthesis of new potential fragrance compounds. It was observed that Neronil can be transferred into 2,5���dimethyl���2���vinyl���4���hexenoic acid by a hydrolysis under basic conditions. After five hours the acid can be obtained with a yield of 96%. The following esterification is realized with isobutanol to produce 2,5���dimethyl���2���vinyl���4���hexenoic acid isobutyl ester with quantitative conversion. It was observed that the Neronil and the corresponding ester can be converted into the corresponding Cope���product, with a conversion of 30 % and 80%. Implementing the Cope���rearrangement, the acid was heated and an unexpected decarboxylated product is formed. To achieve the best verification of reaction development and structure, scrupulous analyses were done using GC���MS, 1H���NMR and 13C��� NMR.

Management consulting labs- Galp social media

The purpose of this project was to study a possible presence of Galp at Social Media. The importance of this study appears as a consequence of the company���s need to adapt to a new mean of communication that is changing our society and the companies way of doing business. In the consulting labs, the analysis was done taking into account the best practices for business at Social Media and the singularities of the company. The output of this study was a collection of specific guidelines concerning several fields to develop a strategic presence at Social Media.

Management consulting labs Galp loyalty

The main objective of this project was to investigate methods to create a new loyalty approach for Galp Energia in order to improve customer retention and reduce churn, related with the expansion of hypermarket chains��� in the Fuel Retail Market and the country���s economical situation. The team carried out on-spot surveys and focus groups, researched loyalty programs��� best practices, analyzed peers practices and the company���s past performance in order to find important customer insights. These were used to develop the final recommendations resulting in a new paradigm to the group���s loyalty approach alongside incremental improvements to the current loyalty solutions.

A rapid and simple method to detect ESBL in Enterobacter cloacae based on MIC of cefepime

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify a rapid and simple phenotypic method for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) detection in Enterobacter cloacae. METHODS: A total of 79 consecutive, non-repeated samples of E. cloacae were evaluated. Four phenotypic methods were applied for ESBL detection, results were compared to multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the gold standard reference method: 1) ceftazidime and cefotaxime disks with and without clavulanate, both with boronic acid added; 2) disk approximation using cefepime and amoxicillin/clavulanate; 3) ESBL screening by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥ 16µg/mL and 4) by MIC ≥ 2µg/mL for cefepime. RESULTS: Method 4 showed the best combination of sensitivity (100%) and specificity (94%). CONCLUSIONS: MIC ≥ 2µg/mL for cefepime would be very useful for the phenotypic detection of ESBL in samples of E. cloacae.

Analysis and design of sinusoidal quadrature RC-oscillators

Modern telecommunication equipment requires components that operate in many different frequency bands and support multiple communication standards, to cope with the growing demand for higher data rate. Also, a growing number of standards are adopting the use of spectrum efficient digital modulations, such as quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). These modulation schemes require accurate quadrature oscillators, which makes the quadrature oscillator a key block in modern radio frequency (RF) transceivers. The wide tuning range characteristics of inductorless quadrature oscillators make them natural candidates, despite their higher phase noise, in comparison with LC-oscillators. This thesis presents a detailed study of inductorless sinusoidal quadrature oscillators. Three quadrature oscillators are investigated: the active coupling RC-oscillator, the novel capacitive coupling RCoscillator, and the two-integrator oscillator. The thesis includes a detailed analysis of the Van der Pol oscillator (VDPO). This is used as a base model oscillator for the analysis of the coupled oscillators. Hence, the three oscillators are approximated by the VDPO. From the nonlinear Van der Pol equations, the oscillators��� key parameters are obtained. It is analysed first the case without component mismatches and then the case with mismatches. The research is focused on determining the impact of the components��� mismatches on the oscillator key parameters: frequency, amplitude-, and quadrature-errors. Furthermore, the minimization of the errors by adjusting the circuit parameters is addressed. A novel quadrature RC-oscillator using capacitive coupling is proposed. The advantages of using the capacitive coupling are that it is noiseless, requires a small area, and has low power dissipation. The equations of the oscillation amplitude, frequency, quadrature-error, and amplitude mismatch are derived. The theoretical results are confirmed by simulation and by measurement of two prototypes fabricated in 130 nm standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The measurements reveal that the power increase due to the coupling is marginal, leading to a figure-of-merit of -154.8 dBc/Hz. These results are consistent with the noiseless feature of this coupling and are comparable to those of the best state-of-the-art RC-oscillators, in the GHz range, but with the lowest power consumption (about 9 mW). The results for the three oscillators show that the amplitude- and the quadrature-errors are proportional to the component mismatches and inversely proportional to the coupling strength. Thus, increasing the coupling strength decreases both the amplitude- and quadrature-errors. With proper coupling strength, a quadrature error below 1�� and amplitude imbalance below 1% are obtained. Furthermore, the simulations show that increasing the coupling strength reduces the phase noise. Hence, there is no trade-off between phase noise and quadrature error. In the twointegrator oscillator study, it was found that the quadrature error can be eliminated by adjusting the transconductances to compensate the capacitance mismatch. However, to obtain outputs in perfect quadrature one must allow some amplitude error.

Causes of low vision and use of optical aids in the elderly

PURPOSE: To determine the causes of low vision in an elderly population attended by a university visual rehabilitation service and to check for the use of prescribed optical aids. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out on patients aged 60 years or over attending for the first time a university low vision service in 2001. Ophthalmic reevaluation and interview were performed by means of a structured questionnaire in 2002. RESULTS: The sample comprised 50 subjects aged between 60 and 90 years. Severe low vision (<FONT FACE=Symbol><</FONT>20/200) was present in 68.0% of patients. The main cause of low vision was age-related macular degeneration (44.0%). Regarding literacy, 16.0% were illiterate and 72.0% had completed fundamental schooling. Thirty-one patients (62.0%) had been prescribed optical aids; 54.8% of these patients stated that they use them. A majority (70.6%) held a favorable opinion of these aids. CONCLUSIONS: The main cause of low vision was age-related macular degeneration. Approximately half of those receiving prescriptions reported actually using the aids in their daily activities. Making best use of residual vision in the elderly population with visual impairment is a priority, given the social context, if the independence necessary for enhanced quality of life is to be achieved.

Going Public: Conservation of Contemporary Artworks. Between Backstage and Frontstage in Contemporary Art Museums

In museum studies and history of art, what happens behind the scenes of museums stays relatively unseen and unspoken about. In the arts, generally speaking, what is dismissed as irrelevant (e.g. the realm of practices) is deliberately detached from what is thought to really matter; theory, discourse, content and meaning. Up till recently, backstage activities such as conservation practices are merely discussed among specialists and museum professionals. Only the outcomes of these discussions are sometimes ��� if at all ��� explicitly communicated to a larger public. Studies into the practices of contemporary art conservation however show that practices behind the scenes play an important role in the perpetuation of these artworks. What happens behind the scenes in terms of conservation has, in several ways, important effects on the ongoing life of these artworks in a museum context. Conservation practices, I argue, should therefore become a necessary part of museum studies and history of art. How can the working practices of conservators become more visible and transparent to a diversity of audiences, including researchers? And what does this mean in terms of research methodology?

Facebook como o novo canal de distribui����o de not��cias

As redes sociais est��o a mudar a forma como os leitores acedem a conte��dos noticiosos e interagem com eles, n��o s�� recomendando not��cias como facilitando conversas. Hoje, o Facebook �� parte do quotidiano de um quinto da popula����o mundial. Mas poder�� esta rede social ser um canal de distribui����o de not��cias online? Esta investiga����o a que nos propomos tem por base o estudo de caso do Correio da Manh��, um dos jornais portugueses com maior circula����o em papel e que se tornou l��der no digital, em grande parte, gra��as �� sua estrat��gia nas redes sociais. A an��lise e a aplica����o de conceitos sobre o uso do Facebook, com vista ao aumento das audi��ncias de um site noticioso, permitem tirar conclus��es, quantitativas e qualitativas, sobre a problem��tica em quest��o. Como podem as publica����es jornal��sticas tirar melhor partido do Facebook? Dever�� o jornalismo digital especializar-se na distribui����o de not��cias atrav��s das redes sociais? Quais as estrat��gias a aplicar para incrementar as audi��ncias de um website atrav��s do Facebook como canal de distribui����o? Neste contexto, pretendeu-se fazer uma an��lise sobre a forma como os meios de comunica����o social est��o a usar o Facebook para uma abordagem das melhores pr��ticas jornal��sticas nesta rede social. �� nosso prop��sito examinar o papel das not��cias no Facebook e a forma como os jornalistas se devem comportar, numa tentativa de criar regras para se tirar o melhor proveito do Facebook em fun����o das audi��ncias

Improving Millennium Bank's personal finance manager

Double Degree

How to improve urban mobility in Lisbon: intermodality and information and ticketing systems

Urban mobility is one of the main challenges facing urban areas due to the growing population and to traffic congestion, resulting in environmental pressures. The pathway to urban sustainable mobility involves strengthening of intermodal mobility. The integrated use of different transport modes is getting more and more important and intermodality has been mentioned as a way for public transport compete with private cars. The aim of the current dissertation is to define a set of strategies to improve urban mobility in Lisbon and by consequence reduce the environmental impacts of transports. In order to do that several intermodal practices over Europe were analysed and the transport systems of Brussels and Lisbon were studied and compared, giving special attention to intermodal systems. In the case study was gathered data from both cities in the field, by using and observing the different transport modes, and two surveys were done to the cities users. As concluded by the study, Brussels and Lisbon present significant differences. In Brussels the measures to promote intermodality are evident, while in Lisbon a lot still needs to be done. It also made clear the necessity for improvements in Lisbon���s public transports to a more intermodal passenger transport system, through integration of different transport modes and better information and ticketing system. Some of the points requiring developments are: interchanges��� waiting areas; integration of bicycle in public transport; information about correspondences with other transport modes; real-time information to passengers pre-trip and on-trip, especially in buses and trams. After the identification of the best practices in Brussels and the weaknesses in Lisbon the possibility of applying some of the practices in Brussels to Lisbon was evaluated. Brussels demonstrated to be a good example of intermodality and for that reason some of the recommendations to improve intermodal mobility in Lisbon can follow the practices in place in Brussels.

Transformando o espa��o educativo numa comunidade de aprendizagem

Relat��rio de est��gio de mestrado em Educa����o Pr��-Escolar e Ensino do 1�� Ciclo do Ensino B��sico

Estudo do trabalho numa empresa de produ����o de pneus e implementa����o de ferramentas Lean

Disserta����o de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gest��o Industrial

OPM3�� Portugal project: information systems and technologies organizations: outcome analysis

Increasing the maturity in Project Management (PM) has become a goal for many organizations, leading them to adopt maturity models to assess the current state of its PM practices and compare them with the best practices in the industry where the organization is inserted. One of the main PM maturity models is the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3��), developed by the Project Management Institute. This paper presents the Information Systems and Technologies organizations outcome analysis, of the assesses made by the OPM3�� Portugal Project, identifying the PM processes that are ���best��� implemented in this particular industry and those in which it is urgent to improve. Additionally, a comparison between the different organizations��� size analyzed is presented.

A gest��o de recursos humanos nas pequenas e m��dias empresas em Portugal: Defini����o de um modelo de atua����o

Tese de Doutoramento em Ci��ncias Empresariais

Metabolic engineering with multi-objective optimization of kinetic models

Kinetic models have a great potential for metabolic engineering applications. They can be used for testing which genetic and regulatory modifications can increase the production of metabolites of interest, while simultaneously monitoring other key functions of the host organism. This work presents a methodology for increasing productivity in biotechnological processes exploiting dynamic models. It uses multi-objective dynamic optimization to identify the combination of targets (enzymatic modifications) and the degree of up- or down-regulation that must be performed in order to optimize a set of pre-defined performance metrics subject to process constraints. The capabilities of the approach are demonstrated on a realistic and computationally challenging application: a large-scale metabolic model of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO), which are used for antibody production in a fed-batch process. The proposed methodology manages to provide a sustained and robust growth in CHO cells, increasing productivity while simultaneously increasing biomass production, product titer, and keeping the concentrations of lactate and ammonia at low values. The approach presented here can be used for optimizing metabolic models by finding the best combination of targets and their optimal level of up/down-regulation. Furthermore, it can accommodate additional trade-offs and constraints with great flexibility.