Risk-based decision support system for life cycle management of industrials plants

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Reliability analysis of a timber truss system subjected to decay

Assessing the safety of existing timber structures is of paramount importance for taking reliable decisions on repair actions and their extent. The results obtained through semi-probabilistic methods are unrealistic, as the partial safety factors present in codes are calibrated considering the uncertainty present in new structures. In order to overcome these limitations, and also to include the effects of decay in the safety analysis, probabilistic methods, based on Monte-Carlo simulation are applied here to assess the safety of existing timber structures. In particular, the impact of decay on structural safety is analyzed and discussed, using a simple structural model, similar to that used for current semi-probabilistic analysis.

Evaluation of WGA and Concanavalin A (Con A) lectin as biomarkers of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis in human biopsies with no evidence of egg-granuloma system

Introduction: Colonic lesions are predominant in patients with schistosomiasis. However, carbohydrate alterations in colonic schistosomiasis remain unclear. Lectin-ligands allow us to identify changes in the saccharide patterns of cells. Methods: Biopsies of descending and rectosigmoid colon of patients were submitted to WGA and Con A lectin histochemistry. Results: WGA stained stroma and gland cells of descending colon and rectosigmoid tissues in a granular strong cytoplasmatic pattern in schistosomiasis specimens differing from normal control and Con A failing to recognize all samples analyzed. Conclusions: WGA ligands are expressed differently in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis and no evidence of egg-granuloma system.

Regional change in the Algarve: A Geographic Information System approach

Thesis submitted to the Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão de Informação da Universidade Nova de Lisboa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management – Geographic Information Systems