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Publications

2016

Design of sustainable domes in the context of EPS@ISEP

Authors
Balbaert, J; Park, J; Marimon, R; Serfozo, A; Cazelles, M; Domenic, SC; Speckstadt, A; Skonieczna, K; Rajnai, G; Daza, JP; Barb, BM; Duarte, AJ; Malheiro, B; Ribeiro, C; Ferreira, F; Silva, MF; Ferreira, P; Guedes, P;

Publication
TEEM

Abstract
The European Project Semester (EPS) is a one-semester capstone project/internship program offered to engineering, product design and business undergraduates by 18 European engineering schools. EPS aims to prepare future engineers to think and act globally, by adopting project-based learning and teamwork methodologies, fostering the development of complementary skills and addressing sustainability and multiculturalism. In 2016, two EPS@ISEP teams embraced the challenge of building a robust, inexpensive, modular, comfortable and safe wooden / metallic dome using simple techniques and sustainable materials. This challenge is demanding -requires a multidisciplinary and user-centred design -As well as rewarding -contributes to satisfy the right to adequate, safe and affordable housing as stated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The goal is to solve the problem in a modular and sustainable way, i.e., by using repetitive linear elements made of locally available materials. This approach aims to dramatically decrease the cost of production and shipping, simplify the construction process and address the needs of the dome users. Although geodesic cross-linked structures have been studied for some time, their design requires the involvement of all stakeholders as well as a team which understands and integrates the contributions from areas such as electronics, mechanics, civil, environmental or materials engineering. The project-based learning approach fosters, on the one hand, autonomy, responsibility and the ability to make sound technical-scientific choices and, on the other hand, develops teamwork, sustainable development and personal and cross-cultural communication skills, while promoting the emergence of innovative, creative and sometimes audacious solutions, typical of the youth.

2016

Empirical analysis of the Portuguese governments social network

Authors
Moniz, N; Louca, F; Oliveira, M; Soeiro, R;

Publication
SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS AND MINING

Abstract
The Portuguese governmental network comprising all the 776 ministers and junior ministers who were part of the 19 governments between the year 1976 and 2013 is presented and analyzed. The data contain information on connections concerning business and other types of organizations and, to our knowledge, there is no such extensive research in previous literature. Upon the presentation of the data, a social network analysis considering the temporal dimension is performed at three levels of granularity: network-level, subnetwork-level (political groups) and node-level. A discussion based on the results is presented. We conclude that although it fits two of the four preconditions of a small-world model, the Portuguese governmental network is not a small-world network, although presenting an evolution pointing toward becoming one. Also, we use a resilience test to study the evolution of the robustness of the Portuguese governmental network, pinpointing the moment when a set of members became structurally important.

2016

Cournot duopolies with R & D investment in the reduction of production costs

Authors
Bruno M P M Oliveira; Paulo, Joana Becker; Pinto, Alberto A;

Publication

Abstract

2016

Comparison of the bacterial composition of two commercial composts with different physicochemical, stability and maturity properties

Authors
Silva, MEF; Lopes, AR; Cunha Queda, AC; Nunes, OC;

Publication
WASTE MANAGEMENT

Abstract
Previously, two municipal solid waste commercial composts (MSW1 and MSW2) were characterized. Although sharing the same type of raw material, most of their physicochemical, stability and maturity properties differed. The present study aimed to characterize them at a microbiological level, and to infer on possible relationships between the composts properties and the structure of their bacterial communities. Both the 16S rRNA gene-based PCR-DGGE profiling and 454-pyrosequencing technology showed that the structure of the bacterial communities of these composts was distinct. The bacterial community of MSW1 was more diverse than that of MSW2. Multivariate analyses revealed that the high electrical conductivity, Cu content as well as the low phytotoxity of compost MSW1, when compared to MSW2, contributed most to shape its bacterial community structure. Indeed, high abundance of halophilic (Halomonadaceae and Brevibacteriaceae) and metal resistant organisms (Brevibacteriaceae and Bacillaceae) were found in MSW1. In addition, Pseudonocardiaceae, Streptomycetaceae, Bacillaceae, and Brevibacteriaceae may have contributed to the high humic-like acids content and low phytotoxicity of MSW1. In contrast, the high organic matter content and the high density of the cultivable fungi population were the parameters most correlated with the structure of the bacterial community of compost MSW2, dominated by Corynebacteriaceae and mainly Aerococcaceae, taxonomic groups not commonly found in composts.

2016

Ontology-based Procedural Modelling of Traversable Buildings Composed by Arbitrary Shapes

Authors
Adão, T; Magalhães, L; Peres, E;

Publication
SpringerBriefs in Computer Science

Abstract

2016

Six-leg DC-link rectifier/inverter for two-phase machines

Authors
de Freitas, NB; Jacobina, CB; Oliveira, AC;

Publication
2016 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE)

Abstract

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