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Publications

2018

Potential of dissimilatory nitrate reduction pathways in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation

Authors
Ribeiro, H; de Sousa, T; Santos, JP; Sousa, AGG; Teixeira, C; Monteiro, MR; Salgado, P; Mucha, AP; Almeida, CMR; Torgo, L; Magalhaes, C;

Publication
CHEMOSPHERE

Abstract
This study investigates the potential, of an indigenous estuarine microbial consortium to degrade two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene and fluoranthene, under nitrate-reducing conditions. Two physicochemically diverse sediment samples from the Lima Estuary (Portugal) were spiked individually with 25 mg L-1 of each PAH in laboratory designed microcosms. Sediments without PAHs and autoclaved sediments spiked with PAHs were run in parallel. Destructive sampling at the beginning and after 3, 6, 12, 30 and 63 weeks incubation was performed. Naphthalene and fluoranthene levels decreased over time with distinct degradation dynamics varying with sediment type. Next generation sequencing (NGS) of 16 S rRNA gene amplicons revealed that the sediment type and incubation time were the main drivers influencing the microbial community structure rather than the impact of PAH amendments. Predicted microbial functional analyses revealed clear shifts and interrelationships between genes involved in anaerobic and aerobic degradation of PAHs and in the dissimilatory nitrate reducing pathways (denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium - DNRA). These findings reinforced by clear biogeochemical denitrification signals (NO3- consumption, and NH4+ increased during the incubation period), suggest that naphthalene and fluoranthene degradation may be coupled with denitrification and DNRA metabolism. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the dissimilatory nitrate-reducing pathways and help uncover their involvement in degradation of PAHs, which will be crucial for directing remediation strategies of PAH-contaminated anoxic sediments.

2018

Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Privacy by Design in Distributed Systems, P2DS@EuroSys 2018, Porto, Portugal, April 23, 2018

Authors
Maia, F; Mercier, H; Brito, A;

Publication
P2DS@EuroSys

Abstract

2018

Supporting Description of Research Data: Evaluation and Comparison of Term and Concept Extraction Approaches

Authors
Monteiro, C; Lopes, CT; Silva, JR;

Publication
DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR OPEN KNOWLEDGE, TPDL 2018

Abstract
The importance of research data management is widely recognized. Dendro is an ontology-based platform that allows researchers to describe datasets using generic and domain-specific descriptors from ontologies. Selecting or building the right ontologies for each research domain or group requires meetings between curators and researchers in order to capture the main concepts of their research. Envisioning a tool to assist curators through the automatic extraction of key concepts from research documents, we propose 2 concept extraction methods and compare them with a term extraction method. To compare the three approaches, we use as ground truth an ontology previously created by human curators.

2018

Teaching PLC timers and counters programming using MIT app-inventor

Authors
de Moura Oliveira, PB; Cunha, JB; Soares, F;

Publication
International Journal of Mechatronics and Applied Mechanics

Abstract
Current students and technologies demand using new learning/teaching techniques. The potentialities of using mobile devices such as smartphones for teaching/learning purposes are huge. However, in some teaching areas its use is still residual. The use of mobile applications in the context of teaching PLC programming techniques is addressed in this work. The MIT App-Inventor II is deployed to develop mobile applications for learning purposes. An android based application entitled Time-Counts is proposed here, developed to support the teaching/learning process of both Timers and Counters. Results regarding its use by students are presented.

2018

From Data to Service Intelligence: Exploring Public Safety as a Service

Authors
Dragoicea, M; Badr, NG; Cunha, JFE; Oltean, VE;

Publication
EXPLORING SERVICE SCIENCE

Abstract
This paper describes an exploration process aligned with the core domain of Service Science inside a critical sector of Society, aiming at developing City in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive way. The paper focuses on defining the Public Safety as a Service concept in an inclusive and responsible value co-creation urban design vision for liveable cities. It explains how service intelligence can act on immaterial artefacts to transform data into information to generate value co-creation processes whose outcomes are applied to the evolution of knowledge in public safety services. Public safety is approached within a service ecosystem perspective, following the global targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as an application perspective. Managerial implication are approached from two perspectives: establishment of governance principles with the help of Elinor Ostrom's works, and a Viable Systems Approach on the response to disasters operating rules.

2018

Advanced control laws for the new generation of AO systems

Authors
Correia, CM;

Publication
ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEMS VI

Abstract
Geared by the increasing need for enhanced performance, both optical and computational, new dynamic control laws have been researched in recent years for next generation adaptive optics systems on current 10 m-class and extremely large telescopes up to 40 m. We provide an overview of these developments and point out prospects to making such controllers drive actual systems on-sky.

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