ONLINE INTERACTIVE TOOL FOR LEARNING LOGIC

This dissertation presents the design and implementation of an online platform for solving logic exercises, aimed at complementing theoretical classes for students of logicrelated courses at the University of Nova Lisbon. The platform is integrated with a Learning Management System (LMS) using the LTI protocol, allowing instructors to grade students’ work. We provide an overview of related literature and detailed explanations of each component of the platform, including the design of logic exercises and their integration with the LMS. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and difficulties faced during the development process. The main contributions of this work are the platform itself, a guide on integrating an external tool with LTI, and the implementation of the tool with the LTI learning platform. Our results and evaluations show that the platform is effective for enhancing online learning experiences and improving assessment methods. In conclusion, this dissertation provides a valuable resource for educational institutions seeking to improve their online learning offerings and assessment practices.Esta dissertação apresenta o design e a implementação de uma plataforma online para resolver exercícios de lógica, com o objetivo de complementar as aulas teóricas para estudantes de cursos relacionados à lógica na Universidade de Nova Lisboa. A plataforma está integrada a um Sistema de Gestão de Aprendizagem (SGA) usando o protocolo LTI, permitindo que os instrutores avaliem o trabalho de seus alunos. Oferecemos uma visão geral da literatura relacionada e explicações detalhadas de cada componente da plataforma, incluindo o design dos exercícios de lógica e sua integração com o SGA. Além disso, discutimos os desafios e dificuldades enfrentados durante o processo de desenvolvimento. As principais contribuições deste trabalho são a própria plataforma, um guia sobre a integração de uma ferramenta externa com o LTI e a implementação da ferramenta na plataforma de aprendizagem LTI. Em conclusão, esta dissertação fornece um recurso valioso para as instituições educacionais que buscam melhorar suas ofertas de aprendizagem online e práticas de avaliação

IWP strategy: TechFrame

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsTechFrame is an IT Portuguese company that provides a software package to Industrial Property Agents to manage their clients’ portfolio. In Portugal this firm is a market leader, having a share of 80%, and facing no competition, although some substitutes do exist. With this scenario in the Portuguese market, TechFrame has low expectations of increasing business volume, due to the specificity of this industry. In order to increase sales volume and focusing on their core competences, TechFrame´s best solution is to expand into new markets. Currently this firm is considering some internationalization processes into the French, Italian and UK markets. This IWP will analyze the internationalization into France. To do so, an analysis and explanation of the attractiveness of this new market is included further along in this paper. It will be seen that despite the fierce competition that TechFrame will face in France, it will still be an attractive market to enter due to its’ large size and growing Industrial Property culture among organizations. Based on that analysis it will be concluded that the best way to enter the French market is through the creation of an office, and some recommendations will also be made such as conquering first the SMEs then the larger firms and also the development of the Design Module

On the influence of metastable states and the behavior of the EEDF in the characterization of the negative glow of a N2-Ar discharge by OES

Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is an essential diagnostic technique in many plasma systems, such as those used for surface treatments or fabrication of thin films. Despite the simplicity of application of OES, its interpretation is not straightforward. In particular, it requires the use of models, which due to the complexity and variety of discharge conditions, have not yet been fully understood [1]–[3]. In addition, Langmuir probes have been widely used to characterize plasmas. They allow the measurement of several parameters of interest, such as the electron density and temperature, as well as the determination of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) by numerical derivation of the characteristic V − I [4] or by probe-current modulation [5]. In this work, some second positive system bands in the negative glow of an Ar-N2 plasma at a pressure of 2.5 Torr were investigated both by OES and Langmuir probes, for different mixture concentrations. The main purpose of this study was to verify how metastable states and the behavior of the EEDF may influence the interpretation of OES dataFil: Isola, Lucio Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: López, Maia Melina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Bernardo Jose Armando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Guerra, Vasco. Instituto Superior Tecnico; Portuga

Evaluation of recycled gravel in the concrete mixture for the surface layer of rigid flooring

Paving with recycled aggregates has already been widely carried out in some countries where there is already consolidated knowledge on the subject. This work analyzes in the laboratory the physical and mechanical behavior aspects of recycled aggregate in concrete mixes for rigid pavements. After selective collection at a construction site, the waste undergoes a crushing process, subsequent to granulation and separation into fractions to be used again in the realization of a new mixture with 40 and 100% replacement of natural gravel for recycled with the addition of structural concrete fi bers that decrease shrinkage and increase fi nal strength. In the same mix, these mixtures were compared with a conventional mixture that obtained better performance and presented greater compressive strength. The study sought to analyze the technical feasibility of using recycled material, testing the thickness of several concrete slabs for application on the pavement. Thus, it is concluded that the analyzed recycled aggregate is of promising use in hard pavement coating, as it presents a compressive strength superior to 25 MPa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O impacto das políticas comportamentais no aumento da produtividade dos colaboradores

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo principal investigar se a economia comportamental prevê uma solução mais eficaz e eficiente para o aumento da produtividade dos colaboradores. De forma a estudar este tema, foi feita uma pesquisa bibliográfica com o intuito de reunir aplicações práticas comportamentais já testadas por outros investigadores. Tendo como mote O impacto das Políticas Comportamentais no Aumento da Produtividade dos Colaboradores, ao longo do estudo, ir-se-á refletir sobre o impacto dos incentivos financeiros na produtividade e a sua negativa influência na motivação pró-social, opondo às vantagens encontradas nas políticas comportamentais.This paper aims to investigate whether the behavioural economics provide a more effective and efficient solution for increasing employees’ productivity. Therefore, a literature research was done in order to gather behavioural empirical applications, which were previously tested by other researchers. Taking as its research question The impact of Behavioural Policies on Increasing Employee’s Productivity, throughout the study we will reflect on the impact of financial incentives on productivity and its negative influence on the pro-social motivation, opposing the advantages found in the behavioural policies

The continuous manufacturing of terpin

The continuous or semi-continuous production of terpin from a-pinene by hydration, using 40S sulfuric acid as a catalyst, was studied in a batch laboratory reactor as well as at pilot scale. It was concluded that the mixing intensity affects the distribution of products and that the greatest yields are obtained in a semi-continuous or continuous process

Análise de metodologias de desenvolvimento de software utilizadas na gestão de projetos no sector das TIC

O sucesso de um projeto de desenvolvimento de software não se mede somente pelo resultado final, mas também pelo cumprimento de variáveis que compõem o ciclo de vida do projeto. A escolha de boas práticas, a utilização ou não de metodologias de desenvolvimento de software e a gestão de fatores críticos de sucesso são pontos a que não nos podemos alhear e que permitem obter os resultados que pretendemos. Com esta investigação apurou-se quais os fatores críticos de sucesso com maior influência no resultado final de um projeto, bem como a relação existente entre a adoção de determinadas metodologias e o resultado de um projeto. Para tal, optámos por uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa realizando um inquérito vocacionado para membros de equipas de projetos de desenvolvimento de software. Os resultados obtidos permitiram comparar a situação da gestão de projetos de desenvolvimento de software em Portugal com a realidade que se passa noutros países, que, muitas vezes, apenas é conhecida através de estudos como, por exemplo, o realizado pelo 'The Standish Group'. Da informação recolhida, foi possível verificar que os fatores críticos que maior influência têm no resultado de um projeto são “Infraestrutura e ferramentas de apoio”, “Comprometimento e motivação da equipa do projeto” e “Qualificações da equipa”. Existe um longo caminho a percorrer na gestão de projetos em Portugal, mas aqui fica uma breve análise, em jeito de contributo, dos principais fatores a ter em conta, para que se possam implementar estratégias que resultem, cada vez mais, no sucesso dos projetos.The success of a software development project depends not only on the outcome, but on the many variables composing its life cycle. Good practice choices, using (or not) software development methodologies and managing critical success factors must not be ignored to achieve the intended results. This research establishes which factors have major influence in final result relates analyzing the relationships between adopted methodologies and project’s outcome. We have therefore chosen a qualitative methodological approach by holding a survey destined to software development project team members. The results obtained allowed to compare the current situation of the management of software development projects in Portugal with the reality in other countries which is often only known through studies such as the one made by 'The Standish Group'. From the information collected, it can be concluded that the critical success factors with major influence in the project’s outcome are “Infrastructure and supporting tools”, “Commitment and motivation of project teams” and “Team qualifications”. There is still a long way ahead regarding project management in Portugal, but here is a brief study, as a contribution, of the main factors which must be taken into account to implement strategies which will increasingly result in a success projects

Catalizadores heterogéneos básicos para a produção de biodiesel

O consumo de energia é um requisito fundamental para a existência humana. Grande parte da energia é gerada a partir de combustíveis fósseis. Os problemas ambientais e a instabilidade dos mercados de crude, agravados pela conscencialização de que as reservas de crude são finitas, motivaram a procura de combustíveis alternativos. Entre os vários estudados, o biodiesel é apontado como uma alternativa viável ao diesel de origem fóssil por apresentar propriedades de combustão similares. O biodiesel apresenta um balanço de carbono praticamente nulo sendo por isso visto como uma arma na batalha contra o aquecimento global. O biodiesel compreende uma mistura de mono-ésteres alquílicos de ácidos gordos de cadeia longa. A transesterificação ou esterificação de óleos vegetais ou gorduras animais, com um álcool de baixo peso molecular (metanol ou etanol) é o principal processo usado para produzir biodiesel. Presentemente os processos industriais usam catalisadores homogéneos em processos. No entanto, os catalisadores heterogéneos têm surgido como promissores para a produção de biodiesel, já que são ambientalmente benignos e podem ser regenerados e reutilizados. Deste modo, a catálise heterogénea torna a produção de biodiesel potencialmente mais barata, permitindo a utilização em processos contínuos. Neste contexto, foram preparados e testados, na metanólise de óleo de soja, vários catalisadores heterogéneos básicos. Os melhores desempenhos catalíticos foram obtidos utilizando catalisadores sólidos preparados por deposição de SrO sobre MgO (razão atómica Sr/Mg entre 0.05 e 0.35). Os catalisadores com razão atómica Sr/Mg superior a 0.10 permitem obter um rendimento em ésteres metílicos superior a 90%, para a temperatura de refluxo do metanol. Os resultados das diferentes técnicas de caracterização mostraram que a temperatura de calcinação tem uma forte influência sobre o comportamento catalítico. Para temperaturas de calcinação inferiores a 625 ºC o carbonato de estrôncio permanece na superfície dos catalisadores. A solubilidade desta espécie no meio reaccional, principalmente no metanol, promove a rápida lixiviação do estrôncio e assim a desactivação do catalisador. A fim de optimizar a produção de biodiesel, foi estudado o efeito de vários parametros do processo tais como a temperatura da reacção, a razão molar metanol/óleo, razão mássica catalisador/óleo e o tempo de reação. Este estudo incluiu igualmente a estabilidade dos catalisadores

Motor cortical inhibitory deficits in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder–A systematic review and meta-analysis of transcranial magnetic stimulation literature

Funding Information: DR was supported by H2020-SC1-DTH-2019-875358-FAITH. AM and GC are supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through Ph.D. Scholarships (respectively, SFRH/BD/144508/2019 and SFRH/BD/130210/2017). GC and AO-M are supported by grant FCT-PTDC/MED-NEU/31331/2017, funded by FCT/MCTES. AO-M was funded by a Starting Grant from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement no. 950357). JB-C and AO-M were supported by grant FCT-PTDC/MEC-PSQ/30302/2017-IC&DT-LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER, funded by national funds from FCT/MCTES and co-funded by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement Lisboa 2020–Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa. JO was supported by BBRF-27595-2018 NARSAD. None of the agencies had a role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data, in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript, nor in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Rodrigues da Silva, Maia, Cotovio, Oliveira, Oliveira-Maia and Barahona-Corrêa.Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a highly prevalent chronic disorder, often refractory to treatment. While remaining elusive, a full understanding of the pathophysiology of OCD is crucial to optimize treatment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that, paired with other neurophysiological techniques, such as electromyography, allows for in vivo assessment of human corticospinal neurophysiology. It has been used in clinical populations, including comparisons of patients with OCD and control volunteers. Results are often contradictory, and it is unclear if such measures change after treatment. Here we summarize research comparing corticospinal excitability between patients with OCD and control volunteers, and explore the effects of treatment with repetitive TMS (rTMS) on these excitability measures. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies comparing various motor cortical excitability measures in patients with OCD and control volunteers. Whenever possible, we meta-analyzed motor cortical excitability changes after rTMS treatment. Results: From 1,282 articles, 17 reporting motor cortex excitability measures were included in quantitative analyses. Meta-analysis regarding cortical silent period shows inhibitory deficits in patients with OCD, when compared to control volunteers. We found no statistically significant differences in the remaining meta-analyses, and no evidence, in patients with OCD, of pre- to post-rTMS changes in resting motor threshold, the only excitability measure for which longitudinal data were reported. Discussion: Our work suggests an inhibitory deficit of motor cortex excitability in patients with OCD when compared to control volunteers. Cortical silent period is believed to reflect activity of GABAB receptors, which is in line with neuroimaging research, showing GABAergic deficits in patients with OCD. Regardless of its effect on OCD symptoms, rTMS apparently does not modify Resting Motor Threshold, possibly because this measure reflects glutamatergic synaptic transmission, while rTMS is believed to mainly influence GABAergic function. Our meta-analyses are limited by the small number of studies included, and their methodological heterogeneity. Nonetheless, cortical silent period is a reliable and easily implementable measurement to assess neurophysiology in humans, in vivo. The present review illustrates the importance of pursuing the study of OCD pathophysiology using cortical silent period and other easily accessible, non-invasive measures of cortical excitability. Systematic review registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020201764], identifier [CRD42020201764].publishersversionpublishe