Eddy current angular position sensor for automotive

Programa doutoral em Líderes para Indústrias TecnológicasOs sensores angulares usados em aplicações automóveis, requerem uma boa resolução, fiabilidade, baixa manutenção, baixo custo de produção e capacidade de trabalhar sob condições adversas. Devido a estes requisitos, os sensores mais utilizados são os magnéticos, indutivos e magneto-indutivos. Outro fator crítico é a dimensão do sensor, quanto mais reduzido e compacto, maior é o número de aplicações em que pode ser aplicado. No caso dos sensores magneto-indutivos e indutivos, uma forma de reduzir o seu tamanho é através do uso de a bobines planares impressas em placas de circuito impresso (PCB). Estas, para além de mais compactas, conseguem também reduzir os custos de produção, otimizar a repetibilidade e assemblagem, e permitir que o seu desenho seja facilmente adaptado às suas aplicações. No desenvolvimento de sensores indutivos, obter a indutância das bobinas, que funcionam como elemento transdutor, é essencial e desafiador no caso de bobinas planas. Atualmente, há duas abordagens no estado da arte: fórmulas de aproximação (para geometrias regulares), e simulações de modelos de elementos finitos (FEM). As simulações são demoradas e recorrem a ferramentas de software dispendiosas e que exigem muitos recursos computacionais. Esta tese tem como objetivo desenvolver uma ferramenta de cálculo analítico para obter a indutância de bobinas planas genéricas, reduzindo o tempo de desenvolvimento. A ferramenta possibilita ainda o cálculo da interferência que um alvo planar condutivo tem na indutância da bobine, tornando assim possível obter a resposta de um sensor indutivo baseado em eddy currents durante a sua fase de desenvolvimento. Esta tese, além de detalhar o desenvolvimento da ferramenta mencionada, também descreve todos os processos de validação implementados, através de simulações FEM e testes experimentais. A metodologia proposta foi aplicada com sucesso no desenvolvimento de um sensor de posição angular automotivo baseado em eddy currrents. Foi possível comprovar que a precisão da ferramenta desenvolvida está de acordo com as metodologias usualmente utilizadas, com a vantagem de ser mais rápida e económica.Angular sensors used in automotive applications require good precision, reliability, low maintenance, low production costs and the ability to work in harsh conditions. Due to these requirements, magnetic, inductive and magneto-inductive sensors are preferred and are used in current generations of automotive angular position sensors. The size of the sensors is another relevant factor in the development of new solutions. The smaller and more compact, the larger the number of applications in which they can be applied. In the case of magneto-inductive and inductive sensors, one way to reduce their size is to use planar coils printed on printed circuit boards (PCBs). These, in addition to occupy a smaller volume when compared to solenoids, also reduce production costs and optimize repeatability and simplify assembly. When developing inductive sensors, knowing the required inductance value of its coils is essential and this task can be challenging in the case of planar coils. Currently, two approaches are used to calculate the inductances of planar coils. When the coils have regular geometry approximation formulas are used, configuring some parameters. When they have irregular geometry or a more accurate result is desired, simulations using finite element methods (FEM) are chosen. These simulations have the disadvantage of being time-consuming, requiring expensive software applications and a huge computing resources. In view of the budget and the reduction of development time, this thesis provides an analytical calculation tool for the inductance of generic multi-layer planar coils. In this way, it is possible to develop dedicated applications in reduced time. The tool also allows to calculate the interference that a planar conductive target, of arbitrary geometry, can have on the coil inductance. Thus, it is possible to obtain the response of an inductive sensor based on eddy currents during its development phase. This thesis, in addition to detailing the development of the aforementioned tool, also describes all the validation processes implemented using FEM simulations and experimental tests. The proposed methodology was successfully applied in the development of an automotive angular position sensor based on eddy currents. It was possible to prove that the precision of the developed analytical tool is in concordance with the methodologies usually used, with the advantage of being faster and open source.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - bolsa de doutoramento PD/BD/128142/201

Robust header compression over IEEE 802 networks

Tese de mestrado. Redes e Serviços de Comunicação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, INESC Porto. 200

New service development at the multinational level

Services have recently become the most important sector in terms of employment and have also been the most active in internationalizing their operations. It represented 62% of the world inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2006 (UNCTAD, 2008 in Pla-Barber and Ghauri, 2012). This strategic decision implied the contact with different cultures, different economic, political, social and legal contexts. Moreover, to remain competitive in the evolving market, companies have to innovate the existing services and to offer new ones, expanding their businesses to other countries. The purpose of our study is to understand how a multinational company develops new services in several countries at the same time. The literature review presented concerns the areas of New Service Development (NSD) and Internationalization. The concept of internationalization is defined and, in order to understand the process of international development, the internal and external factors that influence the development process are analyzed. Then, the outcomes of the international development process - the concepts of architecture, modularity and platforms that are part of the process structure – are presented. After the literature review, data was collected from a real multinational company through an interview so that our research question could be answered. We can now argue that companies do use a NSD process, composed by interactive and non-linear stages, where the components are standardized and the structure modular so that the services can be customized without losing its consistency. We proposed a framework, so that the NSD process of the studied company could be seen more clearly. Costumers influence the development process through the participation during the service’s creation by the senior manager. Staff expatriation is not considered in a company with a multinational structure. Socio-cultural factors do not influence the core service, once it is so simple that can be adaptable to all companies and customers. In the end, this study has contributed to deepen the understanding in what relates the complete NSD process and its development in several countries at the same time. It clarifies that the NSD process does not need to change when it is simultaneously developed in more than one country at the same time. It provides a guideline for other managers that aim to internationally develop their businesses overseas and determines future researches in the multinational NSD field.Os serviços tornaram-se, recentemente, no fator mais importante na internacionalização das operações de uma empresa. Representam 62% do investimento direto (FDI) em 2006 (UNCTAD, 2008 em Pla-Barber and Ghauri, 2012). Esta decisão estratégica implica o contato com diferentes culturas, diferentes economias, diferentes políticas e diferentes contextos socias e legais. Para se manterem competitivas no mercado envolvente, as empresas têm de inovar os serviços existentes e oferecer novos serviços para expandir os seus negócios para outros países. O objetivo do nosso estudo é compreender como uma empresa multinacional desenvolve novos serviços, em vários países, ao mesmo tempo. Os documentos analisados apresentam preocupações nas áreas de desenvolvimento de novos serviços e internacionalização. O conceito de internacionalização é definido e analisado através dos fatores internos e externos que influenciam o desenvolvimento internacional. Os resultados do processo de desenvolvimento internacional – os conceitos de arquitetura e plataformas fazem parte de um processo estruturado – são apresentados. Depois de analisada a documentação, foram recolhidos dados através de uma entrevista com uma multinacional, para que as nossas questões durante a análise pudessem ser respondidas. Podemos concluir que companhias que utilizam o processo de desenvolvimento de novos serviços, composto por fases interativas e não lineares, onde os componentes são estandardizados para que os serviços sejam automatizados sem perder consistência. Propomos uma tabela para que o processo de desenvolvimento de novos serviços, da companhia estudada, seja mais claro. Os clientes influenciam o desenvolvimento do processo através da sua participação durante a criação de novos serviços pelo senior manager. A expatriação de staff não é considerada, numa empresa com uma estrutura multinacional. Os fatores socioculturais não influenciam o núcleo do serviço pretendido pois este é simples ao ponto de ser adaptável a todas as empresas e clientes. No fim, este estudo contribuiu para a compreensão do desenvolvimento de novos serviços em vários países, ao mesmo tempo. Clarifica que o processo de desenvolvimento de novos serviços não precisa de ser alterado quando é desenvolvido em mais do que um país simultaneamente. Proporciona um guião para outros gerentes que apontam intencionalmente para o desenvolvimento dos seus negócios noutros países e determina futuras pesquisas no desenvolvimento multinacional no campo do desenvolvimento de novos serviços

The meanings of language transmission : the experiences of migrant mothers living in Saskatoon

In this study, I explored the language transmission experiences of migrant mothers living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Specifically, I examined the meanings and stakes of language transmission experiences, taking into account the migrant mothers’ constructions of first languages and/or English transmission experiences with their children in the context of migration. Employing (a) Brunner’s (1986) and Good’s (1994) narrative approach to ethnography and critical phenomenology as well as (b) Kleinman’s (1995, 1999) theory of moral experience and Godbout’s (1998) formulations of social exchanges as my primary theoretical framework, I carried out in-depth, open-ended interviews with 13 mothers from nine different countries, namely, Afghanistan, Argentina, Chile, Japan, India, Iran, Russia, South Korea, and Ukraine. The resulting language transmission narratives were then organized into four distinct language transmission plots, which were formed—not on the basis of ethnicity—but on the basis of similar migration trajectories and background characteristics. Some of the most noteworthy findings were as follows: (1) portrayals of the objects of language transmission (e.g., first languages and English) and of language transmission experiences were not static as previous literature has suggested, but dynamic, varying across time and social context; (2) the stakes involved in the transmission of first languages were depicted as high as the stakes inherent in the transmission of English; and (3) the long-term language transmission goal of at least half of mothers in the sample was not simply bilingualism, but instead multilingualism. In the Conclusion of the thesis, I not only detailed how the present study contributed to the literature on language transmission, but I also elaborated on the following topics: (a) the role of subjunctivizing tactics on language transmission narratives, (b) language transmission as an intersubjective enterprise, (c) language transmission as a plural and dynamic process, and (d) language transmission as moral experience. The applications and limitations of the study as well as directions for future research were also presented in the concluding chapter

Experiência da consulta externa de uma unidade de oncologia musculoesquelética

Trabalho final de mestrado integrado em Medicina área científica de Ortopedia, apresentado á Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de CoimbraIntrodução: No contexto da patologia oncológica há poucos estudos epidemiológicos significativos sobre tumores musculoesqueléticos, o que motiva uma análise e reflexão sobre um ano de primeiras consultas e o encaminhamento posterior deste grupo de doentes num serviço de referência nesta área. Pretendia-se analisar um ano de experiência nesta consulta, tendo por base várias variáveis que caracterizem a população que é encaminhada para esta unidade assim como os procedimentos efectuados até ao diagnóstico, de modo a perspectivar a realidade desta patologia. Material e Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo de 170 doentes referenciados para a Consulta Externa da Unidade de Tumores do Aparelho Locomotor do Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra no ano de 2009. Resultados: 55% eram do sexo feminino. A idade mediana à data da referenciação foi de 51 anos. A proveniência dos doentes abrange todas as regiões do país, salientando-se, no entanto, Coimbra (37%) e Leiria (10%). 39% dos casos foram referências internas por Serviços do Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra; dos casos de referenciação externa, o hospital da área de residência foi a entidade referenciadora principal. Dos 170 doentes, 154 foram referenciados com uma hipótese de diagnóstico estabelecida, tendo esta sido confirmada em 79% dos casos. Após a admissão, foram pedidos exames complementares de diagnóstico adicionais em 69% dos casos e efectuadas biópsias em 66 doentes. O diagnóstico final correspondeu a tumores benignos em 35% dos casos, tumores primários malignos do aparelho locomotor em 21%, lesões ósseas metastáticas em 6,5% e lesões pseudo-tumorais em 11%. O tumor benigno mais frequente foi o encondroma, enquanto que os sarcomas de tecidos moles foram os tumores malignos primários mais representativos. Conclusão: O facto dos tumores do aparelho musculoesquelético serem raros reflecte-se nos poucos dados existentes sobre a epidemiologia dos mesmos. A esta consulta foram referenciados doentes de todo o país e regiões autónomas, não sendo o tempo de espera, em média 24 dias, consideravelmente longo, o que torna esta unidade globalmente acessível. O tempo de espera pelo diagnóstico prende-se essencialmente pela espera de resultados de exames complementares necessários para o mesmo, concluindo-se que deveriam ser implementados circuitos que permitissem diminuir tempo de espera para o diagnóstico. Para validar os resultados obtidos terão de ser efectuados mais estudos nesta área, nomeadamente a inclusão de mais casos clínicos gerados pela própria consultaBackground: In the context of orthopaedic oncology there are few reliable epidemiological studies about musculoskeletal tumors. Because of that lack of information, we decided to do an analysis about one year of outpatient referral to a musculoskeletal pathology unit. The aim was to examine one year of experience of clinical observation in an ambulatory regimn, based on several variables that characterize the population that is forwarded to this unit as well as 3 the procedures performed to diagnosis in order to have a real perspective about the reality of this disease. Material and Methods: Retrospective study of 170 patients referred to the Unidade de Tumores do Aparelho Locomotor dos Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra in 2009. Results: 55% were female. The median age at the time of referral was 51 years. The patients observed were from all regions of the country, stressing however Coimbra (37%) and Leiria (10%). 39% of cases were internal references from services of the Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra; in outside referral of cases the hospital of residence area was the main reference entity. Of the 170 patients, 154 were referred with a possible diagnosis established, that latter has been confirmed in 79% of cases. After admission, they were asked additional diagnostic exams in 69% of cases and performed biopsies on 66 patients. The final diagnosis corresponded to benign tumors in 35% of cases, malignant primary tumors of the locomotor system in 21%, metastatic bone lesions in 6.5% and pseudo-tumorous lesions in 11%. The most common benign tumor was enchondroma, while the soft tissue sarcomas were the most representative primary malignant tumors. Conclusion: The rarity of the musculoskeletal tumors reflects in few epidemiologic studies. Patients from all territory are referred to this ambulatory consult, even though the 24 days time waiting, it is globally accessible. It is the waiting for results from the complementary exams that last the final diagnosis, so there must be implemented sources that allows the reduction of this gap of time. To validate these results more studies should be done and more clinical cases should be included

Covid-19 and Human Rights in a fragile state : Guinea-Bissau

This investigation aims to study the situation of Human Rights during the Covid-19 pandemic in Guinea-Bissau, between January 2020 and January 2022. The research organized an inquiry to families, another to companies and another to market/street sellers about the effects of the pandemic and the measures enacted by the Government and Presidency to contain it. A public hearing was also organized, with various entities from the High Commissioner to trade unions, journalists, students, women associations, and the Public Order Police, for information on how each institution saw its situation and action in this period. The conclusions of the analysis of all these qualitative and quantitative data allow us to affirm a) the social actors agreed with the main measures the authorities took to contain the disease; b) the must referred complaint was the lack of any support from the authorities to households, companies and sellers: c) the fragility of Guinea-Bissau has such a social weight that a disease that killed fewer people than malaria, diarrhea, or tuberculosis, did not overcome the problems of human rights stemming from poverty, institutional fragility, and low incomes in general.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Global partnerships to local challenges : the actor's vision and the new educational horizons

A version of this paper was firstly presented on the Conference COOPEDU IV: Cooperação e Educação de Qualidade, 8-9 November 2018The global partnerships for development are an important incentive to local growth as joint efforts are made to assist developing countries. We emphasize actions in the field of education, as they constitute a catalyst for local development, with a special focus on HE since empirical evidence shows that this level of education represents an important factor in local, national and global economic progress. It is important to mention that this type of education plays a central role in an increasingly globalized and internationalized world where knowledge and innovation are part of the most developed and most competitive societies. In this sense, we have the objective of analysing the opinions given by the different Actors gathered through an inquiry, and confront them with the conceptual framework in order to see if their opinions meet the expected attitudes of the established partnerships. For this purpose, the CATWOE methodology is used to trace the route and to characterize the Conceptual Model in the scope of HE in order to perceive the transformations resulting from its actions and those that would be necessary to optimize the process.As parcerias globais para o desenvolvimento são um importante incentivo para o crescimento local, uma vez que esforços conjuntos são feitos para ajudar os países em desenvolvimento. Enfatizamos ações no campo da educação, pois elas constituem um catalisador para o desenvolvimento local, com foco especial no ensino superior, uma vez que as evidências empíricas mostram que esse nível de educação representa um fator importante no progresso econômico local, nacional e global. É importante mencionar que este tipo de educação desempenha um papel central num mundo cada vez mais globalizado e internacionalizado, onde o conhecimento e a inovação fazem parte das sociedades mais desenvolvidas e competitivas. Nesse sentido, temos o objetivo de analisar as perspetivas dadas pelos diferentes atores, reunidos por meio de um inquérito, e confrontá-los com o quadro conceptual, a fim de verificar se as suas conceções correspondem às esperadas das parcerias estabelecidas. Para tal, a metodologia CATWOE é utilizada para traçar o percurso e caracterizar o Modelo Conceptual no âmbito do Ensino Superior, a fim de perceber as transformações decorrentes das suas ações e aquelas que seriam necessárias para otimizar o processo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evidence for cryptic speciation in directly transmitted Gyrodactylid parasites of Trinidadian guppies

Cryptic species complexes are common among parasites, which tend to have large populations and are subject to rapid evolution. Such complexes may arise through host-parasite co-evolution and/or host switching. For parasites that reproduce directly on their host, there might be increased opportunities for sympatric speciation, either by exploiting different hosts or different micro-habitats within the same host. The genus Gyrodactylus is a specious group of viviparous monogeneans. These ectoparasites transfer between teleosts during social contact and cause significant host mortality. Their impact on the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), an iconic evolutionary and ecological model species, is well established and yet the population genetics and phylogenetics of these parasites remains understudied. Using mtDNA sequencing of the host and its parasites, we provide evidence of cryptic speciation in Gyrodactylus bullatarudis, G. poeciliae and G. turnbulli. For the COII gene, genetic divergence of lineages within each parasite species ranged between 5.7 and 17.2%, which is typical of the divergence observed between described species in this genus. Different lineages of G. turnbulli and G. poeciliae appear geographically isolated, which could imply allopatric speciation. In addition, for G. poeciliae, co-evolution with a different host species cannot be discarded due to its host range. This parasite was originally described on P. caucana, but for the first time here it is also recorded on the guppy. The two cryptic lineages of G. bullatarudis showed considerable geographic overlap. G. bullatarudis has a known wide host range and it can also utilize a killifish (Anablepsoides hartii) as a temporary host. This killifish is capable of migrating overland and it could act as a transmission vector between otherwise isolated populations. Additional genetic markers are needed to confirm the presence of these cryptic Gyrodactylus species complexes, potentially leading to more in-depth genetic, ecological and evolutionary analyses on this multi-host-parasite system

Schools´ External Evaluation: An analysis through national and international evaluation reports

In the globalization context evaluation, has been recognized as a key tool in education policy reform. By borrowing and lending policies (Steiner-Khamsi, 2012) there is a mindset that implies to respond to the market logic (McNamara & O’Hara, 2009; Smith, 2014). Transnational institutions such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the European Union (EU) and other variety of “border-crossing institutions that exert enormous influence on States and citizens around the globe” (Sperling, 2009, p.2) are increasing uniformity in the educational policies (Schwandt, 2009) reflecting it on the evaluation politics. Different European national models for the Schools’ External Evaluation (SEE) aroused based on international evaluation systems (European Commission, EACEA, Eurydice, 2015). Nowadays there are thirty-one education systems in Europe that put their schools under the spotlight through external and internal evaluations, a number which still is increasing (Puhl & Crosier, 2015). In Portugal, the Law No. 31/2002 of December the 20th defined the Portuguese system of SEE which defends that this process is a formative instrument that evaluates the quality of the schools. The school evaluation process is assured by the Portuguese Inspectorate of Education and Science (IGEC) in collaboration with the Universities and it has, already, two evaluation cycles. These national and transnational recommendations are globally recognized and, consequently, create an impact on international and national structural policies, namely on the schools’ external evaluation system. To answer the research question, it was used a summative approach to content analysis (Krippendorff, 1990; Hsieh & Shannon, 2005; Bardin, 2013), based on reports’ unique perspectives and grounded in the actual data. The analytical process included the selection of the sample to be analysed that was developed by a computer literature search that had permitted to identify relevant sources using keywords in the OECD, the Eurydice, and the IGEC data base. In this research, it was only accepted reports there were published during the Portuguese SEE second cycle (2012-2017). The analysed documents were seven international reports (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2015; Santiago, et al., 2012; OECD, 2012; 2013; 2015a; 2015b; OECD, 2016), and three national reports from the IGEC (IGEC, 2013; IGEC 2015; IGEC, 2016). Considering the analysis of the national and the transnational organizations´ reports about schools’ evaluation, we can conclude that education has become a target of evaluation. According to the research, the international and national perspective is aligned with concepts that predetermine a future policy trajectory. As Ball (1997) argues, policy construction is influenced by the regulation that is exercised by transnational corporations. When comparing the coherence between the national and transnational discourses, the findings reflect the promise that Portugal assumed with the European Union on the Lisbon Council occurred in 2000 in which has accepted the commitment of helping the European Union in becoming “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world” (European Parliament, 2000). Evaluation is becoming central in the education field (Steiner-Khamasi, 2012), and the focus on the quality concept, related to the SEE in the analysed documents, may reflect its relevance in both national and international education panorama. In Portugal, evaluation reports reveal that there is a concern about reaching a predetermined and globalized notion of education quality based on a specific profile of success, supported by the accountability that uses efficacy and efficiency to make the educational agents responsible for the schools’ external achievements.This work is funded by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, projects UID/CED/1661/2013 and UID/CED/1661/2016, Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT. Joana Sousa - Ph.D. student in Educational Sciences at the Institute of Education at the University of Minho (Portugal) with a research studentship by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT - SFRH/BD/93389/2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

El (pos) crítico en la deconstrucción del currículo

Como em todos os campos do conhecimento das ciências humanas e sociais, a educação tem sido confrontada com perspetivas epistemológicas ligadas à teorização crítica e com novas discussões introduzidas pelas análises pós. Entende-se, neste artigo, que, em termos conceptuais, as teorias crítica e pós-crítica existem numa multiplicidade de abordagens e que as suas diferenças se inscrevem em redes conceptuais de discursos e práticas que têm aspetos em comum, mesmo que, por vezes, pareçam antagónicas. Atualmente, nos estudos curriculares, a sua discussão tende a fazer-se em torno do conhecimento num quadro de políticas curriculares distintas, umas orientadas pelo legado universal das disciplinas, outras baseadas em argumentos que valorizam a subjetividade.As in all human and social sciences fields in education the knowledge has been confronted with epistemological perspectives that are related to the critical theory with further discussions introduced by the post analysis. In this article it is assumed that the conceptualization of critical theory and/or post-critical theory are embedded in a multiplicity of approaches with differences that are shared by conceptual discourses and practices network, even if it sometimes seems to be antagonist. In this context the curriculum studies discussion tends to focus on knowledge reflecting the universal legacy of disciplines, some of them based on arguments that value subjectivity.Como en todos los campos de conocimiento de ciencias humanas y sociales, la educación ha sido enfrentada con perspectivas epistemológicas relacionadas con la teoría crítica, con remotas discusiones introducidas por los análisis del post. Se entiende, en este artículo, que en términos conceptuales, en la teoría crítica y/o pos-crítica hay una multiplicidad de enfoques y que sus diferencias son parte de redes conceptuales que tienen varios aspectos en común, mismo que, algunas veces lo parezcan antagónicas. La discusión de los estudios curriculares se tiende a hacer alrededor del conocimiento, unos orientados por el legado universal de disciplinas, otros basados en argumentos que valoran la subjetividad