Modelos Preditivos para Ventilação Natural

A noção de desenvolvimento implica necessariamente a melhoria das condições de vida das populações, ou seja, conforto entendido em sentido lato incluindo, por exemplo, a Qualidade do Ar Interior. O recurso a sistemas AVAC para garantir as condições de conforto tem algumas desvantagens, nomeadamente o recurso a energias primárias finitas. Está hoje generalizada a ideia de que a Energia e o Ambiente são bens que têm de ser geridos e utilizados com os cuidados devidos ao que é finito. No sentido de incrementar o recurso a energias renováveis, infinitas por definição e não poluentes, apresentam-se no presente artigo modelos preditivos para ventilação natural que recorrem a duas fontes: as diferenças de temperatura exterior-interior e o vento. Estes modelos podem ser usados na fase de concepção arquitectónica para prever as renovações horárias devido à existência de aberturas na envolvente de edifícios, por exemplo em edifícios de serviços ou comerciais

Multilayer Quantile Graph for Multivariate Time Series Analysis and Dimensionality Reduction

In recent years, there has been a surge in the prevalence of high- and multi-dimensional temporal data across various scientific disciplines. These datasets are characterized by their vast size and challenging potential for analysis. Such data typically exhibit serial and cross-dependency and possess high dimensionality, thereby introducing additional complexities to conventional time series analysis methods. To address these challenges, a recent and complementary approach has emerged, known as network-based analysis methods for multivariate time series. In univariate settings, Quantile Graphs have been employed to capture temporal transition properties and reduce data dimensionality by mapping observations to a smaller set of sample quantiles. To confront the increasingly prominent issue of high dimensionality, we propose an extension of Quantile Graphs into a multivariate variant, which we term "Multilayer Quantile Graphs". In this innovative mapping, each time series is transformed into a Quantile Graph, and inter-layer connections are established to link contemporaneous quantiles of pairwise series. This enables the analysis of dynamic transitions across multiple dimensions. In this study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this new mapping using a synthetic multivariate time series dataset. We delve into the resulting network's topological structures, extract network features, and employ these features for original dataset analysis. Furthermore, we compare our results with a recent method from the literature. The resulting multilayer network offers a significant reduction in the dimensionality of the original data while capturing serial and cross-dimensional transitions. This approach facilitates the characterization and analysis of large multivariate time series datasets through network analysis techniques

Chemical Differentiation of Sugarcane Cultivars Based on Volatile Profile and Chemometric Analysis

Sugarcane (SC) is a perennial grass widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. However, its cultivation in Europe is residual, where Madeira Island, Portugal, is the only region where SC continues to be extensively cultivated. For the first time, the volatile profiles of regional cultivars were established by solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography− mass spectrometry. Different volatile profiles for each cultivar were recognized, identifying 260 volatile organic compounds belonging to 15 chemical classes, such as aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, hydrocarbons, esters, and terpenes. Chemometric analysis procedure, namely, one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s test, principal component analysis, partial least-square analysis, linear discriminant analysis, and hierarchical clustering analysis, allowed the differentiation between all regional cultivars. This study represents an important contribution for the maintenance of biodiversity and subsistence of the SC industry in Europe. Furthermore, it is also a valuable contribution to establish the typicality of traditional SC-based products, such as SC honey.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Predictive Strategy Based on Volatile Profile and Chemometric Analysis for Traceability and Authenticity of Sugarcane Honey on the Global Market

Sugarcane honey (SCH) is a syrup produced on Madeira Island and recognized by its unique aroma, a complex attribute of quality with an important influence on the final consumer’s acceptance of the product, and determined by a complex mixture of a large number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated during its traditional making process and storage. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the volatile profile of genuine SCH produced by a regional certified producer for seven years and compare it with syrups from non-certified regional producers and with producers from different geographical regions (Spain, Egypt, Brazil and Australia), as a powerful strategy to define the volatomic fingerprint of SCH. Different volatile profiles were recognized for all samples, with 166 VOCs being identified belonging to different chemical classes, including furans, ketones, carboxylic acids, aldehydes and alcohols. Chemometric analysis allowed (i) the differentiation between all syrups, being more pronounced between SCH and other syrups; and (ii) the identification of 32 VOCs as potential markers for the traceability and authenticity of SCH on the global market.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implementação da filosofia KAIZEN na pintura e vidração na Matcerâmica-Fabrico de Louça, S.A.

Estágio realizado na Matceramica-Fabrico de louça, S.A., e orientado por Armando ConstantinoTese de Mestrado Integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

Effect of processing and storage on the volatile profile of sugarcane honey: A four-year study

Sugarcane honey (SCH) is a syrup from Madeira Island recognized by its unique and excellent aroma, associated to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated during the well-defined five stages of its traditional making process. The establishment of volatile profile throughout all SCH-making stages during four years, allowed the evaluation of the influence of each stage in the typical characterisitcs of SCH. One hundred eighthy seven VOCs were identified, being associated to several origins and formation pathways. VOCs formed during stage 1 and 2 were originate from raw material, and its oxidation (i.e. enzymatic browning) and thermal degradation (i.e. lipid oxidation, Maillard reactions, Strecker degradation). In stage 3 and 4, the caramelization and melanoidin degradation also occurred, while in stage 5, the thermal degradation continues, followed by microbial activity. Chemometric analysis allowed to identify 35 VOCs as potential markers for processing control by the producers and as guarantee of the typicality and authenticity of SCH. Based on the obtained results, we propose for the first time an innovative schematic diagram explaining the potential reactions and pathways for VOCs formation during the different steps of the SCH production.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pyrazoles as potential modulators of inflammation through the inhibition of COX2 activity and human leukocytes' oxidative burst

The inflammatory process is a complex and tightly regulated cascade of events that involves the production of prostaglandins (PG) by the inducible isoform cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and the production of reactive pro-oxidant species. When the production of these mediators becomes excessive, it can lead to chronic inflammation and associated diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Unfortunately, many existing anti-inflammatory agents are associated with unwanted side effects. Therefore, there is a critical need to discover new and effective compounds that can modulate the inflammatory cascade. In this study, an extensive panel of structurally related pyrazoles holding diverse structures and substitutions were tested in vitro against human COX-2, and ex vivo in human whole blood, through the measurement of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. Their potential inhibitory effect against human leukocytes’ oxidative burst was also studied. The results showed that some of the tested compounds had a significant inhibitory effect on COX2 activity, and pyrazoles 4 and 11 (Figure 1) excelled as the most potent inhibitors, with IC50 < 25 µM. Nonetheless, among the tested compounds only 1 was able to inhibit both the COX-2 activity and the PGE2 production. The tested pyrazoles, namely pyrazole 4, also demonstrated a potential inhibitory effect (IC50 < 5 µM) against human leukocytes’ oxidative burst. These results represent a significant contribution for the design and development of new anti-inflammatory molecules.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Illegal bushmeat hunting and trade dynamics in a major road-hub region of the Brazilian Mid North

402-411This study was conducted to characterize the illegal bushmeat hunting and trade in Floriano region (Piauí State), an import road hub between Amazon and Northeast regions of Brazil. This is the first study that assesses bushmeat hunting in Mid North of Northeast Brazil. Our main hypothesis is that hunting has completely changed from a purely subsistence scenario to another under multiple demands and with the incorporation of technological resources. We collected data from August 2015 to July 2016 throughout semi-structured questionnaires with 82 hunters and rapid survey at markets. Our study revealed that 14 wild vertebrates are usually hunted in studied areas as source of meat and zootherapeutics. Hunting for subsistence was the main purpose reported by interviewees, nonetheless we detected that virtually all hunters sell wild meat and zootherapeutic products. We found that local hunting is mainly as a nocturnal activity. Our results show that bushmeat hunting and trade are facilitated by modern technologies and these activities turned into a black way supported by very diverse purposes besides subsistence. We suggest more comprehensive conservation strategies, including alternatives to supply urban demand for game meat, environmental education to mitigate involvement in hunting and improved intelligence efforts by environmental agencies