Predicting calcium in grape must and base wine by FT-NIR spectroscopy

Calcium content in sparkling wines may not exceed 80 mg/L due to the risk of aggregation with alginate capsules. The high calcium content usually found in wine and must emphasizes the need to develop alternative and appropriate techniques faster and cleaner than atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). To obtain a robust model to predict calcium content, FT-NIR spectroscopy was used in 98 base white wine samples and 60 must samples from an Alentejo winery. The reference method for calcium determination was AAS technique, with a dry ashing sample procedure, as a prior treatment. Results confirmed the ability of FT-NIR as an alternative technique to AAS, to predict calcium content in grape must and base wine. Advance knowledge of the calcium content in the grape must will help avoid obtaining a mixture of musts with a high calcium content in the same container

Expanding a Database of Portuguese Tweets

This paper describes an existing database of geolocated tweets that were produced in Portuguese regions and proposes an approach to further expand it. The existing database covers eight consecutive days of collected tweets, totaling about 300 thousand tweets, produced by about 11 thousand different users. A detailed analysis on the content of the messages suggests a predominance of young authors that use Twitter as a way of reaching their colleagues with their feelings, ideas and comments. In order to further characterize this community of young people, we propose a method for retrieving additional tweets produced by the same set of authors already in the database. Our goal is to further extend the knowledge about each user of this community, making it possible to automatically characterize each user by the content he/she produces, cluster users and open other possibilities in the scope of social analysis

Does a shell matter for defence? Chemical deterrence in two cephalaspidean gastropodes with calcified shells

Opisthobranch molluscs show an evolutionary trend to reduce, internalize and lose the shell. Many of them base their defensive strategies on natural deterrent products and current evolutionary theory suggests that the acquisition of chemical defences preceded shell reduction and loss, which has characterized the evolution of this group. Here we show that basal, shelled opisthobranch molluscs are defended against sympatric predators even if their protective shell is removed. The cephalaspideans Bulla striata and Haminoea orbignyana, both with distinct shell calcification, significantly deterred feeding by sympatric crab and fish predators, both in laboratory and field assays. However, our results argue against a progressive increment of chemical defences associated with shell reduction, because the cephalaspidean with the more fully calcified shell, Bulla striata, was also the more deterrent. These findings suggest that effective chemical defences might have evolved independently from shell loss, at least in basal opisthobranchs such as cephalaspideans

Evaluation of glue line shear strength of laminated timber structures using block and core type specimens

Monitoring and evaluation of glued laminated timber structures in service is essential to warrant its integ rity, where non-destructive techniques play an important role. This paper describes the results obtained on glued laminated timber beams of maritime pine, with and without preservative treatment, and of spruce, exposed to natural outdoor environment as well as to artificial weathering. The assessment of glue lines’ shear strength was investigated through the extraction and testing of cores parallel and per pendicular to the glued lines and block shear specimens with 50 mm×50 mm and 20 mm×20 mm shear area. The results highlight the different performances of the various types of specimens tested, showing that the measured shear strength depends on the specimen size and that the size effect depends on the material strength giving a decreasing modification factor with the increase of strength in opposi tion to the constant factor suggested by standard EN 14080. They also show that shear testing of cores drilled perpen dicular to the glued joints may be a promising tool in the assessment of glulam structures on site.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Melhoria de um Processo de Montagem numa Empresa de Componentes Eletrónicos

Face à globalização dos mercados e à concorrência crescente em diversos ramos de atividades económicas, as organizações sentem a necessidade de se manterem competitivas. Estas procuram aplicar novas técnicas e abordagens de gestão de processos, nomeadamente, ferramentas de gestão e controlo de processos produtivos, com o intuito de aumentar a produtividade e, por conseguinte, a sua eficiência operacional. No caso concreto do setor das empresas que fabricam componentes eletrónicos para a indústria automóvel, caraterizado por uma concorrência internacional feroz, destaca-se a necessidade premente de reduzir custos e tempos de operações. Verifica-se ainda a necessidade de aplicar metodologias e abordagens inovadoras. Deste modo, estas tornam-se capazes de oferecer produtos com preços mais reduzidos, comparativamente aos preços praticados pelos concorrentes de mercado, sem que a qualidade dos mesmos diminua. Neste contexto, surgiu a oportunidade de realizar um estágio curricular na Visteon Portuguesa, Ltd. conducente à realização da presente dissertação. O principal objetivo do estudo realizado consistiu na melhoria de um processo de montagem, visando concretamente o aumento da sua eficiência. O cumprimento do referido objetivo contribuiu para o aumento da competitividade da organização, tendo sido importante explorar metodologias que permitiram analisar detalhadamente os métodos de trabalho e quantificá-los. Nesta ótica, foi aplicada a análise substância-campo da metodologia TRIZ e conceitos de estudo do trabalho que, aliados à filosofia Lean Manufacturing, possibilitaram a identificação de oportunidades de melhoria e consequente eliminação de desperdícios. O estudo realizado permitiu o cumprimento dos objetivos propostos, na medida em que se provou possível reduzir, aproximadamente, 11,00% da força de trabalho diária e aumentar a produtividade da célula de montagem em 14,40%, resultando numa poupança anual de €18.854,00. Face aos resultados atingidos, conclui-se que a eficiência da organização aumentou

Contribuição para a caracterização dos diferentes "terroirs" na sub-região de Borba DOC Alentejo

A sub-região de Borba abrange diferentes solos e origens geológicas que influenciam as características qualitativas dos vinhos ali produzidos. Com base nos dados recolhidos na Adega Cooperativa de Borba (ACB) durante as vindimas de 2003 a 2012, e analisando-se alguns dos principais parâmetros qualitativos das uvas por um lado e dos solos e plantas por outro, faz-se uma discussão da potencial influência do factor solo nas características dos vinhos produzidos, de forma a contribuir para uma melhor compreensão e conhecimento dos terroirs da sub-região

Contribuição para a caracterização dos diferentes "terroirs" na sub-região de Borba DOC Alentejo

A sub-região de Borba abrange diferentes solos e origens geológicas que influenciam as características qualitativas dos vinhos ali produzidos. Com base nos dados recolhidos na Adega Cooperativa de Borba (ACB) durante as vindimas de 2003 a 2012, e analisando-se alguns dos principais parâmetros qualitativos das uvas por um lado e dos solos e plantas por outro, faz-se uma discussão da potencial influência do factor solo nas características dos vinhos produzidos, de forma a contribuir para uma melhor compreensão e conhecimento dos terroirs da sub-região

Assessment of nutrient and food group intakes across sex, physical activity, and body mass index in an urban Brazilian population

The burden of preventable diet-related diseases is significant and becoming worse. Thus, accurately assessing food intake is crucial to guide public health policies and actions. Using food dietary recalls, we evaluated usual dietary intake according to physical activity and nutritional status in an adult urban population from Brasília, Brazil. The usual nutrient and energy intakes distributions were estimated using the Iowa State University (ISU) method. Energy and nutrient intakes were stratified by gender, age group, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity (PA). The prevalence of inadequate intake was highest for vitamins E and D. Both men and women had excessive sodium intake. The percentage of intakes below daily serving recommendations for food groups were 96% for cereals, 74% for vegetables, and 87% for dairy products, whereas percentage of intakes above daily serving recommendations were 97% for meat, 93% for pulses, and 99% for fat/oils. Energy and nutrient intakes were highest in overweight and physically active individuals within the categories of BMI and physical activity, respectively. Our study found that high-income urban Brazilians consume large quantities of meat, beans, fat/oils, and exhibit a low prevalence of nutrient inadequacies but have excessive sodium intake. Energy and nutrient intakes are highest among men, as well as overweight and physically active individuals

Thread of Scottishness: mapping the allegorical tapestry of Scottish literature

Scottish authors throughout the ages have linked their art to their nationality. When the contemporary writer A. L. Kennedy observes, 'I believe that fiction with a thread of Scottishness in its truth has helped me to know how to be myself as a Scot,' she pinpoints the value of literature for both her predecessors and peers. However, the idea of Scottish literature as an autonomous and coherent national literature is controversial. Questions concerning self-sufficiency, unity, and value continue to haunt the idea of a Scottish literary tradition. Many studies have attempted to address the stereotype of Scottish literature's fragmentation and its place as a sub-category within English literature; however, few critical works have considered specific literary forms as constituting a basis for the Scottish literary consciousness. 'A Thread of Scottishness' argues that Scottish literature uniquely sustains an allegorical framework traceable from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present. Chapter one discusses allegory's history, definition and relationship with the reader. Chapters two, three, and four focus upon the specific theoretical strands of the Scottish allegorical form: nature, nationalism, and morality, respectively. Each of these three chapters begins with a discussion of works from the medieval period and follows the progression of the Scots' use of allegory through time. More modern works, including S. Ferrier's Marriage, R. L. Stevenson's The Master of Ballantrae, N. Shepherd's The Weatherhouse, are shown to reflect the narrative traditions of medieval and Renaissance texts, such as R. Henryson's Morall Fabillis and The Testament of Cresseid, King James I's The Kingis Quair, and Sir D. Lindsay's Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis. Thus, through a consideration of the use of allegory within specific Scottish texts, I posit continuity for Scottish literature as a whole

Desenvolvimento profissional do professor

O presente trabalho, num primeiro momento, reporta todo um percurso civilizacional ancorado no desenvolvimento do professor. Na sequência deste estudo, foram retratados, numa perspetiva diacrónica, os vários contextos e as correntes educacionais que, em parte, assumem perenidade no pensamento e no agir atual. No entanto, a busca incessante do desenvolvimento da vida social destacou a figura do professor como o principal agente a quem são atribuídos inúmeros e diferentes papéis, progressivamente mais exigentes e complexos, em resultado da evolução da sociedade. Do reverenciado estatuto de transmissor dos saberes, ele ocupa, na atualidade, uma função multifacetada, que lhe exige uma postura de contínuo questionamento e autorreflexão da sua praxis, no sentido de responder da forma mais eficaz ao aspeto basilar que é o sucesso das aprendizagens dos alunos. Neste seguimento, procura-se dar uma visão do que foi a pedagogia ao longo dos tempos, nomeadamente, na antiguidade oriental, clássica e cristã; passando pela idade média, moderna e Iluminismo e, por fim, na idade contemporânea. Posteriormente, dado o enfoque deste trabalho estar na figura do professor, reflete-se, necessariamente, na sua ação em contexto: a sua prática individual e a forma como se autoanalisa, bem como os processos de supervisão e da avaliação do desempenho com vista ao seu desenvolvimento profissional.This paper reports to, in first place, a whole civilizational journey anchored in the teacher’s development. Following this study, the various contexts and educational currents that partly assume continuity in thought and action today were portrayed in a diachronic perspective. However, the relentless pursuit of the development of social life highlighted the figure of the teacher as the main agent to whom different and numerous roles are assigned, progressively more demanding and complex, due to the evolution of society. From the revered status of the transmitter of knowledge, he occupies nowadays a multi-faceted position that requires him an attitude of continual questioning and selfreflection of his praxis, in order to respond most effectively to the fundamental aspect, which is the success of students’ learning. In this context, the objective is to give an overview of what pedagogy has been throughout history, particularly in the eastern, classical and Christian antiquity; during the middle, modern and Enlightenment ages and, finally, the contemporary age. Subsequently, once the focus of this work relies on the teacher’s status, it reflects necessarily in his action in context: his individual practice and how he analyses himself as well as the processes of supervision and evaluation of his performance, aiming at his professional development