An SDRAM test education package that embeds the factory equipment into the e-learning server

SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) demand has grown exponentially since the 1980s, as a result of technological factors and new areas of application, particularly concerning communication and consumer electronics. The SDRAM market represented in 2007 c. 20% of the total semiconductor business and is seen as a strategic area, justifying private and public investment in the western and far-eastern economic communities. SDRAM test education is therefore an important subject, but very high purchase and maintenance costs keep test equipment beyond reach of most university test courses. This paper presents a pilot project addressing an SDRAM test education course developed jointly by Qimonda and the University of Porto (FEUP), where the company offers remote access to one if its Advantest SDRAM automatic test equipments. Access to this remote tester was embedded into the Moodle e-learning server that supports a new course entitled Electronic Systems Testing (TSEL), which is part of the Integrated Masters degree on Electrical and Computer Engineering at FEUP. The excellent feedback received from students encouraged us to extend this cooperation into an educational network, which is also introduced in this paper

Conjugated linoleic acid reduces permeability and fluidity of adipose plasma membranes from obese Zucker rats

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. July 2010; 398 (2): 199-204.Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a dietary fatty acid frequently used as a body fat reducing agent whose effects upon cell membranes and cellular function remain unknown. Obese Zucker rats were fed atherogenic diets containing saturated fats of vegetable or animal origin with or without 1% CLA, as a mixture of cis(c)9,trans(t)11 and t10,c12 isomers. Plasma membrane vesicles obtained from visceral adi- pose tissue were used to assess the effectiveness of dietary fat and CLA membrane incorporation and its outcome on fluidity and permeability to water and glycerol. A significant decrease in adipose membrane fluidity was correlated with the changes observed in permeability, which seem to be caused by the incor- poration of the t10,c12 CLA isomer into membrane phospholipids. These results indicate that CLA supple- mentation in obese Zucker rats fed saturated and cholesterol rich diets reduces the fluidity and permeability of adipose membranes, therefore not supporting CLA as a body fat reducing agent through membrane fluidification in obese fat consumers

Taux d'endemicité et tendances phytogeographiques de la végétation psammophile des plages et des dunes de sable côtier dans le sud-ouest de l'Europe (Portugal continental)

In southwest Europe (mainland Portugal), the psammophilic ecosystems of coastal beaches and sand dunes are distributed by the Eurosiberian (EUR) and Mediterranean (MED) biogeographic regions. In addition to climatic and other environmental factors, distinct plant communities are mainly influenced by the instability of the coastal sands and the proximity to the sea. Psammophilic gradients determine the plant communities that occur from the first sectors of the beach until the more interior dunes, being expressed by specific floristic associations and different rates of cover, namely by endemic taxa. The analysis of 601 phytosociological relevés, conducted between 1972 and 2010, from north (Minho) to the south (Alentejo and Algarve), allowed to study the dominant communities which occur along the ecological gradient sea-interior, with the aim of better understand general spatial geomorphologic and phytogeographic trends of distribution. As for the sea-interior gradient, no endemic flora appears in the first vegetation strip (annual communities of drift lines). Yet, some endemic species appear in the embryonic shifting dunes of the back beach, with endemic species’ coverage of 1.07% (EUR) and 1.7% (MED). In the mobile dunes (white dunes) covers by endemic flora are more significant: 6.95% (EUR) against 4.14% (MED). Semi-stable dune (gray dune), is composed by three associations (EUR, MED and another of Transition (ART) which occurs between the former two), who have the highest covers for endemics: 38,89% (EUR) 43,37% (TRA) and 55,85% (MED). Do not considering specific human induced situations of degradation and erosion, a general trend of gradual coverage growth by endemic taxa, was signed from north to south, despite median overall covers (total species) are higher in the north. The endemic taxa have been separated into endemic Portuguese (EP), Iberian (EI) and European (EU) and its representativeness endorsed. The interest in the use of phytosociology in this kind of study is discusse

Student-centered e-Learning: designing curricular units in higher education using multiple intelligences theory

The role of Higher Education (HE) in society has been irreversibly transformed by recent technological advances and the widespread access to the Internet, particularly concerning the knowledge production and to the training of qualified workforces. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have been reacting slowly, in a “traditional” way, both to the fragmentation of their target audience and to the ever changing requisites of the global labour market. An example of that is the design of Curricular Units (CU) in e-Learning in HE that remains, in most cases, a teacher-centered model, one-size fits all. We consider that e-Learning can indeed be a useful platform to promote learning that meets the needs and expectations of a heterogeneous audience as well as the labour market. It is, however, necessary to address some of the problems that hinder its success, namely the high dropout rates, which in some cases can reach up to 50% [1]. Within this perspective and to promote a more engaging and personalised learning system that accommodates different ways of learning, we bring to discussion the Multiple Intelligences (MI) Theory [3] as a guide to the instructional design of CU in e-Learning in HE. MI Theory application in e- Learning has been reported to promote intrinsic motivation [4], which is related to the increase of retention rates, a critical factor for HEI, both regarding their economy and credibility. In this context, we defined the following research question: is it possible to rethink the design of CU for e-Learning in HE based on MI theory to promote student-centered learning? Having this issue as a compass, our project’s primary goal is to develop a framework that supports student-centered education, to guide the instructional design of CU for e-Learning in HE, based on the MI theory. We will use a Development Research methodology consisting of the following steps: 1. Problem analysis, 2. Solution design based on the theoretical framework, 3. Develop (prototype) a solution, 4. Evaluate and test, 5. Reflect and document the general design principles. With this study we intend: (i) to contribute to the discussion and practical application of MI in e- Learning in HE, promoting student-centered learning; (ii) to promote wider awareness of the learning processes [5] both by the students and by the HE teachers; (iii) to contribute to ensure greater intrinsic motivation [4] and learning, helping to reduce dropout rates in e-Learning in HE. The need to promote a diversity of intelligences increasingly necessary for the integration in the global labour market and the training of individuals able to contribute to solve the complex problems of our societies, aligned to the widely accepted realization that HE needs to engage in considerable structural changes, makes it for an interesting time to investigate the application of Multiple Intelligences Theory in HE instructional development. In this paper, we present a research proposal with the aim to promote discussion on the subject, receive feedback from peers and audit the interest of potential future partners’ contributions as a way to enrich the research project.EU's programme ERASMUS+CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), PortugalERASMUS+ "Better e-Learning for All", Project number: 2015-1-TR01-KA204-02195

Debugging mixed-signal circuits via the IEEE1149.4 Std. - analysis of limitations and requirements

Debugging mixed-signal circuits is traditionally seen as a complex task due to the presence of an analog part and the necessary interaction with a digital part. The use of debug tools that require physical access suffers from the same restrictions that led to the use of debug tools based on electronic access to digital circuits. While the IEEE1149.4 test infrastructure enables the structural and parametric test of mixed-signal boards, through electronic access, its use for debug purposes is still far from reaching a wide acceptance, namely due to the lack of a debug methodology. This work analyses several access mechanisms for Controllability, Observability and Verification operations via the IEEE1149.4 infrastructure, with an emphasis on the analysis of its limitations and requirements

Roaming service for electric vehicle charging using blockchain-based digital identity

We present a suitable approach to address the electric vehicle charging roaming problem (e-roaming). Blockchain technologies are applied to support the identity management process of users charging their vehicles and to record energy transactions securely. At the same time, off-chain cloud-based storage is used to record the transaction details. A user wallet settled on a mobile application stores user verified credentials; a backend application in the vehicle charging station validates the user credentials to authorize the energy transaction. The current model can be applied to similar contexts where the user may be required to keep several credentials from different providers to authenticate digital transactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The meaning of mainland Portugal beaches and dunes' psammophilic plant communities: a contribution to tourism management and nature conservation

Due to their position of interface between the sea and land, the flora and vegetation of coastal beaches and dunes, occupy ecologically extreme, sensitive, unique and valuable habitats. The occurrence of a large number of endemic taxa and specific plant associations endowed with key ecological services and adapted to a stressful and harsh environmental gradient, gives them a high interest for nature conservation and an important role in sustainable territorial planning. However, such ecosystems are vulnerable to the disruption caused by several anthropogenic sources. Among other global threat factors, the inevitable sea rise caused by climate change and, at a local scale, the non-negligible implications of trampling caused by disorderly coastal touristic exploitation, growing construction pressure in the littoral, and a seasonal population boom in late spring and in summer, plus all derivate forms of pollution, are threat factors to their integrity. Therefore, a correct planning of the touristic economic activities requires the understanding of the vegetation composition and spatial distribution patterns, intrinsically determined by their biogeographic context in the Euro-Siberian or Mediterranean Regions. This comprehensive work, based on a broad phytogeographic study, brings together disperse information on plant communities of the Portuguese sandy coasts (beaches and dunes), by analysing floristic compositions, chorology and ecological characteristics, and matching them with the “Nature 2000” network habitats. Resilience and vulnerability are also studied. In a nature conservation perspective, a positive balance (and a sustainable co-existence) between the preservation of natural values and human development in the Portuguese coast, will benefit with the integration of this knowledge in coastal planning and management activitie

Bioindicators of erosive dynamics in beach and dune systems in the portuguese mainland coast

The litoral psammophilic ecosystems are organized according gradients leaning from the sea to interior areas, including a succession of phytosociological associations, correspondent to well discriminate biotopes, according their geomorphologic, soil and ecological characteristics. In the stable sandy shores (in terms of erosion balance), the different communities occupy relatively wide zonal tracks, with clear transitions. However, in situations of beach downwasting and coastline retreat, the mobile sands tend to advance inland, often compressing the zonal gradient, and distinct communities tend to overlap. Since the herbaceous hemicryptophitic flora typical from the beach and instable dunes has intrinsic colonization skills, high tolerance (or even preference) to burial, and elevated growing rates, it can quickly adapt to the instability of the topographic surface, accompanying its movement to the interior. Yet, the growing rates of the woody chamaephitic vegetation, characteristic of the more interior and relatively stable dune (gray dune) are slower, in addition to a lower capability to resist to burial. Thus, sea advance and inherent sands mobility inland, combined with the dissimilar resilience of plant associations, results in the in the overlap of the chamaephitic taxa and in the amalgamation of species from different communities. The main objective of this work was to study general trends of erosion along the Portuguese softline mainland coast, based in the analysis of the dominant associations that occur along the psammophilic gradient. It was focused in the role played by some plants has bioindicators of the velocity of erosional processes caused by wind transportation, sea dynamics and coastal retreat. Plants that can be used has reliable bioindicators are identified. Correlations between the observed alterations in the theoretical model of a coastal psammophilic gradient, and the intensity of erosion are established. The intensity of the phenomenon is analyzed and quantified along different sectors of the Portuguese coast

Using educational robotics in pre-service teacher training : orchestration between an exploration guide and teacher role

The proper integration of technology in teaching and learning processes must consider the role of teachers and students, as well as the design of tasks and the context in which they are implemented. Teachers’ perceived self-efficacy significantly influences their willingness to integrate educational robotics (ER) into their practice, so initial teacher training should provide opportunities for teachers to participate in structured activities that integrate ER. In this study, a class of pre-service teachers from an initial teacher training programme were provided with their first contact with an ER platform through the use of a simulator. We present the design process of a student exploration guide and teacher guide, developed over three iterative cycles of implementation, assessment and redesign. The analysis of the data collected allowed for improvements in the design of the tasks, the graphic component of the student exploration guide, and more precise indications for the teacher’s actions. The main contribution of this study is the chain orchestration between the simulator, student exploration guide and teacher guide, which allowed pre-service teachers to solve a set of challenges of increasing complexity, thereby progressively decreasing their difficulties and contributing to an adequate integration of ER in their future teaching practices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio