Decomposition of stochastic flows with automorphism of subbundles component

We show that given a $G$-structure $P$ on a differentiable manifold $M$, if the group $G(M)$ of automorphisms of $P$ is big enough, then there exists the quotient of an stochastic flows $phi_t$ by $G(M)$, in the sense that $\phi_t = \xi_t \circ \rho_t$ where $\xi_t \in G(M)$, the remainder $\rho_t$ has derivative which is vertical but transversal to the fibre of $P$. This geometrical context generalizes previous results where $M$ is a Riemannian manifold and $\phi_t$ is decomposed with an isometric component, see Liao \cite{Liao1} and Ruffino \cite{Ruffino}, which in our context corresponds to the particular case of an SO(n)-structure on $M$.Comment: To appear in Stochastics and Dynamics, 201

Energy transition in a business company – solar PV for a car fleet

Fossil fuels are increasingly limited in today's world, causing an energy crisis due to external factors, increasing prices in international markets. To solve this global problem, the energy transition related to mobility in companies that oversee their car fleets is highlighted. This transition to electric mobility influences several economic, technical, and social aspects, thus it becomes crucial for companies to adapt their infrastructure and dynamics to have more sustainable practices. According to the 2021-2022 EIB Climate Survey, 55% of Portuguese young people consider climate change when looking for a job. Furthermore, when asked about future car purchases, 84% of Portuguese car buyers say they will purchase either a hybrid or electric car, making Portugal the EU No. 1 country in terms of intentions to purchase electric cars. These statistics show the urgency for companies to adapt to future needs, as well as align with the European goals of reducing greenhouse gases emissions to 45% by 2030 and to zero by 2050.This work was financially supported by Base Funding – UIDB/04730/2020 of Center for Innovation in Engineering and Industrial Technology, Portugal, CIETI – funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), Portugal; LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE) and UIDB/00511/2020 - UIDP/00511/2020 (LEPABE) funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC).info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

An overview of the evolution of civil engineering education towards sustainability in Portugal

Education is essential to prepare future professionals, preparing them for the labor market, by providing knowledge and practical experiences. The model that trains these professionals becomes crucial for professionals to adapt to the current needs of this market, which in itself is competitive and dynamic, so it is always in constant change of priorities and needs. It is undeniable that environmental and sustainability issues have become essential aspects in the performance of any business at a global level. Particularly, the concern with sustainability becomes evident in the field of civil engineering, due to the need of optimization of use of resources (raw materials, energy and water), that can have a huge impact on the environment, resulting both from reduction of consumption of resources, and pollutants emissions. Therefore, the MSc courses should have two levels of education on sustainability: at the mul-tidisciplinary level, Higher Education schools should offer courses specifically dedicated to sustainable development and sustainability should be analysed glob-ally; at the disciplinary level, each course should include the basic related concerns with sustainability issues. This work surveys civil engineering courses in Portugal and analyzes how subjects related to SDGs are directly or indirectly present in the respective curricula.This work was financially supported by Base Funding – UIDB/04730/2020 of Center for Innovation in Engineering and Industrial Technology, Portugal, CIETI – funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), Portugal; LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE) and UIDB/00511/2020 - UIDP/00511/2020 (LEPABE) funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC).N/

From rapid prototyping to building in real scale: methodologies for upscaling additive manufacturing in architecture

The manufacture of architectural components mediated by computer-controlled Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies has highlighted several positive aspects of their application, namely by enabling customised design solutions and high-performance complex geometries. Taking into account the experience of the Advanced Ceramics R&D Lab, in the production of small- / medium- scale prototypes, this paper explores the main variables and constraints of the production of real-scale architectural components. This information points to a set of procedures that should be avoided and others that should be privileged, allowing to anticipate how AM can contribute for the achievement of high performance components on a large scale.This work has the financial support of the Project Lab2PT – Landscapes, Heritage and Territory laboratory – AUR/04509 and FCT through national founds and when applicable of the FEDER cofinancing, in the aim of the new partnership agreement PT2020 and COMPETE2020 – POCI 01 0145FEDER 007528

Primeira ocorrência de Pachycheles riisei (Crustacea, Porcellanidae) no Atol das Rocas Brasil

The present work redescribes Pachycheles riisei based on material from intertidal lagoons at Rocas Atoll, Brazil. This is the first record of P. riisei for Rocas Atoll, species previously found from Florida, Caribbean Sea, and Brazil (Paraíba to São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha and Trindade Isl.).O presente estudo redescreve Pachycheles riisei com base no material coletado em poças de maré no Atol das Rocas, Brasil. Este é o primeiro registro de P. riisei para o Atol das Rocas, espécies anteriormente encontrada na Florida, Mar do Caribe e Brazil (Paraíba to São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha and Trindade Island)

Probing the Molecular Ordering in Azopolymer Thin Films by Second-Order Nonlinear Optics

Second-harmonic generation (SHG), a second-order nonlinear optical technique, was used to investigate the molecular ordering of self-assembled layer-by-layer films of PAH, a cationic polyelectrolyte, and PS-119, an anionic polyelectrolyte containing photoisomerizable azo groups. Possible phase transitions in these multilayer films and their thermal stability were investigated by probing the SHG signal as a function of temperature and comparing the molecular order before and after thermal treatment. These studies were also performed with different pH values for the assembling solutions, a relevant parameter for polyelectrolyte adsorption. The results have shown that the films are not thermally stable, with the SHG signal nearly vanishing at a temperature of 150°C, in contrast to what is reported in the literature. SHG measurements have also confirmed that the films are isotropic in the plane of the samples, independent of their number of layers or the pH of assembling solutions. SHG signal before and after heating indicates that the SHG signal was considerably reduced at high temperatures, but after slow cooling it was recovered to almost the same value as before heating, showing that the thermal disorder is reversible. No phase transition was observed, since the SHG signal reduction was slow and gradual, without any sudden change that would characterize a glass transition. We demonstrate that the SHG technique provides information on the film arrangement at the microscopic level which could be difficult to get with traditional techniques

Foraging Behaviour and Herbage Intake in the Favourable Tropics/Subtropics

Key points 1. Herbage intake by animals grazing tropical/sub-tropical pastures is directly related to bite mass, as it is for those grazing temperate pastures. 2. Where these swards have low proportions of stem and dead material (controlled swards), herbage intake follows a similar pattern to that of temperate pasture species, but leaf characteristics, such as lamina length play an important role and influence the short-term rate of intake. 3. Sward structural characteristics and behavioural factors are relatively more important than nutritional factors in terms of herbage intake regulation. The feeding value of the herbage produced is potentially adequate to sustain high levels of beef cattle performance under controlled sward conditions, but relatively limited for dairy cows, since nutrient concentration in the forage is not optimal for high levels of daily milk yield. 4. Sward targets for attaining production objectives are now a feasible management practice on tropical pastures and should be evaluated further