A new perspective for robustness assessment of framed structures

Robustness has been recognized as interesting research topic due to several collapses that have been occurring over last years. Indeed, this subject is related with global failure or collapse. However, its definition is not consensual since several definitions have been proposed in the literature. This shortpaper aims to present a framework for assessing bridge’s robustness as a probabilistic performance indicator. In this study, a non-linear model of a clamped beam with two point loads using DIANA software was developed to validate the framework presented. By means of a probabilistic approach, the load carrying capacity and structural safety were evaluated. In this regard, special focus is placed on an adaptive Monte Carlo simulation procedure to achieve a proper meta-model.ISISE – Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (PEstC/ECI/UI4029/2011 FCOM-01-0124-FEDER-022681)FCT– Portuguese Scientific Foundation for the research grant PD/BD/113677/2015European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No. 60622

Pomegranate peels and seeds as a source of phenolic compounds: effect of cultivar, by-product, and extraction solvent

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study that are not included in this article (neither in the supplementary information files) are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.The nutraceutical properties of Punica granatum L. are not restricted to the edible portion of the fruit but also to the peels and seeds, flowers, leaves, and tree bark. The recovery and valorization of the peel and seeds (ca. 50% of the whole fruit), besides the positive environmental impact, can be viewed as a source of natural bioactive compounds. Thus, the bioactive properties of extracts of pomegranate peel and seeds from Acco and Wonderful known cultivars, as well as of the novel Big Full cultivar, were evaluated. The dried and ground pomegranate by-products were submitted to a conventional solid/liquid extraction with ethanol/water mixtures (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of EtOH, v/v). The obtained extracts were characterized in terms of total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), and antioxidant activity (AA), determined by the DPPH radical scavenging activity and expressed as IC50 (half maximum inhibitory concentration). With the exception of the Acco cultivar, the extraction yield (EY) was higher for peels, whose extracts showed higher TPC, TF, and IC50 (lower AA). The extracts obtained from the by-products of the Big Full cultivar had a statistically higher overall bioactive potential (TPC: 0.36mg GAE/mg extract; TF: 0.031mg CATE/mg extract; IC50: 0.51mg/mL) compared to the other two studied cultivars. Furthermore, the EY was enhanced by solvents richer in ethanol (50-75%), allowing obtaining extracts richer in TPC and TF with higher AA. Finally, it was shown that EY combined with bioactive data allowed a satisfactory principal component unsupervised differentiation of the pomegranate extracts according to the type of by-product used.This work was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) through national funds to the research units CEB (UIDB/04469/2020), CERNAS (UIDB/00681/2020), and CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) as well as to the Associate Laboratory SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020). The European Regional Development Fund, under the Norte2020 Program funded BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) and funded MobFood operation (LISBOA 01-0247-FEDER-024524). Lara Campos acknowledges the research grants (CEB-BI-14-2019) and (FCT-IPC-i2A-CER NAS/Escola de Verão/BI-01-08), and Luana Seixas acknowl edges the research grant (FCT-IPC-i2A-CERNAS/Escola de Verão/BII-01-07), all provided by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Propagation of nine endemic plant species from Madeira Island (Portugal)

Efficient propagation of endangered plant species is a critical factor in successful ecological restoration and conscientious habitat management. Hence, propagation trials of nine endemic plant species of Madeira (Anthyllis lemanniana Lowe, Armeria maderensis Lowe, Cedronella canariensis (L.) Webb & Berthel., Erica maderensis (Benth.) Bornm., Genista tenera (Jacq. ex Murray) Kuntze, Helichrysum melaleucum Rchb. ex Holl, Pericallis aurita (L'Her.) B. Nord., Sideritis candicans Aiton and Teline maderensis Webb & Berthel.) were carried out. Plant propagation requirements and their sexual and vegetative propagation methods were studied. Seed germination success varied between species. Germination rate exceeded 70% in six out of nine species, being lower than 30% in Pericallis aurita, while H. melaleucum seeds did not germinate. Vegetative propagation yielded lower success rates, with three species (Erica maderensis, Genista tenera and Teline maderensis) unable to establish roots, and three species (Helichrysum melaleucum, Pericallis aurita and Sideritis candicans) exceeding 60% of the rooting success. Establishment of the propagation requirements of these species could be regarded an important tool for supporting Madeira’s flora conservation programs.A propagação eficaz de espécies de plantas ameaçadas pode ser um fator crítico numa restauração ecológica de sucesso e numa gestão consciente de habitats. Por conseguinte, foram realizadas ensaios de propagação de nove espécies de plantas endémicas da Madeira (Anthyllis lemanniana Lowe, Armeria maderensis Lowe, Cedronella canariensis (L.) Webb & Berthel., Erica maderensis (Benth.) Bornm., Genista tenera (Jacq. Ex Murray) Kuntze, Helichrysum melaleucum Rchb. Ex Holl, Pericallis aurita (L'Her.) B. Nord., Sideritis candicans Aiton e Teline maderensis Webb & Berthel.). Foram analisados os requisitos de propagação destas espécies através de métodos de propagação sexual e vegetativa. O sucesso da germinação das sementes variou entre as espécies. A taxa de germinação foi superior a 70% em seis das nove espécies, sendo inferior a 30% em Pericallis aurita, e de 0% para H. melaleucum. A propagação vegetativa apresentou taxas de sucesso inferiores, com três espécies (Erica maderensis, Genista tenera e Teline maderensis) incapazes de estabelecer raízes. Por outro lado, três espécies apresentaram taxas de enraizamento superiores a 60% (Helichrysum melaleucum, Pericallis aurita e Sideritis candicans). O estabelecimento dos requisitos de propagação dessas espécies pode ser considerado como uma ferramenta importante na conservação da flora da Madeira.nowledgments José Manuel Rodrigues and other staff from the Ecological Park of Funchal, Sónia Ferraz, Marta Moreira and Filipe Ganança from the ISOPlexis Genebank, and the staff of the Floriculture Centre. We thank Jan J. Slaski of the ISOPlexis Genebank and the Alberta Innovates Technology Futures for reviewing the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of dwell time on vertical transportation through discrete simulation in SIMIO

This work has the objective of simulating an elevator system, using SIMIO software. Firstly, two different approaches, and its implementation, will be explained and compared: Vehicle vs. Entity. After selecting the Entity-approach, due to its more flexible processes and the limitations of the Vehicle-approach, it will be used to conduct the simulation experiments. The purpose is to evaluate the impact of dwell time - time in which the elevator remains stopped, allowing for clients to enter and exit - in the performance of the system. That will be achieved analysing the impact on the total time - spent by clients from placing a call until reaching its destination - number of clients inside the system and waiting for the elevator, waiting time, elevator occupation and number of elevator movements. The analysis of the results indicates that, for the properties defined, the best time for the elevator to stay with its doors open is around 10 seconds.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia in the scope of the project: PEst-OE/EEI/UI0319/2014 (ALGORITMI).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysis of an elevator system using discrete event simulation: case study

This paper documents the work conducted to simulate an elevator system, using SIMIO software. The modelled system represents a case study that was analyzed in a hospital at Braga, Portugal. A previ-ous work on the same case study concluded that the best dwell time configuration would be around 10 seconds, however it did not consider the impact of different client demand on the elevator system. In this sense, this paper analyses the impact of both parameters on the performance of the system. This will be achieved by analyzing the impact on the total time spent by clients in the system, the number of clients inside the system, and waiting for the elevator, waiting time, average elevator occupation and number of elevator movements. Conclusions and future work agenda were discussed in the conclusions section.This work has been supported by FCT -Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia in the scope of the project: PEstOE/EEI/UI0319/2014 (ALGORITMI)

Presence of Gardnerella vaginalis in healthy portuguese women: a pilot study

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) has an important position worldwide, as the leading vaginal disorder in women, and affects 30-50% of African women and 10-20% of White women of reproductive age. This condition although not mortal causes great discomfort and may lead to other complications such as pre-term labour or increase susceptibility for HIV infection. During BV occur a decrease of Lactobacillus spp. present in the vaginal epithelium and an increase in the number of anaerobic microorganisms like Gardnerella vaginalis, Pretovella spp., Mobilincus spp.; Mycoplasma hominis and Atopobium vaginae. Gardnerella vaginalis is also responsible for the formation of a biofilm in the vaginal epithelium in sick women’s. However, the direct correlation between the pathology and the causing agent (or agents) has not been clearly established. Currently there is only one article in PubMed (Guerreiro et. al, 1998) referring to the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in Portugal and we aim to extend the research in this field specifically to the portuguese population. As part of this effort one of our aims it to characterise the bacterial population of portuguese women both healthy and diagnosed with BV. As such we collected swab samples of vaginal fluids from protuguese women with the help of health professionals and using self collection. The swabs were collected and treated within 24 hours at the University of Minho for the characterization of the bacterial population present, by using conventional microbiological growth techniques, PNA-FISH microscopy and 16S PCR. It was found that about 20% of the samples tested possessed G. vaginalis and all possessed Lactobacillus spp. using all 3 identification techniques described. This result is consistent with previous reports of G. vaginalis prevalence althought slightly lower, and shows that traditional microbiological techniques, microscopy and molecular methods were consistent in terms of results

Uma ferramenta de e-portfólios para o LearningOnWeb

We describe a new approach for the management of e-Portfolios that is being designed for LearningOnWeb, a platform we are currently developing at the University of Coimbra. Our aim is an e- portfolio module that not only lets students maintain their portfolios of assignments, but also facilitates formative assessment by teachers, cross-assessment by colleagues, and reflexive improvement by the owners of the portfolios. We believe that this approach may inspire further insight on the provision of portfolio management tools in e-learning platforms.Neste artigo descrevemos uma plataforma de e-learning actualmente em desenvolvimento na Universidade de Coimbra, o LearningOnWeb, com especial ênfase numa nova abordagem para a gestão de e-Portfolios. O nosso objectivo é desenvolver um módulo de e-portfolios que não só permita aos estudantes gerir o seu portfólio de trabalhos, mas também facilitar a avaliação formativa por parte dos docentes, avaliação cruzada pelos colegas e aperfeiçoamento reflexivo por parte dos possuidores dos portfólios. Acreditamos que esta abordagem pode servir de inspiração para dotar plataformas de e-learning com gestão de portfólios

Assessment of traffic load events and structural effects on road bridges based on strain measurements

Several technical and scientific publications have been made available focussing on Bridge Weight-in-Motion (BWIM) concerning railway bridges. On the contrary, BWIM analysis on road bridges are more scarce and therefore, this work intends to provide a contribution by presenting the BWIM analysis performed on two major road bridges in Portugal – Lezíria Bridge and Pinhão Bridge. These bridges are equipped with electric and optical strain gauges, acquisi­tion systems with features that allow high sampling rates. Based on the collected data and focussing on the bridges’ life­time, a probabilistic approach to quantify extreme traffic loads was implemented using extreme distribution functions. The bridges’ behaviour to these extreme traffic loads is numerically evaluated and a comparison with the alarm levels established by the bridge designers is performed. Although the bridge’s safety is not compromised, it was concluded that the representativeness of the observation period is a critical issue and the analysis of this kind of results must be care­fully considered. A comprehensive discussion about this matter is carried out at the end of this work. First published online: 13 Dec 201