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Unveiling the Cloud Journey: a Case-study of a Global Company´s Migration Project
No full textInternship Report presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Data Driven Marketing, specialization in Data Science for MarketingThe world is changing, technology is advancing, and organizations must keep track of the latest solutions to gain an advantage in competition. One of these new technologies emerging in the past years is cloud computing, which has various documented benefits but is a complex process with many associated challenges.
As a data engineer intern at Nokia, I had the opportunity to join different data teams at Nokia, where I was specifically part of the Operations Control Tower team, which was responsible for the data migration project from on-premises to the cloud.
Due to the popularity of the technology and the complexity of the process, the starting question of this work aims to understand the possible best practices that organizations can apply in order to facilitate this complex task, intending to reduce the gap between theory and practice to facilitate the migration of data to the cloud, thus trying to reduce the challenges encountered during the process and help to exploit the capacities of this technology fully, through a Design Science Research Methodology where artifacts are developed and evaluated in order to tackle challenges encountered.
The key results of this work indicate that the primary motivation for cloud migration is the cost considerations and that the migration of data and systems to the cloud is a complex process with common challenges in different projects, which increases the importance of characteristics as the cloud service provider choice, and the adoption of the artifacts and the recommendations purposed.
We can conclude that although cloud computing brings various benefits to organizations, there is a need for careful planning and adaptation to ensure a successful and fruitful cloud migration
A BI Solution for José Maria da Fonseca Distribuição Sales Analysis Reports: Off-Trade
No full textProject Work presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Information Analysis and ManagementJosé Maria da Fonseca Distribuição (JMF Distribuição) is a company that has been operating since 2015, and it has established a reputation for delivering high-quality wines to the market. Although this company has been doing well in recent years and growing significantly, it has faced challenges in keeping up with the fast-paced trends and demands of the retail distribution channel. This project's objective is to leverage Microsoft Power BI to establish a visual model for analysing and reporting the 'sell-out' in the Portuguese retail distribution channel of the wines distributed by the organisation. This project aimed to enhance the current approach of using Excel by providing a more intuitive and effective technique to scrutinize sales data. This is an essential step towards enhancing the analytical capabilities of José Maria da Fonseca Distribuição. It helped strengthen its competitiveness in a rapidly evolving sector. In an ever-evolving wine industry, shifts in consumer behavior have a significant impact on sales and market dynamics. The recent increase in wine sales at supermarkets and their growing market influence has intensified the competition. Nowadays, branding strategies, packaging and promotions are crucial for customer retention. By using Power BI's features for interactive and integrated reports, teams acquired intuitive access to sales trends, regional performance, and national promotional effectiveness. These insights enabled informed decisions about pricing and campaigns, which are essential in a volatile market with complex distribution channels
Social media influencer’s expertise role in consumer brand engagement in the music industry
No full textDissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Data Driven Marketing, specialization in Digital Marketing and AnalyticsThis study explores the impact of influencer marketing expertise on consumer brand engagement within the music industry, with a specific focus on the role of video content. A mixed research design incorporating quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methodologies to accomplish this objective was employed. Participants, including social media users, influencers' followers, and music enthusiasts, were exposed to Instagram content from both fictitious music expert and non-expert social media influencers, through an online survey which gauged their level of engagement with the featured song and artist. Surprisingly, the results diverged from prior literature, revealing that music expert influencers fostered higher engagement than their non-expert counterparts. However, the study also highlighted a limitation in the realism of the generated content, emphasizing the critical importance of meticulous questionnaire construction for research validity. This research provides nuanced insights into the interplay of influencer expertise, content realism, and consumer engagement in the music industry, contributing to both scholarly discourse and practical guidance for influencers, musicians, and brands
A Feature Store Architecture for Official Statistics Machine Learning
No full textDissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Data Science and Advanced Analytics, specialization in Data ScienceIntegrating machine learning (ML) into the official statisticians' toolset is gaining popularity as
National Statistical Offices (NSOs) strive to improve their methodologies. This trend poses new
challenges and implications for incorporating innovative techniques that ensure the reliability of the
official statistical production process. For this study, first, a comprehensive literature review was
conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases to explore the contemporary applications of
data science in official statistics. A total of 178 research articles were identified, focusing on areas
such as big data, machine learning, and data quality. While the literature review revealed extensive
proposals on utilizing alternative data and applying machine learning techniques to support official
statistics production, it also identified research gaps in the post-training steps of the machine learning
process. Areas requiring further investigation include machine learning operations in a production
environment, data quality assurance, and governance. Considering these gaps, this study was
progressed to experiment with the concept of a feature store to evaluate its potential benefits and
drawbacks, considering the maturity matrix for Machine Learning capability proposed by ONS-UNECE
Machine Learning Group 20221. The experiment conducted in this study demonstrated that the
implementation of a feature store can result in an 8% reduction in processing time for datasets
associated with multiple projects. The findings contribute to understanding how a feature store can
enhance efficiency and productivity in the context of official statistics. Furthermore, the research
highlights the need for continued exploration and research in the areas of machine learning
deployment, data quality, and governance to ensure the successful integration of machine learning
into the official statistical production process. While the findings and implications discussed in this
study are primarily applicable to official statistics, the findings raised can also be relevant to other
domains
Fotografia Vernacular e Narrativa Histórica: O caso da Comunidade Ismaili em Portugal
No full textA presente dissertação apresenta as conclusões de uma reflexão sobre a relação entre a narrativa histórica comum, assimilada por uma determinada comunidade, e o papel que a fotografia vernacular por ela produzida desempenha na re-significação da memória, pessoal e colectiva. Partindo de uma reflexão primordial sobre o papel que os álbuns fotográficos familiares desempenham no decalque, revalidação ou contraponto
da identidade familiar, pretendeu-se averiguar como se relaciona a fotografia privada com a narrativa histórica.
O estudo desenvolvido teve como universo referencial a comunidade ismaili portuguesa, uma comunidade relativamente pouco numerosa, com um percurso homogéneo entre os seus membros, o que gera um denominador comum passível de ser posto em contraponto analítico com realidades individuais específicas.This dissertation presents the conclusions of a reflection on the relationship between the common historical narrative, assimilated by a given community, and the role vernacular photography it produces plays in the re-signification of personal and collective memory. Starting from a primary reflection on the role that family photo albums play in the decalogue, revalidation or counterpoint of family identity, the aim was to ascertain how private photography relates to the historical narrative. The referencial universe for the study was the Portuguese Ismaili community, a relatively small community with a homogeneous path among its members, which generates a common denominator that can be placed in analytical contrast with specific individual realities
The role of SGLT2i in the appetite-regulating hormones and its impact in a rat model of cardiometabolic syndrome
No full textAbstract
Introduction: Emerging as a class of oral antidiabetic drugs, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), used in patients with type 2 diabetes, offer promising results in weight loss, thus improving overall cardiometabolic health.
Methodology: Thirty-nine male ZSF1 rats were divided into two lean and two obese groups, fed with a standard diet, or treated with SGLT2i in a standard diet (30 mg/Kg/day). Body weight, food consumption, and water intake were measured during nine weeks of treatment. Before the sacrifice, glucose levels were measured. After sacrifice blood was collected for appetite-regulating hormones and cardiometabolic biomarkers. Additionally, tissue samples were collected for histological analysis.
Results: SGLT2i treatment promoted an increased food and water intake in lean rats (Ln_ SGLT2i). However, the body weight (BW) in this group was markedly reduced compared with non-treated lean (Ln_ND). Furthermore, the treatment promoted higher water intake despite no differences in BW in obese rats (Ob_ SGLT2i) compared to control (Ob_ND). The treatment decreased perigonadal fat weight in both groups, heart weight in Ln_SGLT2i, and liver weight in Ob_SGLT2i. Aligned with these, cross-section areas of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue, and cardiomyocytes´ were markedly increased in the obese group with treatment decreasing these areas in Ob_SGLT2i. SGLT2i treatment decreased the levels of glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Exploring the appetite-regulating hormones, SGLT2i treatment showed a significant increase in adiponectin levels in both lean and obese, however, leptin levels only validated the hyperleptinemia in obese. The ratio adiponectin/leptin was markedly significantly increased in Ln_SGLT2i rats. At the endpoint, leptin positively correlated with all morphometric/morphological parameters evaluated in this study.
Conclusion: Treatment with SGLT2i significantly improved Ob_SGLT2i morphometric/morphological values, as well as cardiometabolic biomarkers, revealing the positive impact that the medicine has on the obese group despite no significant differences in weight loss. Concerning appetite regulation hormones, SGLT2i had an impact on increasing adiponectin levels in Ln_SGLT2i and Ob_SGLT2i, as well as increasing the level of the Adpn/Lep ratio in Ln_SGLT2i. Finally, leptin correlated positively with all the variables present in this study, demonstrating that hyperleptinemia is present in the animal model under study.Resumo
Introdução: Os inibidores do cotransportador sódio-glicose 2 (SGLT2i), uma classe de antidiabéticos orais, utilizados em pacientes com diabetes tipo 2, oferecem resultados promissores na perda de peso, bem como na saúde cardiometabólica.
Metodologia: Trinta e nove ratos machos ZSF1 foram divididos em dois grupos magros e dois obesos, alimentados com dieta padrão ou tratados com SGLT2i na dieta padrão (30 mg/Kg/dia). O peso corporal, o consumo de alimento e a ingestão de água foram medidos durante nove semanas de tratamento. Os níveis de glucose foram medidos. Após o sacrifício, o sangue foi colheito para medição das hormonas reguladoras do apetite e para biomarcadores cardiometabólicos. Amostras de tecidos foram recolhidas para histologia.
Resultados: O tratamento com SGLT2i promoveu aumento da ingestão de alimentos e água em ratos magros (Ln_SGLT2i). No entanto, o peso corporal neste grupo foi reduzido em comparação com os não tratados (Ln_ND). Além disso, o tratamento promoveu maior consumo de água, apesar de não haver diferenças no peso corporal em ratos obesos (Ob_SGLT2i) em comparação ao controlo (Ob_ND). O tratamento diminuiu o peso da gordura perigonadal em ambos os grupos, o peso do coração nos Ln_SGLT2i e o peso do fígado nos Ob_SGLT2i. As áreas transversais do tecido adiposo visceral e subcutâneo e os cardiomiócitos estavam aumentados nos Ob_ND, tendo o tratamento promovido a diminuição nos Ob_SGLT2i. Simultaneamente, SGLT2i diminuiu os níveis de glucose, colesterol total e triglicerídeos. Nas hormonas reguladoras de apetite, o tratamento mostrou um aumento significativo nos níveis de adiponectina nos dois fenótipos; no entanto, os níveis de leptina apenas validaram a hiperleptinemia em obesos. O rácio adiponectina/leptina estava aumentado nos ratos Ln_SGLT2i. A leptina correlacionou-se positivamente com todos os parâmetros morfométricos/morfológicos.
Conclusão: O tratamento com SGLT2i melhora significativamente os parâmetros morfométricos/morfológicos e os biomarcadores cardiometabólicos nos obesos, revelando o impacto positivo do medicamento, apesar de não haver diferenças significativas na perda de peso. Nas hormonas reguladoras de apetite, os SGLT2i tiveram impacto no aumento dos níveis de adiponectina em ambos os magros e obesos, bem como no aumento do nível da relação Adpn/Lep em Ln_SGLT2i. Por fim, a leptina correlacionou-se positivamente com todas as variáveis, validando a hiperleptinemia no modelo animal em estudo
Impacto dos crudes na concentração de fenóis no efluente aquoso industrial
No full textEste trabalho teve como objetivo estabelecer correlações entre a mistura de crudes alimentada à refinaria e os compostos fenólicos presentes nos efluentes aquosos, assim como se existe alguma correlação com as condições de operação do fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) e visbreaker.
Para dois períodos tempo, entre 2017 e 2019 (Pré IMO, enxofre presente no fuel < 3,5% m/m) e entre 2020 e 2021 (Pós IMO, enxofre presente no fuel < 0,5% m/m), foram desenvolvidos modelos black box: regressão por mínimos quadrados parciais (PLS) e clustering. Conclui-se que para o período pré IMO 2020, crudes com origem na Nigéria, Venezuela, Argélia, Angola e Gana, têm um impacto significativo na concentração média de fenóis presente no efluente industrial. Para um período pós IMO 2020, verificam-se alterações no blending de crudes alimentado à refinaria. As regiões que têm o maior impacto na concentração média de fenóis presentes no efluente industrial é a Angola e o Gana. Sendo que estas duas regiões também têm um impacto significativo na concentração máxima de fenóis, assim como a Nigéria. A PLS desenvolvida tem a capacidade de explicar a variação de 60,1% da concentração de fenóis, com base nas ramas de crudes alimentadas à fábrica.
Através da amostragem realizada, entre 31/05/2022 e 12/07/2022, para determinar a concentração de fenóis presente no efluente do stripper de águas ácidas e com recurso à análise dos componentes principais (PCA) desenvolvida, foi observada uma correlação de 0,2959 entre a concentração de fenóis no efluente do stripper de águas ácidas e a temperatura de operação do visbreaker, sendo que não foi possível estabelecer uma correlação com temperatura de operação do FCC.
O trabalho realizado oferece uma visão sobre os tipos de crude que mais influenciam a concentração de fenóis no efluente industrial, permitindo assim ajustar o blending de crudes alimentado à refinaria.This work aimed to establish correlations between the blend of crude oils fed to the refinery and the phenolic compounds present in aqueous effluents, as well as whether there is any correlation with the operating conditions of the fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) and visbreaker.
For two time periods, between 2017 and 2019 (Pre-IMO, sulfur present in fuel <3.5% m/m) and between 2020 and 2021 (Post-IMO, sulfur present in fuel <0.5% m/m), black box models were developed: partial least squares regression (PLS) and clustering. It is concluded that for the pre-IMO 2020 period, crudes originating from Nigeria, Venezuela, Algeria, Angola, and Ghana have a significant impact on the average concentration of phenols present in the industrial effluent. For a post-IMO 2020 period, changes in the blending of crude oils fed to the refinery are observed. The regions that have the greatest impact on the average concentration of phenols present in the industrial effluent are Angola and Ghana. These two regions also have a significant impact on the maximum concentration of phenols, as well as Nigeria. The developed PLS model can explain 60.1% of the variation in phenol concentration, based on the branches of crude oils fed to the factory.
Through the sampling carried out between 31/05/2022 and 12/07/2022, to determine the concentration of phenols present in the effluent of the sour water stripper and using the developed principal component analysis (PCA), a correlation of 0.2959 was observed between the concentration of phenols in the effluent of the sour water stripper and the operating temperature of the visbreaker, whereas it was not possible to establish a correlation with the operating temperature of the FCC.
The work carried out provides insight into the types of crude oils that most influence the concentration of phenols in the industrial effluent, thus allowing for adjustments in the blending of crude oils fed to the refinery
Screenwritting in Portuguese Television: A Reflection of Authorship in Fiction
No full textO presente relatório pretende refletir sobre a autoria na ficção televisiva e esta análise estará diretamente associada à figura do argumentista. O guionismo passa neste momento por uma crise de reconhecimento no audiovisual e o intuito deste trabalho será compreender a origem desta tendência e o modo como se aplica à televisão portuguesa. Esta reflexão irá enquadrar-se com as atividades desenvolvidas no decorrer do estágio profissional compreendido entre os meses de Outubro e Dezembro de 2024 na produtora SP Televisão.The following document is intended to be an analysis about authorship on television fiction and how that’s correlated to the position of the screenwriter. Screenwriting has been in a recognition and in an identity crisis for some time now. The focus of this work is to find out why and how that came to be, as well as to understand how it applies to Portuguese television. This paper is encouraged by everything I’ve learned while doing an internship for a portuguese production company, SP Televisão, between Octobre and Decembre of 2024
O regime geral da prevenção da corrupção: O caso português e uma análise comparada
No full textA corrupção é um fenómeno complexo e de longa data que afeta negativamente as sociedades e a economias de muitos – se não todos – países ao redor do mundo. Porém, ubi societas, ibi jus e, torna-se, portanto, necessário regular e colmatar as falhas existentes nas sociedades através do Direito. Com o propósito de combater essa problemática, vários países têm implementado regimes de prevenção da corrupção, que visam prevenir e controlar os riscos de corrupção. Em Portugal, o novo Regime de Prevenção da Corrupção foi aprovado em 2021, e trouxe mudanças importantes no combate à corrupção. Neste contexto, a presente dissertação tem como objetivo analisar este novo Regime, de forma a entender as suas componentes, o seu alcance, a sua eficácia e avaliar até que ponto esta lei representa um bom primeiro passo na luta contra a corrupção, fazendo uma posterior comparação deste com regimes análogos existentes no Brasil e em França. Para alcançar esse objetivo, a pesquisa envolverá revisão bibliográfica da legislação e das práticas em vigor nos três países, bem como análise de dois escândalos de corrupção que ocorreram no Brasil e em França. Sendo a prevenção uma temática nova em Portugal, é importante analisar de que forma outros países criam as suas leis e como lidam com casos de corrupção e quais são as boas práticas a nível internacional, esperando-se que os resultados desta dissertação contribuam para a compreensão das exigências desta lei novidade e que forneça uma perspetiva comparativa do que foi desenvolvido neste campo de ação em Portugal e no mundo.Corruption is a complex and longstanding phenomenon that negatively affects societies and the economies of many – if not all – countries around the world. However, ubi societas, ibi jus, and it becomes necessary to regulate and address the existing flaws in societies through the law. In order to combat this issue, several countries have implemented corruption prevention regimes aimed at preventing and controlling corruption risks. In Portugal, the new Corruption Prevention Regime was approved in 2021, bringing significant changes to the fight against corruption. In this context, the present dissertation aims to analyze this new Regime, in order to understand its elements, its scope and its effectiveness and to assess to what extent this law represents a good first step in the fight against corruption, making a subsequent comparison with similar regimes existing in Brazil and France. To achieve this objective, the research will involve a bibliographic review of legislation and current practices in the three countries, as well as an analysis of two corruption scandals that occurred in Brazil and France. As prevention is a new theme in Portugal, it is important to analyze how other countries create their laws and how they deal with corruption cases and what are the good practices at international level. It is expected that the results of this dissertation will contribute to the understanding of the requirements of this novel law and provide a comparative perspective on the developments in this field of action in Portugal and worldwide
Avaliação da atividade in vitro da amlodipina e outros bloqueadores de canais iónicos em Neisseria gonorrhoeae
No full textResumo
A crescente resistência antimicrobiana representa um desafio global no tratamento de
infeções bacterianas, incluindo a gonorreia causada pelo agente etiológico Neisseria
gonorrhoeae. Diante deste cenário, o desenvolvimento de novos agentes terapêuticos ou
o reposicionamento de fármacos existentes emerge como uma necessidade urgente para
o tratamento destas infeções.
Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar o potencial antimicrobiano dos fármacos
amlodipina, tioridazina e verapamil, candidatos a reposicionamento contra N.
gonorrhoeae, de forma a elucidar a sua possível para aplicação em novas estratégias
terapêuticas contra a gonorreia.
Determinou-se a Concentração Mínima Inibitória (CMI) dos fármacos contra a estirpe N.
gonorrhoeae ATCC 49226, através do método de microdiluição. Seguidamente,
analisou-se a cinética de time-kill dos fármacos através da determinação de curvas de
viabilidade em intervalos de tempo específicos após a exposição aos fármacos.
Posteriormente, avaliou-se o efeito pós-antibiótico (PAE) dos fármacos na estirpe em
estudo, através da exposição das bactérias aos fármacos por 1 h, seguindo-se
determinação de Unidades Formadoras de Colónias (UFC) após remoção do composto.
Por fim, determinou-se a frequência de mutação espontânea da estirpe na presença dos
fármacos em estudo, em meio de agar chocolate, durante 24 h.
A tioridazina demonstrou o valor de CMI mais baixo, com 16 mg/L, seguida da
amlodipina e verapamil com 64 mg/L e 512 mg/L, respetivamente. No ensaio de cinética
de time-kill, observou-se a inibição do crescimento bacteriano na presença das
concentrações de 5´ e 10´ o valor de CMI dos fármacos candidatos. Neste ensaio, as
curvas de viabilidade demonstraram a ação bactericida dos fármacos, durante um período
de 24 h. Os fármacos candidatos também demonstraram um PAE superior a 24 h, nas
mesmas concentrações testadas. O ensaio da frequência de mutação espontânea
demonstrou que, na presença dos fármacos na concentração de 5´ e 10´ o valor de CMI,
obteve-se uma baixa frequência de mutações em N. gonorrhoeae, sugerindo uma menor
probabilidade de emergência de resistência bacteriana
A amlodipina, a tioridazina e o verapamil demonstraram resultados promissores como
potenciais fármacos candidatos a reposicionamento para o tratamento de infeções por N.
gonorrhoeae. Espera-se que este trabalho contribua para o futuro desenvolvimento de
estratégias terapêuticas alternativas que incluam estes fármacos para combater a
resistência antimicrobiana em N. gonorrhoeae.Abstract
The increasing antimicrobial resistance represents a global challenge in the treatment of
bacterial infections, including gonorrhoeae caused by the etiological agent Neisseria
gonorrhoeae. Given this scenario, the development of new therapeutic agents or the
repositioning of existing drugs emerges as an urgent need for the treatment of these
infections.
The objective of this work is to study the antimicrobial potential of the drugs amlodipine,
thioridazine, and verapamil, candidates for repurposing against N. gonorrhoeae, in order
to elucidate their possible application in new therapeutic strategies against gonorrhea.
The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the drugs was determined against N.
gonorrhoeae ATCC 49226 strain, by microdilution method. The time-kill kinetics of the
drugs were analyzed through the determination of viability curves at specific time points
following drug exposure. Subsequently, the post antibiotic effect (PAE) of the drugs on
the studied strain was evaluated, by exposing bacteria to the drugs for 1 h, followed by
Colony Forming Units (CFU) determination after removal of the compound. Finally, the
spontaneous mutation frequency of the strain in the presence of the studied drugs was
determined over 24 hours by plating on GC chocolate agar.
Thioridazine showed the lowest MIC value of 16 mg/L, followed by amlodipine and
verapamil with 64 mg/L and 512 mg/L, respectively. In the time-kill kinetics assay,
inhibition of bacterial growth was observed in the presence of concentrations 5´ and 10´
the MIC value of the candidate drugs. In this assay, the viability curves demonstrated the
bactericidal action of the drugs over a 24-hour period. The candidate drugs demonstrated
a PAE of over 24 hours at concentration of 5´ and 10´ the MIC value.
The spontaneous mutation frequency assay showed that, in the presence of the drugs at
5´ and 10´ MIC, there was a low mutation frequency in N. gonorrhoeae, suggesting a
lower probability of bacterial resistance emergence.
Amlodipine, thioridazine and verapamil showed promising results as potential candidate
drugs for repurposing for the treatment of gonorrhea. We expect that this work contributes
to the future development of alternative therapeutic strategies that include these drugs to
fight antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae