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Optimization of shoe sole design according to individual feet pressure maps
Publication . Spahiu, Tatjana; Almeida, Henrique; Ascenso, Rita M. T.; Vitorino, Liliana; Marto, Anabela
Innovative technologies are shaping the future of product development in many industries. From the wide range of applications apparel industry as garments, footwear and accessories has involved advanced technologies in different steps of product development. The focus of companies is quality and fit of products, especially for footwear products, where fit is one of the most important elements for the wearer. This is strongly related with comfort and poor fit leads to foot injuries. Considering this fact, a case study of different steps for shoe designing according to individual foot shape will be presented. Taking into consideration the aesthetics of the sole and in a more sustainable view, through topological optimization reducing of material wastage for sole production will be presented. By means of the topological optimization in the shoe design process, sole optimization is realized. As a part of personalization, feet's plantar pressure maps taken from 3 participants gave a better explanation of weight distribution of each foot. Following, sole personalization according the plantar pressure maps for each foot gives the possibility to obtain the best least material design according to the feet's pressure while maintaining biomechanical performance and aesthetics.
Assessment of the Levels of Pollution and of Their Risks by Radioactivity and Trace Metals on Marine Edible Fish and Crustaceans at the Bay of Bengal (Chattogram, Bangladesh)
Publication . Biswas, Krishna Prasad; Hossain, Shahadat; Deb, Nipa; Bhuian, A.K.M. Saiful Islam; Gonçalves, Sílvia C.; Hossain, Shahadat; Hossen, Mohammad Belal
Marine environmental pollution is a longstanding global problem and has a particular impact on the Bay of Bengal. Effluent from different sources directly enters rivers of the region and eventually flows into the Bay of Bengal. This effluent may contain radioactive materials and trace metals and pose a serious threat to the coastal environment, in addition to aquatic ecosystems. Using gamma spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry, a comprehensive study was carried out on the radioactivity (226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs) and trace metal (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Cr) concentrations, respectively, in fish and crustacean species collected from the coastal belt of the Bay of Bengal (Chattogram, Bangladesh). The analysis showed a noticeable increment in the levels of different radioactive pollutants in the marine samples, although the consumption of the studied fish and crustacean species should be considered safe for human health. Anthropogenic radionu-clide (137Cs) was not detected in any sample. Furthermore, the metal concentrations of a small num-ber of trace elements (Pb, Cd, Cr) were found to be higher in most of the samples, which indicates aquatic fauna are subject to pollution. The estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and target cancer risk (TR) were calculated and compared with the per-missible safety limits. It was found that consuming the seafood from the Bay of Bengal may cause adverse health impacts if consumption and/or means of pollution are not controlled.
Gestão e Interação de Processos para a Melhoria Continua do Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade no Grupo Lusiaves
Publication . Jerónimo, Inês Pereira; Silva, Susana Filipa de Jesus; Fernandes, Diana Maria Ramalho; Clérigo , Susana
O presente relatório resulta do estágio curricular para obtenção do grau de mestre em Gestão da Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar pela Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar do Politécnico de Leiria.
O desenvolvimento do estágio curricular esteve diretamente ligado aos objetivos definidos no plano de trabalho, focado no desenvolvimento de competências essenciais à integração profissional na área da Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar.
O plano de trabalho consiste na Gestão e Interação de processos para a melhoria continua do Sistema da Gestão da Qualidade, no qual se pretende que se efetue uma abordagem por processos, para a implementação de medidas de melhoria continua e controlo de processos na unidade fabril, contribuído para a eficácia e a eficiência da organização em atingir os resultados pretendidos.
A aplicação do controlo de todos os processos da unidade fabril com base na melhoria continua, fez com que surgisse uma base de dados estatística de toda a produção efetuada semanalmente, como também a avaliação dos procedimentos e boas práticas realizadas pelos colaboradores.
Foi definida e implementada metodologia de controlo dos procedimentos da produção e de acompanhamento de todos os Pontos Críticos de Controlo (PCC), Pré-Requisito Operacional (PPRO) , Programa de Pré-requisitos (PPR) e dos colaboradores nas suas tarefas diárias, nas suas boas práticas nas instalações e nos seus procedimentos.
A importância do controlo surge na perspetiva de antecipar o incumprimento dos procedimentos, erros na rastreabilidade dos produtos e precaver a segurança alimentar. O controlo da unidade fabril e dos diversos setores, estabeleceu uma visão real para o Departamento de Controlo de Qualidade do que acontece dentro da unida fabril, na produção e os possíveis erros que possam surgir.
A realização do controlo ao longo do estágio, influenciou na criação de bons hábitos e de boas práticas dos colaboradores, como um aumento de toda a organização e limpeza da unidade fabril.
Dessa forma, tornou-se algo fundamental para a unidade fabril e para os colaboradores, uma vez que auxiliou na progressão e na melhoria da organização.
A Data-Driven Approach to Forecasting Heating and Cooling Energy Demand in an Office Building as an Alternative to Multi-Zone Dynamic Simulation
Publication . Godinho, Xavier; Bernardo, Hermano; Sousa, João C. de; Oliveira, Filipe T.
Nowadays, as more data is now available from an increasing number of installed sensors, load forecasting applied to buildings is being increasingly explored. The amount and quality of resulting information can provide inputs for smarter decisions when managing and operating office buildings. In this article, the authors use two data-driven methods (artificial neural networks and support vector machines) to predict the heating and cooling energy demand in an office building located in Lisbon, Portugal. In the present case-study, these methods prove to be an accurate and appealing alternative to the use of accurate but time-consuming multi-zone dynamic simulation tools, which strongly depend on several parameters to be inserted and user expertise to calibrate the model. Artificial neural networks and support vector machines were developed and parametrized using historical data and different sets of exogenous variables to encounter the best performance combinations for both the heating and cooling periods of a year. In the case of support vector regression, a variation introduced simulated annealing to guide the search for different combinations of hyperparameters. After a feature selection stage for each individual method, the results for the different methods were compared, based on error metrics and distributions. The outputs of the study include the most suitable methodology for each season, and also the features (historical load records, but also exogenous features such as outdoor temperature, relative humidity or occupancy profile) that led to the most accurate models. Results clearly show there is a potential for faster, yet accurate machine-learning based forecasting methods to replace well-established, very accurate but time-consuming multi-zone dynamic simulation tools to forecast building energy consumption.
The first systematic analysis of 3D rapid prototyped poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds manufactured through BioCell printing: the effect of pore size and geometry on compressive mechanical behaviour andin vitrohMSC viability
Publication . Domingos, M.; Intranuovo, F.; Russo, T.; De Santis, R.; Gloria, A.; Ambrosio, L.; Ciurana, J.; Bártolo, P.
Novel additive manufacturing processes are increasingly recognized as ideal techniques to produce 3D biodegradable structures with optimal pore size and spatial distribution, providing an adequate mechanical support for tissue regeneration while shaping in-growing tissues. With regard to the mechanical and biological performances of 3D scaffolds, pore size and geometry play a crucial role. In this study, a novel integrated automated system for the production and in vitro culture of 3D constructs, known as BioCell Printing, was used only to manufacture poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds for tissue engineering; the influence of pore size and shape on their mechanical and biological performances was investigated. Imposing a single lay-down pattern of 0°/90° and varying the filament distance, it was possible to produce scaffolds with square interconnected pores with channel sizes falling in the range of 245–433 µm, porosity 49–57% and a constant road width. Three different lay-down patterns were also adopted (0°/90°, 0°/60/120° and 0°/45°/90°/135°), thus resulting in scaffolds with quadrangular, triangular and complex internal geometries, respectively. Mechanical compression tests revealed a decrease of scaffold stiffness with the increasing porosity and number of deposition angles (from 0°/90° to 0°/45°/90°/135°). Results from biological analysis, carried out using human mesenchymal stem cells, suggest a strong influence of pore size and geometry on cell viability. On the other hand, after 21 days of in vitro static culture, it was not possible to detect any significant variation in terms of cell morphology promoted by scaffold topology. As a first systematic analysis, the obtained results clearly demonstrate the potential of the BioCell Printing process to produce 3D scaffolds with reproducible well organized architectures and tailored mechanical properties.