Em 2013, durante a 16ª edição do festival Steel Warriors Rebellion Barroselas Metalfest, foi levado a efeito um estudo cujo principal objetivo seria aferir quais os impactos económicos daquele evento e a sua relação com o desenvolvimento turístico local. Em 2017, durante a 20ª edição do referido festival, procedeu‐se à reavaliação dos impactos atrás mencionados, mantendo‐se também o interesse na análise respeitante à dinâmica turística local. Voltou a assumir‐se a significância deste tipo de estudos, pelo facto de se tornarem uma ferramenta útil na tomada de decisões.A metodologia aplicada em 2017 foi semelhante à usada em 2013 e para o efeito utilizou‐se novamente o modelo de análise sugerido por Crompton, Seokho, e Shuster (2001), que visa sobretudo medir o retorno económico dos eventos para a comunidade local, tendo‐se recorrido a técnicas de investigação como a aplicação de inquéritos e realização de entrevistas. De 27 a 30 de abril de 2017 foram realizados 353 inquéritos a festivaleiros presentes no evento e 6 entrevistas, à  organização do festival e comerciantes locais.O presente estudo apresenta um resumo da análise realizada em 2013, ano em foram realizados 322 inquéritos e 6 entrevistas, seguindo‐se a descrição da investigação efetuada em 2017 e dos consequentes resultados. Estabeleceram‐se comparações, resultando em conclusões devidamente fundamentadas que demonstram a real importância do evento analisado no desenvolvimento cultural e turístico local face aos resultados positivos que o mesmo permite alcançar.

Diversos estudos vêm sendo realizados para o reaproveitamento dos resíduos industriais, demonstrando a importância do uso dos mesmos na redução do impacto ambiental e desenvolvimento tecnológico. A utilização deles pelas indústrias deve ser viabilizada, através da substituição parcialmente ou total nas composições, desde que não comprometam as propriedades finais dos produtos. Em geral, utilizam-se resíduos minerais ou o reciclo de outros materiais em formulações de produtos da cerâmica vermelha. Por vezes, encontra-se a utilização em grês e até no grês porcelanato e porcelanas. No entanto, poucos trabalhos apresentam a utilização de resíduos e reciclados na composição de materiais cuja formulação seja mais complexa, como na produção de fritas e esmaltes. No presente trabalho, foi estudada a utilização de um resíduo de beneficiamento mineral de uma rocha com espodumênio (RSL) no desenvolvimento de uma frita e um esmalte cerâmico. A caracterização da frita foi realizada por meio de testes de fusibilidade, dilatação térmica e características físicas finais. Na segunda parte do trabalho, foi desenvolvido um esmalte por meio de mistura do resíduo RSL em uma formulação de esmalte comercial, tendo sido avaliado os aspectos visuais e o coeficiente de expansão térmica. Por meio dos testes realizados nos corpos-de-prova desenvolvidos, alcançou-se o principal objetivo deste trabalho que foi viabilizar a utilização do resíduo RSL como uma matéria-prima para a produção industrial de fritas e esmaltes cerâmicos. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa foram comparados com dados de formulações comerciais e parâmetros utilizados na indústria de fritas e esmaltes. Na substituição parcial de insumos minerais pelo resíduo RSL as quantidades foram manipuladas, alcançando de modo satisfatório os parâmetros almejados.

Powerful forces are driving an ongoing transformation of the banking industry. Technological and digital disruption, new regulation and adverse economic conditions are making it increasingly difficult for traditional players to maintain their position in the market. These challenges can be overcome with a customer-centric approach, using innovation to tailor the product offering to customers’ evolving needs at different stages in life. The demographic population ageing is making new seniors a critical customer segment to address. The aim of this Work Project is to come up with a concept that brings value to the new wave of seniors.

The aim of this work is to the study the influence of the isomer structures of butyl acrylate monomer on the single-electron transfer/degenerative chain transfer mediated living radical polymerization (SET-DTLRP). The kinetic of isobutyl acrylate is determined for the first time by SET-DTLRP in water catalyzed by sodium dithionite. The plots of number-average molecular weight versus conversion and ln([M]0/[M]) versus time are linear, demonstrating a controlled polymerization. The influence of the isomer t-butyl, i-butyl, and n-butyl on the kinetics, properties, and stereochemistry of the reactions was assessed. To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous report dealing with the synthesis of PiBA by any LRP approach in aqueous medium. The results presented in this work suggest that the stability provided by the acrylate side group has an important influence in the polymerization process. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6542-6551, 2008

Living radical polymerization of lauryl acrylate was achieved by SET/DTLRP in water catalyzed by sodium dithionite. The work describes the synthesis of a highly hydrophobic and polar monomer in aqueous medium. The plots of versus conversion and ln[M]0/[M] versus time are linear, indicating a controlled polymerization. This method leads to alpha,omega-diiodopoly(lauryl acrylate)s that can be further functionalized. The MWDs were determined using a combination of three detectors: RALLS, DV, and RI. The method studied in this work represents a possible route to prepare well-tailored macromolecules made of LA in environment friendly reaction medium. The syndiotactic content is 75%.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) samples were synthesized by a living radical polymerization (LRP) method and compared with commercial PVC prepared by the conventional free radical polymerization (FRP). The differences were assessed, for the first time, in terms of viscosimetry parameters and thermal analysis. The LRP method used to prepare the PVC-LRP samples is the only one available to obtain this polymer free of structural defects, being of commercial interest in a view of preparing a new generation of PVC-based polymer with outstanding performance. The polymerization temperature selected (35°C) to prepare the LRP samples is currently used in the industry to prepare PVC-FRP grades with moderate to high molecular weight. Since the thermal stability is a direct consequence of the polymer structure, this study is of vital importance to understand the potential of new PVC-LRP. The thermoanalytical measurements demonstrate an enhanced thermal stability of PVC-LRP when compared with its FRP counterpart. The PVC-LRP sample with very low molecular weight reveals a higher thermal stability than the most stable PVC-FRP sample. It is the first report dealing with thermal analysis of PVC prepared by LRP. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008

Living radical polymerization of n-butyl acrylate was achieved by single electron transfer/degenerative-chain transfer mediated living radical polymerization in water catalyzed by sodium dithionate. The plots of number-average molecular weight versus conversion and ln[M]0/[M] versus time are linear, indicating a controlled polymerization. This methodology leads to the preparation of alpha,omega-di(iodo) poly (butyl acrylate) (alpha,omega-di(iodo)PBA) macroinitiators. The influence of polymerization degree ([monomer]/[initiator]), amount of catalyst, concentration of suspending agents and temperature were studied. The molecular weight distributions were determined using a combination of three detectors (TriSEC): right-angle light scattering (RALLS), a differential viscometer (DV), and refractive index (RI). The methodology studied in this work represents a possible route to prepare well-tailored macromolecules made of butyl acrylate in an environmental friendly reaction medium. Moreover, such materials can be subsequently functionalized leading to the formation of different block copolymers of composition ABA. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2809-2825, 2006

The synthesis of a block copolymer poly(vinyl chloride)-b-poly(n-butyl acrylate)-b-poly(vinyl chloride) is reported. This new material was synthesized by single-electron-transfer/degenerative-chain-transfer-mediated living radical polymerization (SET-DTLRP) in two steps. First, a bifunctional macroinitiator of alpha,omega-di(iodo)poly (butyl acrylate) [alpha,omega-di(iodo)PBA] was synthesized by SET-DTLRP in water at 25 °C. The macroinitiator was further reinitiated by SET-DTLRP, leading to the formation of the desired product. This ABA block copolymer was synthesized with high initiator efficiency. The kinetics of the copolymerization reaction was studied for two PBA macroinitiators with number-average molecular weight of 10 k and 20 k. The relationship between the conversion and the number-average molecular weight was found to be linear. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis suggests just one phase, indicating that copolymer behaves as a single material with no phase separation. This methodology provides the access to several block copolymers and other complex architectures that result from combinations of thermoplastics (PVC) and elastomers (PBA). From industrial standpoint, this process is attractive, because of easy experimental setup and the environmental friendly reaction medium. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3001-3008, 2006