Percorrer por autor "Santos, Ricardo"
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- An approach based on fuzzy logic, to improve quality management on research and development centersPublication . Santos, Ricardo; Abreu, António; Calado, João Manuel FerreiraNowadays, with globalization and with the development of emergent economies the Research and Development (R&D) Centres in Europe to survive need to achieve high levels of excellence. In this way, the use of a quality management tools, such as European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), can help the managers of such organizations to identify de best practices to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness. Hence, this paper presents a new approach to support managers of R&D centres in the decision-making process in achieving the aims mentioned above, which is based on the EFQM model integrated with Fuzzy Logic. The proposed approach was applied to a Portuguese R&D Centre to assess its overall performance. In order to evaluate the robustness of the proposed approach, the results achieved were compared with the results obtained through a traditional methodology based on RADAR’s Logic.
- An approach to provide efficient choices to a household consumerPublication . Santos, Ricardo; Matias, J. C. O.; Abreu, AntónioIn this work, it will be presented an approach, applied to an energy efficiency problema in buildings, which allows the decision-agent (consumer) to perform a set of efficient choices, suitable to its needs, reducing therefore, the building overall energy consumption during the equipment lifecycle period (usage phase). The approach will use Evolutionary Algorithms (EA), combined with Multicriteria analysis. The quality of EA solutions will be evaluated through the comparison, with the ones, obtained from Simplex method. The EA robustness to the change of its parameters, will also be evaluated, as well as the influence of the objective function on its behavior. The approach can provide the consumer with several and different efficient solutions, with less time than Simplex. I tis also possible to improve the obtained solutions, by choosing adequately the EA`s control parameters, as well the problema formulation.
- Antimicrobial ceramic filters for water bio-decontaminationPublication . Regina Ferreira, Olga; Rijo, Patrícia; Gomes, João; Santos, Ricardo; Monteiro, Silvia; Guedes, Rita; Serralheiro, Maria Luisa; Gomes, Marisa; Gomes, Luciana; Mergulhão, Filipe; Silva, Elisabete R.Bio-contamination of water through biofouling, which involves the natural colonization of submerged surfaces by waterborne organisms, is a global socio-economic concern, allied to premature materials bio-corrosion and high human health risks. Most effective strategies release toxic and persistent disinfectant compounds into the aquatic medium, causing environmental problems and leading to more stringent legislation regarding their use. To minimize these side effects, a newly non-biocide-release coating strategy suitable for several polymeric matrices, namely polydimethylsiloxane and polyurethane (PU)-based coatings, was used to generate antimicrobial ceramic filters for water bio-decontamination. The best results, in terms of antimicrobial activity and biocide release, showed an expressed delay and a decrease of up to 66% in the population of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on ceramic filters coated with polyurethane (PU)-based coatings containing grafted Econea biocide, and no evidence of biocide release after being submerged for 45 days in water. Biocidal PU-based surfaces were also less prone to Enterococcus faecalis biofilm formation under flow conditions with an average reduction of 60% after 48 h compared to a pristine PU-based surface. Biocidal coated filters show to be a potential eco-friendly alternative for minimizing the environmental risks associated with biofouling formation in water-based industrial systems.
- Assessing the relationship between market orientation and green product innovation: the intervening role of green self-efficacy and moderating role of resource bricolagePublication . Akhtar, Shamim; Martins, José Moleiro; Mata, Pedro Neves; Tian, Hongyun; Naz, Shumaila; Damaso, Maria; Santos, RicardoEnvironmental issues have gradually gained attention in the last decade because of increased global warming and high waste production. Therefore, this article aims to add value to the environment management research by analyzing green product innovation through market orientation. Moreover, this study includes green self-efficacy as a mediator, being less focused in the past literature to examine employees' confidence in innovating green products according to customers' needs. In addition, resource bricolage is also introduced as a moderator because fewer studies display the empirical results about organizations producing or tend to produce innovated green products with a limited number of resources. Data were collected from 477 employees of small and medium-sized enterprises using a self-administered questionnaire in Pakistan. Empirical results revealed by SmartPLS software delineate that market orientation has a positive and significant impact on green self-efficacy and green product innovation. Moreover, green self-efficacy shows a significant mediation impact between market orientation and green product innovation. Additionally, resource bricolage also moderates the relationship between market orientation and green product innovation. Overall, the study contributes to theoretical and practical knowledge about green product innovation in tackling the world's environmental issues.
- Biofouling inhibition with grafted econea biocide: toward a nonreleasing eco-friendly multiresistant antifouling coatingPublication . Regina Ferreira, Olga; Rijo, Patrícia; Gomes, João; Santos, Ricardo; Monteiro, Silvia; Vilas-Boas, Cátia; Correia-da-Silva, Marta; Almada, Stephanie; Alves, Luis G.; Bordado, João; Silva, Elisabete R.The most effective strategies to control biofouling release toxic and persistent agents into the aquatic environment causing environmental concerns and leading to the implementation of more strict international legislation. This work presents recent progress on an innovative eco-friendly antifouling approach based on the isocyanate-functionalized Econea biocide allowing its chemical fixation in polymeric frameworks, namely, in a foul-release marine coating. The antifouling potential of the generated nonbiocide release coatings for both antimicrobial and long-term marine anti-biofouling applications is reported here for the first time. Inhibition growth effects against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterium obtained for Econea-based coatings reveal a decrease in the number of colony forming units (CFUs) up to 5 orders of magnitude in 6 h of exposure when compared to the free bacteria. The growth and the viability profiles (CFU/mL) revealed also bacteriostatic effects. The nonbiocide release coatings were able to minimize considerably the biocide release, becoming 10-fold lower than in a conventional releasing system and providing long-lasting antifouling effects, more than two years, under real seawater conditions. Both antifouling effects follow a nonbiocide release strategy leading to a minimization of the environmental impact of the biocidal coatings and the selective pressure on the microorganisms that evolve treatment resistance.
- A decision support approach to provide sustainable solutions to the consumer, by using electrical appliancesPublication . Matias, João Carlos de Oliveira; Santos, Ricardo; Abreu, AntónioThe diversity of energy efficiency appliances existent on the market, with all its different issues, contributes to the existence of several tradeoffs (e.g., energy and water consumption vs.initial investment), which make the consumer’s choices in the market difficult. This becomes even more relevant, by knowing that nowadays a consumer tries to get a solution from the market, with a good compromise between the economic, social and environmental dimensions, and according to its priorities and specific needs, which can be different from other consumers. By adopting a multicriteria approach, combined with an optimization technique, based on evolutionary algorithms (EA), it will be possible to provide a set of sustainable solutions from the market to the consumer, that respects the compromise referred before. In this work, it will be presented an approach to support a decision-agent (DA) (consumer), by performing a set of sustainable choices based on electrical appliances, from the market and suitable to its needs. The method will be applied to a case study, to demonstrate its application. Regarding the obtained solutions, several savings are achieved (electrical and water consumption, CO2 emissions) by taking into account the consumer’s relative importance, regarding each dimension considered.
- Developing a green product-based in an open innovation environment. Case study: electrical vehiclePublication . Santos, Ricardo; Abreu, António; V.AnesIn order to respond to new market challenges, companies have attempted to develop open innovation processes with other organizations such as research centers and higher-education institutions. However, it is also frequently mentioned by several companies that the lack of models that support open innovation in a sustainable way, involving higher-education institutions or research centers and companies in the context of a collaborative environment, is an obstacle for a wider acceptance of this way of promoting innovation processes. Starting with some discussion about innovation models in a collaborative context, this paper discusses the developed of an electric vehicle based on an open-innovation approach among several companies and a Portuguese university.
- EFQM model implementation in a Portuguese Higher Education InstitutionPublication . Santos, Ricardo; Abreu, AntónioEducation sector, and particularly, Higher Education Institutions (HEI), is nowadays an increasingly competitive sector, where the HEI’s success, relies on stakeholder’s recognition, along with their capacity to attract funding, to achieve sustainability. To attends such demands, HEI tends to incorporate into their strategy, Internal Quality Assurance Systems (IQAS). Additionally, and according to some works, existed on literature, HEI should follows a logic of continuous improvement, through the services provided to their stakeholders, where EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) model, arises as an alternative solution to be considered. However, and although the success achieved with this model on private sector, there are no certainties about the results of their implementation in HEI, since some of the adopted models have a set of techniques based on theories, sometimes incompatible within HEI nature. Therefore, and by using the case study methodology, it is intended to analyze the feasibility of an IQAS implementation, based on the EFQM model, in an Engineering School in Portugal. For this purpose, they are identified some advantages and difficulties found within its implementation, as well as ways to overcome them, contributing therefore with some answers for a better EFQM implementation into a HEI in general.
- Energy efficiency in buildings by using evolutionary algorithms: an approach to provide efficiency choices to the consumer, considering the rebound effectPublication . Santos, Ricardo; Matias, João; Abreu, AntónioEnergy efficiency can be achieved, by making optimal choices of household appliances, based on specific rules for consumption and use. However, it's not always possible to achieve good solutions, since in general, an efficient equipment, with an economic consumption savings during his life cycle, is usually an expensive one, with a high initial investment. Additionally, the interaction of these choices, associated with consumer behavior, could lead toward to efficient losses during the lifecycle of the equipment, and then to a situation of indirect rebound effect. In this work, it is presented an approach, applied to the residential buildings, by using evolutionary algorithms to support consumer decisions. The approach presented here, could promote energy efficiency by providing the consumer with several optimal and feasible solutions, and at the same time, with information about the impact of his choices made on future.
- Evolutionary algorithms on reducing energy consumption in buildings: An approach to provide smart and efficiency choices, considering the rebound effectPublication . Santos, Ricardo; Matias, João; Abreu, António; Reis, FranciscoThis paper presents a model to promote energy efficiency among household appliances, by supporting the consumer decisions through the maximization of his savings, associated to a set of electrical appliances from the market to be acquired. Not always an efficient equipment from the market, is more expensive than a less efficient one, which can lead the consumer to compromise the expected savings on future. Given the several models/brands available on market and its possible combinations, the problem can be defined as a combinatorial problem, whose complexity can compromise the efficiency of using deterministic algorithms. Genetic algorithms (GM) were therefore included in the model, whose results were compared later with Simplex to verify the quality of the obtained solutions, as well as their performance. In addition, it was performed a statistical analysis of the obtained results, as well as a sensitivity analysis of GAs parameters, to validate their robustness. we conclude that the proposed method can provide several efficient solutions to the problem, as well as sensitize the consumer to their choices made on future, by estimating their corresponding rebound effect.
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