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Publications

2022

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CHATBOT AS A TOOL TO ASSIST A HELPDESK TEAM

Authors
Ribeiro, DP; Anjo, A; Henriques, PR;

Publication
International Conference on Applied Computing 2022 and WWW/Internet 2022

Abstract
The existence of internal helpdesk teams is a common occurrence in companies nowadays, especially when considering the IT sector. These teams are an expensive resource and are only able to serve a limited number of users at a given moment, which evidences the importance of helpdesk teams operating as efficiently as possible. A common occurrence in the daily operations of these teams consists in the existence of a set of repeated tasks that could be automated through the usage of a chatbot capable of acting on behalf of helpdesk team members. By allowing a chatbot to perform some of these repeated actions, helpdesk teams are able to focus on other tasks, thus allowing to increase their productivity. Additionally, the usage of chatbots to assist a helpdesk team creates a highly available tool, capable of giving answers in a short time frame. In this paper, the design and implementation of such a tool is presented, including concepts and approaches related to chatbot development. As a result, a fully functional chatbot named Triton was produced, capable of helping employees of a consulting company with helpdesk-related problems and questions. Copyright © (2022) by International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS). All rights reserved.

2022

Smart system for monitoring and controlling energy consumption and ambient conditions

Authors
Dias, Paloma; Brito, Thadeu; Lopes, Luís; Lima, José;

Publication
CIEEMAT 2022 VII Ibero-American Congress on Entrepreneurship, Energy, Environment and Technology

Abstract
In the current energy context, alternatives are sought that provide a more conscious use of energy and the development of technology aimed at efficiently meeting the needs of energy consumers and the utility company. In this scenario, smart systems for monitoring and controlling the energy consumption of residential loads stand out. In [1], the authors worked on a system from which the user could monitor their energy consumption in real time. Through a website, the consumer accessed their information using visualizations in graphics, for example. Consumption data was obtained by a smart plug. Furthermore, the option to remotely turn devices on and off has been included in the system so that the user has the ease of controlling their devices.

2022

A satellite-based multi-dimensional approach to identify potential post-fire regime shifts in ecosystem functioning

Authors
Marcos, B; Gonçalves, J; Alcaraz-Segura, D; Cunha, M; Honrado, JP;

Publication
Advances in Forest Fire Research 2022

Abstract
Wildfires can profoundly impact many aspects of matter flows and energy budgets in ecosystems. Exacerbated by projected shifts in climate, land use, and forest management, changes in fire regimes can lead to decreased ecosystem resilience, regime shifts, and ecosystem collapse. Thorough assessments of ecosystem resilience to wildfires are thus critical to bridge gaps between science, policy, and management. To that end, approaches based on ecosystem functioning offer an integrative view of ecosystem responses to wildfire-induced changes and provide quicker, quantifiable responses to disturbances that are more directly connected to ecosystem services. In that regard, satellite remote sensing can be employed to easily and frequently monitor multiple dimensions of ecosystem functioning over large areas and across time, and to evaluate ecosystem functioning resilience to wildfires. This study describes an approach for identifying potential regime shifts based on satellite-based surrogates of four key dimensions of ecosystem functioning: primary production, water content, albedo, and sensible heat. To that end, we classified the trajectories after wildfires in 2005, in NW Iberian Peninsula, for the 2000–2018 period, into five main types, using two metrics of medium-to-long term post-fire recovery. Then, we derived a synthetic indicator to analyse the overall “strength-of-evidence� of potential regime shifts across dimensions. Potential regime shifts were identified for each dimension of ecosystem functioning considered, with the main effects associated with the sudden removal of vegetation. For primary production, regime shifts may be linked to changes in land cover and use, as well as management. Changes in the concentrations of impervious and radiation-absorbing materials following wildfires may be responsible for regime shifts in water content and albedo, with loss of canopy moisture due to fire-related damage leading to vegetation mortality during post-fire recovery. On the other hand, regime shifts in sensible heat were less frequent, since wildfires tend to have transient effects on this dimension of ecosystem functioning. Overall, our results show that our approach successfully captured different patterns of post-fire recovery and resilience across multiple dimensions of ecosystem functioning. We argue that our approach can provide an enhanced characterization of ecosystem resilience to wildfires, and support the identification of potential regime shifts after such disturbances, ultimately upholding promising implications for post-fire ecosystem management.

2022

Mitigating Biomass Supply Chain Uncertainty Through Discrete Event Simulation

Authors
Piqueiro, H; de Sousa, JP; Santos, R; Gomes, R;

Publication
Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management

Abstract

2022

Electrochemistry combined-surface plasmon resonance biosensors: A review

Authors
Ribeiro, JA; Sales, MGF; Pereira, CM;

Publication
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Abstract
Over the years, literature reported inumerous applications of electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunoassays for biosensing but, so far, the combination of the two methods in the same sensing spot for analytical purposes is much less explored and discussed. The aim of this Review is to highlight the great potential of electrochemistry combined-SPR (eSPR) as analytical tool for screening chemically and biologically relevant (bio)molecules by combining the unique features of SPR integrated with electrochemical readout.In the first part of the Review, we describe the urgent need of innovative methods for screening clinical biological markers (General Introduction), briefly discuss general concepts of SPR and electrochemical sensing (Concepts behind eSPR biosensors) and highlight the hyphenation of two methods to developed combined biosensing systems (Set-up configuration and eSPR principles). Firstly, we briefly give an overview of the setup for implementation of eSPR technique and discuss some relevant experimental conditions to perform the combined optical and electrochemical measurements. Then, the principles and fundamentals of eSPR biosensors are presented and described. We also present representative examples of eSPR biosensors in the literature (Applications of eSPR biosensors).In the second part, we review studies on how combined electrical and plasmonic detection contributed to the biosensing field, in particular, for the successful screening of clinically relevant biomolecules, namely proteins (Detection of proteins), nucleic acids (Detection of nucleic acids), small size chemical species (Detection of small molecules) and cells (Living-cell Analysis).Finally, we discuss the current limitations of eSPR biosensors performance and suggest possible ways to overcome these limitations (Limitations and optimization) and then we explore aspects about the development of the method and its applications and discuss areas of likely future growth (Conclusions and perspectives). (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

2022

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Professional Nursing Practice in the Context of Hospitals

Authors
Ribeiro, OMPL; Trindade, LD; Novo, AFMP; da Rocha, CG; Sousa, CN; Teles, PJFC; Reis, ACRD; Perondi, AR; Andrigue, KCK; Pereira, SCD; Leite, PCD; Ventura-Silva, JMA;

Publication
HEALTHCARE

Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed challenges to health systems and institutions, which had to quickly create conditions to meet the growing health needs of the population. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on professional nursing practice environments and to identify the variables that affected their quality. Quantitative, observational study, conducted in 16 Portuguese hospitals, with 1575 nurses. Data were collected using a questionnaire and participants responded to two different moments in time: the pre-pandemic period and after the fourth critical period of COVID-19. The pandemic had a positive impact on the Structure and Outcome components, and a negative trend in the Process component. The variables associated with the qualification of the components and their dimensions were predominantly: work context, the exercise of functions in areas of assistance to COVID-19 patients, length of professional experience and length of experience in the service. The investment in professional practice environments impacted the improvement of organizational factors, supporting the development of nurses' work towards the quality of care. However, it is necessary to invest in nurses' participation, involvement and professional qualifications, which are aspects strongly dependent on the institutions' management strategies.

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