2025
Authors
Santos, I; Ferreira, MC; Fernandes, CS;
Publication
BURNS
Abstract
Introduction: The importance of investigating innovative technologies to improve patient rehabilitation is fundamental in the current context of healthcare. This highlights the need to map the technological resources used in the rehabilitation of adult burn patients. Methods: A scoping review was conducted according to the parameters set by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines and structured using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses for Scoping Reviews). The scientific literature search covered various databases: Medline, CINAHL, SportDiscus, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, Scopus, SciELO, and the Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria considered studies related to the use of technological resources in the rehabilitation of burn patients. The research was conducted until November 2024. Results: A total of 19 articles published between 2000 and 2024 were included. The technological resources analyzed included virtual reality (10 studies), exergames (6 studies), exoskeletons (4 studies), and augmented reality (1 study). These resources primarily aimed to promote motor functionality, increase muscle strength, and enhance joint range of motion. Conclusion: The technologies applied to the rehabilitation of burn patients represent a promising advancement, with the potential to transform the paradigm of rehabilitation, making it more interactive. Future research should focus on a detailed analysis of the long-term benefits and on integrating these technologies into standard rehabilitation protocols.
2025
Authors
Rodrigues, L; Mello, J; Silva, R; Faria, S; Cruz, F; Paulos, J; Soares, T; Villar, J;
Publication
2025 21ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN ENERGY MARKET, EEM
Abstract
Distributed energy resources (DERs) offer untapped potential to meet the flexibility needs of power systems with a high share of non-dispatchable renewable generation, and local flexibility markets (LFMs) can be effective mechanisms for procuring it. In LFMs, energy communities (ECs) can aggregate and offer flexibility from their members' DERs to other parties. However, since flexibility prices are only known after markets clear, flexibility bidding curves can be used to deal with this price uncertainty. Building on previous work by the authors, this paper employs a two-stage methodology to calculate flexibility bids for an EC participating in an LFM, including not only batteries and photovoltaic panels, but also cross-sector (CS) flexible assets like thermal loads and electric vehicles (EVs) to assess their impact. In Stage 1, the EC manager minimizes the energy bill without flexibility to define its baseline. In Stage 2, it computes the optimal flexibility to be offered for each flexibility price to build the flexibility bidding curve. Case examples allow to assess the impact of CS flexible assets on the final flexibility offered.
2025
Authors
Reis, P; Serra, AP; Gama, J;
Publication
CoRR
Abstract
2025
Authors
Carneiro, F; Miguéis, V; Novoa, H; Carvalho, AM; Ferreira, D; Antony, J; Tortorella, G; Furterer, S;
Publication
QUALITY MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
Abstract
In the pharmaceutical industry, noncompliance with any good manufacturing practice (GMP) leads to deviation, resulting in potential retention of finished product batches, reprocessing, or rejection-consequently increasing lead time and cost. This study aimed to outline a strategy to define, classify, and mitigate recurrent deviations occurring more than once within 12 months. This research followed an action research methodology, carried out within a Portuguese pharmaceutical company. A transversal analysis of the deviation management process was conducted across three phases: recording, investigation, and conclusion. The intervention included defining objective recurrence criteria, developing investigation models based on structured problem-solving, and redesigning the deviation management information system. The implementation decreased recurrent deviations by 78 percent, and a new process was established, facilitated by the participation and involvement of everyone in the organization. This article introduces pioneering contributions to the pharmaceutical industry by presenting novel criteria for assigning recurrence to recorded deviations and integrating Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) with big data and analytics. Our approach enhances decision-making and manufacturing processes by structurally incorporating all types of causes beyond the human factor, emphasizing recurring deviations over extended periods. It defines conditions for correct deviation classification and constructs a decision matrix for investigation models. Additionally, it presents workshop management, providing analysis templates and a prototype information system, and outlines key steps to mitigate deviations, highlighting research limitations and future directions.
2025
Authors
Cerqueira, F; Ferreira, MC; Campos, MJ; Fernandes, CS;
Publication
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SYSTEMS
Abstract
To address the challenges of self-care in oncology, gamification emerges as an innovative strategy to enhance health literacy and self-care among individuals with oncological disease. This study aims to explore and map how gamification can promote health literacy for self-care of oncological diseases. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR Checklist developed for scoping reviews. A comprehensive search strategy was employed across MEDLINE (R), CINAHL (R), Scopus (R), and Web of Science (R) databases, with keywords focusing on oncological patients and gamification tools applied to self-management, from inception to December 2023. Thirty studies published between 2011 and 2023 were included, with a total of 1,118 reported participants. Most interventions (n = 21) focused on the development of mobile applications. The most frequent gamification elements included customizable avatars, rewards, social interaction, quizzes, and personalized feedback. The interventions primarily targeted health literacy and patient education, symptom monitoring, management of side effects, pain control, and adherence to medication and nutrition regimens. The integration of gamification elements into digital health solutions for oncology is expanding and holds promises for supporting health literacy and self-care. Further studies, preferably longitudinal, are needed to assess the effectiveness and impact of these interventions across different oncological populations and clinical settings.
2025
Authors
Rodrigues, L; Silva, R; Macedo, P; Faria, S; Cruz, F; Paulos, J; Mello, J; Soares, T; Villar, J;
Publication
2025 21ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN ENERGY MARKET, EEM
Abstract
Planning Energy communities (ECs) requires engaging members, designing business models and governance rules, and sizing distributed energy resources (DERs) for a cost-effective investment. Meanwhile, the growing share of non-dispatchable renewable generation demands more flexible energy systems. Local flexibility markets (LFMs) are emerging as effective mechanisms to procure this flexibility, granting ECs a new revenue stream. Since sizing with flexibility becomes a highly complex problem, we propose a 2-stage methodology for estimating DERs size in an EC with collective self-consumption, flexibility provision and cross-sector (CS) assets such as thermal loads and electric vehicles (EVs). The first stage computes the optimal DER capacities to be installed for each member without flexibility provision. The second stage departs from the first stage capacities to assess how to modify the initial capacities to profit from providing flexibility. The impact of data clustering and flexibility provision are assessed through a case study.
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