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Publications

2019

Diversity and Composition of Pelagic Prokaryotic and Protist Communities in a Thin Arctic Sea-Ice Regime

Authors
de Sousa, AGG; Tomasino, MP; Duarte, P; Fernandez Mendez, M; Assmy, P; Ribeiro, H; Surkont, J; Leite, RB; Pereira Leal, JB; Torgo, L; Magalhaes, C;

Publication
MICROBIAL ECOLOGY

Abstract
One of the most prominent manifestations of climate change is the changing Arctic sea-ice regime with a reduction in the summer sea-ice extent and a shift from thicker, perennial multiyear ice towards thinner, first-year ice. These changes in the physical environment are likely to impact microbial communities, a key component of Arctic marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles. During the Norwegian young sea ICE expedition (N-ICE2015) north of Svalbard, seawater samples were collected at the surface (5m), subsurface (20 or 50m), and mesopelagic (250m) depths on 9 March, 27 April, and 16 June 2015. In addition, several physical and biogeochemical data were recorded to contextualize the collected microbial communities. Through the massively parallel sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA amplicon and metagenomic data, this work allows studying the Arctic's microbial community structure during the late winter to early summer transition. Results showed that, at compositional level, Alpha- (30.7%) and Gammaproteobacteria (28.6%) are the most frequent taxa across the prokaryotic N-ICE2015 collection, and also the most phylogenetically diverse. Winter to early summer trends were quite evident since there was a high relative abundance of thaumarchaeotes in the under-ice water column in late winter while this group was nearly absent during early summer. Moreover, the emergence of Flavobacteria and the SAR92 clade in early summer might be associated with the degradation of a spring bloom of Phaeocystis. High relative abundance of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria, particularly Alcanivorax (54.3%) and Marinobacter (6.3%), was also found. Richness showed different patterns along the depth gradient for prokaryotic (highest at mesopelagic depth) and protistan communities (higher at subsurface depths). The microbial N-ICE2015 collection analyzed in the present study provides comprehensive new knowledge about the pelagic microbiota below drifting Arctic sea-ice. The higher microbial diversity found in late winter/early spring communities reinforces the need to continue with further studies to properly characterize the winter microbial communities under the pack-ice.

2019

"This Is Nice but That Is Childish": Teenagers Evaluate Museum-Based Digital Experiences Developed by Cultural Heritage Professionals

Authors
Cesario, V; Coelho, A; Nisi, V;

Publication
CHI PLAY'19: EXTENDED ABSTRACTS OF THE ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON COMPUTER-HUMAN INTERACTION IN PLAY

Abstract
To contribute in filling in the gap regarding experiences targeted at and evaluated by teenagers in museums, we involved 78 teenagers aged 16-19 to test three different gamified tours developed by cultural heritage professionals from the Natural History Museum of Funchal, Portugal. The digital tours can be described as follows: 1) expositive - through which teens become aware of a scientific library in the museum; 2) gastronomic - teens are exposed to curiosities and recipes regarding a selection of marine species exhibited in the museum; 3) digital manipulation manipulated characters (image and voice) guide the visitor through videos of the marine species in their natural habitats. We report on measuring the teenagers' overall experience with each of the prototypes, particularly their engagement with the exhibition, the usefulness and usability of the prototypes, as well as their feelings and emotions at the end of each tour. We report on lessons learned from the evaluation of these prototypes as well as which approaches and mechanics engaged the teens the most.

2019

Disaggregation of Reported Reliability Performance Metrics in Power Distribution Networks

Authors
Ndawula M.B.; De Paola A.; Hernando-Gil I.;

Publication
SEST 2019 - 2nd International Conference on Smart Energy Systems and Technologies

Abstract
This paper introduces the critical need to report reliability performance metrics by distinguishing between different customer-groups, load demand and network types, within very large service areas managed by distribution network operators. Based on various factors, power distribution systems supplying residential demand are categorised in this study into rural, suburban and urban networks. An enhanced time-sequential Monte Carlo simulation procedure is used to carry out reliability assessment for each subsector, enabling disaggregation of reliability indices typically reported for the whole supplied system. Realistic distribution network modelling is achieved by the addition of smart grid technologies such as photovoltaic energy, demand side response and energy storage, to assess their impacts in different networks. Finally, both system and customer-oriented indices, measuring the frequency and duration of interruptions, as well as energy not supplied, are evaluated for a comprehensive analysis.

2018

Profiling the circulating miRnome reveals a temporal regulation of the bone injury response

Authors
Silva, AM; Almeida, MI; Teixeira, JH; Ivan, C; Oliveira, J; Vasconcelos, D; Neves, N; Ribeiro Machado, C; Cunha, C; Barbosa, MA; Calin, GA; Santos, SG;

Publication
THERANOSTICS

Abstract
Bone injury healing is an orchestrated process that starts with an inflammatory phase followed by repair and remodelling of the bone defect. The initial inflammation is characterized by local changes in immune cell populations and molecular mediators, including microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the systemic response to bone injury remains largely uncharacterized. Thus, this study aimed to profile the changes in the plasma miRnome after bone injury and determine its biological implications. Methods: A rat model of femoral bone defect was used, and animals were evaluated at days 3 and 14 after injury. Non-operated (NO) and sham operated animals were used as controls. Blood and spleen were collected and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and plasma were separated. Plasma miRnome was determined by RT-qPCR array and bioinformatics Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) was performed. Proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) was evaluated by Ki67 staining and high-throughput cell imaging. Candidate miRNAs were evaluated in splenocytes by RT-qPCR, and proteins found in the IPA analysis were analysed in splenocytes and PBMC by Western blot. Results: Bone injury resulted in timely controlled changes to the miRNA expression profile in plasma. At day 3 there was a major down-regulation of miRNA levels, which was partially recovered by day 14 post-injury. Interestingly, bone injury led to a significant up-regulation of let-7a, let-7d and miR-21 in plasma and splenocytes at day 14 relative to day 3 after bone injury, but not in sham operated animals. IPA predicted that most miRNAs temporally affected were involved in cellular development, proliferation and movement. MSC proliferation was analysed and found significantly increased in response to plasma of animals days 3 and 14 post-injury, but not from NO animals. Moreover, IPA predicted that miRNA processing proteins Ago2 and Dicer were specifically inhibited at day 3 post-injury, with Ago2 becoming activated at day 14. Protein levels of Ago2 and Dicer in splenocytes were increased at day 14 relative to day 3 post-bone injury and NO animals, while in PBMC, levels were reduced at day 3 (albeit Dicer was not significant) and remained low at day 14. Ephrin receptor B6 followed the same tendency as Ago2 and Dicer, while Smad2/3 was significantly decreased in splenocytes from day 14 relative to NO and day 3 post-bone injury animals. Conclusion: Results show a systemic miRNA response to bone injury that is regulated in time and is related to inflammation resolution and the start of bone repair/regeneration, unravelling candidate miRNAs to be used as biomarkers in the monitoring of healthy bone healing and as therapeutic targets for the development of improved bone regeneration therapies.

2018

Phenotyping Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: A First Approach to Cluster Visualization

Authors
Ferreira Santos, D; Pereira Rodrigues, P;

Publication
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND EDUCATION: HELP AND SUPPORT IN HEALTHCARE

Abstract
The varied phenotypes of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) poses critical challenges, resulting in missed or delayed diagnosis. In this work, we applied k-modes, aiming to identify groups of OSA patients, based on demographic, physical examination, clinical history, and comorbidities characterization variables (n=41) collected from 318 patients. Missing values were imputed with k-nearest neighbours (k-NN) and chi-square test was held. Thirteen variables were inserted in cluster analysis, resulting in three clusters. Cluster 1 were middle-aged men, while Cluster 3 were the oldest men and Cluster 2 mainly middle-aged women. Cluster 3 weighted the most, whereas Cluster 1 weighted the least. The same effect was described in increased neck circumference. The percentages of variables driving sleepiness, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias and pulmonary hypertension were very low (<20%) and OSA severity was more common in mild level. Our results suggest that it is possible to phenotype OSA patients in an objective way, as also, different (although not considered innovative) visualizations improve the recognition of this common sleep pathology.

2018

Preface

Authors
Silva, MF; Virk, GS; Tokhi, MO; Malheiro, B; Ferreira, P; Guedes, P;

Publication
Human-Centric Robotics- Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots and the Support Technologies for Mobile Machines, CLAWAR 2017

Abstract

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