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Publicações

2024

Light in evaluation of molecular diffusion in tissues: Discrimination of pathologies

Autores
Oliveira, LR; Pinheiro, MR; Tuchina, DK; Timoshina, PA; Carvalho, MI; Oliveira, LM;

Publicação
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS

Abstract
The evaluation of the diffusion properties of different molecules in tissues is a subject of great interest in various fields, such as dermatology/cosmetology, clinical medicine, implantology and food preservation. In this review, a discussion of recent studies that used kinetic spectroscopy measurements to evaluate such diffusion properties in various tissues is made. By immersing ex vivo tissues in agents or by topical application of those agents in vivo, their diffusion properties can be evaluated by kinetic collimated transmittance or diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Using this method, recent studies were able to discriminate the diffusion properties of agents between healthy and diseased tissues, especially in the cases of cancer and diabetes mellitus. In the case of cancer, it was also possible to evaluate an increase of 5% in the mobile water content from the healthy to the cancerous colorectal and kidney tissues. Considering the application of some agents to living organisms or food products to protect them from deterioration during low temperature preservation (cryopreservation), and knowing that such agent inclusion may be reversed, some studies in these fields are also discussed. Considering the broadband application of the optical spectroscopy evaluation of the diffusion properties of agents in tissues and the physiological diagnostic data that such method can acquire, further studies concerning the optimization of fruit sweetness or evaluation of poison diffusion in tissues or antidote application for treatment optimization purposes are indicated as future perspectives.

2024

Comparative Bioinformatic Analysis of the Proteomes of Rabbit and Human Sex Chromosomes

Autores
Pinto-Pinho P.; Soares J.; Esteves P.; Pinto-Leite R.; Fardilha M.; Colaço B.;

Publicação
ANIMALS

Abstract
Simple Summary Due to limited proteomic data for rabbit spermatozoa and less comprehensive databases compared to humans, we conducted a combined bioinformatic analysis of the proteome of rabbit X (RX) and human X and Y (HX and HY) chromosomes to identify membrane-associated proteins, particularly those accessible from the cell surface, for potential applications in sperm sexing techniques. Our analysis found 100 (RX), 211 (HX), and 3 (HY) plasma membrane or cell surface-associated proteins, of which 61, 132, and 3 are potentially accessible from the cell surface. Notably, among the HX targets, 60 could serve as additional RX targets not previously identified, bringing the total to 121 RX targets. Furthermore, at least 53 out of the 114 potential common HX and RX targets chromosomes have been previously identified in human spermatozoa, emphasizing their potential as targets of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa. The utility of these proteins as targets of rabbit X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa warrants further exploration.Abstract Studying proteins associated with sex chromosomes can provide insights into sex-specific proteins. Membrane proteins accessible through the cell surface may serve as excellent targets for diagnostic, therapeutic, or even technological purposes, such as sperm sexing technologies. In this context, proteins encoded by sex chromosomes have the potential to become targets for X- or Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa. Due to the limited availability of proteomic studies on rabbit spermatozoa and poorly annotated databases for rabbits compared to humans, a bioinformatic analysis of the available rabbit X chromosome proteome (RX), as well as the human X (HX) and Y (HY) chromosomes proteome, was conducted to identify potential targets that could be accessible from the cell surface and predict which of the potential targets identified in humans might also exist in rabbits. We identified 100, 211, and 3 proteins associated with the plasma membrane or cell surface for RX, HX, and HY, respectively, of which 61, 132, and 3 proteins exhibit potential as targets as they were predicted to be accessible from the cell surface. Cross-referencing the potential HX targets with the rabbit proteome revealed an additional 60 proteins with the potential to be RX targets, resulting in a total of 121 potential RX targets. In addition, at least 53 possible common HX and RX targets have been previously identified in human spermatozoa, emphasizing their potential as targets of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa. Further proteomic studies on rabbit sperm will be essential to identify and validate the usefulness of these proteins for application in rabbit sperm sorting techniques as targets of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa.

2024

Intrinsic Explainability for End-to-End Object Detection

Autores
Fernandes, L; Fernandes, JND; Calado, M; Pinto, JR; Cerqueira, R; Cardoso, JS;

Publicação
IEEE ACCESS

Abstract
Deep Learning models are automating many daily routine tasks, indicating that in the future, even high-risk tasks will be automated, such as healthcare and automated driving areas. However, due to the complexity of such deep learning models, it is challenging to understand their reasoning. Furthermore, the black box nature of the designed deep learning models may undermine public confidence in critical areas. Current efforts on intrinsically interpretable models focus only on classification tasks, leaving a gap in models for object detection. Therefore, this paper proposes a deep learning model that is intrinsically explainable for the object detection task. The chosen design for such a model is a combination of the well-known Faster-RCNN model with the ProtoPNet model. For the Explainable AI experiments, the chosen performance metric was the similarity score from the ProtoPNet model. Our experiments show that this combination leads to a deep learning model that is able to explain its classifications, with similarity scores, using a visual bag of words, which are called prototypes, that are learned during the training process. Furthermore, the adoption of such an explainable method does not seem to hinder the performance of the proposed model, which achieved a mAP of 69% in the KITTI dataset and a mAP of 66% in the GRAZPEDWRI-DX dataset. Moreover, our explanations have shown a high reliability on the similarity score.

2024

Digital Factory for Product Customization: A Proposal for a Decentralized Production System

Autores
Castro, H; Câmara, F; Câmara, E; Avila, P;

Publicação
FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION AND INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING: ESTABLISHING BRIDGES FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS, FAIM 2023, VOL 1

Abstract
The digitalization and evolution of information technologies within the industry 4.0 have allowed the creation of the virtual model of the production system, called Digital Twin, with the capacity to simulate different scenarios, providing support for better decision-making. This tool not only represents a virtual copy of the physical world that obtains information about the state of the value chain but also illustrates a system capable of changing the development of productive activity towards personalized production, extending product versatility. Decentralized production seeks to respond to these needs because it allows the agglomeration of several services with different geographic locations, promoting the sharing of resources. This paper proposes an architecture for the development of a digital platform of personalization and decentralization of production based on sharing of sustainable resources. With a single tool, it is possible to define the entire production line for a product.

2024

An Unsupervised Chatter Detection Method Based on AE and DBSCAN Clustering Utilizing Internal CNC Machine Signals

Autores
---, MP; Mendes-Moreira, J;

Publicação

Abstract
In manufacturing chatter is an unwanted phenomenon that can lead to product quality reduction and tool wear. Real time chatter detection is key to preventing these issues and improving overall machining efficiency. In this paper we propose an unsupervised chatter detection method using autoencoders (AE) and Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) clustering algorithm that uses internal signals of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines. The proposed method starts by using an AE to extract features from raw internal signals collected from CNC machines. This step reduces the dimensionality of the data and captures the underlying patterns of chatter. Then the extracted features are fed into DBSCAN clustering algorithm which is a density based algorithm that groups similar data points and identifies outliers. We tested the proposed method with real world data collected from various CNC machines. The results show that our unsupervised chatter detection method has high accuracy, precision and recall, can detect chatter and distinguish it from normal machining. Also the method is robust to noise and can adapt to dynamic machining conditions. In summary our work presents an unsupervised chatter detection method using AE and DBSCAN clustering that uses internal signals of CNC machines. This method is a reliable and efficient solution for real time chatter detection so manufacturers can improve product quality, optimize machining process and reduce tool wear during machining.

2024

Wind farm layout optimization under uncertainty

Autores
Agra, A; Cerveira, A;

Publicação
TOP

Abstract
Wind power is a major source of green energy production. However, the energy generation of wind power is highly affected by uncertainty. Here, we consider the problem of designing the cable network that interconnects the turbines to the substation in wind farms, aiming to minimize both the infrastructure cost and the cost of the energy losses during the wind farm's lifetime. Nonetheless, the energy losses depend on wind direction and speed, which are rarely known with certainty in real situations. Hence, the design of the network should consider these losses as uncertain parameters. We assume that the exact probability distribution of these parameters is unknown but belongs to an ambiguity set and propose a distributionally robust two-stage mixed integer model. The model is solved using a decomposition algorithm. Three enhancements are proposed given the computational difficulty in solving real problem instances. Computational results are reported based on real data.

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