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Publicações

2024

Participatory design as a co-creation methodology for health literacy games: the case of the TRIO project

Autores
van Zeller, M; Morgado, L; Pecaibes, V;

Publicação
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMPUTERS, ICETC 2024

Abstract
The co-creation of games is a research area that has shown very promising results in identifying technological requirements. It is an approach where the researcher usually adopts the role of a participant observer, guiding the dynamics of co-creation acts. This situation limits the opportunities for replicability of co-creation methods by independent facilitators, which could elucidate the quality and improvement opportunities of these methods, contributing to their more widespread application. In this paper, we present a methodology that aims to overcome this limitation, allowing the replication of co-creation workshops by different independent facilitators. This methodology was conceived in the context of collecting relevant information for the design of an educational digital platform that intends to use gamified resources for adult education in digital health data literacy. Specifically, co-creation workshops were used to gain an overview of the difficulties of different age groups in this area and their perspective on which games would best address these difficulties. The workshops were conducted in five countries with planning oriented so that each country could have a different facilitator, not requiring the presence of the researcher who designed them. The challenge of this planning was to maintain the approach of the facilitators identical in all countries, as best one could. We present here the method adopted through its planning and materials designed for information collection, which included brainstorming using card sorting and game ideation with the use of templates. The analysis of replicability by independent facilitators was done by scrutinizing the produced elements, which allowed us to observe the aspects of coherence and divergence among the various facilitators. Thus, we conclude that this approach is a good starting point to overcome current limitations and identify possible lines of improvement.

2024

Automated identification of building features with deep learning for risk analysis

Autores
Gouveia, F; Silva, V; Lopes, J; Moreira, RS; Torres, JM; Guerreiro, MS;

Publicação
DISCOVER APPLIED SCIENCES

Abstract
Accurate and up-to-date information about the building stock is fundamental to better understand and mitigate the impact caused by catastrophic earthquakes, as seen recently in Turkey, Syria, Morocco and Afghanistan. Planning for such events is necessary to increase the resilience of the building stock and to minimize casualties and economic losses. Although in several parts of the world new constructions follow more strict compliance with modern seismic codes, a large proportion of existing building stock still demands a more detailed and automated vulnerability analysis. Hence, this paper proposes the use of computer vision deep learning models to automatically classify buildings and create large scale (city or region) exposure models. Such approach promotes the use of open databases covering most cities in the world (cf. OpenStreetMap, Google Street View, Bing Maps and satellite imagery), Therefore providing valuable geographical, topological and image data that may cheaply be used to extract valuable information to feed exposure models. Our previous work using deep learning models achieved, in line with the results from other projects, high classification accuracy concerning building materials and number of storeys. This paper extends the approach by: (i) implementing four CNN-based models to perform classification of three sets of different/extended buildings' characteristics; (ii) training and comparing the performance of the four models for each of the sets; (iii) comparing the risk assessment results based on data extracted from the best CNN-based model against the results obtained with traditional ground data. In brief, the best accuracy obtained with the three tested sets of buildings' characteristics is higher than 80%. Moreover, it is shown that the error resulting from using exposure models fed by automatic classification is not only acceptable, but also far outweighs the time and costs of obtaining a manual and specialised classification of building stocks. Finally, we recognize that automatic assessment of certain complex buildings' characteristics compares to similar limitations of traditional assessments performed by specialized civil engineers, typically related with the identification of the number of storeys and the construction material. However, the identified limitations do not show worse results when compared against the use of manual buildings' assessment. Implement an AI/ML framework for automating the collection of buildings' fa & ccedil;ades pictures annotated with several characteristics required by Exposure Models.Collect, process and filter a 4.239 pictures dataset of buildings' fa & ccedil;ades, which was made publicly available.Train, validate and test several Deep Learning models using 3 sets of building characteristics to produce exposure models with accuracies above 80%.Use heatmaps to show which image areas are more activated for a given prediction, thus helping to explain classification results.Compare simulation results using the predicted exposure model and a manually created exposure model, for the same set of buildings.

2024

Heterogeneity in families with ATTRV30M amyloidosis: a historical and longitudinal Portuguese case study impact for genetic counselling

Autores
Pedroto, M; Coelho, T; Fernandes, J; Oliveira, A; Jorge, A; Mendes Moreira, J;

Publicação
AMYLOID-JOURNAL OF PROTEIN FOLDING DISORDERS

Abstract
BackgroundHereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv amyloidosis) is an inherited disease, where the study of family history holds importance. This study evaluates the changes of age-of-onset (AOO) and other age-related clinical factors within and among families affected by ATTRv amyloidosis.MethodsWe analysed information from 934 trees, focusing on family, parents, probands and siblings relationships. We focused on 1494 female and 1712 male symptomatic ATTRV30M patients. Results are presented alongside a comparison of current with historical records. Clinical and genealogical indicators identify major changes.ResultsOverall, analysis of familial data shows the existence of families with both early and late patients (1/6). It identifies long familial follow-up times since patient families tend to be diagnosed over several years. Finally, results show a large difference between parent-child and proband-patient relationships (20-30 years).ConclusionsThis study reveals that there has been a shift in patient profile, with a recent increase in male elderly cases, especially regarding probands. It shows that symptomatic patients exhibit less variability towards siblings, when compared to other family members, namely the transmitting ancestors' age of onset. This can influence genetic counselling guidelines.

2024

Integrating Spectral Sensing and Systems Biology for Precision Viticulture: Effects of Shade Nets on Grapevine Leaves

Autores
Tosin, R; Portis, I; Rodrigues, L; Gonçalves, I; Barbosa, C; Teixeira, J; Mendes, RJ; Santos, F; Santos, C; Martins, R; Cunha, M;

Publicação
HORTICULTURAE

Abstract
This study investigates how grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) respond to shading induced by artificial nets, focusing on physiological and metabolic changes. Through a multidisciplinary approach, grapevines' adaptations to shading are presented via biochemical analyses and hyperspectral data that are then combined with systems biology techniques. In the study, conducted in a 'Moscatel Galego Branco' vineyard in Portugal's Douro Wine Region during post-veraison, shading was applied and predawn leaf water potential (Psi pd) was then measured to assess water stress. Biochemical analyses and hyperspectral data were integrated to explore adaptations to shading, revealing higher chlorophyll levels (chlorophyll a-b 117.39% higher) and increased Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels in unshaded vines (52.10% higher). Using a self-learning artificial intelligence algorithm (SL-AI), simulations highlighted ROS's role in stress response and accurately predicted chlorophyll a (R2: 0.92, MAPE: 24.39%), chlorophyll b (R2: 0.96, MAPE: 17.61%), and ROS levels (R2: 0.76, MAPE: 52.17%). In silico simulations employing flux balance analysis (FBA) elucidated distinct metabolic phenotypes between shaded and unshaded vines across cellular compartments. Integrating these findings provides a systems biology approach for understanding grapevine responses to environmental stressors. The leveraging of advanced omics technologies and precise metabolic models holds immense potential for untangling grapevine metabolism and optimizing viticultural practices for enhanced productivity and quality.

2024

Impacts of Brazilian Green Coffee Production and Its Logistical Corridors on the International Coffee Market

Autores
Correia, PFD; dos Reis, JGM; Amorim, PS; Costa, JSD; da Silva, MT;

Publicação
LOGISTICS-BASEL

Abstract
Background: The coffee industry is one of the most important world supply chains, with an estimated consumption of two billion cups daily, making it the most consumed beverage worldwide. Coffee beans are primarily grown in tropical countries, with Brazil accounting for almost 50% of the production. The objective of this study is to examine the Brazilian trade between 2018 and 2022, focusing on state producers, logistical corridors, and importer countries. Methods: The methodology approach revolves around a quantitative method using Social Network Analysis measures. Results: The results reveal a massive concentration in local production (99.5%-Minas Gerais), port movements (99.9%-Santos, Itaguai, and Rio de Janeiro), and country buyers (80.9%-the United States, United Kingdon, and Japan). Conclusions: The study concludes that the Brazilian green coffee supply chain relies on a fragile and overloaded logistical network. Due to that, this study indicates that the stakeholders and decision-makers involved must consider this high concentration of production in some areas and companies. They must also address the bottlenecks in logistical corridors and the fierce competition involved in acquiring and processing Brazilian coffee production because these factors can drastically affect the revenue of the companies operating in this sector.

2024

Robotic data recovery from seabed with optical high-bandwidth communication from a deep-sea lander

Autores
Almeida, J; Soares, E; Almeida, C; Matias, B; Pereira, R; Sytnyk, D; Silva, P; Ferreira, A; Machado, D; Martins, P; Martins, A;

Publicação
OCEANS 2024 - SINGAPORE

Abstract
This paper addresses the problem of high-bandwidth communication and data recovery from deep-sea semi-permanent robotic landers. These vehicles are suitable for long-term monitoring of underwater activities and to support the operation of other robotic assets in Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of offshore renewables. Limitations of current communication solutions underwater deny the immediate transmission of the collected data to the surface, which is alternatively stored locally inside each lander. Therefore, data recovery often implies the interruption of the designated tasks so that the vehicle can return to the surface and transmit the collected data. Resorting to a short-range and high-bandwidth optical link, an alternative underwater strategy for flexible data exchange is presented. It involves the usage of an AUV satellite approaching each underwater node until an optical communication channel is established. At this point, high-bandwidth communication with the remote lander becomes available, offering the possibility to perform a variety of operations, including the download of previously recorded information, the visualisation of video streams from the lander on-board cameras, or even performing remote motion control of the lander. All these three operations were tested and validated with the experimental setup reported here. The experiments were performed in the Atlantic Ocean, at Setubal underwater canyon, reaching the operation depth of 350m meters. Two autonomous robotic platforms were used in the experiments, namely the TURTLE3 lander and the EVA Hybrid Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. Since EVA kept a tether fibre optic connection to the Mar Profundo support vessel, it was possible to establish a full communication chain between a landbased control centre and the remote underwater nodes.

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