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Publicações

2020

Bioactive hybrid nanowires: a new in trend for site-specific drug delivery and targeting

Autores
Fernandes A.R.; Dias-Ferreira J.; Teixeira M.C.; Shimojo A.A.M.; Severino P.; Silva A.M.; Shegokar R.; Souto E.B.;

Publicação
Drug Delivery Trends: Volume 3: Expectations and Realities of Multifunctional Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract
The current progress of modern medicine is based on the resistance of malignant tumors in advanced medical treatments, as well as on the need to develop new therapeutic approaches. In the last few years, numerous studies have focused their attention on the promising use of nanomaterials, such as nanowires, zinc oxide, or mesoporous silica nanoparticles, among others. All these particles are studied in the treatment of cancer and metastasis prevention with the advantage of operating directly at the biomolecular scale. These are innovative designs of magnetic nanomaterials based on a core/shell approach that started to gain prominence due to their versatility to tailor properties of both core and shell and to offer multifunctionality, such as core protection, biofunctionalization platform, toxicity reduction, and enhanced biocompatibility. These nanowire structural improvements allow the development of new bioanalytical chemistry and medical diagnostics advanced tools that will bring about a new age of nanotechnology with widespread use of nanowires for biomedical applications.

2020

Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) as a key driver towards improved mobility

Autores
Baltazar, S; Barreto, L; Amaral, A; Mendes Pereira, TS;

Publicação
ICE/ITMC

Abstract
Enterprises are facing new challenges. The Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Systems that supported their operations are also changing. Enterprises are also becoming more socially responsible. The mobility topic is an actual and unavoidable theme regarding social responsibility, which needs to be developed in a three-bottom line approach throughout social, environmental and economic' dimensions - in order to achieve a sustainable mobility. Necessarily, enterprises need to quickly adapt to the growing and rapid changes in the socio-economic and technological environment, thus embracing Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) - essential components of any enterprise system. Allied to a sustainability interoperability and with the Next Generation EIS (NGEIS) guidance, the future sustainable enterprise mobility can be defined. Other critical topic that Enterprises need to properly address and ensure is the data from their stakeholders to support the definition of strategic decision making and achieve rapid and efficient solutions fully aligned with the market context and their clients' expectation. It is also recognized the importance of the continuous technological evolvement, nevertheless these new technological solutions require private and confidential information of their users. Consequently, enterprises must be concerned with the implementation of adequate technological security mechanisms, that can ensure enterprise data and users' data protection. It is analysed/discussed how its EIS innovative features, together with other systems, could contribute to promote sustainable mobility in enterprises ecosystem and it is also enlightened a Portuguese company case.

2020

Making exploration of underground flooded mines a reality - the UNEXUP solution

Autores
Pinto, M; Zajzon, N; Lopes, L; Bodo, B; Henley, S; Almeida, J; Aaltonen, J; Rossi, C; Zibret, G;

Publicação

Abstract
<p>The UNEXUP project, funded under EIT Raw Materials, is a direct continuation of the Horizon 2020 UNEXMIN project. While in UNEXMIN efforts were made towards the design, development and testing of an innovative exploration technology for underground flooded mines, in UNEXUP the main goal is to push the UNEXMIN technology into the market, while further improving the system’s hardware, software and capabilities. In parallel, the aim is to make a strong business case for the improved UNEXUP technology, as a result of tests and data collection from previous testing. Improvements to the UX-1 research prototypes will raise technology readiness levels from TRL 6, as verified at the end of the UNEXMIN project, to TRL 7/8 by 2022. A "real service-to-real client" approach will be demonstrated, supporting mineral exploration and mine surveying efforts in Europe with unique data from flooded environments that cannot be obtained without high costs, or risks to human lives, in any other ways.</p><p>The specific purpose of UNEXUP is to commercially deploy a new raw materials exploration / mine mapping service based on a new class of mine explorer robots, for non-invasive resurveying of flooded mines. The inaccessibility of the environment makes autonomy a critical and primary objective of the project, which will present a substantial effort in resurveying mineral deposits in Europe where the major challenges are the geological uncertainty, and technological / economic feasibility of mine development. The robot’s ability to gather high-quality and high-resolution information from currently inaccessible mine sites will increase the knowledge of mineral deposits in Europe, whilst decreasing exploration costs – such as the number of deep exploration drillholes needed. This can potentially become a game changing technology in the mining panorama, where the struggle for resources is ever increasing.</p><p>On the technical side, a fourth robot, modular in nature, will be added to the current multi-robot platform, providing additional functionalities to the exploration system, including better range and depth performance. Hardware and software upgrades, as well as new capabilities delivered by the platform will greatly extend the usefulness of the platform in different environments and applications. Among these: rock sampling, better data acquisition and management, further downsizing, extended range, improved self-awareness and decision making, mature post-processing (such as the deployment of 3D virtual reality models), ability to rescue other robots, and interaction with the data will be targeted during the next years. Upgrading the overall technology with these tools, and possibly additional ones, will allow the system to operate with more reliability and security, with reduced costs.</p><p>These added functions arise from different stakeholders’ feedbacks from the UNEXMIN project. UNEXUP targets parties from the mining, robotics and mineral exploration sectors, as well as all other sectors that have any kind of underwater structure that needs to be surveyed – caves, underground reservoirs, water pipelines and fisheries are among them. For the purpose of exploitation of the technology, a joint company was founded, “UNEXMIN GeoRobotics Ltd”, which is part of the UNEXUP consortium, and is responsible for selling the service to the market.</p>

2020

Software operational profile: Investigating specific applicabilities

Autores
Cavamura L.; Fabbri S.; Vincenzir A.M.R.;

Publicação
23rd Iberoamerican Conference on Software Engineering Cibse 2020

Abstract

2020

Test case generation based on mutations over user execution traces

Autores
Paiva, ACR; Restivo, A; Almeida, S;

Publicação
SOFTWARE QUALITY JOURNAL

Abstract
Automatic test case generation is usually based on models of the software under test. However, those models may not exist or may be outdated and so, the test case generation must resort to other artifacts. In a software maintenance context, test cases must adapt to software changes and should be improved continuously to test adequately the new versions of the software. Mutation testing is a fault-based testing technique that evaluates the quality of the tests by applying simple changes to the source code and checking afterwards if the tests are able to detects those changes. This paper presents a web testing approach in which test cases are generated from user execution traces as a way to deal with the absence of models. In addition, it applies mutation operators over those test cases to enrich the test suite. The mutation operators were designed so as to mimic possible real failures. The additional tests are analyzed, and those that generate different outcomes are kept because they exercise additional behavior of the web application under test. At the end, the overall approach is illustrated and validated in a case study.

2020

Improving adherence to an online intervention for low mood with a virtual coach: study protocol of a pilot randomized controlled trial

Autores
Provoost, S; Kleiboer, A; Ornelas, J; Bosse, T; Ruwaard, J; Rocha, A; Cuijpers, P; Riper, H;

Publicação
TRIALS

Abstract
Background: Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (iCBT) is more effective when it is guided by human support than when it is unguided. This may be attributable to higher adherence rates that result from a positive effect of the accompanying support on motivation and on engagement with the intervention. This protocol presents the design of a pilot randomized controlled trial that aims to start bridging the gap between guided and unguided interventions. It will test an intervention that includes automated support delivered by an embodied conversational agent (ECA) in the form of a virtual coach. Methods/design: The study will employ a pilot two-armed randomized controlled trial design. The primary outcomes of the trial will be (1) the effectiveness of iCBT, as supported by a virtual coach, in terms of improved intervention adherence in comparison with unguided iCBT, and (2) the feasibility of a future, larger-scale trial in terms of recruitment, acceptability, and sample size calculation. Secondary aims will be to assess the virtual coach's effect on motivation, users' perceptions of the virtual coach, and general feasibility of the intervention as supported by a virtual coach. We will recruitN = 70 participants from the general population who wish to learn how they can improve their mood by using Moodbuster Lite, a 4-week cognitive-behavioral therapy course. Candidates with symptoms of moderate to severe depression will be excluded from study participation. Included participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either (1) Moodbuster Lite with automated support delivered by a virtual coach or (2) Moodbuster Lite without automated support. Assessments will be taken at baseline and post-study 4 weeks later. Discussion: The study will assess the preliminary effectiveness of a virtual coach in improving adherence and will determine the feasibility of a larger-scale RCT. It could represent a significant step in bridging the gap between guided and unguided iCBT interventions.

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