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Publicações

2015

Molecular signatures of plastic phenotypes in two eusocial insect species with simple societies

Autores
Patalano, S; Vlasova, A; Wyatt, C; Ewels, P; Camara, F; Ferreirab, PG; Asher, CL; Jurkowski, TP; Segonds Pichon, A; Bachman, M; Gonzalez Navarrete, I; Minoche, AE; Krueger, F; Lowy, E; Marcet Houben, M; Rodriguez Ales, JL; Nascimento, FS; Balasubramanian, S; Gabaldon, T; Tarver, JE; Andrews, S; Himmelbauer, H; Hughes, WOH; Guigo, R; Reik, W; Sumner, S;

Publicação
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is important in adaptation and shapes the evolution of organisms. However, we understand little about what aspects of the genome are important in facilitating plasticity. Eusocial insect societies produce plastic phenotypes from the same genome, as reproductives (queens) and nonreproductives (workers). The greatest plasticity is found in the simple eusocial insect societies in which individuals retain the ability to switch between reproductive and nonreproductive phenotypes as adults. We lack comprehensive data on the molecular basis of plastic phenotypes. Here, we sequenced genomes, microRNAs (miRNAs), and multiple transcriptomes and methylomes from individual brains in a wasp (Polistes canadensis) and an ant (Dinoponera quadriceps) that live in simple eusocial societies. In both species, we found few differences between phenotypes at the transcriptional level, with little functional specialization, and no evidence that phenotype-specific gene expression is driven by DNA methylation or miRNAs. Instead, phenotypic differentiation was defined more subtly by nonrandom transcriptional network organization, with roles in these networks for both conserved and taxon-restricted genes. The general lack of highly methylated regions or methylome patterning in both species may be an important mechanism for achieving plasticity among phenotypes during adulthood. These findings define previously unidentified hypotheses on the genomic processes that facilitate plasticity and suggest that the molecular hallmarks of social behavior are likely to differ with the level of social complexity.

2015

Validating the coverage of bus schedules: A Machine Learning approach

Autores
Mendes Moreira, J; Moreira Matias, L; Gama, J; de Sousa, JF;

Publicação
INFORMATION SCIENCES

Abstract
Nowadays, every public transportation company uses Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems to track the services provided by each vehicle. Such information can be used to improve operational planning. This paper describes an AVL-based evaluation framework to test whether the actual Schedule Plan fits, in terms of days covered by each schedule, the network's operational conditions. Firstly, clustering is employed to group days with similar profiles in terms of travel times (this is done for each different route). Secondly, consensus clustering is used to obtain a unique set of clusters for all routes. Finally, a set of rules about the groups content is drawn based on appropriate decision variables. Each group will correspond to a different schedule and the rules identify the days covered by each schedule. This methodology is simultaneously an evaluator of the schedules that are offered by the company (regarding its coverage) and an advisor on possible changes to such offer. It was tested by using data collected for one year in a company running in Porto, Portugal. The results are sound. The main contribution of this paper is that it proposes a way to combine Machine Learning techniques to add a novel dimension to the Schedule Plan evaluation methods: the day coverage. Such approach meets no parallel in the current literature.

2015

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived neural constructs for predicting neural toxicity

Autores
Schwartz, MP; Hou, ZG; Propson, NE; Zhang, J; Engstrom, CJ; Costa, VS; Jiang, P; Nguyen, BK; Bolin, JM; Daly, W; Wang, Y; Stewart, R; Page, CD; Murphy, WL; Thomson, JA;

Publicação
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell-based in vitro models that reflect human physiology have the potential to reduce the number of drug failures in clinical trials and offer a cost-effective approach for assessing chemical safety. Here, human embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived neural progenitor cells, endothelial cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and microglia/macrophage precursors were combined on chemically defined polyethylene glycol hydrogels and cultured in serum-free medium to model cellular interactions within the developing brain. The precursors self-assembled into 3D neural constructs with diverse neuronal and glial populations, interconnected vascular networks, and ramified microglia. Replicate constructs were reproducible by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and expressed neurogenesis, vasculature development, and microglia genes. Linear support vector machines were used to construct a predictive model from RNA-Seq data for 240 neural constructs treated with 34 toxic and 26 nontoxic chemicals. The predictive model was evaluated using two standard hold-out testing methods: a nearly unbiased leave-one-out cross-validation for the 60 training compounds and an unbiased blinded trial using a single hold-out set of 10 additional chemicals. The linear support vector produced an estimate for future data of 0.91 in the cross-validation experiment and correctly classified 9 of 10 chemicals in the blinded trial.

2015

Handling healthcare workforce planning with care: where do we stand?

Autores
Lopes, MA; Almeida, AS; Almada Lobo, B;

Publicação
HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH

Abstract
Background: Planning the health-care workforce required to meet the health needs of the population, while providing service levels that maximize the outcome and minimize the financial costs, is a complex task. The problem can be described as assessing the right number of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time, to provide the right services to the right people. The literature available on the subject is vast but sparse, with no consensus established on a definite methodology and technique, making it difficult for the analyst or policy maker to adopt the recent developments or for the academic researcher to improve such a critical field. Methods: We revisited more than 60 years of documented research to better understand the chronological and historical evolution of the area and the methodologies that have stood the test of time. The literature review was conducted in electronic publication databases and focuses on conceptual methodologies rather than techniques. Results: Four different and widely used approaches were found within the scope of supply and three within demand. We elaborated a map systematizing advantages, limitations and assumptions. Moreover, we provide a list of the data requirements necessary to implement each of the methodologies. We have also identified past and current trends in the field and elaborated a proposal on how to integrate the different methodologies. Conclusion: Methodologies abound, but there is still no definite approach to address HHR planning. Recent literature suggests that an integrated approach is the way to solve such a complex problem, as it combines elements both from supply and demand, and more effort should be put in improving that proposal.

2015

A perspective on architectural re-engineering

Autores
Sanchez, A; Oliveira, N; Barbosa, LS; Henriques, P;

Publicação
SCIENCE OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING

Abstract
Continuous evolution towards very large, heterogeneous, highly dynamic computing systems entails the need for sound and flexible approaches to deal with system modification and re-engineering. The approach proposed in this paper combines an analysis stage, to identify concrete patterns of interaction in legacy code, with an iterative re-engineering process at a higher level of abstraction. Both stages are supported by the tools CoordPat and Archery, respectively. Bi-directional model transformations connecting code level and design level architectural models are defined. The approach is demonstrated in a (fragment of a) case study.

2015

Separating Gesture Detection and Application Control Concerns with a Multimodal Architecture

Autores
Morgado, L; Cardoso, B; de Carvalho, F; Fernandes, L; Paredes, H; Barbosa, L; Fonseca, B; Martins, P; Nunes, RR;

Publicação
CIT/IUCC/DASC/PICOM 2015 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATIONS - DEPENDABLE, AUTONOMIC AND SECURE COMPUTING - PERVASIVE INTELLIGENCE AND COMPUTING

Abstract
Gesture-controlled applications typically are tied to specific gestures, and also tied to specific recognition methods and specific gesture-detection devices. We propose a concern-separation architecture, which mediates the following concerns: gesture acquisition; gesture recognition; and gestural control. It enables application developers to respond to gesture-independent commands, recognized using plug-in gesture-recognition modules that process gesture data via both device-dependent and device-independent data formats and callbacks. Its feasibility is demonstrated with a sample implementation.

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