Interfaces persuasivas e tangíveis

Trabalho apresentado no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática.Com o avanço tecnológico o mundo real encontra-se cada vez mais repleto de sistemas computacionais que invadem o quotidiano, na tentativa de facilitar as tarefas humanas. Cada aplicação possui um modelo específico de interacção, que promove a necessidade de cada utilizador passar por uma fase de aprendizagem antes do uso da mesma. No futuro espera-se que esses modelos se tornem transparentes, proporcionando ao utilizador uma interacção natural com o sistema. Desta forma é possível aproveitar esses sistemas para consciencializar alguns membros da sociedade, sobre alguns comportamentos, de maneira a aproveitar os efeitos persuasivos e de aprendizagem que podem proporcionar. Nos dias de hoje, cada vez mais, as interfaces tangíveis se impõem, nas aplicações mais simples, sobre as interfaces gráficas convencionais, devido à sua facilidade de uso. Esta dissertação tem como objectivo principal estudar comparativamente as interfaces gráficas convencionais e tangíveis, quanto às potencialidades persuasivas e de aprendizagem de cada uma. Para tal, foi estendido o desenvolvido de uma Framework que permite criar aplicações não intrusivas de carácter persuasivo, que através de consciencialização dos utilizadores,em relação aos problemas ambientais, os levam a adoptar comportamentos mais adequados à resolução desses mesmos problemas. Estas aplicações permitem detectar as condições do meio envolvente e as acções dos utilizadores e responderem de acordo com elas. Foi desenvolvida, também, uma Authoring Tool para auxiliar na criação de sistemas persuasivos e cientes do contexto envolvente do meio, por parte de utilizadores sem conhecimentos de programação. Além disto, foi também construído um protótipo de sistema tangível como caso de estudo,o Ecosystem Room. Com este protótipo foram efectuados testes com crianças, que tiveram como objectivo principal a avaliação da usabilidade da interface, o seu potencial de persuasão e capacidade de instruir para valores e/ou matérias desconhecidas. São também descritos os resultados desses mesmos testes assim como os aspectos idiossincrásicos do sistema. Os resultados têm como objectivo elucidar para uma melhor compreensão do uso da tecnologia tangível,nomeadamente na aprendizagem das crianças

Simulation study

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 JMIR Publications Inc.. All rights reserved.Background: Contact tracing is a fundamental intervention in public health. When systematically applied, it enables the breaking of chains of transmission, which is important for controlling COVID-19 transmission. In theoretically perfect contact tracing, all new cases should occur among quarantined individuals, and an epidemic should vanish. However, the availability of resources influences the capacity to perform contact tracing. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate its effectiveness threshold. We propose that this effectiveness threshold may be indirectly estimated using the ratio of COVID-19 cases arising from quarantined high-risk contacts, where higher ratios indicate better control and, under a threshold, contact tracing may fail and other restrictions become necessary. Objective: This study assessed the ratio of COVID-19 cases in high-risk contacts quarantined through contact tracing and its potential use as an ancillary pandemic control indicator. Methods: We built a 6-compartment epidemiological model to emulate COVID-19 infection flow according to publicly available data from Portuguese authorities. Our model extended the usual susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered model by adding a compartment Q with individuals in mandated quarantine who could develop infection or return to the susceptible pool and a compartment P with individuals protected from infection because of vaccination. To model infection dynamics, data on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk (IR), time until infection, and vaccine efficacy were collected. Estimation was needed for vaccine data to reflect the timing of inoculation and booster efficacy. In total, 2 simulations were built: one adjusting for the presence and absence of variants or vaccination and another maximizing IR in quarantined individuals. Both simulations were based on a set of 100 unique parameterizations. The daily ratio of infected cases arising from high-risk contacts (q estimate) was calculated. A theoretical effectiveness threshold of contact tracing was defined for 14-day average q estimates based on the classification of COVID-19 daily cases according to the pandemic phases and was compared with the timing of population lockdowns in Portugal. A sensitivity analysis was performed to understand the relationship between different parameter values and the threshold obtained. Results: An inverse relationship was found between the q estimate and daily cases in both simulations (correlations >0.70). The theoretical effectiveness thresholds for both simulations attained an alert phase positive predictive value of >70% and could have anticipated the need for additional measures in at least 4 days for the second and fourth lockdowns. Sensitivity analysis showed that only the IR and booster dose efficacy at inoculation significantly affected the q estimates. Conclusions: We demonstrated the impact of applying an effectiveness threshold for contact tracing on decision-making. Although only theoretical thresholds could be provided, their relationship with the number of confirmed cases and the prediction of pandemic phases shows the role as an indirect indicator of the efficacy of contact tracing.publishe

Physical and transport proferties of edible films composed of galactomannan and chitosan

Edible films and coatings can provide additional protection for food, while being a fully biodegradable, environmentally friendly packaging system. The main objective of the study was to produce edible films and coatings based on chitosan and galactomannan of A. pavonina L., with the incorporation of sodium acetate and characterize them as to their physical properties. Films were cast and, the water vapor, O2 and CO2 permeabilities of the films were determined, together with their solubility in water, opacity, color and mechanical properties. The film of chitosangalactomannan with the addition of sodium acetate had lower permeability to water vapor (1.40 ± 0.02 (g.(m.day.atm)-1)) and elongation at break (67.11 ± 0.89%) being the most rigid film for presenting the highest Youngs modulus (35.68 ± 0.64 MPa). The blends showed the highest values of maximum voltage and breakdown voltage. The films based on galactomannan had a decreased permeability to O2 of 0.20 to 0.18 x 10-12 (g.(m.Pa.s.m2)-1, incorporating sodium acetate, also showing high permeability to CO2. The chitosan film without addition of sodium acetate had low lightness value L * (81.23 ± 1.43) and a higher opacity compared with the film containing acetate, suggesting that incorporation of sodium acetate increased transparency of the film. The films containing chitosan exhibited low water solubility and high b* component values, indicating the predominance of yellowing. The reported results is important once it will reduce the characterization work needed in subsequent applications of these coatings/films on foods

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

O ensino das ciências sociais nas escolas médicas: revisão de experiências The teaching of social sciences in medical schools: revision of experiences

O presente artigo descreve e analisa a literatura sobre o ensino das ciências sociais nas escolas médicas em diferentes países, durante o período de 1960 a 2000. A metodologia baseia-se na análise documental/bibliográfica de estudos já sistematizados sobre o tema e de levantamento realizado nos bancos de dados Lilacs, Medline e Sociological Abstracts. Com referência às experiências de 1980 a 2000, os dados levantados de 21 artigos assinalam: objetivos - acompanhar e atender às mudanças sociais, às ocorridas na prestação de serviços de saúde, às necessidades da população; técnicas de ensino - ênfase no processo de ensino-aprendizagem ativo, atividades em pequenos grupos, problemas como ponto de partida, trabalhos de campo, pesquisas, uso de material audiovisual, dramatização e outros; conteúdos - grande diversidade temática comprovando os resultados das décadas anteriores e variando de acordo com as diferentes escolas médicas: comportamento pessoal, interpessoal, médico, comunidade e ambiente, organização do cuidado à saúde; relações saúde-sociedade; relação médico-paciente; aspectos histórico-sociais da prática médica; variáveis sociais no diagnóstico, prognóstico e tratamento; relações doença-família. As conclusões apresentam alguns aspectos gerais e os principais resultados encontrados na pesquisa.<br>This paper describes and analyses the literature about teaching social sciences in medical schools in different countries during 1960-2000. The methodology is based on documental/bibliography analyses of both systematized studies and information raised in the following database: Lilacs, Medline, Sociological Abstracts. The data of 1980-2000 from 21 articles point out: objectives of courses - stressing the relationship teaching/social changes/ health care needs/community needs; teaching/ learning methods - increasing activities methods, working with small student’s groups, starting from problems, field works, researches, use of audio-visual resources, dramatization, etc.; content of courses - there are a great diversity corroborating the results of prior decades and variable with each medical school. The aim questions are related to personal and interpersonal behavior, medical behavior, community and environment, care health organization, health-society relations, medical-patient relationship, diagnostic and prognostic social variables, illness-family relations. The conclusions present some general aspects and the main results