An Empirical Comparison of Portuguese and Multilingual BERT Models for Auto-Classification of NCM Codes in International Trade

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ID-Care: a Model for Sharing Wide Healthcare Data

All over the world, there is a lot of patient health data in different locations such as hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and other organizations. In this sense, global identification of the patient has emerged as an everyday healthcare challenge. Governments and institutions have to prioritize satisfactory, quick, and integrated decision-making in a wide, dispersed, and global environment because of unexpected challenges like pandemics or threats. In the current scientific literature, some of the existing challenges include support for a standard global unique identification that considers privacy issues, the combination of multiple technological biometry implementations, and personal documents. Thus, we propose a decentralized software model based on blockchain and smart contracts that includes privacy, global unique person identification supporting multiple combinations of documents, and biometric data using the Global Standards 1 - GS1 healthcare industry standard. Furthermore, we defined a methodology to evaluate a hypothetical use case of this model where an integrated and standard global health data sharing personal identification is crucial. For this, we implemented the proposed model in a global-wide continent location through cloud machines, fog computing, and blockchain considering the unique patient data identification and evaluate a use case scenario based on the top 5 most globally visited tourist destinations (France, Spain, the United States of America, China, and Italy), with an approach based on this model. The results show that using a model for a global id for healthcare can help reduce costs, time, and efforts, especially in the context of health threats, where agility and financial support must be prioritized.N/

Structure formation in active networks

Structure formation and constant reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton are key requirements for the function of living cells. Here we show that a minimal reconstituted system consisting of actin filaments, crosslinking molecules and molecular-motor filaments exhibits a generic mechanism of structure formation, characterized by a broad distribution of cluster sizes. We demonstrate that the growth of the structures depends on the intricate balance between crosslinker-induced stabilization and simultaneous destabilization by molecular motors, a mechanism analogous to nucleation and growth in passive systems. We also show that the intricate interplay between force generation, coarsening and connectivity is responsible for the highly dynamic process of structure formation in this heterogeneous active gel, and that these competing mechanisms result in anomalous transport, reminiscent of intracellular dynamics

Winning or not winning: the influence on coach-athlete relationships and goal achievement

This study analyses the relation between sports success and athletes’ perception of coaches’ leadership, athletes’ satisfaction with coaches’ leadership, coach-athlete compatibility, and goal achievement. Sixty-six athletes who qualified for the final Division I play-offs of a professional volleyball championship were grouped into winning (n = 21) and non-winning teams (n = 45). Leadership styles, satisfaction with leadership, coach-athlete compatibility, and goal achievement were evaluated. Analysis of variance with repeated-measures revealed that the winning teams evaluated their coaches’ vision, inspiration, technical instruction, positive feedback, and active management more positively than non-winning teams and that their satisfaction with coaches’ strategies increased over time. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that the winning teams’ perceived achievement of personal and team goals was greater than that of the non-winning teams. Sports success was associated with athletes’ positive evaluation of coaches’ leadership, satisfaction with coaches’ strategy, and higher perceived goal attainment

The heating of dust by old stellar populations in the Bulge of M31

We use new Herschel multi-band imaging of the Andromeda galaxy to analyze how dust heating occurs in the central regions of galaxy spheroids that are essentially devoid of young stars. We construct a dust temperature map of M31 through fitting modified blackbody SEDs to the Herschel data, and find that the temperature within 2 kpc rises strongly from the mean value in the disk of 17 pm 1K to \sim35K at the centre. UV to near-IR imaging of the central few kpc shows directly the absence of young stellar populations, delineates the radial profile of the stellar density, and demonstrates that even the near-UV dust extinction is optically thin in M31's bulge. This allows the direct calculation of the stellar radiation heating in the bulge, U\ast(r), as a function of radius. The increasing temperature profile in the centre matches that expected from the stellar heating, i.e. that the dust heating and cooling rates track each other over nearly two orders of magnitude in U\ast. The modelled dust heating is in excess of the observed dust temperatures, suggesting that it is more than sufficient to explain the observed IR emission. Together with the wavelength dependent absorption cross section of the dust, this demonstrates directly that it is the optical, not UV, radiation that sets the heating rate. This analysis shows that neither young stellar populations nor stellar near-UV radiation are necessary to heat dust to warm temperatures in galaxy spheroids. Rather, it is the high densities of Gyr-old stellar populations that provide a sufficiently strong diffuse radiation field to heat the dust. To the extent which these results pertain to the tenuous dust found in the centres of early-type galaxies remains yet to be explored.Comment: 11 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Resolving the far-IR line deficit : photoelectric heating and far-IR line cooling in NGC 1097 and NGC 4559

The physical state of interstellar gas and dust is dependent on the processes which heat and cool this medium. To probe heating and cooling of the interstellar medium over a large range of infrared surface brightness, on sub-kiloparsec scales, we employ line maps of [C II] 158 mu m, [O I] 63 mu m, and [N II] 122 mu m in NGC 1097 and NGC 4559, obtained with the Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer on board Herschel. We matched new observations to existing Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph data that trace the total emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We confirm at small scales in these galaxies that the canonical measure of photoelectric heating efficiency, ([C II] + [O I])/TIR, decreases as the far-infrared (far-IR) color, nu f(nu)(70 mu m) nu f(nu)(100 mu m), increases. In contrast, the ratio of far-IR cooling to total PAH emission, ([C II] + [O I])/PAH, is a near constant similar to 6% over a wide range of far-IR color, 0.5 , derived from models of the IR spectral energy distribution. Emission from regions that exhibit a line deficit is characterized by an intense radiation field, indicating that small grains are susceptible to ionization effects. We note that there is a shift in the 7.7/11.3 mu m PAH ratio in regions that exhibit a deficit in ([C II] + [O I])/PAH, suggesting that small grains are ionized in these environments

Wide Field Photometry of the Galactic Globular Cluster M22

We present wide field photometry of the Galactic Globular Cluster M~22 in the B, V and I passbands for more than 186,000 stars. The study is complemented by the photometry in two narrowband filters centered on H$_{\alpha}$ and the adjacent continuum, and by infrared J, H and K magnitudes derived from the 2 MASS survey for $\sim$2000 stars. Profiting from this huge database, we completely characterized the evolved stellar sequences of the cluster by determining a variety of photometric parameters, including new photometric estimates of the mean metallicity, reddening and distance to the cluster. In particular, from our multi-wavelength analysis, we re-examined the long-standing metallicity spread problem in M~22. According to our dataset, we conclude that most of the observed width of the red giant branch must be due to differential reddening, which amounts to a maximum of $\Delta E(B-V)\simeq0.06$, although the presence of a small metallicity spread cannot be completely ruled out. More specifically, the maximum metallicity spread allowed by our data is of the order of $\Delta$[Fe/H]$\simeq 0.1\div 0.2$ dex, i.e., not much more than what allowed by the photometric errors. Finally, we identified most of the known variable stars and peculiar objects in our field of view. In particular, we find additional evidence supporting previous optical identifications of the central star of the Planetary Nebula IRAS 18333-2357, which is associated with M~22.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Determining the Location of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch in Old Stellar Populations: M33, Andromeda I & II

The absolute bolometric luminosity of the point of core Helium ignition in old, metal poor, red-giant stars is of roughly constant magnitude, varying only very slightly with mass or metallicity. It can thus be used as a standard candle. Here, we review the main difficulties in measuring this location in any real dataset and develop an empirical approach to optimise it for tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) analysis. We go on to present a new algorithm for the identification of the TRGB in nearby metal poor stellar systems. Our method uses a least-squares fit of a data-adaptive slope to the luminosity function in 1 magnitude windows. This finds the region of the luminosity function that shows the most significant decline in star counts as we go to brighter magnitudes; the base of this decline is attributed as the location of the tip. This technique then allows for the determination of realistic uncertainties which reflect the quality of the luminosity function used, but which are typically ~0.02 mags rms + ~ 0.03 mags systematic, a significant improvement upon previous methods that have used the tip as a standard candle. Finally, we apply our technique to the Local Group spiral galaxy M33 and the dwarf galaxies And I & II, and derive distance modulii of 24.50 +/- 0.06 (794 +/- 23 kpc), 24.33 +/- 0.07 (735 +/- 23 kpc) and 24.05 +/- 0.06 (645 +/- 19 kpc) respectively. The result for M33 is in excellent agreement with the Cepheid distances to this galaxy, and makes the possibility of a significant amount of reddening in this object unlikely.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures (low resolution due to size constraints). Accepted for publication in MNRA

Cancer Cachexia: Traditional Therapies and Novel Molecular Mechanism-Based Approaches to Treatment

The complex syndrome of cancer cachexia (CC) that occurs in 50% to 80% cancer patients has been identified as an independent predictor of shorter survival and increased risk of treatment failure and toxicity, contributing to the mortality and morbidity in this population. CC is a pathological state including a symptom cluster of loss of muscle (skeletal and visceral) and fat, manifested in the cardinal feature of emaciation, weakness affecting functional status, impaired immune system, and metabolic dysfunction. The most prominent feature of CC is its non-responsiveness to traditional treatment approaches; randomized clinical trials with appetite stimulants, 5-HT3 antagonists, nutrient supplementation, and Cox-2 inhibitors all have failed to demonstrate success in reversing the metabolic abnormalities seen in CC. Interventions based on a clear understanding of the mechanism of CC, using validated markers relevant to the underlying metabolic abnormalities implicated in CC are much needed. Although the etiopathogenesis of CC is poorly understood, studies have proposed that NFkB is upregulated in CC, modulating immune and inflammatory responses induce the cellular breakdown of muscle, resulting in sarcopenia. Several recent laboratory studies have shown that n-3 fatty acid may attenuate protein degradation, potentially by preventing NFkB accumulation in the nucleus, preventing the degradation of muscle proteins. However, clinical trials to date have produced mixed results potentially attributed to timing of interventions (end stage) and utilizing outcome markers such as weight which is confounded by hydration, cytotoxic therapies, and serum cytokines. We propose that selective targeting of proteasome activity with a standardized dose of omega-3-acid ethyl esters, administered to cancer patients diagnosed with early stage CC, in addition to a standard intervention with nutritionally adequate diet and appetite stimulants, will alter metabolic abnormalities by downregulating NFkB, preventing the breakdown of myofibrillar proteins and resulting in increasing serum protein markers, lean body mass, and functional status

Thinking about Later Life: Insights from the Capability Approach

A major criticism of mainstream gerontological frameworks is the inability of such frameworks to appreciate and incorporate issues of diversity and difference in engaging with experiences of aging. Given the prevailing socially structured nature of inequalities, such differences matter greatly in shaping experiences, as well as social constructions, of aging. I argue that Amartya Sen’s capability approach (2009) potentially offers gerontological scholars a broad conceptual framework that places at its core consideration of human beings (their values) and centrality of human diversity. As well as identifying these key features of the capability approach, I discuss and demonstrate their relevance to thinking about old age and aging. I maintain that in the context of complex and emerging identities in later life that shape and are shaped by shifting people-place and people-people relationships, Sen’s capability approach offers significant possibilities for gerontological research