DisBot: a portuguese disaster support dynamic knowledge chatbot

This paper presents DisBot, the first Portuguese speaking chatbot that uses social media retrieved knowledge to support citizens and first-responders in disaster scenarios, in order to improve community resilience and decision-making. It was developed and tested using Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), being progressively matured with field specialists through several design and development iterations. DisBot uses a state-of-the-art Dual Intent Entity Transformer (DIET) architecture to classify user intents, and makes use of several dialogue policies for managing user conversations, as well as storing relevant information to be used in further dialogue turns. To generate responses, it uses real-world safety knowledge, and infers a dynamic knowledge graph that is dynamically updated in real-time by a disaster-related knowledge extraction tool, presented in previous works. Through its development iterations, DisBot has been validated by field specialists, who have considered it to be a valuable asset in disaster management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DisKnow: a social-driven disaster support knowledge extraction system

This research is aimed at creating and presenting DisKnow, a data extraction system with the capability of filtering and abstracting tweets, to improve community resilience and decision-making in disaster scenarios. Nowadays most people act as human sensors, exposing detailed information regarding occurring disasters, in social media. Through a pipeline of natural language processing (NLP) tools for text processing, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for classifying and extracting disasters, and knowledge graphs (KG) for presenting connected insights, it is possible to generate real-time visual information about such disasters and affected stakeholders, to better the crisis management process, by disseminating such information to both relevant authorities and population alike. DisKnow has proved to be on par with the state-of-the-art Disaster Extraction systems, and it contributes with a way to easily manage and present such happenings.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can we simulate the biomechanical effects of exoskeletons prior to workstation implementation? Application of the Forces ergonomic method

Increasingly, exoskeletons are becoming a valuable tool for prevention technicians to promote occupational health and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in industry. However, the effective implementation of industrial exoskeletons is a complex challenge. Deciding whether these devices are the optimal solution to the detected ergonomic risks at a specific workstation is not straightforward. This study presents the modelling of three commercial passive exoskeletons, one for lumbar and two for shoulder risk reduction, to be considered in the musculoskeletal risk assessment of industrial workstations. The presented modelling considers the forces and moments applied by exoskeletons to the body using the Forces ergonomic method, providing the musculoskeletal risk for each joint based on inertial motion capture data registered at each workstation. This approach is exemplified on simulated and actual production workstations. The results reveal that the modelling application allows an objective understanding of the biomechanical effects of exoskeletons. Modelling establishes a predictive tool to assess and make decisions regarding the suitability of the exoskeleton prior to implementation at a workstation

Named entity recognition for sensitive data discovery in Portuguese

The process of protecting sensitive data is continually growing and becoming increasingly important, especially as a result of the directives and laws imposed by the European Union. The effort to create automatic systems is continuous, but, in most cases, the processes behind them are still manual or semi-automatic. In this work, we have developed a component that can extract and classify sensitive data, from unstructured text information in European Portuguese. The objective was to create a system that allows organizations to understand their data and comply with legal and security purposes. We studied a hybrid approach to the problem of Named Entity Recognition for the Portuguese language. This approach combines several techniques such as rule-based/lexical-based models, machine learning algorithms, and neural networks. The rule-based and lexical-based approaches were used only for a set of specific classes. For the remaining classes of entities, two statistical models were tested—Conditional Random Fields and Random Forest and, finally, a Bidirectional-LSTM approach as experimented. Regarding the statistical models, we realized that Conditional Random Fields is the one that can obtain the best results, with a f1-score of 65.50%. With the Bi-LSTM approach, we have achieved a result of 83.01%. The corpora used for training and testing were HAREM Golden Collection, SIGARRA News Corpus, and DataSense NER Corpus.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of a CFD model by using 3D sonic anemometers to analyse the air velocity generated by an air-assisted sprayer equipped with two axial fans

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the air flow generated by an air-assisted sprayer equipped with two axial fans was developed and validated by practical experiments in the laboratory. The CFD model was developed by considering the total air flow supplied by the sprayer fan to be the main parameter, rather than the outlet air velocity. The model was developed for three air flows corresponding to three fan blade settings and assuming that the sprayer is stationary. Actual measurements of the air velocity near the sprayer were taken using 3D sonic anemometers. The workspace sprayer was divided into three sections, and the air velocity was measured in each section on both sides of the machine at a horizontal distance of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 m from the machine, and at heights of 1, 2, 3, and 4 m above the ground The coefficient of determination (R2) between the simulated and measured values was 0.859, which demonstrates a good correlation between the simulated and measured data. Considering the overall data, the air velocity values produced by the CFD model were not significantly different from the measured values

Clinical and anatomopathological features of eosinophilic oesophagitis in children and adults

Introduction: Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is a chronic clinical-pathological disorder with an immunological basis characterised by symptoms of oesophageal dysfunction and, histologically, eosinophilic inflammation. Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and differences in children and adults diagnosed with EoE in a tertiary level hospital. Method: Descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study. We randomly selected 40 children and 40 adults diagnosed with EoE between 2009 and 2016. The patient characteristics were analysed by means of epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic variables. Results: The average age at diagnosis was 10 years (children) and 34 years (adults), with a higher frequency in males. The majority were sensitised to aeroallergens (77.5% children vs. 82.5% adults) and foods (75% children vs. 82.5% adults). Statistically significant differences were detected in sensitisation to fruits (p = 0.007) and grains (p < 0.001). Differences were observed in impaction (22.5% children vs. 82.5% adults), dysphagia (42.5% children vs. 77.5% adults) and abdominal pain (25% children vs. 7.5% adults). Endoscopy showed that children had a higher frequency of exudates (92.5%) and adults, trachealisation (50% vs. 5%) and stenosis (17.5% vs. 2.5%). Statistically significant differences were found in treatment with topical corticosteroids (30% children vs. 77.5% adults), with a variable positive response. 77.5% of the patients received elimination diets. Conclusions: Statistically significant differences were observed between the paediatric and adult populations in the food sensitisation profiles, clinical manifestations, endoscopic findings and treatments received. This is a complex pathology that calls for a multidisciplinary team and would require new non-invasive techniques to facilitate its management

MCQ-Balance: a method to monitor patients with balance disorders and improve clinical interpretation of posturography

Background An estimated 20% to 30% of the global population has suffered a vertiginous episode. Among them, 20% do not receive a clear diagnosis. Improved methods, indicators and metrics are necessary to assess the sensory systems related to balance, especially when patients are undergoing treatment for vertiginous episodes. Patients with balance disorders should be monitored for changes at the individual level to gather objective information. In this study, we evaluate the use of the MCQ-Balance (Measure, Classify and Qualify) assessment for examining a patient’s balance progression using tests to measure static balance control and dynamic postural balance with a stabilometric platform. Materials and Methods The MCQ-Balance assessment comprises three stages: (i) measuring the progression of each variable between two separate and consecutive days (called sessions) using the Magnitude-Based Decision analysis; (ii) classifying the progression of the patient’s balance with a score; and (iii) qualifying the progression of the patient’s balance from the resulting scores using a set of rules. This method was applied to 42 patients with balance disorders of peripheral or central origin characterised by vertigo as the cardinal symptom. Balance progression was measured using the MCQ-Balance assessment over the course of three months, and these results were compared with the assessment of a clinical expert. Results The MCQ-Balance assessment showed an accuracy of 83.4% and a Cohen’s Kappa coefficient of 0.752 compared to the assessment of a clinical expert. Conclusion The MCQ-Balance assessment facilitates the monitoring of patient balance and provides objective information that has the potential to improve medical decision making and the adjustment of individual treatment

Proyecto de diseño y construcción de una fábrica de cerveza artesanal en el municipio de Sallent de Gállego (Huesca).

El presente proyecto comprende el desarrollo de los cálculos constructivos y el diseño del proceso productivo de una industria cervecera artesanal ubicada en el municipio de Sallent de Gállego (Huesca).Se pretende conseguir establecer una cervecería artesanal que genere un producto de alta calidad y diferenciado, produciendo dos variedades de cerveza: Lager e India Pale. El proceso a seguir comprenderá una serie de etapas que se dimensionarán en base a la producción anual establecida: molienda, macerado, filtración y cocción del mosto cervecero, fermentación y maduración de la cerveza, clarificación y envasado final.Teniendo en cuenta las diferencias entre las dos formulaciones de producto final planteadas, se llevarán a cabo los balances de materia y energía, y se establecerán los parámetros pertinentes en cada línea de producto. A continuación, se seleccionan los equipos partiendo de los resultados previos. Finalmente, se calcula la estructura de la nave industrial y sus instalaciones de relevancia para el presente proyecto, junto con el estudio de viabilidad económica.<br /

Fire risks associated with combine harvesters: Analysis of machinery critical points

Combine harvesters are an important cause of fires worldwide. The purpose of this work has been to investigate the critical points associated with the risk of fire, identified through a survey distributed to combine owners in Aragon (Spain). Information was collected on the technical characteristics of the machines and, when appropriate, on the characteristics of the generated fires (crop, use of straw chopper, point in which the fire was originated, etc.). Based on the survey data, relationships between the characteristics of the machine and the ignition of a fire were analyzed, and the points of the harvester in which the fire originated were investigated. A statistically significant relationship of fire risk was only found with the number of hectares harvested, in such a way that the risk would be especially high for machines with more than 6000 accumulated ha. 32% of the fires were originated in the engine zone, compared with 31% in the cutting bar and 18% in the bearings and belts. The study was completed with on-site temperature measurements carried out on nine machines in 2018 and 2019, in which temperatures above 250 °C were recorded in the exhaust manifold and in the cutting bar. These temperatures exceeded the ignition thresholds obtained in the flammability studies conducted for wheat residues collected from the harvester

Proyecto de diseño y construcción de una fábrica de cerveza artesanal en el municipio de Sallent de Gállego (Huesca).

El presente proyecto comprende el desarrollo de los cálculos constructivos y el diseño del proceso productivo de una industria cervecera artesanal ubicada en el municipio de Sallent de Gállego (Huesca).Se pretende conseguir establecer una cervecería artesanal que genere un producto de alta calidad y diferenciado, produciendo dos variedades de cerveza: Lager e India Pale. El proceso a seguir comprenderá una serie de etapas que se dimensionarán en base a la producción anual establecida: molienda, macerado, filtración y cocción del mosto cervecero, fermentación y maduración de la cerveza, clarificación y envasado final.Teniendo en cuenta las diferencias entre las dos formulaciones de producto final planteadas, se llevarán a cabo los balances de materia y energía, y se establecerán los parámetros pertinentes en cada línea de producto. A continuación, se seleccionan los equipos partiendo de los resultados previos. Finalmente, se calcula la estructura de la nave industrial y sus instalaciones de relevancia para el presente proyecto, junto con el estudio de viabilidad económica.<br /