Assessing the Effectiveness of Defect Prediction-based Test Suites at Localizing Faults

Debugging a software program constitutes a significant and laborious task for programmers, often consuming a substantial amount of time. The need to identify faulty lines of code further compounds this challenge, leading to decreased overall productivity. Consequently, the development of automated tools for fault detection becomes imperative to streamline the debugging process and enhance programmer productivity. In recent years, the field of automatic test generation has witnessed remarkable advancements, significantly improving the efficacy of automatic tests in detecting faults. The localization of faults can be further optimized through the utilization of such sophisticated tools. This dissertation aims to conduct an experimental study that assembles specialized automatic test generation tools designed to detect faults by estimating the likelihood of code being faulty. These tools will be compared against each other to discern their relative performance and effectiveness. Additionally, the study will comprehensively compare developer-generated tests with automatically generated tests to evaluate their respective aptitude for fault detection. Through this investigation, we seek to identify the most effective automated test generation tool while providing valuable insights into the relative merits of developer-generated and automatically generated tests for fault detection

Wearable sensor for continuous monitoring of physiological parameters

Providing high quality health care to a mass population is becoming one of the great endeavors of modern society. In order to do so, there is a urge to embrace the use of new technologies that can provide comfort while ensuring the safety and reliability of traditional methods. The system hereby proposed ought to be capable of monitoring a person's vital signs therefore being very flexible regarding its application scenarios. It can be used not only in emergency wards and screening diseases but also in a home environment to monitor elderly people or young children. Furthermore, it is not exclusive to monitoring and preventing diseases, it can also be an instrument that aids sports training at high intensity levels. This product can measure a patient's heart rate and oxygen saturation levels ensuring comfort and easy usage. Another advantage when compared to traditional machines used to fit the same purpose is the fact that it is much cheaper, takes up less space and it encompasses two functional- ities that are otherwise measured with different machines. This system has two major components, an ESP32 microprocessor and a MAX30100 Pho- toPletysmoGraphy (PPG) sensor. The ESP32 module was chosen due to its computing capacity (dual-core 32-bit processor), having a WiFi module built in with full TCP/IP stack and having 3 pre-defined sleep modes to reduce power consumption. The MAX30100 sensor was picked because it is a compact and small module with simple usage. Furthermore, the goal of this disser- tation is to build this system to be energy efficient, maximizing its battery life while not compro- mising its logical correctness. The configuration chosen that produced steady results whilst consuming lowest energy possi- ble was: 37 mA of current for the IR LED, sampling frequency of 50 Hz and pulse width of 200 μs

Pancreatic cancer diagnosis and management: Has the time come to prick the bubble?

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is associated with poor prognosis and very dismal survival rates. The most effective possibility of cure is tumor resection, which is only possible in about 15% of patients diagnosed at early stages of disease progression. Recent whole-genome sequencing studies pointed genetic alterations in 12 core signaling pathways in PC. These observations hint at the possibility that the initial mutation in PC might appear nearly 20 years before any symptoms occur, suggesting that a large window of opportunity may exist for early detection. Biomarkers with the potential to identify pre-neoplastic disease or very early stages of cancer are of great promise to improve patient survival. The concept of liquid biopsy refers to a minimally invasive sampling and analysis of liquid biomarkers that can be isolated from body fluids, primarily blood, urine and saliva. A myriad of circulating molecules may be useful as tumor markers, including cell-free DNA (cfDNA), cell-free RNA (cfRNA), circulating tumor cells (CTC), circulating tumor proteins, and extracellular vesicles, more specifically exosomes. In this review, we discuss with more detail the potential role of exosomes in several aspects related to PC, from initiation to tumor progression and its applicability in early detection and treatment. Exosomes are small circulating extracellular vesicles of 50-150 nm in diameter released from the plasma membrane by almost all cells and exhibit some advantages over other biomarkers. Exosomes are central players of intercellular communication and they have been implicated in a series of biological process, including tumorigenesis, migration and metastasis. Several exosomal microRNAs and proteins have been observed to distinguish PC from benign pancreatic diseases and healthy controls. Besides their possible role in diagnosis, understanding exosomes functions in cancer has clarified the importance of microenvironment in PC progression as well as its influence in proliferation, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Increasing knowledge on cancer exosomes provides valuable insights on new therapeutic targets and can potentially open new strategies to treat this disease. Continuous research is needed to ascertain the reliability of using exosomes and their content as potential biomarkers, so that, hopefully, in the near future, they will provide the opportunity for early diagnosis, treatment intervention and increase survival of PC patients.The Melo team is supported by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029, Norte Portugal Regional Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology IF/00543/2013/CP1184/CT0004, PTDC/BIM-ONC/2754/2014, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-32189 and Astrazeneca Foundation, FAZ Ciencia Award

CPRE e Ecoendoscopia: um mesmo viajante em estradas convergentes

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) were initially introduced into the world of gastroenterology as purely diagnostic procedures. With progressive evolution of intervention, both these techniques conquered fields in the treatment of many conditions that had once been exclusively surgical domains. Nowadays, more and more clinical situations have an indication to perform both EUS and ERCP, and these two techniques are frequently required at the same time for the same patient. More than competitors, ERCP and EUS are truly complementary, with great ability for mutual aid. They share their main indications, equipment, accessories, and main technical gestures. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: We review the major indications to perform both techniques, sequentially or complementarily, describe the common things that these two techniques essentially share, and discuss the ERCP-EUS single session. Also, the issues of learning curves and education of upcoming biliopancreatic endoscopists are highlighted. CONCLUSION: In recent years the complementation between ECRP and EUS has been growing both from a diagnostic and a therapeutic point of view, allowing optimization of the use of these techniques and the creation of a more systematized approach of patients with biliopancreatic pathology. Endoscopists with experience in both techniques will be increasingly important, suggesting a parallel formation in the training plans of future endoscopists with interest in the area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Waste management in Portugal and Europe: an overview of the past, present and future

As word society has grown exponentially it was created more and more wastes. Each year European Union throws away 3 billion tons of waste, and some 90 million tons of that are hazardous. It is clear that treating and disposing of all this material - without harming the environment becomes a major trouble. In the early years 90 the amount of waste generated in Europe increased by 10%. Most of that was thrown away in incinerators, or dumped into landfill creating environmental damage. Landfill disposal not only takes valuable land space but also causes air, water and soil pollution, discharging carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) into the atmosphere and chemicals and pesticides into the earth and groundwater. This situation is harmful to human health as well as to plants and animals. These events triggered urgency for a responsibility and appropriate legislation for correct waste management. EU and Portuguese policy main objective in the waste management are prevent and reduce waste production, and reduce their toxicity, through the reuse and modification of production processes, adopting cleaner technologies. Waste management must also avoid or at least reduce its risk to human health and to environment. In Portugal, wastes sector was suffered a revolution on the last years, due to the appearance of the Strategic Plan for Solid Waste I (PERSU I) in 1997 and by the constant pressure from the EU for their state members and waste producers. In December 2006 was created the PERSU II to correct all mistakes made in the previous plan. However soon realized that PERSU II had very ambitious goals and so unattainable that triggered the need to reformulate these objectives. The aim of this overview in waste management was to follow the goals outlined in PERSU II, identifying the progress of each operational system over the years. It was also the target compare those results to European statistics tracing possible ways to permit compliance with EU objectives in future

Phytogeographical classification of the Upper Xingu River forest

Este trabalho propõe a inclusão da categoria Floresta Estacional Perenifólia no sistema oficial de classificação da vegetação brasileira, devido às particularidades florísticas e fisionômicas da floresta da borda sul-amazônica, que atinge maior amplitude geográfica na região do Alto Rio Xingu. Para justificar essa inclusão são apresentadas as características ambientais (clima, solo, hidrologia) e diferenças fisionômicas e florísticas entre as florestas do Alto Xingu e demais florestas ombrófilas da Bacia do Amazonas e estacionais do Planalto Central.This paper proposes the inclusion of the Evergreen Seasonal Forest category in the official system used to classify Brazilian forests. This proposal is based upon the floristic and physiognomic particularities of the Southern Amazonian forest, which reach a greater magnitude around the Upper Xingu River. In order to justify the inclusion, the paper reports environmental characteristics (climate, soil and hydrology) as well as floristic and physiognomic differences between the Upper Xingu River forest and both the Ombrophilous Forest from the Amazon Basin and the Seasonal Forest of the Central Plateau

Demystifying endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) during pregnancy

Background: For many years, ERCP was avoided in pregnancy given the concerns regarding the adverse effects that, with special focus on radiation, could occur in the developing fetus. However, the postponement or rejection of ERCP in pregnant women, may lead to a higher risk for mother and fetus, especially when the indication is unequivocal, namely cholangitis, biliary pancreatitis and symptomatic choledocholithiasis. Summary and key messages: This review aims to summarize the scarce literature on the subject in order to plan ERCP in pregnancy with the highest safety. The use of techniques that reduce radiation and increase the protection of pregnant women allow radiation levels far below the safety limits. We also discuss the various alternatives of ERCP without radiation. EUS can eliminate the need for ERCP with doubtful choledocholithiasis and plan the best approach in those with previous evidence. The possibility of performing “ERCP” with a linear echoendoscope uniquely under ultrasound control has been described. Conversely, the two-step strategy (initial sphincterotomy with stent placement without fluoroscopy and after delivery, ERCP with lithiasis extraction) proved to be safe obviating fluoroscopy. In conclusion, ERCP can be performed in pregnancy safely and effectively with minimal radiation or even no-radiation at all.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PROJETO ‘VIDA DE ESTUDANTE’: REDIMENSIONANDO O MÉTODO DE PESQUISA E DIAGNÓSTICO EM GESTÃO DA SAÚDE E QUALIDADE DE VIDA DO ESTUDANTE

O projeto ‗Vida de Estudante‘ visa à promoção da saúde e da qualidade de vida do estudante universitário, buscando garantir sua permanência produtiva na universidade e, em tempo regulamentar, além da constituição de dispositivos institucionais que possam contribuir para potencializar seu desenvolvimento acadêmico e social. Para além da tradicional concepção de que a saúde humana se circunscreve à condição de ‗ausência de doenças‘, entendemos que a mesma é reflexa da complexidade das questões sociais que afetam a vida cotidiana comunitária, resultante indelével das condições existenciais de uma população. Neste sentido, o projeto toma como meta um movimento institucional de Promoção de Saúde, construindo estratégias gestoras que conciliem bem-estar social, a ação política, promoção de ambiência saudável e mudanças nos estilos de vida estudantil. Através de dados estatísticos recentemente levantados nas IFES brasileiras, detectamos a necessidade complementar de dar visibilidade as reais condições de saúde e qualidade de vida dos estudantes através de um documentário intitulado ―Vida de Estudante‖, considerado instrumento valioso de escuta e pesquisa, a partir do qual poderemos problematizar o tema junto aos estudantes e elaborar ações co-participativas e democráticas, a fim de apoiá-los dentro do paradigma da ética e da cidadania

Liderança, cultura organizacional e satisfação nos estágios: um estudo de metodologia mista

A frequência de estágios é cada vez mais comum em Portugal, sendo vista como pré-requisito, em muitos casos, para a entrada no mercado de trabalho num país averso à incerteza. Essa tendência reforça a necessidade de compreender a perceção dos estagiários em relação às características ideais para este tipo de experiência (que deverá ser essencialmente de aprendizagem). Através da presente investigação pretende-se refletir sobre a forma como as organizações podem contribuir para experiências bem-sucedidas. São focados temas como a liderança e cultura organizacional da entidade de acolhimento, áreas pouco exploradas na literatura existente até à data. Para concretizar este estudo recorreu-se a uma metodologia mista. A investigação quantitativa foi baseada num inquérito, que obteve 143 respostas de indivíduos com experiência de estágio. Os dados foram analisados através da análise descritiva (percentagens e gráficos), assim como da análise de confiabilidade, análise inferencial (comparação de médias e teste do qui quadrado) e análise de regressão linear múltipla. A investigação qualitativa baseou-se na realização de um focus group (com três participantes com experiência de estágio) e de um estudo autoetnográfico (em que a autora narra a sua atual experiência de estágio). A pesquisa qualitativa revelou que a Lumo, a entidade de acolhimento da candidata, tem um ambiente muito positivo - uma cultura horizontal e uma liderança do tipo servant leadership. De facto, como resultado deste estudo exploratório verificou-se uma tendência para a preferência da servant leadership (em detrimento da liderança paternalista ou autocrática), como estilo de liderança adequado a um estágio, e evidenciou-se a importância do acompanhamento e orientação (sendo que o orientador de estágio na empresa deve assumir o papel de professor(a)), segundo o teste do qui-quadrado e focus group. Foi também possível destacar alguns pontos importantes numa experiência de estágio, entre os quais a remuneração (desejada pelos estagiários e já obrigatória em alguns países) e as tarefas desempenhadas (os estagiários desejam que lhes sejam dadas responsabilidades e meaningful work durante o seu estágio). Alguns dos resultados obtidos encontram-se alinhados com a literatura, no entanto outros divergem, nomeadamente como a orientação na empresa contribui para a satisfação do estagiário, o que não se verificou (com os resultados do inquérito por questionário).Attending internships is increasingly common in Portugal, being regarded as a prerequisite for entering the labour market, in many cases, in a country averse to uncertainty. This trend reinforces the need to understand the trainees' perception of the ideal characteristics for this type of experience (which should be essentially a learning one). This research aims to reflect on how organizations can contribute to successful experiences. Themes such as leadership and organizational culture of the host entity are focused, areas which have been less addressed in the existing literature. A mixed methodology was used to carry out this study. The quantitative research was based on a survey, which obtained 143 responses from individuals with internship experience. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis (percentages and graphs), as well as reliability analysis, inferential analysis (comparison of means and the chi square test) and multiple linear regression analysis. The qualitative research was based on a focus group (with three participants with internship experience) and an autoethnographic study (in which the author narrates about her current internship experience). The qualitative research revealed that Lumo, the applicant's host entity, has a very positive environment - a horizontal culture and a servant leadership. This exploratory study highlighted a tendency towards servant leadership (in detriment of paternalistic or autocratic leadership) as the appropriated one for an internship. It also noticed, through the chi square test and focus group, the importance of guidance (with the internship supervisor in the company assuming the role of a teacher). It was also possible to highlight some important points in an internship experience, including remuneration (desired by the interns and already mandatory in some countries) and the tasks performed (the interns want to be given responsibilities and meaningful work during their internship). Some of the results obtained are according to the state-of-the-art, however, others diverge, namely how in-company orientation contributes to trainee satisfaction, which was not found (with the survey results).Mestrado em Gestã