Internet das coisas na educação. Tecnologia, pedagogia e aprendizagem

Our society, driven by technological innovations, has become increasingly digital and interconnected, making operating tasks easier and faster. The Internet of Things is based (IoT) on a set of technologies that allows intelligent devices, such as sensors, to connect objects to the Internet and collect data that will be stored for later analysis and control. According to the Hype Cycle, it is one of the emerging technologies that we recognize in it an added value for all sectors of society, Education included. In this context, school should take advantage of the possibilities offered by this technology, since it makes the classroom an "open space" where physical limitations are not relevant to the interpretation of the surrounding environment. It supports an active Case-Based Learning (CBL) by exploring issues that meet the interests and context of students and their community. For this, the object under study will be monitored and students will act on it, after analyzing the data, and control the variables, in real time and with constant updating. Thus, this article aims to do a scooping review of literature of data obtained from three databases: B-ON, IEEE Xplore and Google Scholar, between 2014 and 2018. The data obtained will be object of content analysis, in order to investigate the added value of the IoT in Education, especially in what concerns CBL methodology, and to investigate the technology associated with it.A nossa sociedade, impulsionada pelas inovações tecnológicas, é cada vez mais digital e interligada, tornando as tarefas operacionais mais fáceis e rápidas. A Internet das Coisas (IoT) é baseada num conjunto de tecnologias que permitem que dispositivos inteligentes, como sensores, liguem objetos à Internet e recolham dados que serão armazenados para posterior análise e controle. Segundo o Hype Cycle, esta é uma das tecnologias emergentes em que reconhecemos valor acrescentado para todos os setores da sociedade, incluindo a Educação. Neste contexto, a escola deve aproveitar as possibilidades oferecidas por esta tecnologia, uma vez que faz da sala de aula um “espaço aberto”, onde as limitações físicas não são relevantes para a interpretação do ambiente envolvente. Apoia uma aprendizagem ativa baseada em casos (Case-Based Learning, CBL), explorando questões que vão ao encontro dos interesses e do contexto dos alunos e da sua comunidade. Para isso, o objeto em estudo será monitorizado e, após análise dos dados, os alunos atuarão sobre ele e controlarão as variáveis, em tempo real e com atualização constante. Este artigo tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão bibliográfica de dados obtidos de três bases de dados: B-ON, IEEE Xplore e Google Scholar, entre 2014 e 2018, anos em que a IoT está no pico inflacionado do Gartner. Os dados obtidos serão sujeitos a análise de conteúdo, de forma a investigar o valor acrescentado da IoT na Educação, especialmente no que diz respeito à metodologia Case-Based Learning (CBL), bem como a tecnologia a ela associada

Exosomes and exosome-like nanoparticles: applications for biomedicine

With the rise of the average life expectancy in the last century, the prevalence of life-threatening diseases has greatly increased. Thus, the need for effective, cost efficient and easy to produce therapeutic systems, combined with recent technological advances, boosted nanotechnology research. Since their discovery more than 30 years ago, naturally occurring exosomes are an increasingly interesting vehicle for drug delivery, with the disadvantage that they are difficult and expensive to extract, characterize and their encapsulation efficiency is poor. Liposomes, known since the mid-60’s, can be used for various types of therapies for their capacity to encapsulate almost any molecule, with efficient production and encapsulation processes, but are less biocompatible. A new type of systems, exosome-like nanoparticles, that combine the advantages of these two systems, mitigating their limitations, show potential to be excellent therapeutic options with almost no side-effects.This work has been supported by the strategic program UID/BIA/04050/2020 funded by National funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia I.P. Mário Fernandes (SFRH/BD/147819/2019) holds a scholarship from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. We also acknowledge support from FCT within the FUN2CYT project with the grant POCI-01-0145- FEDER-030568

Using IoT to improve learning

Having identified the dynamics of the classroom as an important factor for improving students' learning, we intend to present Internet of Things (IoT), through the learning platform SOLL: Smart Objects Linked to Learning, as a resource capable of generating favorable conditions to an environment of learning. This because the IoT allows, from sensors, the collection of data in real time in different contexts such as greenhouse, swimming pool or atmosphere, among others. These data generated by the context, for example humidity, temperature or distance, among others, will be analyzed and used by students to carry out theoretical-practical and practical activities, in order to consolidate the Essential Learnings of each discipline involved in the project. This, so that the student finds meaning in what he is learning, without failing to fulfill the essential learnings and the one defined in the student's profile after leaving compulsory education. Therefore, in order to show that the use of IoT can improve learning, an investigation of qualitative methodology was developed, using the SOLL learning platform for interdisciplinary work with 8th graders and their teachers in the disciplines of physics and chemistry, natural sciences, mathematics, geography and information and communication technology, in which the chosen context was the greenhouse, where data on sun moisture, soil and air temperature, soil pH and plant growth were collected to carry out activities. Thus, during the performance of the interdisciplinary activities, data were collected: from the students, a description was chosen, and from the professors, a focused discussion was chosen. The data obtained show that, in general, activities that use IoT, whether theoretical-practical or practical, create an environment conducive to learning, awaken the senses, increase the motivation for meaningful learning and favor curriculum development from the context as a way to overcome curriculum decentralization, leading students to learn more.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Educational Platform SOLL with the IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network composed of various objects and devices connected to the Internet, which emerge with great potential for education. Thus, in order to verify the potential of IoT in an interdisciplinary approach of the science curriculum in the 3rd Cycle of Basic Education emerges project SOLL: Intelligent Objects Linked to Learning, which is an interactive, dynamic and interdisciplinary learning platform, supported by a set of technologies that collect and store data from a greenhouse for later interdisciplinary analysis. In this article, the platform’s architecture is exposed and, from a mixed methodology - student questionnaires, teacher focus group interviews and continuous observation of participants recorded in the researcher’s diary - the data obtained show that this platform respond to the new learning community structure, by adopting a different learning model, with exploration of interests and enrichment of educational experiences.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pseudomonas aeruginosa modulates Inquilinus limosus tolerance to acute antibiotherapy under cystic fibrosis variable oxygen conditions

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) airways disease involves a complex polymicrobial infection whereby different bacterial species can interact and influence each other. To gain insights into the role that Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Inquilinus limosus interactionsmay play during CF infection, the reciprocal effect during biofilm formation, as well as ciprofloxacin activity against mixed biofilms under in vitro atmospheres with different oxygen availabilities were evaluated. The kinetics of biofilm formation showed that P. aeruginosa negatively affected I. limosus growth, under both aerobic and anaerobic environments. On the other hand, under aerobic conditions, I. limosus led to a decrease in biofilm production by P. aeruginosa, although biofilm-cells viability of remains unaltered.Given the differences measured by the crystal violet [biofilm biomass, consisting of both extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and cells] and the viable count (biofilm viability) assays, these results may indicate that in mixed biofilms the presence of I. limosus, under aerobic conditions, leads to a reduction in P. aeruginosa EPS.Interestingly, P. aeruginosa might be responsible for the protection of I. limosus against ciprofloxacin activity. The analysis of the viable count dynamics revealed that I. limosus is less susceptible to ciprofloxacin when co-cultured in mixed biofilms with P. aeruginosa. Taken together, the results suggest a reciprocal interference between different bacterial species in CF lung. Alterations of bacterial behaviour due to interspecies interactions may be important for disease progression in CF infection

Impact of variable oxygen environments on resistance to acute antibiotherapy by cystic fibrosis related bacteria

The existence of steep oxygen gradients within the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways mucus is well known, with zones ranging from aerobic to completely anaerobic. Those environments, of heterogeneous availabilities of oxygen, contribute for the proliferation of a phylogenetically diverse ecosystem. This study aimed to inspect whether CF-related bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other emerging species Acinetobacter baumannii, Dolosigranulum pigrum, Inquilinus limosus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are able to develop in vitro biofilms and be tolerant towards ciprofloxacin, an in-use antibiotic in acute CF infections. Single biofilms were formed in vitro, under aerobic and anaerobic environments, and further evaluated in terms of biomass and CFU counting. The antibiotic resistance profiles were analysed by constructing time-kill-curves.All species were able to growth under environments with distinct oxygen availability, demonstrating a great biofilm-forming ability highlighted by higher amount of biofilm mass, particularly under aerobic atmospheres.Biofilm time-kill curves showed augmented antibiotic tolerance of the bacteria, which was independent of the oxygen availability, except for D. pigrum where total eradication of biofilm-cells was noticed. Data highlighted that CF-related bacteria could persist under atmospheres with restricted oxygen availability, and form biofilms resilient to ciprofloxacin. Therefore, a more detailed knowledge about the effect of CF environments on the ability of the bacteria to proliferate and resist to antibiotics might be crucial for the success of CF infection treatment

Cystic fibrosis bacteria under variable oxygen tensions: biofilm formation ability and resilience to acute antibiotherapy

Distinct availabilities of oxygen, nutrients and antibiotics in the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways have contributed to the colonization of a large polymicrobial community, which may have further repercussion in the development of chronic biofilms and in antibiotherapy. This study aimed to inspect whether CF-related bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) and two less common species Acinetobacter baumanni (Ab) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp), are able to develop in vitro biofilms and resist to ciprofloxacin under aerobic/hypoxic conditions. Thus, biofilm-cells were estimated by CFU counting and time-kill-curves determined by absorbance (planktonic) and CFU (biofilm). All species showed alike results for biofilm growth, with higher bacteria (~109 CFU/cm2) adhering under aerobiosis than for hypoxic atmospheres (~108 CFU/cm2) in 24 h. Regarding the susceptibility profiles, Sa was the most sensitive species (MIC/MBC: 0.5 mg/L), with Kp keeping the most resistant profile against ciprofloxacin (MIC: 16 mg/L; MBC: >512 mg/L). Planktonic and biofilm time-kill curves were equivalent for both atmospheres. Interestingly, ciprofloxacin affected notably Sa biofilms under both conditions (adhesion rates declining 4log from 1/4MIC to 4MIC), but Ab and Kp biofilms were not disturbed even by the presence of abnormal ciprofloxacin concentrations, preserving initial adhesion rates from 106 - 107 cells/cm2/h, respectively. Data highlighted that CF unusual species could persist under hypoxia and form biofilms resilient to ciprofloxacin currently applied in acute infections, eventually progressing for severe biofilms hard to eradicate with powerful antibiotherapy

Revealing the dynamics of polymicrobial infections: update on the qPCR as a promising tool for the quantification of bacterial jungles

Microbiotec'17 - Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology 2017P. aeruginosa and S. aureus are important opportunistic human pathogens in many polymicrobial infections. Interactions between them change the infection dynamics, resulting in increased potential for disease development. Determining the relative bacterial abundance through culture-dependent approaches is hindered by the presence of cells in a viable but poorly-cultivable state, or underestimated by the presence of cell-aggregates. The monitoring of bacterial pathogens by the use of culture-independent tools has led to fresh insights into the complex relationships between host and microbes, but often key experimental controls are lacking. This study aimed at examining changes in microbial composition in P. aeruginosa (PA) and S. aureus (SA) communities by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Total RNA was extracted and normalized against the amount of an exogenous RNA control-molecule. The Cq value for each gene of interest was transformed into relative quantities taking the differences between the target and the calibrator exogenous mRNA.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus communication in biofilm infections: insights through network and database construction

AbstractThe polymicrobial nature of most infections is often characterized by complex biofilm communities, where pathogen interactions promote infection progression and severity. Quorum-sensing, the major regulator of virulence and inter-species communication, is a promising target for new anti-infective strategies. This study aimed at collecting and analysing experimental information on the molecular basis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus interactions in biofilms. Data were systematically annotated from relevant full-text papers optimally retrieved from PubMed, reconstructed as networks and integrated with specialized databases to identify promising antimicrobial targets. Network analysis revealed key entities regulating P. aeruginosa/S. aureus interactions, for instance the PqsABCDE/PqsR quorum-sensing system, which affects S. aureus growth and biofilm formation. By identifying the most reported P. aeruginosa virulence factors affecting S. aureus, for example, HQNO and siderophores, a list of experimentally validated agents affecting those factors, ranging from synthetic drugs to natural plant extracts, was constructed. The complex experimental data on P. aeruginosa/S. aureus interactions were for the first time systematically organized and made publically available in the new Inter-Species CrossTalk Database (www.ceb.uminho.pt/ISCTD).This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit; the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte for the BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004); the COMPETE2020 and the FCT under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029841; and the FCT under the scope of the PhD Grant of Andreia Patricia Magalhães [grant number SFRH/BD/132165/2017].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio