Enrollment time as a requirement for biometric hand recognition systems

Biometric systems are increasingly being used as a means for authentication to provide system security in modern technologies. The performance of a biometric system depends on the accuracy, the processing speed, the template size, and the time necessary for enrollment. While much research has focused on the first three factors, enrollment time has not received as much attention. In this work, we present the findings of our research focused upon studying user’s behavior when enrolling in a biometric system. Specifically, we collected information about the user’s availability for enrollment in respect to the hand recognition systems (e.g., hand geometry, palm geometry or any other requiring positioning the hand on an optical scanner). A sample of 19 participants, chosen randomly apart their age, gender, profession and nationality, were used as test subjects in an experiment to study the patience of users enrolling in a biometric hand recognition system.by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope UID/CEC/00319/20

A-to-I RNA editing does not change with age in the healthy male rat brain

RNA editing is a post-transcriptional process, which results in base substitution modifications to RNA. It is an important process in generating protein diversity through amino acid substitution and the modulation of splicing events. Previous studies have suggested a link between gene-specific reductions in adenosine to inosine RNA editing and aging in the human brain. Here we demonstrate that changes in RNA editing observed in humans with age are not observed during aging in healthy rats. Furthermore, we identify a conserved editing site in rats, in Cog3. We propose that either age-related changes in RNA editing are specific to primates or humans, or that they are the manifestation of disease pathology. Since rodents are often used as model organisms for studying aging, these findings demonstrate the importance of understanding species-specific differences in RNA biology during aging. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10522-013-9433-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Microwave Synthesis of Silver Sulfide and Silver Nanoparticles: Light and Time Influence

UIDB/50025/2020 UIDP/50025/2020 UID/CTM/50025/2019 .Silver sulfide (Ag2S) is a low band gap material, which absorbs near-infrared light and is of great importance in areas such as nanotechnology and biomedicine. We report the influence of the starting reagents, synthesis time, and light radiation on the geometry and size of silver sulfide nanoparticles and on the fraction of metallic Ag obtained in a microwave reactor. The X-ray diffraction diffractograms confirmed that Ag2S is the main product if the reaction's precursor contains silver in the oxidation state of +1 and mostly metallic silver (Ag°) when it is +2. Small nanoparticles (∼6 nm) of spherical geometry are present in the transmission electron microscopy images for the synthesis performed with the lamp light ON, while with the light switched OFF, wider and hundreds of nanometers longer particles are observed. This discriminative effect occurs with shorter synthesis time duration (<10 min) but when the time of reaction is extended, the particles coalesce for both light and dark conditions. Overall, it was observed by photoluminescence that crystalline Ag and Ag2S 4-8 nm nanoparticles obtained in 15 min and light irradiation during synthesis have a clear relative increase of the radiative recombination channels of the charged carriers, which are typical of materials characterized by the involvement of low density of states inside the band gap.publishersversionpublishe

Physical activity, strength training and nutritional support in patients with metabolic syndrome from a Northeaster Portuguese primary health care: a pilot community intervention program

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common metabolic disorder characterized by a cluster of factors such as central obesity, dysglycemia, dyslipidaemia and hypertension (1). The combination of these factors increases the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of MetS has been increasing in the Portuguese population (2). Primary prevention using physical activity (PA), exercise and healthy lifestyles seems to be adequateThis study is a result of the project “GreenHealth - Digital strategies in biological assets to improve wellbeing and promote green health” (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042), supported by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity in middle-age adults in an inland region of Northeast Portuguese: a pilot study

The prevalence of central and abdominal obesity has been increasing over last decades in developed countries. As well, the high prevalence of obesity in Portugal has already been documented, however it is need to better understand the prevalence in each region of the country. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity in middle-age in an inland region of Northeast Portuguese. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional community sample was collected from two Portuguese primary health care centres between January 2019 and December 2020. A total of 673 individuals aged 40–65 years were included for analysis, among which 400 women (53.34 ± 7.33 years) and 273 men (53.01 ± 7.20 years). Prevalence of overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity were analysed across sexes using body mass index and waist circumference. Categorical variables were expressed by counts and proportions with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Chi-squared test or fisher exact test were applied whenever appropriate. To compare continuous variables independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test were used. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity in this cross-sectorial sample were 41.01%, 30.61% and 67.20%, respectively. Significant differences among men and women were found for abdominal obesity (p < 0.001). Women presented a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity (67.5%). Men have higher prevalence of overweight (48.72%) and central obesity (31.14%) than women (35.75% and 30.25%, respectively). However, differences were not statistically significant between sexes for overweight and central obesity (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: A higher prevalence of overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity was reported for middle- age adults in this inland region of Northeast Portuguese. Our data suggest a higher prevalence of all three clinical conditions, comparing previous Portuguese epidemiological studies. Current report provides the study pilot for a more detailed epidemiological research. Also, preliminary findings emphasise the importance of implementing physical activity programmes and promoting healthy lifestyles to tackling this growing public health problem.Project “GreenHealth – Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health” (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042), supported by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalence of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a middle-age North-East Portuguese population: an exploratory and preliminary study

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease with a growing impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. Previous studies detected a high prevalence of T2DM in Portugal, however the latest Portuguese epidemiological reports about Diabetes were performed in 2010 and 2015. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of T2DM in a middle-age Portuguese population from a North-East Portuguese region. Methods: An exploratory study was conducted between January 2019 and December 2020 from two primary health care centers in a North-East Portuguese region. A total of 673 individuals aged 40–69 years were analyzed, among which 400 women (53.34 ± 7.33 years) and 273 men (53.01 ± 7.20 years). T2DM diagnosis were based on World Health Organization (WHO) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria (2006). Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was included for analysis (≥110.0mg/dLand<126.0 mg/dL). Categorical variables were expressed by counts and proportions with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Chi-squared test or fisher exact test was applied whenever appropriate. Results: The prevalence of T2DMin this middle-age Portuguese population was 14.9%. Significant differences among sexes were found (p<0.05) with a higher prevalence for men (17.9%) than women (12.8%). Also, T2DM prevalence was significant different among age-groups with an increase with age (p < 0.001). T2DM prevalence represented 5.8%, 16.0% and 25.5% of the cases on age groups 40–49 years, 50–59 years and 60–69 years, respectively. Analyzing the prevalence of T2DM in each age group according to sex, women had 4.7%, 12.4% and 24.5% diabetic cases in the age groups 40–49 years, 50–59 years and 60–69 years, respectively. Otherwise, men had 7.4%, 21.6% and 26.9% of the diagnosed T2DM for the same age groups. Regarding to IFG, 5.1% of the non-diabetics presented some degree of change in fasting glucose in the blood. Of those, the higher percentage of IFG cases was present in men (4.5%) than women (0.6%). Individuals with 60–69 years have higher percentage of IFG (12.5%) than other age-groups (4.3% and 5.0% for 40–49 and 50–59 years, respectively). Women had ab normal-values for fasting glucose in 4.9%, 1.3% and 8.5% of the 40–49 years, 50–59 years and 60–69 years’ age-groups, respectively. Conversely, men presented 3.4%, 11.5% and 18.4% of IFG prevalence for the same age-groups. Conclusion: A high prevalence of T2DM was reported in the studied middle-age North-East Portuguese population. Men have a higher number of diabetics, however an age-related increase for both sexes. The results also suggest potential cases of pre-diabetes, which should be carefully monitored. Further epidemiological reports should include the influence of socio-demographic factors, physical activity patterns and health-risk behaviors on prevalence of T2DM.Project “Green Health -Digital strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health” (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042), supported by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of StepTest4all for assessing cardiovascular capacity in young adults

Background: Cardiovascular capacity, expressed as maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), is a strong predictor of health and fitness and is considered a key measure of physiological function in the healthy adult population. The purpose of this study was to validate a specific step test (StepTest4all) as an adequate procedure to estimate cardiovascular capacity in young adults. Methods: The sample was composed of 56 participants, including 19 women (aged 21.05 2.39 years, body mass = 57.50 6.64 kg, height = 1.62 0.05 m, body mass index = 22.00 2.92 kg/m2) and 37 men (aged 22.05 3.14 years, body mass = 72.50 7.73 kg, height = 1.76 0.07 m, body mass index = 23.34 2.17 kg/m2). Participants were included in one of the following groups: (i) the group used to predict the VO2max, and (ii) the group used to validate the prediction model. All participants performed the StepTest4all protocol. The step height and the intensity of the effort was determined individually. Heart rate and oxygen uptake were measured continuously during rest, effort, and recovery phases. The validation process included the following three stages: (i) mean data comparison, (ii) simple linear regression, and (iii) Bland–Altman analysis. Results: The linear regression retained, as significant predictors of the VO2max, sex (p < 0.001) and heart rate recovery for one minute (p = 0.003). The prediction equation revealed a high relationship between measurements (R2 = 63.0%, SEE = 5.58). The validation procedure revealed non-significant differences (p > 0.05) between the measured and estimated maximal oxygen uptake, high relationship (R2 = 63.3%), and high agreement with Bland–Altman plots. Thus, VO2max can be estimated with the formula: VO2max = 22 + 0.3 (HRR1min) + 12 (sex), where HRR1min is the magnitude of the HR decrease (bpm) in one minute immediately after the step was stopped, and sex: men = 1, women = 0. Conclusions: The StepTest4all is an adequate procedure to estimate cardiovascular capacity, expressed as VO2max, in young adults. In addition, it is possible to determine the qualitative level of cardiovascular capacity from the heart rate recovery for one minute, more specifically, poor: <20, moderate: 20 to 34, good: 35 to 49, and excellent: 50. This procedure has the benefit of being simple to apply and can be used by everyone, even at home, without specialist supervision.This research was funded by the Project “GreenHealth-Digital Strategies in biological assets to improve well-being and promote green health” (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042), supported by the Regional Operational Program of Northern Portugal (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement”. This research was supported by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I. P. (project UIDB/DTP/04045/2020)”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio