Observação e design-based-research em contextos online

Este capítulo tem como objetivo apresentar dois estudos realizados com recurso à metodologia de Design-Based Research. Estas investigações, com propósitos diferentes, têm em comum o facto de terem sido realizadas inteiramente em contextos online. Procura-se, na descrição feita, relatar sumariamente as fases de cada estudo, os métodos de recolha de dados e a análise realizada no decurso dos processos investigativos e no final dos mesmos. Por terem sido realizados em ambientes virtuais, foram colocados novos desafios no concernente à observação. Equacionamos, por isso, essa problemática e referimos o modo como foi feita a observação em ambos os estudos. Tendo em vista a realização de estudos semelhantes em outros contextos online, elucidamos algumas implicações que emergiram das investigações, nomeadamente sobre a importância da observação como uma técnica qualitativa de recolha de dados e de que modo permite ao investigador aceder às diferentes dimensões do design em estudo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Toxicological evaluation of new tacrine analogues from 4-amino-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile

Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), FEDER and COMPET

The Kerr-Schild double copy in curved spacetime

We thank Tim Adamo, Ricardo Monteiro and Donal O’Connell for discussions and / or comments on the manuscript. CDW and NBA are supported by the U.K. Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). AL is funded by a Conacyt studentship, and thanks Queen Mary University of London for hospitalit

Biadjoint wires

Biadjoint scalar field theory has been the subject of much recent study, due to a number of applications in field and string theory. The catalogue of exact non-linear solutions of this theory is relatively unexplored, despite having a role to play in extending known relationships between gauge and gravity theories, such as the double copy. In this paper, we present new solutions of biadjoint scalar theory, corresponding to singular line configurations in four spacetime dimensions, with a power-law dependence on the cylindrical radius. For a certain choice of common gauge group (SU(2)), a family of infinitely degenerate solutions is found, whose existence can be traced to the global symmetry of the theory. We also present extended solutions, in which the pure power-law divergence is partially screened by a form factor.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Topology and Wilson lines: global aspects of the double copy

The Kerr-Schild double copy relates exact solutions of gauge and gravity theories. In all previous examples, the gravity solution is associated with an abelian-like gauge theory object, which linearises the Yang-Mills equations. This appears to be at odds with the double copy for scattering amplitudes, in which the non-abelian nature of the gauge theory plays a crucial role. Furthermore, it is not yet clear whether or not global properties of classical fields - such as non-trivial topology - can be matched between gauge and gravity theories. In this paper, we clarify these issues by explicitly demonstrating how magnetic monopoles associated with arbitrary gauge groups can be double copied to the same solution (the pure NUT metric) in gravity. We further describe how to match up topological information on both sides of the double copy correspondence, independently of the nature of the gauge group. This information is neatly expressed in terms of Wilson line operators, and we argue through specific examples that they provide a useful bridge between the classical double copy and the BCJ double copy for scattering amplitudes.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures. Some minor corrections have been implemente

The Weyl double copy from twistor space

The Weyl double copy is a procedure for relating exact solutions in biadjoint scalar, gauge and gravity theories, and relates fields in spacetime directly. Where this procedure comes from, and how general it is, have until recently remained mysterious. In this paper, we show how the current form and scope of the Weyl double copy can be derived from a certain procedure in twistor space. The new formalism shows that the Weyl double copy is more general than previously thought, applying in particular to gravity solutions with arbitrary Petrov types. We comment on how to obtain anti-self-dual as well as self-dual fields, and clarify some conceptual issues in the twistor approach

SARS-CoV-2 introductions and early dynamics of the epidemic in Portugal

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal was rapidly implemented by the National Institute of Health in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, in collaboration with more than 50 laboratories distributed nationwide. Methods By applying recent phylodynamic models that allow integration of individual-based travel history, we reconstructed and characterized the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARSCoV-2 introductions and early dissemination in Portugal. Results We detected at least 277 independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions, mostly from European countries (namely the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland), which were consistent with the countries with the highest connectivity with Portugal. Although most introductions were estimated to have occurred during early March 2020, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 was silently circulating in Portugal throughout February, before the first cases were confirmed. Conclusions Here we conclude that the earlier implementation of measures could have minimized the number of introductions and subsequent virus expansion in Portugal. This study lays the foundation for genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, and highlights the need for systematic and geographically-representative genomic surveillance.We gratefully acknowledge to Sara Hill and Nuno Faria (University of Oxford) and Joshua Quick and Nick Loman (University of Birmingham) for kindly providing us with the initial sets of Artic Network primers for NGS; Rafael Mamede (MRamirez team, IMM, Lisbon) for developing and sharing a bioinformatics script for sequence curation (https://github.com/rfm-targa/BioinfUtils); Philippe Lemey (KU Leuven) for providing guidance on the implementation of the phylodynamic models; Joshua L. Cherry (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) for providing guidance with the subsampling strategies; and all authors, originating and submitting laboratories who have contributed genome data on GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) on which part of this research is based. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government. This study is co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised