Paraconsistência em lógica híbrida

Mestrado em Matemática e AplicaçõesThe use of hybrid logics allows the description of relational structures, at the same time that allows establishing accessibility relations between states and, furthermore, nominating and making mention to what happens at speci c states. However, the information we collect is subject to inconsistencies, namely, the search for di erent information sources can lead us to pick up contradictions. Nowadays, by having so many means of dissemination available, that happens frequently. The aim of this work is to develop tools capable of dealing with contradictory information that can be described as hybrid logics' formulas. To build models, to compare inconsistency in di erent databases, and to see the applicability of this method in day-to-day life are the basis for the development of this dissertation.O uso de lógicas híbridas permite a descrição de estruturas relacionais, ao mesmo tempo que permite estabelecer relações de acessibilidade entre estados, e, para além disso, nomear e fazer referência ao que acontece em estados específicos. No entanto, a informação que recolhemos está sujeita a inconsistências, isto é, a procura de diferentes fontes de informação pode levar a recolha de contradições. O que nos dias de hoje, com tantos meios de divulgação disponíveis, acontece frequentemente. O objetivo deste trabalho e desenvolver ferramentas capazes de lidar com informação contraditória que possa ser descrita através de fórmulas de lógicas híbridas. Construir modelos e comparar a inconsistência de diferentes bases de dados e ver a aplicabilidade deste método no dia-a-dia são a base para o desenvolvimento desta dissertação

A microfluidic device for partial cell separation and deformability assessment

Blood flow in microcirculation shows several interesting phenomena that can be used to develop microfluidic devices for blood separation and analysis in continuous flow. In this study we present a novel continuous microfluidic device for partial extraction of red blood cells (RBCs) and subsequent measurement of RBC deformability. For this purpose, we use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels having different constrictions (25%, 50% and 75%) to investigate their effect on the cell-free layer (CFL) thickness and separation efficiency. By using a combination of image analysis techniques we are able to automatically measure the CFL width before and after an artificial constriction. The results suggest that the CFL width increases with enhancement of the constriction and contributes to partial cell separation. The subsequent measurements of RBCs deformation index reveal that the degree of deformation depends on the constriction geometries and hematocrit after the cell separation module. The proposed microfluidic device can be easily transformed into a simple, inexpensive and convenient clinical tool able to perform both RBC separation and deformability analysis in one single device. This would eliminate the need for external sample handling and thus reducing associated labor costs and potential human errors

La concesión de crédito comercial y el financiamiento de los clientes: evidencia en las empresas portuguesas

Este estudo pretende analisar a concessão de crédito comercial das empresas portuguesas como meio de financiamento dos seus clientes, recorrendo à metodologia de dados em painel,contribuindo assim para a escassa evidência empírica sobre os motivos da concessão de crédito comercial e a sua utilidade no financiamento dos respetivos clientes, assunto que se torna particularmente interessante no contexto atual, de dificuldades de obtenção de crédito bancário. De um modo geral, as empresas de grande dimensão e com maior acesso ao mercado de capitais funcionam como financiadoras dos clientes que apresentam maiores dificuldades no acesso ao financiamento institucional, corroborando a hipótese da vantagem das empresas não financeiras. Adicionalmente, estas empresas utilizam o crédito comercial como um meio legal de discriminação de preços. Finalmente, encontrámos evidência de que as empresas, independentemente da sua dimensão, podem reduzir os custos de transação através da utilização do crédito comercial.This study examines the trade credit of Portuguese firms as a means of financing their customers, using a panel data sample. It contributes to the scarce of empirical studies on the reasons for the granting of trade credit, and its usefulness in the financing of their costumers, being particularly interesting in the current context of financing difficulties. Globally, the results indicate that large companies with greater access to capital markets concede trade credit to customers who have greater difficulties in access to institutional funding, supporting the hypothesis of the advantage of non-financial companies. Additionally, these companies use trade credit as a legal means of price discrimination. Finally, we found evidence that firms, regardless of their size, can reduce transaction costs through the use of trade credit.Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar la actividad crediticia de las empresas portuguesas como medio de financiación de sus clientes, utilizando la metodología de datos de panel, lo que contribuye a la evidencia empírica escasa sobre los motivos de la concesión de crédito comercial y su utilidad en la financiación de los respectivos clientes, siempre se vuelve particularmente interesante en el contexto actual, las dificultades para obtener créditos bancarios. En general, las empresas más grandes, con mayor acceso a los mercados de capitales funcio nan como proveedores de fondos de los clientes que tienen mayores dificultades en el acceso a la financiación institucional, apoyando la hipótesis de la ventaja de las empresas no financieras. Además, estas empresas utilizan el crédito comercial como medio legal de discriminación de precios. Por último, encontramos evidencia de que las empresas, independientemente de su tamaño, puede reducir los costos de transacción a través del uso del crédito comercial

Determinação e caracterização das trajectórias dos glóbulos vermelhos: um método semi-automático

Neste trabalho procedeu-se ao desenvolvimento de uma aplicação, RBC-Dt 1.0, com base em conceitos de processamento de imagem/vídeo, capaz de efectuar o seguimento semi-automático dos glóbulos vermelhos ao longo de uma sequência de imagens captadas no centro de um microcanal de vidro com 100μm de diâmetro. A aplicação foi elaborada em programação Matlab, e deverá ser capaz de extrair características, tais como centróides, ou seja a posição (x, y) num dado instante t. Os dados numéricos extraídos são guardados em ficheiros, e tratados por técnicas de optimização, pretendendo-se caracterizar o comportamento das trajectórias dos glóbulos vermelhos a escoarem no centro do microcanal em estudo. Foi ainda calculado o coeficiente de dispersão radial, Dyy, das mesmas trajectórias. Foram realizadas comparações entre os dados obtidos pela aplicação, RBC–Dt 1.0, e os dados obtidos em estudos anteriores usando um método manual, MtrackJ, plugin do Image J. Conclui-se que os dados obtidos por RBC-Dt 1.0 são similares aos obtidos pelo método manual. In this work we have developed an application,RBC-Dt 1.0, based on concepts of image/video processing, in order to track in a semi-automatic way the red blood cells over a sequence of images captured in the center of a glass microchannel with 100μm in diameter. The application was developed in Matlab programming, and it should be able to extract features such as centroids, i.e. the position (x, y) in a given interval of time t. The extracted numerical data is stored in files, and processed by techniques of optimization, which is aimed to characterize the trajectories behavior of red blood cells flowing at the center of the microchannel. The radial dispersion coefficient, Dyy, was also calculated for the same trajectories. We compared the data obtained by the current study, with the past results obtained in similar studies using a manual tracking method, i.e., MtrackJ, a plugin from Image J. The results from the present study suggest that both data are in good agreement

Red blood cells motion in a glass microchannel

The motion of the red blood cells (RBCs) flowing in microvessels and microchannels depend on several effects, such as hematocrit (Hct), geometry, and temperature. According to our knowledge, the effect of the temperature on RBC motion was never investigated at a microscale level. Hence, the aim of the present work is to determine the effect of the temperature on the RBC’s trajectories and to investigate the best approximation of the trajectories through a nonlinear optimization. In vitro human blood was pumped through a 100 mm circular microchannel and by using a confocal micro- PTV system the RBC’s trajectories were measured at different temperatures, i.e., 25◦C and 37◦C. In this study we measured the motion of forty cells flowing in the middle of the microchannel and applied different functions to approximate its behavior.This study was supported in part by the following grants: Grant-in-Aid for Science and Technology (PTDC/SAU-BEB/108728/2008, PTDC/SAU-BEB/105650/2008 and PTDC/EME-MFE/099109/2008) from the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) and COMPETE, Portugal

Motion of red blood cells in a glass microchannel: a global optimization approach

Este artigo também deve ser anexado ao Departamento Tecnologia Mecânica, docente Rui Alberto Madeira Macedo Lima.In this work we characterized the behavior of red blood cell motion through a glass microchannel. In this study we consider the radial displacement of forty red blood cells and use different functions to approximate the radial displacement of each of them, by means of global optimization using stretched simulated annealing method. Some numerical results are shown

Relationships between grandparents and their teenage grandchildren: an integrative review

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar a relação entre avós e seus netos adolescentes, e descrever suas diferentes representações no cotidiano de seus netos por meio de revisão integrativa. Realizou-se a busca de artigos e resumos publicados no período de janeiro 2002 a junho de 2012, nas bases de dados LILACS e MEDLINE, por meio dos seguintes descritores: avós, netos adolescentes, relações entre avós e netos. Seguindo as estratégias definidas para o estudo, a busca resultou em seis artigos na íntegra. Foram incluídos dois artigos da base de dados LILACS e quatro da MEDLINE. Concluiu-se que as relações entre avós e netos adolescentes se diferenciaram de acordo com a proximidade entre os sujeitos, sendo esta derivada de diversos fatores, como corresidência, trabalho e estado civil dos netos, opções sexuais GLBT, origem e doenças crônicas dos avós. Pesquisas futuras que estudem essa temática são importantes para contribuir com um melhor entendimento da relação entre avós e seus netos na perspectiva de ambos os sujeitos.This study aimed to analyze the relationship between grandparents and their teenage grandchildren, and describe different representations in everyday of their grandchildren through an integrative review. A search for articles and abstracts published from January 2002 to June 2012, was conducted in MEDLINE and LILACS databases using the following descriptors: grandparents, grandchildren teenagers, relationships between grandparents and grandchildren. Following the strategies defined for the study, the search resulted in six full articles. Two articles from LILACS and four from MEDLINE were included. The conclusion was that the relationship between grandparents and teenage grandchildren differed according to the proximity of the subject, which is derived from several factors such as co-residence, work and marital status of the grandchildren, GLBT sexual choices, and chronic source of grandparents. Future research work assessing this issue are important to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren from the perspective of both subjects

Prevalence of Diabetes among Adults and Risk Factors Associated With High Diabetes Prevalence in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review

Abstract: Introduction: The widespread presence or prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 is increasing rapidly in the United Arab Emirates. An individual person with diabetes mellitus may get greater exposure for the complications in later life. It is known as the non-communicable modern epidemic which has become a global threat .The aim is to understand the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 and the effect of its risk factors among adults in the United Arab Emirates. Research design and methodology: We searched four electronic databases such as Medline Complete, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and suggested literature from experts also assessed. The searching keywords are prevalence, epidemiology, diabetes mellitus type 2, risk factors, modifiable risk factors, non-modifiable risk factors, population at risk, UAE, United Arab Emirates. One hundred fifty six articles found after primary search and eight articles were selected for the final review. Results: This research results revealed the prevalence varied in different parts of the UAE such as in the Northern Emirates (19.1%-25.1%), in Dubai (12.4%-14.7%) and (19.0%-19.3%) among adult residents and citizens, in Al Ain the (18.8%-40.7%) among residents. The factors such as aging >35 years among citizens and (41-60, 61 plus) among residents, obesity (BMI >30 for Arabs and Europeans and >27 for Asians), central obesity (>102 cm in men and >88 cm in women for Arabs and Europeans, > 90 cm in men and >80 cm in women for Asians), positive family history of diabetes mellitus type 2, ethnicity, suffering from dyslipidemia and hypertension, less physical activity, duration of staying in the UAE more than 10 years, unhealthy diet, being single (widow, separated, divorced) and stress were positively associated with high prevalence. Conclusion: The results considered planning for early screening, intervention, health resources allocation to pursue specific approaches to reduce high prevalence. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus type 2, epidemiology, prevalence, population at risk, risk factors, Systematic review, United Arab Emirates. Title: Prevalence of Diabetes among Adults and Risk Factors Associated With High Diabetes Prevalence in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review Author: Dr. Tarana Bashar, Dr. Diana Lúcia Moura Pinho International Journal of Recent Research in Life Sciences (IJRRLS) ISSN 2349-7823 Vol. 10, Issue 3, July 2023 - September 2023 Page No: 29-39 Paper Publications Website: www.paperpublications.org Published Date: 21-September-2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8365814 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.paperpublications.org/upload/book/Prevalence%20of%20Diabetes%20among%20Adults-21092023-1.pdfInternational Journal of Recent Research in Life Sciences (IJRRLS), ISSN 2349-7823, Paper Publications, Website: www.paperpublications.or