Towards the Evaluation of Software Products from an Environmental Sustainability Perspective

Sustainable development implies resource management that simultaneously guarantees the satisfaction of the present and future generations, considering the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. This paper proposes an approach to quantitatively assess software products\u27 sustainability quality based on a library of requirements (i.e., general goals) considered as criteria in a multicriteria evaluation and analysis. To increase the environmental sustainability of software products, we argue that it is fundamental to comparatively evaluate them, identify the ones most in need of change, and quickly adapt existing products effectively and efficiently

A knowledge representation semantic network for a natural language syntactic analyzer based on the UML

The need for improving software processes approximated the software engineering and artificial intelligence areas. Artificial intelligence techniques have been used as a support to software development processes, particularly through intelligent assistants that offer a knowledge-based support to software process’ activities. The context of the present work is a project for an intelligent assistant that implements a linguistic technique with the purpose of extracting object-oriented elements from requirement specifications in natural language through two main functionalities: the syntactic and semantic analyses. The syntactic analysis has the purpose of extracting the syntactic constituents from a sentence; and the semantic analysis has the goal of extracting the meaning from a set of sentences, i.e., a text. This paper focuses on the syntactic analysis functionality and applies the UML to its core as a semantic network for knowledge representation, based on the premise that the UML is de facto a standard general modeling language for software development.Applications in Artificial Intelligence - Language ProcessingRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Parâmetros biológicos e morfológicos de Dysdercus maurus alimentado com sementes de algodão com baixo ou alto teor de óleo

The objective of this work was to determine the biological and morphological parameters of Dysdercus maurus fed with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) seeds with a high or low oil content, as well as to identify genotypes to be used in breeding programs as sources of resistance to this stink bug. The development, survival, and reproduction of the cotton stainer bug were determined in a completely randomized experimental design. The treatments consisted of the insect nymphs being feed with cotton seeds of the CNPA 2001-5581 (high oil content) or CNPA 2001-5087 (low content) genetic line. Survival, weight, and morphological parameters of the bug were determined. The survival of second- and third-instar nymphs and of the total nymph stage of D. maurus was lower with cotton seeds with a low oil content. The body length and head width of D. maurus adults were greater, but pronotum length and width were smaller and the females heavier with cotton seeds with a high oil content. Low-oil cotton genotypes can reduce populations of the stainer bug.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar os parâmetros biológicos e morfológicos de Dysdercus maurus alimentado com sementes de algodão (Gossypium hirsutum) com alto ou baixo teor de óleo, bem como identificar genótipos a serem usados em programas de melhoramento como fontes de resistência a esse percevejo. O desenvolvimento, a sobrevivência e a reprodução do percevejo manchador de algodão foram determinados em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado. Os tratamentos consistiram de ninfas do inseto alimentadas com sementes de algodão da linhagem genética CNPA 2001-5581 (alto teor de óleo) ou CNPA 2001-5087 (baixo teor). Foram determinados a sobrevivência, o peso e os parâmetros morfológicos do percevejo. A sobrevivência das ninfas de segundo e terceiro ínstars e do estágio total de ninfas de D. maurus foi menor com sementes de algodão com baixo teor de óleo. O comprimento do corpo e a largura da cabeça dos adultos de D. maurus foram maiores, mas o comprimento e a largura do pronoto menores e as fêmeas mais pesadas com sementes de algodão com alto teor de óleo. Genótipos de algodão com baixo teor de óleo podem reduzir as populações do percevejo

Estudo da soldabilidade de aços avançados de alta resistência

O presente trabalho teve como principal objetivo estudar a soldabilidade por laser do recente aço de terceira geração Gen3 980T. Atualmente, a indústria automóvel procura soluções que promovam a sustentabilidade ambiental e ainda a segurança rodoviária. Os aços avançados de alta resistência são uma das soluções propostas, portanto torna-se pertinente o estudo dos processos de ligação destes materiais, mais concretamente a soldadura laser. Para o presente estudo, soldaram-se pequenas amostras no tipo de junta topo a topo com e sem metal de adição. Para o processo de soldadura utilizou-se a máquina de soldadura laser Nd:YAG SISMA SWA300. Após as soldaduras, realizaram-se ensaios de tração, analisaram-se microestruturas, efetuaram-se ensaios de dureza e, por fim, efetuou-se uma análise por difração de raios x. Tudo isto para serem obtidas conclusões relativamente às propriedades mecânicas e microestruturais deste recente material, bem como verificar a sua soldabilidade com e sem metal de adição. O metal base, não afetado pelo calor, apresentou uma microestrutura constituída por ferrite, martensite e com uma baixa percentagem de austenite retida. Na zona central do cordão observou-se uma microestrutura essencialmente martensítica e registaram-se durezas elevadas. Para o metal base a tensão de rotura foi 1055 MPa com uma deformação máxima de 23%. Relativamente às amostras soldadas sem metal de adição, o cordão de soldadura apresentou uma resistência à tração superior à do metal base, o mesmo se observou para as amostras soldadas com metal de adição igual ao metal base. As soldaduras com metal de adição distinto do metal base romperam pelo cordão.This work aimed to study the laser weldability of the recently developed third generation steel Gen3 980T. Currently, the automotive industry is looking for solutions that promote environmental sustainability and road safety. The advanced high-strength steels are one of the proposed solutions, so it becomes pertinent to study the bonding processes of these materials, as for example the one selected in this work, the laser welding. For the present study, small samples were welded in butt joint type with and without filler metal. For the welding process, it was used the pulsed Nd:YAG equipment SISMA SWA300. After the welds, tensile tests, microstructures, hardness tests, and X-Ray Diffraction analysis were performed. The purpose of all this experimental work was to obtain reliable conclusions regarding the mechanical and microstructural properties of this new material, as well as its weldability with and without filler metal. The base metal, unaffected by the heat, presented a microstructure consisting of ferrite, martensite and a low percentage of retained austenite. An essentially martensitic microstructure was observed in the central zone of the weld bead where high values of hardness were measured. For the base metal the tensile strength was 1055 MPa with a maximum elongation of 23%. With respect to welded samples without filler metal, the weld bead showed higher tensile strength than the base metal, the same was observed for welded samples with filler metal equal to the base metal. The welds with filler metal different than the base metal broke through the bead.Mestrado em Engenharia Mecânic

Atividade lítica de células natural "killer" durante a infecção pelo HIV-1 em indivíduos brasileiros

Natural killer cells are increasingly being considered an important component of innate resistance to viruses, but their role in HIV infection is controversial. Some investigators have found that natural killer cells do not confer a protective effect during the progression of HIV disease, whereas others have shown that natural killer cells may be protective and retard the progression of the disease, either through their lytic activity or by a chemokine-related suppression of HIV replication. In this study, we analyzed functional alterations in the activity of natural killer cells during HIV-1 infection using a natural killer cells activity assay with K562 cells as targets. RESULTS: Our results show that the activity of natural killer cells decreases only in the advanced phase of HIV infection and when high (40:1) effector cell-target cell ratios were used. The depression at this stage of the disease may be related to increased levels of some viral factors, such as gp120 or gag, that interfere with the binding capacity of natural killer cells, or to the decreased production of natural killer cells -activity-stimulating cytokines, such as IFN-a and IL-12, by monocytes, a subset of cells that are also affected in the late stage of HIV infection. The data suggest that decreased natural killer cells cell activity may contribute to the severe impairment of the immune system of patients in the late stages of HIV infection.As células "natural killer" são consideradas importante componente da resistência inata às viroses, mas seu papel na infecção pelo HIV é controverso. Alguns investigadores verificaram que as células "natural killer" não possuíam qualquer efeito protetor durante a progressão para doença, enquanto outros têm mostrado que as mesmas podem ser protetoras e retardar a progressão para doença, tanto devido à sua ação lítica como pela supressão por quimocinas. Em nosso estudo, analisamos as alterações funcionais na atividade durante infecção pelo HIV-1 usando ensaio com células K562 como alvo. Os resultados mostraram que a atividade "natural killer" está diminuída somente nas fases mais avançadas da doença e somente quando foi utilizar um número elevado de (40:1) células efetoras-alvos. A diminuição da atividade neste estágio da doença pode estar relacionada com a imunossupressão grave; a presença de alguns fatores virais, como a gp120 e gag, que interferem como a capacidade de ligação das células "natural killer"; ou a redução da produção de citocinas que estimulam a atividade "natural killer", como IFN-a e IL-12, por monócitos, uma subpopulação de células que são afetadas somente nos estágios mais avançados da infecção HIV. Assim, fica sugerido que a diminuição da atividade "natural killer" pode contribuir para alterações no sistema imune de pacientes nas fases avançadas da infecção HIV

Strategies and procedures in literacy cycle children in problem situations involving information processing

In this article, we report on a study of the axis of “Provinha Brasil de Matemática” content with respect to the math axis of information processing. The aim is to present key strategies and procedures based on the Theory of Conceptual Fields for use by children during the literacy cycle to resolve situation-problems related to this content block. Information processing relates to the reading and organization of data as well as the different presentations of reading in everyday life, especially with respect to graphs and tables. The methodological design is sustained in qualitative studies of researchaction in schools.The information processing axis is a block of content with great potential for the development of mathematical thinking, as the children must focus on the proposed situation-problem and use their skills to read and interpret data. We note that the ability to read information presented in tables, charts and other textual carriers is rarely addressed in the context of the classroom; thus, the student’s use of procedures and strategies is very rudimentary or is used for other mathematical content