Blockchain-based Decentralized Application for Electronic Voting using an Electronic ID

An electronic voting system that fully mimics real-world systems has long been desired. Until recently, it had not been possible to fully address the mandatory properties of a real-world voting scheme, simultaneously. Recently, with the onset of new technologies and research, however, it is not only possible to fulfill these very properties, but also to improve the anonymity and convenience of voting. A decentralized and self-tallying electronic voting protocol that substantially enhances the privacy of voters and diminishes centralization is developed in this work and presented in this dissertation. These properties are accomplished through a symbiotic relationship between the Ethereum Blockchain and the Portuguese electronic ID. Unlike previously proposed Blockchain e-voting protocols, this is the first implementation that more closely fulfills most of the security requirements of a real-world voting scheme. Furthermore, this system improves currently in-use e-Voting systems by using a self-tallying protocol. Thus, each voting citizen is able to compute the tally of the election and has complete control over their own vote. The execution of this protocol is enforced using the consensus mechanism that safeguards the Ethereum Blockchain. To prove its feasibility, its implementation was tested on the official Proof of Work (PoW) test network of Ethereum (known as Ropsten). The financial and computational breakdowns are on par with the leading Blockchain e-voting protocol.Um sistema de votação eletrónica que reproduza eficazmente sistemas eleitorais utilizados no mundo é há muito desejado. Até recentemente, não era possível satisfazer, simultaneamente, as propriedades intrínsecas de um sistema de votação tradicional. Recentemente, com o advento de novas tecnologias e investigação, não só é possível cumprir estas propriedades, como também melhorar o anonimato, acessibilidade e a própria estrutura do processo eleitoral. Neste trabalho, apresentamos um protocolo de votação eletrónica descentralizada e auto contável, que aumenta a privacidade dos eleitores e diminui a centralização. Estas propriedades são alcançadas através de uma relação simbiótica entre a Blockchain de Ethereum e o cartão de cidadão eletrónico Português. Ao contrário de protocolos eleitorais de recurso a Blockchain propostos anteriormente, esta é a primeira implementação que de mais perto atende à maioria dos requisitos de segurança de um esquema de votação real. Além disso, este sistema aperfeiçoa os sistemas de votação eletrónica utilizados atualmente, através da utilização de um protocolo auto contável. Desta forma, cada eleitor é capaz de fazer a contagem eleitoral por si mesmo, e verificar que todos os intervenientes agem de acordo com o protocolo. A execução do protocolo é compelida através do mesmo mecanismo de consenso distribuído que protege a Blockchain de Ethereum. Por forma a provar a sua viabilidade, a implementação foi testada na rede oficial de testes Proof of Work (PoW) de Ethereum (Ropsten). Os custos financeiros e computacionais estão ao mesmo nível do mais importante protocolo de e-voting associado a Blockchai

Projeto de equipamento de união longitudinal de condutas por soldadura

A constante e permanente insatisfação do ser humano, aliada à evolução das sociedades nas suas variadas vertentes: social, intelectual, tecnológica, económica, leva à constante procura de melhores soluções, com o fim comum de se obter ganhos com o menor consumo possível de recursos. Foi este princípio que, norteou o desenvolvimento do equipamento de ligação de condutas por soldadura, e consequentemente, forneceu matéria para suportar esta dissertação. A soldadura de condutas por fusão era até então uma operação confinada a produtos de dimensões consideráveis, tanto na espessura quanto no diâmetro, e a alguns materiais de maior complexidade de conformação, como por exemplo o aço inoxidável, sendo que as de espessuras mais delicadas, se destinavam normalmente à união por conformação mecânica (costura obtida por dobragem e esmagamento dos bordos longitudinais) mas, as exigências do mercado e a competitividade cada vez maior, deu origem a um novo paradigma que, basicamente direciona esta operação para a soldadura longitudinal das condutas, independentemente das suas dimensões e dos materiais que as constituem. A filosofia não é recente e até já existem no mercado máquinas capazes de o fazer, mas a sua complexidade, limitações no que concerne à variedade dimensional e o seu custo, serviram de motivação e ensejo ao desenvolvimento deste projeto. A empresa SERVENTAR, na pessoa do Sr. Filipe Serrado, lançou o desafio e demonstrou todo o interesse no acompanhamento e materialização do projeto/protótipo, tendo como principal objetivo o incremento da produtividade da sua unidade, mas não descartando a reprodução e comercialização do exemplar.The constant and permanent dissatisfaction of the human being, in addition with the evolution of societies, in their various aspects: social, intellectual, technological, economic, among others, leads to a constant search for the best solutions, which the common goal is obtaining gains with the least consumption of resources. It was this principle that guided the development of Longitudinal Seam Welding equipment and, consequently, provided material to support this dissertation. Ducts welding was until then an operation confined to products of considerable size, both in thickness and diameter, and in some materials of higher conformation complexity, such as stainless steel, given that those with more delicate thickness were usually devoted to beading (the folding and crushing of the longitudinal edges), but the demands of the market and the increasing competitiveness have given rise to a new paradigm that basically directs this operation to the longitudinal welding of the ducts, regardless of their dimensions and materials that constitute them. The philosophy is not recent and already exists in the machines market that are capable to do it. However, the complexity and their limitations concerning to the variety of the dimensional and its cost, delivers the motivation and the opportunity to develop this project. The company SERVENTAR, in the name of Mr. Filipe Serrado, issued a challenge and reveals all the interest to monitor the pilot project, aiming to increase the productivity of his unit, but not discarding the reproduction and the deliver to the market of this exempla

Eficiência de irrigação em sulcos parcialmente fechados no final

Two furrow irrigation systems were compared, the first one consisting of applying constant flows through sifons for R (opportunity time to advance time ratio) values equal to 0.2, 0.7 and 1.2. The second system consisted of a semi-automatic reduction in the initial flow, through spiles, for R = 1.0. Both systems were tested for two types of furrow: open or traditional system (OS) and partially closed at the end (PCE), by using a triangle-form spillway made of iron foil type 16. It was observed that the recession time in PCE is relatively longer than in SA under both flow conditions and the recession time at the end of the furrow increased sharply as the R value increased under constant flow. For OS the recession time was shown to be a horizontal line. The average run-off flows in SA were much higher than in PCE, under both flow conditions. The run-off losses in PCE system, under constant flows, compared to OS system, were reduced in 72.22%, 79.23%, and 52.48%, for R values equal to 0.2, 0.7, and 1.2, respectively. Under semi-automatic reduction in the initial flow, these losses were reduced only in 25.07% for R = 1.0. The PCE irrigation system increased the irrigation efficiency by 29.40% in relation to the SA system under constant flow condition.  Compararam-se dois sistemas de irrigação por sulcos. Um deles constou da aplicação de vazões constantes, através de sifões para valores de R (relação entre o tempo de oportunidade no final do sulco e o tempo de avanço) iguais a 0,2; 0,7 e 1,2. O outro constou da redução semi-automática da vazão inicial através de cânulas para R igual a 1,0. Em ambos os sistemas de irrigação, foram testadas duas modalidades de sulcos: sulcos abertos (SA), sistema tradicional, e sulcos parcialmente fechados no final (SPF), por meio de verterdores triangulares feitos de folhas de ferro. Constatou-se que o tempo de recessão no SPF é relativamente maior que no SA, em ambas as vazões, e que o tempo de recessão no trecho final do sulco aumentou bruscamente com o acréscimo do valor de R, em vazão constante, enquanto para o SA a recessão apresentou-se como uma linha horizontal. As vazões médias de escoamento superficial em sulcos abertos mostraram-se bastante superiores às do sistema de sulcos parcialmente fechados, em ambas as vazões. As perdas por escoamento superficial no SPF, em vazão constante, em relação às perdas observadas no SA, foram reduzidas em 72,22%; 79,23% e 52,48%, para valores de R iguais a 0,2; 0,7 e 1,2, respectivamente. Enquanto em redução semi-automática da vazão inicial, estas perdas foram reduzidas em apenas 25,07%, para R igual a 1,0. O sistema de irrigação SPF proporcionou um aumento médio de 29,40% na eficiência de aplicação em relação ao SA em vazão constante

Patient-Doctor Depth of Relationship Scale validation and its influence on the outcomes: what is the importance of emotional intelligence when approaching the patient?

Background: The patient-doctor relationship promotes shared decision-making and patient-centered care, implying emotional intelligence and good communication, leading to positive health outcomes. Objective: To culturally adapt the Patient-Doctor Depth of Relationship Scale (PDDR) and convergently validate with the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) to ascertain the correlation between PDR and enablement. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation process of the PDDR questionnaire to European Portuguese, through translation, linguistic verification, and reverse translation and also its understandability. Convergent validation with the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI), after their doctor’s appointment, in a general practice/family medicine health unit. Context information, such as gender, age, living status, educational level, monthly income, Socioeconomic Deprivation Index (SEDI), and clinical appointment with the usual doctor, was also collected. Results: PDDR showed good understandability and acceptance and strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.785; intraclass correlation coefficient=0.785). A total of 81 patients participated in the study, most of them female (70.4%). There was a significant difference in the PDDR total score depending on whether the appointment had been with the usual doctor (p<0.001). Both a weak positive non-significant correlation between PDDR and SEDI total scores (ρ=0.300; p=0.790) and a moderate significant negative correlation between PDDR total score and PEI (ρ=-0.396; p<0.001) were found. Conclusion: The cross-cultural adaptation of the PDDR questionnaire to European Portuguese was carried out. PDDR proved to be a reasonable measure of the patient-doctor relationship, allowing greater patient enablement when a deeper patient-doctor relationship exists.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Robot-assisted rehabilitation architecture supported by a distributed data acquisition system

Rehabilitation robotics aims to facilitate the rehabilitation procedure for patients and physical therapists. This field has a relatively long history dating back to the 1990s; however, their implementation and the standardisation of their application in the medical field does not follow the same pace, mainly due to their complexity of reproduction and the need for their approval by the authorities. This paper aims to describe architecture that can be applied to industrial robots and promote their application in healthcare ecosystems. The control of the robotic arm is performed using the software called SmartHealth, offering a 2 Degree of Autonomy (DOA). Data are gathered through electromyography (EMG) and force sensors at a frequency of 45 Hz. It also proves the capabilities of such small robots in performing such medical procedures. Four exercises focused on shoulder rehabilitation (passive, restricted active-assisted, free active-assisted and Activities of Daily Living (ADL)) were carried out and confirmed the viability of the proposed architecture and the potential of small robots (i.e., the UR3) in rehabilitation procedure accomplishment. This robot can perform the majority of the default exercises in addition to ADLs but, nevertheless, their limits were also uncovered, mainly due to their limited Range of Motion (ROM) and cost.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of hormonal replacement therapy in lipid peroxidation levels of postmenopausal women with different cardiovascular capacity

It has been suggested that exercise has a positive impact on the prevention and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). One of the main mechanisms is through the modification of lipoprotein levels and the risk of its oxidation, especially LDL lipoproteins. After menopause, women experience an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, women receiving hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) seem to be protected. The aim of this study was to infer how HRT affect lipid peroxidation levels in postmenopausal women with different levels of aerobic fitness. Design & Method: Sixty four women participate in this study, 32 of them receive HRT (group with HRT – GWHRT) (average age¼55.9 years, average weight¼ 66.9 kg and average high¼156.0 cm) and the remained 32 women didn’t receive HRT (group without HRT – GWOHRT) (average age¼61.0 years, average weight¼ 67.6 kg and average high¼154.3 cm). Total cholesterol (mg dL71), HDL-cholesterol (mg dL71), LDL-cholesterol (mg dL71) and triglycerides levels (mg dL71) have been analyzed in serum obtained from a blood sample collected after 8 hours of fasting, and measured in Dr. Lange LP20 according to the specific manufacturer instructions. Serum MDA concentration (ng L71) was determined by spectrophotometric method. Aerobic capacity (VO2max ml kg71 min71) was assessed according to an adaptation of Bruce protocol. Differences between groups were tested through Student t-test. A Spearman correlation was performed in order to test variables associations. Significance level was established at 5%.Results: Our results have found differences between groups in age (t¼3.018; p50.01), in VO2max (t¼73.774; p50.01) and in serum MDA concentration (t¼6.750; p50.01). The GWHRT were younger, had a higher VO2max (31.38 for GWHRT and 26.19 for GWOHRT), and had lower levels of serum MDA concentration (0.29 for GWHRT and 0.73 for GWOHRT) comparatively with those women from the GWOHRT. However, our results failed to find any differences between groups regarding serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol or BMI. In this study, serum MDA concentration didn’t correlate with higher levels of lipid profile, as we might have expected, but correlate inversely with HRT (r¼7.726, p¼.00) and with VO2max (r¼7.287, p¼.02). Conclusion: Our results suggest that HRT should exert an antioxidant protective effect against lipid peroxidation, as well as exercise perhaps through the stimulation of antioxidant capacity

Meningite bacteriana em idosos: Números dos últimos 10 anos no estado de Goiás

A meningite é a inflamação das membranas que recobrem o tecido encefálico, a dura máter, a pia máter e a aracnoide, especificamente a maior parte do cérebro e a medula espinhal. Tal processo geralmente decorre da presença de uma infecção prévia que alcança os tecidos encefálicos, e é mais comum nos extremos de idade, sendo, por motivos imunológicos e estruturais, mais prevalente na faixa pediátrica. Em adultos, acomete principalmente os idosos. Em todo caso, é uma doença com potencial de gravidade, tanto pelas sequelas que podem advir do comprometimento do tecido cerebral subjacente, quanto pela elevada taxa de mortalidade. A morbimortalidade, aliás, é ainda mais importante nos casos em que há o desenvolvimento de complicações locais ou sistêmicas, tais como distúrbios da coagulação, empiema, hipertensão intracraniana, herniação cerebral, convulsões, septicemia e falência orgânica genealizada. Os pacientes que sobrevivem podem ter sua qualidade de vida reduzida por sequelas importantes.A relativa raridade da meningite em adultos, ainda mais com complicações, torna desafiadora uma compreensão científica ampla sobre sua epidemiologia, sua história natural e seu processo fisiopatológico. Tendo tudo isso em vista, o objetivo do presente trabalho é indicar os números da meningite bacteriana em idosos nos últimos 10 anos no estado de Goiás, estabelecendo um comparativo com a literatura mais atual

Efetividade da abordagem "ver e tratar" em lesões pré-invasivas no colo uterino

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness between the see-and-treat (S&T) approach and the conventional one (with prior biopsy) for squamous intraepithelial lesions of uterine cervix. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 900 nonpregnant women with cytology suggestive of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, between 1998 and 2004. The S&T approach consists of a large loop excision of the transformation zone procedure and is recommended when cytology is suggestive of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, satisfactory colposcopy with abnormalities compatible with the suspected cytological results, and the lesion is limited to the ectocervix or extends up to one centimeter of the endocervical canal. A subgroup of 336 patients whose colposcopy was considered satisfactory was analyzed, and they were divided into two groups for comparison: patients treated without prior biopsy (n = 288) and patients treated after a biopsy showing high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (n = 48). Patients who were not treated or only treated more than a year later after recruitment at the colposcopy unit were considered dropouts. RESULTS: Of patients recruited during the study period, 71 were not treated or were only treated for at least a year. The overall dropout rate was 7.9% (95% CI: 6.1;9.7). Mean time elapsed between patient recruitment and treatment was 17.5 days in the S&T group and 102.5 days in the prior biopsy group. Dropout rates were 1.4% (95% CI: 0.04;2.7) and 5.% (95% CI: 0;12.3), respectively (p=0.07). The proportion of overtreated cases (negative histology) in the S&T group was 2.0% (95% CI: 0.4;3.6). CONCLUSIONS: The difference in the mean time elapsed between patient recruitment and treatment indicates that S&T is a time-saving approach The proportion of negative cases from using the S&T approach can be regarded as low.OBJETIVO: Comparar a efetividade do método "ver-e-tratar" (V&T) com a abordagem tradicional (biópsia prévia) das lesões escamosas intraepiteliais do colo uterino. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, de 1998 a 2004, com 900 pacientes não gestantes que apresentavam citologia sugestiva de lesão intraepitelial escamosa de alto grau. O método V&T inclui a excisão ampla da zona de transformaçao que é indicada quando a citologia é sugestiva de lesão intra-epitelial escamosa de alto grau, a colposcopia é satisfatória e compatível com a alteração citológica e a alteração colposcópica deve estar limitada à ectocérvice e ao primeiro centímetro do canal cervical. Foi analisado o subgrupo de 336 pacientes com colposcopias consideradas satisfatórias, compreendendo dois grupos para comparação: pacientes tratadas sem biópsia prévia (n=288) versus pacientes tratadas após a biópsia mostrando lesão intraepitelial escamosa de alto grau (n=48). Foram consideradas perdas as pacientes não tratadas ou tratadas apenas um ano ou mais após recrutamento pela clínica de colposcopia, no grupo V&T. RESULTADOS: Das pacientes recrutadas durante o período do estudo, 71 não foram tratadas ou foram tratadas apenas um ano mais tarde, fornecendo uma taxa global de abandonos de 7,9% (IC 95%: 6,1;9,7). O tempo médio entre a captação da paciente e o tratamento foi de 17,5 dias no V&T e 102,5 dias no grupo biópsia prévia. As taxas de perdas foram de 1,4% (IC 95%: 0,04;2,7) no grupo V&T e de 5,9% (IC 95%: 0;12,3) no de biópsia prévia (p=0,07). A proporção de tratamentos desnecessários (histologia negativa) no grupo V&T foi 2,0% (IC 95%: 0,4;3,6). CONCLUSÕES: A diferença de tempo médio entre a captação da paciente e o tratamento indicou que o V&T é um método que poupa tempo. A proporção de casos negativos quando o método V&T foi utilizado pode ser considerada baixa.OBJETIVO: Comparar la efectividad del método "ver-y-tratar" (V&T) con el abordaje tradicional (biopsia previa) de las lesiones escamosas intraepiteliales del colon uterino. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal realizado en la ciudad de Rio de Janeiro, Sureste de Brasil, de 1998 a 2004, con 900 pacientes no gestantes que presentaban citología sugestiva de lesión intraepitelial escamosa de alto grado. El método V&T incluye la excisión amplia de la zona de transformación que es indicada cuanto la citología es sugestiva de lesión intraepitelial escamosa de alto grado, la colposcopia es satisfactoria y compatible con la alteración citológica y la alteración colposcópica debe estar limita a la ectocervix y la primer centímetro del canal cervical. Fue analizado el subgrupo de 336 pacientes con colposcopias consideradas satisfactorias, comprendiendo dos grupos para comparación: pacientes tratadas sin biopsia previa (n=288) versus pacientes tratadas posterior a la biopsia mostrando lesión intraepitelial escamosa de alto grado (n=48). Fueron consideradas pérdidas las pacientes no tratadas o tratadas sólo un año o más posterior al reclutamiento por la clínica de colposcopia, en el grupo V&T. RESULTADOS: De las pacientes reclutadas durante el período de estudio, 71 no fueron tratadas o fueron tratadas sólo un año más tarde, suministrando una tasa global de abandonos de 7,9% (IC 95%: 6,1;9,7). El tiempo promedio entre la captación de la paciente y el tratamiento fue de 17,5 días en el V&T y 102,5 días en el grupo biopsia previa. Las tasas de pérdidas fueron de 1,4% (IC 95%: 0,04;2,7) en el grupo V&T y de 5,9% (IC 95%: 0;12,3) en el de biopsia previa (p=0,07). La proporción de tratamientos innecesarios (histología negativa) en el grupo V&T fue 2,0% (IC 95%:0,4;3,6). CONCLUSIONES: La diferencia de tiempo promedio entre la captación de la paciente y el tratamiento indicó que el V&T es un método que ahorra tiempo. La proporción de casos negativos cuando el método V&T fue utilizado puede ser considerada baja

Antimicrobial effects of chitosans and chitooligosaccharides, upon Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, in food model systems

The objective of this study was to elucidate the controversial relationship between the molecular weight (MW) of chitosans and their antibacterial activity (upon different inoculum levels, at several concentrations). The influence of food components on the activity was also ascertained, as well as acceptance by a sensory panel. All the compounds tested exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. This activity was shown to be closely dependent on the inoculum level, MW and concentration used. Within 4 h at 10³ cells/mL, all five compounds, at every concentration (0.5%, 0.25% and 0.1%, w/v), proved to be bactericidal; for higher inocula, 0.1% (w/v) was only bacteriostatic; at 107 or 105 cells/mL, and independently of the inoculum level, 0.25% (w/v) of any chitooligosaccharide (COS) mixture was sufficient to reduce the E. coli initial population by at least 3 log cycles; COS never exhibited bactericidal action over S. aureus, unlike high and medium MW chitosans—which, at 0.5% (w/v), presented a bactericidal effect even against 107 cells/mL. When incorporated in liquid food matrices, medium and high MW chitosans maintained their activity, for both matrices and bacteria, although a slower activity was noticeable in milk; however, COS lost their activity upon both bacteria in milk after 4–8 h. Furthermore, addition of chitosans to apple juice led to several unpleasant off-flavors, such as astringency and after taste—which increased in magnitude with MW.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio