Automated Refactoring in Software Automation Platforms

Software Automation Platforms (SAPs) enable faster development and reduce the need to use code to construct applications. SAPs provide abstraction and automation, result- ing in a low-entry barrier for users with less programming skills to become proficient developers. An unfortunate consequence of using SAPs is the production of code with a higher technical debt since such developers are less familiar with the software develop- ment best practices. Hence, SAPs should aim to produce a simpler software construction and evolution pipeline beyond providing a rapid software development environment. One simple example of such high technical debt is the Unlimited Records anti-pattern, which occurs whenever queries are unbounded, i.e. the maximum number of records to be fetched is not explicitly limited. Limiting the number of records retrieved may, in many cases, improve the performance of applications by reducing screen-loading time, thus making applications faster and more responsive, which is a top priority for developers. A second example is the Duplicated Code anti-pattern that severely affects code readability and maintainability, and can even be the cause of bug propagation. To overcome this problem we will resort to automated refactoring as it accelerates the refactoring process and provides provably correct modifications. This dissertation aims to study and develop a solution for automated refactorings in the context of OutSystems (an industry-leading SAP). This was carried out by implement- ing automated techniques for automatically refactoring a set of selected anti-patterns in OutSystems logic that are currently detected by the OutSystems technical debt monitor- ing tool.As Plataformas de Automação de Software (PAS) habilitam os seus utilizadores a desen- volver aplicações de forma mais rápida e reduzem a necessidade de escrever código. Estas fornecem abstração e automação, o que auxilia utilizadores com menos formação técnica a tornarem-se programadores proficientes. No entanto, a integração de programadores com menos formação técnica também contribui para a produção de código com alta dívida técnica, uma vez que os mesmos estão menos familiarizados com as melhores práticas de desenvolvimento de software. Desta forma, as PAS devem ter como objetivo a cons- trução e evolução de software de forma simples para além de fornecer um ambiente de desenvolvimento de software rápido. Um exemplo de alta dívida técnica é o anti-padrão Unlimited Records, que ocorre sempre que o número máximo de registos a ser retornado por uma consulta à base de dados não é explicitamente limitado. Limitar o número de registos devolvidos pode, em muitos casos, melhorar o desempenho das aplicações, reduzindo o tempo que demora a carregar o ecrã, tornando assim as aplicações mais rápidas e responsivas, sendo esta uma das principais prioridades dos programadores. Um segundo exemplo é o anti-padrão Código Duplicado que afeta gravemente a legibilidade e manutenção do código, e que pode causar a propagação de erros. Para superar este problema, recorreremos à reestru- turação automatizada, pois acelera o processo de reestruturação através de modificações comprovadamente corretas. O objetivo desta dissertação é estudar e desenvolver uma solução para reestruturação automatizada no contexto da OutSystems (uma PAS líder neste setor). Tal foi realizado através da implementação de técnicas automatizadas para reestruturar um conjunto de anti-padrões que são atualmente detetados pela ferramenta de monitorização de dívida técnica da OutSystems

Candida albicans antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of novel endodontic solvents

Background: Candida albicans is the most prevalent fungi isolated in endodontic infections. In this study, the ability of C. albicans biofilm to tolerate the novel solvent mixtures methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)/tetrachloroethylene (TCE) and MEK/orange oil (OOil) sequentially to the standard irrigation of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic (EDTA) was evaluated. Methods: Biofilm cell cultures of C. albicans SC 5314 were treated sequentially with NaOCl and EDTA and exposed to MEK/TCE or MEK/OOil. The effect of the antimicrobial treatment was evaluated using the disk diffusion method for planktonic culture, and the enumeration of colony-forming units (CFUs) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) for biofilm cell culture. Results: C. albicans mature biofilm (24 h) was significantly reduced in biomass and cell viability after solvent mixtures exposure, compared with the previous NaOCl and EDTA treatments. MEK/OOil combination caused a total reduction of biofilm, while with MEK/TCE, there was a 3-log (CFU/cm2) reduction compared with the sequence NaOCl and EDTA, and a 4-log (CFU/cm2) reduction compared with the control. Conclusions: The additional exposure of a preformed 24 h C. albicans biofilm to novel solvent mixtures MEK/TCE and MEK/OOil caused a positive antibiofilm impact, overcoming the performance of the conventional endodontic irrigating protocol.This article was supported by National Funds through FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UIDB/4255/2020). This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and grant ref 2020.05720.BD for Liliana Fernandes; BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020-Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efficacy and cytotoxicity of binary mixtures as root canal filling solvents

Objectives: This study reports the efficacy of two solvent mixtures on the dissolution of gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer, together with the cytotoxicity. Methods: Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), orange oil, tetrachloroethylene, MEK/tetrachloroethylene (1:1), MEK/orange oil (1:1), and chloroform (control) were tested. Twelve groups (n = 15) of standardized stainless-steel molds filled with softened gutta-percha cones and twelve (n = 15) filled with AH Plus were immersed in the corresponding mixture or individual solvent, in an ultrasonic bath, for either 2 or 5 min. The effect of the solvents was assessed qualitatively by a topographical analysis (scanning electron microscopy) and chemical analysis (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), and quantitatively by a weight loss and viscoelastic property (dynamic mechanical analysis) evaluation. The cytotoxicity was assessed on MG63 human osteoblastic cells. Results: The mixtures did not show the formation of new compounds. Both presented significantly higher efficacies compared to their individual solvents, suggesting a synergistic effect. Their dissolution efficacy was similar to that of chloroform, showing high cytocompatibility. Conclusions: The proposed strategy, incorporating ultrasound agitation and profiting from the synergy of adequate solvents, might enhance root canal cleanliness allowing a single-step procedure to dissolve gutta-percha and the sealer remnants, while assuring cytocompatibility with the periapical tissues.This article was supported by National Funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia,I.P.-V., within CINTESIS, R & D Unit (reference UIDB/4255/2020)

Identification of clusters of asthma control: A preliminary analysis of the inspirers studies

This work was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI- -01-0145-FEDER-029130 (“mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases - generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies”) co-funded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).© 2020, Sociedade Portuguesa de Alergologia e Imunologia Clinica. All rights reserved. Aims: To identify distinct asthma control clusters based on Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) and to compare patients’ characteristics among these clusters. Methods: Adults and adolescents (≥13 years) with persistent asthma were recruited at 29 Portuguese hospital outpatient clinics, in the context of two observational studies of the INSPIRERS project. Demographic and clinical characteristics, adherence to inhaled medication, beliefs about inhaled medication, anxiety and depression, quality of life, and asthma control (CARAT, >24 good control) were collected. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using CARAT total score (CARAT-T). Results: 410 patients (68% adults), with a median (percentile 25–percentile 75) age of 28 (16-46) years, were analysed. Three clusters were identified [mean CARAT-T (min-max)]: cluster 1 [27(24-30)], cluster 2 [19(14-23)] and cluster 3 [10(2-13)]. Patients in cluster 1 (34%) were characterised by better asthma control, better quality of life, higher inhaler adherence and use of a single inhaler. Patients in clusters 2 (50%) and 3 (16%) had uncontrolled asthma, lower inhaler adherence, more symptoms of anxiety and depression and more than half had at least one exacerbation in the previous year. Further-more, patients in cluster 3 were predominantly female, had more unscheduled medical visits and more anxiety symp-toms, perceived a higher necessity of their prescribed inhalers but also higher levels of concern about taking these inhalers. There were no differences in age, body mass index, lung function, smoking status, hospital admissions or specialist physician follow-up time among the three clusters. Conclusion: An unsupervised method based on CARAT--T, identified 3 clusters of patients with distinct, clinically meaningful characteristics. The cluster with better asthma control had a cut-off similar to the established in the validation study of CARAT and an additional cut-off seems to distinguish more severe disease. Further research is necessary to validate the asthma control clusters identified.publishersversionpublishe

Financial Capacity Assessment: Contributions for the normative parameters of Financial Capacity Assessment Instrument (IACFin) in the portuguese population

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Psicologia apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da EducaçãoIntrodução: Quer o envelhecimento normativo, quer o patológico (incluindo doenças degenerativas e/ou doença mental, e.g. demência, declínio cognitivo ligeiro, depressão) surgem associados a perdas cognitivas e funcionais. Uma das capacidades sensíveis/vulneráveis ao envelhecimento e ao declínio cognitivo é a capacidade financeira, que pode originar limitações no funcionamento quotidiano do idoso e incrementar a sua dependência em relação a terceiros, restringindo a sua autonomia e independência. Em Portugal, está previsto na lei um conjunto de medidas legais para a proteção da pessoa com incapacidade. Neste âmbito, é usualmente requerida avaliação neuropsicológica, para estabelecer o perfil de funcionamento dos indivíduos, incluindo os aspetos da funcionalidade em termos financeiros. O Instrumento de Avaliação da Capacidade Financeira (IACFin) é um instrumento especificamente desenvolvido para o efeito, em contexto português.Objetivos: A presente dissertação/estudo tem como objetivo contribuir para a normalização do Instrumento de Avaliação da Capacidade Financeira (IACfin) para a população portuguesa de adultos e adultos idosos. Métodos: Foi utilizada uma amostra de conveniência (N=118). O protocolo de avaliação aplicado incluiu uma entrevista semiestruturada para a recolha de informação sociodemográfica e clínica, o Exame Cognitivo de Addenbrooke – Revisto (ACE-R), a Escala de Depressão Geriátrica-30 Itens (GDS-30), o Inventário de Avaliação Funcional de Adultos e Idosos (IAFAI) e o Instrumento de Avaliação da Capacidade Financeira (IACFin).Resultados: Observou-se uma influência significativa das variáveis idade e escolaridade na capacidade financeira (quanto mais idade, menor a capacidade; quanto mais escolaridade, mais preservada a capacidade) e ausência de influência significativa entre a variável sexo e a capacidade financeira (com exceção do domínio Pagamento de contas, no qual os homens pontuam melhor). Foram também observadas associações significativas entre os resultados no IACFin e os do ACE-R, identificando um pior desempenho da capacidade financeira quanto menor a pontuação no exame cognitivo. Foi também possível observar um melhor desempenho da capacidade financeira no grupo normativo face ao grupo clínico, sinalizando um menor desempenho da capacidade financeira em quadros de declínio cognitivo. Foi construído um primeiro referencial normativo exploratório (percentis) com base nas variáveis idade e escolaridade.Conclusões: Entre as limitações apresentadas no estudo, denota-se a necessidade de realizar estudos futuros no âmbito de uma amostra mais alargada, abrangente e diferenciada. Contudo, ficou demonstrado que as pontuações no IACFin diferenciam amostras normativas e clínicas (considerando grupo com declínio cognitivo), assim como sensibilidade à influência das variáveis sociodemográficas, como a idade e escolaridade. É também desenvolvido um primeiro referencial normativo para a interpretação dos desempenhos neste instrumento, potenciando a tomada de decisão no âmbito da avaliação da capacidade financeira em contextos clínicos e legais.Introduction: Both normative and pathological aging (including degenerative diseases and/or mental illness, e.g., dementia, mild cognitive decline, depression) are associated with cognitive and functional losses. One of the sensitive/vulnerable abilities to aging and cognitive decline is financial capacity, which can lead to limitations in the daily functioning of the elderly and increase their dependence on others, restricting their autonomy and independence. In Portugal, the law provides for a set of legal measures to protect people with disabilities. In this context, neuropsychological assessment is usually required to establish the functioning profile of individuals, including aspects of functionality in financial terms. The Financial Capacity Assessment Instrument (IACFin) is an instrument specifically developed for this purpose, in a Portuguese context.Objetives: This dissertation/study aims to contribute to the standardization of the Financial Capacity Assessment Inventory for the Portuguese population of adults and elderly.Methods: Was used a convenience sample (N=118). The assessment protocol applied included a semi-structured interview to collect sociodemographic and clinical information, the Addenbroke’s Cognitive Assessment – Revised (ACE-R), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30), the Adults and Older Adults Functional Assessment Inventory (IAFAI) and the Financial Capacity Assessment Inventory (IACFin).Results: There was a significant influence of the variables age and education on financial capacity (the older the person, the less the ability; the more education, the more preserved the ability) and no significant influence between the variable gender and financial ability (except for the domain Bill payment, in which men scored better). Significant associations were also observed between the results on the IACFin and the ACE-R, identifying a worse performance in financial capacity the lower the score on the cognitive exam. It was also possible to observe a better performance of financial capacity in the normative group compared to the clinical group, signaling a lower performance of financial capacity in cases of cognitive decline. A first exploratory normative reference (percentiles) was built based on the age and education variables.Conclusions: Among the limitations presented in the study, there is the need to carry out future studies within a broader, comprehensive and differentiated sample. However, it was shown that the scores on the IACFin differentiate normative and clinical samples (considering a group with cognitive decline), as well as sensitivity to the influence of sociodemographic variables, such as age and education. A first normative referencial for the interpretation of performance in this instrument is also developed, enhancing decision-making in the context of the assessment of financial capacity in clinical and legal contexts

Versatile and Tunable Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-Based Hydrogels Crosslinked through the Ugi Reaction

This work was supported by the Applied Molecular Bioscience Unit – UCIBIO (UIDB/04378/2020); projects PTDC/BII‐BIO/28878/2017 (LISBOA‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐028878); PTDC/SAL‐SER/30388/2017 (POCI‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐030388); Ph.D. fellowships to CF (PD/BD/105871/2014); CE (SFRH/BD/113112/2015). The authors are grateful to Prof. Ana Rita C. Duarte from Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry – LAQV, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa for facilitating the rheology studies.The four-component Ugi condensation reaction has been investigated to assemble chemically crosslinked hydrogels using multivalent star-shaped poly(ethylene glycol) components. The resulting biocompatible hydrogels are highly versatile in composition and function. It is shown that acid, aldehyde, and cyanide components can be varied yielding materials with precise structure and tunable stiffness. Additionally, the resulting hydrogels were proven extremely robust to consecutive drying-swelling cycles. This property was explored to develop a reversible humidity colorimetric sensor gel. Overall, this work demonstrates the application of the four-component Ugi reaction as a powerful tool to quickly generate crosslinked gels with precise control in chemical composition.authorsversionpublishe

Cytokine profiling of samples positive for Chlamydia trachomatis and Human papillomavirus.

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is closely associated with cervical carcinoma. Co-infection in the endocervical environment with other microorganisms, such as Chlamydia trachomatis, may increase the risk of HPV infection and neoplastic progression. While in some individuals, Chlamydia trachomatis infection is resolved with the activation of Th1/IFN-γ-mediated immune response, others develop a chronic infection marked by Th2-mediated immune response, resulting in intracellular persistence of the bacterium and increasing the risk of HPV infection. This work aimed to quantify cytokines of the Th1/Th2/Th17 profile in exfoliated cervix cells (ECC) and peripheral blood (PB) of patients positive for Chlamydia trachomatis DNA, patients positive for Papillomavirus DNA, and healthy patients. Cytokine levels were quantified by flow cytometry in ECC and PB samples from patients positive for C. trachomatis DNA (n = 18), patients positive for HPV DNA (n = 30), and healthy patients (n = 17) treated at the Hospital de Amor, Campo Grande-MS. After analysis, a higher concentration of IL-17, IL-6, and IL-4 (p <0.05) in ECC; INF-γ and IL-10 (p <0.05) in PB was found in samples from patients positive for C. trachomatis DNA compared to samples from healthy patients. When comparing samples from patients positive for HPV DNA, there was a higher concentration of cytokines IL-17, IL-10, IL-6, and IL-4 (p <0.05) in ECC and IL-4 and IL-2 (p <0.05) in PB of patients positive for C. trachomatis DNA. These results suggest that induction of Th2- and Th17 mediated immune response occurs in patients positive for C. trachomatis DNA, indicating chronic infection. Our results also demonstrate a high concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines in ECC of patients positive for C. trachomatis DNA

Ciência, Crise e Mudança. 3.º Encontro Nacional de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia. ENHCT2012

III Encontro Nacional de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia. O Centro de Estudos de História e Filosofia da Ciência, organiza o 3.º Encontro Nacional de História da Ciência e da Técnica, sob o tema «Ciência, Crise e Mudança» que tem lugar na Universidade de Évora, nos dias 26, 27 e 28 de Setembro de 2012. O Primeiro Encontro Nacional de História da Ciência teve lugar em 21 e 22 Julho de 2009, no seguimento do programa de estímulo ao de¬senvolvimento da História da Ciência em Portugal e de valorização do património cultural e científico do País, lançado pelo Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) em 31 de Janeiro desse ano. A sua organização coube a investigadores do Instituto de História Contemporânea (IHC), da FCSH da UNL, e do Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau (CCCM), em cujas instalações se realizou. De en¬tre as conclusões do Encontro, destacou-se a de realizar periodicamen¬te novos Encontros Nacionais, a serem organizados de forma rotativa por diferentes centros e núcleos de investigadores. Na sequência deste Primeiro Encontro, o Centro Interuniversitário de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia (CIUHCT) organizou, entre 26 e 28 de Julho de 2010, o II Encontro, dedicado ao tema “Comunicação das Ciências e da Tecnologia em Portugal: Agentes, Meios e Audiências”. Cabe agora ao CEHFCi cumprir o que foi decidido no final deste Encontro. Na situação económica e política que hoje vivemos torna-se particularmente urgente aprofundar o estudo e o debate sobre a interação entre a Sociedade, a Ciência e a sua História. Coordenação Científica e Executiva do encontro estiveram a cargo de dois investigadores CEHFCi: Maria de Fátima Nunes, José Pedro Sousa Dia