OCaml-Flat on the Ocsigen framework

Formal Languages and Automata Theory are important and fundamental topics in Computer Science. Due to their rigorous and formal characteristics, learning these becomes demanding. An important support for the assimilation of concepts is the possibility of interactively visualizing concrete examples of these computational models, thus facilitating their understanding. There are many tools available, but most are not complete or do not fully support the interactive aspect. This project aims at the development of an interactive web tool in Portuguese to help understand, in an assisted and intuitive way, the concepts and algorithms in question, watching them work step-by-step, through typical examples pre-loaded or built by the user (an original aspect of our platform). The tool should therefore enable the creation and edition of an automaton or a regular expression, as well as execute the relevant classical algorithms such as word acceptance, model conversions, etc. Another important feature is that the tool has a clean design, in which everything is well organized and it is also extensible so that new features can be easily added later. This tool uses the Ocsigen Framework because it provides the development of complete and interactive web tools written in OCaml, a functional language with a strong type checking system and therefore perfectly suitable for a web page without errors. Ocsigen was also chosen because it allows the creation of dynamic pages with a singular clientserver system. This document introduces the development of the tool, its design aspects that enable showing different conversions and processes as well as the development of the several functionalities related to the mechanisms already presented

Micro-decisions in the documentation of performance-based artworks

The preservation of performance-based artworks, such as installations and performances, is often accompanied by frequent discussions regarding their documentation. How can performance-based artworks, which are unrepeatable and contextual, be documented after the event? This paper aims to reflect upon the purpose of the documentation of performance-based artworks and about how the micro-decisions conservators make during the documentation process can influence and are influenced by their intentions. In this context, the concepts and practices of documentation are critically examined. With this goal in mind, the artwork Identificación (1975) by the Portuguese artist Manoel Barbosa (b. 1953) and the documentation produced in two different contexts by two different people (a choreographer and a conservator) are discussed.publishersversionpublishe

Tuberculosis: new era for diagnosis and surveillance using whole-genome sequencing-based approaches

Tuberculosis (TB) has been declared as a global public health emergency by the WHO since 1993. It still accounts for almost 2 million deaths each year, making it the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. The major obstacle for an effective TB control is antimicrobial resistance, thus, to be successful, new strategies must be addressed, for instance, the implementation of new rapid TB diagnostic technologies that could translate into early treatment initiation and blocking of transmission chains. Considering the major constraints regarding the isolation and time of growth of M. tuberculosis strains, the main goal of this PhD dissertation was to acknowledge the potential of the use of WGS-based methodologies for routine diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance. We evaluated several software for in silico prediction of antibiotic resistance and developed bioinformatics pipelines for surveillance purposes, in particular for the identification of transmission chains. As they revealed high sensitivity, these approaches are already implemented in the routine of the Portuguese National Reference Laboratory (NRL). We also recognised the possibility to use these same approaches directly to samples collected from TB patients, lowering the time-to-results, for a complete drug resistance pattern and phylogeny analysis, for five to eight days. The validation of this methodology is ongoing and will be implemented in a near future. Additionally, and according to the new recommendations for TB treatment, we have initiated studies to identify new mutations associated with resistance to the recently adopted drugs, in order to enrich the available databases and improve the performance of the genotypic diagnostics pipelines. This PhD dissertation highlights WGS-based methodologies as powerful tools to surpass the difficulties of phenotypic TB diagnosis and surveillance and to provide a much more rapid information regarding resistance prediction and eventual transmission chains. It also supported the technological transition performed at the NRL for TB surveillance

Is surgical suture type associated with Carpal Tunnel Release results? A Prospective Study

Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito de diferentes tipos de fios de sutura nos resultados da descompressão do Túnel Cárpico. Métodos: Entre Fevereiro e Julho de 2019, recrutámos, de modo prospetivo, os doentes com agendamento da cirurgia de descompressão do Túnel Cárpico. As características sociodemográficas foram avaliadas (idade, género e ocupação), bem como outras variáveis relevantes para o estudo, tais como os relatórios da EMG pré-cirúrgica, co-morbilidades, mãos dominante e intervencionada. Para além disto, foi aplicada a versão curta do questionário quickDASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) antes e entre três e seis meses após cirurgia, com o objetivo de avaliar as diferenças nos resultados cirúrgicos utilizando dois fios de sutura diferentes: Nylon e Poliglecaprone 25. Resultados: A amostra incluiu 38 participantes, destacando-se que houve uma melhoria significativa na pontuação do quickDASH, bem como em cada item do questionário, após a descompressão cirúrgica. Para além disto, não houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas, entre os dois fios comparados, em termos de evolução da pontuação do quickDASH e de absentismo laboral. Conclusão: A descompressão do Túnel Cárpico melhorou significativamente a qualidade de vida dos doentes intervencionados, sendo que não foi identificada nenhuma vantagem consoante o tipo de fio de sutura utilizado.Objective: To evaluate the effect of the string used during Carpal Tunnel Surgical Release on post-surgical outcome. Methods: Patients with programmed CTSR were prospectively recruited between February and July 2019. We assessed socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender and occupation) along with other factors relevant to this study (EMG reports pre-op, comorbidities, laterality and hand dominance). Moreover, we applied the quick form of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (quickDASH) questionnaire before and after surgery (between three- and six-months post-op), in order to assess the differences in surgical outcomes of the two compared strings: Nylon and Poliglecaprone 25. Results: Study sample consisted of 38 patients. The overall quickDASH score significantly improved after CTSR, as well as each item of the questionnaire. There were no statistically significant differences between the two strings in terms of evolution of the quickDASH score and absenteeism from work. Conclusion: CTSR significantly improved the quality of life of interventioned patients, irrespectively the type of suture used. No recommendation for a preferable type of string could be suggested to improve postsurgical outcome

Cultural heritage risk analysis models: An overview

The risk assessment is a critical step in achieving, defining and supporting the decision-making process. In this context, in the past two decades, an increase in the number of models for assessing/analysis of risks applied to collections and/or immobile cultural heritage was observed. The present work consists of the first review of the literature, from 1999 to 2016, on risk assessment applied to movable and immovable cultural heritage. A total of twenty-seven risk assessment models have been compiled that can be applied to different types of cultural heritage such as: immovable property (26%) and movable property (74%). It was possible to conclude that approximately 48% of the risk analysis models are quantitative, 19% are semi-quantitative and 33% of the models are qualitative. Two different tables were created in order to help the reader: one for movable and another to immovable cultural heritage. These tables compile information to characterize the models (name, type, applicability, examples, date and references). The advantages and disadvantages of using each model was discuss in a separated table.publishersversionpublishe

Performance study for membrane fractionation of second cheese whey from sheep

Second ovine cheese whey (SCW) is a by-product resulting from the production of sheep whey cheeses, by thermal aggregation of whey proteins. Its nutritional value is high because it contains about half of the soluble protein that is present in the original whey, free amino acids, small peptides, lactose, oligosaccharides, vitamins and minerals. However, despite high volumes generated (about 18 L of SCW by kg-1 of whey cheese produced), SCW is not recovered, causing problems in water treatment plants due to its high biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), about 10,200 mg O2 L-1 and 69,500 mg O2 L-1, respectively. In order to valorize this by-product, the performance of a sequence of membrane processes, namely wide ultrafiltration (UF1), tight ultrafiltration (UF2) and nanofiltration (NF) was evaluated. In our previous work, we selected a wide ultrafiltration membrane of cellulose regenerated acetate, RC70PP with a nominal cut-off (MWCO) of 10 kDa) and hydrophilic characteristics, for recovering protein fraction. In this work, the membrane was used to concentrate SCW till a volume concentration factor (VCF) of 3.0. The permeates were then subjected to a second UF with a tight UF membrane (MWCO of 1 kDa), ETNA01PP, till a VCF of about 2.5. ETNA01PP is a surface-modified poli(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, with hydrophilic characteristics. Nanofiltration of permeates of the second UF was performed using a membrane made of polypiperazine amide, NF99, till a VCF of 2.5. In all experiments, the membrane area used was 0.072 m2. Both ultrafiltration processes were carried out at a transmembrane pressure of 2.0 bar, whereas nanofiltration was realized at a transmembrane pressure of 20.0 bar. The feed flow rate was kept at 0.92 m s-1, in all experiments. Results showed that during UF1 and UF2, permeate fluxes decreased about 22%, while in NF experiments a sharp decrease occurred (about 50%), till the VCF studied (Fig.1), perhaps due to scaling on the membrane. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Hybrid GMR Sensor Detecting 950 pT/sqrt(Hz) at 1 Hz and Room Temperature.

Advances in the magnetic sensing technology have been driven by the increasing demand for the capability of measuring ultrasensitive magnetic fields. Among other emerging applications, the detection of magnetic fields in the picotesla range is crucial for biomedical applications. In this work Picosense reports a millimeter-scale, low-power hybrid magnetoresistive-piezoelectric magnetometer with subnanotesla sensitivity at low frequency. Through an innovative noise-cancelation mechanism, the 1/f noise in the MR sensors is surpassed by the mechanical modulation of the external magnetic fields in the high frequency regime. A modulation efficiency of 13% was obtained enabling a final device's sensitivity of ~950 pT/Hz1/2 at 1 Hz. This hybrid device proved to be capable of measuring biomagnetic signals generated in the heart in an unshielded environment. This result paves the way for the development of a portable, contactless, low-cost and low-power magnetocardiography device

Acute glucagon induces postprandial peripheral insulin resistance

This study was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) grant PIC/IC/82956/2007, PTDC/BIM-MET/0486/2012, PTDC/DTP-EPI/0207/2012 and by the Portuguese Diabetes Society (SPD). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Glucagon levels are often moderately elevated in diabetes. It is known that glucagon leads to a decrease in hepatic glutathione (GSH) synthesis that in turn is associated with decreased postprandial insulin sensitivity. Given that cAMP pathway controls GSH levels we tested whether insulin sensitivity decreases after intraportal (ipv) administration of a cAMP analog (DBcAMP), and investigated whether glucagon promotes insulin resistance through decreasing hepatic GSH levels. Insulin sensitivity was determined in fed male SpragueDawley rats using a modified euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in the postprandial state upon ipv administration of DBcAMP as well as glucagon infusion. Glucagon effects on insulin sensitivity was assessed in the presence or absence of postprandial insulin sensitivity inhibition by administration of L-NMMA. Hepatic GSH and NO content and plasma levels of NO were measured after acute ipv glucagon infusion. Insulin sensitivity was assessed in the fed state and after ipv glucagon infusion in the presence of GSH-E. We founf that DBcAMP and glucagon produce a decrease of insulin sensitivity, in a dose-dependent manner. Glucagon-induced decrease of postprandial insulin sensitivity correlated with decreased hepatic GSH content and was restored by administration of GSH-E. Furthermore, inhibition of postprandial decrease of insulin sensitivity L-NMMA was not overcome by glucagon, but glucagon did not affect hepatic and plasma levels of NO. These results show that glucagon decreases postprandial insulin sensitivity through reducing hepatic GSH levels, an effect that is mimicked by increasing cAMP hepatic levels and requires physiological NO levels. These observations support the hypothesis that glucagon acts via adenylate cyclase to decrease hepatic GSH levels and induce insulin resistance. We suggest that the glucagon-cAMP-GSH axis is a potential therapeutic target to address insulin resistance in pathological conditions.publishersversionpublishe