Computação paralela utilizando GPU na análise de redes de Petri IOPT

O principal objetivo desta dissertação é melhorar o tempo de execução na construção do espaço de estados associado a um modelo de rede de Petri Input-Output Place-Transition (IOPT), utilizando computação paralela numa Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) instalada no computador com um servidor de IOPT-Tools em execução, permitindo o processamento descrito. Os modelos de sistema de controlo desenvolvidos em Rede de Petri (RdP) podem ser muito complexos, o que pode tornar de difícil compreensão o seu comportamento. Devido à variedade e à dimensão das redes, os sistemas desenvolvidos em RdP podem apresentar um grafo associado de espaço de estados com muitos nós e arcos, tornando-se um problema sobre o ponto de vista computacional quando se pretende realizar a verificação das propriedades do modelo. Isto porque, na construção do grafo do espaço de estados pode ocorrer uma explosão do número de estados, ou seja, o grafo pode ser tão grande que dificulta a procura e análise de todos os estados que o modelo pode alcançar. Com a utilização da GPU pode-se contribuir para mitigar este problema, aumentando o desempenho no processamento da construção do espaço de estados. O algoritmo implementado para o processamento da construção do espaço de estados utilizando GPU é adaptação do código gerado automaticamente pela plataforma IOTP-Tools. Para executar o algoritmo é usada a Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) da NVidia. A CUDA permite executar o algoritmo em Central Processing Unit (CPU) e Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). A parte sequencial do algoritmo é executada na CPU e a parte do processamento intensivo, ou seja, o tratamento dos estados não processados é executada na GPU

Spiritual comfort, spiritual support, and spiritual care: a simultaneous concept analysis

Background: Spirituality is a dimension of life and the human being that should be included in holistic healthcare. One major barrier often described by nurses on implementing spirituality in practice relates to perceiving the concept of spirituality as subjective and sharing confounding similarities with other concepts. In this sense, the concepts of spiritual comfort, spiritual care, and spiritual support may require more distinct theoretical definitions aimed at clear and effective nursing interventions within spiritual care. Aim: To provide a definition of spiritual comfort, spiritual support, and spiritual care. Methods: Simultaneous concept analysis (SCA) of three concepts according to Haase et al., which is grounded on Rodgers' evolutionary view. The method was based on a literature review with the search of electronic databases on May 2020. Search and analysis have been blinded conducted by two reviewers. Results: One hundred thirty-six studies were included in the SCA. Findings suggest that spiritual comfort is an immediate state and an outcome. Spiritual support is related with an intimate and positive relationship with God. Spiritual care is defined as a complex and interactive process. Both spiritual support and spiritual care are grounded in a therapeutic context. Conclusion: This SCA allowed the attributes of each concept to be identified and provides definitions that may facilitate the understanding of these concepts and promote the implementation of spirituality in nursing practice, but which has also led to future research on this topic.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biodegradation assessment of a 16th century fresco from Southern Portugal

This work reports the study of the frescoes from the Casa de Fresco dos Sanches Baena in Vila Viçosa (Southeast Portugal) to allow their material characterisation, to identify the different populations of microorganisms and to assess their role in the deterioration of these paintings

Functional ability in patients with COPD

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Perfis de DPOC e características tratáveis utilizando recursos mínimos: Identificação, árvore de decisão e estabilidade longitudinal

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly heterogeneous and complex. Hence, personalising assessments and treatments to this population across different settings and available resources imposes challenges and debate. Research efforts have been made to identify clinical phenotypes or profiles for prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Nevertheless, such profiles often do not describe treatable traits, focus on complex physiological/pulmonary measures which are frequently not available across settings, lack validation and/or their stability over time is unknown. Objective: To identify profiles and their treatable traits based on simple and meaningful measures; to develop and validate a profile decision tree; and to explore profiles’ stability over time in people with COPD. Methods: An observational, prospective study was conducted with people with COPD. Clinical characteristics, lung function, symptoms, impact of the disease (COPD assessment test–CAT), health-related quality of life, physical activity, lower-limb muscle strength and functional status were collected cross-sectionally and a subsample was followed-up monthly over six months. A principal component analysis and a clustering procedure with k-medoids were applied to identify profiles. Pulmonary and extrapulmonary (i.e., physical, symptoms and health status, and behavioural/life-style risk factors) treatable traits were identified in each profile based on the established cut-offs for each measure available in the literature. The decision tree was developed with 70% and validated with 30% of the sample, cross-sectionally. Agreement between the profile predicted by the decision tree and the profile defined by the clustering procedure was determined using Cohen’s Kappa. Stability was explored over time with a stability score defined as the percentage ratio between the number of timepoints that a participant was classified in the same profile (most frequent profile for that participant) and the total number of timepoints (i.e., 6). Results: 352 people with COPD (67.4±9.9 years; 78.1% male; FEV1=56.2±20.6% predicted) participated and 90 (67.6±8.9 years; 85.6% male; FEV1=52.1±19.9% predicted) were followed-up. Four profiles were identified with distinct treatable traits. The decision tree was composed by the CAT, age and FEV1% predicted and had an agreement of 71.7% (Cohen’s Kappa=0.62, p<0.001) with the actual profiles. 48.9% of participants remained in the same profile whilst 51.1% moved between two (47.8%) and three (3.3%) profiles over time. The overall stability of profiles was 86.8±15%. Conclusion: Profiles and treatable traits can be identified in people with COPD with simple and meaningful measures possibly available even in minimal-resource settings. Regular assessments are recommended as people with COPD may change profile over time and hence their needs of personalised treatment.N/

Clinical characteristics of COPD Phenotypes

publishe

COPD profiles and treatable traits using minimal resources: identification, decision tree and stability over time

Background and objective: Profiles of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often do not describe treatable traits, lack validation and/or their stability over time is unknown. We aimed to identify COPD profiles and their treatable traits based on simple and meaningful measures; to develop and validate a decision tree and to explore profile stability over time. Methods: An observational, prospective study was conducted. Clinical characteristics, lung function, symptoms, impact of the disease (COPD Assessment Test—CAT), health-related quality of life, physical activity, lower-limb muscle strength and functional status were collected cross-sectionally and a subsample was followed-up monthly over six months. A principal component analysis and a clustering procedure with k-medoids were applied to identify profiles. A decision tree was developed and validated cross-sectionally. Stability was explored over time with the ratio between the number of timepoints that a participant was classified in the same profile and the total number of timepoints (i.e., 6). Results: 352 people with COPD (67.4±9.9 years; 78.1% male; FEV1=56.2±20.6% predicted) participated and 90 (67.6±8.9 years; 85.6% male; FEV1=52.1±19.9% predicted) were followed-up. Four profiles were identified with distinct treatable traits. The decision tree included CAT (<18 or≥18 points); age (<65 or≥65 years) and FEV1 (<48 or≥48% predicted) and had an agreement of 71.7% (Cohen’s Kappa=0.62, p<0.001) with the actual profiles. 48.9% of participants remained in the same profile whilst 51.1% moved between two (47.8%) or three (3.3%) profiles over time. Overall stability was 86.8±15%. Conclusion: Four profiles and treatable traits were identified with simple and meaningful measures possibly available in low-resource settings. A decision tree with three commonly used variables in the routine assessment of people with COPD is now available for quick allocation to the identified profiles in clinical practice. Profiles and treatable traits may change over time in people with COPD hence, regular assessments to deliver goal-targeted personalised treatments are needed.publishe

Diagnóstico da biodeterioração por fungos e bactérias nas pinturas murais da Casa de Fresco de Sanches Baena (Vila Viçosa, Portugal)

A Casa de Fresco de Sanches Baena, situada em Vila Viçosa (Sudeste de Portugal), é uma pequena construção semi-subterrânea, de planta quadrangular,anexa à nora do antigo Palácio dos Sanches Baena. Os frescos que cobrem a sua abóbada e paredes apresentam cenas mitológicas ricas conjugadas com anjos musicais, conchas, porcelana e outros elementos decorativos, os quais fazem dela um exemplar especialmente rico e invulgar.As pinturas apresentam uma policromia intensa que sugere o uso de uma paleta rica composta por diferentes pigmentos. Infelizmente, devido ao abandono parcial e à falta de preservação, as pinturas estão num estado avançado de degradação sendo visível o destacamento de camadas pictóricas e argamassas, eflorescências salinas e uma abundante colonização microbiológica. Com este trabalho pretende-se identificar as diferentes populações microbianas presentes e avaliar a sua importância na deterioração destas pinturas. O estudo microbiológico foi efectuado em amostras recolhidas de zonas visivelmente contaminadas, utilizando zaragatoas e bisturis estéreis, por cultura em meios selectivos e observação por microscopia óptica e electrónica. Este estudo permitiu isolar 32 estirpes bacterianas e 34 fúngicas nos quatro painéis de frescos.As estirpes bacterianas predominantes foram as estirpes Gram+ do género Bacillus existindo também um elevado número de estirpes Gramdo género Pseudomonas. Entre as estirpes fúngicas predominantes destacam-se as estirpes de Cladosporium spp. e Penicillium spp. Para avaliação da biodeterioração procedeu-se também à quantificação da actividade da desidrogenase em zonas de reboco degradadas, como biomarcador da presença de microrganismos vivos. Paralelamente, para caracterização da actividade da desidrogenase, procedeu-se à sua quantificação em culturas de uma das estirpes predominantes isolada de um dos painéis com deterioração. Nas zonas degradadas analisadas foi detectada uma forte actividade desidrogenase, pelo que esta enzima parece ser um bom marcador da biodeterioração

Viral genetic clustering and transmission dynamics of the 2022 mpox outbreak in Portugal

Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the highest impact on case numbers and fitted them into a global context, finding evidence that several international sublineages probably emerged or spread early in Portugal. We estimated a 62% infection reporting rate and that 1.3% of the population of men who have sex with men in Portugal were infected. We infer the critical role played by sexual networks and superspreader gatherings, such as sauna attendance, in the dissemination of mpox virus. Overall, our findings highlight genomic epidemiology as a tool for the real-time monitoring and control of mpox epidemics, and can guide future vaccine policy in a highly susceptible population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Telecondutas : coronavírus (COVID-19) : informações para profissionais da APS : versão 13

Telemedicin