Zipper-based attribute grammars and their extensions

Lecture Notes in Computer Science Volume 8129, 2013.Attribute grammars are a suitable formalism to express complex software language analysis and manipulation algorithms, which rely on multiple traversals of the underlying syntax tree. Recently, Attribute Grammars have been extended with mechanisms such as references and high-order and circular attributes. Such extensions provide a powerful modular mechanism and allow the specification of complex fix-point computations. This paper defines an elegant and simple, zipper-based embedding of attribute grammars and their extensions as first class citizens. In this setting, language specifications are defined as a set of independent, off-the-shelf components that can easily be composed into a powerful, executable language processor. Several real examples of language specification and processing programs have been implemented in this setting

Creep behavior of RC slabs strengthened NSM CFRP laminate strips under different environmental conditions

With the aim of analyzing the long-term deformational performance of concrete elements flexurally strengthened with the near-surface mounted (NSM) technique, an experimental program has been launched using slab specimens submitted to sustained loads under the following environmental conditions: (i) 20ºC temperature and 55% relative humidity; (ii) immersed in water tank at 20ºC with 0% of chlorides; (iii) immersed in water tank at 20ºC with 2.5% of chlorides; (iv) submitted to wet/dry cycles at 20ºC with 2.5% of chlorides. The slabs are continuously monitored in terms of mid-span vertical deflection and strains (in concrete, CFRP laminate strip and steel reinforcements). The present paper summarizes the preliminary results obtained in this ongoing project

Creep behavior of concrete elements strengthened with NSM CFRP laminate strips under different environmental conditions

The present work intends to contribute for the knowledge on the long-term deformational performance of concrete structures strengthened with the near-surface mounted (NSM) technique. For that purpose a wide experimental program has been initiated using beam pullout and slab specimens submitted to sustained loads under the following environmental conditions: (i) 20ºC temperature and 55% relative humidity; (ii) immersed in water tank at 20ºC with 0% of chlorides; (iii) immersed in water tank at 20ºC with 2.5% of chlorides; (iv) submitted to wet/dry cycles at 20ºC with 2.5% of chlorides. The slabs are continuously monitored in terms of mid-span vertical deflection and strains (in concrete, CFRP laminate strip and steel reinforcements), whereas for the case of the beam pullout specimens monitoring includes the free and loaded end slips and strain in CFRP laminate strip. The present paper summarizes the preliminary results

Memoized zipper-based attribute grammars

Attribute Grammars are a powerfull, well-known formalism to implement and reason about programs which, by design, are conveniently modular.In this work we focus on a state of the art Zipper-based embedding of Attribute Grammars and further improve its performance through controlling attribute (re)evaluation by using memoization techniques. We present the results of our optimization by comparing their impact in various implementations of different, well-studied Attribute Grammars.- (undefined

Smelling faults in spreadsheets

Despite being staggeringly error prone, spreadsheets are a highly flexible programming environment that is widely used in industry. In fact, spreadsheets are widely adopted for decision making, and decisions taken upon wrong (spreadsheet-based) assumptions may have serious economical impacts on businesses, among other consequences. This paper proposes a technique to automatically pinpoint potential faults in spreadsheets. It combines a catalog of spreadsheet smells that provide a first indication of a potential fault, with a generic spectrum-based fault localization strategy in order to improve (in terms of accuracy and false positive rate) on these initial results. Our technique has been implemented in a tool which helps users detecting faults.To validate the proposed technique, we consider a wellknown and well-documented catalog of faulty spreadsheets. Our experiments yield two main results: we were able to distinguish between smells that can point to faulty cells from smells and those that are not capable of doing so; and we provide a technique capable of detecting a significant number of errors: two thirds of the cells labeled as faulty are in fact (documented) errors

How long does adaption last for? An update on the psychological impact of the confinement in Portugal

During the first COVID-19 related confinement in Portugal, there was a decrease in the levels of psychological symptoms measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (March to April 2020). Upon experiencing a new period of restraints in 2021, the psychological impact of this sample was assessed again (N = 322, two more time points). It was expected that the psychological symptoms evidenced in February 2021 would be at similar levels to those found in April 2020, leading to a transfer of adaptation. Contrary to our hypothesis, in the second confinement in Portugal there were higher levels of depression and stress symptoms than at the beginning of the pandemic. On the other hand, the maximum level of anxiety was observed in March 2020. It seems that our perception of the threats in 2021 was not the same as at the onset of COVID-19, or that knowledge was not disseminated to the general population to increase their mental health literacy and help them cope with the imposed challenges.This work was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project 110_596697345 (Research 4 COVID) and UIDB/50026/2020. This work has also been funded by ICVS Scientific Microscopy Platform, member of the national infrastructure PPBI—Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122; and by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000039, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Terrorismo: efeitos dos “new media” na difusão informativa

Terrorism has always been present in contemporary societies, making us part of our day-to-day life. It is important to take into account precise definitions of this phenomenon; their differences and social interactions; define the forms of diffusion of the messages, their interaction through the Media, as well as, try to minimize their effects. The hypercommunication society in which we now live facilitates public visibility, and the actions that the terrorists try to energize, is based on communication as the main key in the public diffusion of their acts. The change in communications paradigms, resulting above all from a growing technological capabilities, accessible to all, makes it possible to spread items around the world, shaping public opinion and giving terrorists a information and communication. The fact that current media work in a cyber perspective and through multiplatform devices, allows the achievement of a broader and faster way of achieving the objectives of terrorists, achieving a much more attentive audience, capable of interacting with much more positive. The analysis of reactions through social networks by communities affected by terrorism can be particularly interesting, as well as of their "opponents", as in the case of Christian and Muslim societies in terrorist attacks by Islamic radicals in Europe. Such as the London atack in March 2017. We adress a case study in a portuguese forum.El terrorismo ha estado siempre presente en las sociedades contemporáneas, formando parte, desgraciadamente, de nuestro día a día. Así pues, es importante definir de forma precisa este fenómeno; sus diferencias e interacciones sociales; definir las formas de difusión de los mensajes, su interacción a través de los media, así como intentar minimizar sus efectos. la sociedad de la hipercomunicación en que vivimos actualmente facilita la visibilidad pública y las acciones que los terroristas intentan dinamizar, tiene como base la comunicación como llave principal en la difusión pública de sus actos. La alteración de los paradigmas de la comunicación, resultantes sobre todo de un aumento creciente de las capacidades tecnológicas, accesibles a todos, hace posible la difusión de ítems por todo el mundo, moldeando la opinión pública y concediendo una posición de relevancia a los terroristas en la gestión de la información y la comunicación. El hecho de que los media actuales trabajen en una perspectiva "ciber" y mediante dispositivos multiplataforma, permite concretar de forma más amplia y rápida los objetivos de los terroristas, consiguiendo alcanzar una frnaja d epúblico mucho más atenta a sus intereses, capaces de interactuar de forma mucho más positiva. El análisis de las reacciones a través de las redes sociales por parte de las comunidades afectadas por el terrorismo puede ser particulamente interesante, así como el de sus oponentes, como es el caso de las sociedades cristianas y musulmanas objeto de atentados terroristas de los radicales isláminos en Europa, de lo que es ejemplo el atentado de Londres en marzo de 2017. Un aspecto que trataremos en un estudio de caso de un fórum portugués.O terrorismo sempre esteve presente nas sociedades contemporâneas, fazendo, infelizmente, parte do nosso dia-a-dia. Dessa forma, são importantes definições precisas desse fenómeno; suas diferenças e interações sociais; definir as formas de difusão das mensagens, sua interação através dos media, assim como, tentar minimizar os seus efeitos. A sociedade da hipercomunicação em que vivemos atualmente facilita a visibilidade pública, e as ações que os terroristas tentam dinamizar, tem por base a comunicação como chave principal na difusão pública dos seus atos. A alteração dos paradigmas da comunicação, resultantes acima de tudo, de um crescente aumento das capacidades tecnológicas, acessíveis a todos, torna possível a difusão de itens por todo o Mundo, moldando a opinião pública e concedendo uma posição de destaque aos terroristas na gestão da informação e comunicação. O facto de os media atuais trabalharem numa perspetiva “cyber” e através de dispositivos multi-plataformas, permite a concretização de forma maisabrangente e célere os objetivos dos terroristas, conseguindo atingir uma franja de público muito mais atenta aos seus interesses, capazes de interagir de forma muito mais positiva. A análise das reações através das redes sociais por parte das comunidades afetadas pelo terrorismo, pode ser particularmente interessante, assim como das que são suas “oponentes”, como no caso das sociedades cristãs e muçulmanas aquando de atentados terroristas pelos radicais islâmicos na Europa, de que é exemplo o atentado de Londres em março de 2017. Um aspeto que trataremos num estudo de caso de um fórum português

Neurodifferentiation and neuroprotection potential of mesenchymal stromal cell-derived secretome produced in different dynamic systems

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized by the degeneration of the dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to a loss of DA in the basal ganglia. The presence of aggregates of alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) is seen as the main contributor to the pathogenesis and progression of PD. Evidence suggests that the secretome of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) could be a potential cell-free therapy for PD. However, to accelerate the integration of this therapy in the clinical setting, there is still the need to develop a protocol for the large-scale production of secretome under good manufacturing practices (GMP) guidelines. Bioreactors have the capacity to produce large quantities of secretomes in a scalable manner, surpassing the limitations of planar static culture systems. However, few studies focused on the influence of the culture system used to expand MSC, on the secretome composition. In this work, we studied the capacity of the secretome produced by bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSC) expanded in a spinner flask (SP) and in a Vertical-Wheel™ bioreactor (VWBR) system, to induce neurodifferentiation of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) and to prevent dopaminergic neuron degeneration caused by the overexpression of α-synuclein in one Caenorhabditis elegans model of PD. Results showed that secretomes from both systems were able to induce neurodifferentiation, though the secretome produced in the SP system had a greater effect. Additionally, in the conditions of our study, only the secretome produced in SP had a neuroprotective potential. Lastly, the secretomes had different profiles regarding the presence and/or specific intensity of different molecules, namely, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-4, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), and 3 (MMP3), tumor necrosis factor-beta (TNF-β), osteopontin, nerve growth factor beta (NGFβ), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF), heparin-binding (HB) epithelial growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor (HB-EGF), and IL-13. Overall, our results suggest that the culture conditions might have influenced the secretory profiles of cultured cells and, consequently, the observed effects. Additional studies should further explore the effects that different culture systems have on the secretome potential of PD.This work has been funded by la Caixa Foundation and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the agreement LCF/PR/HP20/52300001; ICVS Scientific Microscopy Platform, member of the national infrastructure PPBI—Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122); by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)—project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020. CRM was supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from FCT and the company Stemmatters, Biotecnologia e Medicina Regenerativa SA (PD/BDE/127833/2016). Funding received by iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences from FCT (UID/BIO/04565/2020) and through the project PTDC/EQU-EQU/31651/2017 is acknowledged. MAF was supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from FCT (SFRH/PD/BD/128328/2017). RC was supported by the EXOpro project (PTDC/EQU-QUE/31651/2017). JPS was supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from FCT and the company Bn’ML—Behavioral & Molecular Lab (PD/BDE/127834/2016). DS was supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from FCT and the company Stemmatters, Biotecnologia e Medicina Regenerativa S.A. (PD/BDE/135567/2018) JC was supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from FCT (SFRH/BD/5813/2020)

A robótica educacional no ensino de Química, elaboração, construção e aplicação de um robô imóvel no ensino de conceitos relacionados à tabela periódica

ESSE TRABALHA APRESENTA A ELABORAÇÃO, DESENVOLVIMENTO E APLICAÇÃO DE UM ROBÔ DO TIPO IMÓVEL, CHAMADO ROBÔ IMÓVEL TABELA PERIÓDICA (RITP). O RESULTADO É UMA TABELA PERIÓDICA INTERATIVA QUE PRETENDE OFERECER AO PROFESSOR A OPORTUNIDADE DE ORIENTAR OS ALUNOS A CONSTRUIR O CONCEITO DE FORMA CONJUNTA, DESENVOLVENDO-O A PARTIR DE INFORMAÇÕES FUNDAMENTAIS QUE ENVOLVEM CONCEITOS BÁSICOS DAS DIFERENTES ÁREAS DO CONHECIMENTO, SENDO ELES QUÍMICOS, FÍSICOS E MATEMÁTICOS E DE LÓGICA COMPUTACIONAL. O RITP FOI DESENVOLVIDO EM 6 MESES, UTILIZANDO MATERIAIS DE FÁCIL ACESSO E DE BAIXO CUSTO. SUA INTERFACE PODE SER CONTROLADA POR UM SOFTWARE LIVRE, CHAMADO LOGO. NOTAMOS NO TRABALHO QUE O RITP PODE PROPORCIONAR UMA NOVA FORMA DE AVALIAR OS ALUNOS, CRIANDO UM AMBIENTE DESCONTRAÍDO E DE COOPERAÇÃO PARA QUE OS ESTUDANTES POSSAM SE DIVERTIR EM GRUPOS, EXPLORANDO AS POTENCIALIDADES PRESENTES NA ROBÓTICA EDUCACIONAL