First advances in near fall detection and prediction when using a walker

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Biomédica (área de especialização em Eletrónica Médica)Falls are a major concern to society. Several injuries associated with falls need medical care, and in the worst-case scenario, a fall can lead to death. These consequences have a high cost for the population. In order to overcome these problems, a diversity of approaches for detection, prediction, and prevention of falls have been tackled. Walkers are often prescribed to subjects who present a higher risk of falling. Thus, it is essential to develop strategies to enhance the user's safety in an imminent danger situation. In this sense, this dissertation aims to develop a strategy to detect a near fall (NF) and its direction as well as the detection of incipient near fall (INF) while the subject uses a walker. Furthermore, it has the purpose of detecting two gait events, the heel strike (HS) and the toe-off (TO). The strategies established, in this work, were based on the data gathered through an inertial sensor placed on the lower trunk and force sensors placed on the insoles. Following data collection, the methodology adopted to identify the situations aforementioned was based on machine learning algorithms. In order to reach the model with best performance, many combinations of different classifiers were tested with three feature selection methods. Regarding the detection of NF, the results achieved presented a Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 79.99% being possible to detect a NF 1.76±0.76s before its end. With the implementation of the post-processing algorithm, a large part of the false positives was eliminated being able to detect all NF 1.48±0.68s before its end. Concerning the models built to distinguish the direction of the NF, the best model presented accuracy of 58.97% being unable to reliably distinguish the three fall directions. The methodology followed, in this work, was unsuccessful to detect an INF. The best model presented MCC=23.87%, in this case. Lastly, with respect to the detection of HS and TO events the best model reached MCC=86.94%. With the application of the post-processing algorithm, part of misclassified samples was eliminated, however, a delay in the detection of the HS and TO events was introduced. With the post-processing it was possible to reach MCC=88.82%, not including the imposed delay.As quedas representam uma grande preocupação para a sociedade. Várias lesões associadas às quedas necessitam de cuidados médicos e, no pior dos casos, uma queda pode levar à morte. Estas consequências traduzem-se em custos elevados para a população. A fim de ultrapassar estes problemas, várias abordagens têm sido endereçadas para deteção, previsão e prevenção das quedas. Os andarilhos são muitas vezes prescritos a sujeitos que apresentam um risco de queda maior. Desta forma, é essencial desenvolver estratégias para aumentar a segurança do utilizador perante uma situação de perigo iminente. Neste sentido, esta dissertação visa desenvolver uma estratégia que permita a deteção de uma quase queda (NF) e a sua direção, assim como a deteção incipiente de uma NF (INF). Para além disso, tem o objetivo de detetar dois eventos de marcha, o heel strike (HS) e o toe-off (TO). As estratégias definidas, neste trabalho, basearam-se nos dados recolhidos através de um sensor inercial posicionado no tronco inferior e de sensores de força colocados nas palmilhas. Após a aquisição dos dados, a metodologia adotada para identificar as situações anteriormente referidas foi baseada em algoritmos de machine learning. Com o intuito de obter o modelo com melhor desempenho, várias combinações de diferentes classificadores foram testadas com três métodos de seleção de features. No que concerne à deteção da NF, os resultados alcançados apresentaram um Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) de 79.99% sendo possível detetar uma NF 1.76±0.76s antes do seu final. Com a implementação do algoritmo de pós-processamento, grande parte dos falsos positivos foram eliminados, sendo possível detetar todas as NF 1.48±0.68s antes do seu final. Em relação aos modelos construídos para distinguir a direção da NF, o melhor modelo apresentou uma precisão (ACC) de 59.97%. A metodologia seguida neste trabalho não foi bem sucedida na deteção INF. O melhor modelo apresentou um MCC=23.87%. Relativamente à deteção dos eventos, HS e TO, o melhor modelo atingiu um MCC=86.94%. Com a aplicação do algoritmo de pós-processamento parte das amostras mal classificadas foram eliminadas, no entanto, foi introduzido um atraso na deteção do HS e do TO. Com o pós-processamento foi possível obter um MCC=88.82%, não incluindo o atraso imposto pelo pós-processamento

The role of UCX cells in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease by promoting therapeutic angiogenesis

Tese de mestrado em Bioquímica, apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa, através da Faculdade de Ciências, 201

Literacia empreendedora : impacto da implementação de um programa de empreendedorismo na escola

A presente investigação tem como objetivo fundamental analisar e avaliar o impacto produzido pela implementação, junto de jovens do ensino secundário, de um programa de promoção de competências empreendedoras desenvolvido em contexto escolar – programa “Empreendedorismo e capacitação de jovens” –, nomeadamente no que concerne às dimensões de literacia empreendedora e da construção de significados acerca do empreendedorismo. No estudo participaram 346 jovens do ensino secundário, integrados em turmas do 10ºano, de ensino regular e profissional, de quatro escolas do Distrito do Porto. Foi utilizada uma metodologia quasi-experimental, com grupo experimental e grupo de controlo, avaliados antes e depois da implementação do programa. Os resultados revelam que a aplicação do programa tem efeitos muito significativos no nível de literacia empreendedora dos jovens, atuando o mesmo também ao nível da construção de significados do empreendedorismo mais elaborados e associados a caraterísticas pessoais e sociais. Destaca-se ainda a existência de diferenças significativas entre a literacia empreendedora dos jovens e a gestão de um negócio por parte dos pais, no pré-teste, e o género e a existência de conta bancária, no pós-teste. As principais conclusões deste estudo remetem-nos para a identificação de um novo conceito, a literacia empreendedora, o qual será importante incluir em programas futuros de empreendedorismo em contexto escolar. Por outro lado, salienta-se a relevância da replicação deste tipo de programas em contexto escolar para permitir aos jovens desenvolverem competências e, acima de tudo, uma verdadeira atitude empreendedora na sociedade atual, garantindo, desta forma, uma melhor adaptação e integração na mesma.This research aims at analyzing and evaluating the impact of implementing, among secondary school students, a program to promote entrepreneurial skills developed in school context - “Empreendedorismo e capacitação de jovens” - particularly in relation to the dimensions of entrepreneurial literacy and the construction of meanings about entrepreneurship. The study involved 346 secondary school students who were attending the 10th form of regular and professional education in four schools in the district of Porto. It was used a quasi-experimental methodology, and both the experimental group and the control group, were assessed before and after the implementation of the program. The results show that the implementation of the program has many significant effects on the level of the entrepreneurial literacy of these young students, acting at the same time at the level of construction of the meaning of entrepreneurship, making it more elaborated and associated to personal and social characteristics. In the pre-test we realized that in what concerns the entrepreneurial literacy there were significant differences between those students whose parents run a business and those who don’t and in the pos-test we realized that there were differences between boys and girls and those who have a bank account of their own and those who haven’t. The main conclusions of this study lead us to the identification of a new concept, the entrepreneurial literacy, which should be included in future programs of entrepreneurship in schools. On the other hand, we stress the importance of replication of these programs in schools in order to enable young people to develop skills and, above all, a true entrepreneurial attitude in today's society, ensuring, thus, a better adaptation and integration

Biofilm control by ionic liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) are remarkable chemical compounds with applications in many areas of modern science. They are increasingly recognized as promising compounds to fight microorganisms in both planktonic and biofilm states, contributing to reinvent the antimicrobial pipeline. Biofilm-related infections are particularly challenging given that the scientific community has not yet identified a reliable control strategy. Understanding of the action of ILs in biofilm control is lacking. However, given the highly tunable nature and exceptional properties of ILs, they are excellent candidates for biofilm control. Here, we review the major advances in, and challenges to, the use of ILs for effective biofilm control.Base Funding - UIDB/00511/2020 of LEPABE, UIDB/00081/2020 of CIQUP, and UIDB/04469/2020 of CEB funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); Project Biocide_for_Biofilm - PTDC/BII-BTI/30219/2017 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030219, ABFISH – PTDC/ASP-PES/28397/2017 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028397, funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES, and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norteinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemical composition of cuticular waxes and pigments and morphology of leaves of Quercus suber trees of different provenance

The chemical composition of cuticular waxes and pigments and the morphological features of cork oak (Quercus suber) leaves were determined for six samples with seeds of di erent geographical origins covering the natural distribution of the species. The leaves of all samples exhibited a hard texture and oval shape with a dark green colour on the hairless adaxial surface, while the abaxial surface was lighter, with numerous stomata and densely covered with trichomes in the form of stellate multicellular hairs. The results suggest an adaptive role of leaf features among samples of di erent provenance and the potential role of such variability in dealing with varying temperatures and rainfall regimes through local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, as was seen in the trial site, since no significant di erences in leaf traits among the various specimens were found, for example, specific leaf area 55.6–67.8 cm2/g, leaf size 4.6–6.8 cm2 and photosynthetic pigment (total chlorophyll, 31.8–40.4 ug/cm2). The leaves showed a substantial cuticular wax layer (154.3–235.1 ug/cm2) composed predominantly of triterpenes and aliphatic compounds (61–72% and 17–23% of the identified compounds, respectively) that contributed to forming a nearly impermeable membrane that helps the plant cope with drought conditions. These characteristics are related to the species and did not differ among trees of different seed origin. The major identified compound was lupeol, indicating that cork oak leaves may be considered as a potential source of this bioactive compoundinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tradução e validação da Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-CA-5) em crianças e adolescentes portugueses

Introduction: The aim of this study was to translate and validate into European Portuguese the CAPS-CA-5 (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents), a semi-structured scale for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents, according to the DSM-5 criteria. Material and Methods: This study was developed in three stages. In the first stage, the translation and back-translation of CAPS-CA-5 into European Portuguese was carried out. In the second stage, the version obtained in the previous step was subjected to a pre-test. In the third stage, the final version of CAPS-CA-5, the KIDCOPE questionnaires and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-Children were applied to 101 children who had experienced at least one potentially traumatic event. The children included in this study were between seven and 18 years old and had a follow-up period in a Child Psychiatry or Pediatrics Clinic in one of the three hospitals involved in this project of at least one month. Results: Regarding the confirmatory factor analysis, our results show that the CAPS-CA-5 is a suitable psychometric instrument to assess the diagnosis and symptoms severity of post-traumatic stress disorder according to DSM-5. Convergent validity was comparable to its original version. Although there were negative relationships with almost all of its clusters, these were not statistically significant when applied with the positive coping strategies of the KIDCOPE. The European Portuguese version of the CAPS-CA-5 showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α for the total scale was 0.89). Conclusion: The European Portuguese version of CAPS-CA-5 has similar psychometric properties to its original versionIntrodução: O objetivo deste estudo foi traduzir e validar para português europeu a CAPS-CA-5 (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents), uma escala semiestruturada para o diagnóstico de perturbação de stress pós-traumático em crianças e adolescentes, de acordo com os critérios do DSM-5. Material e Métodos: Este estudo foi desenvolvido em três etapas. Na primeira, foi realizada a tradução e contra-tradução da CAPS- -CA-5 para português europeu. Na segunda etapa, a versão obtida anteriormente foi submetida a um pré-teste. Na terceira etapa, a versão final da CAPS-CA-5, os questionários KIDCOPE e a Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Stresse - Crianças foram aplicados em 101 crianças que experienciaram pelo menos um evento potencialmente traumático. As crianças incluídas neste estudo tinham entre sete e 18 anos e tinham um período de acompanhamento em consulta de Psiquiatria Infantil ou Pediatria de pelo menos um mês, num dos três hospitais envolvidos neste projeto. Resultados: Em relação à análise fatorial confirmatória, os nossos resultados mostram que a CAPS-CA-5 é um instrumento psico-métrico adequado para avaliar o diagnóstico e a gravidade dos sintomas de perturbação de stresse pós-traumático de acordo com o DSM-5. A validade convergente foi comparável à versão original. Embora tenha havido relações negativas com quase todos os seus clusters, estas não foram estatisticamente significativas quando aplicadas com as estratégias de coping positivo do KIDCOPE. A versão em português europeu da CAPS-CA-5 apresentou boa consistência interna (α de Cronbach para a escala total foi de 0,89). Conclusão: A versão em português europeu do CAPS-CA-5 possui propriedades psicométricas semelhantes à sua versão originalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multidisciplinary and multi sector lighthouses | case studies | Deliverable D2.2

RES4CITY is a 36-month project funded by the European Commission, initiated in October 2022. Its primary objective is to advance the development of sustainable renewables and fuel technologies within cities. This is achieved by collaborative efforts in designing innovative educational micro-programmes involving various stakeholders. The project also emphasizes the promotion of sustainability and circularity, bridging the knowledge and skills gaps essential for a successful energy transition. This deliverable, designated as D.2.2 RES4CITY multidisciplinary and multi sector lighthouses, is developed under task T2.2 Lighthouse case studies development of the RES4CITY project during M12 (September 2023). Task T2.2 builds upon the energy-related urban challenges identified in T2.1 Innovative sustainable strategies for carbon neutral smart cities. In essence, task T2.2 focuses on creating lighthouse case studies that address these identified challenges. To ensure a comprehensive and effective approach, task T2.2 collaborates closely with task T3.2, actively engaging the community of stakeholders. The culmination of these collaborative efforts results in the production of pre-feasibility analyses tailored to the specific urban context under consideration. The document comprises three chapters. The first chapter introduces task T2.2, which involved the development of ten lighthouse case studies by project partners, along with their corresponding HUBs. This chapter describes the approach to ensuring clarity and enhancing reader comprehension, thereby amplifying the impact and dissemination of these case studies. To achieve this, the case studies followed a predefined template designed with a structure like that of a scientific article. This structure encompasses not only an introductory section addressing the challenge under scrutiny and introducing the case study but also includes sections dedicated to presenting results, recommendations, and conclusions. In the second chapter, the ten lighthouse case studies are compiled and presented individually. This set of lighthouse case studies contributes to fulfilling the RES4CITY’s Milestone 11 Lighthouse available for case study education. Each case study is accompanied by an executive summary, which complements the existing Abstract and Graphical Abstract elements that are part of the case study structure. The objective of creating this executive summary is to provide an additional resource that can be examined independently of the complete case study. Its purpose is to facilitate an understanding of the subject matter and the case study itself while highlighting key results and conclusions. This approach enables the case studies to be used independently. Within the framework of this Deliverable, the executive summary serves as tool for readers to grasp the key points of each case study swiftly and concisely. This empowers readers to determine, based on their interests and requirements, whether they want to delve deeper into the individual case studies for more detailed analysis. In the third and concluding chapter, each lighthouse case study developed by the project partners is presented in a straightforward and concise manner. Furthermore, this chapter highlights key concluding remarques derived from each of the case studies. Lastly, it emphasizes the dual purposes for which these case studies were developed: as learning tools in the RES4CITY learning and upskilling programs and as multipliers for replication in other contexts. The Deliverable 2.2 was concluded and submitted in September 2023 by (UCOI) with the support of the partners listed in Table 1

Recomendações e Consensos do Grupo de Estudos de Esclerose Múltipla e da Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurorradiologia sobre Ressonância Magnética na Esclerose Múltipla na Prática Clínica: Parte 1

Magnetic resonance imaging is established as a recognizable tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis patients. In the present, among multiple sclerosis centers, there are different magnetic resonance imaging sequences and protocols used to study multiple sclerosis that may hamper the optimal use of magnetic resonance imaging in multiple sclerosis. In this context, the Group of Studies of Multiple Sclerosis and the Portuguese Society of Neuroradiology, after a joint discussion, appointed a committee of experts to create recommendations adapted to the national reality on the use of magnetic resonance imaging in multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this document is to publish the first Portuguese consensus recommendations on the use of magnetic resonance imaging in multiple sclerosis in clinical practice.This work had a investigational grant from Roche Farmaceutica Quimica LDA: EPAM129844-G.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio