Demonstration-based help for interactive systems

The usability of day-to-day applications is of utmost importance. The lack of usability of these is one of the causes of frustration at work, as it creates barriers to the execution of tasks. The Change of applications by third parties, to increase usability, is difficult because it requires, usually, access to source codes and an increase on its complexity. This work proposes and implements a demonstration help tool that allows the improvement of tasks completion, decreases the time spent, and reduces the cost of learning. An analysis of work on aid tools is presented identifying positive aspects and research opportunities. The help tool developed allows the creation of automation through picture-driven computing, which makes it possible to develop help mechanisms independent from application source codes. Since the tool is image oriented, and tasks can involve multiple applications, it is also possible to develop help scripts that are not restricted to just one application. User studies were done with the objectives of validating the work developed and identifying platforms and tasks with usability problems in the business world. It was concluded that the work has positive effects in the accomplishment of tasks.A usabilidade das aplicações utilizadas no dia-a-dia é de extrema importância. A falta de usabilidade destas é um dos causadores de frustração no trabalho, pois cria barreiras à execução de tarefas. A alteração das aplicações por terceiros de forma a aumentar a usabilidade é difícil pois requer, usualmente, acesso aos códigos fonte e incremento da sua complexidade. Este trabalho propõe e implementa uma ferramenta de ajuda por demonstração que visa melhorar o sucesso na realização de tarefas, reduzir o tempo despendido, e diminuir o esforço de aprendizagem. Uma análise a trabalhos sobre ferramentas de ajuda é apresentada identificando aspetos positivos e oportunidades de investigação. A ferramenta de ajuda desenvolvida permite a criação de automações através de computação por imagem, que tornam possível o desenvolvimento de mecanismos de ajuda independentes dos códigos fonte das aplicações. Sendo que a ferramenta é orientada a imagem, e que as tarefas podem envolver múltiplas aplicações, torna-se também possível o desenvolvimento de scripts de ajuda não restringidos a apenas uma aplicação. Foram realizados estudos com utilizadores com os objetivos de validar o trabalho desenvolvido e identificar plataformas e tarefas com problemas de usabilidade no meio empresarial. Deste modo, concluiu-se que o trabalho tem efeitos positivos na realização de tarefas

Alzheimer electroencephalogram temporal events detection by K-means

Alzheimer Disease (AD) is a chronic progrcssive and irrevcrsible ncurodegencrative brain disorder. Ils diagnostic accuracy is rclatively low and lhere is nol a biomarkcr able lo detcct AD without invasive tcsts. This study is a ncw approach to obtuined clectroencephalogram (EEG) temporal cvenls in crder lo improve Lhe AD diagnosis. For that, K-means were used and the rcsults suggcsted that thcre are scquences af EEG cnergy variation tbat appear more frequently in AO patients lhan in Health subject

Evaluation of EEG spectralfeatures in Alzheimer disease discrimination

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is considered one of the most disabling diseases and it has a high prevalence in developed countries. It is as well the most common cause of dementia and it affects particularly the elderly. The current AD diagnosis accuracy is relatively low. It is therefore necessary to optimize the methods for AD detection. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is an inexpensive and noninvasive technique, that is able to record the electromagnetic fields produced by the brain activity. It has shown in the recent past a growing quality of the contribution to show brain disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the individual and combined power of several EEG features in AD discrimination. 95.00% of sensitivity, 100.00% of specificity, 97.06% of accuracy and 0.98 of AUC were the best classification results obtained in this work

Alzheimer’s early prediction with electroencephalogram

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently an incurable illness that causes dementia and patienfs condition is progressively worse and it represents one ofthe greatest public health challenges worldwide. The main objective ofthis work was to develop a classificatiwmethodology for EEG signals to improve discrimination amongst patients at varying stages ofthe illness, Mitd Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients and non-patients either in order to obtain a more reliable methodology to identify AD in early stages.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electroencephalogram hybrid method for alzheimer early detection

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurocognitive illness that leads to dementia and mainly affects the elderly. As the percentage of old people is strongly increasing worldwide, it is urgent to develop contributions to solve this complex problem. The early diagnosis at AD first stage known as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) needs a better accuracy and there is not a biomarker able to detect AD without invasive tests. In this study, Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals have been used to serve as a way of finding parameters to improve AD diagnosis in first stages. For that, a hybrid method based on a Cepstral analysis of EEG Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) multiband decomposition was developed. Several Cepstral Distances (CD) were extracted to verify the lag between cepstra of conventional bands signals. The results showed that this hybrid method is a good tool for describing and distinguishing the AD EEG activity along its different stages because several statistically significant parameters variations were found between controls, MCI, moderate AD and advanced AD (the lowest p-value=0.003<0.05).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Um ano de escola n'A Minha Praia – sensibilização para a problemática do lixo marinho utilizando a ciência-cidadã como ferramenta

Um ano de escola n’A Minha Praia – sensibilização para a problemática do lixo marinho utilizando a ciência-cidadã como ferramenta O Algarve reúne um conjunto de características que o tornam particularmente vulnerável à presença de lixo marinho e aos seus efeitos nefastos: uma orla costeira longa (aprox. 200km), um destino turístico muito popular, uma população residente concentrada no litoral e uma fração significativa da sociedade cuja subsistência depende de atividades económicas ligadas ao mar (pesca, marisqueio, extração de sal, passeios turísticos, etc.). Foi tendo em conta a magnitude e as consequências da propagação do lixo marinho na região que o Centro Ciência Viva de Tavira coordenou o projeto A Minha Praia, um dos vencedores da primeira edição do Orçamento Participativo Portugal (OPP) em 2017, e cuja execução foi garantida pela colaboração entre os três Centros Ciência Viva (CCVs) no Algarve, com o envolvimento de várias entidades regionais e nacionais. Este projeto permitiu que cerca de 933 alunos provenientes de 17 escolas fossem sensibilizados para a conservação do meio marinho, para hábitos de consumo sustentáveis e para o civismo ambiental, em simultâneo com ações de ciência-cidadã, nas quais periodicamente monitorizavam a presença de lixo marinho em seis praias da costa sul do Algarve. Ainda dentro da função didática do projeto, demonstramos a valorização do plástico (que é o maior componente do lixo marinho), aproveitando-o, reciclando-o e transformando-o em novos objetos que prolongam a sua utilidade.Esta apresentação foi dinamizada no âmbito do projecto OPP-A Minha (OPP220/437), financiado pela Ciência Viva - Agência Nacional para a Cultura Científica e Tecnológica e pela FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fungal Antagonism Assessment of Predatory Species and Producers Metabolites and Their Effectiveness on Haemonchus contortus Infective Larvae

The objective of this study was to assess antagonism of nematophagous fungi and species producers metabolites and their effectiveness on Haemonchus contortus infective larvae (L 3 ). Assay A assesses the synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effect on the production of spores of fungal isolates of the species Duddingtonia flagrans, Clonostachys rosea, Trichoderma esau, and Arthrobotrys musiformis; Assay B evaluates in vitro the effect of intercropping of these isolates grown in 2% water-agar (2% WA) on L 3 of H. contortus. D. flagrans (Assay A) produced 5.3 × 10 6 spores and associated with T. esau, A. musiformis, or C. rosea reduced its production by 60.37, 45.28, and 49.05%, respectively. T. esau produced 7.9 × 10 7 conidia and associated with D. flagrans, A. musiformis, or C. rosea reduced its production by 39.24, 82.27, and 96.96%, respectively. A. musiformis produced 7.3 × 10 9 spores and associated with D. flagrans, T. esau, or C. rosea reduced its production by 99.98, 99.99, and 99.98%, respectively. C. rosea produced 7.3 × 10 8 conidia and associated with D. flagrans, T. esau, or A. musiformis reduced its production by 95.20, 96.84, and 93.56%, respectively. These results show evidence of antagonism in the production of spores between predators fungi

SARS-CoV-2 introductions and early dynamics of the epidemic in Portugal

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal was rapidly implemented by the National Institute of Health in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, in collaboration with more than 50 laboratories distributed nationwide. Methods By applying recent phylodynamic models that allow integration of individual-based travel history, we reconstructed and characterized the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARSCoV-2 introductions and early dissemination in Portugal. Results We detected at least 277 independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions, mostly from European countries (namely the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland), which were consistent with the countries with the highest connectivity with Portugal. Although most introductions were estimated to have occurred during early March 2020, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 was silently circulating in Portugal throughout February, before the first cases were confirmed. Conclusions Here we conclude that the earlier implementation of measures could have minimized the number of introductions and subsequent virus expansion in Portugal. This study lays the foundation for genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, and highlights the need for systematic and geographically-representative genomic surveillance.We gratefully acknowledge to Sara Hill and Nuno Faria (University of Oxford) and Joshua Quick and Nick Loman (University of Birmingham) for kindly providing us with the initial sets of Artic Network primers for NGS; Rafael Mamede (MRamirez team, IMM, Lisbon) for developing and sharing a bioinformatics script for sequence curation (https://github.com/rfm-targa/BioinfUtils); Philippe Lemey (KU Leuven) for providing guidance on the implementation of the phylodynamic models; Joshua L. Cherry (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) for providing guidance with the subsampling strategies; and all authors, originating and submitting laboratories who have contributed genome data on GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) on which part of this research is based. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government. This study is co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nationwide access to endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke in portugal

Publisher Copyright: Copyright Ordem dos M dicos 2021.Introduction: Since the publication of endovascular treatment trials and European Stroke Guidelines, Portugal has re-organized stroke healthcare. The nine centers performing endovascular treatment are not equally distributed within the country, which may lead to differential access to endovascular treatment. Our main aim was to perform a descriptive analysis of the main treatment metrics regarding endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal and its administrative districts. Material and Methods: A retrospective national multicentric cohort study was conducted, including all ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal over two years (July 2015 to June 2017). All endovascular treatment centers contributed to an anonymized database. Demographic, stroke-related and procedure-related variables were collected. Crude endovascular treatment rates were calculated per 100 000 inhabitants for mainland Portugal, and each district and endovascular treatment standardized ratios (indirect age-sex standardization) were also calculated. Patient time metrics were computed as the median time between stroke onset, first-door, and puncture. Results: A total of 1625 endovascular treatment procedures were registered. The endovascular treatment rate was 8.27/100 000 inhabitants/year. We found regional heterogeneity in endovascular treatment rates (1.58 to 16.53/100 000/year), with higher rates in districts closer to endovascular treatment centers. When analyzed by district, the median time from stroke onset to puncture ranged from 212 to 432 minutes, reflecting regional heterogeneity. Discussion: Overall endovascular treatment rates and procedural times in Portugal are comparable to other international registries. We found geographic heterogeneity, with lower endovascular treatment rates and longer onset-to-puncture time in southern and inner regions. Conclusion: The overall national rate of EVT in the first two years after the organization of EVT-capable centers is one of the highest among European countries, however, significant regional disparities were documented. Moreover, stroke-onset-to-first-door times and in-hospital procedural times in the EVT centers were comparable to those reported in the randomized controlled trials performed in high-volume tertiary hospitalspublishersversionpublishe

Acesso a Tratamento Endovascular para Acidente Vascular Cerebral Isquémico em Portugal

Introduction: Since the publication of endovascular treatment trials and European Stroke Guidelines, Portugal has re-organized stroke healthcare. The nine centers performing endovascular treatment are not equally distributed within the country, which may lead to differential access to endovascular treatment. Our main aim was to perform a descriptive analysis of the main treatment metrics regarding endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal and its administrative districts. Material and Methods: A retrospective national multicentric cohort study was conducted, including all ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal over two years (July 2015 to June 2017). All endovascular treatment centers contributed to an anonymized database. Demographic, stroke-related and procedure-related variables were collected. Crude endovascular treatment rates were calculated per 100 000 inhabitants for mainland Portugal, and each district and endovascular treatment standardized ratios (indirect age-sex standardization) were also calculated. Patient time metrics were computed as the median time between stroke onset, first-door, and puncture. Results: A total of 1625 endovascular treatment procedures were registered. The endovascular treatment rate was 8.27/100 000 inhabitants/year. We found regional heterogeneity in endovascular treatment rates (1.58 to 16.53/100 000/year), with higher rates in districts closer to endovascular treatment centers. When analyzed by district, the median time from stroke onset to puncture ranged from 212 to 432 minutes, reflecting regional heterogeneity. Conclusion: The overall national rate of EVT in the first two years after the organization of EVT-capable centers is one of the highest among European countries, however, significant regional disparities were documented. Moreover, stroke-onset-to-first-door times and in-hospital procedural times in the EVT centers were comparable to those reported in the randomized controlled trials performed in high-volume tertiary hospitals.Introdução: A aprovação do tratamento endovascular para o acidente vascular cerebral isquémico obrigou à reorganização dos cuidados de saúde em Portugal. Os nove centros que realizam tratamento endovascular não estão distribuídos equitativamente pelo território, o que poderá causar acesso diferencial a tratamento. O principal objetivo deste estudo é realizar uma análise descritiva da frequência e métricas temporais do tratamento endovascular em Portugal continental e seus distritos. Material e Métodos: Estudo de coorte nacional multicêntrico, incluindo todos os doentes com acidente vascular cerebral isquémico submetidos a tratamento endovascular em Portugal continental durante um período de dois anos (julho 2015 a junho 2017). Foram colhidos dados demográficos, relacionados com o acidente vascular cerebral e variáveis do procedimento. Taxas de tratamento endovascular brutas e ajustadas (ajuste indireto a idade e sexo) foram calculadas por 100 000 habitantes/ano para Portugal continental e cada distrito. Métricas de procedimento como tempo entre instalação, primeira porta e punção foram também analisadas. Resultados: Foram registados 1625 tratamentos endovasculares, indicando uma taxa bruta nacional de tratamento endovascular de 8,27/100 000 habitantes/ano. As taxas de tratamento endovascular entre distritos variaram entre 1,58 e 16,53/100 000/ano, com taxas mais elevadas nos distritos próximos a hospitais com tratamento endovascular. O tempo entre sintomas e punção femural entre distritos variou entre 212 e 432 minutos. Conclusão: Portugal continental apresenta uma taxa nacional de tratamento endovascular elevada, apresentando, contudo, assimetrias regionais no acesso. As métricas temporais foram comparáveis com as observadas nos ensaios clínicos piloto