A Comparative Study of Code Query Technologies

When analyzing software systems we are faced with the challenge of how to implement a particular analysis for different programming languages. A solution for this problem is to write a single analysis using a code query language abstracting from the specificities of languages being analyzed. Over the past ten years many code query technologies have been developed, based on different formalisms. Each technology comes with its own query language and set of features. To determine the state of the art of code querying we compare the languages and tools for seven code query technologies: Grok, Rscript, JRelCal, SemmleCode, JGraLab, CrocoPat and JTransformer. The specification of a package stability metric is used as a running example to compare the languages. The comparison involves twelve criteria, some of which are concerned with properties of the query language (paradigm, types, parametrization, polymorphism, modularity, and libraries), and some of which are concerned with the tool itself (output formats, interactive interface, API support, interchange formats, extraction support, and licensing). We contextualize the criteria in two usage scenarios: interactive and tool integration. We conclude that there is no particularly weak or dominant tool. As important improvement points, we identify the lack of library mechanisms, interchange formats, and possibilities for integration with source code extraction components

Finite element simulation of daily activities held by the intervertebral disc

The spine is a complex system, capable of maintaining stability and simultaneously performing movements and the lumbar region is fundamental for this ability. The present work aims to validate a Finite Elements (FE) model of a lumbar motion segment, through numerical simulation of the required mobility on the intervertebral disc, accordingly to some daily activities. For this study, only the simplest motion on the spine was simulated: flexion, extension and lateral bending. The biomechanical response of the FE model has proved to be suitable for predictions on flexion, but on extension and lateral flexion unexpected extension angles were obtained. These results showed the need of improvements in the mesh geometry, along with the introduction of a model considering of the external ligaments restraining effect, in order to get a more reliable and closer to reality simulation of the all biomechanical system

A diversificação das receitas bancárias: seu impacto sobre o risco e o retorno dos bancos brasileiros

O objetivo deste estudo é determinar o impacto da diversificação das receitas bancárias sobre o risco e o retorno dos bancos brasileiros. Essa estratégia foi adotada por bancos em diversos países, inclusive no Brasil. Em 2003, as receitas noninterest (não decorrentes de juros) representavam 17,80% da receita operacional dos bancos analisados e, em 2014, essa participação havia aumentado para 27,40%. Embora muitos estudos tenham abordado a questão para bancos americanos, europeus e asiáticos, este tema ainda não foi abordado para uma amostra de bancos brasileiros. Como o setor bancário é uma variável crucial à estabilidade do sistema financeiro, é importante estudar os fatores que afetam o risco e o retorno dos bancos. Analisamos a amostra para o período entre 2003 e 2014, utilizando dados em painel dinâmico através do Método Generalizado dos Momentos para abordar questões de endogeneidade, heterocedasticidade e autocorrelação. Nossos principais resultados mostram que as receitas noninterest possuem um papel importante no desempenho dos bancos estudados; nossa análise das atividades de intermediação financeira mostrou que as operações de crédito produziram melhores resultados do que as atividades de negociação de títulos. Além disso, confirmando as hipóteses propostas, as receitas noninterest apresentaram, de maneira geral, um impacto positivo sobre o retorno e o retorno ajustado ao risco nos bancos estudados. Entretanto, ao contrário do que esperávamos, as receitas noninterest mostraram uma relação positiva com o risco desses bancos (embora estatisticamente não significativa). É importante destacar as variáveis de controle, ou seja, a taxa de juros real, o PIB e o crescimento bancário, as quais foram relevantes para a determinação do desempenho dos bancos.The present study aims to determine the impact of bank revenue diversification on Brazilian banks’ risk and return. This strategy has been adopted by banks in several countries, including Brazil. In 2003, noninterest income accounted for 17.80% of the operating revenue of the banks analyzed, and in 2014, this share increased to 27.40%. While many studies have addressed the subject in American, European and Asian banks, it still has not been approached in a sample of Brazilian banks. Since the banking industry is a key variable for the financial system’s stability, it is important to study the factors that affect banks’ risk and return. We analyzed the sample for the period from 2003 to 2014, using dynamic panel data GMM (Generalized Method of Moments) to address endogeneity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation problems. Our main results show that noninterest income has a major role in the performance of the banks studied; our analysis of financial intermediation activities showed that loan operations produced better results than trading. Moreover, confirming the hypotheses proposed, noninterest income showed a generally positive impact on return and risk adjusted return for the banks studied. However, against our expectation, noninterest income showed a positive relationship with the risk of these banks (although not statistically significant). It is worth highlighting the control variables, i.e., real interest rate, GDP and bank growth, which were relevant in determining bank performance

Sugarcane bagasse delignification with potassium hydroxide for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis

The optimization of an alkaline pretreatment process for the delignification of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) to enhance the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis was performed according to the Doehlert uniform shell design. In this experimental design, the effect of two factors—potassium hydroxide (KOH) concentration and autoclaving time at 121 C (1 atm)—on cellulose, hemicellulose, or the total polysaccharide and lignin content in SCB was evaluated. This response surface methodology revealed that KOH concentration is the factor that most influences the chemical characteristics of treated SCB (SCBt), with optimal conditions for the highest delignification being KOH in the range 5–10% (w/v) and an autoclaving time of 35 min, which provides an average of 97% total polysaccharides without inhibitor accumulation (furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural) and #5% lignin. SCBt samples from two pretreatment conditions (KOH 3.25% – 13 min; KOH 10% – 35 min) were selected, based on the greatest delignification (70–74%) and polysaccharide availability (95–97%) after pretreatment, and further hydrolysed for fermentable sugar production. High sugar yields were obtained from both the pretreated samples (866 to 880 mg sugar per g biomass, respectively) in contrast with the 129 mg sugar per g raw biomass obtained from untreated SCB. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of KOH alkali pretreatments, which improves the overall digestibility of raw SCB polysaccharides from about 18% up to 91%. However, harsh alkali treatment (KOH 10%) is the most effective if the highest glucose/xylose ratio in the final sugar-rich hydrolysate is the aim. Hence, the use of sugar-rich hydrolysates obtained from SCBt as the carbon source for industrial purposes may provide a sustainable and economic solution for the production of bio-based added-value products, such as second generation (2G) bioethanol

System architecture for home muscle rehabilitation treatment

The constant loss of functional capacity due to aging is a serious problem that can severely worsen the quality of life. Among the possible treatments, muscles electrostimulation can be a viable option because it is cheap and easy to access. With the evolution of wearable devices and the Internet of Things, this paper proposes a system architecture that enables an electrostimulation treatment to be performed at the patient’s home. For that, a scenario is presented in which the physiotherapist sets the treatment parameters online and the patient performs the electrostimulation sessions using a wearable with biofeedback sensors. To test the proposed architecture, a prototype capable of simulating a muscle rehabilitation treatment was implemented. The prototype was successful in performing the proposed scenario, following the defined rules for electrostimulation and collecting biofeedback at the same time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Constraint-aware schema transformation

Ninth International Workshop on Rule-Based Programming (Rule 2008)Data schema transformations occur in the context of software evolution, refactoring, and cross-paradigm data mappings. When constraints exist on the initial schema, these need to be transformed into constraints on the target schema. Moreover, when high-level data types are refined to lower level structures, additional target schema constraints must be introduced to balance the loss of structure and preserve semantics. We introduce an algebraic approach to schema transformation that is constraint-aware in the sense that constraints are preserved from source to target schemas and that new constraints are introduced where needed. Our approach is based on refinement theory and point-free program transformation. Data refinements are modeled as rewrite rules on types that carry point-free predicates as constraints. At each rewrite step, the predicate on the reduct is computed from the predicate on the redex. An additional rewrite system on point-free functions is used to normalize the predicates that are built up along rewrite chains. We implemented our rewrite systems in a type-safe way in the functional programming language Haskell. We demonstrate their application to constraint-aware hierarchical-relational mappings.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(SFRH/BD/30215/2006

Skin byproducts of reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Greenland Halibut) as ecosustainable source of marine collagen

Collagen is a ubiquitous protein present in the extracellular matrix of all major metazoan animals, with approximately 28 different human collagen types described in the literature, each with unique physicochemical properties. Collagens found broad application in the cosmeceutical, pharmaceutical, and biomedical fields and can be isolated from environmentally sustainable sources such as marine byproducts, which are abundant in the fish processing industry and are highly appealing low-cost sources. In this study, marine collagen was isolated from the skins of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), an unexplored byproduct from fish processing plants, using three different collagen extraction methods, due to the use of distinct salting-out methods using a solution of 2.6 M NaCl + 0.05 M Tris-HCl pH = 7.5, (method I); a combination of 0.7 M NaCl followed by a solution of 2.3 M NaCl + 0.05 M Tris-HCl pH = 7.5 (method II); and one method using only 0.9 M NaCl (method III), yielding COLRp_I, COLRp_II, and COLRp_III collagens. These extracted type I collagens were produced with a yield of around 2 and 4% and characterized regarding the physicochemical properties, considering possible biotechnological applications. This work evidenced that the typical triple helix structure conformation was preserved in all extraction methods, but influenced the thermal behavior, intrinsic morphology, and moisture capacity of the collagens, with interest for biotechnological application, as the incorporation as an ingredient in cosmetic formulation. Furthermore, the use of collagen isolated from skin byproducts represents a high economic value with decreasing collagen cost for industrial purposes and is also an environmentally sustainable source for industrial uses

A modeling domain-specific language for IoT-enabled operating systems

With the increased complexity of low-end devices in the Internet of Things (IoT), mainly due to the connectivity and interoperability requirements, the development and configuration of embedded operating systems (OSes) for such devices is not straight forward. The complexity of the communication requirements is usually mitigated by the OS, e.g., the Contiki-OS, as it already incorporates an IoT-compliant network stack. Yet, the configuration of such stack requires major knowledge on the code structure, leading to additional development time, particularly when the network comprises several wireless nodes and individual configurations with subsequent firmware that needs to be generated. Based on a developed software modeling domain-specific language, this paper presents the EL4IoT framework. It aims to reduce and ease the development time by promoting a design automation tool that can configure, and automatically generate code (ready to compile) for low-end IoT devices running the Contiki-OS. Although leveraging the whole Contiki-OS modeling, this work only refactored and modeled the network stack while approaching the OS itself as one big building block or component. The proposed approach can be extended to other IoT-enabled OSes as well as integrated in other design automation tools.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013. Tiago Gomes is supported by FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/90162/2012

Three-dimensional CFD analysis of the hand and forearm in swimming

The purpose of this study was to analyze the hydrodynamic characteristics of a realistic model of an elite swimmer hand/forearm using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics techniques. A three-dimensional domain was designed to simulate the fluid flow around a swimmer hand and forearm model in different orientations (0°, 45°, and 90° for the three axes Ox, Oy and Oz). The hand/forearm model was obtained through computerized tomography scans. Steady-state analyses were performed using the commercial code Fluent. The drag coefficient presented higher values than the lift coefficient for all model orientations. The drag coefficient of the hand/forearm model increased with the angle of attack, with the maximum value of the force coefficient corresponding to an angle of attack of 90°. The drag coefficient obtained the highest value at an orientation of the hand plane in which the model was directly perpendicular to the direction of the flow. An important contribution of the lift coefficient was observed at an angle of attack of 45°, which could have an important role in the overall propulsive force production of the hand and forearm in swimming phases, when the angle of attack is near 45°.Lif