Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2024-09"
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- The Dianalund experience: A review of the 6th ILAE School on Advanced EEG and EpilepsyPublication . Borges, Daniel Filipe; Primicerio, Giulia; Perjoc, Radu‐Ștefan; Bloch, Lars Ølgaard; Cacic Hribljan, MelitaThe 6th International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)School on Advanced EEG and Epilepsy (DSSEE6) tookplace between July 20 and 28, 2024. It is a biennial courseheld in Dianalund @ Danish Epilepsy Center—Filadelfia,Denmark, since 2012. This year's event was hosted in ahybrid format and was organized under the auspices ofthe ILAE Academy and the Danish Epilepsy Society.
- Crowdfunding for sustainable development projects: Empirical analysis of a Portuguese sustainability-oriented plataformPublication . Bernardino, Susana; Santos, José de Freitas; Vicente, LeonorFunding has been identified as one of the main barriers to entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on female entrepreneurship, for whom access to traditional sources of finance is recognised as particularly difficult. Crowdfunding (CF) has emerged as an alternative fundraising source, which exploits the digital environment to bring together entrepreneurs looking for funding to develop their projects (crowdfunders) and potential investors (crowdfundees). The last few years have seen a growth in CF activities worldwide, both in terms of the amount of money raised and the number of platforms created. This growth has also led to the emergence of platforms that specialise in the financing of projects that are developed for specific targets and types of CF. In Portugal, a crowdlending platform specifically dedicated to financing projects that contribute to sustainable development was launched in 2017. To this day the GO Parity platform remains the only one in the country in this area. This study investigates the Portuguese CF campaigns carried out on the GO Parity platform with the objectives: i) to examine the characteristics of the sustainable development projects that have been posted to attract investors; ii), to explore the characteristics of the CF operations carried out in the platform; iii) to understand the extent to which gender can influence the use of CF as a source of fundraising for sustainable projects. The results of the study show that most of the projects aimed to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals related to the renewable and accessible energy (SDG7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG9) and sustainable production and consumption (SDG12). These projects were implemented in different sectors of activity and in different regions of Portugal, albeit with a predominance in the capital city (Lisbon) and the Central geographical area. In the majority of cases, the CF was used to support the implementation of the sustainable development project and was the only source of funding that was used. In general, the projects were able to mobilise funding under conditions that could be considered favourable regarding the time taken to obtain the funding, the amount of money obtained and the interest rate applied, although many of the operations made use of credit guarantees. The results show a low presence of women in projects using the CF platform, in terms of the shareholder structure of the project, the presence in the management bodies or the composition of the working teams. There is some influence of gender on the characteristics of the CF operation. In particular, having women as shareholders might affect the amount financed, the objectives pursued or the guarantees provided. The presence of women in management positions affects some of the guarantees used as well as the purpose of the financing. The same applies to the duration of the financing, the level of risk or the guarantees provided, depending on the degree of feminisation of the project staff.
- An eco-friendly approach for analysing sugars, minerals, and colour in brown sugar using digital image processing and machine learningPublication . Alves, Vandressa; Santos, Jeferson M. dos; Viegas, Olga; Pinto, Edgar; Ferreira, Isabel M.P.L.V.O.; Lima, Vanderlei Aparecido; Felsner, Maria L.Brown sugar is a natural sweetener obtained by thermal processing, with interesting nutritional characteristics. However, it has significant sensory variability, which directly affects product quality and consumer choice. Therefore, developing rapid methods for its quality control is desirable. This work proposes a fast, environmentally friendly, and accurate method for the simultaneous analysis of sucrose, reducing sugars, minerals and ICUMSA colour in brown sugar, using an innovative strategy that combines digital image processing acquired by smartphone cell with machine learning. Data extracted from the digital images, as well as experimentally determined contents of the physicochemical characteristics and elemental profile were the variables adopted for building predictive regression models by applying the kNN algorithm. The models achieved the highest predictive capacity for the Ca, ICUMSA colour, Fe and Zn, with coefficients of determination (R2) ≥ 92.33 %. Lower R2 values were observed for sucrose (81.16 %), reducing sugars (85.67 %), Mn (83.36 %) and Mg (86.97 %). Low data dispersion was found for all the predictive models generated (RMSE < 0.235). The AGREE Metric assessed the green profile and determined that the proposed approach is superior in relation to conventional methods because it avoids the use of solvents and toxic reagents, consumes minimal energy, produces no toxic waste, and is safer for analysts. The combination of digital image processing (DIP) and the kNN algorithm provides a fast, non-invasive and sustainable analytical approach. It streamlines and improves quality control of brown sugar, enabling the production of sweeteners that meet consumer demands and industry standards.
- Target selection criteria for intervention in speech sound disorders: the practice of portuguese SLTsPublication . Costa, Sofia; Patrício, Brígida; Baptista, Ana Catarina; Rodrigues, Susana; Patrício, BrígidaSpeech Sound Disorder (SSD) is one of the most prevalent diagnoses in early childhood. Children with SSD represent a heterogeneous group, which poses great challenges to the Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) when planning therapeutic intervention. Recently, the importance of combining traditional and new selection criteria to respond more effectively to children with SSD has been addressed. The traditional criteria present little or no scientific evidence and are based on the intuition and experience of the SLT. The newer criteria are guided by scientific evidence, based on linguistic aspects. This study aims to identify the target selection criteria used by Portuguese SLT with children with SSD. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Portugal. The questionnaire used was adapted from the study of Brumbaugh and Smit (2013). The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. There were 128 respondents. The majority (96.1%) were females and over 70% of the respondents held a Bachelor’s degree and almost 40% finished their degree more than 15 years ago. Around 69% of them have specialized training in SSD. The most used target selection criteria are:“Phonological awareness in addition to intervening in speech sounds” (85.5%); “Phonological awareness to improve speech production” (84.4%); “Target sounds that are stimulable” (77.3%); “Intervention targets taking into account the child’s oromotor planning skills” (77%); “Target sounds with the greatest impact on intelligibility” (72.4%) and “Target sounds taking into account the order of acquisition expected in development” (71.1%). Despite the scientific evidence of the newer criteria and specialized training in SSD of the respondents of this study, the traditional criteria continue to be among the most used by Portuguese SLT. To guarantee the intervention's efficiency, SLT should focus more on using the new selection criteria into their practices to promote a better change in the children's phonological system. SSD; Intervention; Target Selection Criteria
- Therapy approaches for children with SSD: current practice of SLTs working in PortugalPublication . Costa, Sofia; Patrício, Brígida; Baptista, A. C.; Rodrigues, S.; Patrício, BrígidaSpeech Sound Disorders (SSD) are the most common communication difficulties among preschool children . Recently, SLTs' role in managing SSD has garnered significant attention, leading to the development of various therapeutic approaches, from traditional articulation therapy to contemporary phonological and motor-based interventions. The choice of approach depends on the child's specific needs, disorder severity, and the therapist's expertise and should be guided by evidence-based practice (EBP). It is crucial to understand which intervention approaches are currently most prevalent.
- Portuguese speech and language therapists’ practices: services delivery for children with speech sound disordersPublication . Costa, Sofia; Patrício, Brígida; Baptista, Ana Catarina; Rodrigues, Susana; Patrício, BrígidaFactors such as session frequency and format (individual and/or group) can impact the efficacy of therapeutic interventions for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Although research on this topic is limited, it is important to understand the current practices of Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) and compare them to existing studies on services delivery for SSD.
- A cross-national investigation of psychosis-like experiences in five European countries included in the E-CLECTIC study: Psychometric challenges in studying their measurementPublication . Siddi, Sara; Ochoa, Susana; Larøi, Frank; Lincoln, Tania M.; Schlier, Bjorn; Zaytseva, Yuliya; Laloyaux, Julien; Kozáková, Eva; Cella, Matteo; Ntouros, Evangelos; Bozikas, Vasileios; Rocha, Nuno; Gawęda, Łukasz; Rocha, Susana Aguiar; Preti, AntonioPsychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are subtle, subclinical perturbations of perceptions and thoughts and are common in the general population. Their characterisation and unidimensionality are still debated. This study was conducted by the Electronic–halluCinations-Like Experiences Cross-culTural International Consortium (E-CLECTIC) and aimed at measuring the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) factorial structure across five European countries (Belgium; Czech Republic, Germany; Greece, and Spain) and testing the adequacy of the unidimensional polytomous Rasch model of the tool via Partial Credit Model (PCM) of the CAPE to detect people with a high risk for developing psychosis. The sample included 1461 participants from the general population. The factorial analysis confirmed the best fit for the bifactor implementation of the three-factor model, including the positive, negative and depressive dimensions and a general factor. Moreover, the unidimensional polytomous Rasch analysis confirmed that CAPE responses reflected one underlying psychosis proneness. The study proved that the CAPE measures a single latent dimension of psychosis-proneness. The CAPE might help locate and estimate psychosis risk and can be used as a screening tool in primary care settings/education settings.
- Desenvolvimento de metodologias para a acreditação da amostragem realizada pelo laboratório do CEA-ISEPPublication . Viana, João Lucas de Souza; Pereira, Isabel Maria BrásO presente trabalho que consiste no desenvolvimento de metodologias para a acreditação da amostragem realizada pelo laboratório do CEA (LCEA), foca-se na criação de metodologias e procedimentos para obter a acreditação da amostragem, segundo a norma NP EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018, de águas destinadas ao consumo humano, de piscinas e processos, para análise de parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos. Inclui-se ainda a amostragem para análise de Legionella de acordo com o despacho 1547/2022. O estudo realizado sublinha a importância da acreditação na análise de águas destacando como ela garante a rastreabilidade, a qualidade e a fiabilidade dos resultados. É igualmente relevante o contexto legal e normativo em que este trabalho foi proposto e desenvolvido. No caso particular das águas destinadas ao consumo humano, por exemplo, a acreditação da amostragem tornou-se obrigatória pelo Decreto-Lei n.º 69/2023, de 21 de agosto, para os laboratórios no âmbito do plano de controlo de qualidade da água. A elaboração dos vários procedimentos de amostragem foi feita com base nas referências normativas em vigor. Incluiu-se a definição do controlo de qualidade interno (CQI) e externo aplicáveis e a indicação das ferramentas de mais adequadas (brancos, replicados e amostras fortificadas). Foram consideradas e detalhadas as etapas práticas de colheita e manipulação das amostras (preservação, transporte e armazenamento) para os diferentes tipos de águas e parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos. Foi realizado um estudo concreto para a aplicação dos procedimentos desenvolvidos a dois processos de amostragem, em águas de piscinas e águas destinadas ao consumo humano, em que foi possível verificar, a partir dos resultados do CQI aplicado (brancos, replicados e amostras fortificadas), que os erros associáveis à amostragem não eram superiores aos erros analíticos. Fez-se ainda um estudo de estimativa da incerteza associada à amostragem de águas de piscinas para determinação de condutividade (método de amplitudes e ANOVA). Obtiveram-se incertezas expandidas e coeficientes de variação (CV = 0,48%) da mesma ordem de grandeza dos valores obtidos para a análise do parâmetro (CV = 0,44%). Considera-se que o trabalho desenvolvido foi um contributo muito importante para o processo de acreditação das atividades de amostragem realizadas pelo LCEA.
- Projeto de encurvadura em secções tubularesPublication . Santos, Diogo Alexandre Moreira dos; Fonseca, Elza Maria MoraisEsta dissertação apresenta um estudo sobre a estabilidade de colunas com secção tubular sujeitos a cargas de compressão, motivado pelo amplo uso destes perfis na indústria para diversas finalidades. Assim, é fundamental analisar este tipo de colunas para entender os efeitos de encurvadura, que podem comprometer a integridade estrutural se não foram devidamente considerados. Inicialmente, é realizada uma revisão bibliográfica, para identificar as aplicações dessas estruturas, as propriedades dos materiais e a geometria. Através do Eurocódigo 3 – Parte 1-1, são identificados quais os parâmetros necessários a utilizar na fase de projeto, e fazer um levantamento das equações necessárias. No desenvolvimento do estudo, são abordadas duas metodologias distintas, metodologia analítica, baseada nas equações do Eurocódigo 3 – Parte 1-1, e a metodologia computacional, que utiliza os métodos numéricos fundamentados no método de elementos finitos. No método analítico, é realizada uma análise para diferentes geometrias tubulares, nomeadamente circulares, quadradas e retangulares, apresentando todas as equações necessárias para efetuar o estudo de estabilidade em colunas com secção tubular. Ambos os métodos utilizam as mesmas condições de fronteira, para permitir uma comparação dos resultados obtidos. Para o modelo computacional, a análise foi realizada apenas para colunas de secção quadrada, este modelo utilizou um programa de elementos finitos para obter os valores da carga crítica de Euler, carga plástica e a resistência à encurvadura de projeto. Com a comparação dos resultados obtidos entre os dois modelos, conclui-se que a utilização do método de elementos finitos é uma metodologia viável e precisa para efetuar este tipo de análise. Posteriormente, foi idealizado um novo modelo de estudo, recorrendo ao método computacional, no qual a secção transversal da coluna não é uniforme, com furos ao longo da coluna. Assim foi possível entender a influência destes furos na estabilidade da coluna e comparar os resultados obtidos para as colunas de secção uniforme, uma vez que as equações de projeto presentes no Eurocódigo 3 – Parte 1-1, são limitadas à aplicação em colunas com secção uniforme.
- Allostatic interoception in frontotemporal dementia: A scoping review protocolPublication . Carneiro, Fábio; Hazelton, Jessica L.; Campos, Carlos; Ibáñez, Agustín; Ferreira-Santos, FernandoFrontotemporal dementia (FTD) encompasses a spectrum of disorders characterized by distinct behavioral, cognitive, and motor symptoms. Deficits in interoception and allostasis have garnered attention, considering the involvement of the allostatic-interoceptive network in FTD, their contribution to canonical social cognitive and affective deficits, and the identification of whole-body biomarkers related to autonomic and allostatic processes. Traditionally, interoception has been defined as the perception of visceral signals, yet contemporary understandings broaden this to encompass both the representation and regulation of the physiological state across bodily tissues. Consequently, interoceptive deficits in FTD extend beyond classical viscerosensory paradigms to include pain, temperature, autonomic, metabolic, immune, and neuroendocrine phenomena. Allostasis involves the prospective regulation of energy balance, as well as the anticipation and adaptive response to homeostatic challenges. These repeated challenges result in physiological consequences measurable by markers of allostatic load, spanning various bodily systems. Despite emerging evidence highlighting dysfunction in interoception and allostasis in FTD, the literature remains fragmented, lacking cohesive reviews addressing the diverse mechanisms comprehensively. Thus, this scoping review examines the reciprocal interaction between brain and bodily physiology (interoception) and the physiological responses to environmental demands (allostatic load) in FTD. Following the principles outlined in the PRISMA statement, we will systematically search and screen quantitative primary research studies on patients with FTD, utilizing interoceptive or allostatic metrics. By synthesizing the existing literature, we aim to identify active research areas, delineate primary deficits across physiological systems, uncover syndrome-specific patterns of dysfunction, and identify the most promising and understudied domains in this field.