Contributo para o mapeamento de responsabilidades e atividades em empresas de TI

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão de Sistemas de Informação

Urbanismo participativo e resiliência das comunidades: especificação de uma aplicação

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão de Sistemas de Informação

All over the place localization system

The MAP-i Doctoral Programme in Informatics, of the Universities of Minho, Aveiro and Porto

Metaphorisms in programming

This paper introduces the metaphorism pattern of relational specification and addresses how specification following this pattern can be refined into recursive programs. Metaphorisms express input-output relationships which preserve relevant information while at the same time some intended optimization takes place. Text processing, sorting, representation changers, etc., are examples of metaphorisms. The kind of metaphorism refinement proposed in this paper is a strategy known as change of virtual data structure. It gives sufficient conditions for such implementations to be calculated using relation algebra and illustrates the strategy with the derivation of quicksort as example.

As universidades e a participação pública em ciência. Perceções e práticas de cientistas, profissionais de comunicação e cidadãos em Portugal e Espanha

Tese de doutoramento em Ciência da Comunicação.

Using mouse dynamics to assess stress during online exams

"Lecture notes in computer science series", ISSN 0302-9743, vol. 9121

Digital literacy, technology and social inclusion: making sense of one-to-one computer programmes around the world

This book was produced in the scope of a research project entitled “Navigating with ‘Magalhães’: Study on the Impact of Digital Media in Schoolchildren”. This study was conducted between May 2010 and May 2013 at the Communication and Society Research Centre, University of Minho, Portugal and it was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/CCI-COM/101381/2008).

Introduction [to Digital literacy, technology and social inclusion: making sense of one-to-one computer programmes around the world]

This book was produced in the scope of a research project entitled “Navigating with ‘Magalhães’: Study on the Impact of Digital Media in Schoolchildren”. This study was conducted between May 2010 and May 2013 at the Communication and Society Research Centre, University of Minho, Portugal and it was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/CCI-COM/101381/2008). As we shall explain in more detail later in this book, the main objective of that research project was to analyse the impact of the Portuguese government programme named ´e-escolinha´ launched in 2008 within the Technological Plan for Education. This Plan responds to the principles of the Lisbon Strategy signed in 2000 and rereleased in the Spring European Council of 2005.

Factors associated with willingness to donate embryos for research among couples undergoing IVF

Between 2011 and 2012, 213 heterosexual couples undergoing fertility treatments in a Portuguese public fertility centre were systematically recruited to assess factors associated with willingness to donate embryos for research. Data were collected by questionnaire. Most couples (87.3%; 95% CI 82.1 to 91.5) were willing to donate embryos for research, citing benefits for science, health and infertile patients. Almost all couples (94.3%; 95% CI 89.8 to 96.7) reached consensus about the decision. Willingness to donate was more frequent in women younger than 36 years (adjusted OR 3.06; 95% CI 1.23 to 7.61) and who considered embryo research to be very important (adjusted OR: 6.32; 95% CI 1.85 to 21.64), and in Catholic men (adjusted OR 4.16; 95% CI 1.53 to 11.30). Those unwilling to donate reported conceptualizing embryos as children or living beings and a lack of information or fears about embryo research. Men with higher levels of trait anxiety (adjusted OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.84 to 0.96) were less frequently willing to donate. Future research on embryo disposition decision-making should include the assessment of gender differences and psychosocial factors. Ethically robust policies and accurate information about the results of human embryo research are required.

Factors associated with the donation and non-donation of embryos for research: a systematic review

Background: Systematic knowledge on the factors that influence the decisions of IVF users regarding embryo donation for research is a core need for patient-centred policies and ethics in clinical practice. However, no systematic review has been provided on the motivations of patients who must decide embryo disposition. This paper fills this gap, presenting a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies, which synthesizes the current body of knowledge on the factors and reasons associated with IVF patients’ decisions to donate or not to donate embryos for research. Methods: A systematic search of studies indexed in PubMed, ISIWoK and PsycINFO, published before November 2013, was conducted. Only empirical, peer-reviewed, full-length, original studies reporting data on factors and reasons associated with the decision concerning donation or non-donation of embryos for research were included. Eligibility and data extraction were performed by two independent researchers and disagreements were resolved by discussion or a third reviewer, if required. The main quantitative findings were extracted and synthesized and qualitative data were assessed by thematic content analysis. Results: A total of 39 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. More than half of the studies (n ¼ 21) used a quantitative methodology, and the remaining were qualitative (n ¼ 15) or mixed-methods (n ¼ 3) studies. The studies were derived mainly from European countries (n ¼ 18) and the USA(n ¼ 11). The proportion of IVF users who donated embryos for research varied from 7% in a study in France to 73% in a Swiss study. Those who donate embryos for research reported feelings of reciprocity towards science and medicine, positive views of research and high levels of trust in the medical system. They described their decision as better than the destruction of embryos and as an opportunity to help others or to improve health and IVF treatments. The perception of risks, the lack of information concerning research projects and the medical system and the conceptualization of embryos in terms of personhood were the most relevant motives for not donating embryos for research. Results relating to the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and reproductive and gynaecological history were mostly inconclusive. Conclusions: Three iterative and dynamic dimensions of the IVF patients’ decision to donate or not to donate embryos for research emerged from this review: the hierarquization of the possible options regarding embryo disposition, according to the moral, social and instrumental status attributed to embryos; patients’ understanding of expectations and risks of the research on human embryos; and patients’ experiences of information exchange and levels of trust in the medical-scientific institutions.

Critical events in mechanically ventilated patients

Mechanical Ventilation is an artificial way to help a Patient to breathe. This procedure is used to support patients with respiratory diseases however in many cases it can provoke lung damages, Acute Respiratory Diseases or organ failure. With the goal to early detect possible patient breath problems a set of limit values was defined to some variables monitored by the ventilator (Average Ventilation Pressure, Compliance Dynamic, Flow, Peak, Plateau and Support Pressure, Positive end-expiratory pressure, Respiratory Rate) in order to create critical events. A critical event is verified when a patient has a value higher or lower than the normal range defined for a certain period of time. The values were defined after elaborate a literature review and meeting with physicians specialized in the area. This work uses data streaming and intelligent agents to process the values collected in real-time and classify them as critical or not. Real data provided by an Intensive Care Unit were used to design and test the solution. In this study it was possible to understand the importance of introduce critical events for Mechanically Ventilated Patients. In some cases a value is considered critical (can trigger an alarm) however it is a single event (instantaneous) and it has not a clinical significance for the patient. The introduction of critical events which crosses a range of values and a pre-defined duration contributes to improve the decision-making process by decreasing the number of false positives and having a better comprehension of the patient condition.

SI2ME: um serviço de informação para o trabalho no binómio monitorização-melhoria, no setor educativo não superior em Portugal

Tese de Doutoramento em Tecnologias e Sistemas de Informação.