Automatic generation of ETL physical systems from BPMN conceptual models

ETL conceptual modeling is a very important activity in any data warehousing system project implementation. Owning a high-level system representation allowing for a clear identification of the main parts of a data warehousing system is clearly a great advantage, especially in early stages of design and development. However, the effort to model conceptually an ETL system rarely is properly rewarded. Translating ETL conceptual models directly into something that saves work and time on the concrete implementation of the system process it would be, in fact, a great help. In this paper we present and discuss a hybrid approach to this problem, combining the simplicity of interpretation and power of expression of BPMN on ETL systems conceptualization with the use of ETL patterns to produce automatically an ETL skeleton, a first prototype system, which has the ability to be executed in a commercial ETL tool like Kettle.

Clinical characteristics of women diagnosed with carcinoma who tested positive for cervical and anal high-risk human papillomavirus DNA and E6 RNA

High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) is an essential cause of cervical carcinoma and is also strongly related to anal cancer development. The hrHPV E6 oncoprotein plays a major role in carcinogenesis. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of hrHPV DNA and E6 oncoprotein in the anuses of women with cervical carcinoma. We analyzed 117 women with cervical cancer and 103 controls for hrHPV and the E6 oncogene. Positive test results for a cervical carcinoma included 66.7 % with hrHPV-16 and 7.7 % with hrHPV-18. One case tested positive for both HPV variants (0.9 %). The samples from the anal canal were positive for HPV-16 in 59.8 % of the cases. Simultaneous presence of HPV in the cervix and anal canal was found in 53.8 % of the cases. Regarding expression of E6 RNA, positivity for HPV-16 in the anal canal was found in 21.2 % of the cases, positivity for HPV-16 in the cervix was found in 75.0 %, and positivity for HPV-18 in the cervix was found in 1.9 %. E6 expression in both the cervix and anal canal was found in 19.2 % of the cases. In the controls, 1 % tested positive for HPV-16 and 0 % for HPV-18. Anal samples from the controls showed a hrHPV frequency of 4.9 % (only HPV16). The presence of hrHPV in the anal canal of women with cervical cancer was detected at a high frequency. We also detected E6 RNA expression in the anal canal of women with cervical cancer, suggesting that these women are at risk for anal hrHPV infection.

Inclusão no ensino superior: modelos de atuação e contributos dos serviços de apoio em Portugal

A inclusão de estudantes com deficiência na Universidade tem desafiado as instituições a responderem às demandas de acesso e permanência específicas destes estudantes. Neste artigo analisaremos como estão organizadas as iniciativas institucionais de inclusão, tomando como objeto os serviços de apoio na universidade e os desafios explicitados pelos responsáveis dos setores. Participaram do estudo três responsáveis técnicas pelos serviços de inclusão em três universidades portuguesas. Os dados foram recolhidos por meio de entrevista semiestruturada e analisados numa abordagem exploratória. Os resultados apontam para o desafio de proporcionar, para além das condições de acesso, a qualificação das condições de permanência que possam resultar em experiências exitosas dos estudantes, ampliando a oportunidades de obter autonomia e sucesso académico. A partir da discussão, apresentaremos considerações que podem constituir indicadores de intervenção e, ainda, temas para investigações futuras que possam contribuir para práticas mais adequadas de atendimento a esse grupo de estudantes.