Development of a Collaborative Platform for Art Education: From Pedagogy to Technology

We report on the development of a Java-based application devised to support collaborative learning of Art concepts and ideas over the Internet. Starting from an examination of the pedagogy of both Art education and collaborative learning we propose principles which are useful for the design and construction of a “lightweight” software application which supports interactive Art learning in groups. This application makes “dynamics” of an art work explicit, and supports group interaction with simple messaging and “chat” facilities. This application may be used to facilitate learning and teaching of Art, but also as a research tool to investigate the learning of Art and also the development and dynamics of collaborating groups. Evaluation of a pilot study of the use of our system with a group of 20 school children is presented.

Boosting the CD4 Count in HIV Infection: Comparative Effects of Highly Active Anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and Different Modalities of Physical Exercise on Biomarkers of Immunity

A decline in the CD4 count is a common feature in HIV/AIDS, suggesting a compromise in immunity of patients. In response, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is prescribed to slow-down a diminution in the CD4 count and risk of AIDS-related malignancies. However, exercise may improve both the utility and population of innate immune cell components, and may be beneficial for patients with HIV infection. Comparing the effects of different exercises against HAART, on CD4 count, helps in understanding the role and evidence-based application of exercises to ameliorate immune deficiency.

The impact of Open Access outside of European Universities

The Open Access movement has encouraged the availability of publicly-funded research papers, data and learning content for barrier-free use of that content without payment by the user. The impact of increasing availability of content to researchers in European universities is understood in terms of easier access to previous research and greater exposure for new research results, bringing benefits to the research community itself. A new culture of informal sharing is evident within the teaching and learning communities and to some extent also within the research community, but as yet the growth in informal sharing has not had a major effect upon the use of formal publication choices. This briefing paper explores the impact of open access upon potential users of research outputs outside the walls of research-led European universities, where the economic value of open access may be even greater than the academic value within universities. The potential impact of open access is understood in many communities but requires a greater volume of open access content to be available for the full potential to be realised. More open access content will become available as the opportunities in open, internet-based digital scholarship are understood. This briefing paper was written in cooperation with SPARC Europe. All links provided in footnotes in this Briefing Paper are to studies available in open access.

Online MBPeT dashboard : enabling performance testing as a service in the cloud

In this thesis, tool support is addressed for the combined disciplines of Model-based testing and performance testing. Model-based testing (MBT) utilizes abstract behavioral models to automate test generation, thus decreasing time and cost of test creation. MBT is a functional testing technique, thereby focusing on output, behavior, and functionality. Performance testing, however, is non-functional and is concerned with responsiveness and stability under various load conditions. MBPeT (Model-Based Performance evaluation Tool) is one such tool which utilizes probabilistic models, representing dynamic real-world user behavior patterns, to generate synthetic workload against a System Under Test and in turn carry out performance analysis based on key performance indicators (KPI). Developed at Åbo Akademi University, the MBPeT tool is currently comprised of a downloadable command-line based tool as well as a graphical user interface. The goal of this thesis project is two-fold: 1) to extend the existing MBPeT tool by deploying it as a web-based application, thereby removing the requirement of local installation, and 2) to design a user interface for this web application which will add new user interaction paradigms to the existing feature set of the tool. All phases of the MBPeT process will be realized via this single web deployment location including probabilistic model creation, test configurations, test session execution against a SUT with real-time monitoring of user configurable metric, and final test report generation and display. This web application (MBPeT Dashboard) is implemented with the Java programming language on top of the Vaadin framework for rich internet application development. The Vaadin framework handles the complicated web communications processes and front-end technologies, freeing developers to implement the business logic as well as the user interface in pure Java. A number of experiments are run in a case study environment to validate the functionality of the newly developed Dashboard application as well as the scalability of the solution implemented in handling multiple concurrent users. The results support a successful solution with regards to the functional and performance criteria defined, while improvements and optimizations are suggested to increase both of these factors.

Shake and Bake: Analyse des recettes de méthamphétamine retrouvées sur Internet

Travail dirigé présenté à la Faculté des arts et des sciences en vue de l'obtention de grade de Maîtrise en criminologie option criminalistique

2007-2008 Juvenile Court Services School Liaison Program Data, July 2008

Data are provided to CJJP through statistical summary forms completed by the JCSLs. Because forms are completed only when meaningful contact between a student and a liaison takes place, only a portion of the total population served is reported. Meaningful contact is defined as having at least five contacts within a 60-day period (at any point during the academic year) regarding at least one of the referral reasons supplied on the form. Data are entered into a web-based application by the liaisons and retrieved electronically by CJJP via the internet. Service information is submitted and uploaded only at the end of the academic year.

2010-2011 Juvenile Court Services School Liaison Program Data, July 2011

Data are provided to CJJP through statistical summary forms completed by the JCSLs. Because forms are completed only when meaningful contact between a student and a liaison takes place, only a portion of the total population served is reported. Meaningful contact is defined as having at least five contacts within a 60-day period (at any point during the academic year) regarding at least one of the referral reasons supplied on the form. Data are entered into a web-based application by the liaisons and retrieved electronically by CJJP via the internet. Service information is submitted and uploaded only at the end of the academic year.

2012-2013 Juvenile Court Services School Liaison Program Data, July 2013

Data are provided to CJJP through statistical summary forms completed by the JCSLs. Because forms are completed only when meaningful contact between a student and a liaison takes place, only a portion of the total population served is reported. Meaningful contact is defined as having at least five contacts within a 60-day period (at any point during the academic year) regarding at least one of the referral reasons supplied on the form. Data are entered into a web-based application by the liaisons and retrieved electronically by CJJP via the internet. Service information is submitted and uploaded only at the end of the academic year.

Miomatosis uterina, sintomatología urinaria y alteraciones sexuales en mujeres con indicación de tratamiento quirúrgico

Introducción Las pacientes con miomas uterinos pueden llegar a sufrir de síntomas urinarios y de disfunción sexual. Es para nosotros importante conocer la frecuencia de estas patologías en pacientes con miomas con indicación de cirugía atendidos en el Hospital Universitario Mayor Méderi y la relación entre estas tres entidades. Metodología Estudio cuasi experimental de antes-después. El estudio se encuentra dividido en dos fases, en esta primera fase a las pacientes se les aplicó los cuestionarios FSFI, IIQ-7 y UDI-6 antes de realizar el procedimiento quirúrgico. En una segunda fase se realizará un nuevo abordaje a los 6 y 12 meses donde se aplicarán los mismos instrumentos. Se utilizó coeficiente de Spearman y Kruskall-Wallis para evaluar la relación. Resultados En esta primera fase se incluyeron 81 participantes, con una mediana de años de 46 (RIQ=42-49) mínimo 33 y máximo 71 años. La mediana de miomas fue de 1 (RIQ1-2) máximo 5 miomas. El resultado total de la FSFI fue de 21(RIQ=18,5-25,5). La mediana de la escala UDI -6 fue de 50,4 (RIQ=0-31,2) y la mediana de IIQ-7 fue de 4,75 (RIQ=0-23,7). Se presentó una correlación negativa débil entre los puntajes de FSFI y los cuestionarios UDI-6 (-0.3604) e IIQ 7 (-0.3530), con una prevalencia de riesgo de disfunción sexual de 61%. Conclusiones En esta primera fase de la investigación se pudo observar una existencia de correlación entre la función sexual y la sintomatología urinaria. La prevalencia de disfunción sexual es mayor que en población de mujeres sin patología de miomas uterino.

Modelling and studies of the spectral response of some optoelectronic components

Solar radiation takes in today's world, an increasing importance. Different devices are used to carry out spectral and integrated measurements of solar radiation. Thus the sensors can be divided into the fallow types: Calorimetric, Thermomechanical, Thermoelectric and Photoelectric. The first three categories are based on components converting the radiation to temperature (or heat) and then into electrical quantity. On the other hand, the photoelectric sensors are based on semiconductor or optoelectronic elements that when irradiated change their impedance or generate a measurable electric signal. The response function of the sensor element depends not only on the intensity of the radiation but also on its wavelengths. The radiation sensors most widely used fit in the first categories, but thanks to the reduction in manufacturing costs and to the increased integration of electronic systems, the use of the photoelectric-type sensors became more interesting. In this work we present a study of the behavior of different optoelectronic sensor elements. It is intended to verify the static response of the elements to the incident radiation. We study the optoelectronic elements using mathematical models that best fit their response as a function of wavelength. As an input to the model, the solar radiation values are generated with a radiative transfer model. We present a modeling of the spectral response sensors of other types in order to compare the behavior of optoelectronic elements with other sensors currently in use.

Application of active and transfer learning to wound image segmentation

Wound management is a fundamental task in standard clinical practice. Automated solutions already exist for humans, but there is a lack of applications on wound management for pets. The importance of a precise and efficient wound assessment is helpful to improve diagnosis and to increase the effectiveness of treatment plans for the chronic wounds. The goal of the research was to propose an automated pipeline capable of segmenting natural light-reflected wound images of animals. Two datasets composed by light-reflected images were used in this work: Deepskin dataset, 1564 human wound images obtained during routine dermatological exams, with 145 manual annotated images; Petwound dataset, a set of 290 wound photos of dogs and cats with 0 annotated images. Two implementations of U-Net Convolutioal Neural Network model were proposed for the automated segmentation. Active Semi-Supervised Learning techniques were applied for human-wound images to perform segmentation from 10% of annotated images. Then the same models were trained, via Transfer Learning, adopting an Active Semi- upervised Learning to unlabelled animal-wound images. The combination of the two training strategies proved their effectiveness in generating large amounts of annotated samples (94% of Deepskin, 80% of PetWound) with the minimal human intervention. The correctness of automated segmentation were evaluated by clinical experts at each round of training thus we can assert that the results obtained in this thesis stands as a reliable solution to perform a correct wound image segmentation. The use of Transfer Learning and Active Semi-Supervied Learning allows to minimize labelling effort from clinicians, even requiring no starting manual annotation at all. Moreover the performances of the model with limited number of parameters suggest the implementation of smartphone-based application to this topic, helping the future standardization of light-reflected images as acknowledge medical images.

ProbFAST: Probabilistic Functional Analysis System Tool

Background: The post-genomic era has brought new challenges regarding the understanding of the organization and function of the human genome. Many of these challenges are centered on the meaning of differential gene regulation under distinct biological conditions and can be performed by analyzing the Multiple Differential Expression (MDE) of genes associated with normal and abnormal biological processes. Currently MDE analyses are limited to usual methods of differential expression initially designed for paired analysis. Results: We proposed a web platform named ProbFAST for MDE analysis which uses Bayesian inference to identify key genes that are intuitively prioritized by means of probabilities. A simulated study revealed that our method gives a better performance when compared to other approaches and when applied to public expression data, we demonstrated its flexibility to obtain relevant genes biologically associated with normal and abnormal biological processes. Conclusions: ProbFAST is a free accessible web-based application that enables MDE analysis on a global scale. It offers an efficient methodological approach for MDE analysis of a set of genes that are turned on and off related to functional information during the evolution of a tumor or tissue differentiation. ProbFAST server can be accessed at http://gdm.fmrp.usp.br/probfast.

Oral Health Promotion Through an Online Training Program for Medical Students

The objective of this study was to compare the impact on knowledge and counseling skills of face-to-face and Internet-based oral health training programs on medical students. Participants consisted of 148 (82 percent) of the 180 invited students attending their fifth academic year at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Brasil, in 2007. The interventions took place during a three-month training period in the clinical Center for Health Promotion, which comprised part of a clerkship in Internal Medicine. The students were divided into four groups: 1) Control Group (Control), with basic intervention; 2) Brochure Group (Br), with basic intervention plus complete brochure with oral health themes; 3) Cybertutor Group (Cy), with basic intervention plus access to an Internet-based training program about oral health themes; and 4) Cybertutor + Contact Group (Cy+C), the same as Cy plus brief proactive contact with a tutor. The impact of these interventions on student knowledge was measured with pre- and post assessments, and student skills in asking and counseling about oral health were assessed with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Multivariate logistic regression models were applied to identify the odds ratios of scoring above Control's medians on the final assessment and the OSCE. In the results, Cy+C performed significantly better than Control on both the final assessment (OR 9.4; 95% CI 2.7-32.8) and the OSCE (OR 5.6; 95% CI 1.9-16.3) and outperformed all the other groups. The Cy+C group showed the most significant increase in knowledge and the best skills in asking and counseling about oral health.

Clinical results after coronary stenting with the Genous (TM) Bio-engineered R stent (TM): 12-month outcomes of the e-HEALING (Healthy Endothelial Accelerated Lining Inhibits Neointimal Growth) worldwide registry

Aims: e-HEALING is a worldwide, internet-based registry designed to capture post marketing clinical data on the use of the Genous (TM) EPC capturing R stent (TM). Rapid restoration of a healthy endothelial layer after stent placement by capturing circulating endothelial progenitor cells may reduce both stent thrombosis (ST) and in-stent-restenosis. Methods and results: We planned a 5,000 patient registry with >= 1 lesion suitable for stenting. The 12-month primary outcome was target vessel failure (TVF), defined as target vessel-related cardiac death or myocardial infarction (MI) and target vessel revascularisation. Secondary outcomes were the composite of cardiac death, MI or target lesion revascularisation (TLR), and individual outcomes including ST. A total of 4,939 patients received >= 1 Genous stent between 2005 and 2007. Baseline characteristics showed a median age of 63 years, 79% males, 25% diabetics, and 37% with prior MI. A total of 49% of lesions treated were ACC/AHA type B2 or C; 1.1 stents per lesion were used. At 12 months, TVF occurred in 8.4% and the composite of cardiac death, MI or TLR in 7.9%. Twelve-month TLR and ST were 5.7% and 1.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Coronary stenting with the Genous results in good clinical outcomes, and low incidences of repeat revascularisation and ST.

Health and psychosocial effects of flexible working hours

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether any impairments in health and social lives can be found under different kinds of flexible working hours, and whether such effects are related to specific characteristics of these working hours. METHODS: Two studies - a company based survey (N=660) and an internet survey (N=528) - have been conducted. The first one was a questionnaire study (paper and pencil) on employees working under some 'typical' kinds of different flexible working time arrangements in different companies and different occupational fields (health care, manufacturing, retail, administration, call centres). The second study was an internet-based survey, using an adaptation of the questionnaire from the first study. RESULTS: The results of both studies consistently show that high variability of working hours is associated with increased impairments in health and well-being and this is especially true if this variability is company controlled. These effects are less pronounced if variability is self-controlled; however, autonomy does not compensate the effects of variability. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for an appropriate design of flexible working hours should be developed in order to minimize any impairing effects on health and psychosocial well-being; these recommendations should include - besides allowing for discretion in controlling one's (flexible) working hours - that variability in flexible working hours should be kept low (or at least moderate), even if this variability is self-controlled.