Desenvolvimento e aplicação de um biossensor para monitorização de creatinina, um biomarcador associado a doenças emergentes

Este trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento de um material sensor para creatinina por impressão molecular em estrutura polimérica (MIP) e a sua aplicação no desenvolvimento de um dispositivo de natureza potenciométrica para a determinação da molécula alvo em fluidos biológicos. A creatinina é um dos biomarcadores mais utilizados no acompanhamento da doença renal, já que é um bom indicador da taxa de filtração glomerular (TFG). Os materiais biomiméticos desenhados para interação com a creatinina foram obtidos por polimerização radicalar, recorrendo a monómeros de ácido metacríclico ou de vinilpiridina e a um agente de reticulação apropriado. De modo a aferir o efeito da impressão da creatinina na resposta dos materiais MIP à sua presença, foram também preparados e avaliados materiais de controlo, obtidos sem impressão molecular (NIP). O controlo da constituição química destes materiais, incluindo a extração da molécula impressa, foi realizado por Espectroscopia de Raman e de Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourrier. A afinidade de ligação entre estes materiais e a creatinina foi também avaliada com base em estudos cinéticos. Todos os materiais descritos foram integrados em membranas selectivas de elétrodos seletivos de ião, preparadas sem ou com aditivo iónico lipófilo, de carga negativa ou positiva. A avaliação das características gerais de funcionamento destes elétrodos, em meios de composição e pH diferentes, indicaram que as membranas com materiais impressos e aditivo aniónico eram as únicas com utilidade analítica. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos em solução tampão Piperazine-N,N′-bis(2- ethanesulfonic acid), PIPES, de pH 2,8, condição que permitiu obter uma resposta quasi-Nernstiana, a partir de 1,6×10-5 mol L-1. Estes elétrodos demonstraram ainda uma boa selectividade ao apresentaram uma resposta preferencial para a creatinina quando na presença de ureia, carnitina, glucose, ácido ascórbico, albumina, cloreto de cálcio, cloreto de potássio, cloreto de sódio e sulfato de magnésio. Os elétrodos foram ainda aplicados com sucesso na análise de amostras sintéticas de urina, quando os materiais sensores eram baseados em ácido metacrilico, e soro, quando os materiais sensores utilizados eram baseados em vinilpiridina.

Recommending media content based on machine learning methods

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Brokerage Platform for Media Content Recommendation

Near real time media content personalisation is nowadays a major challenge involving media content sources, distributors and viewers. This paper describes an approach to seamless recommendation, negotiation and transaction of personalised media content. It adopts an integrated view of the problem by proposing, on the business-to-business (B2B) side, a brokerage platform to negotiate the media items on behalf of the media content distributors and sources, providing viewers, on the business-to-consumer (B2C) side, with a personalised electronic programme guide (EPG) containing the set of recommended items after negotiation. In this setup, when a viewer connects, the distributor looks up and invites sources to negotiate the contents of the viewer personal EPG. The proposed multi-agent brokerage platform is structured in four layers, modelling the registration, service agreement, partner lookup, invitation as well as item recommendation, negotiation and transaction stages of the B2B processes. The recommendation service is a rule-based switch hybrid filter, including six collaborative and two content-based filters. The rule-based system selects, at runtime, the filter(s) to apply as well as the final set of recommendations to present. The filter selection is based on the data available, ranging from the history of items watched to the ratings and/or tags assigned to the items by the viewer. Additionally, this module implements (i) a novel item stereotype to represent newly arrived items, (ii) a standard user stereotype for new users, (iii) a novel passive user tag cloud stereotype for socially passive users, and (iv) a new content-based filter named the collinearity and proximity similarity (CPS). At the end of the paper, we present off-line results and a case study describing how the recommendation service works. The proposed system provides, to our knowledge, an excellent holistic solution to the problem of recommending multimedia contents.

Social Media Integration in Video Games: A Social Overlay for Desktop Games

Simpósio de Informática (INForum 2015), Covilhã, Portugal. Notes: Best paper award nominee.

L'"errore di erode" e la media in Giovanni da Parigi

pp. 169-184

New molecularly-imprinted polymer for carnitine and its application as ionophore in potentiometric selective membranes

Carnitine (CRT) is a biological metabolite found in urine that contributes in assessingseveral disease conditions, including cancer. Novel quick screening procedures for CRT are therefore fundamental. This work proposes a novel potentiometric device where molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were used as ionophores. The host-tailored sites were imprinted on a polymeric network assembled by radical polymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) and trimethylpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM). Non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) were produced as control by removing the template from the reaction media. The selective membrane was prepared by dispersing MIP or NIP particles in plasticizer and poly(vinyl chloride), PVC, and casting this mixture over a solid contact support made of graphite. The composition of the selective membrane was investigated with regard to kind/amount of sensory material (MIP or NIP), and the need for a lipophilic additive. Overall, MIP sensors with additive exhibited the best performance, with near-Nernstian response down to ~ 1 × 10− 4 mol L− 1, at pH 5, and a detection limitof ~ 8 × 10− 5 mol L− 1. Suitable selectivity was found for all membranes, assessed by the matched potential method against some of the most common species in urine (urea, sodium, creatinine, sulfate, fructose and hemoglobin). CRT selective membranes including MIP materials were applied successfully to the potentiometric determination of CRT in urine samples.

Ex-ante evaluation by the media of the Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture

The nomination of Guimarães to host the 2012 European Capital of Culture (ECC) has put on the agenda of the city the need of measuring the effects that the implementation of this mega event could have in it and in the municipality a whole. The balance of the benefits and costs and an extended community involvement tend to reduce negative impacts and enhance positive ones. This chapter analyzes the involvement of population and local associations in the planning and organization of the 2012 Guimarães European Capital of Culture, using the coverage made during 2011 by local and national press of the mega event. A content analysis of the news published covering the period between January and December 2011 and using three newspapers was conducted. From those, two were local and weekly newspapers and one was a national daily one. Looking to data results, it can be concluded that it was poor the community involvement and, also, the one of the cultural associations in the organizations of the 2012 ECC. A strong negative reaction to the model choose to plan the mega event conducted by official organizers was found, which has cast doubts on the desirable participation of the residents and, consequently, on the success of the mega event, especially in a perspective of a medium and long term effects.

Comparison among tomato juice agar with other three media for differentiation of Candida dubliniensis from Candida albicans

The purpose of the present study is to compare the tomato juice agar, a well known medium employed to observe ascospore formation, with niger seed agar, casein agar and sunflower seed agar, applied to a differentiation between C. dubliniensis and C. albicans. After 48 hours of incubation at 30 ºC all 26 (100%) C. dubliniensis isolates tested produced chlamydospores on tomato juice agar as well as in the other three media evaluated. However, when we inoculated all media with C. albicans, the absence of chlamydospores became resulting in the following percents: tomato juice agar (92.47%), niger seed agar (96.7%), casein agar (91.39%), and sunflower seed agar (96.7%). These results indicate that tomato juice agar is another medium which can also be used in the first phenotypic differentiation between C. dubliniensis and C. albicans.

The Media Online and the Climate Change

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Práticas Web

Complementaridade da publicidade nos media tradicionais e o marketing online

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Práticas Web

Nefrectomia Radical e Nefroureterectomia Laparoscópica "Hand-Assited": a Experiência dos Primeiros 21 Casos

Objectivos: Os autores apresentam a sua casuística com os primeiros 21 casos submetidos a nefrectomia radical e nefroureterectomia laparoscópica "hand- assisted" e laparoscópica pura. Material e Métodos: Entre o período de Janeiro 2003 a Junho de 2004 procedeu-se à realização de nefrectomia radical e nefroureterectomia laparoscópica em 21 doentes com o diagnóstico clínico de carcinoma de células renais e de carcinoma de células de transição do trato urinário alto. Optámos pela assistência da mão apenas quando útil ou necessário. Realizamos 16 nefrectomias radicais laparoscopicas "hand-assisted", 2 nefroureterectomias radicais laparoscopicas "hand- assisted" com desincer- ção endoscópica do meato ureteral e 3 nefrectomias radicais laparoscopicas "puras". A idade média deste grupo foi de 62 anos.O diâmetro médio da massa renal foi de 4,8 cm. O diagnóstico anatomo-patológico revelou a existência de 17 carcinomas de células renais, 2 carcinomas de células de transição, 1 hemangioma e 1 quisto renal complicado. Tivemos uma taxa de conversão de 5%, e a duração da cirurgia foi de 1,46 horas. O follow- up destes doentes variou entre 1 e 2 anos, não se tendo verificado quaisquer recidivas. Nesta série houve um re-internamento. Conclusão: a nefrectomia radical laparoscópica "hand-assisted" e a nefroureterectomia laparoscópica "hand-assisted" são exequíveis sendo a curva de aprendizagem relativamente curta. A taxa de complicações é baixa.

Os media na fronteira entre democracia aclamativa e a democracia participativa

Desde a emergência do dispositivo cultural pós-alfabético que a história da comunicação, no que aos media diz respeito, em particular, tem sido a história de um fluxo unívoco de comunicação. Com efeito, toda a cultura alfabética radica na constituição de um novo dispositivo histórico-cultural que tem como característica fundamental uma forte imbricação com a sociedade do seu tempo, nos diversos níveis, politico-sociais, econômicos, simbólicos, etc. Mais em concreto, a emergência da escrita é correlativa da emergência de poderes coercitivos, da ordem burocrática e jurídica, e, enfim, do Estado. A instituição desse significante despótico é-nos assim dada pela passagem do universo simbólico da multiplicidade para o fluxo linear de escrita. Esta profunda mptura histórico-cultural é simultânea a uma outra que pode ser caracterizada pela emergência da aptidão de ver/conhecer e também pela dualidade estabelecida entre universos audio-tácteis e universos ópticos.

História, tempo e media

Trata-se essencialmente neste ensaio de desenvolver uma aproximação epistemolôgica à história da comunicação e dos media, o que significa que se pretende reflectir em tomo de uma teoria do conhecimento, isto é, da constmção de uma teoria em que não nos sentimos Hmitados aos "objectos" de comunicação em si, mas antes aos diversos modos de conhecimento desses mesmos objectos. No fundo, um quadro de síntese da teoria da história e da epistemologia da comunicação conducentes a uma epistemologia da história dos media e da comunicação. Por outro lado, pretende-se desenvolver uma reflexão em tomo da genealogia de estmturas historico-comunicacionais, das respectivas mediações simbólicas e tecnológicas e da emergência do campo dos media, reflexão ancorada num modelo de análise filiado na descrição intrínseca, arqueológica, dos documentos. Do mesmo modo se fará a de produção histórica do real comunicacional e da lei que orienta e suporta o aparecimento de enunciados como acontecimentos ou sistemas singulares.

Formação para a literacia da informação: uma interactividade necessária com os media

Our aim is to analyse the relationship between interactive media and its use in Education when applied to formal training for information literacy. Contextualizing the notion of literacy in an evolving framework and emphasizing the recognition of its importance, we highlight some desirable skills in the current information society, including, inevitably, technological competencies. When considering the notion of literacy within an evolving framework and emphasizing the acknowledgement of its significance some desirable skills stand out in the current information society including, inevitably, the technological skills. We emphasize media literacy and select some strategies for teaching and learning practices recommended for the development of new skills, highlighting the contribution of some international literacy standards and describing some of the good practices in Education. We also underline the need for training within an holistic perspective, integrating student’, teachers and staff cooperation in the educational process. In this process, the potential of the Web 2.0, which grants the new information users – the prosumers (consumers and producers) a new statute, new powers and obligations, is indeed worth mentioning. Regarding the situation, we shall quote the reports on the experiences of virtual learning communities that use the moodle platform and mention several activities and programs managed by the Portuguese government to increase the citizens’ literacy’s levels. In conclusion, we point out the need for lifelong learning and the ability of individuals to “learn to learn” who therefore provide literacy with a dynamic component.

A Multi–Agent Brokerage Platform for Media Content Recommendation

Near real time media content personalisation is nowadays a major challenge involving media content sources, distributors and viewers. This paper describes an approach to seamless recommendation, negotiation and transaction of personalised media content. It adopts an integrated view of the problem by proposing, on the business-to-business (B2B) side, a brokerage platform to negotiate the media items on behalf of the media content distributors and sources, providing viewers, on the business-to-consumer (B2C) side, with a personalised electronic programme guide (EPG) containing the set of recommended items after negotiation. In this setup, when a viewer connects, the distributor looks up and invites sources to negotiate the contents of the viewer personal EPG. The proposed multi-agent brokerage platform is structured in four layers, modelling the registration, service agreement, partner lookup, invitation as well as item recommendation, negotiation and transaction stages of the B2B processes. The recommendation service is a rule-based switch hybrid filter, including six collaborative and two content-based filters. The rule-based system selects, at runtime, the filter(s) to apply as well as the final set of recommendations to present. The filter selection is based on the data available, ranging from the history of items watched to the ratings and/or tags assigned to the items by the viewer. Additionally, this module implements (i) a novel item stereotype to represent newly arrived items, (ii) a standard user stereotype for new users, (iii) a novel passive user tag cloud stereotype for socially passive users, and (iv) a new content-based filter named the collinearity and proximity similarity (CPS). At the end of the paper, we present off-line results and a case study describing how the recommendation service works. The proposed system provides, to our knowledge, an excellent holistic solution to the problem of recommending multimedia contents.