Sewage discharges constitute severe stress in freshwater ecosystems. The Ramalhoso River belongs ... more Sewage discharges constitute severe stress in freshwater ecosystems. The Ramalhoso River belongs to the Tagus River watershed and was chosen for a pilot study on the impact of wastewaters discharges in a freshwater ecosystem and its ability for self-depuration. Twelve water samples were collected along the river and were georeferenced. The first point is located upstream of the first discharge point, the second one corresponding to the discharge flow, and all the other samples located downstream of secondary inflows at approximately equal distances. Three sampling campaigns were conducted during the rainy winter (January), the intermediate conditions (March), and the dry season (June). The following chemical parameters were analyzed: biochemical oxygen demand for 5 days (BOD 5), dissolved oxygen concentration (DO), total phosphorus (P total), total nitrogen (N total), pH, temperature, total suspended solids (TSS), microbiological parameters (MP), and flow determination. Dissolved oxygen, BOD 5 , and TSS were used as indicators of environmental pollution. A coupled hydrodynamic and water dispersion model simulated different pollution scenarios using the QUAL2kw software to construct a water quality model. The simulation results are consistent with field observations and demonstrate that the model has been correctly calibrated, allowing feasibility studies of different treatment schemes and the development of specific monitoring activities.
Do Students in Higher Education Know the Real Meaning of Plagiarism?
In order to assess the knowledge and perception of higher education students about the concept of... more In order to assess the knowledge and perception of higher education students about the concept of plagiarism and its implications, two sets of online surveys were performed on a group of students of the Civil Engineering and Architecture Department at the University of Beira Interior. The surveys were conducted at two different moments using two distinct approaches and along two academic semesters. In the first semester, a presentation on plagiarism and good practices of quotation and bibliographic referencing were held during lessons classes of curricular units from different academic years, while in the second semester the choice was a workshop presentation extended to all students. In both cases, online surveys were conducted on students before and after attending the presentation/workshop aiming to evaluate the change in their perception about the concept of plagiarism. The paper presents the main conclusions drawn from the surveys as well as the main guidelines resulting from t...
The Uses and Expectations for Interactive TV in India
ABSTRACT This research aims to study the uses of TV along with the expectations for interactive T... more ABSTRACT This research aims to study the uses of TV along with the expectations for interactive TV among the Indian population. A survey was conducted as part of the research in the end of 2011. The results show that TV, computer and mobile phone usage is increasing although many Indian houses have only one TV and one computer. Concerning TV viewing habits, the majority see TV with family members. While watching TV viewers are performing other activities including talking over the phone; working with the computer; reading; or chatting online. Two thirds of the participants regularly recommend TV programs to their friends and others. Concerning the iTV domain, the Indian market is still a greenhorn. Regarding the expectations for upcoming iTV services, the majority of respondents are highly interested in having more interactive services for communication; recommendation and making comments; participating in shows/contests; social network features and a small percentage in shopping through the TV. These results, that expose a clear scope and market potential for those iTV services and programs, are being used in the next phase of this research, which consists of evaluating possible iTV applications for the Indian market.
Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, 2008
P2P and SOA paradigms provide new opportunities for the development of new digital libraries and ... more P2P and SOA paradigms provide new opportunities for the development of new digital libraries and the redesign of existing ones. This paper describes the work being conducted to create a framework for the creation of digital libraries, which relies on a P2P network and service-enabled peers to achieve high modularity, reusability and performance in dynamic environments. While this framework supports data and metadata storage and management, this paper focuses on its service oriented approach.
The Clear-PEM prototype under development aims to improve early stage breast cancer diagnostics. ... more The Clear-PEM prototype under development aims to improve early stage breast cancer diagnostics. The proposed device is based on cerium doped lutetium crystal matrices developed by the Crystal Clear Collaboration, as well as on modern data acquisition techniques. A series of Monte Carlo studies were performed to evaluate detection sensitivity, background rate and intrinsic spatial resolution in order to optimize
ABSTRACT This paper presents an initial study towards the development of a multimodal breast imag... more ABSTRACT This paper presents an initial study towards the development of a multimodal breast imaging technique that combines Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) and Ultra WideBand (UWB) radar which has the potential to be complementary in breast cancer detection and classification due to the different types of information provided by the two modalities. The first step in evaluating test the potential of the multimodal PEM-UWB technique is to develop realistic numerical breast and tumour models, which can simultaneously be used for both PEM and UWB.
Recibido el 1 de diciembre de 2006. Aceptado para su publicación el 16 de julio de 2007. los suer... more Recibido el 1 de diciembre de 2006. Aceptado para su publicación el 16 de julio de 2007. los sueros en la elevación de creatinina sérica. Estos resultados aportan evidencia de que el suero hiposalino, a la dosis preventiva de nefrotoxicidad por contraste, implica menos riesgo de expansión. Este dato es relevante en pacientes con función ventricular críticamente afectada. Palabras clave: Nefrotoxicidad por contraste. Salino isotónico. Hiposalino. Volumen plasmático. Osmolalidad. Protección renal. Systemic and Renal Effects of Preventing Contrast Nephrotoxicity With Isotonic (0.9%) and Hypotonic (0.45%) Saline
Proceedings of the 10th European Conference on Interactive TV and Video, 2012
IPTV platforms have revealed a great potential for the viewers&am... more IPTV platforms have revealed a great potential for the viewers' involvement by allowing the development of services and applications related with the TV content. Taking advantage of both the potentialities of these platforms and game related dynamics new ways to promote interaction between viewers may be achieved. This research focuses on searching and validating innovative forms of entertainment through television.
In addition to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cryotolerant yeast species S. uvarum is also used fo... more In addition to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cryotolerant yeast species S. uvarum is also used for wine and cider fermentation but nothing is known about its natural history. Here we use a population genomics approach to investigate its global phylogeography and domestication fingerprints using a collection of isolates obtained from fermented beverages and from natural environments on five continents. South American isolates contain more genetic diversity than that found in the Northern Hemisphere. Moreover, coalescence analyses suggest that a Patagonian sub-population gave rise to the Holarctic population through a recent bottleneck. Holarctic strains display multiple introgressions from other Saccharomyces species, those from S. eubayanus being prevalent in European strains associated with humandriven fermentations. These introgressions are absent in the large majority of wild strains and gene ontology analyses indicate that several gene categories relevant for wine fermentation are overrepresented. Such findings constitute a first indication of domestication in S. uvarum.
Participatory Design of a Social TV Application for Senior Citizens – The iNeighbour TV Project
Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2011
In this paper, we present the on-going work of the iNeighbour TV research project that aims to pr... more In this paper, we present the on-going work of the iNeighbour TV research project that aims to promote health care and social interaction among senior citizens, their relatives and caregivers. The TV set was the device chosen to mediate all the action, since it is a ...
The increase in soil salinity poses a serious threat to agricultural yields. Under salinity stres... more The increase in soil salinity poses a serious threat to agricultural yields. Under salinity stress, several Na + transporters play an essential role in Na + tolerance in plants. Amongst all Na + transporters, HKT has been shown to have a crucial role in both mono and dicotyledonous plants in the tolerance to salinity stress. Here we present an overview of the physiological role of HKT transporters in plant Na + homeostasis. HKT regulation and amino acids important to the correct function of HKT transporters are reviewed. The functions of the most recently characterized HKT members from both HKT1 and HKT2 subfamilies are also discussed. Topics that still need to be studied in future research (e.g., HKT regulation) as well as research suggestions (e.g., generation of HKT mutants) are addressed.
Infective endocarditis is a well-known clinical entity. However, despite improved diagnostic tech... more Infective endocarditis is a well-known clinical entity. However, despite improved diagnostic techniques and advances in treatment options, left-sided native valve infective endocarditis remains a serious disease with high morbidity and mortality, especially in cases caused by Staphylococcus aureus. The clinical heterogeneity of infective endocarditis sometimes prevents rapid recognition, correct diagnosis and timely treatment, which are essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. We report the case of a 62-year-old man, admitted for atrial fibrillation with complete atrioventricular block, which was found to be the result of methicillin-resistant S. aureus mitral valve endocarditis, complicated by local extension of the infection, heart failure, systemic embolism and multiple organ failure.
Proceedings of the 2008 Euro American Conference on Telematics and Information Systems, 2008
There are currently a considerable number of digital libraries using XML documents to describe th... more There are currently a considerable number of digital libraries using XML documents to describe their resources. In this paper, we describe a database solution which integrates an XML native database and a search engine to improve query performance. A web based management application is also presented which allows local and remote administration of the database.
The widespread and availability of increasingly powerful mobile devices is contributing for the i... more The widespread and availability of increasingly powerful mobile devices is contributing for the incorporation of new services and features on our daily communications and social relationships. In this context, geolocation of users and points of interest in mobile devices may contribute, in a natural way, to support either the mediation of remote conversations as the promotion of face-to-face meetings between users, leveraging social networks. The CONNECTOR system is based on geolocation data (people, content and activities), enabling users to create and develop their personal relations with other members of the CONNECTOR social network. Users, maps, sharing features and multimedia content are actors in this social network allowing CONNECTOR to address the promotion of geolocated social networks driven by physical proximity and common interests among users. This chapter discusses the work undertaken for the conceptualization and development of the CONNECTOR system. Preliminary evalua...
Assimilação De Carbono Em Sobreiros Submetidos a Diferentes Disponibilidades Hídricas
esac.pt
Resumo. Estudámos os efeitos da disponibilidade hídrica em parâmetros fisiológicos relacionados c... more Resumo. Estudámos os efeitos da disponibilidade hídrica em parâmetros fisiológicos relacionados com o estado hídrico foliar ea assimilação de carbono em sobreiros de 15 anos de idade, na Herdade da Mitra, Évora. A disponibilidade hídrica foi ...
Serious Games as an onboarding organizational tool for new employees
… (CISTI), 2011 6th …, 2011
Professional training is nowadays an essential activity in any organization. This activity is par... more Professional training is nowadays an essential activity in any organization. This activity is particularly important in an onboarding/organizational socialization stage in which new employees should familiarize themselves with organizational praxis, values and ...
The oxygen stable isotope composition (d 18 O) of CO 2 is a valuable tool for studying the gas ex... more The oxygen stable isotope composition (d 18 O) of CO 2 is a valuable tool for studying the gas exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. In the soil, it records the isotopic signal of water pools subjected to precipitation and evaporation events. The d 18 O of the surface soil net CO 2 flux is dominated by the physical processes of diffusion of CO 2 into and out of the soil and the chemical reactions during CO 2-H 2 O equilibration. Catalytic reactions by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, reducing CO 2 hydration times, have been proposed recently to explain field observations of the d 18 O signatures of net soil CO 2 fluxes. How important these catalytic reactions are for accurately predicting large-scale biosphere fluxes and partitioning net ecosystem fluxes is currently uncertain because of the lack of field data. In this study, we determined the d 18 O signatures of net soil CO 2 fluxes from soil chamber measurements in a Mediterranean forest. Over the 3 days of measurements, the observed d 18 O signatures of net soil CO 2 fluxes became progressively enriched with a well-characterized diurnal cycle. Model simulations indicated that the d 18 O signatures recorded the interplay of two effects: (1) progressive enrichment of water in the upper soil by evaporation, and (2) catalytic acceleration of the isotopic exchange between CO 2 and soil water, amplifying the contributions of 'atmospheric invasion' to net signatures. We conclude that there is a need for better understanding of the role of enzymatic reactions, and hence soil biology, in determining the contributions of soil fluxes to oxygen isotope signals in atmospheric CO 2 .
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Papers by Pedro Almeida