2024
Autores
Pinheiro, MR; Tuchin, VV; Oliveira, LM;
Publicação
JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS
Abstract
The broadband absorption coefficient spectrum of the rabbit lung presents some particular characteristics that allow the identification of the chromophores in this tissue. By performing a weighted combination of the absorption spectra of water, hemoglobin, DNA, proteins and the pigments melanin and lipofuscin, it was possible to obtain a good match to the experimental absorption spectrum of the lung. Such reconstruction provided reasonable information about the contents of the tissue components in the lung tissue, and allowed to identify a similar accumulation of melanin and lipofuscin. The broadband absorption coefficient spectrum of the rabbit lung was reconstructed from the absorption spectra of tissue components. The similar accumulation of melanin and lipofuscin was retrieved from the broadband baseline in the absorption coefficient spectrum, and the calculation of the absorption fold ratios for proteins, DNA and hemoglobin provided good results. The method used is innovative and can be improved to allow the quantification of tissue components concentrations directly. image
2024
Autores
Almeida, F;
Publicação
Advances in Electronic Government, Digital Divide, and Regional Development - Sustainable Smart Cities and the Future of Urban Development
Abstract
2024
Autores
Rodrigues, ARF; Silva, ME; Silva, VF; Maia, MRG; Cabrita, ARJ; Trindade, H; Fonseca, AJM; Pereira, JLS;
Publicação
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
Seasonal and daily variations of gaseous emissions from naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns are important figures for the establishment of effective and specific mitigation plans. The present study aimed to measure methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emissions in three naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns covering the four seasons for two consecutive years. In each barn, air samples from five indoor locations were drawn by a multipoint sampler to a photoacoustic infrared multigas monitor, along with temperature and relative humidity. Milk production data were also recorded. Results showed seasonal differences for CH4 and NH3 emissions in the three barns with no clear trends within years. Globally, diel CH4 emissions increased in the daytime with high intra-hour variability. The average hourly CH4 emissions (g h-1 livestock unit- 1 (LU)) varied from 8.1 to 11.2 and 6.2 to 20.3 in the dairy barn 1, from 10.1 to 31.4 and 10.9 to 22.8 in the dairy barn 2, and from 1.5 to 8.2 and 13.1 to 22.1 in the dairy barn 3, respectively, in years 1 and 2. Diel NH3 emissions highly varied within hours and increased in the daytime. The average hourly NH3 emissions (g h-1 LU-1) varied from 0.78 to 1.56 and 0.50 to 1.38 in the dairy barn 1, from 1.04 to 3.40 and 0.93 to 1.98 in the dairy barn 2, and from 0.66 to 1.32 and 1.67 to 1.73 in the dairy barn 3, respectively, in years 1 and 2. Moreover, the emission factors of CH4 and NH3 were 309.5 and 30.6 (g day- 1 LU-1), respectively, for naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns. Overall, this study provided a detailed characterization of seasonal and daily gaseous emissions variations highlighting the need for future longitudinal emission studies and identifying an opportunity to better adequate the existing mitigation strategies according to season and daytime.
2024
Autores
Ribeiro, T; Henriques, PR; Oliveira, E; Rodrigues, NE;
Publicação
2024 IEEE 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SERIOUS GAMES AND APPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, SEGAH 2024
Abstract
This article introduces an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) application designed to assess the interaction capabilities of users with physical and cognitive limitations, including older adults and individuals with disabilities, as well as ICU patients. The VR application encompasses six tasks varying in complexity, each designed to evaluate different aspects of VR interaction skills, such as movements of the head, arms, and fingers, alongside more intricate activities like pick-and-place, pointing, and painting.The paper details the VR application's specifications, including its system architecture, deployment framework, and data structure. The application's efficacy was tested through three pilot studies in a retirement home setting. The analysis focused on examining correlations among various factors, including age, cognitive abilities (evaluated using the Mini-Mental Status Examination), and previous VR experience. The findings reveal significant correlations, illuminating the effects of age, cognitive capacity, and past VR interactions on task performance. The results emphasize the importance of accounting for user-specific attributes, prior experiences, and cognitive abilities in the design of VR-based therapeutic interventions.
2024
Autores
Barbosa, F; Casacio, L; Bacalhau, ET; Leitao, A; Guimaraes, L;
Publicação
UTILITIES POLICY
Abstract
Hydropower currently generates more than all other renewable energies combined. Considering the challenges of climate change and the transition to green energy, it is expected to remain the world's largest source of renewable electricity generation. This paper proposes a tool for performance evaluation and benchmarking of hydropower generation to inform dispatching. Through them, strengths and weaknesses of asset operations can be set, identifying areas with the best performance, gathering insights from their strategies and best practices, and comprehending factors that lead to variations in performance levels. The results allow for optimising energy resource use by indicating the dispatching rules with maximum power production and minimum wearand-tear impact. This framework allows the formulation of practical guidelines for dispatching policies. The proposed methodology is applied to analyse two real-world case studies: the Vogelgr & uuml;n run of river hydropower plant (France) and the Frades 2 pump-storage powerplant (Portugal).
2024
Autores
Castro, H; Camara, F; Avila, P; Ferreira, L; Cruz Cunha, M;
Publicação
Procedia Computer Science
Abstract
Industry 4.0 represents a turning point in the thinking of the production model since it is based on digitalized production systems with the aim of improving productivity, product quality, and delivery time to the customer. The digitalization and evolution of information technology allowed the emulation of production system virtual models, namely in the concept of Digital Twin (DT), with the ability to simulate different scenarios providing support for better decision making. This concept not only represents a virtual copy of the physical world that obtains information about the state of the value chain but also illustrates a system capable of changing the development of the production activity according to the fulfillment of the intended business goals. In literature, the concept of the Digital Twin is exhaustively treated as a stand-alone factory (one digital factory represents one physical factory) and underestimates the possibility of a DT oriented to a customized product (a project) that requires decentralized production systems. This paper brings to discussion the relevance of product customized applying DT to smart customization, and the inclusion of decentralized production systems supported by Cloud Manufacturing. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
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