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Implementing the results of qualitative research: contributions, challenges and trends
No full textArticle number - e1183O avanço rápido da investigação e a proliferação mundial dos seus resultados são um ganho indiscutível para o desenvolvimento da sociedade, com traduções claras nos avanços tecnológicos, sociais e humanos. Este acréscimo de estudos e a disseminação dos resultados são um reptopara os investigadores, que,por um lado,têm acesso a estudos diversos sobre um dado tema, mas continuam a ter o desafio de fazer chegar os resultados da investigação ao cidadãoe à sociedade. Esta dificuldade é transversal a todas as áreas de conhecimento e nota-se,sobretudo,na implementação dos resultados dos estudos qualitativos. Não obstante a crescente aceitação do conhecimento produzido nos paradigmas construtivista e interpretativista de investigação, as guidelinese os estudos de síntese de evidênciascontinuam a privilegiar modelos positivistas, com perdas na compreensão da complexidade e da riqueza dos fenómenos sociais e humanos, perdendo-se insights valorosos para a compreensão dos acontecimentos, isoladamente ou em complementaridade com abordagens quantitativas. Oque se apresentaneste artigoobjetivanão só adiscussão dos desenhos de investigação, mas também a redefinir como se interligam a síntese de evidênciase o respetivo método científico para o fazer,e reconsiderar os modelos que são usados para transferir e implementar o ‘conhecimento Quali’ em contextos com especificidades culturais e recursos disponíveis dispares.The rapid advance of research and the worldwide proliferation of its results are an indisputable gain for the development of society, with clear translations in technological, social and human advances. This increase in studies and the dissemination of results is a challenge for researchers who, on the one hand, have access to a variety of studies on a given topic, but who are still faced with the challenge of getting the results of their research to thecitizen and to the society.This difficulty cuts across all areas of knowledge and is particularly noticeable when it comes to implementing the results of qualitative studies. Despite the growing acceptance of knowledge produced in the constructivist and interpretivist research paradigms, guidelines and evidence synthesis studies continue to favor positivist models, with losses in understanding the complexity and richness of social and human phenomena, losing valuable insights for understanding events, in isolation or in complementarity with quantitative approaches. What is presented in this articleaimsnot only to discuss research designs, but also to redefine how evidence synthesis and the respective scientific method are interconnected, to do so, and to reconsider the models that are used to transfer and implement ‘Quali knowledge’ in contexts with disparate cultural specificities and available resource
Determinants of House Prices in Dublin: A Quantile Regression Approach
No full textToday's property market is more competitive than ever, making accurate property valuation
essential for ensuring fair transactions for both buyers and sellers. Historically, the Irish have
shown a strong preference for homeownership over renting, with the homeownership rate
reaching 69.4% in 2023 (Eurostat, 2023). This research underscores the significance of
identifying key factors that influence housing prices in the Dublin market.
Over time, researchers have developed various methods to achieve the most rigorous results in
real estate valuation. As in many previous studies, the hedonic price model was employed, as
it is widely regarded as one of the most effective approaches for property valuation. To conduct
the empirical analysis, different forms of the hedonic price model were tested on a sample of
5,091 houses in Dublin, with the double logarithmic form proving to yield the most accurate
results. To enhance performance, the study applied quantile regression, a technique that
provides a more comprehensive view of price variations across the housing market. This
approach allowed for the identification of attributes that significantly influence price
fluctuations in both lower- and higher-priced properties.
Our findings reveal that location and house size exert the strongest positive influence on
property prices, consistently driving price variations across all market segments. Additionally,
property type plays a crucial role in determining house values. However, factors such as usage
status, the number of bedrooms, and the availability of gardens or terraces primarily impact
lower- and mid-priced houses. Furthermore, Building Energy Rating (BER) significantly
affects prices, but mainly in cases of lower ratings, which lead to price reductions, particularly
in the lower-priced segment. Lastly, proximity to the sea enhances house values, especially for
high-priced houses
ROI -BASED CODING OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGES FOR MACHINE ANALYSIS
No full textI acknowledge the financial support provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal under projects CoMBINNe 2022.09914.PTDC (DOI:10.54499/2022.09914.PTDC), Programa Operacional Regional do Centro, and by FCT/MCTES through national funds and when applicable co-funded by EU funds under the project UIDB/EEA/50008/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/50008/2020) and
LA/P/0109/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0109/2020).The increasing volume of data acquired and generated daily in the healthcare sector,
driven by technological advancements, brings significant benefits to patient diagnosis
and research. However, this growth also presents considerable challenges in the
analysis and processing of such data. To address these difficulties, computer vision
algorithms have emerged as powerful tools, capable of automating repetitive and
time-consuming tasks, enabling faster and more accurate processing.
At the same time, the growing volume of data places pressure on storage and
transmission capabilities, demanding efficient compression methods to minimise
its size. In the literature, various approaches are found, primarily divided into
two categories: lossy and lossless compression. While lossless methods ensure data
integrity, they do not achieve compression rates as high as lossy algorithms. The
latter, despite significantly reducing file sizes, introduces distortions that may
compromise image quality, affecting the accuracy of automated systems.
This dissertation focuses on two main challenges: first, evaluating the impact of
image compression on the performance of biomedical computer vision systems, and
second, improving compression efficiency without compromising the accuracy of
these algorithms. To this end, detection and segmentation models, such as YOLOv8
and SAM, were used to analyse the effect of distortion caused by encoding on the
localisation and segmentation of mitochondria in two datasets of electron microscopy
images.
To enhance model performance at higher compression levels, two methodologies
were implemented. The first focuses on domain adaptation, fine-tuning the models
to recognise and compensate for distortions introduced by compression, specifically
in HEVC/H.265 and VVC/H.266 encoders. The second approach proposes contentaware
encoder adaptation, allowing the assignment of different quality levels to
selected regions of interest. This method aims to reduce storage and bandwidth
requirements without significantly compromising the performance of deep learningbased
models.
Experimental results demonstrate that region-of-interest-based encoding strategies
effectively reduce compression rates while maintaining model accuracy. In particular,
the proposed methodologies allowed to achieve an average performance improvement
of up to 23.70% for the same bpp range and a data size reduction of up to 74.96%.
Additionally, a Pareto-based optimisation algorithm was proposed to determine the most suitable encoding configurations for different standards and models, ensuring
a balance between compression efficiency and object detection performance
Extraction from Signal Desktop
No full textCom a crescente preocupação com a segurança e privacidade das conversas pessoais,
as aplicações de mensagens instantâneas com encriptação ponta-a-ponta tornaram-se
um foco importante da investigação forense. Este estudo apresenta uma metodologia
detalhada e um script em Python para desencriptar e analisar artefactos forenses
do Signal Desktop em ambientes Windows e Linux. A abordagem divide-se em duas
fases: i) a desencriptação dos dados armazenados localmente e ii) a análise e documentação
dos artefactos forenses. Para preservar a integridade dos dados, a extração
pode ser realizada sem iniciar o Signal Desktop, evitando alterações indesejadas. Em
sistemas Linux, é ainda possível realizar uma extração forense completa diretamente
a partir dos ficheiros. Os dados extraídos são processados e organizados em vários relatórios,
facilitando o trabalho dos investigadores forenses. Adicionalmente, descrevemos
um processo detalhado, passo a passo, para extrair dados da Gnome Keyring e
da KWallet, útil em ambientes Linux onde o Signal Desktop depende destes sistemas
para armazenamento seguro, mas também aplicável a outros dados não relacionados
com o Signal. Os métodos apresentados oferecem uma base sólida para a extração e
análise de artefactos encriptados do Signal em várias plataformas desktop, facilitando
a realização de investigações forenses rigorosas.With growing concerns over the security and privacy of personal conversations, endto-
end encrypted instant messaging applications have become a key focus of forensic
research. This study presents a detailed methodology along with an automated
Python script for decrypting and analyzing forensic artifacts from Signal Desktop on
both Windows and Linux environments. The methodology is divided into two phases:
i) decryption of locally stored data and ii) analysis and documentation of forensic artifacts.
To ensure data integrity, this approach enables retrieval without launching Signal
Desktop, preventing potential alterations. On Linux, it additionally allows a full forensic
extraction directly from stored files. A reporting module organizes the extracted
data for forensic investigators, enhancing usability. We also provide a comprehensive
step-by-step process for forensically extracting data from Gnome Keyring and KWallet,
supporting Linux environments where Signal Desktop relies on these systems for secure
storage, while also enabling potential applications beyond Signal-related data The
methods presented provide a robust framework for extracting and analyzing encrypted
Signal artifacts across desktop platforms, supporting thorough forensic investigations
Retention of minerals, antioxidants, pigments, and glucosinolates by broccoli florets and green bean pods boiled in alkaline, neutral and acidic waters
No full textArticle number - 118014Given the poor palatability and chewability of crude green bean pods (Phaseolus vulgaris) and broccoli florets (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck) these vegetables are generally microwaved, steamed or water boiled. Hence, here, we evaluated the contents of minerals, antioxidants, phenolics, glucosinolates, pigments, colour, texture and flavour of water-boiling broccoli and green bean pods, with four mineral waters with variable composition and pH. Plant matrices were characterized by High Resolution Magic-Angle Spinning (HR-MAS) and plant extracts were analysed by pseudo-2D Diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Mineral waters ranging from acidic to neutral and alkaline were used and the colour properties (lightness, greenness/yellowness, colour saturation and hue angles), minerals and bioactive contents retained by the vegetables were compared to microwaved and steamed material. Boiling bean pods for 5 min extracted more polyphenols and antioxidants, particularly with more acidic waters, than 5 min of microwaving or steaming. However, even if boiling broccoli with more acidic water could better preserve glucosinolates, the food material presented lower retention of pigments and poor palatability. Cooking with more alkaline water increased mineral retention and broccoli greenness, also leading to highest scores in “colour”, “texture”, and “flavour”. Hence, samples cooked in more alkaline water presented higher acceptability.Authors thank the financial support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia FCT/MCTES via PIDDAC funds to LSRE-LCM (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/50020/2020 and DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/50020/2020), ALiCE, (DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0045/2020), CQC-IMS (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00313/2020 and DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/00313/2020)
A Near-Real-Time Operational Live Fuel Moisture Content (LFMC) Product to Support Decision-Making at the National Level
No full textArticle number - 178This article belongs to the Section Fire Research at the Science–Policy–Practitioner InterfaceLive fuel moisture content (LFMC) significantly influences fire activity and behavior over different spatial and temporal scales. The ability to estimate LFMC is important to improve our capability to predict when and where large wildfires may occur. Currently, there is a gap in providing reliable near-real-time LFMC estimates which can contribute to better operational decision-making. The objective of this work was to develop near-real-time LFMC estimates for operational purposes in Portugal. We modelled LFMC using Random Forests for Portugal using a large set of potential predictor variables. We validated the model and analyzed the relationships between estimated LFMC and both fire size and behavior. The model predicted LFMC with an R2 of 0.78 and an RMSE of 12.82%, and combined six variables: drought code, day-of-year and satellite vegetation indices. The model predicted well the temporal LFMC variability across most of the sampling sites. A clear relationship between LFMC and fire size was observed: 98% of the wildfires larger than 500 ha occurred with LFMC lower than 100%. Further analysis showed that 90% of these wildfires occurred for dead and live fuel moisture content lower than 10% and 100%, respectively. Fast-spreading wildfires were coincident with lower LFMC conditions: 92% of fires with rate of spread larger than 1000 m/h occurred with LFMC lower than 100%. The availability of spatial and temporal LFMC information for Portugal will be relevant for better fire management decision-making and will allow a better understanding of the drivers of large wildfires.This research was funded by project FUELSAT (PCIF/GRF/0116/2019) funded by the Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT). The Forest Research Centre was funded by FCT (UIDB/00239, Centro de Estudos Florestais). AB was funded by FCT through a CEEC contract (CEECIND/03799/2018/CP1563/CT0003). P.M.F and C.R. were supported by FCT under the projects UID/04033: Centro de Investiga\u00E7\u00E3o e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambienteis e Biol\u00F3gicas and LA/P/0126/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0126/2020)
SIMPLE LOG ANALYSIS AND ALARMI STIC WITH MACHINE LEARNING
No full textA monitorização e análise de logs assumem um papel fundamental na Cibersegurança,
constituindo a principal fonte de informação para a deteção, investigação
e prevenção de incidentes. Contudo, a crescente complexidade das infraestruturas
tecnológicas, juntamente com o volume e diversidade dos registos gerados, torna esta
tarefa exigente, frequentemente associada a elevados custos técnicos e financeiros.
Embora existam soluções robustas no mercado, estas revelam-se por vezes desajustadas
à realidade de pequenas e médias empresas, que não dispõem de equipas
especializadas nem de recursos económicos para manter este tipo de plataformas.
O principal objetivo deste projeto consistiu, assim, no desenvolvimento de uma
solução simples em termos de funcionalidades e de fácil instalação, que permita a
qualquer instituição realizar a análise de logs de forma contínua e gerar alertas automáticos
de eventos alarmantes. Para isso, foi concebido um protótipo demonstrativo
que integra a recolha de registos, o seu tratamento e enriquecimento com dados
contextuais e a aplicação de regras de análise baseadas em frequência, semântica e
correlação.
Os resultados obtidos confirmaram a viabilidade do sistema, permitindo identificar
comportamentos suspeitos em logs Apache e de autenticação, tais como tentativas
de brute force, exploração de diretórios administrativos, acessos repetitivos e correlações
entre falhas de login seguidas de autenticações bem-sucedidas. A análise de
reputação e geolocalização de endereços IP contribuiu para uma contextualização
mais completa, elevando a precisão na classificação de alertas.Log monitoring and analysis play a fundamental role in Cybersecurity, representing
a primary source of information for the detection, investigation, and prevention
of incidents. However, the increasing complexity of technological infrastructures,
together with the growing volume and diversity of generated records, makes this
task highly demanding and often associated with significant technical and financial
costs. Although robust solutions are available on the market, they are frequently
unsuited to the reality of small and medium-sized enterprises, which typically lack
specialized teams or the financial resources to maintain such platforms.
The main objective of this project was therefore the development of a solution
that is simple in terms of functionality and easy to install, enabling any institution
to perform continuous log analysis and automatically generate alerts for alarming
events. To achieve this, a demonstrative prototype was designed that integrates log
collection, processing and enrichment with contextual data, as well as the application
of analysis rules based on frequency, semantics, and correlation.
The results obtained confirmed the feasibility of the proposed system, allowing
the identification of suspicious behaviors in Apache and authentication logs, such as
brute force attempts, administrative directory exploration, repetitive access patterns,
and correlations between failed logins followed by successful authentications. The
integration of IP reputation and geolocation data further enhanced the contextual
analysis, improving the accuracy of alert classification
Fragmentos de um Discurso Aventuroso
No full textEscritas : Manifestos principiou, em 2022, por uma colecção de cadernos compilando a tradução de entrevistas e escritos de artista, documentos actualmente em depósito no acervo da biblioteca da ESAD.CR. Nesse mesmo ano lançamos o primeiro caderno com texto original Poesia para uma Revolução (im)possível (fragmentos sobre os tempos múltiplos do Manifesto), de Rodrigo Silva. Em 2025, retomamos estes cadernos que se organizam em duas linhas editoriais: a transcrição e edição de aulas abertas ministradas por convidadas.os e a publicação de textos-manifestos originais redigidos por colegas de variadas áreas de estudo e cursos leccionados pela ESAD.CR.Escritas : Manifestos reúne materiais coligidos na preparação de aulas, ensaios ou esboços para conferências, ou comunicações que não foram ainda alvo de edição, tal como resultados da investigação prática ou teórico-prática realizada no campo do Design e da Arte.Coordenação editorial
Isabel Baraona
Design e paginação
Rosa QuitérioO que pode significar a afirmação arriscar a vida? Que apelo se esconde nessa proferição desassombrada, nessa intimação imperativa? É uma incitação a jogar com a morte ou uma convocação para o viver, para um viver mais amplo e mais pleno? Arriscar a vida, no seu sentido mais imediato, soa e ressoa como uma prova aventurosa: enfrentar a morte e sobreviver. O risco é mortal, ou talvez devêssemos dizer: ser mortal é estar em risco, em risco de morte. São mortais os que estão vivos. A vida é um risco inantecipável e incalculável
assumido por nós, os vivos. Expor-se ao perigo é o nosso destino de humanos: somos infinitamente vulneráveis, tidos e mantidos numa frágil trama de interdependências. A vida vivida nunca é neutra: lança-se para o desconhecido dos encontros e dos começos, num instável equilíbrio que busca em cada passo dado encontrar um novo equilíbrio. Será que existe e podemos pensar, alojado no coração da própria vida, um impulso insondável, uma música secreta, um apelo segredado ou uma voz interior, capaz de mudar a existência, de a fazer impelida e insuflada pelo desejo? O que acontece com uma cultura e uma sociedade que persiste em considerar esse risco de viver sem logo o conjurar, sem o tornar
um acto transgressivo, pura loucura, comportamento desviante que rompe os conformismos e as conformações aos modelos e às lógicas da reprodução social? [...
Introducing Flying Disc Sports at Schools For Kindergarten and Primary Schools
No full textThis book is intended for all educators and teachers who work with children between the ages of 4 and
10, when coordination and motor skills are being developed. The activities included within this text are
designed to teach children how to manipulate a disc, an object with extraordinary potential. Engaging in
Flying Disc sports from an early age promotes motor coordination, lateral and spatial orientation, and
introduces the concepts to build a foundation of excellent sportspersonship. In creating this resource we
wanted to provide more options in the physical educational process, introducing a framework for the use
of discs and Flying Disc sports from the youngest ages. Using a disc in sports does not replace the use of
balls but provides variety and increases the learning potential. The activities and concepts within this
work are based on science and the authors' decades of experience in education and Flying Disc sports
around the world. As the person responsible for this project, I would like to take this opportunity to thank
WFDF, the contributing authors, designers, and publishers, who together have managed our goal to
bring Flying Disc sports to schools
REFLETIR E INVESTIGAR NA EDUCAÇÃO DE INFÂNCIA: O BRINCAR NA PERSPETIVA DE CRIANÇAS DO JARDIM DE INFÂNCIA
No full textNeste relatório de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada (PES) reflete-se sobre todo o meu percurso realizado entre setembro de 2023 e janeiro de 2025, no contexto do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar na Escola Superior de Educação e Ciências Socias (ESECS), do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria (IPL). Neste relatório destaca-se os acontecimentos e vivências significativas nas três Práticas Pedagógicas realizadas em contextos diferentes no concelho de Leiria e apresenta-se o estudo de investigação sobre o Brincar na perspetiva das crianças, um tema de grande importância para o desenvolvimento e aprendizagem das mesmas. Este relatório está dividido em 3 partes. A parte I dedica-se à Reflexão em torno da Prática Pedagógica em Contexto Creche. A parte II centra a sua atenção na Reflexão da Prática Pedagógica em Jardim de Infância I (IPSS). A parte III debruça-se sobre a Reflexão da Prática Pedagógica em Jardim de Infância II (Contexto Público) e sobre um estudo investigativo que se realizou nos contextos de PP JI I e PP JI II. O estudo de investigação centra-se na seguinte questão de partida “Qual a perspetiva sobre o brincar de crianças entre os 3 e os 5 anos de idade, pertencentes a dois contextos de Jardim de Infância da região de Leiria?”. A metodologia adotada foi uma metodologia qualitativa, baseada em estudo de caso. Os participantes foram seis crianças da Prática Pedagógica do Jardim de Infância I (IPSS) e seis crianças da Prática Pedagógica do Jardim de Infância II (Rede Pública). Como técnica de recolha de dados utilizou-se as entrevistas semiestruturadas e como técnica de análise de dados recorreu-se à análise de conteúdo. Os resultados recolhidos revelam que as crianças consideram o brincar com sendo um ato que lhes traz felicidade. Por fim, apresenta-se a conclusão deste relatório, a bibliografia utilizada na procura de informação para a realização do mesmo e os anexo