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Contrast affects stimulus detection in natural scenes
No full textHow can we predict if a brief stimulus will be detected or perceived when embedded in a dynamic natural scene, such as those we encounter in our daily lives? This is a complex problem, with several approaches to it. Here, we were interested in determining the minimum luminance contrast to the background scene required to achieve detection and shape perception. To investigate this, we used natural videos with briefly appearing natural events, varying in timing of appearance, shape, position, and contrast. We found that there is an interplay between the timing of the event, its position, and the contrast needed for detection. However, for correct shape perception, timing was not a relevant variable. A lower contrast was required for event detection than for correct shape perception. We conclude that contrast alone can affect stimulus detection, but other parameters might interact with it in this task
Relatório de Estágio em E.R.P.I. A integração do adulto maior nos cuidados de longa duração: O papel do plano individual do utente
No full textEste relatório, tem como propósito, apresentar as linhas metodológicas aplicadas na concretização de um estágio curricular na área da Gerontologia Social, realizado na Associação Cegonha Branca, mais concretamente na valência de Lar, sediada na freguesia de Altura no concelho de Castro Marim. Com o aumento da esperança média de vida, e, por conseguinte, o aumento do número de pessoas idosas, a procura de respostas sociais tende a aumentar, nomeadamente as Estruturas Residenciais para Pessoas Idosas (ERPI). A admissão de uma pessoa idosa numa instituição é um processo complexo e faseado. Neste sentido é de grande importância a realização de um Plano Individual (PI), “instrumento formal que visa organizar, operacionalizar e integrar todas as respostas às necessidades, expectativas e potenciais de desenvolvimento identificadas em conjunto com o cliente” (Segurança Social, 2011). O estágio curricular, foi crucial no processo de construção e enquadramento deste relatório, com a finalidade de procurar analisar o caráter potencialmente estratégico que os critérios de construção do Plano Individual (PI) do cliente, assumem na otimização dos serviços prestados pelas organizações, concretamente a sua estrutura bem como definir o caminho a seguir. Neste sentido o trabalho de investigação desenvolvido, foi repartido por etapas: realização de um diagnóstico a todos os processos individuais, com o intuito de constatar a existência e composição da estrutura do PI utilizado, realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas a elementos da equipa multidisciplinar a exercer funções na ERPI, com o intuito de perceber o nível de conhecimento, parecer, utilidade diária e intervenção dos PI’s nas tarefas do quotidiano diário da instituição. Face aos resultados obtidos, constatou-se a inexistência de PI nos processos individuais dos clientes, no entanto, todos os colaboradores entrevistados foram unânimes no parecer da sua importância na otimização dos serviços. Neste sentido, foi realizada uma proposta de PI, enquadrada e direcionada às especificidades e recursos da ERPI e dos seus clientes.This report aims to present the methodological approaches applied in the implementation of a curricular internship in the field of Social Gerontology, carried out at the Cegonha Branca Association, specifically in the Nursing Home service, located in the parish of Altura in the municipality of Castro Marim. With the increase in life expectancy and, consequently, the growing number of elderly people, the demand for social responses tends to rise, particularly for Residential Structures for the Elderly (ERPI). The admission of an elderly person into an institution is a complex and phased process. In this sense, the creation of an Individual Plan (IP) is of great importance, as it is "a formal instrument aimed at organizing, operationalizing, and integrating all responses to the needs, expectations, and potential for development identified together with the client" (Social Security, 2011). The curricular internship was crucial in the process of constructing and framing this report, with the purpose of analyzing the potentially strategic nature that the criteria for constructing the client's Individual Plan (IP) assume in optimizing the services provided by organizations, specifically their structure, as well as defining the path to follow. In this sense, the research work developed was divided into stages: conducting a diagnosis of all individual processes, in order to verify the existence and composition of the IP structure used; conducting semi-structured interviews with members of the multidisciplinary team working at the ERPI, in order to understand the level of knowledge, opinion, daily usefulness, and intervention of IPs in the daily tasks of the institution. Based on the results obtained, it was found that there was no IP in the individual processes of the clients. However, all the employees interviewed unanimously agreed on the importance of the IP in optimizing services. In this sense, a proposal for an IP was made, framed and directed to the specificities and resources of the ERPI and its clients
Extinction risk of the endemic soft coral Phyllogorgia dilatata (Esper, 1806) in a remote island of the Brazilian coast
No full textThe Brazilian endemic octocoral Phyllogorgia dilatata (elephant ear sea fan) plays a crucial ecological role in the marine ecosystems of the Brazilian coast. Our work investigates the local extinction of P. dilatata on Trindade Island, a remote oceanic island in the Southwestern Atlantic, and assesses the potential impacts of climate change on its distribution. Field surveys conducted over two years (2016-2019) revealed no live individuals of P. dilatata, with only dead peduncles remaining, marking the first observed local extinction of this species. Species distribution models (SDMs) incorporating current and historical climate data were used to estimate the species' habitat suitability and project future distribution under different climate scenarios. Results indicate that P. dilatata currently inhabits approximately 93,090 km2 of suitable area, primarily within tropical ecoregions, but faces significant habitat loss under future climate projections. By 2090-2100, models predict a 63.38 % loss of habitat under the high-emission RCP 8.5 scenario, with severe impacts on tropical regions, including Trindade Island. Environmental variables such as temperature, oxygen concentration, and salinity were identified as key drivers of the species' distribution, while non-climatic factors like seawater velocity, were also significant. The extinction on Trindade Island is attributed to a combination of historical isolation, climate change, and local anthropogenic stressors, including pollution and overfishing. The current investigation highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts, including the establishment of marine protected areas and restoration programs, to protect this vulnerable species and similar marine organisms again climate change
Implementação do QGIS/QFIELD como ferramenta de apoio à reflorestação no sul da Bahia, Brasil
No full textO presente relatório insere-se no âmbito do estágio “Implementação do QGIS/QField como ferramenta de apoio à reflorestação no Sul da Bahia, Brasil”, realizado com a colaboração do Fundo Ambiental Sul Baiano (FASB) e da NGPTA Lda. A investigação centrou-se na criação e implementação de um sistema de informação geográfica (SIG) integrado, combinando o QGIS e o QField, como suporte à gestão de projetos de reflorestação na Mata Atlântica. Este sistema foi concebido para digitalizar, organizar e analisar dados geoespaciais, proporcionando ferramentas de apoio à monitorização, planeamento e apresentação de resultados dos projetos ambientais. A Mata Atlântica, localizada na região sul da Bahia, é um dos biomas mais biodiversos e ameaçados do Brasil, enfrentando desafios significativos decorrentes da desflorestação e da degradação ambiental. Para mitigar esses impactos, o FASB tem implementado projetos voltados à recuperação florestal e ao desenvolvimento sustentável das comunidades locais. Nesse contexto, o uso de tecnologias SIG permitiu a criação de mapas geoespaciais detalhados, a coleta e a sincronização de dados em campo e a capacitação de equipas técnicas e comunidades envolvidas. A metodologia adotada baseou-se na configuração de uma plataforma desktop (QGIS) interligada ao aplicativo móvel QField para o trabalho em campo, integrando dados coletados por agricultores e comunidades indígenas. Foram realizadas formações práticas para facilitar o uso destas ferramentas, garantindo a participação ativa das comunidades na criação e atualização de dados geográficos. Além disso, os resultados destacaram-se pela elaboração de cartografia de alta qualidade, pelo fortalecimento da gestão ambiental e pela inclusão social através da "tecnologia social". Este projeto evidenciou o potencial do QGIS/QField para a gestão integrada de territórios e demonstrou a importância de abordagens colaborativas na conservação ambiental, contribuindo significativamente para os objetivos do FASB e para a preservação da biodiversidade da Mata Atlântica
Multioccupancy activity recognition based on deep learning models fusing UWB localization heatmaps and nearby-sensor interaction
No full textHuman activity recognition (HAR) focuses on developing systems and techniques to recognize and categorize human actions automatically based on sensor data. This study combines ultrawideband (UWB) technology and binary sensors to describe and recognize daily activities in real-world environments with multiple occupants, ensuring accurate user localization through noninvasive and privacy-respecting methods. A novel method that combines wearables with UWB technology, which allows the generation of heatmaps for accurate positioning, and binary sensors, which collect nearby interaction with daily activities in naturalistic conditions, is presented. A dataset composed of real-world data collected from three individuals in a real-life environment (house) was compiled. Advanced deep learning models are implemented to effectively fuse spatiotemporal information, leading to an encouraging performance in recognition of daily activities. The promising results suggest that this approach could be viable for large-scale deployments in future smart environments
A influência do território nos processos criativos de uma trilogia de curtas-metragens
No full textEsta dissertação pretende estudar o processo criativo multidisciplinar da trilogia composta pelas curtas-metragens A internet matou o Chester Bennington, Aunque es de noche e Sofia e o Gajo do Fogo. Tendo como base metodológica os conceitos de crítica genética, explorados por Cecília Almeida Salles e Vincent Colapietro, e de auto-etnografia aplicada à criação de cinema, esta análise partirá da perspetiva do realizador relativamente à realidade sociocultural e histórico-geográfica da região do Algarve, onde duas das três curtas-metragens foram filmadas. Com o objetivo de enquadrar os processos criativos nas especificidades dos territórios em que se localizaram, serão citadas entrevistas a profissionais da área residentes na região. Serão contextualizadas abordagens teórico-metodológicas do processo criativo da ideia inicial até à estreia da trilogia e, também, citadas entrevistas a cocriadores da trilogia, de forma a abranger diferentes perspetivas sobre os processos criativos. Serão articuladas as particularidades da construção da equipa técnica e elencos, os constrangimentos provocados pela Covid-19 e as limitações temporais, a evolução do trabalho dramatúrgico e a influência teatral nos processos. Por último, serão sugeridas conclusões acerca dos processos criativos e da realidade cinematográfica no Algarve, de acordo com recomendações de boas-práticas a nível nacional, europeu e mundial.This dissertation aims to study the multidisciplinary creative process of the trilogy composed by the short films The internet killed Chester Bennigton, Aunque es de noche and Sofia e o Gajo do Fogo. Based on the concepts of genetic criticism, explored by Cecília Almeida Salles and Vincent Colapietro, and self-ethnography applied to cinema creation, this analysis will start from the perspective of the director regarding the socio-cultural and historic-geographical reality of the Algarve region, where two of the three short films were filmed. In order to frame the creative processes in the specificities of the territories where they were located, interviews will be conducted with professionals based in the area. Theoretical and methodological approaches of the creative process from the initial idea to the premiere of the trilogy will be contextualized and also interviews cited to co-creators of the trilogy, in order to cover different perspectives on creative processes. The particularities of the construct of the technical team and cast, the constraints caused by Covid-19 and time limitations, the evolution of the dramaturgical work and the theatrical influence will be articulated. Finally, conclusions will be suggested about the creative processes and the cinematographic reality in the Algarve, according to recommendations of good practices at a national, European and worldwide level
Ensinar por projeto utilizando Sistemas de Informação Geográfica em Gestão Marinha e Costeira
No full textAtualmente é crítica a necessidade de formar profissionais em Gestão Marinha e Costeira (GMC) capazes de enfrentar os desafios das alterações climáticas, com foco na erosão costeira, degradação de habitats e poluição. Como os mapas desempenham um papel fulcral na gestão de desastres costeiros, os Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG) tornaram-se uma ferramenta cada vez mais importante, consequentemente, os cursos de SIG fazem parte de quase todos os programas de graduação e pós-graduação nesta área. Entre as pedagogias aplicadas para ensinar SIG no Ensino Superior, vários estudos mostraram que o método de aprendizagem baseada em projeto (Project-Based Learning ou PBL) é a melhor forma de promover a aprendizagem e o pensamento crítico, superando métodos tradicionais com aulas expositivas ou exercícios estruturados. Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de uma atividade PBL com SIG que alinha os objetivos de aprendizagem da disciplina de SIG com os objetivos de aprendizagem de GMC.UIDP/50019/2020;info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
GLAC-Unet: global-local active contour loss with an efficient u-shaped architecture for multiclass medical image segmentation
No full textThe field of medical image segmentation powered by deep learning has recently received substantial attention, with a significant focus on developing novel architectures and designing effective loss functions. Traditional loss functions, such as Dice loss and Cross-Entropy loss, predominantly rely on global metrics to compare predictions with labels. However, these global measures often struggle to address challenges such as occlusion and nonuni-form intensity. To overcome these issues, in this study, we propose a novel loss function, termed Global-Local Active Contour (GLAC) loss, which integrates both global and local image features, reformulated within the Mumford-Shah framework and extended for multiclass segmentation. This approach enables the neural network model to be trained end-to-end while simultaneously segmenting multiple classes. In addition to this, we enhance the U-Net architecture by incorporating Dense Layers, Convolutional Block Attention Modules, and DropBlock. These improvements enable the model to more effectively combine contextual information across layers, capture richer semantic details, and mitigate overfitting, resulting in more precise segmentation outcomes. We validate our proposed method, namely GLAC-Unet, which utilizes the GLAC loss in conjunction with our modified U-shaped architecture, on three biomedical segmentation datasets that span a range of modalities, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional images, such as dermoscopy, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. Extensive experiments demonstrate the promising performance of our approach, achieving a Dice score (DSC) of 0.9125 on the ISIC-2018 dataset, 0.9260 on the Automated Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge (ACDC) 2017, and 0.927 on the Infant Brain MRI Segmentation Challenge 2019. Furthermore, statistical significance testing with p-values consistently smaller than 0.05 on the ISIC-2018 and ACDC datasets confirms the superior performance of the proposed method compared to other state-of-the-art models. These results highlight the robustness and effectiveness of our multiclass segmentation technique, underscoring its potential for biomedical image analysis
A supervised home-based exercise program to improve functional performance in women with breast cancer (Home-Pac): a randomized controlled trial
No full textBackground:Endocrine therapy's effects may hinder the functional performance and quality of life of women with breast cancer. Physical activity can counteract these effects, but this population does not regularly adopt it. This study aimed to test the impact of a 12-week home-based exercise intervention with a supervised component on the functional performance, quality of life, and physical activity of women with breast cancer undergoing endocrine therapy. Methods:Twenty-one women were initially randomized. Three participants were missing at random before the intervention started, leaving 18 with breast cancer stage I to III diagnosis, aged 18 to 75 years, receiving endocrine therapy, and reporting low to moderate activity levels. The study comprised a weekly online exercise session and, an exercise booklet intervention, and control group. Functional performance, quality of life, and physical activity were assessed. ANOVAs with repeated measures and Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons were conducted. Results:High adherence to program was observed (80%). Significant group-by-time interactions, favoring the intervention group, were found for functional performance-sit-to-stand (F = 19.64; P < .001; Eta2 = .55), arm curl (F = 13.01; P = .002; Eta2 = .45), and timed-up-go (F = 12.22; P = .003; Eta2 = .43); quality of life-insomnia (F = 6.05; P = 0.026; Eta2 = .27) and global health status (F = 6.81; P = .020; Eta2 = .31); and total physical activity (F = 5.95; P = .027; Eta2 = .27). Conclusion:The findings suggest that home-based exercise programs might be feasible and improve strength and overall mobility. These programs may contribute to increasing physical activity and quality of life of women with breast cancer. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.PTDC/SAU-DES/2865/202
Tour operators as a tool to improve information on data‐deficient cetacean species
No full textUnderstanding the distribution and behaviour of species is crucial for ecosystem assessment and economic evaluations. Despite global research efforts, some cetacean species or populations remain data deficient. False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) are among these species, possibly due to their pelagic behaviour and high mobility. This study focused on the Azorean Archipelago, an ecologically rich region influenced by the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current, where false killer whales have been regularly observed over the last decade by the whale watching operators. Using opportunistic data collection from tourist operators, we established the first long-term study of false killer whales in the NE Atlantic Ocean. Results revealed sightings between April and October, with a peak from July to September. False killer whale groups were observed interacting with other species, particularly bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The photo-identification analysis produced an individual catalogue and identified associations between individuals and groups. Four of these animals presented dorsal fin injury patterns suggestive of interactions with fishing gear. Open population capture-recapture (openCR) models estimated a population of 198 individuals in the research area. This study demonstrates the importance of opportunistic data collection in understanding poorly studied species. The findings contribute insights into false killer whale presence, behaviour and potential threats in the studied region. Future research should expand to winter data collection, comprehensive fishery interaction studies and population dynamics assessments for effective conservation efforts