Este trabalho propõe um modelo de dados, na forma de objeto, para representação de formulários, com ênfase nos aspectos referentes a apresentação, e a especificação da interface de manipulação de formulários para as atividades estruturadas de escritórios. A proposição do modelo é feita pela extensão da definição de tipos de dados da linguagem PASCAL Para a elaboração de uma nova entidade, o tipo formulário, separada em três contextos: estrutura, apresentação e operações. Este trabalho esta direcionado para o estudo do contexto de apresentações nos aspectos de caracterizar o que seja semântica de apresentação e as formas de agregar esta semântica ao objeto formulário. São mostradas as formas com que a interface de manipulação faz chegar ao usuário toda a semântica agregada, no objeto formulário, dentro do contexto de apresentações. A interface de manipulação insere-se no projeto de automação das atividades estruturadas do escritório, baseada em formulários, num ambiente de microcomputadores interligados em rede. A especificação apresentada mostra as formas de comunicação entre a interface de manipulação e as outras pegas de software do sistema: servidor de formulários e dicionário de dados. É apresentada a arquitetura do sistema de automação de escritórios baseada em formulários eletrônicos atualmente em desenvolvimento no Curso de Pós-graduação em Ciência da Computação da UFRGS. / This work proposes an object-oriented data model to represent forms, with emphasis on presentation aspects and specification of the interface to manipulate forms for the structured activities of offices. The model being proposed is obtained by extending the data type definition structure of Pascal language, in order to obtain a new entity, the form data type. This entity has three contexts: structure, presentation and operations. This work is directed to the study of presentation contexts about the aspects of characterization of what is presentation semantics and the ways to associate this semantics into the obect forms. It is shown the ways how the interface of manipulation gets all the aggregated semantics of the object forms for the user, in a context of presentation. The interface of manipulation inserts in the project of automation of structured activities of offices, based upon forms, in an environment of microcomputers network. The specification presented shows the communication. ways between the manipulation interface and other programs of the system: forms file server and data dictionary. The architecture of offices automation system presented here is based upon elet.ronic forms, now being developed in the Curso de Pós-graduação em Ciência da Computação.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:22:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Guilherme Blaia DAvila.pdf: 1840808 bytes, checksum: 1c9061f1bf634734e2fb50f29b7ce8b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-12 / The goal of this research is the construction of an interface prototype for the visualization of changes in the territorial configuration, having as its starting point information from the Macro tool, whose author is Prof. Dr. Nelson Brissac Peixoto. A tool that enables the user to visualize and understand the relations among regional and global processes and their changes along time was created, turning large scale processes that were inaccessible to the individual experience into comprehensive information. To do so, it was made necessary the effort to synthesize the information contained on Macro, extracting its basic attributes and enabling its clustering and categorization. It was also necessary to create a versatile visual representation system that is capable of referencing each and every element of information. The prototype that was developed during this research can be used with different goals. It can be viable either for academic use or could be used by the government and companies. Its utilization as a tool could help the comprehension of the dynamics of territorial configuration, its cause and effect relations and connections between regional and global processes / Esta pesquisa tem como meta a construção de um protótipo de interface para a visualização de alterações na configuração territorial, tendo como ponto de partida informações contidas na ferramenta Macro, de autoria do Prof. Dr. Nelson Brissac Peixoto. Foi criada uma ferramenta que possibilita ao usuário visualizar e compreender relações entre processos regionais e globais e suas modificações ao longo do tempo, tornando apreensíveis processos em grande escala que são inacessíveis à experiência individual. Para tanto, tornou-se necessário sintetizar a informação inerente à ferramenta Macro, extraindo seus atributos básicos e possibilitando seu agrupamento e categorização, e também criar um sistema de representação visual abrangente e versátil que fosse capaz de referenciar todo e qualquer elemento de informação. O protótipo desenvolvido mostrou-se factível de introdução para diversos fins. Pode ser viável tanto para uso acadêmico como para o uso por instâncias governamentais e empresariais. Sua utilização como ferramenta pode auxiliar na compreensão das dinâmicas de configuração territorial, suas relações de causa e efeito, ligações entre processos regionais e locais

Biological cells are naturally exposed to a wealth of stimuli that influence their function and behaviour. In fields where the focus is on artificially growing biological material, such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, it is important to consider this array of senses to ensure correct cell signalling and tissue development. For decades, however, research has targeted only the chemical aspects of these stimuli. Mechanical and electrical signals are also fundamental in the development of our biology. Piezoelectric materials offer a promising solution to the electrical stimulation issue, and have drawn much attention recently as `active' cell culture scaffolds. However, little thought has been given to the mechanical properties of these materials and how they align with the requirements of cellular systems. Furthermore, the composition of many piezoelectric materials raises questions about biocompatibility. In this thesis, nanostructures of the piezoelectric bio-polymer poly-\textsc{l}-lactic acid (PLLA) have been fabricated, characterised and implemented in cell culture devices to investigate their potential for electromechanical stimulation of living tissue. Novel variations on the template-wetting method have been developed to create the nanostructures. PLLA nanowires were fabricated for the first time using temperature-controlled solution template-wetting. The nanowires were characterised using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Piezo-response Force Microscopy (PFM) combined with Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The results indicated that the nanowires were highly crystalline (up to 45 %) with a degree of molecular alignment, and that the nanowires displayed shear piezoelectricity with an estimated piezoelectric coefficient d₁₄ = 8 pC/N. This was the first observation and quantification of shear piezoelectricity in PLLA at the nanoscale. FEA was used to show that hollow nanotube structures would more closely align with the requirements for an active cell culture platform - namely, a greatly enhanced direct piezoelectric response compared to an equivalent wire. Therefore, melt template wetting was subsequently used to create PLLA nanotubes. Crystallisation induced by heat treatment was investigated using XRD, DSC and polarised light optical microscopy (POM). The results indicated that crystallisation in the confined nanotube environment leads to molecular alignment with the polymer chain parallel to the nanotube axis. No significant changes in crystal structure were observed between bulk PLLA and PLLA nanotubes. Various Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) modes were used to characterise the PLLA nanotubes at the nanoscale. PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping (PF-QNM) revealed the mechanical properties and lamellar structure of the polycrystalline polymer, although rigorous quantitative analysis proved challenging, as verified by FEA simulations. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) highlighted the difference in surface potential between amorphous and crystalline nanotubes. PFM data also demonstrated the piezoelectric activity of both crystalline and amorphous nanotubes. The interaction between PLLA nanotubes and Human Dermal Fibroblast (HDF) cells was also investigated. Cell attachment was found to be significantly higher for nanotubes in comparison to bulk films, and a further increase in attachment was observed between amorphous and crystalline nanotubes. Electrodes embedded into the nanotube devices allowed for electrical stimulation to be applied during cell growth. Preliminary observations suggest that this stimulation improves cell attachment and/or proliferation, and the use of Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) to pattern the electrodes can lead to directed cell growth.

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology can be important for those unable to communicate due loss of muscle control. The P300 Speller allows communication at a rate up to eight selections per minute. Given this relatively slow rate of communication highly accurate classification is of great importance. Previous studies have shown that alternative stimuli (e.g., faces) can improve BCI speed and accuracy. The present study uses two new alternative stimuli, locations and graspable tools in a two-stimulus paradigm. Functional MRI studies have shown that images of familiar locations produce brain responses in the parahippocampal place area and graspable tools produce brain responses in premotor cortex.The current study shows that location and tool stimuli produce unique brain responses that can be used for classification in the two-stimulus paradigm. This study shows proof of concept for using two unique stimuli to improve speed and accuracy of the P300 Speller.

Having a well-developed Graphical User Interface (GUI) is often necessary for a human-robot team, especially when the human and the robot are not in close proximity to each other or when the human does not interact with the robot in real time. Most current GUIs process and display information in real time, but the time to interact with these systems does not scale well when the complexity of the displayed information increases or when information must be fused to support decision-making. We propose a new interface concept, a Graphical Narrative Interface (GNI), which presents story-based summaries driven by accumulated data. This thesis (a) uses literature and preliminary GNI designs to identify a set of design requirements for easily managing spatiotemporal information, (b) presents a set of algorithms designed to satisfy these requirements, (c) evaluates the utility and limitations of these algorithms, (d) describes a prototype GNI that combines these algorithms with a graphical interface, and (e) compares the GNI and a GUI through a user study and evaluates the efficiency of the GNI.

Tese de mestrado. Tecnologia Multimédia. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores. Telecomunicações. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2010

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informátca e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2008

Estágio realizado no CITAR-Centro de Investigação em Ciências e Tecnologias das Artes e orientado por Jorge Cardoso / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informátca e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2008

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2008