http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/1675 Doutorado Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:14:08 GMT 2026-04-11T17:14:08Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13991 Caracterização da estrutura da crosta do Cinturão Dom Feliciano e das bacias sedimentares no sul do Brasil e no Uruguai com base em dados magnetotelúricos 2-D/3-D Menezes, Aline Muriel da Cunha This thesis presents a regional geophysical investigation aimed at characterizing the structural architecture of the continental crust and the main sedimentary basins of southern Brazil and Uruguay, based on the integrated application of the magnetotelluric (MT) method in twodimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) models. The analyzed dataset was acquired during three field campaigns (2012, 2019, and 2021), covering the Paraná-Sul and Pelotas projects and comprising ten MT profiles that cross Precambrian basement terrains and the Paraná, Camaquã, and Pelotas basins. The workflow integrated MT data acquisition, processing, modeling, and inversion, followed by calibration using complementary geological and geophysical information, including stratigraphic wells, gravity data, seismic profiles, and updated structural maps. The resulting resistivity models allowed the identification of deep crustal features such as ductile shear zones, suture zones, and major tectonic discontinuities, including the Ibaré, Dorsal de Canguçu, and Arroio Grande zones, as well as the Chuí Lineament. Additional structural boundaries were resolved, such as the Punta del Este–Jaguarão Terrane and the Pelotas Batholith. MT imaging proved capable of delineating these structures to depths of approximately 30 km. The results reveal significant lateral and vertical variations in electrical resistivity, reflecting lithological and structural contrasts that delineate crustal blocks, distinct terranes, and sedimentary units. The application of MT demonstrated high effectiveness in defining basement geometry, the thickness of the Phanerozoic basins and the Camaquã Basin, and in interpreting the regional tectonic evolution associated with the amalgamation of the Dom Feliciano Belt with the Rio de la Plata Craton. The integration of geological and geophysical datasets resulted in a refined crustal model and contributed to advancing the understanding of the deep crustal architecture of the região. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13991 2025-11-24T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13988 Análise experimental da mudança de fase de bioPCM em espuma metálica de geometria retangular e perfilada Becker, Fábio As a result of the gradual energy transition, with the increasing use of cleaner energy sources, energy storage becomes inevitable, mainly due to the seasonality of generation from such sources. In this context, one of the main existing alternatives is energy storage through latent heat. The main characteristic of this type of storage is its high energy storage density at a virtually constant temperature—that is, at the temperature at which the phase change occurs—which makes it possible to use it in numerous applications. Materials based on this form of storage are known as Phase Change Materials (PCMs). Due to their wide range of applications, the use of bio-based PCMs (bioPCMs) is important to mitigate potential environmental impacts. However, PCMs generally have low thermal conductivity, which may limit some applications. Therefore, methods that can improve heat transfer are necessary. The incorporation of metallic foams with different morphological characteristics into PCM is an efficient alternative that has been investigated due to its high heat exchange surface area and improved thermal conductivity. In this context, this research proposes a study with different foam geometries, along with the use of palm wax as bioPCM. Thus, two nickel foam geometries were used: one rectangular and the other profiled, which resembles a fin geometry. This allows for increased heat transfer and efficiency with a smaller foam volume. Furthermore, the influence of changing the reservoir orientation, analogous to the tilt of a photovoltaic module, was also analyzed. The main results showed that the case containing rectangular foam reduced the charging (fusion) time by 7.5% and the discharging (solidification) time by 4%, compared to the case without foam, while the case containing the profiled geometry reduced the charging time by 7.1% and increased the discharging time by 10%. The inclusion of foam also improved the energy storage rate by approximately 8.1% for the rectangular geometry and by 7.6% for the profiled geometry. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13988 2025-11-27T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13987 Análise experimental e numérica do escoamento em coletores solares de tubo a vácuo sob diferentes inclinações Spengler, Fernando Claudio This thesis presents an integrated experimental and numerical investigation of the thermal and fluid dynamic behavior of water in evacuated tube solar collectors operating under natural circulation (thermosiphon regime). The study focuses on the influence of the tube set inclination on the internal circulation of the thermal fluid and the stability of the flow. The experimental methodology involved test bench trials under real operating conditions, with continuous monitoring of temperature and mass flow rate for inclinations of 20°, 30°, and 45°. In parallel, numerical simulations were conducted using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), employing validated numerical models to analyze the local velocity and temperature fields inside the tubes. The results indicate that inclinations higher than 30° enhance natural convection but also induce transient flow instabilities, characterized by abrupt oscillations in the mass flow rate. The coupled analysis confirmed the consistency between experimental and numerical patterns, revealing internal mechanisms associated with the breakdown of thermal stratification and the formation of recirculation. The daily global efficiency of the system was calculated for each inclination configuration, resulting in the following efficiency values: 46.4% for 20°, 69.5% for 30°, and 54.4% for 45°. These results highlight that the 30° inclination provided the highest overall thermal efficiency, due to its more stable behavior throughout the daily cycle. Although the 45° inclination promoted the highest values of flow rate and temperature increase, the system’s behavior did not remain stable at this elevated level throughout the day, which resulted in a lower efficiency compared to the 30° inclination. The conclusions highlight the importance of inclination adjustment to optimize the thermal performance of the collectors and demonstrate that the combination of numerical and experimental methods is effective in understanding the phenomena involved. Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13987 2025-07-22T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13950 Odisseu: um modelo para serviços inteligentes na indústria 4.0 baseado em análise de históricos de contextos Arruda, Helder Moreira The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also called Industry 4.0, has been leveraging many fields of computing today. Industry 4.0 comprises automated tasks in the manufacturing industry that generate large amounts of data obtained through sensors. These data contribute to the interpretation of industrial operations in favor of managerial and technical decision-making. Data Science supports this interpretation due to significant technological advances, particularly data processing methods and software tools. In this sense, this thesis presents a model entitled Odisseu that focuses on supporting the development of intelligent services aimed at Industry 4.0, using context histories, which represent data from a given entity over a certain period of time. The model proposes an ontology that acts as a link between data science methods and smart services. Compared to other models, Odisseu seeks to fill a gap that involves monitoring data from input to storage in context histories format, in addition to proposing an ontology and a model for generic support to intelligent services in the industry. To evaluate the model, two intelligent services are proposed, the first aimed at locating people in an industry and the second aiming to estimate the subjective wellbeing of employees. The services used data from mobile and fixed beacons, vital signs such as blood volume pulse and electrodermal activity, as well as data from self-report questions focused on well-being. The location service achieved 100% accuracy with both the Random Forest and Multilayer Perceptron algorithms. The well-being service achieved the best performance with the Random Forest algorithm, reaching 74% accuracy. Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13950 2024-04-04T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13945 Estudos empíricos sobre o uso de gamificação em modelagem de software com UML Silva Júnior, Ed Wilson Rodrigues Gamification has emerged as a promising strategy to increase engagement and motivation across different domains, including Software Engineering, where UML modeling remains a central activity but faces recurring challenges related to adoption and effective use. Despite its potential, little is known about how gamified elements can support the modeling process or improve the quality of the produced models. In this context, this thesis investigates three main gaps: the lack of empirical knowledge on the use of UML in industry, the absence of a quality model to evaluate gamified modeling activities, and the scarcity of evidence regarding the effects of gamification on the quality of UML models. The general objective is to produce empirical knowledge on the use of gamification in software modeling, proposing mechanisms to evaluate the models generated and analyzing the effects of gamified techniques on learning and on the quality of the artifacts. To achieve this, a survey with IT professionals was conducted, followed by the development and evaluation of a gamified quality model, and a series of empirical studies—including controlled experiments and a case study—aimed at investigating attributes such as completeness, consistency, motivation, and analytical depth. The results indicate that, although well know, UML still encounters adoption barriers associated with organizational culture and language complexity; they also show that the proposed quality model is perceived as useful to support learning; and they provide evidence that gamified elements can improve engagement, the diversity of the produced artifacts, and the accuracy in detecting inconsistencies. It is concluded that gamification has the potential to enhance both the practice and teaching of software modeling, supporting the creation of more complete and robust UML models and contributing to increased participant motivation. Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13945 2025-12-18T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13938 Relação da dieta e Helmintofauna de sete espécies de corujas da região sul do Brasil Dums, Marcos Owls are nocturnal birds of prey that play a fundamental ecological role as top predators in various ecosystems. By consuming a wide range of prey and occupying both urban and natural environments, these birds directly reflect environmental changes, revealing complex ecological interactions that, until recently, were largely unexplored in terrestrial habitats under strong anthropogenic influence. Studies on their diet and parasitofauna allow us to understand not only trophic interactions but also the impacts of anthropogenic factors such as pollution and habitat fragmentation. In this context, the integrated analysis of stomach contents and helminths in owls offers an effective approach to assess ecosystem health and monitor the effects of human activities on wildlife. This thesis aimed to characterize, in an integrated manner, the diet and helminth fauna of seven owl species found in conflict situations along the coastal region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. For this purpose, data were collected from necropsies of 64 individuals found along the BR101 highway between 2006 and 2021. Stomach content analysis revealed a generalist and opportunistic diet, composed mainly of insects and small mammals, with interspecific variation. Plastic fragments were also detected in the digestive tract of all analyzed owls, indicating accidental or indirect contact with urban waste—an unprecedented finding that positions these birds as new sentinels of terrestrial pollution. The helminth fauna included representatives from the groups Nematoda, Cestoda, Digenea, and Acanthocephala, with significant differences in prevalence and parasitic load among species. Parasite richness showed a correlation with dietary diversity, indicating that diet directly influences the composition of acquired parasites. The presence of mesoplastics in wild owls reinforces the impact of human activities on ecosystems and highlights the importance of these birds as bioindicators of environmental health. The combination of classical necropsy methods with ecological and parasitological analyses demonstrates the potential of rescued carcasses as valuable data sources for monitoring wildlife and understanding the relationships among environmental contamination, feeding behavior, and parasitism. These results confer a strategic role to owls in the study of trophic networks, parasitic cycles, and environmental impacts in fragmented areas. Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13938 2025-10-20T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13937 Concentração de microplásticos em cérebro, fígado, rim e músculo, de um peixe iliófago no Rio dos Sinos Silveira, Daniela da Cunha This thesis investigated contamination by microplastics (MPs), a xenobiotic present in the environment, in a fish species found in the Sinos River, RS. The main objective was to analyze MP contamination in the brain, liver, kidney, and muscle tissues of the species Cyphocharax voga. The study tested the hypothesis that there are significant differences in the concentration of plastic particles among the organs of 54 individuals, consisting of 25 males and 29 females. For the identification of MPs, the chemical staining technique with Nile Red dye was used, followed by fluorescence microscopy analysis.The results indicated a higher mean concentration of MPs/g in the brain (192 ± 124 MP/g), followed by the liver (65 ± 37 MP/g), kidney (47 ± 25 MP/g), and muscle tissue (39 ± 24 MP/g). The analysis also revealed significant differences in MP contamination between sexes in the brain and liver. A significant mean correlation was observed between the liver and kidney (p = 0.004; r = -0.481), as well as between the brain and kidney (p = 0.012; r = -0.424). Furthermore, the results evidenced the presence of MPs in all sampled tissues and reinforced the brain as a sensitive organ for biomonitoring. MP fragments were the most abundant form, occurring in significantly higher amounts compared to foams/films, spheres, and fibers.Although no correlation was found between MP concentration and the condition factor (Kn), one of the secondary objectives of this study, the research results confirmed the initial hypothesis, highlighting the existence of differences in MP contamination in the brain, liver, kidney, and muscle tissues of aquatic organisms, and underscoring the need for continuous monitoring of MP pollution in humanimpacted environments.This work provides important knowledge on the occurrence of MPs in freshwater fish, which may be useful for future studies on the hazards of these pollutants to the health of aquatic environments, as they can be considered a model for other vertebrates, including humans. Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13937 2025-08-28T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13917 Análise teórico: experimental de um concentrador solar tipo Fresnel Linear Scalco, Patricia Solar radiation, an abundant and renewable source, can be harnessed through solar concentrators, which direct and concentrate incident radiation into small areas, converting it into heat for electricity generation or to supply industrial processes requiring medium to high temperatures. One of the technologies that apply this concept is the Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR), which uses parallel rows of flat (or slightly curved) mirrors that move throughout the day following the movement of the Sun. Solar radiation strikes the mirrors and is reflected to an absorber, where the radiation is converted into thermal energy. In this context, this thesis presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of the performance of an LFR system with a trapezoidal cavity receiver, installed at the Renewable Sources Laboratory of the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS). The study was structured in three main stages: geometric and analytical modeling, thermal analysis of the receiver, and experimental validation. The first step involved characterizing the mirror array and receiver, applying the gap angle concept to redistribute the mirror rows to minimize blocking and shading losses. Subsequently, a thermal model was developed to simulate heat transfer in the receiver: heat balances were applied to each of the surfaces involved in the heat exchange, properties of the Paratherm HE thermal fluid, conduction, convection, and radiation losses. Subsequently, experimental tests were conducted on different days and flow rates, enabling comparison with theoretical results. The analysis revealed that, although the thermal model accurately predicts thermal trends, discrepancies occur due to operational instabilities and limitations in experimental control. Furthermore, the results showed that the trapezoidal cavity receiver achieved an optical efficiency of 77% and a CAP of 0.24, values higher than those obtained with the CPC combined with the evacuated tube (63% and CAP of 0.10). Mirror redistribution using the gap angle criterion increased efficiency to 89%, albeit with a smaller angular tolerance. Experimental tests confirmed the influence of operating conditions and thermal losses, while the theoretical model adequately reproduced the receiver's behavior, highlighting the importance of convection and radiation losses at high temperatures. Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13917 2025-07-17T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13904 Estudo de revestimento compósito de porcelanato e borracha reciclada para atenuação do ruído de impacto Klippel Filho, Sérgio When analyzing building acoustics, the propagation of impact sounds through the structure of the building can be considered one of the most relevant problems, being a recurring subject of complaints. In these cases, floating floor systems are efficient solutions to reduce the transmission of vibrations generated by impacts on floors, consisting of a rigid walking surface on a resilient material. Acting as a spring, the resilient layer must have damping properties and compression strength against permanent and accidental loads adequate to guarantee its performance over time. In this context, the objective of this study is to develop and evaluate lightweight floating floors formed by ceramic tiles and recycled rubber agglomerate mats to attenuate the transmission of impact sounds in vertically adjacent rooms, analyzing their current and future performance. The study was based on the development of a lightweight floating floor and the physical and acoustic characterization of its components, proposing a model to predict the reduction of impact sounds, calibrated from full-scale measurements in a laboratory environment (ISO 10140), based on the dynamic stiffness (ISO 9052-1) of the rubber agglomerate mats and the physical characteristics of the rigid walking layer. The determination of the future behavior of the lightweight floating floor was carried out based on the compression creep test (ISO 16534) and the evaluation was carried out from its virtual application in a hypothetical building, considering direct and indirect transmission (ISO 12354-2). The results indicated that the lightweight floating floor compositions have adequate performance, with ΔLw values in the order of 16 to 18 dB, demonstrating efficiency, considering that the compositions have a total thickness of 11.5 to 20.5 mm. In the time domain, when subjected to loads of up to 15 years, the damping capacity, in terms of weighted impact sound pressure levels reduction, of the compositions was reduced by up to 2 dB. However, the developed compositions have a considerable impact sounds reduction and adequate maintenance of performance in the time domain. Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13904 2025-08-18T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13900 Avaliação de microplásticos em lixiviado de aterro sanitário Schmitt, Graziela Taís Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles ranging in size from 0.001 to 5 mm, whose presence in the environment has raised increasing concern due to potential risks to biota and human health. Despite advances in research in aquatic environments, the occurrence and characterization of MPs in landfill leachates remain scarcely explored in Brazil. In this context, the aim of this study was to identify and characterize MPs present in raw leachate samples from a landfill located in the municipality of São Leopoldo – RS. Three sampling campaigns were conducted throughout 2024. The samples underwent sieving, oxidative treatment with Fenton’s reagent, vacuum filtration, and subsequently, suspected particles were confirmed as MPs by Raman spectroscopy. Only after this chemical confirmation were the particles physically characterized in terms of morphology, shape, color, and size. Concentrations ranged from 13 to 73 items/L. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) polymers predominated, together representing the majority (80%) of identified MPs. Fragment-type particles were predominant (98%), indicating a secondary origin, i.e., derived from the fragmentation of plastic waste disposed of in the landfill. Most particles were smaller than 75 µm, suggesting high mobility and potential for percolation in the environment. MP abundance correlated with leachate physicochemical variables, such as turbidity, organic load, and color, as well as environmental factors, including temperature and precipitation. The results indicate that landfills may act as significant sources of MPs. This study helps fill knowledge gaps on the topic in Brazil and may support environmental education initiatives and the development of strategies to mitigate plastic pollution. Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13900 2025-09-22T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13869 Developing effective AI and law applications: a methodological proposal for developing natural language processing applications based on transformers, pre-trained models and transfer learning Zanuz, Luciano CONTEXT: The intersection between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Law has been explored since the early days of AI research. In recent years, both judicial institutions and legal professionals have increasingly adopted AI technologies to streamline processes, support legal decision-making, automate repetitive tasks, and extract structured information from legal texts. These applications are predominantly powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP), given the textual nature of legal proceedings. Advances in deep learning, particularly transformer-based architectures and pre-trained language models, have significantly reshaped the development of NLP systems and achieved state-of-the-art results across many downstream tasks. PROBLEM: Despite the potential of these advances, there remains a lack of a unified, domain-specific methodology for developing AI applications in the legal field. This gap limits the effective adoption of NLP-based AI solutions in real-world legal contexts. Additionally, most cutting-edge resources are available primarily in English, creating a barrier for Portuguese-speaking legal systems. SOLUTION: This thesis proposes a structured methodology for developing AI and Law applications, grounded in modern NLP paradigms such as transformers, transfer learning, and domain adaptation. The methodology addresses both technical and domain-specific challenges and includes practical components, such as datasets, fine-tuned models, and evaluation tools, tailored to the Portuguese legal context. PROPOSED METHOD: The proposed methodology is composed of four main steps and emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration between legal and technical teams. It defines a clear development flow, from problem definition to deployment, incorporating iterative validation, the creation of applicationlevel datasets, and the use of Explainable AI mechanisms where applicable. RESULTS: The methodology was validated through multiple experiments, including the development of Legal Named Entity Recognition (NER) models that achieved new state-of-the-art results on the LeNER-Br dataset, alongside experiments with context-specific and parameter-efficient finetuning techniques to enhance model performance and adaptability. A real-world application for AI-generated judgment reports was implemented, supported by a novel evaluation framework combining automated metrics and human assessment. This work also provides practical resources in Portuguese and insights into the correlation between human and automated evaluations of AI outputs in the legal domain, demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of a structured, domain-adapted approach to AI development in legal applications. Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13869 2025-06-06T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13868 Detecção da autoeficácia em ambientes computacionais de aprendizagem Campos, Kelis Estatiane de In recent years, there has been an increase in interest in studies focused on the area of Affective Computing, with emphasis on affective states, which comprise studies that relate emotion and learning. Emotions can influence learning both positively and negatively. Thus, this study is directed to the belief of Self-efficacy, which understands the individual's ability to produce certain levels of performance, which implies how the person feels, thinks, is motivated and behaves. Thus, in making use of the Computer Learning Environments (ACA) to assist in the learning process, studies have shown how emotional factors and the relationship between internal (psychic) and external (environmental) variables are fundamental in the teachinglearning process. Thus, the preliminary study carried out in the form of systematic mapping identified a gap pointing to the need for research aimed at detecting self-efficacy or other socioaffective phenomena, since the use of ACA currently presents a significant increase in the number of cases, as a reality present in the different teaching modalities. From this perspective, this study proposed a model for the diagnosis, instruction and monitoring of academic selfefficacy in Computer Learning Environments, in order to promote self-knowledge and contribute to better learning strategies of students. It is hypothesized that the realization of diagnosis, instruction on self-efficacy, as well as follow-up actions when using ACAs can encourage the modification of attitudes of students' studies in order to change the learning path, enabling the improvement of academic performance. Thus, the study included exploratory and descriptive research, based on quantitative and qualitative techniques. The proposed model, called the Self-efficacy Diagnosis, Prevention and Follow-up Model (MDPAA), involved three stages: diagnosis of the level of self-efficacy, from the creation of the student's self-efficacy form; Analysis of student behavior patterns using the Orange tool, and elaboration and evaluation of the Orientation Guide, instructional material created to instruct students about self-efficacy. Based on the results of the experiments performed, it is possible to obtain indicatives of applicability and effectiveness of the MDPAA, being evaluated that the model can enable more assertive choices in relation to the academic trajectory, in order to contribute to the favoring of the teaching-learning process and consequently contribute to the improvement of academic performance, promoting the reduction of dropout and dropout rates in education. Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13868 2025-04-28T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13866 VSAC: um framework de compressão adaptativa para dados de saúde em cidades inteligentes Andrade, Alexandre Luis de The increasing adoption of wearable devices and smart health technologies has highlighted the need for efficient transmission and storage of physiological data in urban-scale health monitoring systems. In this context, one of the major challenges is the ability to manage large volumes of vital-sign data—such as heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, and blood pressure—generated continuously by heterogeneous devices, while ensuring clinical integrity, low latency, and optimized network usage. Current solutions often treat compression techniques in isolation and lack adaptive mechanisms responsive to the clinical condition of each monitored individual. This research addresses that gap by proposing an integrated and context-aware approach for compressing vital-sign data in smart city infrastructures. This study aimed to develop and validate the VSAC (Vital Sign Adaptive Compressor), an adaptive framework for managing the transmission of physiological signals using a combination of lossy and lossless data compression techniques. The framework was designed to dynamically adjust its compression parameters based on the signal type and clinical priority, ensuring a balance between data fidelity and transmission efficiency. The methodology consisted of designing and implementing a two-stage compression prototype in Python, applied to real-world datasets of heart rate collected from wearable devices with different sampling intervals. The evaluation included three operational scenarios—losslessonly, lossy-only, and hybrid compression—tested across datasets of varying sizes and densities. Performance was measured using standard metrics: compression rate, compression time, and distortion. The tests were repeated ten times per scenario to ensure measurement stability. The results confirmed that the hybrid and adaptive strategy proposed by VSAC outperformed traditional static methods. The framework achieved compression rates up to 46.3% higher than lossless-only approaches while maintaining distortion levels below 10% in most cases, especially in medium and large datasets. The compression time was significantly reduced with the use of LZW in the final stage, particularly for large files. The study concludes that the adaptive and hybrid compression approach embodied in VSAC offers a robust and scalable solution for the efficient transmission of vital-sign data in smart healthcare environments. Its context-aware mechanism enables real-time prioritization and efficient resource usage, making it a promising tool for public health policies that rely on connected infrastructures and timely clinical decision-making in smart cities. Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13866 2025-09-23T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13854 Ecologia do forrageiro e quantificação de mercúrio no atobá-pardo (Sula leucogaster) (BODDAERT, 1783) em dois arquipélagos brasileiros Benemann, Victória Renata Fontoura The Optimal Foraging Theory predicts that a predator adjusts its foraging strategies to maximize energy gain, spending the least amount of energy possible to meet its energy demands. Foraging efficiency is a metric used to measure the final energy balance resulting from an individual's foraging activities, where the energy gain obtained by prey consumption should be greater than the energy cost of searching, capturing and ingesting it. The brown booby (Sula leucogaster) is a seabird of the Sulidae family, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical oceans both in coastal and pelagic zones and is characterized by exhibiting a high trophic plasticity. The main goal of this thesis is to investigate the foraging behavior and efficiency of brown boobies in two populations of the species, comparing the environmental conditions and the anthropic influence in each one. The specific goals are to (1) determine the foraging areas in the Moleques do Sul archipelago (MS) and investigate how oceanographic variables and the distribution of trawling fleets influence the foraging habitat use, (2) test intersexual differences in foraging behavior, (3) compare the prey species composition and nutritional quality of brown boobies diet between MS and São Pedro and São Paulo (SPSP) archipelagos, (4) compare foraging efficiency between the two archipelagos, and (5) determine and compare mercury concentration in feathers of juveniles and adults from the two archipelagos. Breeding adults (n = 39) were tracked for three days with biologgers programmed to collect geographic coordinates, acceleration, and depth data during foraging trips in both archipelagos. Of these 39 individuals tracked, 26 had their diet samples collected through spontaneous regurgitation to analyze diet and nutritional composition. To analyze mercury concentration, ventral feathers were collected from 58 individuals: 21 in MS and 37 in SPSP. No significant influence of trawling fleets spatial distribution was found on the choice for foraging areas in MS during the studied period. A significant difference was observed in protein and lipid contents, but not in energy density between the prey of the two archipelagos. Brown boobies from MS performed trips farther from the breeding colony and dived deeper, which resulted in higher energy expenditure than in SPSP. The foraging efficiency of brown boobies was higher in SPSP than in MS, probably due to the greater availability of prey in this archipelago. Regarding mercury contamination, no significant differences were observed concerning sex and age, but there were differences between the archipelagos, where individuals from MS showed higher concentrations. This thesis presents new information on the foraging behavior and mercury contamination of the brown booby in the studied archipelagos, especially for the MS population, which represents the southern limit of the species distribution in the Atlantic Ocean and is still poorly studied. Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13854 2024-12-13T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13853 Eficácia da gestão em unidades de conservação da natureza do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil Witt, Patrícia Bernardes Rodrigues The implementation of protected areas, especially Conservation Units (CUs), is a globally recognized conservation strategy. However, these territories require efficient management to achieve their conservation objectives. When the management of CUs is deficient, it harms their own objectives, affecting biodiversity and ecological processes, in addition to causing social and economic impacts. This study aimed to evaluate, in a qualitative and quantitative way, the effectiveness of management and the threats that affect 11 Conservation Units of the Full Protection group, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. This evaluation was carried out through interviews with managers with application of the parameters, concomitantly with the review of the official documents of each CU. For this analysis, the adapted method of Effectiveness of Management of Protected Areas (EMAP) was used through the Likert scale with five levels, eight scopes, 73 indicators and 65 evaluation scenarios. Of the CUs assessed in southern Brazil, 91% presented results that indicated that their effectiveness ranged from average to very unsatisfactory, with low management effectiveness. In 18% of the CUs, the quality of management was very unsatisfactory, 37% unsatisfactory; 36% average and only 9% satisfactory. Thus, it was found that the main objectives for which the protected areas were created are not being met effectively. To assess the incidence of 23 threat variables in the CUs, attributes such as magnitude, scope, permanence, dynamics, probability of materialization and mitigation actions were adopted. The valuation of the attributes was measured using Likert scales with five levels. The higher the percentage obtained, the lower the risk or severity of threats, and the lower the percentage obtained, the greater the threats assessed, that is, severity alert. The threat factors were selected considering field information surveys, management plans, the reality of protected areas and their characteristics, based on other methods that analyzed threats to the effectiveness of management in protected areas. The results obtained demonstrated that there are threat factors in all 11 analyzed protected areas, with different levels of severity. The Delta do Jacuí State Park (PEDJ) presented the highest value (gradient) of threats (42.21%), followed by the Tainhas State Park (PETA) (59.96%) and Espigão Alto State Park (PEA) (68.48%), considered to have a medium threat value. Seven other protected areas obtained low threat values: Itapeva State Park (PEVA) 72.46%; Ibitiriá State Park (PEIB) 72.64%; Espinilho State Park (PEESP) 74.28%; Itapuã State Park (PEIT) 80.98%; Turvo State Park (PETU) 81.88%; Aratinga Ecological Station (EEA) 84.24% and Serra Geral Biological Reserve (REBIOSG) 84.96%. Only the Banhado dos Pachecos Wildlife Refuge (RVSBP) presented very low threat values (89.13%). In general, actions to be implemented by management to achieve the objectives of the CUs are recommended: adoption of a qualitative and quantitative assessment model; increase in staff; training of teams and managers; improvement of infrastructure, materials and equipment; budget forecasting and headings directed on a regular basis; land regularization, implementation of advisory boards; updating of management plans and implementation of threat monitoring systems for state CUs. Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13853 2025-05-28T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13852 Efeitos das mudanças climáticas globais sobre a distribuição e a dispersão do lobo-marinho-subantártico Arctocephalus tropicalis (Gray, 1872) Oliveira, Carlos de Understanding species’ geographic distribution is essential for comprehending how environmental factors influence biodiversity patterns. By identifying the set of environmental conditions that affect this distribution, it is possible to predict changes in species abundance and spatial occupancy. However, climate change has caused abrupt shifts in distributions in both terrestrial and marine environments, representing a growing threat to biodiversity. Top predators, such as the sub-Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis), are particularly vulnerable, as they rely on the abundance and location of their prey and on the stability of their breeding, foraging, and resting habitats. This study aimed to analyze, from a climate change perspective, the environmental factors that influence the distribution of A. tropicalis, with emphasis on its main breeding colonies on the Tristan da Cunha/Gough Islands (TDC/Gough) and on the species’ extra-limital occurrences along the Brazilian coast. To this end, time series (1982–2021) of oceanographic variables were evaluated in the TDC/Gough region, including sea surface temperature (SST), shifts in the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF) and northern boundary of the Subtropical Front (STFN), and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration as a proxy for productivity. SST, SAF, and Chl-a showed significant positive annual trends, whereas STFN exhibited a negative trend, indicating a southward shift of the SAF and a northward expansion of the STFN toward the colonies. These changes may negatively impact lactating females by increasing foraging distances and reducing reproductive success. In addition, 656 records of A. tropicalis along the Brazilian coast between 1992 and 2021 were compiled and analyzed, with a predominance in the southern region (69%) and higher frequency during the austral winter months (July to September). Association models revealed that variables such as seasonality (sine and cosine), mixed layer depth (MLD), and SAF were strongly correlated with occurrence patterns. Regional variables such as Chl-a and the South Atlantic Ocean Dipole Index (SAODI) influenced records in the southern region, while the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and the South Atlantic Subtropical Dipole Index (SASDI) affected records in the southeastern and northeastern regions. These results support the hypothesis that multiple environmental factors may differently influence the species’ dispersal routes along the Brazilian coast. Habitat suitability models indicated that the current potential distribution of A. tropicalis (suitability > 0.7) is concentrated around subantarctic and subtropical colonies but also includes areas not currently colonized, such as the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, Tierra del Fuego, southern Chile, Kerguelen Islands, southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Projections of A. tropicalis distribution for the years 2050 and 2100, based on AR6 climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5), indicated a shift toward sub-Antarctic and polar regions and an increase in moderately suitable areas (0.5–0.9). However, a significant contraction in highly suitable areas (>0.9) was also projected, particularly in current breeding colonies such as TDC/Gough and Amsterdam Island. The results suggest that current breeding colonies of A. tropicalis may become less suitable as the century progresses, while new areas south of its current range may become favorable, indicating a possible geographic expansion of the species. This includes the potential overlap with other otariid species and, consequently, the occurrence of natural hybridization events, as already recorded between A. tropicalis, A. gazella, and A. forsteri on Macquarie Island. On the other hand, the colonization of South American coastal areas as new breeding sites is unlikely due to the lack of suitable ecological conditions. Factors such as the need for remote islands with rocky substrates, a prolonged lactation period, urbanized coastal zones subject to human disturbance, and the risk of pup predation by domestic dogs severely limit the species’ reproductive success in these regions. Together, the results indicate that climate change may reshape the distribution of A. tropicalis, both by altering its breeding areas and by expanding its extra-limital dispersal. Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13852 2025-07-28T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13744 Effectiveness or efficiency in the evaluation of professional and technological education? A proposal for an integrated model to evaluate the institutional performance of Federal Education Institutes Gori, Rodrigo Soares Lelis In recent decades, the assessment of technical efficiency has occupied a prominent position in performance evaluations of public educational institutions. Although relevant, this approach, when adopted in isolation, proves limited considering the operational complexity, regional diversity, and the multiple functions assigned to the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (IFs). This study argues that institutional assessment should incorporate different analytical levels and performance dimensions to support more accurate and contextualised decision-making. The research aims to propose an integrated model for evaluating institutional performance using the Directional Distance Function (DDF), an extension of traditional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), applied to panel data covering the period from 2017 to 2023. The first analytical strand, with an intra-institutional focus, assessed 11 teaching units of a Federal Institute. Quantitative data on human, financial, and physical resources were used, along with desirable and undesirable variables related to teaching, research, outreach, and management. The analysis adopted an input-oriented model with variable returns to scale (VRS), combining internal benchmarking, institutional segmentation, and metafrontier modelling. It revealed that unit efficiency was more closely associated with the organisation of resources than with budget volume, indicating opportunities for improvement. The institutional average efficiency during the period was 80.3%. In the second strand, an inter-institutional analysis was conducted involving all 38 Federal Institutes. A composite indicator was developed using a DDF-based model with constant returns to scale (CRS) and output orientation, eliminating resource-related heterogeneity to emphasise performance outcomes. In parallel, institutional effectiveness was assessed based on the achievement of strategic goals. Although the directional vector was fixed and unitary for all variables, its limitations in interpreting β as a proportional efficiency measure were acknowledged. The integration of efficiency and effectiveness dimensions enabled a comprehensive institutional assessment. Results indicated that 42% of the institutions performed above average in both dimensions, while 34% fell below. The proposed methodological framework enhances the diagnosis of institutional performance and offers strategic support for public education management. The main limitations relate to the absence of external benchmarking in the inter-institutional analysis and the reliance on standardised secondary data. Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13744 2025-07-02T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13743 Factory economics: economic efficiency and its conditions as a foundation for production system management Noal, Lúcio Cantarelli Enhancing efficiency and productivity in organizations is a fundamental necessity to which we are inextricably linked. While technical efficiency has been widely studied, research on economic efficiency remains relatively scarce in comparison. Methodologies such as Lean primarily focus on optimizing technical efficiency in manufacturing systems. However, while technical improvements are undeniably important, it is crucial to recognize that gains in technical efficiency do not always translate proportionally into gains in economic efficiency. This study argues that understanding the production system from an economic perspective is essential for effectively applying concepts, methods, techniques, and tools in manufacturing systems. To explore this, an design science research (DSR) was conducted, beginning with problem identification and the establishment of a theoretical framework, followed by the implementation of the intervention and an evaluation of its effects. The theoretical framework was developed through a systematic literature review (SLR), examining the relationship between Lean and efficiency in both manufacturing and service systems. The intervention aimed to compare the application of Lean principles and the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in synchronizing production within an automotive assembly line. The economic results revealed that TOC synchronization was more effective than the Lean approach, reducing total costs by 29.9%. In a subsequent longitudinal analysis through a case study, TOC implementation led to a 66.9% increase in economic efficiency. These findings underscore the pressing need for further research on economic efficiency in manufacturing systems. The primary limitation of this study is that the research was conducted on a single case and was not applied across multiple manufacturing systems. Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13743 2025-03-31T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13742 Fatores determinantes do sentimento de bem-estar de turistas em relação a um destino turístico de natureza Aires, Janaina Maria Andrade Nature-based tourism has become a growing segment around the world, because it plays a vital role in improving the quality of life and well-being of tourists. Therefore, the objective of this study was to propose and validate a Theoretical Model, testing factors determining tourists’ feelings of well-being in relation to a natural tourist destination, which included the constructs tourist destination image, tourist ecological awareness, service quality, tourist satisfaction and word of mouth communication, as well as analyzing the moderating effect of tourist engagement on the relationship between their satisfaction and their feeling of well-being with the tourist destination. To this end, the research was operationalized through a survey with a sample of 339 tourists who visited the Jalapão region, the main nature tourist destination in the State of Tocantins (TO). As a procedure for data analysis, multivariate data analysis was used, using the Structural Equation Modeling technique. The results of the study show a strong explanatory power of the proposed Theoretical Model (R2 = 0.997), in addition to indicating that the investigated constructs are, in fact, determinants of tourists' feeling of well-being with the investigated nature destination. The findings contain important information and implications for tourism theory and practice, which can contribute to the development of more assertive products and/or services or to the creation of meaningful experiences for tourists, thus generating greater satisfaction and initiatives positive word-of-mouth communication mainly by means high tourist engagement. Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13742 2025-06-12T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13741 ChatHans: sistema de pré-diagnóstico da hanseníase Oliveira, Ivo Sócrates Moraes de Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that, when not diagnosed early, can lead to permanent physical disabilities. In Brazil, early diagnosis still represents a challenge, especially in areas that are difficult to access and have limited health infrastructure. In this context, this research proposes the development of ChatHans, a hybrid Chatbot to assist in the pre-diagnosis and suspicion of Leprosy, using the Leprosy Suspicion Questionnaire (QSH), tools based on artificial intelligence and natural language processing. The methodological approach adopted follows Design Science Research (DSR), combining machine learning techniques, computational modeling, and qualitative analysis with health professionals. Initially, experts were interviewed to gather requirements based on the QSH and the guidelines of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. From this data, a hybrid Chatbot was structured with three main functionalities: (i) "Assess Leprosy Risk", applying the QSH to estimate the suspicion of the disease; (ii) "Clearing Doubts", providing information about the disease and its treatment; and (iii) "Testing Skin Sensitivity", helping users perform basic tests of thermal and pain sensitivity. The system was implemented using the Blip platform, integrating with DialogFlow for natural language understanding, with a Web interface (Chat-Blip) and Telegram. A scoring model was developed to assign risk levels based on users’ responses to the QSH, reinforcing suspected cases for referral to health services. The results demonstrate that the Chatbot can be an interesting tool in active leprosy screening, automating such a process. Usability tests indicated a high acceptance rate, in which the average score of the experience with the proposed system was 8.6 (between 0 and 10), with a low standard deviation of 1.04, with the sample scope accounting for 92 participants. However, challenges related to the complexity of some interactions were also identified. Furthermore, the analysis of the Chatbot interactions showed that most users can complete the risk assessment without difficulty, indicating the system’s viability for practical application. The originality of this research lies in applying hybrid Chatbots in the screening of Leprosy, one of the neglected diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, combining rule-based approaches and artificial intelligence to optimize the pre-diagnosis process and clarify doubts about the pathology. Unlike other tools, such as applications to support clinical diagnosis, ChatHans seeks to actively engage the user in the self-assessment of symptoms and facilitate referral to the health system. This research also offers a new scoring metric for the Leprosy suspicion questionnaire that considers statistical criteria for confirming cases presented in other studies, indicating three levels based on percentiles and sample variance of the studies that apply this instrument. Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13741 2025-03-27T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13737 Direcionamentos propostos para a redução do desperdício de alimentos no contexto de instituições públicas hospitalares no Estado do Tocantins Santos, Adão Pinto dos This study presents a set of proposed guidelines to reduce food waste in public hospitals located in the State of Tocantins (TO). Food waste is seen as a crucial indicator for the environmental and economic-financial sustainability of these hospitals, since it is related to the resources used in the production of food that is not consumed and is discarded as food waste. The four hospitals investigated were selected due to their importance to the regional health system in which they are inserted, in addition to being the largest public hospitals in the State of TO. The research was operationalized through individual interviews with a semi-structured approach. The data were analyzed by means content analysis with the aid of a qualitative data analysis software, Sphinx iQ2. It is worth highlighting that the proposed guidelines were focused on three dimensions: people, technology and processes. The training and awareness of the professionals involved, through regular training, are essential, while technology and innovation can be integrated into the food management systems of the hospitals investigated. However, some practices can be discussed, such as the importance of partnerships and collaboration with suppliers and food waste. As for the process, it is necessary to manage the performance of suppliers in relation to the quality of food or ready meals delivered and their involvement in demand forecasting, in a more assertive way, to avoid food waste and the respective food waste. Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13737 2025-04-29T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13736 Estudo da passivação dos aços CA-50 e ASTM 1035 9100 submetidos a soluções alcalinas simuladas de cimentos álcali-ativados sob carbonatação Krein, Laércio Antonio Concrete is widely used in construction due to its strength; however, its production consumes large amounts of energy and emits significant quantities of carbon dioxide. With population growth and the increasing demand for infrastructure, the environmental impacts of this process become even more critical. In this context, alkaliactivated materials have gained attention for their ability to reduce emissions and enable the reuse of industrial residues, although further research is still required regarding their protective performance for embedded steel reinforcement. Additionally, since concrete is a highly alkaline medium, the potential for carbon dioxide capture by concrete structures can be explored. However, alternatives to CA-50 steel, widely used in reinforced concrete structures in Brazil, must also be considered. In this context, corrosion-resistant ASTM A1035 9%Cr (MMFX) steel emerges as a promising option. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the protective capacity of simulated alkaliactivated and Portland cement solutions on CA-50 and MMFX steel, both in their original pH and during the pH reduction of the solutions. Steel samples were exposed to the testing environment in their as-produced state, without surface treatment to remove the oxide layer commonly present on rebars. Moreover, the passive film was formed in different simulated solutions based on alkali-activated cements (with pH values and ionic concentrations much higher than those of Portland cement, used as a reference). These same samples remained in contact with the solutions throughout the carbonation process (with pH ranging from 14.57 to 8), ensuring that the components formed at higher pH levels continued to interact with the medium on the sample surface at lower pH levels. After conducting tests such as corrosion potential, polarization resistance, Tafel, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, it was observed that simulated alkali-activated solutions with excessively high pH levels, while forming passive films on CA-50 steel, did not form protective films on MMFX steel. This behavior is likely due to the high solubility of chromium hydroxides in these environments. However, as pH decreased due to carbonation, alkali-activated solutions began to provide protection to the steels. Notably, even at pH levels below 11, MMFX steel reinforcements remained passivated, indicating the potential for stimulating carbonation in reinforced concrete structures to capture and store CO₂ within the cement matrix. Nonetheless, despite these promising Therefore, future research should also include testing on physical specimens to validate these results. Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13736 2025-03-25T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13695 MEPCA: a technical model to improve on-chain electronic health records processing Vanin, Fausto Neri da Silva The integration of blockchain technology within the healthcare industry has garnered significant attention due to its potential to address critical challenges such as data privacy, interoperability, and the integrity of health records. Although electronic health record (EHR) standards such as HL7 FHIR and OpenEHR have established frameworks for data consistency and system interoperability, concerns remain about the privacy and security of sensitive patient information, particularly in light of regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD). Most related work stores only data hash on blockchain nodes, making data validation impossible from a blockchain perspective, which raises the risks of invalid or malicious data being provided. This work introduces the MEPCA model, a novel framework grounded in five core principles that explore the application of blockchain and cryptographic technologies in the management of health records, focusing on maximizing the use of on-chain resources for the processing of EHR data. Our main contribution is to provide guidance and techniques to maximize the adoption of decentralized solutions in the healthcare industry, with practical use cases and technical analysis. Our model introduces novel elements for secure data sharing, called Data Steward and Shared Data Vault, and proposes an innovative method that generates Zero-Knowledge Proofs of HL7 FHIR required fields for hash digests. We run technical experiments with Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) algorithms to evaluate on-chain data analysis using a dataset with 1.3 million records and evaluates on-chain data processing and storage with a 10 thousand HL7 FHIR dataset with plain and hash representation. Our findings suggest that maximizing on-chain processing can improve the security and reliability of health records, offering a robust alternative to traditional off-chain data processing approaches. The adoption of the MEPCA model can bring an evolution to the healthcare industry, allowing society and institutions to have a more secure and efficient digital infrastructure for EHR. Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13695 2024-09-29T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13608 A semantic interoperability model based on NLP for nonstructured health data Mello, Blanda Helena de The healthcare domain faces significant challenges in managing the rapidly growing volume of data generated daily, particularly in the collection and sharing of this information. Healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurses, radiologists, cardiologists, surgeons, and other specialists frequently enter patient data into electronic systems, often in an open, unstructured textual format. We conducted a literature review that reveals several challenges in processing real-world data, with one critical issue being the scarcity of tools and dictionaries available in Portuguese for the healthcare sector. This gap, coupled with the unique challenges inherent in healthcare data processing, adds considerable complexity to extracting and structuring essential information from clinical records. Additionally, ensuring data interoperability between different healthcare providers becomes challenging when these providers do not initially aim for interoperability during input data. Observing these challenges, this research proposed a model to enable semantic interoperability of clinical notes from electronic health record systems. The methodology used in this research has an applied and exploratory character, and it has been evaluated through the development of a prototype. This approach aims to address some of the current limitations in data processing and integration, specifically within the Portuguese healthcare context, and to create a flexible model that can treat real-world data more effectively in structuring and sharing data. This research is part of the MyDigitalHealth project, a collaboration between the university and six hospitals in Porto Alegre, which provided data from hospitalized patients who tested positive for COVID-19, ensuring a real-world context for data issues. We analyzed the characteristics of the data with respect to interoperability between providers and proposed a model that involves hybrid techniques for information extraction, lexical normalization, and structure for standard harmonization. Thus, we defined a set of experiments using machine learning, combining the Transformers architecture for entity recognition with natural language processing for lexical normalization and semantic matching and adopting OWL ontologies as an intermediary representation structure. The experiments revealed three main contributions. First, we developed a specialized annotated dataset, classifying six entities with 18,666 validated annotations by specialists in 314 documents. Second, we conducted experiments using BERT models fine-tuned on our small dataset for entity recognition, achieving 95% accuracy, with precision rates of 90% for classifying entities related to Invasive or Therapeutic Procedures and 89% for Disease or Syndrome and Diagnostic Procedures. These results demonstrate the model’s effectiveness in extracting relevant information from unstructured clinical notes. Third, ontologies as intermediary representation structures ensured semantic consistency and enhanced interoperability in an independent format. The limitations and opportunities for future studies from this research include applying the model to data from different domains, such as nursing notes, odontology, clinic context, and accountability records. Another topic is the gap in term disambiguation and semantic alignment in healthcare data, focusing on linking terminologies to structured data, ensuring international coding for clinical data, and enabling interoperability across borders. Finally, this research aims to contribute to the continuity of citizen healthcare and guide developers and providers in building robust and complex platforms that implement the use of healthcare standards. We also expect more and more professionals and health managers to improve healthcare worldwide through the adoption of international standards within electronic health record systems. Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13608 2024-11-13T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13574 Análise teórico-experimental de métodos de vitrificação para aplicações de criopreservação de sêmen Silva, Álisson Renan Stochero da The success of a cell cryopreservation procedure is directly related to the method of preparing the biological material, the freezing protocol, the sample volume and the relationship between the cooling rate and the concentration/type of cryoprotective agents (CPA). In order to avoid the formation of ice crystals, the sample cooling rate must be greater than the crystal formation rate. Through the vitrification method, it is possible to achieve high cooling rates, making the direct transition from the liquid state to the vitrified and amorphous state, without the formation of ice crystals. The probability of vitrification increases with higher cooling rates, higher viscosity and smaller sample volume. Vitrification is most used when working with biological materials with a small volume and low concentration of intracellular water, such as semen cryopreservation applications. In this work, two semen cryopreservation methods were developed, the direct immersion vitrification method and the contact droplet vitrification method. An experimental and numerical investigation was conducted, through the design and construction of benches and equipment, computer simulations, evaluation and proposal of methodologies. For the contact droplet vitrification method, solidification advancement behavior, cooling rates, contact angle, geometry and material of the cooling surface were investigated. For the direct immersion vitrification method, the influence of the cooling medium was investigated, comparing immersion in liquid nitrogen (LN2) with nitrogen slush (SN2). The effect of the type of container for sample allocation was also evaluated, comparing cryotubes with PDMS chips, comparing different concentrations of CPA and the impact of volume on the cryopreservation process. Biological tests with semen investigated the influence of the processing method (simple washing and swim-up), and freezing protocol, on the cooling rate, viability and motility. The results in this work support the improvement and development of new methods and protocols for cryopreservation of biological materials, especially for semen vitrification applications. Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13574 2024-06-28T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13565 Um modelo preditivo com base na integração de dados numéricos e textuais: um estudo de caso no mercado acionário brasileiro Rosa, Michele Jackeline Andressa The analysis of movements and prices in the Brazilian stock market has been widely studied, with a recent increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence for this purpose. Traditionally, predictive approaches rely on historical numerical data, with an emphasis on graphical analysis. However, these techniques have not fully explored the potential of fundamental data extracted from technical reports and financial statements, nor have they taken advantage of the vast amount of real-time information available through social media and news portals. This study aimed to identify the most effective approach to improving the accuracy of stock price predictions by integrating numerical and textual data, applied to a set of assets in the Brazilian stock market. Various deep learning techniques and models were employed, and the literature review revealed gaps in integrating heterogeneous data. To address these limitations, an approach was proposed that combines numerical and textual data, assessing the impact of this integration on stock price and movement predictions. The textual data includes financial statement information, posts on X (formerly Twitter), and financial and economic news published online. The numerical data consists of historical stock price and volume series, macroeconomic variables, and the Google Trends search index. The proposed model allows for an evaluation of advancements in the processing and integration of numerical and textual data to identify stock price movements in the Brazilian market. Studies were conducted to explore the behavior of numerical and textual data. Additionally, experiments implementing the proposed approach demonstrated a percentage gain in prediction accuracy compared to purely numerical analysis. The results revealed that the inclusion of tweets, news (Google News), and technical indicators, along with stock price and volume data, improved forecasting accuracy. When comparing the tested models, the LSTM outperformed the DNN. The collected RMSE values were: PETR4 (0.0114; 0.0111; 0.0210), VALE3 (0.0106; 0.0128; 0.0452), BBDC4 (0.0119; 0.0112; 0.0234), and ITUB4 (0.0117; 0.0119). It is concluded that the integration of heterogeneous data can significantly enhance stock price predictions, contributing to the development of more effective strategies in the financial market. Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13565 2025-02-06T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13564 AIDA: uma arquitetura inteligente para gerenciamento de diabetes Gubert, Luis Claudio The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus has increased significantly in recent years, emerging as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The disease management system currently focuses on identifying a disease and its curable methods. This approach is not suitable for patients with DM2, as the disease is chronic, and the approach must be concerned with the long course of the disease and with everyone involved in its follow-up (the patient, the primary care service, doctors, and hospitals). The evolution of portable devices and sensors and the increased use of electronic health records contribute to the increase in the volume of data that can be used to monitor, improve, and individualize treatment. The extensive data availability for each patient makes the analysis process by health services challenging. This fact encourages the use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to extract knowledge that can be used to support healthcare professionals’ decisions. Considering that care for chronic diseases is long-term. It requires continuous monitoring, we propose as a contribution to this work the development of a computational architecture that, based on data collected by sensors and data from the patient’s electronic health record, uses machine learning to find individualized patterns of the course of the disease. The aim is to detect the emergence of comorbidities early and the consequent decline in the patient’s health. For this thesis, we propose developing, implementing, and evaluating an intelligent architecture called AIDA for monitoring patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We evaluated the model through technology acceptance assessment studies based on the TAM (technology acceptance model) and the application of the SUS (System Usability scale) in interviews with experts and through the use of technology by patients. Regarding classification and prediction evaluations, we built a dataset with data from a national clinical center. To evaluate the results, several machine learning models for classification were compared, such as Random forest, Decision Tree, Logistic regression, Gradient boosting, XGBoost and LightGBM with hyperparameter settings changed to get the best results. LSTM networks (Long short-term memory) were used for the prediction model with data collected in the patient’s context. The results were evaluated visually and by metrics such as accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1-score, and AUROC for classification and Root mean square error (RMSE), Mean absolute error (MAE ) and Mean Poisson Deviance (MPD) for prediction. The acceptance and usability results showed that both groups, professionals and patients, have positive perceptions about applying technology in the care of chronic diseases. In turn, the best results for classification presented AUC of 0.85, specificity of 0.92, sensitivity of 0.52, precision of 0.46, accuracy of 0.87 and F1-score of 0.49. For prediction, the best results presented RMSE of 38.74, MAE of 31.41, and MPD of 8.82. The results reinforce the hypothesis that it is possible to define a computational model to support and monitor patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13564 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13561 Método evolutivo para reconfiguração de sistemas de distribuição de energia elétrica com foco em redução nos indicadores coletivos de continuidade em casos de intervenção Keller, Armando Leopoldo Interventions on power distribution systems are needed for maintenance and expansion, in some cases, interruptions are required causing power outage. Those interruptions could bring losses to the consumers and are monitored by ANEEL through continuity indicators.By the network reconfiguration is possible to achieve new routes that attend a higher number of consumers, reducing the indicators. Being an NP-hard problem, evaluation of all possible configurations is invisible, requiring a metaheuristics approach as genetic algorithms. This thesis presents methods to model the distribution networks using graphs that could be simplified, the graph simplification algorithm, and a modified version of the genetic algorithm that aims the minimization continuity indicators proposing new configurations that maintain the distribution networks radiality characteristics. Experiments were performed to prove the operation of each step, other algorithms were compared, and the results show that it is possible to achieve adequate configurations. Compared with projects designed by an experienced engineer, the configurations proposed by the system result in indicators equal to or smaller than the ones obtained by the engineer.A new algorithm for positioning new maneuverable elements in a network and its impact on network reconfiguration and continuity indicators is also presented. When compared with the traditional method, the method proposed here, by performing topological analysis and reducing the number of power flow runs, it can speed up the optimizer runtime by up to 138 times, making your application viable to assist the designer. In tests with real networks with a feeder, carried out on a conventional computer, solutions were found in less than 30 seconds. In comparison with the experienced designer, the tool found solutions with indicators equal to or less than the designer. Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13561 2024-12-20T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13557 Revisão sistemática de Ancistrus (Kner 1854), ocorrente na bacia hidrográfica da Laguna dos Patos Widholzer, Ronaldo Libardi Sebastian Wolff and H. von Ihering collected close to Camacuã river and Regan described the species Ancistrus brevipinnis in a single paragraph, with the type localityin Rio Grande do Sul, providing few diagnostic characters and based on a single individual. Subsequently, the distribution of this species was restricted to the Laguna dos Patos basin. Due to the existence of polymorphisms, these populations were studied to better define these characters and to describe new species. A study was conducted based on a review of data and morphometric analyses of 303 samples from across the basin. This allowed for the redescription and restriction of this species to the Camaquã River microbasin, as well as the description of a new species, A. megacanthus. Subsequently, with 44 samples of genomic material, a phylogenetic analysis (Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian) were conducted using the markers Co1, 16S, and Rag2, along with the construction of a haplotype network. As a result, two more species were described: one occurring in the microbasins of the Sinos and Gravataí Rivers; and another in the Mirim Lagoon. Even so, the molecular data obtained suggest the existence of one or more species inhabiting the Meridional Plateau region, with a distribution that extends beyond the basins boundaries. Sat, 25 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13557 2024-05-25T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13553 Comportamento alimentar do Petrel-Gigante-do-Sul na Antártica: seleção de habitat, variação individual e efeitos da personalidade Finger, Júlia Victória Grohmann The intraspecific variability in the foraging behavior of seabirds is a known fact. In addition to variations associated with sex, morphological classes or age, it is common for individuals to specialize their feeding behavior to varying degrees, some being highly faithful to specific areas and consistent in their foraging strategies. Individual variation in foraging can have important implications for the species. Recent studies indicate that animal personality – consistent individual variation in behavioral traits, e.g. boldness or aggression – can lead individuals to differ in their foraging behavior. The overall goal of this thesis was to investigate sexual and individual differences in habitat selection and foraging behavior of southern giant petrels(Macronectes giganteus) and the effects of personality on these patterns. The giant petrel population studied here breeds on Nelson Island, in the maritime Antarctic. GPS tracking devices were used to investigate the breeding distribution and fine-scale foraging behavior of 67 individuals throughout the 2019/2020 and 2021/2022 breeding seasons. The behavioral test “response to a novel object” was also applied to define the personality of tracked individuals, based on their level of boldness. Step-selection functions were used to investigate which environmental variables determine foraging habitat selection, analysis of repeatability and Bhattacharyya affinity indexes were used to investigate consistency in metrics and foraging areas throughout breeding, respectively. The population was also constantly monitored to identify potential opportunistic feeding behaviors. Giant petrels showed a wide spatial distribution during reproduction. Females foraged along the entire western Antarctic Peninsula while males were concentrated along the northwest coast. Proximity to penguin colonies strongly influenced foraging habitat selection for males, while for females, water column depth was more important. Both sexes overlapped their distribution with fishing areas in Antarctica and females, in particular, used areas with fishing effort on the continental shelf of Patagonia Argentina. The population showed average consistency in foraging areas between trips, as well as in the maximum distance and duration of foraging trips. Despite the existence of interindividual personality variation, it did not influence the consistency of foraging areas, nor the metrics of trips. The main source of variation was in terms of breeding stage and sex. Intergenerational cannibalism and coprophagy of Weddell seal feces were recorded for the first time for the species. The first behavior, expressed only by males, was possibly the result of individual specialization in this resource. The second, expressed by both females and males, occurred mainly after long incubation shifts, probably to quickly recover from fasting before a long feeding trip. Due to its wide distribution in the Antarctic Peninsula, a selection of habitat associated with varied marine zones, penguin colonies, seal resting areas and fishing activities, the species is configured as an important platform to monitor isolated populations and activities. illegal fishing in and out of Antarctica. Thu, 13 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13553 2023-07-13T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13452 Desing construtal aplicado à convecção de calor em cavidades com obstáculos Borahel, Rafael da Silveira From the perspective of the constructal design, this work investigated the convection process in a lid-driven cavity with an isothermal block (BI) inside, with the aim of maximizing the dimensionless heat transfer rate (𝑞∗) on the walls of the block. Keeping the BI vertically centred (𝑦0∗ = 0,5) in the cavity, the degrees of freedom (GL) considered for the system were the cavity and BI aspect ratios (𝐴𝑅 and 𝐴𝑅0, respectively), combined with the dimensionless horizontal position of the BI inside the cavity (𝑥0∗ ). In addition to these parameters, the size of the isothermal block – symbolized by  – was also considered a key parameter of the system. For this purpose, four different sizes were considered to the BI ( = 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32), making it possible to analyze their effects on the flow and convective heat transfer inside the system. By varying these parameters, a total of 280 different designs were generated and tested for the system, which were evaluated in the dominant forced, mixed, and natural convection scenarios, resulting in 840 analyzed cases. The convective flow inside the cavity was considered Newtonian, two-dimensional, laminar, incompressible and steady-state The mathematical model consisted of the conservation equations of mass, momentum (in 𝑥 and 𝑦 directions) and energy. All the equations were solved computationally through numerical simulations carried out in ANSYS FLUENT 2023 R1, which uses the finite volume method (MVF). Among the 280 different designs created and tested for the system, the one that proved to be the most effective in promoting 𝑞∗ was characterized by 𝐴𝑅 = 0.35 (horizontal cavity) and 𝐴0 = 1 (square). Through this design, giving to the BI its largest size ( = 1/4), the maximum value of 𝑞∗ (31,19) was achieved with the BI subtly shifted to the right (𝑥0 ∗ = 0,6) in the forced convection scenario. In general, this system configuration stood out in promoting 𝑞∗ due to having a larger lid, which moves a greater amount of fluid, thus increasing the momentum of the flow. In addition, the horizontal shape of the cavity narrows its upper gap, bringing the top wall of the BI closer to the sliding lid and thus reducing the thickness of the thermal boundary layer that forms there, which benefits heat transfer. Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13452 2024-02-22T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13451 Avaliação geométrica de três aletas inseridas em uma cavidade aplicando design construtal e o método superfície de resposta Rodrigues, Priscila Martta Lid-driven cavities are often used as a simplified case to study and understand various complex engineering problems, such as heat exchangers and heat sinks, in order to identify which geometry offers the best performance. In this context, the present work conducted a numerical study and geometric evaluation of a mixed convection flow with heat transfer. The objective was to assess the effects of the geometry of three fins inserted inside a lid-driven cavity subjected to mixed convection on the heat transfer between the fins and the fluid, indicating the configurations with the best performance under different conditions through the application of the Constructal Design method. The study involved the investigation of the following stages: (i) evaluating the effect of the aspect ratios of each of the three fins on the heat transfer rate; (ii) evaluating the effect of the fin area fractions (ϕ1, ϕ2, and ϕ3), keeping the left fin area fraction (ϕ1) and the ratio H1/L1 fixed, associated with a search space screening; (iii) evaluating the effect of different total area fractions (ϕT = 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2) for different fin area ratios for Ri = 0.1 and 1, using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) combined with Design of Experiments; (iv) comparing the system performance for different Richardson numbers. When associated with a search space screening, the results indicated that the best performance was achieved when fin 3 (ϕ3) has the largest area and the highest H3/L3 ratio, suggesting that the dominance of fin 3 enhances thermal exchange, particularly for higher H3/L3 ratios, while the predominance of fin 2 is observed for lower H3/L3 ratios. The best geometry found was H1/L1 = 0.1, H2/L2 = 0.5, and H3/L3 = 19, resulting in the highest heat transfer rate for the configuration ϕ1 = 0.05, ϕ2 = 0.04, ϕ3 = 0.01. The evaluation of Constructal Design combined with RSM allowed for the determination of the geometry that achieves the best thermal performance by varying the fraction of the area occupied by the fins. The results showed that the largest total area fraction provides the most favorable performance, attributed to the increase in the heat exchange area provided by the fins. The best thermal performance for Ri = 0.1 was 32% higher compared to the best performance for Ri = 1. It was observed that the use of Constructal Design associated with RSM required fewer simulations compared to a search space sweep for similar aspect ratios (Hn/Ln). Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13451 2024-09-17T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13450 Avaliação de um sistema micro CHP experimental para veículos recreativos Pinto, Daniel Vieira Recreational vehicles (RVs) are homes on wheels that can be pulled by a motor vehicle, in the case of trailers, or can be self-propelled, like a motorhome. For comfortable use of an RV, there is a need for an electrical supply to recharge its batteries and operate the appliances and equipment installed, as well as thermal energy, for heating water and possibly air conditioning. A conventional and widely used solution for supplying electrical energy is the installation of photovoltaic modules combined with a connection to an electrical grid, when possible, although in some cases combustion engine generators are used. Water heating is generally done by means of gas-fired instantaneous heaters or hybrid gas/electric storage heaters. In general, air conditioning in RVs is done by means of split-type air conditioning and gas or diesel heating. In order to develop an alternative to the currently available energy supply methods, combined with the search for more efficient and environmentally friendly means of energy use, this work proposes the creation of a cogeneration system (heat and electric power) for RVs. A systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out, covering scientific articles on combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The SLR was preceded by a search for documents on cogeneration and energy use in RVs, both in scientific databases and in intellectual property banks. A research gap was identified on micro CHP devices for RVs. In the development of this work, an experimental micro CHP device (mCHP-Ex) was created, with 980 W of maximum electrical power, consisting of a single-cylinder internal combustion engine, an automotive alternator and heat exchangers for thermal recovery. The prototype was enclosed and instrumented, enablingmeasurements of the thermal power available in the water flow (from exhaust gases, lubricating oil and cooling air heat recovery systems) in addition to the electrical power of the alternator. To quantify the availability of electrical and thermal power, as well as the efficiency and operation parameters of the system, tests were performed in 46 different operating conditions, combining variations between 2000 rpm and 3600 rpm in the engine rotation frequency and the levels of electrical load imposed on the alternator, from no load to 100% load. The electrical efficiency of the mCHP-Ex reached 10.18% ± 0.2% at 3008 rpm with 83% load. Maximum electrical output was 0.746 kW ±0.015 kW at 3637 rpm and 100% load. Maximum thermal energy recovery rate was 3.267 kW ±0.039 kW. Utilization factor reached 65.57% ±0.22%. Compared to commercial micro CHP systems seen at RSL, mCHP-Ex can be up to 48% lighter. Compared to traditional means of providing separate electrical and thermal power for RVs, mCHP-Ex provides 63% greater primary energy utilization when the demand is for electrical power and space heating. However, for conditions where the demand is for electrical power and water heating, or even electrical power alone, current solutions available are still more efficient. Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13450 2024-06-19T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13448 Plataformas digitais: o impacto da governança na captura de valor pelos complementadores Silva, Nubia Adriane da Digital platforms have emerged as predominant organizational structures in various sectors, promoting innovative ecosystems that integrate actors, architecture and governance. Although the literature on platform governance has grown significantly, most approaches focus on the perspective of the platforms themselves. To enrich this field of study from a new perspective, this research seeks to understand the relationship between the governance mechanisms used by digital platforms and the capture of value by their complementors. To achieve this objective, the research was conducted using a qualitative approach, employing field research. Initially, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was carried out on platform governance. From this review, a conceptual framework emerged with three dimensions for the governance structure: (i) coordination (value and control); (ii) design (architecture, access, leadership structure and decision-making); and (iii) value creation mechanisms (resource management, understanding of functions and exclusivity relationships). This framework served as the basis for collecting data on the platforms and their complementors. The research focused on the food service sector. To analyze the platforms, documents related to governance were taken into account, available on the websites and apps of these companies, as well as secondary data from reports and other publications. To understand the complementors' perspective, representatives of 54 companies that transact their food products and services on digital platforms were interviewed. The results showed that governance standards applied uniformly to all actors have a significant impact on the development of complementors' activities, directly influencing their capacity for interaction and innovation and, consequently, value capture. The contributions of this thesis include the proposition of a conceptual governance framework that can deepen understanding of any type of platform and facilitate comparisons between different platforms, as well as providing the complementors' perspective on how governance impacts value capture. Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13448 2024-09-24T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13447 How to identify the strategic alignment of teams with respect to project timeframe: a belief system approach for project-based alliances Piccoli, Marcella Soares This research explores the complex and dynamic world of Project-Based Alliances in the construction industry, unveiling a revolutionary artefact rooted in Robert Simons' Levels of Control, with a special focus on the Belief System to drive strategic team alignment. This qualitative study offers a unique perspective, delving into the intricate interplay between organisational beliefs and project timeframes, and their profound impact on long-term project success. This research stands out by deeply analysing three diverse, globally-spanning projects, showcasing the universal applicability and transformative potential of strategic alignment. The insights gathered reveal that aligning organisational beliefs with team strategies significantly offsets the benefits of diverse team compositions or geographic considerations in ensuring project success. Intriguingly, we highlight a prevalent industry oversight—prioritising short-term goals at the expense of long-term strategic alignment, thus uncovering a critical area for improvement. Utilising the Design Science Research (DSR) methodology, we developed and validated our artefact through iterative cycles of design, evaluation, and refinement. This approach ensured the practical relevance and rigour of the artefact, which was tested in real-world settings to assess its effectiveness in enhancing team alignment and project outcomes. The study not only bridges the gap between theory and practice but also introduces an innovative framework for continuous assessment and enhancement of team dynamics. By focusing on belief systems, we provide organisations with a powerful tool to navigate the complexities of temporary alliances, ensuring shared understanding and strategic vision alignment throughout all project stages. Future research should explore the impact of technological advancements and cultural diversity on team alignment within Project-Based Alliances. Social implications of this research include fostering a collaborative culture, promoting ethical practices, and supporting sustainable development in the construction industry. Sat, 25 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13447 2024-05-25T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13440 Ligantes álcali-ativados à base de metacaulim, cinza de casca de arroz e fíler calcário Lima, Cristian Jonathan Franco de The increasing population demand, day after day, for greater infrastructure in cities, with more homes, buildings, highways and special works of art, makes concrete one of the most consumed materials in the world. As a result, the production of Portland cement generates high carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Faced with the need to reduce this environmental footprint, alkali-activated cements have been gaining ground in research and practical applications, as they are based on minimally processed natural materials or industrial solid waste, tending to provide important reductions in carbon emissions. The objective of this research is to analyze the mechanical properties and the appearance of efflorescence in alkali-activated cements produced from the concomitant use of metakaolin (MK), rice husk ash (CCA) and limestone filler (FC). The raw materials were properly processed and defined through chemical and physical tests and the mixtures were evaluated through tests to verify mechanical performance: resistance to axial revision; durability: flower formation; Thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) tests; Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Four mixtures were developed: 100% with metakaolin precursor, two binary mixtures, one with 20% replacement by limestone filler and the other 20% by rice husk ash, a ternary mixture with 10% replacement by limestone filler and 10% % by rice husk ash, using potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution as a chemical activator. The mixtures prepared did not develop resistance to high axial compression for use in structural concretes, with the best averages being the binary mixture of MK+CCA, followed by the ternary mixture with MK+CCA+FC. Regarding the formation of efflorescence, the best results were for the binary mixture of MK+FC and ternary mixture of MK+CCA+FC, which did not show degradation. The TG/DTG, DSC, FTIR and XRD tests and results confirmed the formation of the K-A-S-H amorphous gel, corroborating and assisting in the analysis and understanding of the other results and data obtained. Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13440 2024-09-27T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13439 Habitação de interesse social: sistema de indicadores para orientar decisões referentes à implantação de novos empreendimentos em áreas urbanas Souza, Claiton de Oliveira The public policy for implementing social housing units is directly linked to the need to eliminate or reduce the housing deficit. The need for housing, especially social housing, amounts to billions of units, and in Brazil this number reaches 6 million units. The objective of the study is to develop a system of indicators to guide the implementation of new social housing projects in urban areas. The System seeks to assist public servants and those interested in implementing new housing projects by indicating possible implementation problems, which have been widely identified in many projects carried out, especially in the outskirts of large cities. To develop the System, indicators based on Laws, Ordinances and Standards were used, in addition to those created during the preparation of the study and validated by professionals and public servants involved in public housing policy. A housing project in Porto Velho/RO and one in the city of Rio Branco/AC Orgulho do Madeira in PVH/RO were used as parameters and assessments for the System. The system includes four categories of indicators that refer to up to five characteristics inherent to them. The categories are: Demand, with a total of 40 points; Location of the Condominium/Development, with a total of 20 points; Local Infrastructure, with a total of 20 points; and Development/Condominium, with a total of 50 points. The sum of the categories reaches the total weights measured by the system, for a total of 110 points. This dynamic of points is linked to tables that show the percentages obtained in each category, as well as being linked to the lighthouse with the colors: blue, (indicating the feasibility of implementing the project); green, where implementation is feasible but requires attention (in this case the proponent must check which category is attracting attention); yellow, implementation of the project is shown to be unfeasible, as it will generate many problems; and finally, red, which indicates the impossibility of implementation. The Indicator System was applied to three projects, one in Porto Velho/RO, one in Rio Branco/AC and a Model Project in Porto Velho/RO, and the results expressed the reality of the first with major problems, the viability of the second, as well as the viability of implementing the Model Project. Sun, 04 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13439 2024-08-04T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13437 Análise de desempenho de três estações de tratamento de esgoto municipais com diferentes tecnologias, quanto aos parâmetros físico-químicos, microbiológicos e o Bisferol A Räder, Arlindo Soares Among many micropollutants, the plasticizing agent bisphenol A (BPA), widely used in the food and beverage industry, in the manufacture of polymeric materials and utensils, is considered a xenoestrogen and endocrine disruptor, which justifies continuous research in the area. The present work carried out a performance analysis of three municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), comprising the association of several technologies available on the market: Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket, added to an aerobic biological filter with natural aeration, activated sludge and anoxic reactor, Morada dos Eucaliptos WWTP (ME WWTP); Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor, added to a physical-chemical treatment, high-rate decanter and ultraviolet disinfection, Vila Palmeira WWTP (VP WWTP); and activated sludge of the Sequential Batch Reactor type, Mundo Novo WWTP (MN WWTP). The results observed allowed us to conclude that the best overall efficiency for the treatment of the BOD, COD, Nam, TSS and SSed set was observed in the MN WWTP (95.3%, 89.8%, 94.9%, 92.8% and 88.4%). For the PT parameter, the best results were in the ME WWTP (61.5%) and VP WWTP (61.2%). All the WWTPs studied presented removal greater than 92% for the CT and E. coli set, with the best result observed in the VP WWTP (98.7% and 98.2%). Regarding the micropollutant BPA, a calibration curve was created in the raw sewage environmental matrix, where the linearity results indicated a working range of 10ng.L-1 to 900ng.L-1. The lowest known concentration point of the calibration curve, 10ng.L-1, was adopted as the Limit of Quantification (LQ). Thus, it was possible to analyze and quantify the presence of BPA in raw and treated sewage for the three WWTPs. Quantified BPA concentrations were observed within the linearity range of the curve. BPA presented complex and adverse behavior, being present in raw and treated sewage in the three WWTPs. This behavior corroborates previous research, which identified that BPA is present in all environmental matrices, characterizing it as a ubiquitous micropollutant. This alone justifies monitoring WWTPs for the possibility of micropollutants (in this case, BPA) occurring, considering the sewage treatment processes adopted, as well as the advancement of methodologies and analytical techniques for identification and quantification, to verify their presence and removal from environmental matrices for future and adequate legal regulation. Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13437 2024-08-02T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13423 Athena: um modelo computacional para serviços inteligentes na educação a distância usando históricos de contextos Silva, Lídia Martins da The educational environment has undergone numerous transformations and among them, the expansion and democratization of teaching. Distance Education aims to offer a complete, dynamic and efficient teaching and learning process, mediated by technological resources. It has been growing and assuming an important role in the educational environment. It has been of paramount importance in the expansion and access to higher education, driven by the use of New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT) and new behaviors in the teaching and learning process. However, the high dropout rate in distance courses has caused many concerns, as not all students who enroll in a course manage to reach the end for different reasons. Evasion occurs in all teaching modalities, whether face-to-face, blended and distance learning, both in public and private institutions. However, distance education needs a deeper look, since it is mediated by technologies. Given this context, this thesis proposal proposes the development of a computational model for intelligent services focused on distance education based on historical contexts. The model aims to assist managers and teachers in strategic planning, allowing them to monitor the student's academic progress, as well as assist students with difficulties in the learning process through website recommendations, complementary teaching materials, videos, among other resources. The aim of offering intelligent services is to offer solutions such as: monitoring, intervention, recommendation, formation of study groups, motivation and improvement in the students' learning process, avoiding failure and consequently reducing the dropout rate. The model uses an ontology to represent knowledge in the field of distance education. Furthermore, it explores elements of the students' context that are used in composing context histories. Context history analysis is used to personalize services that deliver useful information for distance learning. An Athena prototype was created and tested with information from 25 students enrolled in the Technology in Systems Analysis and Development course, supporting the implementation and evaluation of two intelligent services, Forecasting to predict students' academic performance and Grouping for training study group. The results obtained reinforce the hypothesis that it is possible to develop a computational model that generically supports the creation and use of intelligent services for distance education based on students' context histories. Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13423 2024-08-02T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13422 Freya: an event prediction model for power distribution networks Aranda, Jorge Arthur Schneider In the Smart Grids (SGs) context, energy utilities manage extensive data volumes to monitor and optimize distribution networks. Key parameters include voltage, current, and power levels, as well as fault indicators like short-circuit currents and voltage sags. Detecting and predicting technical failures is for preventing power shortages that affect residential and industrial consumers. The process of predicting future conditions of the SG, is essential for identifying potential technical failures. SGs feature hierarchically distributed equipment across large geographical areas, influencing the overall network based on their hierarchical importance andinevice-level predictions to forecast the network’s overall state—finally, the process of inferences through OntoFreya, the ontology proposed in this thesis. OntoFreya classifiedividual historical contexts. Continuous communication between these devices and monitoring centers is vital for effective SG operation. Integrating concepts such as Edge Computing (EC), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Machine Learning (ML) enhances event prediction and operational efficiency in SGs.This thesis introduces the Freya model, an intelligent computational framework designed for event prediction in SGs, focusing on energy distribution. Freya’s scientific contribution lies in event prediction at both the equipment and network levels. Comparative analysis shows that Freya uniquely addresses three aspects: (1) operation of remote equipment, (2) context-aware on SGs, and (3) hierarchical importance within the network. These aspects serve as inputs for predictive modeling.Event prediction in Freya consists of three steps. Initially, ML models are applied to individual SG devices. Subsequently, a stacked ML model consolidates these ds network and equipment events in compliance with energy utility regulations and regulatory standards, enabling proactive maneuvers to mitigate potential issues. The model’s validation uses real-world data from distribution feeders, voltage regulators, reclosers, and various applied scenarios, demonstrating the capability of the Freya model. The Freya model for distribution networks achieved an accuracy of 99.73%, recall of 99.75%, and F1- Score of 99.73%, compared to commonly used models in this type of task, which reached an accuracy of 83.36%, recall of 82.91%, and F1-Score of 83.36%, demonstrating the superiority of the Freya model in terms of event prediction metrics. Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://repositorio.jesuita.org.br/handle/UNISINOS/13422 2024-08-16T00:00:00Z