University of Madeira

About: University of Madeira is a education organization based out in Funchal, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Dendrimer. The organization has 1014 authors who have published 2759 publications receiving 59457 citations.

Emerging nanomaterials for antibacterial textile fabrication

Abstract: In recent times, the search for innovative material to fabricate smart textiles has been increasing to satisfy the expectation and needs of the consumers, as the textile material plays a key role in the evolution of human culture. Further, the textile materials provide an excellent environment for the microbes to grow, because of their large surface area and ability to retain moisture. In addition, the growth of harmful bacteria on the textile material not only damages them but also leads to intolerable foul odour and significant danger to public health. In particular, the pathogenic bacteria present in the fabric surface can cause severe skin infections such as skin allergy and irritation via direct human contact and even can lead to heart problems and pneumonia in certain cases. Recently, nanoparticles and nanomaterials play a significant role in textile industries for developing functional smart textiles with self-cleaning, UV-protection, insect repellent, waterproof, anti-static, flame-resistant and antimicrobial-resistant properties. Thus, this review is an overview of various textile fibres that favour bacterial growth and potential antibacterial nanoparticles that can inhibit the growth of bacteria on fabric surfaces. In addition, the probable antibacterial mechanism of nanoparticles and the significance of the fabric surface modification and fabric finishes in improving the long-term antibacterial efficacy of nanoparticle-coated fabrics were also discussed.

Improving software effort estimation with human-centric models: a comparison of UCP and iUCP accuracy

Abstract: Bringing human-centric models into the software development lifecycle provides unique opportunities to enhance development practice. Modeling the interactive aspects of a software system ensures a better understanding of user requirements leading to improved user interface and general usage and acceptance of the system. It also provides a unique opportunity to enhance conventional software development practices, such as effort estimation, which is known to have major deviations. In this paper we illustrate this mutual benefit presenting a statistical analysis of the effort estimation for seven real world software development projects. We contrast a conventional use-case points (UCP) method with iUCP an HCI enhanced method Here we propose an enhancement of the iUCP original effort estimation formula. This results in an improved mean deviation of iUCP over UCP supporting the claim that reflecting HCI concerns into internal SE artifacts generates more accurate estimations of software development effort. Our results provide additional evidence of the benefits of using human-centric models to enhance the software development practice, in particular for long lasting challenges like generating accurate project estimates early in the development lifecycle.

Healthy lifestyle in children and adolescents and its association with subjective health complaints: findings from 37 countries and regions from the HBSC Study

Abstract: Background: It is important to clearly understand the factors associated with subjective health complaints. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between subjective health complaints, several health behaviors, and a composite measure of healthy lifestyle. Methods: Data were from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2014 international database. Participants were 167,021 children and adolescents, aged 10–16 years, from 37 countries and regions. A composite score of healthy lifestyle was created using a combination of daily physical activity, daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, <2 hours spent daily in screen-based behaviors, no drinking, and no smoking. The subjective health complaints assessed were headaches, stomach aches, backache, dizziness, feeling low, irritability, nervousness, and sleep difficulties. Results: Those who engage in physical activity every day, spend less than two hours a day in screen-based behaviors, do not drink alcohol, and do not smoke tobacco presented a higher likelihood of not having subjective health complaints. A healthy lifestyle was significantly related to having less of all the subjective health complaints. Those with a healthy lifestyle were 50% (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.5–0.6, p < 0.001) less likely to have multiple health complaints. Conclusions: Healthy behaviors and healthy lifestyles are related with less subjective health complaints and less multiple health complaints.