RCIPL

Institutional Repository of the Lisbon Polytechnic

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The aim of this Scientific Repository is to disseminate the scientific production produced by the Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa academic community, to increase the visibility and the investigation impact, to ensure the storage of the intellectual memory and to promote the open access to the information.

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Recent Submissions

How many strides are needed for reliable markerless gait analysis?

Publication . Carvalho, Andreia; Vanrenterghem, Jos; Pataky, Todd C.; Robinson, Mark A.; Veloso, António P.; Moniz-Pereira, Vera

Background/aim: Markerless motion capture is an emerging tool for gait analysis. In some populations, e.g., older adults, traditional gait analysis poses practical challenges, such as reduced assessment tolerance, and the number of strides collected can be limited. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the number of strides on test-retest reliability and measurement error of markerless gait biomechanics in older adults. Methods: Twenty strides were extracted from 29 healthy older adults for each of two sessions. Lower-limb kinematics and kinetics were computed. Subsequently, non-consecutive random subsets of k = 2-19 strides were averaged within-subjects and within-sessions, including scenarios with unequal k between sessions. Integrated Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (iICCA,k) and Standard Errors of Measurement (SEM) were calculated for trajectory data. ICCA,k [Confidence Intervals] were computed for the range of motion and peaks. Two arbitrary thresholds for the minimally acceptable number of strides were combined: (1) the smallest k that yielded an ICC within 10 % of the maximum ICC across all k, and (2) an absolute ICC threshold of 0.75. SEM≤ 2º was deemed suitable for kinematics, and SEM%≤ 5 % for kinetics. Results: For joint angles and moments, iICC dropped less than 10 % from the highest iICC when using ≥ 7 strides with an equal number of strides across sessions, attaining iICCs≥ 0.75. Reducing the number of strides in one session had less impact than reducing both equally. Lower Confidence intervals were generally ≥ 0.75 for discrete parameters. Kinematic SEM rarely exceeds 2º. Globally, 4 strides are needed to have a kinetics SEM%≤ 5 %. Conclusion: A minimum of 7 strides contributing to the average observation is generally sufficient to achieve reliable markerless kinematics and kinetics in older adults. These results have particular relevance to populations who may experience limited tolerance for lengthy assessments. Allowing flexibility in stride number collected across sessions, while maintaining reliability, contributes to optimizing data collection strategies.

2026-01Journal article

Open access

Dossier de produção do projeto CAJU

Publication . Simões, Gonçalo Miguel Rocha Martins; Leite, Paulo

O presente, trabalho apresenta o dossier de produção do projeto CAJU, concebido no âmbito do Mestrado em Desenvolvimento de Projeto Cinematográfico., Estrutura-se, em três blocos: Visão, onde se expõem a motivação autoral, as intenções estéticas e o posicionamento no cinema português; Mundo e Personagens, que, detalha enredo, universos narrativos e temas centrais; e Estratégia e Produção, que define plano de trabalho, orçamentação, financiamento e perspetivas de circulação. O documento procura equilibrar· reflexão artística, e viabilidade prática, oferecendo uma visão integrada da obra como criação, narrativa e projeto de produção.

2025-11-28Master thesis

Restricted access

Poultry farms as reservoirs of azole-resistant fungi: occupational health risks in agricultural facilities

Publication . Gomes, Bianca; Dias, Marta; Cervantes, Renata; Pena, Pedro; Carolino, Elisabete; Caetano, Liliana Aranha; Viegas, Susana; Viegas, Carla

The intensification of poultry farming has raised concerns regarding microbial contamination and antifungal resistance, particularly involving Aspergillus fumigatus, a key pathogen presenting clinical relevance. This study aims to present the first in-depth evaluation of environmental conditions, airborne particles, microbial contamination, and fungal resistance to azole drugs in poultry farm environments. A multi-approach sampling strategy (passive and active sampling methods) was conducted throughout the poultry production cycle. Microbial characterization was performed, combining culture-dependent methods and molecular techniques with a focus on fungal diversity and azole resistance. Bacterial and fungal loads indoors exceed the outdoor levels in 80.85 % (n = 38/47) and 78.72 % (n = 37/47) of air samples, respectively. Toxigenic fungal species (Aspergillus spp. and Penicilium spp.) were widespread (air, swabs, electrostatic dust cloths, feed, bed). Fungi resistant to at least one antifungal (itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole) were found in 53.3 % of the total samples collected inside poultry pavilions (n = 45/126), including potentially azole-resistant Aspergillus species. Particulate matter acts as a carrier of microorganisms, enhancing workers' respiratory exposure risks. Electrostatic dust cloths proved to be a valuable sampling method for exposure assessment to potential pathogenic and resistant fungi. Our findings identify poultry farms as potential hotspots for toxigenic and azole-resistant fungi with implications for occupational health. These results highlight the urgent need for targeted biosafety strategies to mitigate not only microbial contamination in the workplace but also the spread of antifungal-resistant fungi in poultry facilities and surroundings.

2025-10Journal article

Open access

Diaphragm ultrasound for muscle strength assessment: a systematic literature review

Publication . Leote, João; Monteiro, Margarida; Rocha, Cláudia; Rodrigues, Carolina; Pereira, Marco; Antunes, Maria Luz; Dias, Maria Hermínia Monteiro Brites

Objective: To assess if diaphragmatic ultrasound (DU) reflects diaphragmatic muscle strength when compared to respiratory tests and neurophysiological studies. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted on adults undergoing DU, compared to any respiratory or neurophysiological technique. The search strategy was applied in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and the analysis was conducted using the PRISMA methodology. Three eligibility assessment stages were performed: title, abstract, and full-text reading. The risk of bias was evaluated using the RoB 2.0, ROBINS-I, and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale tools. Results: Out of 155 identified articles, 25 were selected for full-text review (14 non-randomised studies, 8 case-control studies, and 3 randomised studies). The overall risk of bias was moderate, with the main biases related to population selection and intervention assessment. Twenty-three articles used maximal inspiratory pressure measurement as a comparator, which showed a weak-to-moderate correlation, significant in 10 studies, with diaphragmatic excursion. Three studies reported a weak association between diaphragmatic thickening and sniff pressure. Five articles reported a concordant correlation between diaphragmatic thickening and compound muscle action potential amplitude, significant only in one study. Conclusion: The variability of results obtained across different pathologies does not support the use of DU alone to predict diaphragmatic muscle strength.

2025-11Journal article

Open access

The comet assay as a tool in human biomonitoring studies: effects of confounding factors

Publication . Møller, Peter; Gajski, Goran; Gerić, Marko; Giovannelli, Lisa; Azqueta, Amaya; Haveric, Anja; Stopper, Helga; Bankoglu, Ezgi Eyluel; Collins, Andrew; Ladeira, Carina

The comet assay is widely used in human biomonitoring studies of environmental and occupational exposures. However, it is clear from multiple studies that various types of confounding factors might affect the direct relationship between exposure and DNA damage in the comet assay. In addition to common confounders such as age, sex, and smoking, other factors considered to be important determinants for background levels of DNA damage in the comet assay include exhaustive physical exercise, chronic diseases, medical treatment, and diet. These are typically controlled in biomonitoring studies by restriction or matching of subjects. Period effects (or seasonal variation) have been observed in a relatively large number of studies. There are various putative factors, which may cause period effects, including temporal variation in solar radiation, temperature, and air pollution. The present review describes the effects of these confounding factors in measurements of DNA strand breaks by the comet assay. In general, the literature does not indicate that any confounding factor is consistently associated with an increased level of DNA damage, measured by the comet assay. In this respect, it is important to balance the need to control for confounding with the risk of introducing in the statistical analysis a variable, which is influenced by exposure and outcome (i.e. collider bias). In addition, it is important that investigators describe procedures for controlling the effect of confounding factors in the selection of subjects and statistical analysis. Care should be taken in study design and statistical analysis to avoid unwanted effects of confounding factors.

2025-11Journal article

Open access