Untitled

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Complex graph neural networks for medication interaction verification

Publication . Westarb, Gustavo; Stefenon, Stefano Frizzo; Hoppe, Aurélio Faustino; Sartori, Andreza; Klaar, Anne Carolina Rodrigues; Leithardt, Valderi Reis Quietinho

This paper presents the development and application of graph neural networks to verify drug interactions, consisting of drug-protein networks. For this, the DrugBank databases were used, creating four complex networks of interactions: target proteins, transport proteins, carrier proteins, and enzymes. The Louvain and Girvan-Newman community detection algorithms were used to establish communities and validate the interactions between them. Positive results were obtained when checking the interactions of two sets of drugs for disease treatments: diabetes and anxiety; diabetes and antibiotics. There were found 371 interactions by the Girvan-Newman algorithm and 58 interactions via Louvain.

2023-04-06Journal article

Open access

Prevalence of Lower Back Pain in Portuguese Equestrian Riders

Publication . Duarte, Carlota; Santos, R.; Fernandes, Orlando; Raimundo, Armando; Autor correspondente: Santos, R..

Lower back pain is prevalent in equestrian athletes, but its prevalence and associated factors are unknown in the Portuguese equestrian population. A questionnaire regarding lower back pain and possible associated factors was answered by 347 respondents. Of the respondents, 214 (61.7%) stated having experienced lower back pain in the past 12 months and therefore completed the Roland Morris disability questionnaire. Among the latter, 63.1% stated that lower back pain impaired their performance. The probability of suffering from lower back pain was higher in individuals with higher weekly riding workloads, who reported equestrianism as their main occupation, and who performed daily stable duties. Considering a Roland Morris disability score of 4 as the cut-off value for dysfunction, this sample had an average score of 5.39 ± 4.42. Individuals who stated equestrianism was their main occupation showed a significantly higher risk (OR = 1.759, p = 0.041) of exhibiting a score ≥ 4 than those who stated equestrianism as a hobby. Age (p = 0.029), body mass index (p = 0.047), and daily performance of stable duties (p = 0.030) were also associated with a higher Roland Morris disability score. Further research is needed to understand the full impacts of lower back pain in Portuguese equestrian athletes.

2024-07-30Journal article

Open access

Global Dynamics of Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Cross-Correlation Analysis of Income and CO2 Emissions

Publication . Almeida, Dora; Carvalho, Luísa; Ferreira, Paulo; Dionísio, Andreia; Haq, Inzamam Ul

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis posits an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation. However, there is no consensus regarding the EKC hypothesis among countries and regions of different income groups. This study revisits the EKC hypothesis by employing cross-correlation analysis to explore the income–CO2 emissions relationship across 158 countries and 44 regions from 1990 to 2020. The empirical method utilizes a dynamic cross-correlation coefficient (CCC) approach, allowing for the assessment of lead-lag dynamics between income and CO2 emissions over time. By categorizing nations into the World Bank’s income classifications, we found a heterogeneous EKC pattern highlighting distinct environmental–economic dynamics across different income groups. The findings indicate that highincome countries show a decoupling of economic growth from CO2 emissions; whereas, low-income countries still exhibit a positive correlation between both variables. This underscores the necessity for tailored policy interventions that promote carbon neutrality, while considering each country’s unique development stage. Our research contributes to the ongoing issue of sustainable economic development by providing empirical evidence of the different pathways nations follow in balancing growth with environmental preservation.

2024-10-20Journal article

Open access

COVID-19 Effects on the Relationship between Cryptocurrencies: Can It Be Contagion? Insights from Econophysics Approaches

Publication . Dora Almeida; Andreia Dionísio; Isabel Vieira; Paulo Ferreira

Cryptocurrencies are relatively new and innovative financial assets. They are a topic of interest to investors and academics due to their distinctive features. Whether financial or not, extraordinary events are one of the biggest challenges facing financial markets. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, considered by some authors a “black swan”, is one of these events. In this study, we assess integration and contagion in the cryptocurrency market in the COVID-19 pandemic context, using two entropy-based measures: mutual information and transfer entropy. Both methodologies reveal that cryptocurrencies exhibit mixed levels of integration before and after the onset of the pandemic. Cryptocurrencies displaying higher integration before the event experienced a decline in such link after the world became aware of the first cases of pneumonia in Wuhan city. In what concerns contagion, mutual information provided evidence of its presence solely for the Huobi Token, and the transfer entropy analysis pointed out Tether and Huobi Token as its main source. As both analyses indicate no contagion from the pandemic turmoil to these financial assets, cryptocurrencies may be good investment options in case of real global shocks, such as the one provoked by the COVID-19 outbreak.

2023-01Journal article

Open access

Quality Education for All: A Fuzzy Set Analysis of Sustainable Development Goal Compliance

Publication . Carvalho, Luisa; Almeida, Dora; Loures, Ana; Ferreira, Paulo; Rebola, Fernando

The relationship between education and societal development is unquestionable. Education contributes to achieving both societies’ and individuals’ social and economic goals. Quality education is recognized as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which, jointly with other behaviors and attitudes, could impact the development of societies in other fields like health and well-being, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and even peace and stability—all of them also listed as SDGs. However, the capacity, or not, to reach higher levels of compliance with quality in education (SDG 4) varies from country to country, according to the 2023 Sustainable Development Report results. Thus, the present study aims to identify the sufficient conditions for achieving higher levels of quality education (SDG 4) globally and to analyze how these conditions vary across different world regions. Applying a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis and using data from the 2023 Sustainable Development Report, we focus our analysis on four SDG 4 indicators—early education, primary education, lower secondary education, and literacy rate—across 117 countries, in order to assess the conditions for attaining higher levels of quality education. The results reveal there are specific and identifiable conditions that are sufficient for achieving higher levels of quality education on a global scale, with significant regional variations. These insights contribute to understanding the complex dynamics of educational quality and could be used as guidance for policymakers and educators aiming to improve educational outcomes worldwide.

2024-06Journal article

Open access