An integrated database with system optimization and design features

A customized, mission-specific relational database package was developed to allow researchers working on the Mars oxygen manufacturing plant to enter physical description, engineering, and connectivity data through a uniform, graphical interface and to store the data in formats compatible with other software also developed as part of the project. These latter components include an optimization program to maximize or minimize various criteria as the system evolves into its final design; programs to simulate the behavior of various parts of the plant in Martian conditions; an animation program which, in different modes, provides visual feedback to designers and researchers about the location of and temperature distribution among components as well as heat, mass, and data flow through the plant as it operates in different scenarios; and a control program to investigate the stability and response of the system under different disturbance conditions. All components of the system are interconnected so that changes entered through one component are reflected in the others

Providing models for socialization of educational spaces relying on the Constructivism Approach and production of space

This research focuses on the expansion of educational spaces compatible with the teacher-centered method that has caused the lack of improvement of these spaces with the student-oriented instruction methods. The hypothesis is that by applying constructivist approaches and theories of social production of space, school environments can be designed to enhance students’ interactions and active participation in learning that ultimately increases their motivation for education. The research is descriptive-analytical in nature and follows a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach as well as uses a developmental method. The educational spaces of three purposefully selected schools are analyzed using various theories. The analysis results in the identification of five types of educational spaces that can support the application of constructivist methods of instruction and promote students' social interactions. The proposed spatial structure includes classroom sets, public spaces, and common areas, aiming to create a spatial convergence and fluidity that prevent spatial disarray. The intention is to move away from teacher-oriented spaces and towards more flexible and open environments that foster social interactions and student engagement. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of how educational spaces can be adapted to facilitate the student-oriented instruction and promote constructivist learning approaches. The findings offer insights into the design principles that can enhance students' motivation and active participation in the education process

ANTINOCICEPTIVE PROPERTIES OF HYDRO ALCOHOLIC EXTRACTS OF ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS L. (DILL) SEED AND AERIAL PARTS IN MICE

Chronic pain and its treatment have always posed a significant challenge for medical practitioners and many attempts have been made to reduce and eliminate it, both in past and recent history. Research to discover new effective drugs with excellent safety profiles is ongoing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the plant Anethum graveolens (dill) for use as an analgesic drug. Forty-two mice were divided randomly into seven groups (n=6). In the formalin test, the first group received normal saline; the second group, extract of plant seed (300 mg/kg); the third group, extract of plant crops (300 mg/kg) and the forth group received morphine (1 mg/kg). For the hot plate test, the first group received normal saline; the second group, extract of plant seed (300 mg/kg) and the third group received extract of plant crops (300 mg/kg). All injections consisted of 0.5 ml given intraperitoneally. In the early phase of formalin test, the animals treated with seed and crop extracts did not show analgesic effects compared to control group (P=0.386, P=0.284 respectively). In contrast, in the late phase of formalin test, seed and crop extracts significantly decreased indications of pain compared to the saline group with seed extracts showing stronger analgesic effects (P=0.004, P=0.023 respectively). In the hot plate test, crop and seed extracts showed hyperalgesic properties. This effect was stronger in animals treated with crop extracts as compared to seed extracts. These findings indicate that Anethum graveolens can reduce inflammatory pain, probably by inhibiting inflammatory mediators. In contrast, this plant has no analgesic effects on spinal nociception and conversely may exacerbate it. This study provides a basis for the use of Anethum graveolens extracts in popular folk medicine, but further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of its analgesic actions

Applying case based reasoning for prioritizing areas of business management

Determining the importance of different management areas in a company provides guidance about the needs of increasing the analysis and actions focuses in particular topic. To do it, it is necessary to decompose the management in a coherent set of specific management areas and provide a way that allows the company to determine the importance of these areas for them. This paper presents a novel system that guides companies to obtain a classification of important management areas for them. It is focused on the use of a case based reasoning system because the variability and the evolution of companies as time passes requires using techniques with learning capabilities. The proposed system provides an automatic self-assessment system that provides companies an ordered list of their most important management areas. This system was implemented a year ago for the evaluation of Spanish companies. Currently, it is in production providing relevant information about the management areas of these companies

Working memory training in post-stroke aphasia: Near and far transfer effects

Purpose: Individuals with aphasia (IWA) show various impairments in speech, language, and cognitive functions. Working memory (WM), a cognitive system that functions to hold and manipulate information in support of complex, goal-directed behaviors, is one of the impaired cognitive domains in aphasia. The present study intended to examine the effects of a WM training program on both memory and language performance in IWA. Method: This quasi-experimental study with an active control group was performed on 25 people with mild or moderate Broca's aphasia aged 29�61 years resulting from left hemisphere damage following ischemic stroke. Participants were assigned into two groups, including a training group (n = 13) and a control group (n = 12). The treatment and control groups received WM training and routine speech therapy, respectively. Two separate lists of WM tests, including one list for both pre-training assessment and training program and a second list for the post-training assessment, were used in this study. Results: The treatment group showed significant improvements in both trained and non-trained WM tasks (near transfer effect) and language performance (far transfer effect) compared to the control group. Conclusion: Given the good generalizability of the WM training program on both WM and language performance, WM training is suggested as part of the rehabilitation program in aphasia. © 2020 Elsevier Inc

An autonomic prediction suite for cloud resource provisioning

One of the challenges of cloud computing is effective resource management due to its auto-scaling feature. Prediction techniques have been proposed for cloud computing to improve cloud resource management. This paper proposes an autonomic prediction suite to improve the prediction accuracy of the auto-scaling system in the cloud computing environment. Towards this end, this paper proposes that the prediction accuracy of the predictive auto-scaling systems will increase if an appropriate time-series prediction algorithm based on the incoming workload pattern is selected. To test the proposition, a comprehensive theoretical investigation is provided on different risk minimization principles and their effects on the accuracy of the time-series prediction techniques in the cloud environment. In addition, experiments are conducted to empirically validate the theoretical assessment of the hypothesis. Based on the theoretical and the experimental results, this paper designs a self-adaptive pred

A study on wear evaluation of railway wheels based on multibody dynamics and wear computation

The wear evolution of railway wheels is a very important issue in railway engineering. In the past, the reprofiling intervals of railway vehicle steel wheels have been scheduled according to designers' experience. Today, more reliable and accurate tools in predicting wheel wear evolution and wheelset lifetime can be used in order to achieve economical and safety benefits. In this work, a computational tool that is able to predict the evolution of the wheel profiles for a given railway system, as a function of the distance run, is presented. The strategy adopted consists of using a commercial multibody software to study the railway dynamic problem and a purpose-built code for managing its pre- and post-processing data in order to compute the wear. The tool is applied here to realistic operation scenarios in order to assess the effect of some service conditions on the wheel wear progression

Influence of the contact–impact force model on the dynamic response of multi-body systems

This work deals with contact–impact force models for both spherical and cylindrical contact surfaces. The incorporation of the friction phenomenon, based on the Coulomb friction law, is also discussed together with an effective computational strategy, which includes the automatic step size selection procedure. Impacts within a revolute clearance joint in a basic slider–crank mechanism are used as an example to compare the different contact force models. The collision is a prominent phenomenon in manymulti-body systems such as mechanisms with intermittent motion, kinematic discontinuities, and clearance joints. As a result of an impact, the values of the system state variables change very fast, eventually looking like discontinuities in the system velocities and accelerations. The impact is characterized by large forces that are applied and removed in a short time period. The knowledge of the peak forces developed in the impact process is very important for the dynamic analysis of multibody systems and it has consequences in the design process. The model for the contact–impact force must consider the material and geometric properties of the colliding surfaces, consider information on the impact velocity, contribute to an efficient integration, and account for some level of energy dissipation. These characteristics are ensured with a continuous contact force model, in which the deformation and contact forces are considered as continuous functions.FEDER - Project POCTI/2001/EME/38281.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

Physical structuring of injectable polymeric systems to controllably deliver nanosized extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as a promising alternative approach to cell‐therapies. However, to realize the potential of these nanoparticles as new regenerative tools, healthcare materials that address the current limitations of systemic administration need to be developed. Here, two technologies for controlling the structure of alginate based microgel suspensions are used to develop sustained local release of EVs, in vitro. Microparticles formed using a shearing technique are compared to those manufactured using vibrational technology, resulting in either anisotropic sheet‐like or spheroid particles, respectively. EVs harvested from preosteoblasts are isolated using differential ultracentrifugation and successfully loaded into the two systems, while maintaining their structures. Promisingly, in addition to exhibiting even EV distribution and high stability, controlled release of vesicles from both structures is exhibited, in vitro, over the 12 days studied. Interestingly, a significantly greater number of EVs are released from the suspensions formed by shearing (69.9 ± 10.5%), compared to the spheroids (35.1 ± 7.6%). Ultimately, alterations to the hydrogel physical structures have shown to tailor nanoparticle release while simultaneously providing ideal material characteristics for clinical injection. Thus, the sustained release mechanisms achieved through manipulating the formation of such biomaterials provide a key to unlocking the therapeutic potential held within EVs

Constraint violation stabilization using gradient feedback in constrained dynamics simulation

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76126/1/AIAA-11410-903.pd