Thermal comfort prediction of aged industrial workers based on occupants' basal metabolic rate

The increasing workforce ageing brings benefits and challenges in industrial structu- res. Industries consider aged workers as essential resources thanks to their experience and skills. Conversely, the aged workers’ progressive functional and cognitive decline reduce their tolerance to industrial environmental conditions, negatively impacting performance. In particular, after age 30, there is a progressive inefficiency in the physiological response to temperature changes. Therefore, thermal discomfort conditions have a worse impact as the workers’ age increases. The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) methodology is conventionally used to predict the human sensation of thermal comfort on a seven-point thermal sensation scale. Such methodology does not take account of progressive decline in thermoregulation capacity with age. This paper aims to fill this gap by proposing an analytic model for the prediction of thermal comfort. The Metabolic rate (M) parameter in the PMV equation is calculated from the Harris-Benedict equations revised by Mifflin and St Jeor (1990) for the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), including the age factor for a more accurate evaluation of the workers’ thermal sensation. The aim is to safeguard the aged workers’ health and well-being to enhance their performance during work

Oportunidades e desenvolvimento humano dos jovens no Brasil : três ensaios

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Flávio de Oliveira GonçalvesTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciencias Sociais Aplicadas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento Ecônomico. Defesa : 15/04/2016Inclui referências : f.90-92;127-131Resumo: A presente tese é composta por três ensaios, independentes entre si, mas que no conjunto trazem como tema central as oportunidades de desenvolvimento humano dos jovens no Brasil. O primeiro ensaio busca identificar em quê as propostas de equidade de Amartya Sen e John Roemer se distinguem. Enquanto existe consonância com relação à primazia das possibilidades de escolha dos indivíduos, o consenso não está presente na definição da extensão da igualdade nem na maneira de construí-la. O ensaio seguinte focaliza a população adolescente e o desafio de garantir-lhes um desenvolvimento seguro e saudável. Se a política pública focaliza apenas o desenvolvimento cognitivo desses jovens, deixa de captar elementos fundamentais que explicam, por exemplo, a violência, a evasão escolar, a delinquência. Nesse ensaio, a partir da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) de 2012, calculam-se indicadores de risco social e de saúde para os adolescentes, os quais podem ser tomados pela política pública como indicadores de monitoramento, úteis para o exercício de priorização da ação governamental de proteção e promoção juvenil. Por fim, o último estudo aborda as oportunidades de acesso ao ensino superior no Brasil. Reconhecendo que houve grande avanço nas últimas duas décadas em termos de acesso - tanto em termos quantitativos como em termos de inclusão de grupos em pior condição socioeconômica, o ensaio aponta incoerências de articulação entre as políticas em vigor, se tomada a proposta de John Roemer de igualdade de oportunidades. A partir de uma análise dos microdados do ENADE de 2008 a 2010, verifica-se que os incentivos governamentais não estão destinados somente a reduzir desigualdades de condições, mas também premiam o desempenho dos alunos. A depender da dotação orçamentária destinada à educação superior, uma política puramente roemeriana de igualdade de oportunidades poderia gerar grandes impactos sobre o atual modelo de distribuição dos recursos públicos para o ensino superior no Brasil. Nas considerações finais retoma-se o tema mais amplo, da o desenvolvimento juvenilAbstract: There are three essays in this thesis, independent from each other, although they all have a common theme: Brazilian youth's opportunities to human development. The first essay aims at identifying how Amartya Sen's and John Roemer's proposal to equity differ. While they agree on the primacy of individuals having the possibility to choose, there is no consensus on the extension of equality nor on how to build it. The following essay focuses teenagers and the challenge of providing them a safe and healthy development. It argues that if policy is oriented only to cognitive development, it will not consider fundamental elements that explain, for example, violence, drop-outs, delinquency, etc. For this reason, this essay points out that policy aiming to promote safety and healthy could benefit from an indicator of risky behaviors, which was calculated from Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) of 2012.This index is useful to monitor adolescents' development and rank intervention priorities. The third study discusses the opportunities to enter higher education in Brazil, and in particular the current policies aiming to promote access by disadvantaged groups. Although there has been great progress in the last two decades in including people in the system, the policies are somewhat incoherent from Roemerian perspective of equality of opportunities. From ENADE 2008 to 2010 microdata, one can verify that governmental incentives are not only destined to reduce inequalities associated with circumstances, but they also favor better performing students. Depending on the budget designated to higher education, implementing a pure Roemerian strategy would cause great impacts onto the actual Brazilian higher educational system

“Synapse-like” connections between adipocytes and stem cells: morphological and molecular features of human adipose tissue

Adult mesenchymal stem cells are a heterogeneous population of stem cell that is not completely defined. The importance of increasing knowledge of this cell population will allow us to understand how to use them in multiple treatments for various diseases. Adipose tissue is a rich source from which to easily obtain a great amount of stem cells. We explore and study adipose stem cells (AdSCs) from human abdominal tissue by immunohistochemical analysis, transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopy. The focus of this study is on the cell population that surrounds each adipocyte. In these populations of cells are included the adipose tissue stem cells (AdSCs) with different potentiality. We observe that the putative AdSCs have an intimate relationship involving close contact with adipocytes which we define here as “synapse-like.” We show “synapse-like” connections between adipocytes and small cells to be mediated by connexin43 (Cx43). Our data suggest AdSCs constitute a heterogeneous population both in size and expression of different stem cell markers. We found that some of the AdSC attached to adipocytes are positive for Sox2, Pax6 and Nestin by immunostaining methods. TEM and SEM analysis demonstrate that small cells and adipocytes are surrounded by a compact mesh of collagen fibers that maintain physical adhesion between these cells. TEM also shows structural characteristics of putative stem cells and a presence of vesicles in synapse-like contact. SEM images moreover exhibited a large variation and quantity of cell sizes coexisting with adipocytes. Direct cell-to-cell communication could serve at least two purposes: a) as a survival strategy to maintain cells as stem cells, and b) as a source of signaling for differentiation into a new cell type

Da literatura clássica e lusófona à cinematografia norte-americana

Apesar de originalmente relacionada à literatura, Helena de Troia transita entre todas as artes. Da pintura ao cinema, passando pela música, o teatro e, claro, a poesia, o cariz transcendental da personagem homérica confirma a sua complexidade e a fascinação que produz no público em geral, seja leitor ou espectador. Os questionamentos acerca de suas atitudes ambíguas provocam ainda hoje discussões infindáveis, o que fez Helena tornarse uma das figuras mais emblemáticas da cultura ocidental. No entanto, a abordagem romântica da relação entre a rainha espartana e o príncipe troiano é o viés mais comum reproduzido pela indústria cinematográfica norte-americana: mulher apaixonada, leal aos seus sentimentos e fio condutor de uma trama repleta de elementos passionais que culminam na transcendental e mitológica Guerra de Troia.Although originally related to literature, Helen of Troy transits between all the arts. From painting to cinema, music, theatre and, of course, poetry, the transcendental nature of the Homeric character confirms her complexity and the fascination she produces in the general public, whether reader or spectator. The questions about her ambiguous attitudes still cause endless discussions nowadays, which have made Helen one of the most emblematic figures of Western culture. However, the romantic approach to the relationship between the Spartan queen and the Trojan prince is the most common bias reproduced by the American film industry: passionate woman, loyal to her feelings and thread of a plot full of passionate elements culminating in the transcendental and mythological Trojan War

Confined Space App (CSA)

L'applicazione mobile Confined Space App (CSA) \ue8 stata realizzata dal Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale (DIN) dell\u2019Universit\ue0 di Bologna che sviluppa attivit\ue0 di ricerca, docenza e trasferimento tecnologico avanzato nei settori dell\u2019ingegneria industriale e meccanica, con il supporto del gruppo Banca delle Soluzioni\u2013Ambienti Confinati, grazie al cofinanziamento ottenuto da INAIL Regione Emilia- Romagna mediante Bando Regionale 2016

Rewiring innate and adaptive immunity with TLR9 agonist to treat osteosarcoma

Background Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor in children and adolescent. Surgery and multidrug chemotherapy are the standard of treatment achieving 60-70% of event-free survival for localized disease at diagnosis. However, for metastatic disease, the prognosis is dismal. Exploiting immune system activation in the setting of such unfavorable mesenchymal tumors represents a new therapeutic challenge. Methods In immune competent OS mouse models bearing two contralateral lesions, we tested the efficacy of intralesional administration of a TLR9 agonist against the treated and not treated contralateral lesion evaluating abscopal effect. Multiparametric flow cytometry was used to evaluate changes of the tumor immune microenviroment. Experiments in immune- deficient mice allowed the investigation of the role of adaptive T cells in TLR9 agonist effects, while T cell receptor sequencing was used to assess the expansion of specific T cell clones. Results TLR9 agonist strongly impaired the growth of locally-treated tumors and its therapeutic effect also extended to the contralateral, untreated lesion. Multiparametric flow cytometry showed conspicuous changes in the immune landscape of the OS immune microenvironment upon TLR9 engagement, involving a reduction in M2-like macrophages, paralleled by increased infiltration of dendritic cells and activated CD8 T cells in both lesions. Remarkably, CD8 T cells were needed for the induction of the abscopal effect, whereas they were not strictly necessary for halting the growth of the treated lesion. T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing of tumor infiltrating CD8 T cells showed the expansion of specific TCR clones in the treated tumors and, remarkably, their selected representation in the contralateral untreated lesions, providing the first evidence of the rewiring of tumor-associated T cell clonal architectures. Conclusions Overall these data indicate that the TLR9 agonist acts as an in situ anti-tumor vaccine, activating an innate immune response sufficient to suppress local tumor growth while inducing a systemic adaptive immunity with selective expansion of CD8 T cell clones, which are needed for the abscopal effect

Effects of treatments for drooling on caries risk in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Neuromuscular impairment makes individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) more prone to drooling. Among the treatment options, there are procedures that interfere with saliva production. It is imperative to evaluate the effect of the different modalities since the reduction in salivary flow rate/production may exacerbate the risk of dental caries. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different treatments for drooling on caries risk and salivary parameters in children and adolescents with CP. A total of 142 children and adolescents with CP, aged 6 to 18 years, were assigned to groups based on the different treatments they had received for drooling: G1?anticholinergic drugs (n = 18), G2?botulinum toxin injection (n = 16), G3?salivary glands surgery (n = 16), G4?no treatment (n = 42), and G5?non-drooling subjects (n = 50). All participants were evaluated on the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, and for the prevalence of dental caries (decayed, missing, and filled teeth index and white spot lesions). Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and salivary flow rate and osmolality were measured. Chi-square, ANOVA and Poisson regression were calculated. Prevalence ratios and their respective 95 % confidence intervals were obtained. The significance level was fixed at 5%. No differences were found in the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (p = 0.128) and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (p = 0.674) among the different groups. G3 presented significantly higher percentages of WSL (p<0.001), lower values of salivary flow rate (p<0.001), and higher values of osmolality (p<0.001). The white spot lesion prevalence ratio was higher only for G3 (Prevalence ratio = 14.36; IC 95% = 4.64-44.40; p<0.001). Children and adolescents with CP who had received surgical treatment for drooling exhibited higher number of white spot lesions because of the reduced salivary flow rate and higher salivary osmolality

A Methodological Approach For The Effective Infiltration Assessment In A Coastal Groundwater

Accurate estimates of spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater recharge are of utmost importance to protect groundwater systems. In coastal areas, the fragility of the systems makes such estimates critical for the correct management and protection of water resources from saltwater intrusion. The Muravera coastal plain, in the south-eastern Sardinia, has been studied since 1960, due to important saltwater intrusion phenomena. Since the early fifties, the natural hydrodynamic equilibrium between groundwater, surface-water and seawater has been deeply modified by the construction of four dams across the Flumendosa river and the development of agriculture, tourism and aquaculture activities along the coast. To implement an integrated and sustainable management system addressed to slow down the process of saltwater intrusion and, on the other, satisfy human requirements, it is important to develop a flexible scenario analysis system that considers changes of land-use and inputs to the hydrogeological system, also in relation to climate change. In this study, the innovative Soil Water Balance code (SWB) has been applied to the Muravera plain groundwater body to calculate spatial and temporal variations of groundwater recharge. The code calculates the recharge (R) by using geographic system (GIS) data layers in combination with tabular climatological data. It is based on a modified Thornthwaite - Mather soil water balance approach, with components of the soil water balance calculated at a daily time-step. A combined experimental approach of hydrogeological, satellite remote sensing and pedological methodologies has been applied to derive data layers describing local features of: (1) land-use classification, (2) hydrologic soil group, (3) flow direction, and (4) soil-water capacity. The code has proved to be promising for the effective infiltration assessment and it can be easily updated with high resolution data acquired in the field and from satellite images

The PSI domain of the MET oncogene encodes a functional disulfide isomerase essential for the maturation of the receptor precursor

The tyrosine kinase receptor encoded by the MET oncogene has been extensively studied. Surprisingly, one extracellular domain, PSI, evolutionary conserved between plexins, semaphorins, and integrins, has no established function. The MET PSI sequence contains two CXXC motifs, usually found in protein disulfide isomerases (PDI). Using a scrambled oxidized RNAse enzymatic activity assay in vitro, we show, for the first time, that the MET extracellular domain displays disulfide isomerase activity, abolished by PSI domain antibodies. PSI domain deletion or mutations of CXXC sites to AXXA or SXXS result in a significant impairment of the cleavage of the MET 175 kDa precursor protein, abolishing the maturation of alpha and beta chains, of, respectively, 50 kDa and 145 kDa, disulfide-linked. The uncleaved precursor is stuck in the Golgi apparatus and, interestingly, is constitutively phosphorylated. However, no signal transduction is observed as measured by AKT and MAPK phosphorylation. Consequently, biological responses to the MET ligand-hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-such as growth and epithelial to mesenchymal transition, are hampered. These data show that the MET PSI domain is functional and is required for the maturation, surface expression, and biological functions of the MET oncogenic protein