Design procedure based on maximum efficiency for wireless power transfer battery chargers with lightweight vehicle assembly

This paper analyzes two different design procedures for a series-parallel compensated WPT battery charger, based on different definitions of the operating resonant frequency in the condition of maximum link efficiency. The behaviour of the voltage gain magnitude and the input impedance angle of the resulting WPT links is studied for different loads and coupling coefficients. The design algorithms are supported by analytical formulas derived from an exact circuit analysis of the WPT link, avoiding approximations as far as possible. To support the theoretical approach a case study is proposed, in which both design procedures are implemented considering specifications in line with the actual automotive standards. To conclude, a characterization of the efficiency in both cases is derived

Assessment of waveform similarity in clinical gait data. The linear fit method

The assessment of waveform similarity is a crucial issue in gait analysis for the comparison of kinematic or kinetic patterns with reference data. A typical scenario is in fact the comparison of a patient’s gait pattern with a relevant physiological pattern. This study aims to propose and validate a simple method for the assessment of waveform similarity in terms of shape, amplitude, and offset. The method relies on the interpretation of these three parameters, obtained through a linear fit applied to the two data sets under comparison plotted one against the other after time normalization. The validity of this linear fit method was tested in terms of appropriateness (comparing real gait data of 34 patients with cerebrovascular accident with those of 15 healthy subjects), reliability, sensitivity, and specificity (applying a cluster analysis on the real data). Results showed for thismethod good appropriateness, 94.1% of sensitivity, 93.3% of specificity, and good reliability. The LFM resulted in a simple method suitable for analysing the waveform similarity in clinical gait analysis

Modelling Hospital Medical Wards to Address Patient Complexity: A Case-Based Simulation-Optimization Approach

In this paper we focus on patient flows inside Internal Medicine Departments, with the aim of supporting new organizational models taking into account the patient relevant characteristics such as complexity and frailty. The main contribution of this paper is to develop a Discrete Event Simulation model to describe in detail the pathways of complex patients through medical hospital wards. The model has been applied to reproduce a case study of an Italian middle size hospital. The objective is quantifying the impact on resource use and outcome of introducing a new organizational model for medical departments. The re-organization is mainly focused on changing the available beds assignment among the wards to better address the complexity of care of patients with comorbidities. Following a patient-centered approach, patients are segmented considering the clinical characteristics (i.e. the pathology, proxy of Diagnoses Related Groups classification) and sub-grouped considering other characteristics, such as comorbidities and ward of admission. Then, an optimization component embedded into the model chooses the best pooling strategy to reorganize medical wards, determining the corresponding number of beds able to improve process indicators, such as length of stay. The simulation model is presented, and preliminary results are analyzed and discussed

Manual de implantação do treino e visita (T&V).

A visão sobre transferência de tecnologia na Embrapa; A metodologia treino e visita (T&V); O treino e visita em sua forma original; Adaptação do treino e visita para o Brasil; Consolidação do T&V soja/grãos - a experiência da Embrapa Soja; Programa de profissionalização do produtor rural (PPRR) da COPACOL; Projeto grãos da EMATER-Paraná; A aplicação da metodologia em diferentes projetos; Projeto T&V café; Projeto T&V saúde, alimentação e geração de renda; Projeto T&V girassol; Projeto T&V pecuária de corte e de leite no Paraná; Projeto T&V sementes; Projeto T&V grãos no Rio Grande do Sul; Estratégias para a implantação do T&V; Definição do foco; Criação do grupo gestor; Criação do comitê técnico; Pré-requisitos para a implantação do T&V; Anexo 1 - Modelo de relatório do T&V grãos - safra 2002/03; Anexo 2 - Modelo de relatório do T&V - saúde, alimentação e geração de renda; Anexo 3 - Modelo de marco zero do Projeto Grãos/EMATER-PR.bitstream/item/80261/1/Manual-de-implantacao-do-treino-e-visita-V-T.pd

Immobilization of proteins in silica gel: Biochemical and biophysical properties

The development of silica-based sol-gel techniques compatible with the retention of protein structure and function started more than 20 years ago, mainly for the design of biotechnological devices or biomedical applications. Silica gels are optically transparent, exhibit good mechanical stability, are manufactured with different geometries, and are easily separated from the reaction media. Biomolecules encapsulated in silica gel normally retain their structural and functional properties, are stabilized with respect to chemical and physical insults, and can sometimes exhibit enhanced activity in comparison to the soluble form. This review briefly describes the chemistry of protein encapsulation within the pores of a silica gel three-dimensional network, the mechanism of interaction between the protein and the gel matrix, and its effects on protein structure, function, stability and dynamics. The main applications in the field of biosensor design are described. Special emphasis is devoted to silica gel encapsulation as a tool to selectively stabilize subsets of protein conformations for biochemical and biophysical studies, an application where silica-based encapsulation demonstrated superior performance with respect to other immobilization techniques

Miscarriage following dengue virus 3 infection in the first six weeks of pregnancy of a dengue virus-naive traveller returning from Bali to Italy, April 2016

We report miscarriage following dengue virus (DENV)-3 infection in a pregnant woman returning from Bali to Italy in April 2016. On her arrival, the woman had fever, rash, asthenia and headache. DENV RNA was detected in plasma and urine samples collected the following day. Six days after symptom onset, she had a miscarriage. DENV RNA was detected in fetal material, but in utero fetal infection cannot be demonstrated due to possible contamination by maternal blood