KAVE - Kinect Cave: design, tools and comparative analysis with other VR technologies

Virtual reality has been delivered through many different forms and iterations. One of them is the CAVE. CAVE systems have developed over the yearsbuttheyarestillhaveprohibitivecostsandarerathercomplextoimplement. In this thesis we propose our own low-cost CAVE system - comprised of details about the setup as well as a calibration software that was developedtohelpachievethegoalsofthisthesis-andcompareittootherlost-cost CAVEsfoundintheliterature. Thisthesisalsoencompassesapresencestudy that was performed as a result of assessing the resulting CAVE. This study compared CAVE, PC and Head-Mounted Display in terms of presence and workloadthroughtheuseofvalidatedquestionnairesfoundintheliterature. The resulting data showed HMD induced higher sense of presence than the CAVE, and CAVE induced higher sense of presence than the PC. Regarding workloadofthesystem,thedataalsoshowednostatisticallymeaningfuldifferences between the three technologies except for the physical demand of performing a task in a CAVE compared to performing the same task in the PC

Private equity challenge: analysis of Vidrala as an Lbo target

The goal of this thesis is to assess Vidralaas a potential leveraged buyout target. Market and company overviews were performed to evaluate the company ́s positioning and financial performance, as well as future trends within the glass packaging industry, the respective end-markets and other packaging solutions. This analysis was used to select the most suitable investment strategies and quantify the resulting business plan in financial terms. Finally, a valuation using several methods was conducted from which a capital structured was designed and potential returns calculated. This part will cover in detail the Financial Analysis and Investment Thesis of the project

Dispositivos médicos sujeitos a pressão

A Oxigenoterapia Hiperbárica está amplamente difundida a nível internacional.As Câmaras Hiperbárica entendidas como dispositivos médicos, os equipamentos e osdispositivos médicos acessórios, estes passíveis de serem utilizados dentro das CâmarasHiperbáricas durante a terapêutica Hiperbárica, estão sujeitos a rigorosa regulamentação enormalização. A prevenção de acidentes passa pelo conhecimento dos perigos e pelaavaliação dos riscos que a utilização destes dispositivos acarreta em meio sob pressão. I&Dde novos equipamentos bem como de novos dispositivos médicos para tratamento emonitorização dos doentes, compatíveis com o ambiente hiperbárico e mais eficazes a nívelmédico, pode contribuir para uma maior segurança dentro da Câmara Hiperbárica parapacientes e profissionais

Eight Million Years of Satellite DNA Evolution in Grasshoppers of the Genus Schistocerca Illuminate the Ins and Outs of the Library Hypothesis

This study was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo-FAPESP (process number 2014/11763-8) and Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-CAPES. The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers for valuable comments. O.M.P.-G. and F.J.R.-R. acknowledge the scholarship obtained from the Lawski Foundation (Sweden), H.S. to the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant No. IOS-1253493) and the United State Department of Agriculture (Hatch Grant TEX0-1-6584), D.A.M. was supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-CONICET from Argentina. D.C.C.-d.-M. is recipient of a research productivity fellowship from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPq (process number 304758/2014-0). Computing ran on resources provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) through Uppsala Multidisciplinary Center for Advanced Computational Science (UPPMAX). We also thank Alexander Suh (Uppsala University, Uppsala/Sweden) for helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript and to Cristiane Mileo (UNESP-Rio Claro/SP) for helping with some figures.Satellite DNA (satDNA) is an abundant class of tandemly repeated noncoding sequences, showing high rate of change in sequence, abundance, and physical location. However, the mechanisms promoting these changes are still controversial. The library model was put forward to explain the conservation of some satDNAs for long periods, predicting that related species share a common collection of satDNAs, which mostly experience quantitative changes. Here, we tested the library model by analyzing three satDNAs in ten species of Schistocerca grasshoppers. This group represents a valuable material because it diversified during the last 7.9 Myr across the American continent from the African desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), and this thus illuminates the direction of evolutionary changes. By combining bioinformatic and cytogenetic, we tested whether these three satDNA families found in S. gregaria are also present in nine American species, and whether differential gains and/or losses have occurred in the lineages. We found that the three satDNAs are present in all species but display remarkable interspecies differences in their abundance and sequences while being highly consistent with genus phylogeny. The number of chromosomal loci where satDNA is present was also consistent with phylogeny for two satDNA families but not for the other. Our results suggest eminently chance events for satDNA evolution. Several evolutionary trends clearly imply either massive amplifications or contractions, thus closely fitting the library model prediction that changes are mostly quantitative. Finally, we found that satDNA amplifications or contractions may influence the evolution of monomer consensus sequences and by chance playing a major role in driftlike dynamics.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo-FAPESP 2014/11763-8Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-CAPESLawski Foundation (Sweden)U.S. National Science Foundation IOS-1253493United State Department of Agriculture TEX0-1-6584CONICET from ArgentinaCNPq 304758/2014-

Hyperbaric Medicine Organizational Risks

A Oxigenoterapia Hiperbárica (HBO) está amplamente difundida a nível internacional. Nos Estados Unidos e no Brasil existem mais de 800 unidades, na Europa existem 213 Centros Hiperbáricos em 30 Países. Os profissionais nesta actividade estão sujeitos, entre outros, a um risco físico (pressão superior à atmosférica) ditada pelos protocolos de HBO, impostos segundo o tratamento a realizar aos doentes. Este condicionalismo dificulta a abordagem dos problemas e procura de soluções de medidas relacionados com a exposição a este risco, no âmbito SHO, face a outras atividades em meio hiperbárico como o mergulho e os caixões de ar comprimido. A probabilidade de ocorrerem patologias graves (Doenças Disbáricas) nos Attendants assume-se como preocupante face á constatação da inexistência de um Quadro Normativo Português. Como conclusão são propostas medidas a nível organizacional a incluir num Código de Boas Praticas em Medicina Hiperbárica.Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is widely spread at international level. The United States and Brazil alone account for more than 800 units, in Europe there are 213 registered HBOT units in 30 countries. Hyperbaric workers are exposed. among other risks, to a physical risk (hyperbaric pressure) according to HBOT treatment protocols, designed to the patients' needs. The problems and the search for solutions within Health and Safety Occupational context related to the exposition to such risks are of difficult approach due to the protocols restrictions in comparison to other hyperbaric environment activities such as diving and pneumatic caissons. Occurrence probability of Disbaric Illnesses, an example of serious pathology, to the "attendants", is regarded as relevant in face of the non-existing Portuguese legal framework in this field. In this paper, organizational measures and procedures are presented

Split-range control for improved operation of solar absorption cooling plants

This paper proposes the first application of a split-range control technique on a concentrating solar collector to improve an absorption plant production. Solar absorption plants have solar power availability in phase with cooling demand under design conditions. Thus, it is a powerful cooling technology in the context of renewable energy and energy efficiency. These plants need control systems to cope with solar irradiance intermittency, reject irradiation disturbances, manage fossil fuels backup systems and dump closed-loop thermal-hydraulic oscillations. In this work, control techniques are proposed and simulated in an absorption plant in Spain. The plant consists of a concentrating Fresnel solar collector connected to an absorption chiller. The objectives are to operate with 100% renewable solar energy and avoid safety defocus events while reducing temperature oscillations and control actuators effort. Firstly, the current available plant controllers are defined, then two modifications are proposed. The first modification is a split-range controller capable of manipulating both flow and defocus of the Fresnel collector, the second modification is a PI controller to substitute the original chiller on-off controller. The results compare, through validated models, the different control systems and indicate that using both proposed controllers reduces 94% of the sum of actuators effort and 43% of the integral of absolute set-point tracking error compared to the plant's factory pre-set controllers. The suggested controllers increase 66% of energy production and 63% of exergy production. Besides, the split-range technique can be extended to any concentrating solar collector control.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Finance Code 001Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) 304032/2019–0Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) PID2019-104149RB-I00/10.13039/501100011033Consejo Europeo de Investigación (ERC) OCONTSOLAR 78905

implications for first line treatment recommendations

Introduction: Treatment for All recommendations have allowed access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for an increasing number of patients. This minimizes the transmission of infection but can potentiate the risk of transmitted (TDR) and acquired drug resistance (ADR). Objective: To study the trends of TDR and ADR in patients followed up in Portuguese hospitals between 2001 and 2017. Methods: In total, 11,911 patients of the Portuguese REGA database were included. TDR was defined as the presence of one or more surveillance drug resistance mutation according to the WHO surveillance list. Genotypic resistance to ARV was evaluated with Stanford HIVdb v7.0. Patterns of TDR, ADR and the prevalence of mutations over time were analyzed using logistic regression. Results and Discussion: The prevalence of TDR increased from 7.9% in 2003 to 13.1% in 2017 (p < 0.001). This was due to a significant increase in both resistance to nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), from 5.6% to 6.7% (p = 0.002) and 2.9% to 8.9% (p < 0.001), respectively. TDR was associated with infection with subtype B, and with lower viral load levels (p < 0.05). The prevalence of ADR declined from 86.6% in 2001 to 51.0% in 2017 (p < 0.001), caused by decreasing drug resistance to all antiretroviral (ARV) classes (p < 0.001). Conclusions: While ADR has been decreasing since 2001, TDR has been increasing, reaching a value of 13.1% by the end of 2017. It is urgently necessary to develop public health programs to monitor the levels and patterns of TDR in newly diagnosed patients.publishersversionpublishe

Molecular epidemiology of hiv-1 infected migrants followed up in Portugal: Trends between 2001-2017

Migration is associated with HIV-1 vulnerability. Objectives: To identify long-term trends in HIV-1 molecular epidemiology and antiretroviral drug resistance (ARV) among migrants followed up in Portugal Methods: 5177 patients were included between 2001 and 2017. Rega, Scuel, Comet, and jPHMM algorithms were used for subtyping. Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) and Acquired drug resistance (ADR) were defined as the presence of surveillance drug resistance mutations (SDRMs) and as mutations of the IAS-USA 2015 algorithm, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed. Results: HIV-1 subtypes infecting migrants were consistent with the ones prevailing in their countries of origin. Over time, overall TDR significantly increased and specifically for Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTIs) andNucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTIs). TDR was higher in patients from Mozambique. Country of origin Mozambique and subtype B were independently associated with TDR. Overall, ADR significantly decreased over time and specifically for NRTIs and Protease Inhibitors (PIs). Age, subtype B, and viral load were independently associated with ADR. Conclusions: HIV-1 molecular epidemiology in migrants suggests high levels of connectivity with their country of origin. The increasing levels of TDR in migrants could indicate an increase also in their countries of origin, where more efficient surveillance should occur. © 2020 by the authors