2,928 research outputs found

    Inorganic Graphenylene: A Porous Two-Dimensional Material With Tunable Band Gap

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    By means of ab initio calculations we investigate the possibility of existence of a boron nitride (BN) porous two-dimensional nanosheet which is geometrically similar to the carbon allotrope known as biphenylene carbon. The proposed structure, which we called Inorganic Graphenylene (IGP), is formed spontaneously after selective dehydrogenation of the porous Boron Nitride (BN) structure proposed by Ding et al. We study the structural and electronic properties of both porous BN and IGP and it is shown that, by selective substitution of B and N atoms with carbon atoms in these structures, the band gap can be significantly reduced, changing their behavior from insulators to semiconductors, thus opening the possibility of band gap engineering for this class of two-dimensional materials

    Ejercicio físico y estilo de vida sedentario: consecuencias para la salud

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    Perhaps the greatest barriers for achieving major advances in public health in the twenty-first century result from the paralysis of the pandemic paradigm or from the widespread inability to envision alternative or new models of thought. Human movement represents a complex behavior that is influenced by personal motivation, health and mobility problems, genetic factors, and social and physical environments in which people live. These factors influence the propensity to engage in sedentary behaviors or in physical activity. However, the biological, social, and environmental pathways leading to sedentary behavior versus physical activity may be different. In addition, the health effects associated with sedentary behavior and physical activity may be the result of different biological mechanisms. Thus, our objective was to discuss the importance of physical exercise on health-related outcomes and the consequences of sedentary lifestyles. Research on sedentary behavior has been growing;however, the evidence for its determinants is relatively sparse. More studies are needed to obtain more conclusive results because it is fundamental to understand these complex relationships related to the practice and the acquisition of active and healthy lifestyles as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Memórias do Hóquei em Patins nas narrativas de Francisco Velasco: Colonização e Desporto em Moçambique

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    TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Departamento de História.Francisco Xavier Franco Bélico de Velasco é goês, mas cresceu em Moçambique e atualmente reside em Lisboa. Atleta praticante de hóquei em patins, atividade que conciliou com sua profissão de hidrógrafo, foi um dos protagonistas da chamada “época de ouro” (1957-1967) do hóquei patinado moçambicano, arrebatando todos os títulos que disputou. Porém, Velasco integrou-se ao selecionado português de hóquei em patins durante os anos de 1957–1964, sendo que, nessa fase, quatro hoquistas de Moçambique representavam a Seleção Nacional Portuguesa: Fernando Adrião, Amadeu Bolços, Vaz Guedes e Francisco Velasco. O presente trabalho tem por finalidade compreender as estratégias da construção de si, de Francisco Velasco, por meio de suas memórias. É nessa perspectiva que, tanto seu depoimento quanto seu website tornar-se-ão uma janela para se pensar a história do hóquei patinado em Moçambique

    The use of lean tools to improve the performance of an elevators company

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    This paper presents a project developed in an elevators company, in the framework of a master thesis at University of Minho. The main objective of this work was to analyse the production system of one assembly section of the company and to implement some proposals that would improve its performance. This objective was achieved by applying Lean Production tools and techniques namely, 5S, Visual Management and Standard Work. With the proposed improvements it was possible to increase the shop floor area, to reduce errors and nonconformities, to reduce the number of required operators and to improve the organization of the production system. These results promoted the reduction of energy and material consumption, mainly due to the decrease of defects and reduction of rework, which are some of the requisites for a company to become eco-efficient

    An industrial application of the SMED methodology and other lean production tools

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    This paper describes the improvement of the setup process of a mechanical press machine in the metal-mechanic area of an elevators company. The work results from a master thesisc project conducted during a period of five months. The Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) methodology and other Lean Production tools (5S, Visual Management and Standard Work) were applied to reduce the setup times observed at the beginning of the project. With the developed solutions it was possible to reduce setup times, work-in-process (WIP) and distances travelled by operators. Additionally, the setup operations were standardized and consequently the process has become more fast and intuitive for the operators. These improvements allowed the reduction of energy and materials consumption and, consequently, a decrease on the Greenhouse Gases’ emissions

    Four Weeks of Hericium erinaceus Supplementation Does Not Impact Markers of Metabolic Flexibility or Cognition

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    International Journal of Exercise Science 15(2): 1366-1380, 2022. Hericium erinaceus (HE), also known as Lion’s Mane mushroom, has been found to enhance cognition and metabolic flexibility in various animal models. To date however, only four studies exist in humans and none have evaluated the effects of HE on markers of metabolic flexibility or cognitive performance. A single-blind, placebo controlled, parallel-longitudinal study was used to determine the effects of HE on markers of metabolic flexibility and cognition. Twenty-four participants completed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to analyze substrate oxidation rates and markers of cardiorespiratory fitness. Additionally, two dual-task challenges consisting of a Stroop Word Challenge interspersed with a Mental Arithmetic Challenge were performed, pre-post the graded exercise test, to evaluate markers of cognition in a pre-post fatigued state. Participants were stratified into two groups, receiving either 10 g of HE per day or placebo for 4-weeks in the form of two muffins identical in taste and appearance. Repeated-measures analysis of variance were conducted to evaluate potential interactions or main effects. Although group differences were noted at baseline, there were no significant interactions or main effects observed from HE ingestion for any dependent variable (all p \u3e 0.05). Our data suggest that ingesting 10 g of HE per day for 4-weeks had no impact on metabolic flexibility and cognition in a college-age cohort. Due to the limited research on HE supplementation, future research is needed to establish an effective supplement dose and duration for potential physiological changes to be observed in humans

    Topological analysis of water distribution networks for optimal leak localization

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    This paper introduces two methodologies to provide an optimum sensor deployment layout, one based on a model-based approach and the other entirely data-driven. The first method is formulated as an integer optimization problem, an optimization criterion consisting of minimizing the average topological distance. The second method is a new methodology to provide an optimum sensor placement regarding how many sensors to install without using hydraulic information but just exploiting the knowledge of the topology of the Water Distribution Networks. The method uses the Girvan-Newman clustering algorithm to ensure complete coverage of the network and the study of the installation of pressure sensors in the central nodes of each group, selected according to different metrics of topological centrality. The approach is illustrated in the Modena network. © 2023 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.Postprint (published version

    Robust data-driven leak localization in water distribution networks using pressure measurements and topological information

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    This article presents a new data-driven method for locating leaks in water distribution networks (WDNs). It is triggered after a leak has been detected in the WDN. The proposed approach is based on the use of inlet pressure and flow measurements, other pressure measurements available at some selected inner nodes of the WDN, and the topological information of the network. A reduced-order model structure is used to calculate non-leak pressure estimations at sensed inner nodes. Residuals are generated using the comparison between these estimations and leak pressure measurements. In a leak scenario, it is possible to determine the relative incidence of a leak in a node by using the network topology and what it means to correlate the probable leaking nodes with the available residual information. Topological information and residual information can be integrated into a likelihood index used to determine the most probable leak node in the WDN at a given instant k or, through applying the Bayes’ rule, in a time horizon. The likelihood index is based on a new incidence factor that considers the most probable path of water from reservoirs to pressure sensors and potential leak nodes. In addition, a pressure sensor validation method based on pressure residuals that allows the detection of sensor faults is proposed.This work has been partially funded by SMART Project (ref.num. EFA153/16 Interreg Cooperation Program POCTEFA 2014-2020), L-BEST Project (PID2020-115905RB-C21) funded by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and AGAUR ACCIO RIS3CAT UTILITIES 4.0–P1 ACTIV 4.0. ref.COMRDI-16-1-0054-03.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

    Leak detection in water distribution networks based on water demand analysis

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    This paper deals with the leak detection problem in Water Distribution Networks (WDN). A leak detection method based on the water demand analysis of District Metered Areas (DMAs) is proposed. Historical leak-free data of water demand flow is used to extract minimum, and maximum values, and statistical distributions of differences (errors) between demand flow and predicted values at the different time hours of the day. The concept of sensor fusion is applied to reduce measurement uncertainties. For this, a virtual measurement is generated that considers each hour of the day a feature and, combined, develops a more accurate error analysis capable of detecting leaks and estimating the leak size magnitude. Furthermore, to increase the accuracy of the leak detection method, prediction errors are analyzed in a moving time window. Finally, the performance of the proposed leak detection method is assessed by using actual data of different real DMAs of the Barcelona WDN.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

    Data-driven leak localization in WDN using pressure sensor and hydraulic information

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    Maintaining a good quality of service under a wide range of operational management is challenging for water utilities. One of the significant challenges is the location of water leaks in the large-scale water distribution networks (WDN) due to limited data information throughout the system, generally having only flow sensors at the system's entrance and some pressure sensors in some selected nodes. In addition, most systems do not have a network hydraulic model. Therefore, when using the hydraulic model, the presence of model errors, such as nodal demand uncertainty and measurement noise, can interfere with the performance of the leak location method. This work presents a fully data-driven technique to reduce the area of the leak localization in the WDN, using Graph theory to represent the network. To do so, we have developed distance clustering with pre-defined centroids that are the sensor pressure information and some selected nodes. Furthermore, extra pressure information of leak events in the selected centroids is studied to develop a correlation between the pressure measurement and the event. Finally, the approach is evaluated in real-world water systems and discusses graphical results and key performance indicators.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
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