2,866 research outputs found
Decision support system for surface irrigation design
The SADREG decision support system was developed to help decision makers in the process of design and selection of farm
surface irrigation systems to respond to requirements of modernization of surface irrigation—furrow, basin, and border irrigation. It
includes a database, simulation models, user-friendly interfaces, and multicriteria analysis models. SADREG is comprised of two components:
design and selection. The first component applies database information, and through several simulation and computational tools,
produces a set of design alternatives in agreement with the user options. These alternatives are characterized by several hydraulic,
economic, and environmental indicators that allow appropriate selection and ranking. The selection component bases upon multicriteria
analysis using composite programming and ELECTRE II ranking models, which support the decision maker to select the best alternative.
The decision maker participates in all decision processes through a user-friendly interface that allows expressing design options and
priorities. SADREG was tested with data collected from field experiments. In addition to describing the modeling approach, an application
to a sector of the Lower Mondego Irrigation Project, Portugal, is presente
Abundance and diversity of soil arthropods in the olive grove ecosystem
Arthropods are part of important functional groups in soil food webs. Recognizing these
arthropods and understanding their function in the ecosystem as well as when they are active is
essential to understanding their roles. In the present work, the abundance and diversity of soil
arthropods is examined in olive groves in the northeast region of Portugal during the spring. Five
classes of arthropods were found: Chilopoda, Malacostraca, Entognatha, Insecta, and Arachnida.
Captures were numerically dominated by Collembola within Entognatha, representing 70.9% of
total captures. Arachnida and Insecta classes represented about 20.4 and 9.0%, respectively.
Among the predatory arthropods, the most representative groups were Araneae and Opiliones
from Arachnida, and Formicidae, Carabidae, and Staphylinidae from Insecta. From the
Formicidae family, Tetramorium semilaeve (Andre 1883), Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nylander
1856), and Crematogaster scutellaris (Olivier 1792) were the most representative ant species.
Arthropods demonstrated preference during the day, with 74% of the total individuals recovered
in this period, although richness and similarity were analogous during the day and night
A note on the cylindrical collapse of counter-rotating dust
We find analytical solutions describing the collapse of an infinitely long
cylindrical shell of counter-rotating dust. We show that--for the classes of
solutions discussed herein--from regular initial data a curvature singularity
inevitably develops, and no apparent horizons form, thus in accord with the
spirit of the hoop conjecture.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, ijmpd macros (included), 1 eps figure; accepted for
publication in Int. J. Mod. Phys.
Physiological variables and burden in adult children of cancer patients
La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo evaluar el modo como los hijos adultos reaccionan frente a la enfermedad oncológica de los progenitores. Este estudio incluye dos muestras, cada una constituida por 78 sujetos. Así, una de las muestras corresponde a los hijos adultos con
progenitores en situación oncológica. La otra incluye la participación de los hijos adultos con padres saludables. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron el Burden Assesment Scale y el International
Affective Picture System. Los resultados indican que hay diferencias entre las dos muestras. Se constata que los hijos cuidadores de enfermos oncológicos presentan niveles más elevados de
sobrecarga familiar y valores más elevados en los registros psicofisiológicos, lo que significa que manifiestan una mayor reactividad emocional.The present study have as main purpose assess
how the adult children react to malignant disease of the parents.
This study includes two samples, each of them consisting of 78
subjects. One sample corresponds to adult children in a situation
of parental cancer. The other includes the participation of adult
children with healthy parents. The measures used were the
Burden Assessment Scale as well as the International Affective
Picture System. The results indicate that there are differences
between the children of cancer patients and children of healthy
parents. It appears that the caregiving children have higher levels
of familiar burden and higher values in psychophysiological
records, which means higher reactivity towards the emotional
stimuli.(undefined
Family variables and drug addiction
Este trabalho teve como objectivo avaliar o impacto das variáveis familiares: coesão, adaptabilidade, recursos familiares, satisfação familiar e exaustão familiar no toxicodependente e família, no sentido de contribuir para a elaboração de futuros programas de intervenção na área da educação para a saúde. Para o efeito foi utilizada uma amostra constituída por 208 indivíduos: 113 toxicodependentes e 95 familiares, divididos em 3 grupos: primeira vez em tratamento, recaídas e reabilitados. Os dados foram recolhidos no Projecto Homem em Braga. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: “Escala da Adaptabilidade e Coesão Familiar” (Faces II) de Olson, Portner & Bell (1982); “Questionário Satisfação Familiar” (FSS) de Olson & Wilson (1982) e “Questionário Recursos Familiares” de Olson, Larsen & McCubbin (1982). Verificamos maior nível de coesão, adaptabilidade, satisfação familiar e mais recursos familiares nos toxicodependentes reabilitados. Os familiares dos toxicodependentes reabilitados percebem a família como mais adaptável quando comparados com os outros dois grupos. Por sua vez, os toxicodependentes percepcionam menos satisfação familiar, coesão e recursos do que o seu familiar. As implicações dos resultados são abordadas.The current project assesses the impact of family variables: cohesion, adaptability,
family strengths, family satisfaction, burden assessment in drug users and families
with the intent of contributing to elaborate future intervention programs in the field of
health education. The sample of our study is composed of 208 subjects: 113 drug
users and 95 family members, divided into 3 groups: drug users who were in treatment for the first time, relapsed drug users and rehabilitated drug users. The
data was gathered at “Projecto Homem” in Braga. The following instruments were
used: “Family Cohesion and Adaptability Scales” (Faces II) by Olson, Portner & Bell;
“Family Satisfaction Scale” (FSS) by Olson & Wilson (1982) and “Family Strengths”
by Olson, Larsen & McCubbin (1982). Results showed greater level of cohesion,
adaptability, family satisfaction and more family resources in the rehabilitated drug
users. Family members of rehabilitated drug users perceive more adaptability in the
family than family members from the other two groups. Drug users perceive less
family satisfaction, cohesion and resources than their family member. Implications of
results are addressed
Self-assembled hydrogel nanoparticles for drug delivery applications
Hydrogel nanoparticles—also referred to as polymeric nanogels or
macromolecular micelles—are emerging as promising drug carriers for therapeutic
applications. These nanostructures hold versatility and properties suitable for the delivery
of bioactive molecules, namely of biopharmaceuticals. This article reviews the latest
developments in the use of self-assembled polymeric nanogels for drug delivery
applications, including small molecular weight drugs, proteins, peptides, oligosaccharides,
vaccines and nucleic acids. The materials and techniques used in the development of
self-assembling nanogels are also described
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