Asynchronous spike event coding scheme for programmable analogue arrays and its computational applications

This work is the result of the definition, design and evaluation of a novel method to interconnect the computational elements - commonly known as Configurable Analogue Blocks (CABs) - of a programmable analogue array. This method is proposed for total or partial replacement of the conventional methods due to serious limitations of the latter in terms of scalability. With this method, named Asynchronous Spike Event Coding (ASEC) scheme, analogue signals from CABs outputs are encoded as time instants (spike events) dependent upon those signals activity and are transmitted asynchronously by employing the Address Event Representation (AER) protocol. Power dissipation is dependent upon input signal activity and no spike events are generated when the input signal is constant. On-line, programmable computation is intrinsic to ASEC scheme and is performed without additional hardware. The ability of the communication scheme to perform computation enhances the computation power of the programmable analogue array. The design methodology and a CMOS implementation of the scheme are presented together with test results from prototype integrated circuits (ICs)

Participative management in workers' health: an experience in the vector control activity

Este artigo apresenta a experiência de implantação de um sistema de gestão em Saúde do Trabalhador implantado na Superintendencia de Controle de Endemias (SUCEN), no período de 1998 a 2002, que operava na atividade de controle químico de vetores no Estado de São Paulo. OBJETIVO: Descrever o sistema de gestão participativa, as ações desenvolvidas e os principais resultados alcançados. MÉTODO: Relato da experiência vivenciada pela equipe usando abordagem qualitativa, análise de documentos e apresentação de dados quantitativos. RESULTADOS: Foram eleitas 11 Comissões de Saúde e Trabalho (COMSAT's) que em conjunto com a equipe técnica iniciaram a identificação dos riscos e de propostas para prevenção e controle dos riscos no trabalho. O mapeamento de riscos resultou em 650 recomendações, 45,7% das quais foram executadas. Foram identificadas como doenças relacionadas ao trabalho: reações alérgicas aos pesticidas, lesões por esforços repetitivos, distúrbios auditivos e patologias de coluna vertebral. Participaram dos cursos básicos de saúde do trabalhador 1.003 servidores (76,3% do total de servidores), sendo que 90,8% dos participantes os consideraram ótimos ou bons. CONCLUSÕES: O sistema de gerenciamento participativo coloca em prática os princípios de gestão democrática do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS); incorpora, por meio do mapeamento de riscos, o saber do trabalhador; inclui os trabalhadores como sujeitos do processo de negociação e mudanças; pratica o direito à informação. As COMSAT's revelaram-se espaços adequados para a negociação das melhorias nas condições de trabalho. A aprovação do sistema de gestão culminou na validação legal por meio de um acordo tripartite assinado em março de 2002.INTRODUCTION: The paper shows the implementation experience of a management system in occupational health that took place at SUCEN (Superintendence for Endemic Control), from 1998 to 2002, which worked on the activity of chemical control of vectors in the State of São Paulo. OBJECTIVE: To describe the participative management system, the actions that were taken and the main accomplished results. METHODS: Report on what was experienced by the team using qualitative approach, document analysis and report on quantitative data. RESULTS: Eleven COMSAT's (Workers Health Committees) were elected, which, together with the technical team, started to identify the occupational risks and proposals to prevent and control them. The investigation resulted in 650 suggestions, 45.7% of which were carried out. Work-related diseases were identified as allergic reactions to pesticides, muscular pain linked to repetitive movements, hearing disorders and back pain caused by excessive weight carrying. A total of 1003 workers participated in the basic courses on workers health, 90.8% of whom classified them as good or excellent. CONCLUSIONS: The participative management system puts into practice the democratic management principles of SUS (Brazil's National Health System); by means of risk mapping, it incorporates workers' experiences; it regards workers as agents in the change and negotiation process; it puts into practice the right to information. The COMSAT's proved to be adequate places for negotiating improvements in working conditions. The approval of the Management System ended up in legal validation through a three-party agreement signed in March 2002

BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND MORPHOLOGY IN OPUNTIA SPP. FRUITS FROM PORTUGUESE ECOTYPES

The Opuntia spp. has minimal soil and water requirements, and the O. fi cus-indica, in particular is sought to be an alternative for the Mediterranean region agricultural economy. The morphology, bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties of fruits were studied in twenty Portuguese ecotypes belonging to four Opuntia species (O. fi cus-indica, O. robusta, O. dillenii and O. elata). The ecotypes were compared with the O. fi cus-indica cultivars ‘Bianca’, ‘Gialla’ and ‘Rossa’. The fruits from Opuntia spp. ecotypes displayed variability in morphological and bioactive characteristics. Among O. fi cus-indica ecotypes, the orange pulp fruits were larger, heavier and had a higher percentage of pulp as well as a lower percentage of seeds compared to the white pulp fruits. However, the weight of 100 seeds was lower in the white pulp ecotypes. The OFI-04 ecotype contrasted the other OFI ecotypes due to its pale yellow pulp, ovoid shape, and low seed weight per fruit as well as the amount of seeds as a percentage of pulp weight. The O. dillenii ecotypes had the highest betalain content, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity, while O. elata had the highest ascorbic acid content. Both O. dillenii and O. elata had the highest acidity values. The red pulp cv. Rossa had the highest betalain content among the O. fi cus-indica populations, followed by the orange and white pulp ecotypes. The highest amount of total phenolic compounds was found in the white pulp O. fi cus-indica ecotypes. The hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that the ecotypes could be grouped into four major groups, and geographical origin was unrelated to the clustering pattern. This study provides original data on the morphology and bioactive compounds of Opuntia spp. fruits from Portuguese ecotypes.CERNAS-IPCB and Forest Research Center are funded by Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) with the grants UID/AMB/00681/2013 and UID/ AGR/00239/2013, respectively. The Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) SFRN/BSAB/113895 scholarship funded MMR

A colorimetric CMOS-based platform for rapid total serum cholesterol quantification

Elevated cholesterol levels are associated with a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other illnesses, making it a prime candidate for detection on a disposable biosensor for rapid point of care diagnostics. One of the methods to quantify cholesterol levels in human blood serum uses an optically mediated enzyme assay and a bench top spectrophotometer. The bulkiness and power hungry nature of the equipment limits its usage to laboratories. Here, we present a new disposable sensing platform that is based on a complementary metal oxide semiconductor process for total cholesterol quantification in pure blood serum. The platform that we implemented comprises readily mass-manufacturable components that exploit colorimetric changes of cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol esterase reactions. We have shown that our quantification results are comparable to that obtained by a bench top spectrophotometer. Using the implemented device, we have measured cholesterol concentration in human blood serum as low as 29 μM with a limit of detection at 13 μM, which is approximately 400 times lower than average physiological range, implying that our device also has the potential to be used for applications that require greater sensitivity

ACCELERATED CORROSION TEST FOR THE QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF CORROSION IN CONCRETE

This paper is devoted to simulate the behavior of reinforced concrete in saline solution through the accelerated corrosion test. During this test, this method was evaluating the behavior of the steel bars that reinforce concrete for corrosion, according to the NACE 0775 standard. After the corrosion test, the steel bars were cleaned and dried according to the ASTM A380 standard and evaluated according to the NACE RP 0775, NACE SP0308, and NACE SP0187 standards. From the results obtained, the steel bars concrete showedhigh corrosion rates with structural impairment of the metal armor according to the NACE standards

CMOS nanophotonic sensor with integrated readout system

The measurement of nanophotonic sensors currently requires the use of external measuring equipment for their read-out such as an optical spectrum analyzer, spectrophotometer, or detectors. This requirement of external laboratory-based measuring equipment creates a “chip-in-a-lab” dilemma and hinders the use of nanophotonic sensors in practical applications. Making nanophotonic sensors usable in everyday life requires miniaturization of not only the sensor chip itself but also the equipment used for its measurement. In this paper, we have removed the need of external measuring equipment by monolithically integrating 1-D grating structures with a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit having an array of photodiodes. By doing so, we get a direct electrical read-out of the refractive index changes induced when applying different analytes to grating structures. The gratings are made of CMOS compatible silicon nitride. Employing a nanophotonic sensor made of CMOS compatible material allows fabrication of the integrated sensor chip in a commercial CMOS foundry, enabling mass production for commercialization with low cost. Our results present a significant step toward transforming present laboratory-based nanophotonic sensors into practical portable devices to enable applications away from the analytical laboratory. We anticipate the work will have a major impact on technology for personalized medicine, environmental, and industrial sensing

CONCRETO ESTRUTURAL COM ADIÇÃO DE FIBRAS VEGETAIS

Este trabalho apresenta o resultado da adição de fibras vegetais de bambu e cana-deaçúcar nas propriedades mecânicas do concreto. Para este trabalho foram confeccionados corpos-de-prova cilíndricos e prismáticos nos quais foram adicionados 2% e 5% em volume das fibras à massa do concreto. Após a cura, conforme NBR 5738 (2003) [1], os mesmos foram testados via ensaios de resistência à compressão conforme NBR 5739 (2007) [2], resistência à tração por compressão diametral, conforme NBR 7222 (2011) [3], resistência à tração na flexão conforme NBR 12142 (2010) [4] e módulo de elasticidade estático, conforme NBR 8522(2008) [5]. Verificou-se após os testes que todos os concretos produzidos atenderam a resistência mínima a compressão de 20 MPa, recomendado pela NBR 6118 (2003) [6] para fins estruturais