Performance optimization in switched reluctance motor drives

In this paper, switched reluctance motors (SRM) are proposed as an alternative for electric power assisted steering (EPAS) applications. A prototype machine has been developed as very attractive design for a steering electric motor, both from a cost and size perspective. A fourphase 8/6 SRM drive is designed for a rack type EPAS which should provide a maximum force of 10 kN. Two-dimension finite element analysis is used to validate the design

Cognitive Fusion Mediates the Relationship between Dispositional Mindfulness and Negative Affects: A Study in a Sample of Spanish Children and Adolescent School Students

Nowadays, mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have experienced a remarkable development of studies among childhood and adolescent interventions. For this reason, dispositional mindfulness (DM) measures for children and adolescents have been developed to determine the e ectiveness of MBI at this age stage. However, little is known about how key elements of DM (for example, cognitive de/fusion or experiential avoidance that both confirm psychological inflexibility) are involved in the mechanisms of the children and adolescents’ mental health outcomes. This research examined the mediating e ect of cognitive fusion between DM and anxiety and other negative emotional states in a sample of 318 Spanish primary-school students (aged between 8 and 16 years, M = 11.24, SD = 2.19, 50.8% males). Participants completed the AFQ-Y (Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for youth), which is a measure of psychological inflexibility that encompasses cognitive defusion and experiential avoidance; CAMM (DM for children and adolescents), PANAS-N (positive and negative a ect measure for children, Spanish version of PANASC), and STAIC (an anxiety measure for children). The study accomplished ethical standards. As MBI relevant literature has suggested, cognitive defusion was a significant mediator betweenDMand symptoms of both negative emotions and anxiety in children and adolescents. However, experiential avoidance did not show any significant mediating relationship. Probably, an improvement of the assessment of experiential avoidance is needed. MBI programs for children and adolescents may include more activities for reducing e ects of the cognitive defusion on their emotional distress

Amphipods associated on the algal and debris communities with the presence of invasive algae Lophocladia lallemandii sa Dragonera Natural Park (Balearic Islands)

En el litoral Balear es troben comunitats d’algues fotòfiles associades a fons rocosos. Es tracta d’un dels ecosistemes més representats a l’infralitoral i que són objecte d’un gran nombre d’impactes, com és la colonització d’espècies invasores, entre les que destaca l’alga Lophocladia lallemandii. Aquesta espècie no només altera les comunitats d’algues sinó que també, en les zones amb un baix hidrodinamisme, forma grans acumulacions de detritus, que en molts casos superen en biomassa a les algues i fanerògames locals. Aquests dos hàbitats sostenen comunitats d’amfípodes que són uns bioindicadors molt eficaços dels canvis produït en els medi. En el present estudi entre les mostres de detritus i dels fons rocosos s’han identificat 43 espècies d’amfípodes que pertanyen a 20 famílies. La majoria de mostres identificades són pròpies de fons rocosos i, en el cas dels cúmuls detrítics, apareixen espècies característiques d’aquest hàbitat. Les màximes abundàncies pels amfípodes es donen en el període hivernal. Les espècies classificades mostren diferents valors en el nombre d’individus segons es tracti de zones envaïdes per L. lallemandii o zones control. Aquest efecte pot afavorir determinades espècies i fer disminuir les abundàncies d’altres quan l’alga invasora s’estableix. Les mostres realitzades a l’estiu en fons rocosos a partir de quadrants 20x20 cm i amb la presència de L. lallemandii, presenten unes majors abundàncies i riquesa específica que les zones control. Contràriament, en les mostres obtingudes amb la utilització de la xarxa de mà 40x20cm, els resultats indiquen majors abundàncies i un nombre major d’espècies que les zones control durant el període estival. Aquest efecte és producte de la colonització de l’hàbitat per part de L. lallemandii que genera canvis estructurals en les comunitats algals i que poden repercutir en les taxes de predació a diferents nivells dins de la comunitat. L’efecte d’aquestes algues invasores dins l’ecosistema ha de ser estudiat a llarg termini per determinar si els canvis produïts en els ecosistemes es mantenen en el temps.In the Balearic coastline there are photophile seaweed communities associated with rocky bottom. It is one of the largest ecosystems and it’s subject to a great number of impacts, such as the arrival of invasive species, among which there’s Lophocladia lallemandii. This species not only alters the communities of algae, but also in areas with low hydrodynamics, it forms large accumulations of debris, which often exceed the algal biomass and local phanerogams. These two habitats sustain communities of amphipods that are very effective bioindicators of changes occurred in the environment. In the present study, among the samples of detritus and of the rocky bottoms, 43 species of amphipods that belong to 20 families have been identified. The majority of identified samples are typical of rocky bottoms and in the case of detrital sediment load, characteristic species of this habitat turn up. The maximum abundance for amphipods in the study are given in the winter. Classified species show different values in the number of individuals in the case of areas invaded by L. lallemandii or control areas. This effect may favour certain species and reduce the abundance of others in case the invading seaweed settles. The samples carried out in the summer in rocky bottoms from 20x20cm quadrants and with the presence of L. lallemandii, present higher abundances and species richness than the control zones. By contrast, in the samples obtained with the use of the 40X20cm hand net, results indicate that the control zones during the summer show higher abundances and species richness. This effect is a result of the colonization of the habitat by L. lallemandii which generates structural changes in algal communities that may affect the rates of predation at different levels within the community. The effect of these invasive algae in the ecosystem must be studied long term to determine whether changes in ecosystems are maintained over time

Caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from India

The caprellid fauna of India is investigated. A total of 538 samples (including algae, seagrasses, sponges, hydroids, ascidians, bryozoans, encrusted dead corals, coral rubble, fine and coarse sediments) were collected from 39 stations along the coast of India, covering a wide diversity of habitats from intertidal to 12 m water depth. A new species (Jigurru longimanus n.sp.) is described, and figures of the 11 valid species reported so far from India are given together with a key for their identification. No caprellids were found in sediments from the northeast (16–208N) coast of India while they were abundant in the southeast and west coast. Decreases in salinity due to river discharges associated with lower values of oxygen, higher water temperatures and lower nutrient inputs along the east coast could explain these differences in caprellid composition between the two coastlines. Significantly, lower abundance of caprellids in India, as in other tropical ecosystems, is probably related to the lack of species belonging to the genus Caprella, which reach very high abundances in temperate waters.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España y fondos FEDER de la Unión Europea. CGL2007-60044/ BOSConsejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucía, España. P07-RNM-02524Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) de India. DOD/10-MLR/1/2002/DT 19.12.200

Long-distance dispersal, low connectivity and molecular evidence of a new cryptic species in the obligate rafter Caprella andreae Mayer, 1890 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae)

The amphipod Caprella andreae Mayer, 1890 was recorded for the first time in Southern Iberian Peninsula (36440 1500N, 3590 3800W). This species is the only obligate rafter of the suborder Caprellidea and has been reported to attach not only to floating objects such as ropes or driftwoods but also to turtle carapaces. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers were used to examine dispersal capabilities and population genetic structure of C. andreae across seven localities in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean collected from floating substrata with different dispersal patterns. The strong population differentiation with no haplotypes shared between populations suggests that C. andreae is quite faithful to the substratum on which it settles. In addition, the proportionally higher genetic diversity displayed in populations living on turtles as well as the presence of highly differentiated haplotypes in the same turtle population may be indicative that these populations survive longer, which could lead C. andreae to prefer turtles instead of floating objects to settle and disperse. Therefore, rafting on floating objects may be sporadic, and ocean currents would not be the most important factor shaping patterns of connectivity and population structure in this species. Furthermore, molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed the existence of a cryptic species whose estimates of genetic divergence are higher than those estimated between C. andreae and other congeneric species (e.g. Caprella dilatata and Caprella penantis). Discovery of cryptic species among widely distributed small marine invertebrates is quite common and, in this case, prompts for a more detailed phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of genus Caprella. On the other hand, this study also means the first record of the gammarids Jassa cadetta and Elasmopus brasiliensis and the caprellid Caprella hirsuta on drifting objects.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España y Fondos FEDER. CGL2011-22474Consejería de Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucía. P11-RNM-7041III Plan Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla

Biodiversidad y especiación críptica en los caprélidos (Crustacea: Amphipoda): ¿cuánto falta por descubrir?

La biodiversidad en el medio marino está subestimada, particularmente en el caso de los invertebrados donde la presencia de especies crípticas es más frecuente de lo que se pensaba. Los anfípodos caprélidos, a pesar de su importancia en el medio marino, han sido muy poco estudiados, y esto se debe, en gran parte, a su complicada taxonomía. Así mismo, la tradicional identificación taxonómica basada en caracteres morfológicos sigue siendo la más empleada para identificar y describir las especies de caprélidos, y, dado que la especiación no siempre va acompañada de cambio morfológico (especies crípticas), el uso exclusivo de estos caracteres puede conllevar a una subestimación de su diversidad real. El empleo de metodologías complementarias es, por tanto, necesario. Y, en este sentido, las herramientas moleculares han resultado eficaces y útiles para identificar especies y resolver problemas taxonómicos en estos pequeños crustáceos marinos. En el presente trabajo se muestra una pequeña revisión de los resultados obtenidos para diferentes especies del género Caprella. Estos resultados, que muestran la existencia de nuevas especies, muchas de ellas crípticas, indican que la diversidad de los caprélidos está subestimada, y que la especiación críptica parece ser un fenómeno muy importante y frecuente en estos organismos.Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional POCTI/BSE/42300/2001, FCOMP-01- 0124-FEDER-PTDC/MAR/118205/201

Caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae) from shallow waters of the Caribbean coast of Venezuela

AbstractThe caprellidean fauna of Venezuela is investigated. Twenty-seven stations in shallow waters of the states Falcón, Carabobo, Aragua, Anzoátegui, Sucre and Nueva Esparta were sampled, and the caprellids were sorted and identified. A total of 3984 specimens were identified; 12 species in eight genera are reported. Two species, Caprella penantis Leach, 1814 and Paracaprella digitimanus Quitete, 1971, are new records for Venezuelan waters. The electronic supplement to this paper includes illustrations and a key to all caprellid species known from Venezuela, as well as comments on their distribution and ecology

Effects of a long-term adapted judo program on the health-related physical fitness of children with ASD

[Abstract] Physical fitness is one of the most important physical and mental health aspects for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study aimed to test the effects of a long-term adapted judo program on the health-related physical fitness of children with ASD. The participants were recruited from various associations of families and schools for children with special needs. Twenty-one children were assigned to an experimental group and nineteen to a control group. The experimental group participated in a six-month adapted judo program consisting of 90 min of practice each week. Health-related physical fitness was measured using the indicators obtained from the ALPHA-fitness battery, the estimated VO2max and the waist/height ratio0.5. Changes within and between groups were analyzed using linear mixed models for repeated measures designs and test-retest reliability of tests requiring a maximum score using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). A judo program tailored for children with ASD can improve the cardio-metabolic health and cardiorespiratory fitness of its participants. The problems involved with administering physical aptitude tests that involve maximum effort or performance in children with ASD cast serious doubts on the reproducibility of their results

Impact of Conformational Effects on the Ring–Chain Equilibrium of Hydrogen-Bonded Dinucleosides

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Chemistry - A European Journal 24.46 (2018): 11983-11991, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201801704 . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsSupramolecular ring-versus-chain equilibria are ubiquitous in biological and synthetic systems. Understanding the factors that decide whether a system will fall on one side or the other is crucial to the control of molecular self-assembly. This work reports results with two kinds of dinucleoside monomers, in which the balance between closed cycles and open polymers is found to depend on subtle factors that rule conformational equilibria, such as steric hindrance, intramolecular interactions, or π-conjugation pathwaysFunding from the European Research Council (ERC-StG 279548) and MINECO (CTQ2014-27729-P and CTQ2017-84727-P) is gratefully acknowledged (DGR). CFG gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO (ECHO

Fast optimized Monte Carlo phase-space generation and dose prediction for low energy x-ray intra-operative radiation therapy

Low energy x-ray intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT) is used mostly for breast cancer treatment with spherical applicators. X-ray IORT treatment delivered during surgery (ex: INTRABEAM (R), Carl Zeiss) can benefit from accurate and fast dose prediction in a patient 3D volume. However, full Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are time-consuming and no commercial treatment planning system (TPS) was available for this treatment delivery technique. Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop a dose computation tool based on MC phase space information, which computes fast and accurate dose distributions for spherical and needle INTRABEAM (R) applicators. First, a database of monoenergetic phase-space (PHSP) files and depth dose profiles (DDPs) in water for each applicator is generated at factory and stored for on-site use. During commissioning of a given INTRABEAM (R) unit, the proposed fast and optimized phase-space (FOPS) generation process creates a phase-space at the exit of the applicator considered, by fitting the energy spectrum of the source to a combination of the monoenergetic precomputed phase-spaces, by means of a genetic algorithm, with simple experimental data of DDPs in water provided by the user. An in-house hybrid MC (HMC) algorithm which takes into account condensed history simulations of photoelectric, Rayleigh and Compton interactions for x-rays up to 1 MeV computes the dose from the optimized phase-space file. The whole process has been validated against radiochromic films in water as well as reference MC simulations performed with pen Easy in heterogeneous phantoms. From the pre-computed monoenergetic PHSP files and DDPs, building the PHSP file optimized to a particular depth-dose curve in water only takes a few minutes in a single core ([email protected] GHz), for all the applicators considered in this work, and this needs to be done only when the x-ray source (XRS) is replaced. Once the phase-space file is ready, the HMC code is able to compute dose distributions within 10 min. For all the applicators, more than 95% of voxels from dose distributions computed with the FOPS+hybrid code agreed within 7%-0.5 mm with both reference MC simulations and measurements. The method proposed has been fully validated and it is now implemented into radiance (GMV SA, Spain), the first commercial IORT TPS