Some applications of projections in nonlinear control and estimation

The present thesis uses an approach which regards nonlinear systems as a pair (z(·),zf) trajectory-final state, for the case of controlability or (zO,z(·)) initial state-trajectory, for the case of state estimation, in a space M which is the cross product 1x Z or Z x F between the space of trajectories F and the state space Z. In this setting some mappings F:M + M are constructed using projections P onto specific subsets S of M (i.e. p2 = P and Rep} = S). The solution of the problems of nonlinear controllability, state estimation and state and parameter estimation are obtained via the fixed points of such F's. Fixed points theorems have been used in [8, 9, 25, 35 and 15] to provide global controllability, state estimation ,and joint state and parameter estimation. Some theoretical results are presented here, which show that it is possible to eliminate some of the assumptions which restricted the systems treated in these papers and at the same time to , obtain mappings with fixed points which contain all the possible solutions for the problem of nonlinear controllability, state estimation and the joint state and parameter estimation. Among the relaxations allowed now are, for example, in the problem of control, the possibility of a set of admissible controls Uad different from the set U of all input controls of the system. In order to obtain continuous projections P, S must be closed in M. This will occur naturally in the case of state estimation however, for the control case, in general, it will be necessary to adjust the topologies of the spaces U and/or M in order to achieve this. A comprehensive theory which shows that this adjustment is always possible as well as a complete procedure for obtaining the adjusted spaces, U and M are presented here

PROPOSTA DE CLASSIFICAÇÃO DOS HIDROSSISTEMAS DO CAMPUS DA UFJF COM BASE EM SUAS CARACTERÍSTICAS HIDROGEOMORFOLÓGICAS.

O presente trabalho propôs o estudo e caracterização dos vinte e sete canais de drenagem localizados no campus da UFJF, a partir de suas variáveis hidrológicas e morfológicas. Na posterior classificação destes em hidrossistemas, além de obedecer a suas subjetivas, três parâmetros inerentes à Geomorfologia Fluvial foram estabelecidos para diferenciá-los, são eles: Largura/Profundidade, Tipo de Leito, e Tipo de Fluxo

Evolução na utilização e nos gastos de uma operadora de saúde

Brazil’s aging population and the rising number of people reliant upon the country’s supplementary healthcare system have elicited the concern of public and private managers regarding the increase in healthcare costs. In this paper, the costs per gender, per type of medical expenses and per age group of a major Brazilian self-managed healthcare provider between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed. This healthcare provider is of interest because, besides portraying a single condition of revenue growth restricted to the existing contributors, it also replicates the demographic profile expected for Brazil in 2050, when approximately one-third of its population will be over 60 years of age. The analyses confirm the current literature as they show an increase in healthcare plan usage by the elderly and the difference between admission rates by gender. They also reveal an increase in average length of stay in hospital and the increase in medical costs far above inflation, especially for materials and medicines. It is hoped that this study will help scholars and others interested in comparisons of medical expense trends, especially by age and sex, and that it encourages further collaboration on the sustainability of health insurance providers in Brazil

Vibrational spectroscopy for probing molecular-level interactions in organic films mimicking biointerfaces

Investigation into nanostructured organic films has servedmany purposes, including the design of functionalized surfaces that may be applied in biomedical devices and tissue engineering and for studying physiological processes depending on the interaction with cell membranes. Of particular relevance are Langmuir monolayers, Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and layer-by-layer (LbL) films used to simulate biological interfaces. In this review, weshall focus on the use of vibrational spectroscopymethods to probemolecular-level interactions at biomimetic interfaces, with special emphasis on three surface-specific techniques, namely sum frequency generation (SFG), polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The two types of systems selected for exemplifying the potential of the methods are the cell membrane models and the functionalized surfaces with biomolecules. Examples will be given on how SFG and PM-IRRAS can be combined to determine the effects from biomolecules on cell membrane models, which include determination of the orientation and preservation of secondary structure. Crucial information for the action of biomolecules on model membranes has also been obtained with PM-IRRAS, as is the case of chitosan removing proteins from the membrane. SERS will be shown as promising for enabling detection limits down to the single-molecule level. The strengths and limitations of these methods will also be discussed, in addition to the prospects for the near future.FAPESPCNPqCAPESnBioNet Films & Sensor

The effects of acute and chronic sprint-interval training on cytokine responses are independent of prior caffeine intake

We examined the effect of acute and chronic sprint interval training (SIT), with or without prior caffeine intake, on levels of exercise-induced inflammatory plasma cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α]. Twenty physically-active men ingested either a placebo (n = 10) or caffeine (n = 10) 1 h before each SIT session(13-s × 30-s sprint/15 s of rest) during six training sessions (2 weeks). The early (before, immediately after, and 45 min after the exercise) and late (24 and 48 h after the exercise) cytokine and creatine kinase (CK) responses were analyzed for the first and last training sessions. Plasma IL-6 and IL-10 peaked 45 min after the exercise, and then returned to basal values within 24 h (p \u3c 0.05) in both groups on both occasions (p \u3e 0.05). On both occasions, and for both groups, plasma TNF-α increased from rest to immediately after the exercise and then decreased at 45 min before reaching values at or below basal levels 48 h after the exercise (p \u3c 0.05). Serum CK increased from rest to 24 and 48 h post-exercise in the first training session (p \u3c 0.05), but did not alter in the last training session for the PLA group (p \u3e 0.05). Serum CK was unchanged in both the first and last training sessions for the CAF group (p \u3e 0.05). Two weeks of SIT induced a late decrease in the IL-6/IL-10 ratio (p \u3c 0.05) regardless of caffeine intake, suggesting an improved overall inflammatory status after training. In conclusion, a single session of SIT induces muscle damage that seems to be mitigated by caffeine intake. Two weeks of SIT improves the late SIT-induced muscle damage and inflammatory status, which seems to be independent of caffeine intake

Techonolgy of Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae) seeds

Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae), commonly known as "pau-terra", is an arborous species native to the Brazilian savannah which possess commercial interests, as it can be used either as an ornamental or as a medicinal plant. "Pau-terra" can also be used in the heterogeneous reforestation of areas which are destined for restoration of permanent preservation degraded areas. Propagation studies with this species are scarce, being necessary then further clarification regarding the factors that influences the germination process. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of different temperatures, substrates and light conditions on seed germination. We selected light brown seeds which were subjected to different interactions between temperatures (15-25, 20-30, 25 and 30°C), substrate (paper, sand and vermiculite) and light (light and dark). All seeds were later dry-incubated at 32°C for 3, 6 and 12 hours. After treatments, seeds were kept in BOD at 58% RH and the following parameters were calculated: germination (%G) and germination speed index (GSI); the formation of normal and abnormal seedlings and the number dead seeds. Interaction was observed for all variables. In the optimum temperature range, the seeds behaved as photoblastic neutral or indifferent. Under alternating temperatures, darkness enhanced the germination, especially when combined with the lower temperatures. We noted that the sowing in sand, at 25°C, allowed the maintenance of suitable combinations of germination and seedling development. With respect to desiccation tolerance, "pau-terra" seeds presented an orthodox behavior, with a linear increase of the vigor as function of drying

Biomimetic biosensor based on lipidic layers containing tyrosinase and lutetium bisphthalocyanine for the detection of antioxidants

This paper describes the preparation of a biomimetic Langmuir-Blodgett film of tyrosinase incorporated in a lipidic layer and the use of lutetium bisphthalocyanine as an electron mediator for the voltammetric detection of phenol derivatives, which include one monophenol (vanillic acid), two diphenols (catechol and caffeic acid) and two triphenols (gallic acid and pyrogallol). The first redox process of the voltammetric responses is associated with the reduction of the enzymatically formed o-quinone and is favoured by the lutetium bisphthalocyanine because significant signal amplification is observed, while the second is associated with the electrochemical oxidation of the antioxidant and occurs at lower potentials in the presence of an electron mediator. The biosensor shows low detection limit (1.98 × 10-6 - 27.49 × 10-6 M), good reproducibility, and high affinity to antioxidants (KM in the range of 62.31-144.87 μM).\ud The excellent functionality of the enzyme obtained using a biomimetic immobilisation method, the selectivity afforded by enzyme catalysis, the signal enhancement caused by the lutetium bisphthalocyanine mediator and the increased selectivity of the curves due to the occurrence of two redox processes make these sensors exceptionally suitable for the detection of phenolic compounds.MICINN (AGL2009-12660/ALI)FAPESPCNPqCAPE