Distributed order equations as boundary value problems

This is a PDF version of a preprint submitted to Elsevier. The definitive version was published in Computers and mathematics with applications and is available at www.elsevier.comThis preprint discusses the existence and uniqueness of solutions and proposes a numerical method for their approximation in the case where the initial conditions are not known and, instead, some Caputo-type conditions are given away from the origin

Fractional boundary value problems: Analysis and numerical methods

This is the author's PDF of an article published in Fractional calculus and applied analysis 2011. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comThis journal article discusses nonlinear boundary value problems.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologi

Editorial: The impact of stress on cognition and motivation

This work was supported by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-007038. This article has been developed under the scope of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and the BIAL foundation, Porto, Portugal (grant number PT/FB/BL-2016-206)

Epilepsy and Physical Exercise

Epilepsy is one of the commonest neurologic diseases and has always been associated with stigma. In the interest of safety, the activities of persons with epilepsy (PWE) are often restricted. In keeping with this, physical exercise has often been discouraged. The precise nature of a person’s seizures (or whether seizures were provoked or unprovoked) may not have been considered. Although there has been a change in attitude over the last few decades, the exact role of exercise in inducing seizures or aggravating epilepsy still remains a matter of discussion among experts in the field. Based mainly on retrospective, but also on prospective, population and animal-based research, the hypothesis that physical exercise is prejudicial has been slowly replaced by the realization that physical exercise might actually be beneficial for PWE. The benefits are related to improvement of physical and mental health parameters and social integration and reduction in markers of stress, epileptiform activity and the number of seizures. Nowadays, the general consensus is that there should be no restrictions to the practice of physical exercise in people with controlled epilepsy, except for scuba diving, skydiving and other sports at heights. Whilst broader restrictions apply for patients with uncontrolled epilepsy, individual risk assessments taking into account the seizure types, frequency, patterns or triggers may allow PWE to enjoy a wide range of physical activities

Using choreographies to support the gamification process on the development of an application to reduce electricity costs

Building automation systems contribute to reduce electricity costs by managing distributed energy resources in an efficient way. However, a large share of consumption cannot be optimized through automation alone, since it mainly depends on human interactions. Gamification can be used as one form of changing users’ behaviours [1], but its implementation does require assumptions on the behaviour patterns that need to be identified, encouraged, or discouraged. To tackle this problem, we propose a framework that joins building automation solutions with gamification techniques to enable behavioural demand response.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Correlation and power distribution of intercore crosstalk field components of polarization-coupled weakly coupled single-mode multicore fibres

The correlation and power distribution of intercore crosstalk (ICXT) field components of weakly coupled multicore fibers (WC-MCFs) are important properties that determine the statistics of the ICXT and ultimately impact the performance of WC-MCF optical communication systems. Using intensive numerical simulation of the coupled mode equations describing ICXT of a single-mode WC-MCF with intracore birefringence and linear propagation, we assess the mean, correlation, and power distribution of the four ICXT field components of unmodulated polarization-coupled homogeneous and quasi-homogeneous WC-MCFs with a single interfering core in a wide range of birefringence conditions and power distribution among the field components at the interfering core input. It is shown that, for homogeneous and quasi-homogeneous WC-MCFs, zero mean uncorrelated ICXT field components with similar power levels are observed for birefringence correlation length and birefringence beat length in the ranges of [0.5 m, 10 m] and [0.1 m, 10 m], respectively, regardless of the distribution of power between the four field components at the interfering core input.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of coefficient of friction in similar conditions to ejection of molding parts

The injection molding is the technique most used for processing polymers. Nowadays, due to economic demands the ejection of the parts occur as soon as possible to lead to a short cycle times. The ejection stage is the most critical phase during the injection molding processing. During this stage, especially in deep core molding, it is possible the development high friction forces making difficult the ejection of the moldings without marks or other defects. The aim of this work is to assess the coefficient of friction between the part and the mould walls in conditions similar that occurs during the ejection in the injection molding process. The assessment of the coefficient of friction was carried out with the help of one apparatus that possibility this type of measurement. This equipment provides that measure under controlled conditions as test temperature, replication temperature, material of the mould, and superficial roughness. The obtained results with several polymeric materials (semicrystalline and amorphous) show that the tribological conditions have great influence on the coefficient of friction in static conditions