Characterisation of S185 steel under monotonic loading by a feature tracking method

In this work, the mechanical behaviour of S185 steel under monotonic loading was characterised by using an image feature-based tracking method. Tensile tests on three types of cylindrical specimens were carried out, in particularly using smooth and notched specimens. Target features were painted on the specimen surfaces and tracked in images sequences in order to estimate the experimental load-displacement curves. Finite element analyses of the non-linear behaviour of steel components were also performed, being the parameters of the different plasticity employed determined by fitting the experimental and numerical data

Utilização de produtos naturais em aromaterapia

Atualmente, muitas pessoas sofrem de stresse e ansiedade e as terapias alternativas e/ou complementares surgem como uma possível solução no controlo destes problemas. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a eficácia da aromaterapia na diminuição de níveis de stresse e ansiedade dos utentes que recorreram à aromaterapia numa clínica da cidade de Bragança (Portugal). Participaram no estudo 36 indivíduos, de ambos os sexos, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e 45 anos, que foram divididos em dois grupos: os que receberam tratamento com uma sinergia de óleos essenciais e massagem, “grupo aroma” e outro que apenas recebeu massagem “grupo controlo”. Os participantes foram avaliados quanto a níveis de stresse e ansiedade antes e após o tratamento, pela escala de sintomas de stresse e ansiedade. O tratamento consistiu em catorze sessões, uma vez por semana, de trinta minutos cada. Os níveis de stresse e ansiedade antes e após o tratamento, foram comparados estatisticamente com um nível de significância de 5% (<0,05). No final do tratamento, a aromaterapia mostrou-se eficaz na diminuição dos níveis de stresse e ansiedade. O grupo aroma apresentou uma diminuição significativa de 12% e 30%, no que respeita ao stresse e ansiedade, respetivamente, enquanto no grupo controlo observou-se uma menor diminuição destes níveis (de 3% do stresse e de 2,6% da ansiedade). No entanto, são necessários mais estudos para identificar as razões desta diminuição e, igualmente, compreender quais os compostos químicos e mecanismos de ação inerentes a cada óleo essencial utilizado

Uso da aromaterapia no controlo de stresse e ansiedade

As terapias alternativas e/ou complementares surgem como terapias importantes na prevenção e tratamento de diversos problemas de saúde, de entre o quais o stresse e ansiedade, problemas cada vez mais frequentes na sociedade atual. O presente estudo acerca da utilização de produtos naturais em aromaterapia pretendeu avaliar a eficácia da aromaterapia na diminuição dos níveis de stresse e ansiedade, através da técnica de massagem Effleurage na população de utentes que recorreram à aromaterapia numa clínica da cidade de Bragança, Portugal. Foram incluídos no estudo 36 indivíduos, de ambos os sexos, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e 45 anos. Estes foram divididos em dois grupos distintos com 18 indivíduos cada: no “grupo aroma” os que receberam tratamento com uma sinergia de óleos essenciais e massagem no “grupo controlo” aqueles que apenas receberam massagem. O tratamento consistiu em catorze sessões (uma vez por semana) de trinta minutos cada, com uma sinergia de óleos essenciais elaborada com 60% de Lavandula angustifolia Mill e 40% de Matricaria recutita L. Os níveis de stresse e ansiedade de todos os indivíduos que participaram no estudo foram avaliados antes e após o tratamento, pela escala de sintomas de stresse percebido[1] e ansiedade[2], respetivamente. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados estatisticamente com um nível de significância de 5% (p-value<0,05). Os resultados do presente estudo demonstraram que a aromaterapia é eficaz na diminuição dos níveis de stresse e ansiedade. O grupo aroma apresentou uma diminuição significativa de 12% e 30%, do stresse e ansiedade, respetivamente, enquanto no grupo controlo essa diminuição foi menor, 3% no stresse e de 2,6% na ansiedade. Foram ainda avaliadas, as diferenças dos níveis de stresse e ansiedade entre os grupos “aroma” e “controlo” antes e após o tratamento, mostrando-se significativas. Apesar do estudo demonstrar a importância da aromaterapia na diminuição de níveis de stress e ansiedade, são necessários mais estudos para compreender quais os compostos e mecanismos de ação inerentes a cada óleo essencial utilizado

On the nature of the (de)coupling of the magnetostructural transition in Er5_5Si4_4

In this report, a successful thermodynamical model was employed to understand the structural transition in Er$_5$Si$_4$, able to explain the decoupling of the magnetic and structural transition. This was achieved by the DFT calculations which were used to determine the energy differences at 0 K, using a LSDA+U approximation. It was found that the M structure as the stable phase at low temperatures as verified experimentally with a $\Delta F_0 = -$0.262 eV. Finally, it was achieved a variation of Seebeck coefficient ($\sim$ 6 $\mu$V) at the structural transition which allow to conclude that the electronic entropy variation is negligible in the transition.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Repeated assessment and practice effects of the written symbol digit modalities test using a short inter-test interval

The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is a widely used instrument to assess information processing speed, attention, visual scanning, and tracking. Considering that repeated evaluations are a common need in neuropsychological assessment routines, we explored test–retest reliability and practice effects of two alternate SDMT forms with a short inter-assessment interval. A total of 123 university students completed the written SDMT version in two different time points separated by a 150-min interval. Half of the participants accomplished the same form in both occasions, while the other half filled different forms. Overall, reasonable test–retest reliabilities were found (r = .70), and the subjects that completed the same form revealed significant practice effects (p < .001, dz = 1.61), which were almost non-existent in those filling different forms. These forms were found to be moderately reliable and to elicit a similar performance across participants, suggesting their utility in repeated cognitive assessments when brief inter-assessment intervals are required.This work was supported by European Union FEDER funds through Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE) for ADI Project "DoIT-Desenvolvimento e Operacionalizacao da Investigacao de Translacao" ("MyHealth-PPS4"; project no 13853)

Statistical motion learning for improved transform domain Wyner-Ziv video coding

Wyner - Ziv (WZ) video coding is a particular case of distributed video coding (DVC), the recent video coding paradigm based on the Slepian - Wolf and Wyner - Ziv theorems which exploits the source temporal correlation at the decoder and not at the encoder as in predictive video coding. Although some progress has been made in the last years, WZ video coding is still far from the compression performance of predictive video coding, especially for high and complex motion contents. The WZ video codec adopted in this study is based on a transform domain WZ video coding architecture with feedback channel-driven rate control, whose modules have been improved with some recent coding tools. This study proposes a novel motion learning approach to successively improve the rate-distortion (RD) performance of the WZ video codec as the decoding proceeds, making use of the already decoded transform bands to improve the decoding process for the remaining transform bands. The results obtained reveal gains up to 2.3 dB in the RD curves against the performance for the same codec without the proposed motion learning approach for high motion sequences and long group of pictures (GOP) sizes

Hop by-products: pharmacological activities and potential application as cosmetics

Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) are known worldwide as a raw material in beer production due their flavor and preservative values. The beneficial properties of the plant have been mostly associated with the female hop inflorescences (cones), which is also the part used in the brewing industry. However, some studies indicate the presence of compounds associated with health benefits in the vegetative parts of hops or small-caliber cones, which discarded in hop collection. Moreover, large quantities of by-products remain in the forms of spent grains and spent hops/hot trub and are produced by breweries raising environmental and economic sustainability concerns. This review focuses on the phytochemicals and biological and pharmacological activities of hop and their potential use in skin care products and also intends to explore the potential of the hop’ discarded parts and brewery industry by-products for production in the cosmetics industry.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020, UIDP/00690/2020 and EXPL2021CIMO_06) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Automated algorithm for carotid lumen segmentation and 3D reconstruction in B-mode images

The B-mode image system is one of the most popular systems used in the medical area; however it imposes several difficulties in the image segmentation process due to low contrast and noise. Although these difficulties, this image mode is often used in the study and diagnosis of the carotid artery diseases.In this paper, it is described the a novel automated algorithm for carotid lumen segmentation and 3-D reconstruction in B- mode images

Optimisation of biomass production and nutritional value of two marine diatoms (Bacillariophyceae), Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros calcitrans

S. costatum and C. calcitrans are two cosmopolitan high-value centric diatoms, with a rich nutritional profile. The following work optimised the culture medium of S. costatum and C. calcitrans cultures, respectively, in a stepwise process as follows: 2.4 mM and 1.2 mM of silicate, 4 mM of nitrate, 100 µM of phosphate, 20 and 80 µM iron, and 0.5 mL L−1 of micronutrients. The results that were obtained revealed an increase in biomass productivity with a 1.8- and 3.2-fold increase in biomass that was produced by S. costatum and C. calcitrans, respectively. The biochemical profile showed an increase in high-value PUFAs such as 2.6-fold and 2.3-fold increase in EPA for S. costatum and C. calcitrans, respectively, whilst a 2.6-fold increase in DHA was detected in S. costatum cultures. The present work provides the basic tools for the industrial cultivation of S. costatum and C. calcitrans with enhanced productivity as well as improved biomass quality, two factors which are highly relevant for a more effective application of these diatoms to aquaculture and nutraceutical production.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards a platform for a supplier quality management system

Today any OEM automotive industry that wants a status of a world-class organization has to follow a proper supplier quality management based on the worldwide recognized international standards. With this, the customer within a supply chain should have the sureness that the company has supplier capabilities in place to provide a service that consistently meets its needs and expectations. Although some of this Supplier Quality Management Systems (SQMS) are deeply integrated and used inside of an organization, sometimes they are implemented using inappropriate or limited tools, making the work of employees harder and acting often as entropy sources in those systems. Having the right tools to handle Inspections as well as Nonconformance, Complaint, Corrective Action and Concession processes is key to successfully track the supplier performance. This paper presents a platform to support a SQMS, that fits the technical specification ISO/TS 16949 requirements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio