Opportunistic Maintenance Based on CUSUM Control Charts

The use of a Ship Maintenance Management System is fundamental for the good performance of equipments and the entire platform. Over the systematic maintenance, the opportunistic maintenance is a concept that aims to minimize outages and costs preventing undesirable failures. To implement this kind of maintenance statistical methodologies must be used. The Cumulative Sum charts have a very good performance applied to processes control in quality control. We proposed the use of Modified Cumulative Sum control charts to equipment maintenance.The data under study are observations of cooling water and oil temperatures from a diesel generator. In the first phase, we will apply traditional control charts, and, in the second phase, the Cumulative charts with a certain Average Run Length will be used. Then we will compare the results and extract conclusions, presenting measures for improvement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Control Charts Limits Flexibility Based on the Equipment Conditions

Condition Based Maintenance became an important development in industrial and transport equipment maintenance efforts. Many statistical methodologies have been applied in this area. These methodologies are usually applied off-line: after the data is collected. We propose an online, real-time condition monitoring system based on a modified control chart, applied to engine parameters. These charts should be flexible enough and its control limits should reflect the equipment state, the manufacturer specifications and onboard meteorological conditions. In this study we will develop a methodology to specify flexible chart control limits. The experimental equipment is a combined diesel or gas propulsion system. Two phases will be assumed. In phase 1 the equipment and historical data are analyzed, studying historical data, which leads to the definition of equipment parameters. In phase 2, new data is obtained by simulation, and the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average charts are applied considering flexible limits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proposta de metodologia para análise de produtos biológicos à base de Trichoderma.

Diversos produtos à base de Trichoderma são comercializados no Brasil. As empresas produtoras estão legalizando a sua comercialização no MAPA. Com isso, surgiu a necessidade de desenvolver métodos padronizados para avaliar a qualidade destes produtos. Assim, foi criado o Projeto Qualibio, em que um dos objetivos é desenvolver metodologia para avaliação da qualidade de produtos à base de Trichoderma. Para isso, foram desenvolvidas e validadas as metodologias para avaliar o número de conídios, a porcentagem de conídios viáveis e a UFC, determinando-se a qualidade dos produtos nas formulações pó-molhável, pó-de-esporo, grânulos dispersíveis em água e óle

The importance of protein sources to support muscle anabolism in cancer: an expert group opinion

This opinion paper presents a short review of the potential impact of protein on muscle anabolism in cancer, which is associated with better patient outcomes. Protein source is a topic of interest for patients and clinicians, partly due to recent emphasis on the supposed non-beneficial effect of proteins; therefore, misconceptions involving animal-based (e.g., meat, fish, dairy) and plant-based (e.g., legumes) proteins in cancer are acknowledged and addressed. Although the optimal dietary amino acid composition to support muscle health in cancer is yet to be established, animal-based proteins have a composition that offers superior anabolic potential, compared to plant-derived proteins. Thus, animal-based foods should represent the majority (i.e., ≥65%) of protein intake during active cancer treatment. A diet rich in plant-derived proteins may support muscle anabolism in cancer, albeit requiring a larger quantity of protein to fulfill the optimal amino acid intake. We caution that translating dietary recommendations for cancer prevention to cancer treatment may be inadequate to support the pro-inflammatory and catabolic nature of the disease. We further caution against initiating an exclusively plant-based (i.e., vegan) diet upon a diagnosis of cancer, given the presence of elevated protein requirements and risk of inadequate protein intake to support muscle anabolism. Amino acid combination and the long-term sustainability of a dietary pattern void of animal-based foods requires careful and laborious management of protein intake for patients with cancer. Ultimately, a dietary amino acid composition that promotes muscle anabolism is optimally obtained through combination of animal- and plant-based protein sources.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory extracts from sea cucumbers and tunicates induce a pro-osteogenic effect in Zebrafish Larvae

Bone metabolic disorders such as osteoporosis are characterized by the loss of mineral from the bone tissue leading to its structural weakening and increased susceptibility to fractures. A growing body of evidence suggests that inflammation and oxidative stress play an important role in the pathophysiological processes involved in the rise of these conditions. As the currently available therapeutic strategies are often characterized by toxic effects associated with their long-term use, natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds such as polyphenols promise to be a valuable alternative for the prevention and treatment of these disorders. In this scope, the marine environment is becoming an important source of bioactive compounds with potential pharmacological applications. Here, we explored the bioactive potential of three species of holothurians (Echinodermata) and four species of tunicates (Chordata) as sources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds with a particular focus on polyphenolic substances. Hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts were obtained from animals' biomass and screened for their content of polyphenols and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Hydroethanolic fractions of three species of tunicates displayed high polyphenolic content associated with strong antioxidant potential and anti-inflammatory activity. Extracts were thereafter tested for their capacity to promote bone formation and mineralization by applying an assay that uses the developing operculum of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to assess the osteogenic activity of compounds. The same three hydroethanolic fractions from tunicates were characterized by a strong in vivo osteogenic activity, which positively correlated with their anti-inflammatory potential as measured by COX-2 inhibition. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of polyphenol-rich hydroethanolic extracts obtained from three species of tunicates as a substrate for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of bone disorders correlated to oxidative stress and inflammatory processes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genome-wide analyses reveal a highly conserved Dengue virus envelope peptide which is critical for virus viability and antigenic in humans.

Targeting regions of proteins that show a high degree of structural conservation has been proposed as a method of developing immunotherapies and vaccines that may bypass the wide genetic variability of RNA viruses. Despite several attempts, a vaccine that protects evenly against the four circulating Dengue virus (DV) serotypes remains elusive. To find critical conserved amino acids in dengue viruses, 120 complete genomes of each serotype were selected at random and used to calculate conservation scores for nucleotide and amino acid sequences. The identified peptide sequences were analysed for their structural conservation and localisation using crystallographic data. The longest, surface exposed, highly conserved peptide of Envelope protein was found to correspond to amino acid residues 250 to 270. Mutation of this peptide in DV1 was lethal, since no replication of the mutant virus was detected in human cells. Antibodies against this peptide were detected in DV naturally infected patients indicating its potential antigenicity. Hence, this study has identified a highly conserved, critical peptide in DV that is a target of antibodies in infected humans

Expression of histone methyltransferases as novel biomarkers for renal cell tumor diagnosis and prognostication

Renal cell tumors (RCTs) are the most lethal of the common urological cancers. The widespread use of imaging entailed an increased detection of small renal masses, emphasizing the need for accurate distinction between benign and malignant RCTs, which is critical for adequate therapeutic management. Histone methylation has been implicated in renal tumorigenesis, but its potential clinical value as RCT biomarker remains mostly unexplored. Hence, the main goal of this study was to identify differentially expressed histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs) that might prove useful for RCT diagnosis and prognostication, emphasizing the discrimination between oncocytoma (a benign tumor) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC), especially the chromophobe subtype (chRCC). We found that the expression levels of three genes-SMYD2, SETD3, and NO66-was significantly altered in a set of RCTs, which was further validated in a large independent cohort. Higher expression levels were found in RCTs compared to normal renal tissues (RNTs) and in chRCCs comparatively to oncocytomas. SMYD2 and SETD3 mRNA levels correlated with protein expression assessed by immunohistochemistry. SMYD2 transcript levels discriminated RCTs from RNT, with 82.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity (AUC=0.959), and distinguished chRCCs from oncocytomas, with 71.0% sensitivity and 73.3% specificity (AUC: 0.784). Low expression levels of SMYD2, SETD3, and NO66 were significantly associated with shorter disease-specific and disease-free survival, especially in patients with non-organ confined tumors. We conclude that expression of selected HMTs and HDMs might constitute novel biomarkers to assist in RCT diagnosis and assessment of tumor aggressiveness.This study was funded by research grants from Research Center of Portuguese Oncology Institute – Porto (CI-IPOP 4-2012) and European Community’s Seventh Framework Program – Grant number FP7-HEALTH-F5-2009-241783. ASP-L and FQV are and were supported by FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia grants (SFRH/SINTD/94217/2013 and SFRH/ BD/70564/2010, respectively)

Valores hematológicos de bovinos sadios da raça Curraleiro Pé Duro (Bos taurus): efeito da idade, sexo e gestação.

Para a determinação dos valores dos constituintes sangüíneos do hemograma de bovinos sadios da raça Curraleiro Pé Duro, foram examinadas 300 amostras, colhidas em quatro propriedades nos estados de Goiás, Tocantins e Bahia. Avaliou-se a influência da idade, sexo e gestaçãoe para tanto os animais foram distribuídos conforme a faixa etária (0 a 3, 4 a 6, 7 a 12, 13 a 24, 25 a 36, > 36 meses). Os parâmetros estudados foram eritrograma, e leucograma. Realizou-se a estatística descritiva dos dados, obtendo-se as médias, desvio padrão e coeficiente de variação para todos os parâmetros avaliados. As comparações entre médias foram feitas por meio de testes não-paramétricos. A contagem de hemácias (9,99 ± 2,46 x 106/?L), teor de hemoglobina (12,80 ± 2,16 g/dL), volume globular (38,0 ± 4,73%) nos animais mais jovens foram maiores em relação aos animais adultos, diminuindo com o desenvolvimento etário. Os índices hematimétricos (VCM e HCM) foram menores nos animais mais jovens (39,28 ± 6,63 ?3 e 13,17 ± 2,38 pg, respectivamente), aumentando com evoluir da idade. A contagem dos leucócitos (12.728,13 ? 3.854,09/?L), linfócitos (8.494,38 ± 3.078,82/?L), segmentados (3.834,50 ? 2.645,01/?L) e monócitos (276,13 ± 306/?L) diminuíram e os eosinófilos (110,94 ± 136,73/?L) aumentaram com o avançar da idade, enquanto os valores absolutos dos bastonetes e basófilos não sofreram variações significativas em função da idade. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram valores absolutos de leucócitos e linfócitos superiores nos machos em relação às fêmeas e de eosinófilos maior nas fêmeas em relação aos machos. A gestação influenciou significativamente apenas o leucograma, no qual os valores absolutos de segmentados e eosinófilos foram superiores nas fêmeas em gestação

Goal-directed fluid management based on pulse pressure variation monitoring during high-risk surgery: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Introduction\ud \ud Several studies have shown that maximizing stroke volume (or increasing it until a plateau is reached) by volume loading during high-risk surgery may improve post-operative outcome. This goal could be achieved simply by minimizing the variation in arterial pulse pressure (ΔPP) induced by mechanical ventilation. We tested this hypothesis in a prospective, randomized, single-centre study. The primary endpoint was the length of postoperative stay in hospital.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud Thirty-three patients undergoing high-risk surgery were randomized either to a control group (group C, n = 16) or to an intervention group (group I, n = 17). In group I, ΔPP was continuously monitored during surgery by a multiparameter bedside monitor and minimized to 10% or less by volume loading.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud Both groups were comparable in terms of demographic data, American Society of Anesthesiology score, type, and duration of surgery. During surgery, group I received more fluid than group C (4,618 ± 1,557 versus 1,694 ± 705 ml (mean ± SD), P < 0.0001), and ΔPP decreased from 22 ± 75 to 9 ± 1% (P < 0.05) in group I. The median duration of postoperative stay in hospital (7 versus 17 days, P < 0.01) was lower in group I than in group C. The number of postoperative complications per patient (1.4 ± 2.1 versus 3.9 ± 2.8, P < 0.05), as well as the median duration of mechanical ventilation (1 versus 5 days, P < 0.05) and stay in the intensive care unit (3 versus 9 days, P < 0.01) was also lower in group I.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud Monitoring and minimizing ΔPP by volume loading during high-risk surgery improves postoperative outcome and decreases the length of stay in hospital.\ud \ud \ud \ud Trial registration\ud \ud NCT00479011The authors thank Maria De Amorim (Paris, France) and Julia Fukushima (São Paulo, SP, Brazil) for help in data analysis, Dr Julia Wendon (London, UK) for reviewing the manuscript, and Dixtal (Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil) for providing the software for the automatic calculation of ?PP.The authors thank Maria De Amorim (Paris, France) and Julia Fukushima (São Paulo, SP, Brazil) for help in data analysis, Dr Julia Wendon (London, UK) for reviewing the manuscript, and Dixtal (Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil) for providing the software for the automatic calculation of ?PP