974 research outputs found
On Building Practical Biocomputers for Real-World Applications: Receptacles for Culturing Slime Mould Memristors and Component Standardisation
Characterization of Soybean Cultivars for Biodiesel Production
Due to environmental issues involving the polluting gasesemission, Brazil has adopted the policy of using oil and biodiesel. For biodiesel production, the main raw material used in Brazil is soybean oil. The development of the numerous genotypes of this culture has always considered quantitative aspects. The objective was to qualitatively characterize 12 soybean cultivars for biodiesel production. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replicates. The cultivars were sown in December 2016, in no-tillage system, in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil (-25.093056, -50.063327 UTM). The analyzed variables were: oil and protein contents, acidity index and specific mass. It was concluded that there were no significant differences among the cultivars for oil and protein contents. For the variables acidity index and specific mass, there were significant differences among the cultivars, being below the limits established by the Brazilian legislation for vegetable oil, but with potential for biodiesel production
A SURVEY of CHRONIC GVHD and OTHER OUTCOMES - A SNAPSHOT of BRAZILIAN ALLOGENEIC HEMATOPOIETIC CELL TRANSPLANTATION (HCT) CENTERS
Univ Fed Parana, BR-80060000 Curitiba, Parana, BrazilNatl Canc Inst, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilState Univ São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Campina, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilAmaral Carvalho Hosp, Jau, BrazilAmaral Carvalho Hosp, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilAlbert Einstein Hosp, São Paulo, BrazilCanc Hosp Barretos, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilPernambuco Blood Bank, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv State Univ São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, BrazilFred Hutchinson Canc Res Ctr, Seattle, WA 98104 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc
Pool boiling of nanofluids on biphilic surfaces: An experimental and numerical study
This study addresses the combination of customized surface modification with the use of nanofluids, to infer on its potential to enhance pool-boiling heat transfer. Hydrophilic surfaces patterned with superhydrophobic regions were developed and used as surface interfaces with different nanofluids (water with gold, silver, aluminum and alumina nanoparticles), in order to evaluate the effect of the nature and concentration of the nanoparticles in bubble dynamics and consequently in heat transfer processes. The main qualitative and quantitative analysis was based on extensive post-processing of synchronized high-speed and thermographic images. To study the nucleation of a single bubble in pool boiling condition, a numerical model was also implemented. The results show an evident benefit of using biphilic patterns with well-established distances between the superhydrophobic regions. This can be observed in the resulting plot of the dissipated heat flux for a biphilic pattern with seven superhydrophobic spots, δ = 1/d and an imposed heat flux of 2132 w/m2. In this case, the dissipated heat flux is almost constant (except in the instant t* ≈ 0.9 when it reaches a peak of 2400 W/m2), whilst when using only a single superhydrophobic spot, where the heat flux dissipation reaches the maximum shortly after the detachment of the bubble, dropping continuously until a new necking phase starts. The biphilic patterns also allow a controlled bubble coalescence, which promotes fluid convection at the hydrophilic spacing between the superhydrophobic regions, which clearly contributes to cool down the surface. This effect is noticeable in the case of employing the Ag 1 wt% nanofluid, with an imposed heat flux of 2132 W/m2, where the coalescence of the drops promotes a surface cooling, identified by a temperature drop of 0.7 °C in the hydrophilic areas. Those areas have an average temperature of 101.8 °C, whilst the average temperature of the superhydrophobic spots at coalescence time is of 102.9 °C. For low concentrations as the ones used in this work, the effect of the nanofluids was observed to play a minor role. This can be observed on the slight discrepancy of the heat dissipation decay that occurred in the necking stage of the bubbles for nanofluids with the same kind of nanoparticles and different concentration. For the Au 0.1 wt% nanofluid, a heat dissipation decay of 350 W/m2 was reported, whilst for the Au 0.5 wt% nanofluid, the same decay was only of 280 W/m2. The results of the numerical model concerning velocity fields indicated a sudden acceleration at the bubble detachment, as can be qualitatively analyzed in the thermographic images obtained in this work. Additionally, the temperature fields of the analyzed region present the same tendency as the experimental results.This work was funded by Portuguese national funds of FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) through the base funding from the following research units: UIDB/00532/2020 (Transport Phenomena Research Center, CEFT), UIDB/04077/2020 (MEtRICs) and UIDP/04436/2020. The authors are also grateful for the funding of FCT through the projects LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-030171/NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030171 (PTDC/EME-SIS/30171/2017), funded by COMPETE2020, NORTE2020, PORTUGAL2020 and FEDER. The authors also acknowledge FCT for partially financing the research under the framework of the project UTAP-EXPL/CTE/0064/2017, financiado no ambito do Projeto 5665-Parcerias Internacionais de Ciencia e Tecnologia, UT Austin Programme. Mr Pedro Pontes also acknowledgesFCT for his fellowship ref. SFRH/BD/149286/2019
Affective brain–computer music interfacing
We aim to develop and evaluate an affective brain–computer music interface
(aBCMI) for modulating the affective states of its users. Approach. An aBCMI is constructed to
detect a userʼs current affective state and attempt to modulate it in order to achieve specific
objectives (for example, making the user calmer or happier) by playing music which is generated
according to a specific affective target by an algorithmic music composition system and a casebased
reasoning system. The system is trained and tested in a longitudinal study on a population
of eight healthy participants, with each participant returning for multiple sessions. Main results.
The final online aBCMI is able to detect its users current affective states with classification
accuracies of up to 65% (3 class, p < 0.01) and modulate its userʼs affective states significantly
above chance level (p < 0.05). Significance. Our system represents one of the first
demonstrations of an online aBCMI that is able to accurately detect and respond to userʼs
affective states. Possible applications include use in music therapy and entertainmen
Saphenofemoral arteriovenous fistula as hemodialysis access
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An upper limb arteriovenous (AV) fistula is the access of choice for haemodialysis (HD). There have been few reports of saphenofemoral AV fistulas (SFAVF) over the last 10-20 years because of previous suggestions of poor patencies and needling difficulties. Here, we describe our clinical experience with SFAVF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>SFAVFs were evaluated using the following variables: immediate results, early and late complications, intraoperative and postoperative complications (up to day 30), efficiency of the fistula after the onset of needling and complications associated to its use.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-six SFAVF fistulas were created in 48 patients. Eight patients had two fistulas: 8 patent (16%), 10 transplanted (20%), 12 deaths (24%), 1 low flow (2%) and 20 thrombosis (39%) (first two months of preparation). One patient had severe hypotension during surgery, which caused thrombosis of the fistula, which was successfully thrombectomised, four thrombosed fistulae were successfully thrombectomised and revised on the first postoperative day. After 59 months of follow-up, primary patency was 44%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SFAVF is an adequate alternative for patients without the possibility for other access in the upper limbs, allowing efficient dialysis with good long-term patency with a low complication rate.</p
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