Detecção de Falhas em Internos de Válvulas de Controle Atuando em Múltiplas Regiões de Operação

Muitas técnicas de monitoramento de processos usando abordagens estatísticas assumem que os dados possuem uma distribuição normal. Além disso, várias destas técnicas requerem que a operação da planta se mantenha na mesma região, resultando na geração de um número elevado de falsos alarmes caso não sejam satisfeitas. Neste trabalho, uma técnica robusta de agrupamento de dados é utilizada para tratar plantas operando em múltiplos pontos de operação. A metodologia é aplicada à detecção de falhas em internos de válvulas de controle, que pertence a esta classe de problema. Além disto, a falha considerada é de difícil detecção dada à dificuldade de instalar sensores para tal. Para avaliação da metodologia estudada, foi utilizado o benchmark DAMADICS. A técnica de agrupamento apresentada tem a capacidade de lidar com um determinado percentual de dados espúrios que podem surgir, inclusive em situações transitórias. Essa característica otimiza a etapa de pré-tratamento dos dados. Uma comparação com o método tradicional (sem agrupamento) é realizado destacando suas características e superioridade

Experimental evaluation of new one-chip solution for induction motor drives

The design of high performance induction motor drives is a complex task, and the every day compelling requirements in energy efficiency and performance assumes the motivation on finding a more integrated solution on implementing induction motor control. The main subjects of this paper are two: to discuss the IFOC one-chip solution and to explore the development of simple graphical applications in order to operate this control in a simple and effective way. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the main points of our paper

Colonização oral fúngica em indivíduos diabéticos

Poster apresentado nas XXI Jornadas de Ciências Farmacêuticas do ISCSEM - Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Egas Moniz. 5-6 de Maio de 2015, Caparica

Oral Candida colonization in diabetic individuals non-carriers of dental prosthesis

Poster presented at the First International Congress of CiiEM - From Basic Sciences to Clinical Research. 27-28 November 2015, Egas Moniz, Caparica, Portuga

Structural and functional stabilization of glycomacropeptide via encapsulation within multiple emulsions

Bovine glycomacropeptide (GMP), derived from whey proteins, has been demonstrated to possess an interesting bioactivity that has attracted a lot of attention over the last few years. In particular, its ability to bind Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli enterotoxins, inhibit bacterial and viral adhesion, suppress gastric secretions, promote bifidobacterial growth and modulate immune system responses. Of these, protection against toxins, bacteria and viruses, and modulation of the immune system, are the most promising applications for this bioactive dairy macropeptide. The development of strategies that may allow its structural and functional stabilization via nanoencapsulation within multiple emulsions may increase its food and biopharmaceutical applicabilities. In this research effort, bovine GMP was (thermodynamically) stabilized via entrapment within water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) multiple emulsions aiming at mimicking the multifunctional design of biology, with several lipid matrices, and stabilizing layer compositions. Due to their compartimentalized internal structure, multiple emulsions are ideal for encapsulation since they can carry both polar and non-polar (bio)molecules. The composition of the stabilizing layer of the nanosystem was changed by using different poloxamers and proportions of lecithin. Physicochemical characterization of the optimized GMP-encasing nanovesicle formulations encompassed determination of Zeta potential and particle hydrodynamic size over storage time, surface morphology via CRYO-SEM, and microcalorimetric analysis via DSC

Biopolymeric matrices for structural and functional stabilization of bacteriophages

In the recent past years, bacteriophage research has experienced a renaissance due to their potential application in the pharmaceutical field, especially with the increase of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the possibility to take part in new methods of early detection and diagnosis of bacterial infections. In that context, the structural and functional stabilization of bacteriophages using biopolymeric microporous hydrogels represents a promising research focus with a broad potential biomedical/ biopharmaceutical application. The scope of this work was to develop biopolymeric non-toxic phage-hydrogels of agar and sodium alginate, obtained at neutral pH and mild polymerization conditions, in order to offer adequate characteristics to the maintenance of phage’s lytic activity. Disc-like phage-hydrogels were prepared, with a phage and polymer concentration of 1.3x108 PFU/ml and 1.5% (w/v), respectively. Regarding the alginate hydrogels, CaCO3 (22.5 mM) and GDL (48 mM) were also included in the formulation. Agar hydrogels were prepared naturally by jellification, as a function of temperature lowering, and alginate hydrogels were prepared by internal gelation. The matrices were inoculated with a suspension of susceptible (host) bacteria and incubated at 37 ºC for 24h. Observation of bacterial lawn’s lysis demonstrated that bacteriophages kept their lytic activity, being the method of physical entrapment able to promote their stabilization. Cryo-SEM analysis revealed that both types of phage-hydrogels present interconnective microporous network, which guaranties a facilitated access of the phages to the bacteria, ensuring an efficient lysis of the host bacteria present in the surface of the hydrogels.The developed hydrogels also present appropriate physical and chemical properties for a wider variety of applications in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, such as controlled release of (macro)molecules, cell immobilization and 3D support for tissue regeneration

Controlling parenting and executive functioning in children born preterm

This study investigated the relations between mothers’ and fathers’ controlling behaviors and the executive functioning of children born preterm. Sixty-eight preterm children and their parents were assessed when the children were 3 ½ years old. The executive functioning was measured using the Headto-Toes-Task and controlling parenting behaviors were measured through a standardized observation of a parent-child interaction. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that both mothers’ and fathers’ controlling behaviors were associated with worse child executive functioning performance, after controlling for the child’s cognitive ability. Findings suggest that both mothers and fathers play an important role in the development of executive functioning of children born prematurely, highlighting the need to consider both parents in the study of and intervention with these children.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wood anatomical characterization and intraspecific variation in Protium apiculatum Swart at the second forest management cycle.

A Floresta Nacional do Tapajós teve seu primeiro ciclo de corte em 1979 e a área foi monitorada através de inventários florestais desde então. Neste período houve mudanças na composição florística, com Protium apiculatum Swart sendo uma das espécies mais abundantes e frequentes. No entanto, não existem estudos das suas características tecnológicas da madeira. Assim, o estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar anatomicamente cinco árvores dessa espécie. Discos de madeira de foram coletados a dois metros de altura de cada árvore, o material foi separado para análise macroscópica e microscópica. Através dos resultados obtidos, percebeu-se variação intraespecífica entre os caracteres anatômicos de Protium apiculatum em um mesmo local e similaridade com outros indivíduos de seu gênero

Dynamic epigenetic regulation of the microRNA-200 family mediates epithelial and mesenchymal transitions in human tumorigenesis

Epithelial-mesenchymal (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial (MET) transitions occur in the development of human tumorigenesis and are part of the natural history of the process to adapt to the changing microenvironment. In this setting, the miR-200 family is recognized as a master regulator of the epithelial phenotype by targeting ZEB1 and ZEB2, two important transcriptional repressors of the cell adherence (E-cadherin) and polarity (CRB3 and LGL2) genes. Recently, the putative DNA methylation associated inactivation of various miR-200 members has been described in cancer. Herein, we show that the miR-200ba429 and miR-200c141 transcripts undergo a dynamic epigenetic regulation linked to EMT or MET phenotypes in tumor progression. The 5′-CpG islands of both miR-200 loci were found unmethylated and coupled to the expression of the corresponding miRNAs in human cancer cell lines with epithelial features, such as low levels of ZEB1/ZEB2 and high expression of E-cadherin, CRB3 and LGL2, while CpG island hypermethylation-associated silencing was observed in transformed cells with mesenchymal characteristics. The recovery of miR-200ba429 and miR-200c141 expression by stable transfection in the hypermethylated cells restored the epithelial markers and inhibited migration in cell culture and tumoral growth and metastasis formation in nude mice. We also discovered, using both cell culture and animal models, that the miR-200 epigenetic silencing is not an static and fixed process but it can be shifted to hypermethylated or unmethylated 5′-CpG island status corresponding to the EMT and MET phenotypes, respectively. In fact, careful laser microdissection in human primary colorectal tumorigenesis unveiled that in normal colon mucosa crypts (epithelia) and stroma (mesenchyma) already are unmethylated and methylated at these loci, respectively; and that the colorectal tumors undergo selective miR-200 hypermethylation of their epithelial component. These findings indicate that the epigenetic silencing plasticity of the miR-200 family contributes to the evolving and adapting phenotypes of human tumors