Surveillance and fall prevention in the elderly

Introduction: Falls in the elderly are one of the main causes of death that occur in this population group and there are multiple factors that can contribute to this, greatly affecting their autonomy and quality of life. Therefore, nursing interventions are essential to prevent this type of event. Objective: Evaluate the efficiency of external hip protectors on preventing falls in the elderly people. Methodology: Integrative Literature Review, using the PICO methodology, which included the formulation of an initial research question, research in scientific databases, analysis and interpretation of selected articles, as well as the synthesis and presentation of the results obtained. This review also considered the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) recommendation. The queries were performed under the “CINAHL Complete” database. Results: With the methodology applied, a final set of six studies were obtained, which do not sustain the efficiency of external hip protectors on the prevention of falls in the elderly. Conclusion: There is no scientific evidence that the external hip protectors are beneficial in reducing the number of falls in the elderly people. Focused interventions in many risk factors are more advantageous, comparatively to simple interventions. It is suggested the realization of more research studies relatively to this topic

Influence of inoculum, particle size and inoculum-substrate ratio on CH4 production from Ulex sp.

The performance of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of solids wastes is affected by several factors. Most of them are related to each other. Currently, publish studies about AD only care about the individual influence of these variables, discarding possible interaction. A response surface experimental design was used to determine the most important variables and possible interactions – influence of inoculum type (anaerobic suspended sludge and granula sludge), Ulex sp. particle diameter (dp) and inoculum to substrate ratio (ISR) – on the Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) and the maximum initial methane production rate (k). BMP and k of Ulex sp. varied between 153-308 L CH4 kg-1 VS and 14-49 L CH4 kg-1 VS d-1, respectively. Higher ISR and a mixture of granular and suspended sludge had a positive effect on the biodegradability of waste. A dp of 1.85 mm were defined as the optimal condition to simultaneously maximize the BMP and k

Co-digestion of Sargassum sp. with glycerol and waste frying oil following a design of experiments

A response surface methodology was adopted to assess the optimal conditions for methane production from the macroalgae Sargassum sp. co-digested with glycerol (Gly) and waste frying oil (WFO). Three variables were tested: % total solids of algae (%TSSargassum sp.), co-substrate concentration (gGly/WFO L-1); and, co-substrate type (Gly or WFO). The Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) of Sargassum sp. was 181±1 L CH4 kg-1 COD. The co-digestion with Gly and WFO increased the BMP by 56% and 46%, respectively. The methane production rate (k), showed similar behaviour as the BMP, increasing 38% and 19% with Gly and WFO, respectively. The higher BMP (283±18 L CH4 kg-1 COD) and k (65.9±2.1 L CH4 kg-1 COD d-1) was obtained in the assay with 0.5% TS and 3.0 gGly L-1. Co-digestion with Gly or WFO is a promising process to enhance the BMP from the macroalgae Sargassum sp.

Co-digestion of Sargassum sp. with glycerol and waste frying oil: optimization of the biomethane production using a design of experiments

A response surface methodology was adopted to assess the optimal conditions for methane production from the macroalgae Sargassum sp. Three variables were tested: % total solids of algae (%TSsargassum); co-substrate concentration (gwaste L-1); and, co-substrate type (glycerol or waste frying oil (WFO)). The Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) of Sargassum sp. was 300 ± 3 L CH4 kg-1 COD. The co-digestion with glycerol and WFO increased the BMP by 72% and 68% respectively. The methane production rate (k), showed similar behavior as the BMP, increasing 45% and 29% with glycerol and WFO, respectively. The higher BMP (517 ± 13 L CH4 kg-1 COD) and k (78± 4 d-1) was obtained in the assays with 0.5% TS and 3.0 g glycerol L-1. Co-digestion with glycerol or WFO is a promising process to enhance the BMP from the macroalgae Sargassum sp

Multi-objective parameter CPG optimization for gait generation of a quadruped robot considering behavioral diversity

This paper presents a gait multi-objective optimization system that combines bio-inspired Central Patterns Generators (CPGs) and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. CPGs are modeled as autonomous differential equations, that generate the necessary limb movement to perform the required walking gait. In order to optimize the walking gait, four conflicting objectives are considered, simultaneously: minimize the body vibration, maximize the velocity, maximize the wide stability margin and maximize the behavioral diversity. The results of NSGA-II for this multi-objective problem are discussed. The effect of the inclusion of a behavioral diversity objective in the system is also studied in terms of the walking gait achieved. The experimental results show the effectiveness of this multi-objective approach. The several walking gait solutions obtained correspond to different trade-off between the objectives.This work is funded by FEDER Funding supported by the Operational Program Competitive Factors - COMPETE and National Funding supported by the FCT - Portuguese Science Foundation through project PTDC/EEACRO/ 100655/2008. Thanks to Dr. St ? ephane Doncieux from the Institut des Systmes Intelligents et de Robotique (ISIR) of the Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC

A utilização do EAD como forma democrática de ensino no Brasil

Esta monografia foi concebida após mais de três anos de trabalho com o fascinante mundo do ensino a distância e o observando como uma importante ferramenta de democratização do ensino no Brasil e assim através de um trabalho sério levar qualidade a todas as pessoas, independentes de suas condições geográfica e social. Porém caberá o questionamento de como está sendo conduzido a evolução desta modalidade de ensino pelo MEC e onde há oportunidades de negócio por parte das universidades e instituições de ensino para aumentarem o número de alunos atendidos e assim crescerem em faturamento e importância educacional. O presente trabalho abordará as peculiaridades da modalidade EAD, principalmente em relação ao ensino presencial a partir do ponto de vista pedagógico e de negócios e para isso será estudado o passado recente daquela modalidade no Brasil, principalmente após a Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da educação do ano de 2001. Aspectos específicos como ferramentas de ensino a distância, uso de material didático e o papel do professor neste contexto será abordado bem como a oportunidade das universidades e institutos de ensino aumentar seu número de alunos e faturamento expandindo assim suas fronteiras e trazendo soluções em educação no país. Tem-se como objetivo analisar – a partir do debate sobre a teoria e o conceito de educação a distância – as possibilidades de utilização intensiva da EaD, no contexto das novas políticas públicas de educação, como instrumento de inclusão social no Brasil. Nesse esforço buscou-se analisar os aspectos mais sensíveis e a validade da utilização do ensino a distância, num país de perfil continental e marcado pela diversidade, em um contexto onde a aprendizagem continuada passou a fazer parte na vida das pessoas. Ficou razoavelmente evidenciado que a EaD se apresenta como uma ferramenta importante no processo de construção de políticas públicas de educação no país. Concluiu-se posteriormente que, as políticas públicas de educação a distância no Brasil, em que pesem as limitações assinaladas, estão contribuindo de forma efetiva para uma crescente inclusão social no país

Lei de Incentivo ao Esporte : análise da eficiência de captação dos proponentes

Trabalho de conclusão de curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração, Contabilidade e Gestão de Políticas Públicas, Departamento de Ciências Contábeis e Atuariais, 2017.O envolvimento do Estado com o esporte vem se tornando algo muito atrativo desde que se nota interesse por parte dos expectadores, além da necessidade e o direito de participação, com a passagem dos grandes eventos como as Olimpíadas e a Copa do Mundo de Futebol, garantindo regulação do Estado no setor. Garantido na Constituição Federal de 1988, como direito social e dever do Estado, surgiu a necessidade de uma política pública voltada ao fomento do esporte. Em 2006 surge a Lei de Incentivo ao Esporte, ferramenta encontrada como forma de fomentar o desporto brasileiro. O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar a eficiência dos proponentes em captar os recursos aprovados pelo Ministério do Esporte. Foi utilizada a DEA – Análise Envoltória de Dados para análise da eficiência, utilizando como variáveis o valor autorizado para captação, input e o valor captado, output, nos períodos de 2007 a 2016. Verificou-se que embora muitos projetos consigam captar a maior parte do valor autorizado, o nível de eficiência de captação é baixo. Foram encontradas diversas falhas na gestão dos projetos por parte do Ministério do Esporte, além de um baixo controle dos projetos já realizados e seus resultados

Neutral lipid production from hydrocarbon-contaminated cork sorbents using Rhodococcus opacus B4

Portuguese Science Foundation and European Social Fund through the grant SFRH/BD/64500/2009, the projects UID/BIO/04469/2013, COMPETE 2020 (POCI -01-0145-FEDER-006684); RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER- 027462) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004). The authors gratefully acknowledge Cortiçeira Amorim, S.A., Portugal, for providing the CORKSORB materials used in this workinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Experimental validation of a bidirectional multilevel dc–dc power converter for electric vehicle battery charging operating under normal and fault conditions

This paper presents a bidirectional multilevel dc–dc power converter for electric vehicle (EV) battery charging. The operating principle of the power converter was presented, analyzed, and experimentally validated under normal and fault conditions. The topology under study was integrated into a bipolar dc grid through the split dc-link of the bidirectional multilevel dc–dc power converter. Considering the failures that can occur in the bipolar dc grid, i.e., in each wire of the bipolar dc grid (positive, negative, and neutral), it was experimentally verified that the dc–dc power converter ensures that the EV battery-charging process continues, regardless of the occurrence or absence of open-circuit failures. In light of this fact, the proposed control algorithms and the presented topology were validated through a set of considerable simulation and experimental results, analyzing the distinct states of the power semiconductors, which compose the bidirectional multilevel dc–dc power converter, for distinct conditions of operation. The developed laboratory prototype of the bidirectional multilevel dc–dc power converter for EV battery charging, which was implemented to obtain the experimental results, is described in detail in this paper. The experimental validation was carried out for the main different fault conditions in the bipolar dc grid in terms of open-circuit failures and, moreover, considering the steady-state and transient-state operations of the dc–dc power converter. The experimental analysis demonstrated that even in the presence of failures in the positive, negative, or neutral wires of the bipolar dc grid, the bidirectional multilevel dc–dc power converter guarantees the correct EV battery-charging operation.This work has been supported by FCT–Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. This work has been supported by the MEGASOLAR Project POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047220

A bidirectional multilevel DC-DC converter applied to a bipolar DC grid: analysis of operation under fault conditions

Recently, DC grids have been an important subject of research due to their attractive features comparing with AC grids. The characteristic advantages of DC grids are not only related with the integration of native DC technologies, as renewable energy sources (RES) and energy storage systems (ESS), but also with the reduced number of power converters. Relatively to the configurations of DC grids, in this paper, it is presented a bipolar DC grid, where an innovative bidirectional multilevel DC-DC converter is considered under a fault-tolerance analysis. This converter can be used to interface with several technologies, but, in the scope of this paper, it is considered the application of an electric vehicle (EV) battery charger. Taking into account that some failures can occur, namely in the DC-DC converter and in the bipolar DC grid, the operation of the DC-DC converter within the bipolar DC grid can be harmful. Therefore, this paper also presents a fault-tolerance analysis of the DC-DC converter when facing the occurrence of failures in itself and in the bipolar DC grid, namely for different scenarios of failure in the DC-link wires. Besides, the control strategy for the DC-DC converter is described in detail for distinct scenarios of operation, both in steady-state and transient-state.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. This work has been supported by the FCT Project newERA4GRIDs PTDC/EEI-EEE/30283/2017 and the FCT Project DAIPESEV PTDC/EEI-EEE/30382/2017