A Computer Simulation of the Nitinol Thermal Expansion under Fast Varying Working Conditions

We discuss the setup of a simulation on ANSYS to predict the thermal expansion of parts made of Nitinol. A simulation is justified for working conditions in which the part heating is not ho-mogeneous originating a temperature gradient across the part section such that an analytical estimate for the part expansion cannot be calculated. We apply the simulation to the topological optimization of a square section geometry and a bullet geometry for water assisted injection molding. For the topo-logical optimization we consider as parameter the wall thickness and consider both the cases of fast varying temperature and fast varying temperature and pressure.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploring intersectional variations in sexual pleasure, sexual autonomy, and important correlates

Research suggests that pressure to meet gender norms can limit social behaviors and ultimately promote poor health outcomes, such as disparities in decreased sexual pleasure, which are considered a central component of human rights and well-being. Previous studies have shown that sexual pleasure and sexual autonomy are gender-related, but little is known about these indicators in diverse populations. This study used data from a probabilistic sample of Cape Verdean immigrant (n = 127) and Portuguese native (n = 133) women and men who were in an intimate relationship enrolled in the FEMINA (Fertility, Migration and Acculturation) project to explore intersectional variations in sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, and distress considering their interplay with sexual autonomy and social representations regarding sexuality. For all participants and especially among men, sex is a very important part of life. Sexual autonomy was positively associated with sexual pleasure among Cape Verdean and Portuguese women and Portuguese men. Sexual distress was negatively associated with sexual pleasure among women, especially Cape Verdean women who reported higher sexual distress. This small-scale study is an example of an intersectional approach to sexual health and rights.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neutrino magnetohydrodynamics

A new neutrino magnetohydrodynamics (NMHD) model is formulated, where the effects of the charged weak current on the electron-ion magnetohydrodynamic fluid are taken into account. The model incorporates in a systematic way the role of the Fermi neutrino weak force in magnetized plasmas. A fast neutrino-driven short wavelengths instability associated with the magnetosonic wave is derived. Such an instability should play a central role in strongly magnetized plasma as occurs in supernovae, where dense neutrino beams also exist. In addition, in the case of nonlinear or high frequency waves, the neutrino coupling is shown to be responsible for breaking the frozen-in magnetic field lines condition even in infinite conductivity plasmas. Simplified and ideal NMHD assumptions were adopted and analyzed in detail

A Velocity Algorithm for the Implementation of Gain-scheduled Controllers

A new method is proposed to implement gain-scheduled controllers for nonlinear plants. Given a family of linear feedback controllers designed for linearizations of a nonlinear plant about constant operating points, a nonlinear gain-scheduled controller is derived that preserves the input-output properties of the linear closed loop systems locally, about each equilibrium point. The key procedures in the proposed method are to provide integral action at the inputs to the plant and differentiate some of the measured outputs before they are fed back to the scheduled controller. For a fairly general class of systems, the nonlinear gain-scheduled controllers are easy to obtain, and their structure is similar to that of the original linear controllers.Research Initiation Grant of the Naval Postgraduate SchoolNSF under Grant ECS-9096109AFOSR under Grant F49620-93-1-0246AR under Grant DAAH01-93-G-001

Numerical Thermal Analysis of a T Jump System Used for Studying Polymer Behaviour

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from Fundação da Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) as part of the UC4EP (Understanding Crystallisation for Enhanced Polymer Properties) at CDRSP PTDC/CTM-POL/7133/2014, UID/Multi/04044/2013, PAMI Nº 022158 and the Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), Programa Portugal 2020, through the Programa Operacional Regional do Centro 2020 (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-022158). The neutron scattering measurement was performed at the STFC ISIS facilities (United Kingdom).The processing of polymers is highly complex. The study of their crystallisation assumes an important role and needs to be carefully detailed. Scattering experiments can be used to study polymer molecular organisation. However these procedures are still very multifaceted leading to the need for planning all the details in the experiments that are to be performed. This manuscript presents a finite element model developed to study the temperature variation of a T Jump System, which has been used for studying polymer behaviour with the NIMROD instrument at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, UK. Results show that the variation across the sample was 2ºC at a maximum temperature of 70ºC and 1ºC at a maximum temperature of 50ºC.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Factors influencing sleep quality of people in an intensive care unit

Introdução: O sono desempenha um papel fundamental na manutenção de uma boa saúde física e mental. As unidades de cuidados intensivos, devido à sua estrutura e funcionalidade, são locais propícios à alteração do padrão de sono dos pacientes aí internados, contribuindo para a sua privação. Todavia, existem factores nestas unidades que influenciam a qualidade do sono destes pacientes e que podem ser minimizados e/ou modificados pelas equipes de saúde multidisciplinares. Objectivo: Identificar quais os factores que influenciam a qualidade do sono da pessoa internada em unidade de cuidados intensivos. Material e método: Pesquisa de revisão sistemática. Para a sua elaboração precedeu-se à leitura de artigos existentes na base de dados EBSCO host entre os anos 2011 a 2016, obtendo-se um total de 84 artigos, tendo sido seleccionados 4 para estudo. Resultados: A privação do sono ocorre frequentemente em unidades de cuidados intensivos e decorre da existência de determinados factores, como a evidência científica demonstra, tais como o ruído, a luminosidade as actividades desempenhadas pelos próprios profissionais de saúde, sobretudo os enfermeiros. Conclusão: Os factores apontados prejudicam a qualidade de sono do paciente, entretanto, são por vezes descurados. É fundamental que as equipes de saúde que atuam nestas unidades desenvolvam protocolos ou bundles sobre a qualidade do sono destes pacientesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Omics reveal distinct mechanisms of toxicity of nanoparticulate and ionic silver in microbes

The mechanisms of toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are not clear and the role of Ag+ released from the nanoparticulated form in the overall toxicity requires further attention, especially in aquatic ecosystems where NPs will most likely end up. The impacts of AgNPs and Ag+ were assessed based on the variations in the overall proteome in i) two aquatic fungal ecotypes of Articulospora tetracladia, one isolated from a non-polluted stream (At72) and the other from a metal-polluted stream (At61), and ii) the bacterial strain Pseudomonas sp. M1 (PsM1) isolated from a metal-polluted stream. Transcriptomic responses of At72 in the same exposure conditions were also assessed to complement knowledge from proteomic responses. At72 was the most sensitive to AgNPs, whereas PsM1 was the most tolerant one. The toxicity of AgNPs was supported by data from NP characterization, which showed increased particle stability and lesser agglomeration in presence of At72 that the other microbes. Omic responses to equitoxic levels of AgNPs and Ag+ suggested different mechanisms of toxicity since distinct profiles of protein and gene expression were unveiled. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis further unravelled several biological processes and allowed to differentiate the effects of AgNPs from those of Ag+. Overall, omic approaches revealed different adaptive responses to Ag+ or AgNPs in the metabolic, energetic and stress pathways. Furthermore, the negligible amount of Ag+ released from AgNPs suggested that toxicity of AgNPs was mainly associated with the particle for

Proteomic responses to nanoparticulate and ionic silver in freshwater microbes with different background

ERDF through the COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) I.P. through the strategic funding UID/BIA/04050/2014 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) and PTDC/AAC-AMB/121650/201