An optimization approach for the inverse kinematics of a highly redundant robot

This paper describes a robot with 12 degrees of freedom for pick-and-place operations using bricks. In addition, an optimization approach is proposed, which determines the state of each joint (that establishes the pose for the robot) based on the target position while minimizing the effort of the servomotors avoiding the inverse kinematics problem, which is a hard task for a 12 DOF robot manipulator. Therefore, it is a multi-objective optimization problem that will be solved using two optimization methods: the Stretched Simulated Annealing method and the NSGA II method. The experiments conducted in a simulation environment prove that the proposed approach is able to determine a solution for the inverse kinematics problem. A real robot formed by several servomotors and a gripper is also presented in this research for validating the solutions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Co-amorphization of olanzapine and saccharin : a pathway to increase solubility in water

Communication presented at the 12th Annual Symposium, Pharmaceutical Solid State Research Cluster (PSSRC). 12-14 September 2018, Leuven, BelgiumN/

Development of an at-line method to monitor the conversion of amorphous into crystalline Olanzapine, in dry blends of wet masses

Abstract of the poster presented at the 3rd European Conference on Pharmaceutics. 25-26 march 2019, Bologne, ItalyN/

Assessment of the stability of co-amorphous Olanzapine in tablets

Abstract of the poster presented at the 4th International Congress of CiiEM - "Health, Well-being and Ageing in the XXI Century." 2-5 June 2019, Monte de Caparica, PortugalN/

Comparison of the amorphization ability of two polymorphic forms of olanzapine

Abstract of the poster presented at the 4th International Congress of CiiEM - "Health, Well-being and Ageing in the XXI Century". 2-5 June 2019, Campus Egas Moniz, Monte de Caparica, PortugalN/

In-situ co-amorphization of olanzapine in pellets

Poster presented at the 13th PBP World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology. Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 28-31 March 2022N/

Violence and alcoholism in the family: how are the children affected?

Alcohol Alcohol. 1998 Jan-Feb;33(1):42-6. Violence and alcoholism in the family: how are the children affected? Malpique C, Barrias P, Morais L, Salgado M, Pinto Da Costa I, Rodriques M. SourceChild and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Hospital Central de Criancas Maria Pia, Porto, Portugal. Abstract We made an evaluation of how children and adolescents are affected if they live in a family environment where violence associated with alcoholism is a feature. Interviews with 20 families and the use of psychological tests on their children were performed in this study. The study has demonstrated the existence of psychopathological disturbances in those families' children, whose immaturity and insecurity were expressed by aggressive behaviour or by depressive manifestations. It also became evident that there was a transgenerational alcoholism-violence frequency

Comparison of the co-amorphization ability of Olanzapine with amino, carboxylic and sulfonic acids

Abstract of the poster presented at the 3rd European Conference on Pharmaceutics. 25-26 March 2019, Bologne, ItalyN/

Emotional responses to motion sickness in autonomous driving

In future autonomous cars, users, free from the primary task of driving, will have time and space to engage in other activities while traveling, such as reading a book, working on a laptop or watching a movie. Although the option for these activities are one of the great advantages of autonomous cars, this will also likely increase motion sickness (MS) inside the car. MS affects numerous individuals, and it occurs when the information received through the eyes differs from what is perceived by the body and the inner ear. Plus, MS can have an impact on the emotional component of the individuals experiencing it, making the experience of traveling in autonomous cars uncomfortable and difficult. Emotional design studies focus on the emotional response of individuals to a product or service. These studies typically employ self-report scales as assessment tools, such as SAM (Self-Assessment Manikin) and PrEmo (Product Emotion Measurement instrument). We present the first study measuring emotional responses to MS using both SAM and PrEmo scales. In our study, we induced MS by asking participants to watch a highly dynamic video of a first-person car trip. We also asked subjects to answer to SAM and PrEmo before and after the visualization of the video. Our results showed a change in the answers in time, that is, before vs. after the experience of MS. MS significantly altered individuals' emotional responses, worsening their condition. These results support the need for studies that reduce MS to improve the experience and well-being of individuals in autonomous cars.Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory (Lab2PT), Ref. UID/04509/2020, financed by national funds (PIDDAC) through the FCT/MCTES and the European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER component, through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Project n° 039334; Funding Reference: POCI- 01-0247-FEDER-039334]

Xanthene Derivatives Targeting Bacterial Efflux Pumps, Quorum-Sensing, and Biofilm Formation

The rise of multidrug resistance (MDR) bacteria in nosocomial and health-care institutions is widespread and is currently recognized as a major medical challenge. Mechanisms of bacterial resistance, namely, quorum sensing (QS), biofilm formation, and efflux pumps, have been identified as critical biological processes in MDR bacteria. Following previous reports on the activity of phenothiazines against mechanisms of bacterial resistance, in this work we focus on the synthesis of xanthene derivatives aiming to discover phenothiazine bioisosteres with improved activity. Four compounds were obtained from the conjugation of xanthydrol with sulfonamides and aniline and were fully characterized. Their antibacterial activity was assessed considering their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, efflux pump inhibition, influence on biofilm formation and quorum-sensing (QS) inhibition. It was observed that the MIC of all the tested compounds was above 64 µg/mL The four 9-xanthenyl derivatives obtained, particularly the xanthene sulfonamide derivatives 3b and 3c, showed promising results on QS inhibition with a reduction of pigment production of 48 and 41 mm, and on biofilm formation with a reduction of 78 and 79%, respectively