RF CMOS transceiver at 2.4 GHz in wearables for measuring the cardio-respiratory function

This paper presents a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver for operation in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. The RF CMOS transceiver can be supplied with only 1.8 V, and it was designed to establish wireless links for distances up to 10 m, for a maximum baud-rate of 250 Kbps with a Bit Error Probability less than 10 6. The transmitter can deliver a output power of 0 dBm with a consumption of only 11.2 mW, while the receiver has sensitivity of 60 dBm and consumes only 6.3 mW. The goal of RF CMOS transceiver is for co-integration with sensors in the same die using microsystems techniques. The target application of such microsystems is in wearables (e.g., in wireless electronic shirts) for measuring biomedical data of patients. The wireless electronic shirt (WES) measures the heart rate and the respiratory frequency, and at the same time it allows patients to maintain their mobilit

The LSTS open-source communication and autonomy software: enabling networked vehicle systems to find track, and sample dynamic features of the ocean

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BioRePortAP, an electronic clinical record coupled with a database : an example of its use in a single

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists in the Rheumatology Department of Hospital de Santa Maria using the BioRePortAP. Methods: The Portuguese Society of Rheumatology (SPR) developed an electronic medical chart coupled with a database for the follow up of PsA patients, the BioRePortAP, which was launched in May 2009. This evaluation was based on all the PsA patients that were on active treatment with TNF antagonists in September 2009 and were registered in the BioRePortAP. All the previous data on these patients were introduced in BioRePortAP using the prospective paper based follow up protocol that this Department was using since 1999. Only patients with more than 9 months of treatment were analyzed. Results: Forty-two patients with PsA, actively treated with anti-TNF agents in September 2009, for at least 9 months, were analyzed in BioRePortAP. Twenty-three patients were male (55%) and nineteen were female (45%). The average age of these patients was 49.8±10.9 years old, the average disease duration was of 10.7±5.6 years and the mean duration of biological therapy was of 37.8±27.8 months. For the 81% of patients with peripheral joint disease there was a mean reduction of more than 80% in the swollen and tender joint counts, and almost 50% in the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) value. In the 19% of the patients with axial involvement the reduction of BASDAI and BASFI was not statistically significative. On top of that, PASI score suffered a reduction of 64%. Fourteen patients (33.3%) had to switch their TNF antagonist treatment. 58.8% of the switches were due to adverse effects and 41.2% due to therapy failure. Regarding the 56 adverse reactions registered, only one was a severe reaction. The remaining adverse reactions were not severe and 67% of them were due to infections. Discussion: The results of this first report of the use of the BioRePortAP in clinical practice confirm the efficacy and safety of TNF antagonist treatment in PsA. The results shown here elucidate the potential applications of BioRePortAP as a tool for efficacy and safety assessment of PsA patients treated with biotechnological drugs

A flexible infrastructure for dynamic power control of electric vehicle battery chargers

This paper proposes a Flexible Infrastructure for Dynamic Power Control (FIDPC) of Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Chargers. This infrastructure dynamically adjusts the EV battery charger current, according to the power demand of the home wherein the vehicle is plugged. An infrastructure was implemented to validate this proposal. Such infrastructure is composed by an EV battery charger and a communication system based on a Radio Frequency interface. The battery charger has nominal power of 3.6 kVA and operates with sinusoidal current and unitary total power factor, while the RF interface provides continuous data flow to the battery charger with information about the home total current consumption (rms value). Experimental tests were performed under realistic conditions to validate the concept behind the proposed FIDPC. These tests served to assess the behavior of the EV battery charger with dynamic power control on a single-phase, 230 V, 16 A, 50 Hz residential electrical installation. The experimental results confirm the quick time response of the FIDPC even when working under heavy home load variations.This work was supported by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) through Project PEst-UID/CEC/00319/2013. The work of V. Monteiro was supported by the FCT agency through a doctoral scholarship under Grant SFRH/BD/80155/2011. The review of this paper was coordinated by Dr. D. Cao

A real options model to determine the optimal contractual penalty for a BOT project

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) became one of the most common types of public procurement arrangements and Build-Own-Transfer (BOT) projects, awarded through adequate bidding competitions, have been increasingly promoted by governments. The theoretical model herein proposed is based on a contractual framework where the government grants leeway to the private entity regarding the timing for project implementation. However, the government is aware that delaying the beginning of operations will lead to the emergence of social costs, i.e., the costs that result from the corresponding loss of social welfare. This fact should motivate the government to include a contractual penalty in case the private firm does not implement the project immediately. The government also recognizes that the private entity is more efficient in constructing the project facility and also in running the subsequent operations. The model’s outcome is the optimal value for the legal penalty the government should include in the contract form. Sensitivity analysis reveals that there is a level for each of the comparative efficiency factors above which there is no need to impose a contractual penalty, for a given level of social costs. Finally, the effects of including a non-optimal penalty value in the contract form, which derives from overestimating or underestimating the selected bidder’s real comparative efficiency are examined, using a numerical example. Results demonstrate that overestimating (underestimating) the selected bidder’s real comparative efficiency leads to the inclusion of a below-optimal (above-optimal) value for the legal penalty in the contract and produces effects the government should prevent by estimating the comparative efficiency factors with full accurac

Theoretical approaches to elder abuse: a systematic review of the empirical evidence

There is supplementary material to this paper. You can found it at: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/73746Purpose: The study of theoretical models explaining elder abuse has been one of the main gaps in the literature of the field. The extent of support of each theory is not clear. This study aims to conduct a systematic review to examine research supporting or opposing six theories of elder abuse: caregiver stress theory, social exchange theory, social learning theory, bidirectional theory, dyadic discord theory and the psychopathology of the caregiver. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducts a systematic review of the literature. Seven databases were searched six times using different keywords about each theory. Findings: This paper finds 26,229 references and then organised and analysed these references using pre-established criteria. In total, 89 papers were selected, which contained 117 results of interest; these papers were summarised and assessed for conceptual, methodological and evidence quality. The results showed evidence in favour of all the explored theories, except for social learning theory, whose results indicate multiple interpretations of the theory. This study finishes this paper by proposing that each of these theories might explain different facets of elder abuse and that more research is necessary to understand how the predictions of these different theories interact. Originality/value: This paper presents an extensive review of the literature on theoretical explanations of elder abuse. The findings can be of value for selecting theories for prevention programmes or providing a summary of the evidence for researchers and practitioners interested in the theoretical explanation of elder abuse.This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653). João F. Fundinho was funded by a scholarship from the Portuguese Foundations for Science and Technology – FCT – (PD/BD/105965/2014

Microlenses for stereoscopic image formation

This paper presents microlenses for integration on a stereoscopic image sensor in CMOS technology for use in biomedical devices. It is intended to provide an image sensor with a stereoscopic vision. An array of microlenses potentiates stereoscopic vision and maximizes the color fidelity. An array of optical filters tuned at the primary colors will enable a multicolor usage. The material selected for fabricating the microlens was the AZ4562 positive photoresist. The reflow method applied to the photoresist allowing the fabrication of microlenses with high reproducibility.This work was fully supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project FCT/PTDC/EEA-ELC/109936/2009

Quantitative evaluation of geodiversity : development of methodological procedures with application to territorial management

Although geodiversity is considered the setting for biodiversity, there is still a huge gap in the social recognition of these two concepts. The concept of geodiversity, less developed, is now making its own way as a robust and fundamental idea concerning the abiotic component of nature. From a conservationist point of view, the lack of a broader knowledge concerning the type and spatial variation of geodiversity, as well as its relationship with biodiversity, makes the protection and management of natural or semi-natural areas incomplete. There is a growing need to understand the patterns of geodiversity in different landscapes and to translate this knowledge for territorial management in a practical and effective point of view. This kind of management can also represent an important tool for the development of sustainable tourism, particularly geotourism, which can bring benefits not only for the environment, but also for social and economic purposes. The quantification of geodiversity is an important step in all this process but still few researchers are investing in the development of a proper methodology. The assessment methodologies that were published so far are mainly focused on the evaluation of geomorphological elements, sometimes complemented with information about lithology, soils, hidrology, morphometric variables, climatic surfaces and geosites. This results in very dissimilar areas at very different spatial scales, showing the complexity of the task and the need of further research. This current work aims the development of an effective methodology for the assessment of the maximum elements of geodiversity possible (rocks, minerals, fossils, landforms, soils), based on GIS routines. The main determinant factor for the quantitative assessment is scale, but other factors are also very important, such as the existence of suitable spatial data with sufficient degree of detail. It is expected to attain the proper procedures in order to assess geodiversity at different scales and to produce maps with the spatial representation of the geodiversity index, which could be an inestimable contribute for land-use management