An FPGA implementation of OFDM transceiver for LTE applications

The paper presents a real-time transceiver using an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signaling scheme. The transceiver is implemented on a Field- Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) through Xilinx System Generator for DSP and includes all the blocks needed for the transmission path of OFDM. The transmitter frame can be reconfigured for different pilot and data schemes. In the receiver, time-domain synchronization is achieved thr ough a joint maximum likelihood (ML) symbol arrival-time and carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimator through the redundant information contained in the cyclic prefix (CP). A least-squares channel estimation retrieves the channel state information and a simple zero-forcing scheme has been implemented for channel equalization. Results show that a rough implementation of the signal path can be impleme nted by using only Xilinx System Generator for DSP

Compliance with treatment: related-issues and insights for pharmacist intervention

Low patient compliance with pharmacotherapy remains one of the greatest challenges for success of treatments, especially in chronic diseases, since it can negatively influence treatment effectiveness and patient quality of life, increase health expenses and decrease productivity of the patient. Compliance is an important but complex issue in clinical practice. Its complexity begins with the difficulty in adopting terminology that can express its exact meaning. Moreover, many methods to evaluate compliance have been established but no consensus exists on which method should be considered the gold standard. Additionally, socioeconomic, disease and therapy-related factors, healthcare team and system related-factors and patient-related factors can simultaneously influence compliance levels. In this highly complex scenario, pharmacist interventions have been identified as an effective strategy to enhance patient compliance with treatment. The objectives of this paper were: (1) to provide useful information for pharmacists about issues related to compliance such as terminology and definitions; methods for measuring compliance and persistence; influencing factors and the impact of low compliance; and (2) to offer insight into how these healthcare professionals can effectively contribute toward improved compliance levels.A baixa adesão dos pacientes ao tratamento medicamentoso de doenças crônicas continua sendo um dos maiores desafios da medicina, por comprometer a efetividade do tratamento, repercutindo na qualidade de vida, aumentando os gastos com saúde e diminuindo a produtividade do indivíduo doente. O tema adesão é tão relevante para a prática clínica quanto complexo, a começar pelas tentativas de adoção de uma terminologia que expresse com exatidão o seu significado. Além disso, vários métodos para sua determinação foram estabelecidos sem, contudo, se chegar a um consenso sobre qual seria o "ótimo". Adicionalmente, as condições socioeconômicas, as características da doença, os tratamentos empregados, o sistema de saúde e seus profissionais ou o próprio paciente são alguns dos distintos fatores que influenciam, simultaneamente, o nível de adesão do paciente ao tratamento. Neste cenário de alta complexidade, intervenções realizadas pelo profissional farmacêutico têm sido apontadas como estratégias efetivas para o aumento dos níveis de adesão do paciente ao tratamento. Os objetivos deste artigo são: (1) fornecer aos farmacêuticos algumas informacões úteis relacionadas ao assunto adesão tais como: terminologia e definições, métodos para medir adesão e persistência, fatores influenciadores e impacto da baixa adesão; (2) fornecer algumas idéias a respeito de como estes profissionais de saúde podem efetivamente contribuir para a melhora dos níveis de adesão

Quality in computorized tomography: from image acquisition to dose, concepts, myths and definitions

With this review article, we intend to demonstrate the importance of Computerized Tomography (CT) in healthcare quality and safety. The concept of safety in CT is wider than for general healthcare. Safe healthcare provided using CT must include diagnostic image quality and reliability, as this is the only way to ensure diagnostic accuracy. The images must be acquired with the most adequate protocols available and with the lowest achievable radiation dose. In this article we will focus primarily on the concepts of dose, since this variable strongly affects the image quality and the consequent diagnostic accuracy. In methodological terms, 73 papers and 6 catalogues issued by the manufacturers of CT equipment, that included the keywords low dose, ultra-low dose and dose reduction were analysed. After review of these articles we found that about 82% are chest exams, namely the lungs. The remaining were subdivided mainly by studies of the sinuses, heart and bone segments. After this review we selected the only 10 articles that present the keywords and simultaneously quantify the dose reduction. Given the lack of precision associated with these terms, introduced mainly by commercial catalogues of different equipment brands, we intend to demonstrate that the concepts low dose and ultra-low dose are wrapped in unclear marketing strategies, without a strict and unambiguous definition of what is the effective dose. We propose that these concepts should be clearly defined and a precise indication of the effective dose reduction value should be compared to the default value (standard diagnostic dose) by exam region. Therefore, it is demonstrated that there is no concrete definition of what low dose or ultra-low dose are. These slogans cannot be used until they are not holistically defined, as well as the correspondent dose reduction value.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perinatal profile of ventricular overload markers in congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Background: In congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), pulmonary hypertension increases right ventricle (RV) afterload, which could impair heart function and contribute to poor outcome for most affected infants. Nevertheless, the real significance of vascular pulmonary alterations in perinatal hemodynamics is largely unknown. It is defined that ventricular pressure overload induces increased myocardium gene expression of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and components of the reninangiotensinogen and endothelin (ET)–1 systems. Our aim was to evaluate perinatal myocardium expression of these genes associated with ventricular pressure overload in a nitrofen-induced CDH rat model. Methods: In the nitrofen-induced CDH rat model, fetuses from dated pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats at 15.5, 17.5, 19.5 and 21.5 days postcoitum as well as newborn pups were assigned to 3 experimental groups: control, nitrofen (exposed to nitrofen, without CDH), and CDH (exposed to nitrofen, with CDH). Myocardial samples collected from the RV and left ventricle (LV) were processed for quantification of messenger RNA (mRNA) of BNP, angiotensinogen, and ET-1. Results: The perinatal expression of BNP, angiotensinogen, and ET-1 mRNA in the RV and LV of the control group revealed daily changes. During gestation, the expression of BNP and angiotensinogen mRNA underwent significant oscillation compared with control in both nitrofen-exposed fetuses, although we cannot identify significant differences between the nitrofen and CDH groups. After birth, we found a significant increasing expression of all studied genes only in the RV of CDH pups. Conclusions: Perinatal myocardial quantification of BNP, angiotensinogen, and ET-1 mRNA levels suggests that both nitrofen-exposed and control pups revealed prenatal variations of expression of the studied genes. Moreover, CDH is associated with significant molecular alterations only in the RV after birth

Fire behaviour in different periods and configurations of a landscape in Northeastern Portugal

Neste trabalho aborda-se a importância do planejamento do uso e ocupação do solo, e do manejo dos sistemas florestais na redução do perigo de incêndio, analisando-se o comportamento do fogo em relação às alterações na paisagem da Deilão, nordeste de Portugal. Foram utilizadas cadeias de Markov e modelos de autômatos celulares como metodologia para projetar a paisagem no futuro. FlamMap foi utilizado para simular o comportamento do fogo. De acordo com as métricas da paisagem obtidas no Fragstats, observou- se que os cenários e projeções em Deilão têm uma tendência à simplificação da paisagem, o que pode facilitar a ocorrência de incêndios maiores e mais graves. A análise dos resultados indicou uma tendência ao aumento do perigo de incêndios na região, em grande parte, ocasionado pela expansão de plantações contínuas de florestas. Para evitar tais impactos, o manejo florestal e ordenamento da paisagem devem ser modificados a fim de se reduzir o acúmulo de materiais combustíveis.In this study, we discuss the importance of land use, land cover planning and forest stand management in fire hazard reduction, through the analysis of fire behavior in relation to landscape changes in Deilão, northeastern Portugal. Markov chains and cellular automata model were used to project future landscapes whose structures were quantified by landscape metrics. The FlamMap model was used to simulate fire behavior. According to landscape metrics from Fragstats, we observed that scenarios and projections in Deilão have a trend towards landscape simplification, which may facilitate the occurrence of larger, more severe fires. The analyses indicate an increased fire hazard trend in the region, largely caused by the continuity of forest cover. To avoid such impacts, forest management and landscape plannig should be modified in order to reduce the accumulation of combustible materials.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Do boys and girls achieve di!erent results?" Changes in physical activity and adiposity: acorda project

School-based interventions show inconsistent results in reducing obesity-related problems. Most of intervention studies are targeting girls because they have shown lower rates of physical activity and higher prevalence of obesity. ! The aim of this study was to compare the changes observed in BMI, percentage of Body Fat, percentage of Trunk Fat and Moderate to Vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels between boys and girls engaged in a school-based intervention program.Significant improvements in body composition and MVPA levels were observed in boys, but not in girls, after 8 months intervention. In accordance with previous findings, these results showed that gender may influence response to intervention programs and generalization of treatment effects may depend on gender-specificities and programs characteristics.

Psychometric study of a knowledge questionnaire on autonomous nursing interventions in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Enquadramento: O reconhecimento da autonomia dos enfermeiros só poderá ser conseguido se esta for corretamente mensurada e validada. Neste sentido, torna-se imperioso avaliar os seus conhecimentos, reconhecendo o seu papel decisivo. Objetivo: Validar e avaliar as propriedades psicométricas do Questionário de Conhecimentos acerca das Intervenções Autónomas de Enfermagem face ao Doente com Síndrome Coronário Agudo. Metodologia: Estudo metodológico, descritivo analítico-correlacional e transversal. Avaliou-se a consistência interna através do alfa de Cronbach e a análise fatorial confirmatória numa amostra de 738 enfermeiros portugueses inscritos na Ordem dos Enfermeiros. Resultados: A média de idades foi de 37,57 anos, sendo 76,0% mulheres. Após o refinamento do questionário, a análise fatorial confirmatória evidenciou uma qualidade de ajustamento aceitável da estrutura fatorial composta por 9 fatores com 44 itens (x2 /gl = 2,042; CFI = 0,846; GFI = 0,826; RMSEA = 0,053; RMR = 0,069). A consistência interna global foi de = 0,930, mostrando uma fiabilidade elevada, explicando 56,739% de variância total. Conclusão: O questionário é fiável e válido revelando potencial para investigação, monitorização e avaliação dos conhecimentos dos enfermeiros em contexto formativo e prática clínica.Background: the recognition of nurses autonomy can only be achieved if it is correctly measured and validated. In this sense, it is imperative to evaluate their knowledge, recognizing their decisive role. Objective: To validate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Knowledge Questionnaire about Autonomous Nursing Interventions for patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Methodology: Methodological, descriptive, analytical-correlational and cross-sectional study. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 738 Portuguese nurses enrolled in the Ordem dos Enfermeiros. Results: The average age was 37.57 years, 76.0% of which were women. After the refinement of the questionnaire, the confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable quality of adjustment of the factor structure composed of 9 factors with 44 items (x2/gl = 2.042; CFI = 0.846; GFI = 0.826; RMSEA = 0.053; RMR = 0.069). The overall internal consistency was α = 0.930, showing high reliability, explaining 56.739% of total variance. Conclusion: The questionnaire is reliable and valid, revealing the potential for investigation, moni-toring and evaluation of nurses’ knowledge in a training context and clinical practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ANÁLISE COMPARATIVA ENTRE OS TEXTOS LITERÁRIOS “A RESISTÍVEL ASCENSÃO DE ARTURO UI”, DE BERTOLD BRECHT (1941) E “A RESISTÍVEL ASCENSÃO DO BOTO TUCUXI”, DE MÁRCIO SOUZA (1982)

This work intends to show as Márcio Souza’s literary text throughout matter plan – comparative analysis - A resistível ascensão do Boto Tucuxi appropriates Bertold Brecht opus A resistível ascensão de Arturo Ui. Besides it this reflection points main elements and also title of texture to make a reading of amazon populist and political behaviour. Márcio Souza opus is connected to Bertold Brecht ones through ideology and way political which these both authors realize a sarcasm critic to the dominants advantages in society. These poetic texts have singular subject that are parodies that validate the way as people face power holders.No plano conteudístico, o presente trabalho - análise comparativa - tentará mostraromo a narratividade do texto de Márcio Souza, A resistível ascensão do Boto Tucuxi, faz uso da obra de Bertolt Brecht, A resistível ascensão de Arturo Ui, e se apropria do título e dos principais elementos da trama para fazer uma leitura do comportamento político populista amazonense. A obra de Márcio Souza, portanto, liga-se à de Brecht pela veia da política e da ideologia em que ambos realizam uma mordaz crítica aos interesses dominantes na sociedade; tratam-se de paródias que transmitem a forma pela qual o povo percebe e compreende  os donos do poder

Structural characterization of exopolysaccharides obtained from Porphyridium cruentum exhausted culture medium

Microalgae produce and secrete large quantities of polysaccharides into the culture medium that is discarded when biomass is separated. The main objective of this study was to add value to the exhausted culture medium (ECM) of Porphyridium cruentum through the recovery of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) by different extracting and purifying methods for the future biotechnological applications. The ECM was submitted to pre-cipitation with cold absolute ethanol, using ultrasound, dialysis, and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) as purification methods. The purification provided a lower yield, with higher car-bohydrate content. The TCA purified sample presented up to twice as much total carbo-hydrates as the non-purified samples, mainly composed of xylose, galactose, and glucose. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images showed the smooth structure of P. cruentum EPS, in which TCA post-treatment and dialysis allowed obtaining larger and purest par-ticles, being a good candidate for film making. Microalgal polymeric by-products are a sustainable source to recover valuable compounds, and the purification treatment proved to be an important step to valorize this material.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creati-vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ecological Apparency Hypothesis and Availability of Useful Plants: Testing different seu values

The present study tested the ecological apparency hypothesis in a Brazilian rural community. It used the use value to test the information gained through three types of calculations (UVchange, UVgeneral, UVpotential). A vegetation inventory was performed in two areas near Capivara, Paraíba, Brazil, and 112 informants were interviewed. For the hypothesis test, the Spearman correlation coefficient was used to correlate the phytosociological (vegetation) and ethnobotanical data (use value). The study recorded 25 useful species in the first site and 20 in the second site. Positive correlations were found in the first site, between the UVg to basal area and dominance, and between the UVc and basal area, dominance, and importance value. In the second site, between the UVg and both basal area and dominance and between UVc and basal area, density, and dominance. Apparency explained the local importance of useful plants in construction, technology, and fuel, but was not explanative of medicine. Also, important responses were observed for the different use values