A Methodology to Design FPGA-based PID Controllers

This paper presents a methodology to implement PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) controllers in FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) using fixed-point numerical representation. The Matlab/Simulink environment is used for modeling, simulation and evaluation the performance provided by different fixed-point representations using a given control process. A static bit-width analyzer is used to give a specialized fixed-point representation for each operand/operator in the controller system. After bit-width analysis, a VHDL represen-tation of the system is generated. Results show that the proposed methodology leads to shorten design cycles achieving important resource savings by employing specialized fixed-point repre-sentations

Educational needs in people with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis: A cross-sectional study

Objective: To assess the educational needs of people with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), test differences across patient subgroups and identify factors independently associated with their educational needs.Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytic study. Patients with AS and PsA completed the Portuguese version of the Educational Needs Assessment Tool (PortENAT). Data were Rasch-transformed before descriptive and inferential analyses were undertaken. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to determine differences between patient subgroups and factors independently associated with their educational needs.Results: The study included 121 patients with AS and 132 with PsA. The level of educational needs varied by diagnostic group, but higher needs for both subgroups were reported regarding the “Disease process”, “Feelings” and “Managing pain” domains. Overall, patients with AS had a higher level of educational needs than those with PsA. In both disease groups, female gender was independently associated with higher educational needs. In the PsA group, a shorter disease duration was independently associated with higher educational needs in the following domains: “Managing pain”, “Movement” and “Feelings”.Conclusion: Educational needs vary by diagnostic group, gender and disease duration. These differences merit consideration in the design of patient education interventions

Effect of chitosan membrane surface modification via plasma induced polymerization on the adhesion of osteoblast-like cells

The surface of solvent cast chitosan membranes was modified using a two-step procedure. Oxygen plasma treatment was used at the first activation step followed by vinyl monomer graft polymerization. Two monomers were used in order to compare the influence of different functional groups on cell adhesion and proliferation; acrylic acid (AA) was used to introduce carboxyl groups and vinyl sulfonic acid (VSA) was used as a source of sulfonic groups. The surface chemistry/energy changes were characterized by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), and contact angle measurements. Additionally, alterations in the surface morphology were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XPS analyses confirmed the polymer grafting on the surface; an S2s peak appears in the VSA survey spectrum and an O–CLO peak emerges in the C1s high resolution spectrum after AA grafting. Moreover, contact angle measurements showed an increment in the values of the surface energy polar and Lewis base components for all treated samples, confirming the introduction of additional polar groups by the modification processes. FTIR-ATR spectra showed no significant difference between treated and original materials. These results confirmed that only the very top (a few angstroms) surface layer, but not the bulk of the material, was modified. The effect of modification on the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast-like cells was studied on a preliminary basis. Direct contact tests were performed using a human osteosarcoma cell line (SaOs-2). Cell morphology (optical microscopy and SEM) and cell viability (MTS test) were evaluated for untreated and surface modified membranes. The results revealed that both plasma treatment, and the presence of sulfonic groups on the surface of chitosan membranes, improve SaOs-2 adhesion and proliferation when compared to untreated or AA-grafted membranes. This effect was strongly related to the polar and Lewis basic components of the total surface energy

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Physical Education Class and the Differences between Two Educational Pathways

This study aimed to determine the most and least important reasons for engaging in physical education classes among students in two educational pathways within the context of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Forty-one students participated in the study (25 males and 16 females; mean age = 16.37 ± 0.829). The sample was divided based on two class types: regular education and professional education. All students answered a questionnaire that aimed to verify the most and least important reasons for students to engage in physical education classes concerning intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.  Indicated that both regular education and professional education classes had intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The results also revealed that the participation of students was based essentially on their intrinsic motivation, but for different reasons when comparing the two educational pathways. Both types of the class were intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to participate in physical education classes

The impact of pH on the anaerobic and aerobic metabolism of Tetrasphaera-enriched polyphosphate accumulating organisms

Funding Information: The authors thank the Portuguese Fundaçao para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, which supports the Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit - UCIBIO, the European Commission (Water JPI project 196 (Water-Works2014 ERA-NET Co-funded Call): “Smart decentralized water management through a dynamic integration of technologies (Watintech)” and the Australian Research Council ( ARC LP190100329 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2023Members of the genus Tetrasphaera are putative polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) that have been found in greater abundance than Accumulibacter in many full-scale enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) wastewater treatment plants worldwide. Nevertheless, previous studies on the effect of environmental conditions, such as pH, on the performance of EBPR have focused mainly on the response of Accumulibacter to pH changes. This study examines the impact of pH on a Tetrasphaera PAO enriched culture, over a pH range from 6.0 to 8.0 under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions, to assess its impact on the stoichiometry and kinetics of Tetrasphaera metabolism. It was discovered that the rates of phosphorus (P) uptake and P release increased with an increase of pH within the tested range, while PHA production, glycogen consumption and substrate uptake rate were less sensitive to pH changes. The results suggest that Tetrasphaera PAOs display kinetic advantages at high pH levels, which is consistent with what has been observed previously for Accumulibacter PAOs. The results of this study show that pH has a substantial impact on the P release and uptake kinetics of PAOs, where the P release rate was >3 times higher and the P uptake rate was >2 times higher at pH 8.0 vs pH 6.0, respectively. Process operational strategies promoting both Tetrasphaera and Accumulibacter activity at high pH do not conflict with each other, but lead to a potentially synergistic impact that can benefit EBPR performance.publishersversionpublishe

Calcaneus stress fracture: a case report

Calcaneal stress fracture is a rare clinical entity associated with diverse etiological factors such as high intensity training, female sex, smoking and poor nutrition. The authors present a case of a calcaneal stress fracture treated conservatively with immobilization, limited weight bearing and vitamin D supplementation.

A multifactorial approach to untangle graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets effects on plants: plant growth-promoting bacteria inoculation, bacterial survival, and drought

Drought is a limiting factor for agricultural productivity. Climate change threatens to expand the areas of the globe subjected to drought, as well as to increase the severity and duration of water shortage. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are widely studied and applied as biostimulants to increase plant production and to enhance tolerance to abiotic and biotic constraints. Besides PGPB, studies on the potential of nanoparticles to be used as biostimulants are also thriving. However, many studies report toxicity of tested nanoparticles in bacteria and plants in laboratory conditions, but few studies have reported effects of nanoparticles towards bacterial cells and communities in the soil. The combined application of nanoparticles and PGPB as biostimulant formulations are poorly explored and it is important to unravel the potentialities of their combined application as a way to potentiate food production. In this study, Rhizobium sp. E20-8 and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were applied on container-grown maize seedlings in watered and drought conditions. Bacterial survival, seedling growth (dry weight), and biochemical endpoints (photosynthetic pigments, soluble and insoluble carbohydrates, proline, lipid peroxidation, protein, electron transport system, and superoxide dismutase) were evaluated. Results showed that the simultaneous exposure to GO and Rhizobium sp. E20-8 was able to alleviate the stress induced by drought on maize seedlings through osmotic and antioxidant protection by GO and mitigation of GO effects on the plant's biochemistry by Rhizobium sp. E20-8. These results constitute a new lead on the development of biostimulant formulations to improve plant performance and increase food production in water-limited conditions.publishe

Effects of a plyometric training program in sub-elite futsal players during pre-season period

Plyometric training (PT) programs can improve several motor skills during the pre-season. Even so, its impact during the pre-season specifically in futsal remains unclear. Objective: The present observational study examines the impact of a six-week PT program that included varied strength exercises in adult male futsal players. Method: Fourteen futsal players from a Portuguese men’s sub-elite team that competed in a national championship (mean ± Standard deviation (SD) age: 25.78±7.05 years) were included in this cross-sectional study that analyzed the consequences of a PT program during the pre-season, followed by four weeks of detraining. Players were monitored 3 times: at the beginning, after six weeks of PT and four weeks after the end of PT. Results: The current research presented significant mean changes with the application of the training program in the three assessment moments for agility (small to moderate effect), countermovement jump (CMJ) height (trivial to small effect), and sprint performance (trivial to moderate large effect). When assessing the mean differences between pre- and post-training, the differences are more evident in their magnitude (Δ = -12.73 to 3.69%, d = 0.38 to 2.08). Furthermore, the PT program showed the greatest influence on 20 m sprint with a large effect (Δ = -12.73%, d = 2.08), followed by a small and moderate effect for agility (Δ = -6.46%, d = 0.85) and for the 10 m sprint (Δ = -3.53%, d = 0.38). Conclusions: These results confirmed the impact of a six-week plyometric training during the pre-season in sub-elite futsal players. This new evidence can be particularly useful in pre-season planning in futsal. (c) the author(s).This work is suppoted by national funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology I.P., under project UIDB/04045/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio