An SDRAM test education package that embeds the factory equipment into the e-learning server

SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) demand has grown exponentially since the 1980s, as a result of technological factors and new areas of application, particularly concerning communication and consumer electronics. The SDRAM market represented in 2007 c. 20% of the total semiconductor business and is seen as a strategic area, justifying private and public investment in the western and far-eastern economic communities. SDRAM test education is therefore an important subject, but very high purchase and maintenance costs keep test equipment beyond reach of most university test courses. This paper presents a pilot project addressing an SDRAM test education course developed jointly by Qimonda and the University of Porto (FEUP), where the company offers remote access to one if its Advantest SDRAM automatic test equipments. Access to this remote tester was embedded into the Moodle e-learning server that supports a new course entitled Electronic Systems Testing (TSEL), which is part of the Integrated Masters degree on Electrical and Computer Engineering at FEUP. The excellent feedback received from students encouraged us to extend this cooperation into an educational network, which is also introduced in this paper

A symbiotic relationship between Lean Production and Ergonomics: Insights from Industrial Engineering final year projects

Lean production is an organisational management model that increases productivity by eliminating wastes (Muda), physical strain or overburden (Muri), and irregularity (Mura) (3M). These last two are related to the way people work, which is frequently harder instead of smarter. LP helps in achieving smart and effective methods of work. This paper aims to illustrate the synergy between LP and ergonomics by the analysis of a set of final year projects developed in the context of master's degrees dissertations of Industrial Engineering. It is intended to identify in these the symbiotic relationship between LP and ergonomics solutions that promotes smart, safe and effective work methods. Both share similar concerns about people welfare, providing not only tangible benefits but also intangible benefits. Several final year projects, reported in a set of master's degrees dissertations in Industrial Engineering, were used to explore if and which ergonomic factors were considered in lean projects developed, by final-year engineering graduates, in an industrial environment. The project phase in which this aspect was manifested and the benefits that resulted from these projects were also studied. The analysis and interpretation of the dissertations showed that, even when the work plan for the project did not reflect the study or evaluation of the workers' conditions in the lean projects, in most cases, this kind of study was performed to provide solutions for reducing the 3M. A lean project implementation only makes sense when people are respected and their work conditions are considered satisfactory. When this is assured, LP and ergonomics contribute to the improvement of the company productivity, moreover when relevant ergonomic aspects are considered in the work proposal planning phase of the lean-related projects.INCT-EN - Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia para Excitotoxicidade e Neuroproteção(PEst2015-2020

Data-Centric Resource Management in Edge-Cloud Systems for the IoT

A major challenge in emergent scenarios such as the Cloud-assisted Internet of Things is efficiently managing the resources involved in the system while meeting requirements of applications. From the acquisition of physical data to its transformation into valuable services or information, several steps must be performed, involving the various players in such a complex ecosystem. Support for decentralized data processing on IoT devices and other devices near the edge of the network, in combination with the benefits of cloud technologies has been identified as a promising approach to reduce communication overhead, thus reducing delay for time sensitive IoT applications. The interplay of IoT, edge and cloud to achieve the final goal of producing useful information and value-added services to end user gives rise to a management problem that needs to be wisely tackled. The goal of this work is to propose a novel resource management framework for edge-cloud systems that supports heterogeneity of both devices and application requirements. The framework aims to promote the efficient usage of the system resources while leveraging the Edge Computing features, to meet the low latency requirements of emergent IoT applications. The proposed framework encompasses (i) a lightweight and data-centric virtualization model for edge devices, (ii) a set of components responsible for the resource management and the provisioning of services from the virtualized edge-cloud resources

Influence of Hybridization on Mechanical Properties and Water Absorption in Jute and Jute /E-Glass Reinforced Composites

The use of composite materials is increasingly present not only in several industrial areas but also in daily life. With the escalating environmental concern, it is necessary the search for materials that prove to be ecologically sustainable and economically viable. Vegetable fibers have been presenting themselves as an excellent alternative, however, because their disadvantage of having a high moisture absorption capacity, the introduction of synthetic fibers, forming hybrid composites, is a good solution since it combines the characteristics of both types of reinforcements. The present research aims to carry out a comparative study between two types of laminated polymer composites, one reinforced with Jute fibers and the other hybrid, composed of Jute and E-glass fibers. The mechanical performances of the composites submitted to the Uniaxial Tensile, Three-point Flexural and Shear tests were evaluated, as well as fracture analyzes. A comparative study to analyze the influence of hybridization on moisture absorption was carried out. The results showed that the hybridized composite showed an increase in the elastic modulus, as well as in its resistance to flexion and shear, which shows the formation of a more rigid material. Hybridization also changed the moisture content of the composite

Novel edible films made of polysaccharide from Anarcadium occidentale L.

Edible and/or biodegradable films have been evaluated in applications such as transportation of active materials, selective barrier to gases and solutes, and as an alternative to synthetic non-renewable packaging materials. This work aimed at producing and evaluating the mechanical characteristics of films of polysaccharide from the Anarcadium ocidentale L. tree gum (POLICAJU), in view to their application as protection to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and as cutaneous dressing. Films with different POLICAJU concentrations (1% - 3% w/v) were cast using different plasticizers (sorbitol, glycerol and polyethylene glycol), at different concentrations (0.02 to 0.5% g/g of POLICAJU), in the presence and in the absence of Tween 80 as surfactant (0.05% w/w). The solution of 3.0% (w/v) of POLICAJU, 0.4% (w/w) sorbitol and 0.05% (w/w) Tween 80 was the one featuring a better flexibility and mechanical resistance (to traction). This has been determined with an INSTRON (model 4505) machine, with a load cell of 2.5 N. The film, of 0.07 mm thickness, stretched for a length 62 % higher than its original length, while resisting to a force of 0.2 N. These results suggest that this material has enough resistance to be used for the intended applications

Omental whirl associated with bilateral inguinal hernia: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Torsion of the omentum is a rare cause of abdominal pain. It is clinically similar to common causes of acute surgical abdomen and is often diagnosed during surgery. Inguinal hernia is a common condition but not frequently related with torsion of the omentum. CASE PRESENTATION: A 40-year-old Caucasian man came to our emergency department with abdominal pain of the left quadrant and abdominal distension for 2 days. His medical history included an untreated left inguinal hernia in the last year. Computed tomography revealed densification of mesocolon with left omentum "whirl" component and other signs of omental torsion. During an exploratory laparoscopy, a wide twist of his omentum with necrotic alterations that extended to the bilateral inguinal hernial content was observed. Omentectomy and surgical repair of bilateral inguinal hernia were performed. CONCLUSIONS: Torsion of the omentum is a rare entity and usually presents a diagnostic challenge. The use of abdominal computed tomography can help diagnosing torsion of the omentum preoperatively and, thus, prevents a surgical approach. Nonetheless, some cases of torsion of the omentum require surgical repair. Accordingly, a laparoscopic approach is minimally invasive and efficient in performing omentectomy.(undefined

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-ECOHIS)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oral disorders can have a negative impact on the functional, social and psychological wellbeing of young children and their families and cause pain/discomfort for the child. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) has emerged as an important health outcome in clinical trials and healthcare research. The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) is a proxy measure of children's OHRQoL designed to assess the negative impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the ECOHIS (B-ECOHIS).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This investigation was carried out in preliminary and field studies. The preliminary study comprised a cross-sectional study carried out in the city of Petropolis, Brazil. A sample of 150 children from two to five years of age was recruited at a public hospital. In the field study, an epidemiological survey was carried out in public and private preschools of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The B-ECOHIS was answered by 1643 parents/caregivers of five-year-old male and female preschool children. In both phases, oral examinations were performed by a single previously calibrated dentist. Reliability was determined through test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Validity was determined through convergent and discriminant validities. The correlation between the scores obtained on the child and family impact sections was assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the preliminary (P) and field (F) study, test-retest reliability correlation values were 0.98 and 0.99 for the child impact section and 0.97 and 0.99 for the family impact section, respectively. The B-ECOHIS demonstrated internal consistency: child impact section (P: α = 0.74; F: α = 0.80) and family impact section (P: α = 0.59; F: α = 0.76). The correlation between the scores obtained on the child and family impact sections was statistically significant (P: r_s= 0.54; F: r_s= 0.62; p ≤ 0.001). In both phases of the study, B-ECOHIS scores were significantly associated with the decayed, missing and filled teeth index, decayed teeth and discolored upper anterior teeth (p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The B-ECOHIS proved reliable and valid for assessing the negative impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children.</p

Efficacy of acupuncture and electroacupuncture in patients with nonspecific low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud Previous studies have shown that acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA) are effective in the treatment of patients with low back pain. However, there is little evidence to support the use of one intervention over the other. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of acupuncture and electroacupuncture in the treatment of pain and disability in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.\ud \ud \ud Methods/design\ud The study design is a randomized controlled trial. Patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain of more than three months duration are recruited at Rehabilitation Center of Taboao da Serra - SP (Brazil). After examination, sixty-six patients will be randomized into one of two groups: acupuncture group (AG) (n = 33) and electroacupuncture group (EG) (n = 33). Interventions will last one hour, and will happen twice a week for 6 weeks. The primary clinical outcomes will be pain intensity as measured and functional disability. Secondary outcomes: quality of pain, quality of life. perception of the overall effect, depressive state, flexibility and kinesiophobia. All the outcomes will be assessed will be assessed at baseline, at treatment end, and three months after treatment end. Significance level will be determined at the 5 % level. Results of this trial will help clarify the value of acupuncture and electroacupuncture as a treatment for chronic low back pain and if they are different.\ud \ud \ud Discussion\ud Results of this trial will help clarify the value of acupuncture needling and electroacupuncture stimulation of specific points on the body as a treatment for chronic low back pain.\ud \ud \ud Trial Registration\ud Clinicaltrials.gov: \ud NCT02039037\ud \ud . Register October 30, 2013.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-(CAPES