Hybrid UHF/UWB antenna for passive indoor identification and localization systems

WOS:000312996000040 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science)There is a growing interest for simultaneous identification and centimetre-resolution localization of multiple targets in indoor environments. A hybrid passive UHF/UWB RFID concept has been recently proposed that conciliates the potential from high resolution UWB impulse radio with the typical range from UHF-RFID identification systems. This paper proposes a new planar antenna for hybrid passive tag systems, which operates both in the UHF-RFID band and in the FCC UWB band. The co-designed UHF and UWB antenna elements are printed back-to-back on each side of a common substrate with appropriate topology for future integration with a single UHF-UWB RFID chip. Experimental tests have shown that both UHF-RFID and UWB performance of the hybrid antenna are comparable to available commercial solutions that work just on a single band. The antenna is adequate for low-cost mass production of hybrid passive tags. It aims at low-cost passive RFID systems combining the ability of item identification with precise tracking in indoor environments

Bond behavior between glulam and GFRP's by pullout tests

To evaluate the bond behavior between glulam and GFRP rods, applied according to the near-surface mounted strengthening technique, an experimental program composed of beam and direct pullout tests was carried. In this experimental program three main variables were analyzed: the GFRP type, the GFRP location into the groove, and the bond length. From the monitoring system it was registered the loaded and free end slips, and the pullout force. Based on these experimental results, and applying an analytical-numerical strategy, the local bond stress-slip relationship was calculated. In this work the tests are described, the obtained results are presented and discussed, and the applicability of the inverse analysis to obtain the local bond law is demonstrated.This work is supported by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and National Funds through FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project PTDC/ECM/74337/2006. The authors also like to thank all the companies that have been involved supporting and contributing for the development of this study, mainly: INEGI, S&P Clever Reinforcement Ibérica Lda., Portilame, MAPEI and Rothoblaas

Expression Of Vegf And Flk-1 And Flt-1 Receptors During Blood-brain Barrier (bbb) Impairment Following Phoneutria Nigriventer Spider Venom Exposure.

Apart from its angiogenic and vascular permeation activity, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been also reported as a potent neuronal protector. Newborn rats with low VEGF levels develop neuron degeneration, while high levels induce protective mechanisms in several neuropathological conditions. Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom (PNV) disrupts the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and causes neuroinflammation in central neurons along with excitotoxic signals in rats and humans. All these changes are transient. Herein, we examined the expression of VEGF and its receptors, Flt-1 and Flk-1 in the hippocampal neurons following envenomation by PNV. Adult and neonatal rats were evaluated at time limits of 2, 5 and 24 h. Additionally, BBB integrity was assessed by measuring the expression of occludin, β-catenin and laminin and neuron viability was evaluated by NeuN expression. VEGF, Flt-1 and Flk-1 levels increased in PNV-administered rats, concurrently with respective mRNAs. Flt-1 and Flk-1 immunolabeling was nuclear in neurons of hippocampal regions, instead of the VEGF membrane-bound typical location. These changes occurred simultaneously with the transient decreases in BBB-associated proteins and NeuN positivity. Adult rats showed more prominent expressional increases of the VEGF/Flt-1/Flk-1 system and earlier recovery of BBB-related proteins than neonates. We conclude that the reactive expressional changes seen here suggest that VEGF and receptors could have a role in the excitotoxic mechanism of PNV and that such role would be less efficient in neonate rats.52572-8

Macronutrients in production of Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub. seedlings in red yellow ultisol of the Zona da Mata, MG region

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de doses de macronutrientes sobre o crescimento e os \uedndices de qualidade de mudas de canaf\uedstula e determinar a dose recomendada dos mesmos para estabelecer um adequado programa de aduba\ue7\ue3o. No trabalho, conduzido em casa de vegeta\ue7\ue3o, utilizou-se amostras de Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo, retirado da camada abaixo de 20 cm de profundidade, como substrato. Delimitou-se o experimento por meio de matriz baconiana, avaliando-se tr\ueas doses dos seis macronutrientes (nitrog\ueanio, f\uf3sforo, pot\ue1ssio, c\ue1lcio, magn\ue9sio e enxofre) e dois tratamentos adicionais, um com doses de refer\ueancia e outro sem adi\ue7\ue3o de nutrientes. Adotou-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro repeti\ue7\uf5es. Foram analisados os par\ue2metros morfol\uf3gicos e os \uedndices de qualidade de mudas. Verificou-se, atrav\ue9s de an\ue1lise dos contrastes ortogonais, resposta significativa de todas as vari\ue1veis estudadas \ue0 aplica\ue7\ue3o dos macronutrientes, exceto para a rela\ue7\ue3o altura di\ue2metro (H/D) nos tratamentos com P, Ca e S. N\ue3o foi verificada resposta \ue0 aplica\ue7\ue3o de Ca para a maioria das caracter\uedsticas avaliadas, com exce\ue7\ue3o das rela\ue7\uf5es altura de parte a\ue9rea por peso de mat\ue9ria seca de parte a\ue9rea (H/MSPA) e peso de mat\ue9ria seca de parte a\ue9rea por peso de mat\ue9ria seca de raiz (MSPA/MSR). Recomenda-se a aplica\ue7\ue3o de 600 mg dm-3 de P, 150 mg dm-3 de K, 0,50 cmolc dm-3 de Mg e 50 mg dm-3 de S, e sugerem-se novos estudos com os nutrientes N e Ca, para a produ\ue7\ue3o de mudas de canaf\uedstula, usando a camada abaixo de 20 cm de profundidade de Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo como substrato.The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of macronutrients doses upon the growth and quality indices of Peltophorum dubium seedlings and to determine the recommended doses for them to establish a suitable fertilization program. In the paper, carried out in a greenhouse, samples of \u2018Red Yellow Ultisol\u2019 were used, removed from the layer below, 20 cm deep, as a substratum. The experiment was designed in a Baconian Matrix, and three doses of the six macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur) and two additional treatments were evaluated, one with reference doses and the other one without the addition of nutrients. The entirely casual design was adopted, with four repetitions. The morphologic parameters and quality indices of seedlings were analyzed. Through the orthogonal contrasts, a significant response of all the variables studied was verified related to the macronutrient applied, except for the relation height/diameter (H/D) in the treatments with Ca, P and S. It was not verified response to Ca application for most characteristics evaluated, unless for the relation of the aerial part height per aerial part dry weight (H/MSPA) and aerial part dry weight per root dry weight (MSPA/MSR). The recommended doses were of 600 mg dm-3 of P, 150 mg dm-3 of K, 0,50 cmolc dm-3 of Mg and 50 mg dm-3 of S. Based on this work, further studies are suggested with N and Ca, for seedlings production of the studied species using from the layer below 20 cm deep of the \u2018Red Yellow Ultisol\u2019 as the substratum

Response of Senna macranthera seedlings grown in Red Yellow Argisol to macronutrients

Senna macranthera tem grande ocorr\ueancia natural, com potencial uso na recupera\ue7\ue3o de \ue1reas degradadas. Entretanto, existe necessidade de informa\ue7\uf5es sobre a nutri\ue7\ue3o das esp\ue9cies florestais nativas. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de doses de N, P, K, Ca, Mg e S sobre o crescimento e \uedndices de qualidade de mudas de fedegoso e determinar a dose a ser recomendada para estes. No trabalho, conduzido em casa de vegeta\ue7\ue3o, utilizou-se amostras de Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo, retirado da camada abaixo de 20 cm de profundidade, como substrato. Delimitou-se o experimento por meio de matriz baconiana, avaliando-se tr\ueas doses dos seis macronutrientes e dois tratamentos adicionais, um com doses de refer\ueancia (aduba\ue7\ue3o usada como padr\ue3o para esp\ue9cies nativas) e outro sem adi\ue7\ue3o de nutrientes. Adotou-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro repeti\ue7\uf5es. Foram analisados os par\ue2metros morfol\uf3gicos e os \uedndices de qualidade de mudas. Verificou-se, por meio de an\ue1lise dos contrastes ortogonais, resposta significativa de todas as vari\ue1veis estudadas \ue0 aplica\ue7\ue3o dos macronutrientes. A esp\ue9cie mostrou-se mais exigente em P e K em compara\ue7\ue3o aos demais macronutrientes, sendo recomendada dose de 600 mg dm-3 de P e 200 mg dm-3de K. Recomendam-se estudos adicionais com os nutrientes N, Ca, Mg e S, com doses inferiores \ue0s menores doses testadas, tendo em vista que, segundo dados deste estudo, as melhores doses desses nutrientes se encontram entre os teores originais do solo usado como substrato e as menores doses aplicadas.Senna macranthera has great natural occurrence, with potential use in the recovery of degraded areas. However, there is need for information on the nutrition of native forest species. In that sense, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of doses of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S on growth and quality indices of seedlings of Senna macranthera and to determine their recommended doses. This study was carried out in a greenhouse, using a Red Yellow Argisol, removed from the layer below 20 cm depth, as substratum. The experiment was designed in a Baconian Matrix, and three doses of the six macronutrients and two additional treatments were evaluated, one with reference doses (fertilizer used by default for native species) and the other one without the addition of nutrients. An entirely casualized design was adopted, with four repetitions. The morphologic parameters and quality indices of seedlings were analyzed. Through orthogonal contrasts, a significant response of all the variables studied was verified in relation to the macronutrients applied. The species was most demanding of P and K in comparison to the other macronutrients, and the recommended doses were of 600 mg dm-3 of P and 200 mg dm-3 of K. It is recommended that further studies with lower doses of the nutrients N, Ca, Mg and S be carried out, since, according to this study, the best doses for these nutrients were found for the original soil used as substrate and the lowest dose of the applied treatment

Phenolic bioactives as antiplatelet aggregation factors: the pivotal ingredients in maintaining cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the main causes of mortality in the world. The development of these diseases has a specific factor—alteration in blood platelet activation. It has been shown that phenolic compounds have antiplatelet aggregation abilities and a positive impact in the management of CVD, exerting prominent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, cardioprotective, antihyperglycemic, and antimicrobial effects. Thus, this review is intended to address the antiplatelet activity of phenolic compounds with special emphasis in preventing CVD, along with the mechanisms of action through which they are able to prevent and treat CVD. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown beneficial effects of phenolic compound-rich plant extracts and isolated compounds against CVD, despite that the scientific literature available on the antiplatelet aggregation ability of phenolic compounds in vivo is scarce. Thus, despite the current advances, further studies are needed to confirm the cardioprotective potential of phenolic compounds towards their use alone or in combination with conventional drugs for effective therapeutic interventions.N.C.-M. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Horizon 2020 Program (PTDC/PSI-GER/28076/2017).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evolutionary and Experimental Assessment of Novel Markers for Detection of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria in Plant Samples

BACKGROUND: Bacterial spot-causing xanthomonads (BSX) are quarantine phytopathogenic bacteria responsible for heavy losses in tomato and pepper production. Despite the research on improved plant spraying methods and resistant cultivars, the use of healthy plant material is still considered as the most effective bacterial spot control measure. Therefore, rapid and efficient detection methods are crucial for an early detection of these phytopathogens. METHODOLOGY: In this work, we selected and validated novel DNA markers for reliable detection of the BSX Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xeu). Xeu-specific DNA regions were selected using two online applications, CUPID and Insignia. Furthermore, to facilitate the selection of putative DNA markers, a customized C program was designed to retrieve the regions outputted by both databases. The in silico validation was further extended in order to provide an insight on the origin of these Xeu-specific regions by assessing chromosomal location, GC content, codon usage and synteny analyses. Primer-pairs were designed for amplification of those regions and the PCR validation assays showed that most primers allowed for positive amplification with different Xeu strains. The obtained amplicons were labeled and used as probes in dot blot assays, which allowed testing the probes against a collection of 12 non-BSX Xanthomonas and 23 other phytopathogenic bacteria. These assays confirmed the specificity of the selected DNA markers. Finally, we designed and tested a duplex PCR assay and an inverted dot blot platform for culture-independent detection of Xeu in infected plants. SIGNIFICANCE: This study details a selection strategy able to provide a large number of Xeu-specific DNA markers. As demonstrated, the selected markers can detect Xeu in infected plants both by PCR and by hybridization-based assays coupled with automatic data analysis. Furthermore, this work is a contribution to implement more efficient DNA-based methods of bacterial diagnostics

Standardization of in vitro digestibility and DIAAS method based on the static INFOGEST protocol

Background: The FAO recommends the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) as the measure for protein quality, for which the true ileal digestibility needs to be assessed in humans or pigs. However, due to high costs and ethical concerns, the FAO strongly encourages as well the development of validated in vitro methods, which complement the in vivo experiments. Method: Recently, an in vitro workflow, based on the validated static INFOGEST protocol, was developed and compared towards in vivo data. In parallel to the validation with in vivo data, the repeatability and reproducibility of the in vitro protocol were tested in an international ring trial (RT) with the aim to establish an international ISO standard method within the International Dairy Federation (IDF). Five different dairy products (skim milk powder, whole milk powder, whey protein isolate, yoghurt, and cheese) were analyzed in 32 different laboratories from 18 different countries, across 4 continents. Results: in vitro protein digestibilities based on Nitrogen, free R-NH2, and total amino acids as well as DIAAS values were calculated and compared to in vivo data, where available. Conclusion: The in vitro method is suited for quantification of digestibility and will be further implemented to other food matricesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fundamental social motives measured across forty-two cultures in two waves

How does psychology vary across human societies? The fundamental social motives framework adopts an evolutionary approach to capture the broad range of human social goals within a taxonomy of ancestrally recurring threats and opportunities. These motives—self-protection, disease avoidance, affiliation, status, mate acquisition, mate retention, and kin care—are high in fitness relevance and everyday salience, yet understudied cross-culturally. Here, we gathered data on these motives in 42 countries (N = 15,915) in two cross-sectional waves, including 19 countries (N = 10,907) for which datawere gathered in both waves. Wave 1 was collected from mid-2016 through late 2019 (32 countries, N = 8,998; 3,302 male, 5,585 female; Mage = 24.43, SD = 7.91). Wave 2 was collected from April through November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic (29 countries, N = 6,917; 2,249 male, 4,218 female; Mage = 28.59, SD = 11.31). These data can be used to assess differences and similarities in people’s fundamental social motives both across and within cultures, at different time points, and in relation to other commonly studied cultural indicators and outcomes