Integrated structure and control design for mechatronic systems with configuration-dependent dynamics

This paper considers the optimal design of mechatronic systems with configuration-dependent dynamics. An optimal mechatronic design requires that, among the structural and control parameters, an optimal choice has to be made with respect to design specifications in the different domains. Two main challenges are treated in this paper: the non-convex nature of the optimization problem and the difficulty in modeling serial machines with flexible components and their embedded controllers. The optimization problem is treated using the direct design strategy which considers simultaneously structural and control parameters as variables and adopts non-convex optimization algorithms. Linear time-invariant and gain-scheduling PID controllers are addressed. This methodology is exploited for the multi-objective optimization of a pick-and-place assembly robot with a gripper carried by a variable-length flexible beam. The resulting design tradeoffs between system accuracy and control efforts demonstrate the advantage of an integrated design approach for mechatronic systems with configuration-dependent dynamics. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

A SIMPLIFIED MODEL FOR EVALUATING TIRE WEAR DURING CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

In the field of vehicle dynamics, commercial software can aid the designer during the conceptual and detailed design phases. Simulations using these tools can quickly provide specific design metrics, such as yaw and lateral velocity, for standard maneuvers. However, it remains challenging to correlate these metrics with empirical quantities that depend on many external parameters and design specifications. This scenario is the case with tire wear, which depends on the frictional work developed by the tire-road contact. In this study, an approach is proposed to estimate the tire-road friction during steady-state longitudinal and cornering maneuvers. Using this approach, a qualitative formula for tire wear evaluation is developed, and conceptual design analyses of cornering maneuvers are performed using simplified vehicle models. The influence of some design parameters such as cornering stiffness, the distance between the axles, and the steer angle ratio between the steering axles for vehicles with two steering axles is evaluated. The proposed methodology allows the designer to predict tire wear using simplified vehicle models during the conceptual design phase

Interações entre regulação sanitária e Avaliação de Tecnologias em Saúde para cobertura em sistemas de saúde e a integralidade do cuidado

This study analyzes the interactions between regulatory and health technology assessment (HTA) processes aimed at health systems coverage. A review was carried out in five databases to identify experiences of articulation between regulatory processes and HTA processes, and 19 publications were selected. Regarding the type of process, early dialogue, scientific advice and parallel advice stood out as forms of interaction between HTA and regulation. The studies addressed the interaction between HTA and health regulation for medicines coverage policies in health systems, with scant evidence in relation to other products. Furthermore, this interaction is basically described according to the entry of new technologies into health systems. The interaction between HTA and health regulation resulted in reduced deadlines for the commercialization and incorporation of the technology into health systems. The types of interaction processes identified can benefit the entire health system, increasing coverage and comprehensiveness of care. However, despite advances, some barriers to interaction between regulatory agencies and the management of coverage systems still persist.Este estudo analisa as interações entre os processos regulatórios e de avaliação de tecnologias de saúde (ATS) voltados para a cobertura dos sistemas de saúde. Foi realizada revisão em cinco bases de dados visando identificar experiências de articulação entre processos regulatórios e processos de ATS, sendo incluídas 19 publicações. Quanto ao tipo de processo, destacaram-se o early dialogue, scientific advice e parallel advice como forma de interação entre ATS e regulação. Os estudos abordaram a interação entre a ATS e a regulação sanitária para as políticas de cobertura de medicamentos em sistemas de saúde, sendo escassas as evidências em relação a outros produtos. Ademais, essa interação é descrita basicamente para o que se refere à entrada de novas tecnologias nos sistemas de saúde. A interação entre ATS e regulação sanitária resultou na redução de prazos para a comercialização e incorporação da tecnologia nos sistemas de saúde. Os tipos de processo de interação identificados podem apresentar benefícios para todo o sistema de saúde, aumentando a cobertura e a integralidade do cuidado, entretanto, apesar dos avanços, ainda persistem barreiras para a interação entre agências reguladoras e a gestão de sistemas de cobertura

Comparison of daylighting simulation workflows and results using plugins for BIM and 3D Modeling programs: application on early phases of design process

The present paper investigated the application of the daylighting analysis features of the Insight BIM plugin, comparatively to DIVA, a plugin for a 3D Nurbs modeling software. Considering the early phases of the design process, workflows, simulation results and processing times were analyzed, focusing on the prediction of static (illuminance level) and dynamic (sDA300,50%) metrics. Simulations on both tools were performed in the context of analyzing the daylight behavior in a deep office room model, with and without light shelves. Results indicate that Insight has limitations compared to DIVA, especially concerning input data configuration flexibility. Simulation results presented significant similarity between Insight and DIVA in most cases, being the direct sun case the one in which illuminance levels differed the most. Insight presented longer processing time for the static metric and similar average time for the dynamic metric. Work findings indicate that Insight has important potential to contribute to daylighting analysis on early phases of design process, and points out to barriers to its adoption and correct use. Authors expect this paper to benefit architects, engineers and students on the comprehension of both tools

Evaluation of Electrocardiographic Parameters, Thoracic Morphometry and Vertebral Heart Size in Clinically Normal Dogs

Background: The Vertebral Heart Size (VHS) method sets standards for the evaluation of dog’s heart size from the comparison of the cardiac dimension with the length of the thoracic vertebrae through radiographic study. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is widely used in veterinary medicine for the evaluation of electrical conduction system of the heart; however, the increase of duration and amplitude of the ECG waves can suggest the increase of cardiac chambers in dogs. The scientific literature presents electrocardiographic and VHS values for dogs of different breeds and sizes; however, there is little information on the correlation of these parameters. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the amplitude and duration of ECG waves, thoracic morphometry and VHS values, in order to correlate these parameters in clinically normal dogs.Materials, Methods & Results: Twenty healthy dogs (11 females and 9 males), without breed distinction, medium sized (14.46 ± 2.92 kg) and aged between 1 and 8 years, were evaluated through physical examination, digital ECG (frontal and precordial leads) and thorax X-ray in right lateral (RL), left lateral (LL) and ventrodorsal (VD) projections. Thoracic morphometry and VHS measurements were determined as previously described. Clinical and ECG parameters were compatible with the references in all dogs evaluated. Dogs (75%) presented thorax intermediate with the depth and width ratio (D/W ratio) > 1.0. Some individual VHS values were higher than the references and the mean VHS values in VD projection was higher than in RL and LL projections (n = 20; P < 0.05). Female and male dogs did not differ among the evaluated parameters. A positive correlation was observed between thoracic morphometry and body weight (r ≥ +0.70; P < 0.001) and a negative correlation was found between the D/W ratio and VD VHS (r = -0.62; P < 0.05). No significant correlations were observed between the age, ECG parameters, thoracic morphometry and VHS measurements.Discussion: The majority of dogs presented intermediate thorax, a common characteristic for healthy dogs of different breeds. Some dogs had higher VHS values in different projections, when compared to references. The same has been reported by others authors for diferent breeds. However, there is no consensus about VHS values for all sexes, breeds and physical conformations in dogs. In agreement with other authors, the mean value of VD VHS was higher in relation to RL and LL VHS; however, RL and LL VHS did not differ. Positive and significative correlations were observed between body weight and thorax depth, and between body weight and thorax width, confirming that larger dogs had greater thoracic measurements. The thorax type could influence the VHS, when this parameter is determined by VD projection, because was observed a negative and significative correlation between the D/W ratio and VD VHS. So, the dogs with a deeper thorax may have lower VHS values. The correlation between VHS measurements and duration and amplitude of the ECG waves was weak, possibly because the dogs evaluated had no clinical and radiographic signs of cardiomegaly. The results of this work indicated that dogs of medium size, without signs of cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, may have higher values for VHS; besides that, thoracic morphometry may alter VHS measurement obtained from the VD projection. In addition, ECG parameters were not influenced by thoracic morphometry and had no correlation with VHS measurements

Loudness scattering due to vibro-acoustic model variability

The use of numerical simulation in the design and evaluation of products performance is ever increasing. To a greater extent, such estimates are needed in a early design stage, when physical prototypes are not available. When dealing with vibro-acoustic models, known to be computationally expensive, a question remains, which is related to the accuracy of such models in view of the well-know variability inherent to the mass manufacturing production techniques. In addition, both academia and industry have recently realized the importance of actually listening to a products sound, either by measurements or by virtual sound synthesis, in order to assess its performance. In this work, the scatter of significant parameter variations on a simplified vehicle vibro-acoustic model is calculated on loudness metrics using Monte Carlo analysis. The mapping from the system parameters to sound quality metric is performed by a fully-coupled vibro-acoustic finite element model. Different loudness metrics are used, including overall sound pressure level expressed in dB and Specific Loudness in Sones. Sound quality equivalent sources are used to excite this model and the sound pressure level at the driver's head position is acquired to be evaluated according to sound quality metrics. No significant variation has been perceived when evaluating the system using regular sound pressure level expressed in in dB and dB(A). This happens because of the third-octave filters that averages the results under some frequency bands. On the other hand, Zwicker Loudness presents important variations, arguably, due to the masking effects

Histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analysis of infectious agents, T-cell subpopulations and inflammatory adhesion molecules in placentas from HIV-seropositive pregnant women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to compare histomorphometric changes and the results of immunohistochemical tests for VCAM, ICAM-1, CD4 and CD8 in normal placentas from HIV-seropositive pregnant women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Samples of normal placentas were divided into 2 groups: healthy HIV-seronegative pregnant women (control group = C = 60) and HIV-seropositive women (experimental group = E = 57). Conventional histological sections were submitted to morphometric analysis and evaluated in terms of the immunohistochemical expression of ICAM-1, VCAM, CD4 and CD8.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The villi in group E were smaller than those in group C. The median for the CD8+ T cell count was higher in group E than in group C (p = 0.03). Immunohistochemical expression of ICAM-1 was observed in 57% of the cases in group E, compared with 21% of those in group C (p = 0.001). There was no difference in VCAM expression or CD4+ cell counts between groups and no correlation between the data for antiretroviral therapy and morphometric or immunohistochemical data.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The morphometric data showed that placentas of HIV-seropositive pregnant women tend to have smaller villi than those of seronegative women. In addition, immunohistochemical testing for infectious agents helped to identify cases that were positive for microorganisms (6/112) that routine pathological examination had failed to detect. The anti-p24 antibody had a limited ability to detect HIV viral protein in this study (2/57). Correlation of immunohistochemical expression of CD8+ T cells and ICAM-1 with the presence of HIV in the placenta revealed that those expressions can act as biomarkers of inflammatory changes. There was no correlation between the data for antiretroviral therapy and morphometric or immunohistochemical data.</p

IDENTIFICAÇÃO DE PROCESSOS EROSIVOS ATRAVÉS DE MODELOS HIDROLÓGICOS E IMAGENS AÉREAS DE ALTA RESOLUÇÃO

Erosion is a critical environmental problem worldwide. Erosive processes occur naturally, but they can be accelerated and aggravated by non-conservative land use practices, such as the removal of native vegetation, which has a containment relationship with soil conservation. The use of remote sensing products and digital image geoprocessing techniques have been shown to be increasingly effective in surveying areas where erosive processes occur. The present study aims to use a drainage network preparation routine by means of Geographic Information Systems in an area containing erosive processes to assess their viability in the study of these environmental impacts, assisting in the choice of mitigating measures. The processing of the images took place in two stages, the first being the making of the Digital Elevation Model - DEM which followed as a basis the routine executed in the Agisoft Metashape software. The second stage consisted of preparing the drainage network for the study area, using the Spatial Analyst tools contained in the ArcGis software. The use of hydrology tools in the processing of DEM evidenced the area's erosive processes, classifying them as a drainage network and the overlapping of the level curves allowed to observe the direction of evolution of these impacts. The combination of these analyzes favored an individual analysis of each erosive process, thus facilitating the planning of specific mitigating measures.A pesquisa utilizou uma rotina de confecção de rede de drenagem por meio de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas para detecção e dimensionamento de erosões lineares em área de pastagem degradada, a partir de imagens derivadas de um drone. Numa área de pastagem de 77 hectares, situada em Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso, no bioma Cerrado, a partir de missões com RPA foi possível a captura de 478 imagens aéreas com alta resolução espacial (2cm por pixel), que foram processadas para a geração de um ortomosaico de fotografias aéreas, e confecção do Modelo Digital de Elevação - MDE. Na sequência, por meio do MDE houve a extração da rede de drenagem, incluindo a formação de ravinas no terreno, que, quando confrontado com a inspeção do mosaico, permitiu a identificação de processos erosivos lineares. Foram identificados 7 processos erosivos, que possuíam área média de 1.473 m2. O uso das ferramentas de hidrologia no processamento do MDE evidenciou os processos erosivos da área, classificando-os como rede de drenagem e a sobreposição das curvas de nível permitiu observar a direção de evolução desses impactos. A junção dessas análises favoreceu uma análise individual de cada processo erosivo, facilitando assim o planejamento particularizado de medidas e intervenção individualizada. Palavras-chave: perda de solo; rede de drenagem; geoprocessamento; drone.   Identification of erosion processes through hydrological models and high resolution aerial images   ABSTRACT: The research used a routine of making a drainage network through Geographic Information Systems for detection and dimensioning of linear erosions in a degraded pasture area, from images derived from a drone. In a pasture area of ​​77 hectares, located in Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso, in the Cerrado biome, from RPA missions it was possible to capture 478 aerial images with high spatial resolution (2cm per pixel), which were processed to generate an orthomosaic of aerial photographs, and creation of the Digital Elevation Model - MDE. Subsequently, through the MDE, the drainage network was extracted, including the formation of ravines on the ground, which, when confronted with the inspection of the mosaic, allowed the identification of linear erosive processes. Seven erosive processes were identified, which had an average area of ​​1,473 m2. The use of hydrology tools in the MDE processing evidenced the erosive processes in the area, classifying them as a drainage network and the superposition of the contour lines made it possible to observe the direction of evolution of these impacts. The combination of these analyzes favored an individual analysis of each erosive process, thus facilitating the individualized planning of measures and individualized intervention. Keywords: soil loss; drainage network; geoprocessing; drone

Avaliação do risco de suicídio entre alunos no início, meio e fim do curso de medicina de uma universidade no Rio de Janeiro

Objetivo: Avaliar o risco de suicídio e a existência de comportamento suicida entre acadêmicos nos estágios inicial, intermediário e final do curso de Medicina de uma universidade particular e analisar os fatores de risco possivelmente associados à ideação suicida nessa população. Materiais e métodos: Foram analisados, em estudo transversal, 376 estudantes. Todos os participantes responderam questionário autopreenchível, por meio da plataforma eletrônica Google Forms, composto por 3 seções: perguntas sobre questões pessoais, perguntas do Questionário de Comportamento Suicida Revisado (Suicide Behavior Questionnaire Revised: SBQ-R) e do Inventário de Ideação Suicida Positiva e Negativa (Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation: PANSI). Resultados: 34% dos alunos eram do 1º ano, outros 34% do 3º ano e 32%, do 6º ano. 71,8% da população do estudo é composta pelo sexo feminino e 39,6% possui idade entre 21 e 24 anos. Na classificação de risco de suicídio segundo o PANSI, 31,7% dos estudantes apresentaram médio risco e 5,3%, alto risco. Na análise por etapa do curso, o 3º ano apresentou-se com maior porcentagem em alto risco (70,0%). De acordo com o SBQ-R, 37,2% dos estudantes da população total apresentaram comportamento suicida. Dentre as variáveis analisadas, orientação sexual, história de bullying na infância, conflito com responsáveis, história familiar de transtorno mental, uso de drogas ilícitas, história de violência sexual e ansiedade autorreferida foram consideradas como fatores de risco para suicídio na população total e na subanálise feita por ano de faculdade. Conclusão: A população do estudo apresenta aumento das taxas de ideação e comportamento suicida em relação a população geral. Assim, é necessária a implantação de medidas dentro das universidades para promover a saúde mental e diminuir aspectos estressantes sobre os acadêmicos.Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the risk of suicide and the existence of suicidal behavior among academics in the early, intermediate and final stages of a private medical school, and also to analyze risk factors possibly associated with suicidal ideation in this population. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 376 medical students. All the participants answered a self-fillable questionnaire through the electronic platform Google Forms composed of 3 sections: questions about personal issues; questions of the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire Revised (SBQ-R); and of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation (PANSI) Inventory. Results: 34% of the students were in the 1st year of graduation, 34% in the 3rd year, and 32%, in the 6th year. 71.8% of the population is female and 39.6% are between 21 and 24 years old. In the suicide risk classification according to PANSI, 31.7% of the students were in the medium risk group and 5.3% in high risk group. In the analysis per year, the 3rd year showed a greater percentage of high risk (70.0%). According to the SBQ-R classification of suicide risk, 37.2% of students out of the total population revealed suicidal behavior. Among the analyzed variables, sexual orientation, history of childhood bullying, domestic conflict, presence of mental disorders in family, use of illicit drugs, history of sexual violence and self-reported anxiety were considered as risk factors for suicide. The highlighted results revealed the same pattern when analyzed per year of college. Conclusion: The survey population has increased rates of suicidal negative ideation and behavior compared to the general population. Therefore, it is necessary to implement programs in colleges to promote a greater state of well-being and reduce stressful aspects in academics