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O estresse é um fator que influencia a qualidade de vida das pessoas e que, em sua condição crônica, acarreta diversas desordens físicas e emocionais nos indivíduos de diferentes faixas etárias. Algumas pesquisas têm apontado evidências de índices de estresse nos ambientes de ensino e as suas consequências para a comunidade educacional. Determinadas práticas respiratórias do yoga têm sido reportadas na literatura evidenciando seus desencadeamentos fisiológicos no controle do estresse, contribuindo para uma melhor qualidade de vida. Com a presente pesquisa buscou-se avaliar o potencial da inserção da prática de exercícios respiratórios do yoga como recurso educacional nos ambientes de ensino da Educação Profissional e Tecnológica (EPT) a fim de contribuir para uma melhoria da qualidade de vida. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um guia contendo uma sequência didática para uma prática respiratória, chamada Respiração Completa do Yoga, com controle dos tempos inspiratório e expiratório, a qual foi aplicada e avaliada pela comunidade educacional do Instituto Federal Fluminense. Os resultados mostraram-se positivos pela comunidade, concordantes com o potencial do guia didático como recurso viável de inserção aos ambientes de ensino da EPT.

O presente artigo tem como tema o papel dos Institutos Federais (IF) de Educação na formação profissional para o mundo do trabalho. Seu objetivo é compreender esse papel, bem como a importância que os IF exercem na sociedade. A realização de pesquisas bibliográficas e documentais possibilitam um resgate histórico da trajetória da educação profissional no Brasil, relacionando-a com diferentes contextos, bem como com os projetos de sociedade dominantes em cada época. A instituição da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica, criando os Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia, em 2008, bem como a descrição dos objetivos e pilares que estruturam suas ações também são apresentadas neste trabalho. A análise dos resultados indica que a expansão da indústria 4.0 e as transformações vivenciadas no período pandêmico conferem aos IF relevância ainda maior no que tange à formação profissional integral, humana e emancipatória que contribuirá para a ressignificação do mundo do trabalho, das relações que nele se estabelecem e da sociedade como um todo.

Drug release from viscoelastic polymeric matrices is a complex phenomenon where the main actors are the fluid, the polymeric structure and the drug. As the fluid enters into the polymer, the polymeric chains relax inducing a resistance to the fluid entrance. In contact with the fluid, a dissolution processes takes place and the dissolved drug diffuses through the medium. Our main goal in this paper is to propose a stable finite difference method that leads to supraconvergent approximations for the fluid, solid and dissolved drug concentrations. The analysis proposed is non-standard in the sense that the error estimates have an important role in the stability analysis.

Whey is a costly and environmentally harmful co-product. Coming from the activities of dairy industries, especially cheese production, whey cannot be discarded directly into the environment because it has a high content of organic matter, which can become an environmental and economic problem, since its treatment for subsequent disposal is time consuming and laborious. In recent decades, however, much research has been developed in search of viable alternatives for the use of whey, instead of just discarding it. One alternative to this is the valorization of whey. The valorization of whey is, therefore, of great interest for economic-environmental reasons and is essential to meet the requirements of Agenda 2030, especially with regard to ODS 6, 9 and 12 (Drinking Water and Sanitation; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Responsible Consumption and Production, respectively). This article sought to present a characterization of the production of whey, through a literature review using bibliometric techniques, in order to highlight some alternatives for the reuse and valorization of whey in the industry and its relationship with the environment and the environmental impacts correlated to the disposal and improper handling. Pointing out industrial sectors that can insert whey in production with a view to sustainability and reduction of environmental impacts. With the review of the selected articles to compose this work, it was possible to identify that the valorization of whey is an excellent alternative that should be implemented in industries and that provides gains in both economic and environmental issues.

Considerado o método de reaproveitamento mais aplicável para a fração orgânica de Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos (RSU), a compostagem – conversão biológica – atrai principalmente pelo baixo custo, portanto, o presente artigo discorre sobre a legislação referente aos resíduos sólidos no Brasil e os diferentes métodos de compostagem. O objetivo foi analisar os métodos de compostagem orgânica de baixo custo em zonas rurais como ferramenta de gestão de resíduos orgânicos para a geração de um composto orgânico estável e de qualidade para ser utilizado na agricultura. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura utilizando-se de estratégia bibliométrica no portal de Periódicos Capes, por meio de palavras-chave relacionadas ao tema. Constatou-se que, de fato, o método denominado aeração forçada se adapta melhor às possibilidades, tendo uma melhor decomposição de resíduos orgânico por meio da potencialização da ação de microorganismos ao longo do processo e recomenda-se que a propriedade rural identifique o melhor meio de utilizar e preservar, potencializando não só o desenvolvimento sustentável, como também o aumento da produtividade na propriedade.

In this article, a three-dimensional finite element model is used to predict the growth of cracks at the weld toe of a T-joint. The model is developed using the MSC Marc software. Fatigue life is estimated by integrating the Paris-Erdogan law and the stress intensity factors are obtained by the virtual crack closure technique. The influence of residual stresses generated by plastic deformation at the weld toe on the crack propagation speed is analyzed. The existence of residual compression stress fields causes a delay in crack growth. The obtained results are compared with the integration solutions of the Paris-Erdogan law using the stress intensity factor computed through the Mk factor proposed by Bowness and Lee, included in BS 7910 standard.

In this paper, a system of partial differential equations, that can be used to describe the drug release from a biodegradable viscoelastic polymeric platform, is studied from an analytical and numerical point of view. The system is defined in a moving boundary domain and its stability is analysed. From numerical point of view, a numerical method is proposed and its convergence properties are established. In the context of the drug release from biodegradable polymeric platforms, the qualitative behaviour of the differential system is numerically illustrated.

Conflicts stemming from the dispute over natural resources have become increasingly more frequent. Extreme weather events have intensified and have equally become more frequent owing to global warming. Although the consequences of such phenomena have repercussions on public safety, the processes of analysis incorporating the environmental dimension in this context have not been fully understood. This paper assessed how systems of environmental protection interconnect with those of crime prevention, forming the environmental safety system. It is an exploratory-descriptive research carried out through questionnaires evaluated by State environmental control agencies, exploring eight major domains: their origins; their staff, distribution and organization; logistics and operational structures; the use of geotechnologies; integration; operational results; regional analysis; and the general analysis of military environmental police. The last section, in conclusion, reviews the main lessons learned and proposes future lines of research that can be developed based on this topic. It highlights that the military environmental police should be the most significant agent of nature protection in the country. It reveals the existence of weaknesses and opportunities for improvement to be implemented.

In this paper we study a system of partial differential equations that couple nonfickian diffusion of one of two species with the fickian diffusion of a chemical or biological agent. This system can be used to describe the evolution a population (biological species, cells) that switch between two phenotypes: migratory and proliferative. This switching process is very common in certain types of cancer or even viral diseases. It is assumed that the population/cell migration occurs in a viscoelastic extracellular matrix (ECM). This has an important role in the transport inducing to a nonfickian motion. A chemical agent, which can represent, for instance, a treatment drug in a cancer disease scenario, acts on the population according to Michaelis-Menten or linear reactions, eliminating individuals from the population. Under suitable regularity conditions we establish upper bounds for an energy functional, with respect to the L2 norm, leading to the stability of the model. Agent administration protocols based on stronger assumptions on the agent/population kinetics are also proposed with the purpose of controlling the total amount of individuals of the population. These protocols are based on suitable estimates for the total mass of individuals in the system after a certain number of agent administration sessions. A numerical method based on finite differences and finite elements is introduced and its stability properties are analysed. The qualitative behaviour of the solutions of the system is explored and discussed. Several protocols are defined within the context of chemotherapy in brain tumours and their effectiveness is numerically studied considering Michaelis-Menten or linear chemical effects.

The poor outcome of treatments for fungal infections is a consequence of the increasing incidence of resistance to antifungal agents, mainly due to the overexpression of efflux pumps. To surpass this mechanism of resistance, a substance able to inhibit these pumps could be administered in association with antifungals.

In this paper we consider the coupling between two quasilinear diffusion equations: the diffusion coefficient of the first equation depends on its solution and the diffusion and convective coefficients of the second equation depend on the solution of the first one. This system can be used to describe the drug evolution in a target tissue when the drug transport is enhanced by heat. We study, from an analytical and a numerical viewpoints, the coupling of the heat equation with the drug diffusion equation. A fully discrete piecewise linear finite method is proposed to solve this system and its stability is studied. Assuming that the heat and the concentration are in H 3 we prove that the method is second order convergent. Numerical experiments illustrating the theoretical results and the global qualitative behaviour of the coupling are also included.

The skin is the largest organ of the human body, offering an accessible interface for the administration of drugs. The main obstacle to transdermal drug delivery is the skin's barrier properties, d...

Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) are a constant target of anthropogenic pressures, so their delimitation and characterization are important information for decision-making, as regards measures to protect or recover these environmentally sensitive areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the PPAs of water bodies and what are the types of conflicts in the use and occupation of the urban land of these areas in the city of Rio das Ostras (Brazil), as well as the resolutions that have been made by the environmental control agencies, considering the effectiveness of interventions. The research is based on exploratory-descriptive methods with review of the literature in the environmental area, focusing on water bodies PPAs. In this sense, we sought a universe of study with the most relevant publications, based on the bibliometric study model. It is possible to conclude that PPAs are essential for the maintenance of the ecological function of the environment, but that in conflict with the use and occupation of the soil, end up being ineffective in protecting the environment.

BACKGROUND: Validated tests for the quality of movement patterns are important to help teachers to assess and induce positive performance changes. However, few tests are available for handball sport skills. AIM: Therefore, we developed and validated a checklist to assess dribbling with a jumping throw. METHOD: First, three handball experts were invited to verify if the checklist which contained all the components that describe the skills, and the logical validity process. Then, fifty participants, aged 8 -12 years old, performed the skill of dribbling with a horizontal jumping throw, fifteen of them were re-tested one week apart. Two raters were also selected to conduct an intra- and inter-rater objectivity assessment. McNemar tests were used to compare the proportion of proficient and non-proficient performance between raters. Cohen’s k tests were used to test the intra and inter-rater objectivity. The intra-class correlation coefficient was used to estimated reliability (test-retest). RESULTS: The results confirmed that the checklist contained the necessary criteria to characterize the skill and to discriminate children with different proficiency levels. Moderate-to-high inter-and intra-rater agreements were found. Children's performance pre and post-test were highly reliable. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the proposed checklist can reliably analyze the movement pattern of the dribbling with horizontal jumping throw – which can be highly useful for teachers and sports coaches. ispartof: Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior vol:15 issue:3 pages:195-206 status: published

Euroresinas produces different types of resin-impregnated paper at their factories. After the paper goes through the resin bath, it undergoes a drying process which is a fundamental step in the process. Although the temperature is controlled by a heating system, the actual values inside the chain of dryers are only measured at a few points away from where the paper is. The company would like to be able to model the temperature profile inside the dryers to better understand problems such as dusting and sticking, as well as the optimization of different variables related to bathing and drying times and energy consumption.

The poor outcome of treatments for fungal infections is a consequence of the increasing incidence of resistance to antifungal agents, mainly due to the overexpression of efflux pumps. To surpass this mechanism of resistance, a substance able to inhibit these pumps could be administered in association with antifungals. Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses an efflux pump (Pdr5p) homologue to those found in pathogenic yeast. Digoxin is a natural product that inhibits Na+, K+-ATPase. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether digoxin and its derivatives (i.e., DGB, digoxin benzylidene) can inhibit Pdr5p, reversing the resistance to fluconazole in yeasts. An S. cerevisiae mutant strain that overexpresses Pdr5p was used in the assays. The effects of the compounds on yeast growth, efflux activity, and Pdr5p ATPase activity were measured. All derivatives enhanced the antifungal activity of fluconazole against S. cerevisiae, in comparison to fluconazole alone, with FICI values ranging from 0.031 to 0.500. DGB 1 and DGB 3 presented combined effects with fluconazole against a Candida albicans strain, with fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) values of 0.625 and 0.281, respectively The compounds also inhibited the efflux of rhodamine 6G and Pdr5p ATPase activity, with IC50 values ranging from 0.41 μM to 3.72 μM. The results suggest that digoxin derivatives impair Pdr5p activity. Considering the homology between Pdr5p and efflux pumps from pathogenic fungi, these compounds are potential candidates to be used in association with fluconazole to treat resistant fungal infections.

Na,K-ATPase (NKA) and cardiotonic steroids (CTS) have shown potent cytotoxic and anticancer effects. Here, we have synthesized a series of CTS digoxin derivatives (γ-benzylidene) with substitutions in the lactone ring and evaluated the cytotoxicity caused by digoxin derivatives in tumor and non-tumor cells lines, as well as their effects on NKA. The cytotoxicity assay was determined in HeLa, A549, and WI-26 VA4 after they were treated for 48 h with increased concentrations of CTS. The effects of CTS on NKA activity and immunoblotting of α1 and β1 isoforms were evaluated at IC

Bauxite residue (BR), a by-product of alumina and aluminum production, consists of high aluminum, silica, and iron content, and sodium from the bauxite ore digestion during the Bayer process. This waste is still being disposal into the lakes of mud, causing some environmental problems. So, the search for its application has gained interest. Studies reported in literature point out that one of the most promising applications is in association with Portland cement, which can also help to reduce the environmental impact caused by the CO2-emissions in its production. In this work, a combined evaluation of oscillatory rheometry and isothermal calorimetry was performed for the monitoring of the hardening stage of Portland cement (PC) compositions blended with BR generated in different sites in Brazil. The time-sweep test was applied to obtain the consistency gain of suspensions over-time, allowing us to understand the physical parameters of consolidation, while the changes in the hydration reaction showed considerable differences in the chemical contribution. As a conclusion, it was clear the impact of each BR, mainly due to the aspects related to soluble aluminates, silicates, and sodium, which in association with the soluble ions from PC, affected the chemical reaction and agglomeration/flocculation forces of particles. Resumo O resíduo de bauxita (BR), um subproduto da produção de alumina e alumínio, apresenta alto teor de alumínio, silício e ferro proveniente da bauxita, e sódio da digestão do minério durante o processo Bayer. Esse resíduo ainda está sendo descartado nos lagos de lama, causando alguns problemas ambientais. Assim, a busca por uma aplicação em larga escala tem ganhado cada vez mais atenção. Estudos relatados na literatura apontam que uma das aplicações mais promissoras está associada ao cimento Portland, o que também pode ajudar a reduzir o impacto ambiental causado pelas emissões de CO2 durante a produção do ligante hidráulico. Neste trabalho, uma avaliação combinada de reometria oscilatória e calorimetria isotérmica foi realizada para o monitoramento do estágio de endurecimento de composições de cimento Portland (PC) misturadas com BR geradas em diferentes locais no Brasil. O ensaio de varredura no tempo foi aplicado para monitorar o ganho de consistência das suspensões ao longo do tempo, permitindo avaliar os parâmetros físicos da consolidação, enquanto as mudanças na reação de hidratação mostraram as diferenças consideráveis realacionadas com a contribuição química. Como conclusão, ficou claro o impacto de cada BR, principalmente devido aos aspectos relacionados aos aluminatos, silicatos e sódio solúveis, que em associação com os íons solúveis do PC, afetaram a reação química e as forças de aglomeração/floculação das partículas.

O artigo discute a formação inicial e continuada de professores(as) de História à luz do Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação à Docência - PIBID, utilizando-nos de reflexões e diálogos com o aporte teórico sobre a formação do/a professor(a)-historiador(a). Assim, focamos em uma das ações do subprojeto/História/UFAL (2015/2018), com destaque para a utilização de HQs e cartoons nas aulas de história enquanto metodologia de ensino na Educação Básica. Dialogaremos com a legislação e bibliografia sobre o PIBID, referenciais teóricos acerca da formação de professores e trechos de Relatórios de atividades desenvolvidas por estudantes de Iniciação à Docência e professores(as) supervisores(as) de área, chegando-se, assim, a conclusão das possibilidades que o Programa revela sobre a formação inicial e continuada de professores(as) de História não apenas no estado de Alagoas, mas no país.

This work was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI- -01-0145-FEDER-029130 (“mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases - generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies”) co-funded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia). © 2020, Sociedade Portuguesa de Alergologia e Imunologia Clinica. All rights reserved. Aims: To identify distinct asthma control clusters based on Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) and to compare patients’ characteristics among these clusters. Methods: Adults and adolescents (≥13 years) with persistent asthma were recruited at 29 Portuguese hospital outpatient clinics, in the context of two observational studies of the INSPIRERS project. Demographic and clinical characteristics, adherence to inhaled medication, beliefs about inhaled medication, anxiety and depression, quality of life, and asthma control (CARAT, >24 good control) were collected. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using CARAT total score (CARAT-T). Results: 410 patients (68% adults), with a median (percentile 25–percentile 75) age of 28 (16-46) years, were analysed. Three clusters were identified [mean CARAT-T (min-max)]: cluster 1 [27(24-30)], cluster 2 [19(14-23)] and cluster 3 [10(2-13)]. Patients in cluster 1 (34%) were characterised by better asthma control, better quality of life, higher inhaler adherence and use of a single inhaler. Patients in clusters 2 (50%) and 3 (16%) had uncontrolled asthma, lower inhaler adherence, more symptoms of anxiety and depression and more than half had at least one exacerbation in the previous year. Further-more, patients in cluster 3 were predominantly female, had more unscheduled medical visits and more anxiety symp-toms, perceived a higher necessity of their prescribed inhalers but also higher levels of concern about taking these inhalers. There were no differences in age, body mass index, lung function, smoking status, hospital admissions or specialist physician follow-up time among the three clusters. Conclusion: An unsupervised method based on CARAT--T, identified 3 clusters of patients with distinct, clinically meaningful characteristics. The cluster with better asthma control had a cut-off similar to the established in the validation study of CARAT and an additional cut-off seems to distinguish more severe disease. Further research is necessary to validate the asthma control clusters identified. publishersversion published

Fatigue behaviour of HIPed and stress relieved Ti6Al4V alloy specimen’s produced by SLM was analysed (Re = -1). The HIP process caused a microstructural transformation decreasing the hardness and monotonic properties that not allowed fatigue strength increase. A bilinear behaviour in the elastic strain-fatigue life curve was observed, because of Young´s modulus decrease during the cyclic elasto-plastic tests consequence of subgrains formation. The Smith-Watson-Topper and total strain energy density models showed a good concordance between predicted and experimental fatigue lives in notched samples.

Fatigue behaviour of HIPed and stress relieved Ti6Al4V alloy specimens produced by SLM was analysed (Re = -1). The HIP process caused a microstructural transformation decreasing the hardness and monotonic properties that not allowed fatigue strength increase. A bilinear behaviour in the elastic strain-fatigue life curve was observed, because of Young´s modulus decrease during the cyclic elasto-plastic tests consequence of subgrains formation. The Smith-Watson-Topper and total strain energy density models showed a good concordance between predicted and experimental fatigue lives in notched samples.

The ability of numerical models to deal with wave breaking processes and dry areas is of paramount importance for applications in coastal zones and dam breaks. The mathematical models commonly used in such real problems are usually based on Boussinesq-type equations and, to a small extend, on Serre equations. However, these standard models are weakly dispersive and must be appropriately modified to deal with breaking waves and dry areas. Indeed, nearshore and dam break problems involve complex wave dynamics and highly dispersive wave processes can easily arise. In those cases, it is well known that weakly dispersive models like the ones based on classical Boussinesq or Serre equations are unreliable for an accurate simulation of the phenomena involved. In this work we extend the applicability of an improved Serre model, herein denoted by Serre α , β , to include the wave breaking process, the broken waves propagation, and dry areas. We provide a comprehensive set of numerical examples involving wave propagation over exposed and submerged structures, as well as dam break problems. The numerical experiments show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed model. Particular attention is given to bottom friction modeling, where the standard Manning’s assumption is compared with a more realistic formulation. Also noteworthy is the simulation of wave breaking problems with highly dispersive effects. The advantages of the Serre α , β model over the standard Serre model for these challenging cases are clear.

In this paper, we study a system of partial differential equations defined in a moving domain. This system is defined by a heat equation and a diffusion equation for a concentration of non-Fickian type whose diffusion coefficient depends on the temperature, completed with suitable initial and boundary conditions. The non-Fickian mass flux is established considering the viscoelastic properties of the medium where the strain depends on the temperature and on the concentration. The initial boundary value problem (IBVP) analyzed can be used to describe the drying of viscoelastic materials where the internal structure offers a resistance to the movement of the moisture molecules and a consequent delay in the moisture removal. Due to heat transference into the materials and moisture removal, shrinkage of the medium occurs. The stability of the IBVP defined in a moving domain is analyzed and its qualitative behavior is numerically studied.

This article presents a literature review about urban floods, with a specific analysis concerning the Macaé River basin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main topics of the study are: (i) legal framework of water resources management; (ii) overview of urban floods in Brazil, focusing on the city of Macaé; (iii) methods of control and mitigation of urban floods; (iv) hydrological and computational modeling applied to the study of floods; and finally, (v) characterization of the Macaé River basin, with an emphasis in the context of floods and inundations. The research confirms the relevance of flood studies for the region, both by the expressive record of flooding events and by the lack of recent investigations about this issue. According to the current trend practiced in flood management, proposals for the city should be based on integrated interventions that consider the peculiarities of the basin. Compensatory techniques and the renaturalization of rivers and streams are two prominent approaches to this context. The modeling of the basin and the simulation of these measures can provide data that will support the basin management plan and the work of other relevant public institutions.

Copyright © 2018 Ana Sá-Sousa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited., The Portuguese Severe Asthma Registry (Registo de Asma Grave Portugal, RAG) was developed by an open collaborative network of asthma specialists. RAG collects data from adults and pediatric severe asthma patients that despite treatment optimization and adequate management of comorbidities require step 4/5 treatment according to GINA recommendations. In this paper, we describe the development and implementation of RAG, its features, and data sharing policies. The contents and structure of RAG were defined in a multistep consensus process. A pilot version was pretested and iteratively improved. The selection of data elements for RAG considered other severe asthma registries, aiming at characterizing the patient's clinical status whilst avoiding overloading the standard workflow of the clinical appointment. Features of RAG include automatic assessment of eligibility, easy data input, and exportable data in natural language that can be pasted directly in patients' electronic health record and security features to enable data sharing (among researchers and with other international databases) without compromising patients' confidentiality. RAG is a national web-based disease registry of severe asthma patients, available at asmagrave.pt. It allows prospective clinical data collection, promotes standardized care and collaborative clinical research, and may contribute to inform evidence-based healthcare policies for severe asthma., RAG was financed by an unrestricted grant from Novartis Farma-Produtos Farmacêuticos, S.A., which had no participation in any part of the development and implementation of the registry and has no access to the stored data for any purpose. The first author is financed by a PhD Grant (PD/BD/113665/2015) and financed by the European Social Fund and national funds of MCTES (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P) PhD Programme Ref. PD/0003/2013-Doctoral Programme in Clinical and Health Services Research (PDICSS). Te publication of this article was supported by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operation POCI-01-0145- FEDER-007746 funded by the Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização – COMPETE2020 and by National Funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia within CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UID/IC/4255/2013).

Atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) associated with the implantation of drug eluting stents (DES) is one of the most common forms of revascularization in patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The use of DES is considered as an effective tool to reduce restenosis after PCI. However despite all the progress made in DES procedures, the rate of restenosis remains relatively high. Mathematical modeling and numerical simulation are believed to play an essential role in identifying zones with a higher risk of in-stent restenosis. In this work the local delivery of a therapeutic agent, from a stent implanted in a coronary artery, is mathematically modeled and numerically simulated. The mathematical model includes the diffusion of the dissolved drug in the biodegradable polymeric coating of the stent, the diffusion and convection of the drug with reversible binding in the viscoelastic arterial wall with plaques of different morphology and the local hemodynamics. The study is an attempt to detect zones with a higher risk of in-stent restenosis and their relation to plaque eccentricity. The location of zones with highest risk of thrombosis and plaque rupture is also addressed. The results are in agreement with claims presented in clinical papers.

In this paper we study a system of partial differential equations defined by a hyperbolic equation and a parabolic equation. The convective term of the parabolic equation depends on the solution and eventually on the gradient of the solution of the hyperbolic equation. This system arises in the mathematical modeling of several physical processes as for instance ultrasound enhanced drug delivery. In this case the propagation of the acoustic wave, which is described by a hyperbolic equation, induces an active drug transport that depends on the acoustic pressure. Consequently the drug diffusion process is governed by a hyperbolic and a convection–diffusion equation. Here, we propose a numerical method that allows us to compute second-order accurate approximations to the solution of the hyperbolic and the parabolic equation. The method can be seen as a fully discrete piecewise linear finite element method or as a finite difference method. The convergence rates for both approximations are unexpected. In fact we prove that the error for the approximation of the pressure and concentration is of second-order with respect to discrete versions of the H 1 -norm and L 2 -norm, respectively. Numerical experiments illustrating the theoretical estimates are also presented. A simplified model for ultrasound enhanced drug transport is also discussed.

The so-called Serre or Green and Naghdi equations are a well-known set of fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive equations that describe the propagation of long surface waves in shallow water. In order to extend its range of application to intermediate water depths, some modifications have been proposed in the literature. In this work, we analyze a new Serre model with improved linear dispersion characteristics. This new Serre system, herein denoted by Serreα, β, presents additional terms of dispersive origin, thus extending its applicability to more general depth to wavelength ratios. A careful development of the Serreα, β model allows a straightforward and efficient numerical implementation. This model is suitable for numerical integration by a splitting strategy which requires the solution of a hyperbolic problem and a dispersive problem. The hyperbolic part is discretized using a high-order finite volume method. For the dispersive part standard finite differences are used. A set of numerical experiments are conducted to validate the Serreα, β model and to test the robustness of our numerical scheme. Theoretical solutions and benchmark experimental data are used. Moreover, comparisons against the classical Serre equations and against another well established Serre model with improved dispersion characteristics are also made.

Buscou-se com a pesquisa a producao do mapeamento indicativo de sensibilidade ambiental para o desenvolvimento regional da Regiao Hidrografica VIII (RH-VIII), no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. O estudo desenvolveu-se com a utilizacao dos softwares SPRING 5.5.0 e QGIS 2.18.6. O metodo de pesquisa baseia-se na Analise por Multiplos Criterios (AMC), visando mapeamento de sensibilidade ambiental para o desenvolvimento regional da RH-VIII. O resultado revelou que 46% do territorio da RH-VIII apresenta alguma aptidao ao desenvolvimento enquanto mais 6% da area aponta extrema sensibilidade ambiental. A B S T R A C T The research was carried out to produce the mapping of environmental sensitivity for the regional development of Hydrographic Region VIII (RH-VIII), in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study was developed using the software SPRING 5.5.0 and QGIS 2.18.6. The research method is based on Multi Criteria Analysis (AMC), aiming at mapping environmental sensitivity for the regional development of RH-VIII. The result showed that 46% of the territory of RH-VIII has some developmental aptitude while another 6% of the area indicates extreme environmental sensitivity. Keywords: Geotechnology; Land use; Map Algebra; Environmental modeling.

We consider a polymeric spherical platform containing a solid dispersed drug that is in contact with a solvent fluid. While swelling, a non-Fickian sorption of the solvent molecules occurs induced by the effect of the viscoelastic properties of the polymer. The solid drug in contact with the solvent fluid dissolves and a Fickian release of dissolved drug takes place. The fluid entrance, the drug dissolution, and the drug release to an external environment are described by a system of PDEs complemented with an equation for the swelling front, initial, and boundary conditions. The model includes the two major factors that govern a swelling process of a polymeric platform within a release medium: the cross-link density and the concentration of the external medium. Energy estimates for the mass of solvent fluid and of undissolved and dissolved drug in the polymeric platform are established. Numerical simulations that illustrate the theoretical results are also included.

Efficacious drug delivery to the posterior chamber of the eye is a very challenging problem due to the many physiological barriers that protect the eye against the entry of exogenous substances. To...

The oil well blowout releases hydrocarbons into the marine environment as an oil droplets and gas bubbles dispersion. The oil trajectory is strongly influenced by physical, chemical and biological processes. In general, the ocean oil drift studies are based on a two-dimensional approach, whereas the whole oil from a well blowout can be represented by a surface oil leak in the same geographical coordinates. This work is a case study, where MOHID software is used at the Campos Basin region, in which the Lagrangian results of the surface oil leaks were confronted to their well blowout scenarios in different conditions of depth, seasonality (summer and winter), and use of dispersants at the source of the leak. The research results reinforced the importance of the three-dimensional approach to the scenario of deep and ultra-deep waters, especially for cases in which the dispersant injection into the source of the leak was considered.

In this paper we consider general linear damped wave equations with memory. We establish energy estimates that under the assumption of exponentially bounded kernels, induce exponential decaying solutions. Numerical waves that mimic their continuous counterpart are also introduced using a finite element approach.

Glaucoma is one of the most common diseases that is characterized by an increase of the IOP that can lead to the damage of the optical nerve. Glaucoma patients are usually treated with eye drops. However, the effectiveness of glaucoma drops is very law because less than 5% of the applied drug reaches the target. In this paper, we discuss mathematically the use of therapeutic contact lenses to deliver drugs to the anterior chamber of the eye reviewing some of the recent contributions.

The use of enhancers to increase drug release from medical devices and drug transport through tissues has been largely investigated. Researchers from different fields like polymer chemistry, materials science, pharmaceutics, bioengineering, and chemical engineering have addressed efforts to combine materials, stimuli and drugs to design effective drug delivery platforms. For instance heat has been used to increase transdermal drug delivery. Patches with iron batteries are today in the market where heat generated by the batteries increases the drug release from the patches and the permeability of the skin, increasing drug absorption. Heat has been also used to increase drug availability in the target tissue in other contexts like in chemotherapy. In this case, to avoid the side effects of the systemic chemotherapy administration, drugs are encapsulated in thermosensitive carriers that transport the drug to the target where the cargo release is enhanced by heat. The aim of the present work is to study a system of partial differential equations (PDEs), from a numerical point of view, that can been used to describe the drug transport through tissues enhanced by heat. The system is composed by nonlinear PDEs for the temperature and for the drug concentration where the drug diffusion coefficient depends on the temperature. A finite difference method is studied and the qualitative behaviour of the temperature and concentration is numerically illustrated.

These last years the insertion of implants and medical devices has emerged as a common surgical procedure. Following their implantation, the bacteria, inoculated during the surgery, or coming from a preexisting focus of infection, can colonize a significant proportion of them. The resistance of bacteria against antibiotics increases dramatically once a colony forms. Researchers of different fields are working on the development of new strategies to destroy such colonies: the dispersion of antibacterial drugs in the coatings, or the use of antiadherent coatings are common approaches. The first issue is addressed in this paper. A mathematical model of sustained drug delivery, from a medical implant, and its action on the bacterial fight, is presented. The model is composed by coupled systems of Partial Differential Equations that describe the release of drug and the evolution of the biotic population. The fate of the bacterial infection is analyzed as a function of the initial contamination during surgery, the permeability of the coating and the dissolution rate of the drug. Computational simulations will give a lively picture of the process.

Customer behavior analysis is an essential issue for retailers, allowing for optimized store performance, enhanced customer experience, reduced operational costs, and consequently higher profitability. Nevertheless, not much attention has been given to computer vision approaches to automatically extract relevant information from images that could be of great value to retailers. In this paper, we present a low-cost deep learning approach to estimate the number of people in retail stores in real-time and to detect and visualize hot spots. For this purpose, only an inexpensive RGB camera, such as a surveillance camera, is required. To solve the people counting problem, we employ a supervised learning approach based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) regression model. We also present a four channel image representation named RGBP image, composed of the conventional RGB image and an extra binary image P representing whether there is a visible person in each pixel of the image. To extract the latter information, we developed a foreground/background detection method that considers the peculiarities of people behavior in retail stores. The P image is also exploited to detect the hot spots of the store, which can later be visually analyzed. Several experiments were conducted to validate, evaluate and compare our approach using a dataset comprised of videos that were collected from a surveillance camera placed in a real shoe retail store. Results revealed that our approach is sufficiently robust to be used in real world situations and outperforms straightforward CNN approaches.

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a technology for additive manufacturing consisting in the fusion of a fine metal power layer by layer. This procedure is very interesting to generate components with complex geometry and eventually composed of different materials. This novel technology opened new opportunities. A cylindrical geometry is proposed here, with an internal circular crack placed at the center of the specimen, as shown in Fig. 1. This new specimen geometry is interesting to study fatigue crack growth (FGC) in vacuum, which is important for a better understanding of FCG mechanisms. The environment inside internal cracks is likely similar to a vacuum environment since it is shut off from air, leading to negligible effect of oxidation or gas absorption. This way, the complex apparatus typically used to develop fatigue studies in vacuum, is avoided. Open image in new window Fig. 1. Cylindrical specimen with internal crack.

The main motivation of the present work is the numerical study of a system of Partial Differential Equations that governs drug transport, through a target tissue or organ, when enhanced by the simultaneous action of an electric field and a temperature rise. The electric field, while forcing charged drug molecules through the tissue or the organ, thus creating a convection field, also leads to a rise in temperature that affects drug diffusion. The differential system is composed by a nonlinear elliptic equation, describing the potential of the electric field, and by two parabolic equations: a diffusion–reaction equation for temperature and a convection–diffusion–reaction for drug concentration. The temperature and the concentration equations are coupled with the potential equation via a reaction term and the convection and diffusion terms respectively. As the parabolic equations depend directly on the potential and its gradient, the central question is the design and mathematical study of an accurate method for the elliptic equation and its gradient. We propose a finite difference method, which is equivalent to a fully discrete piecewise linear finite element method, with superconvergent/supercloseness properties. The method is second order convergent with respect to a H 1 -discrete norm for the elliptic problem, and with respect to a L 2 -discrete norm for the two parabolic problems. The stability properties of the method are also analyzed. Numerical experiments illustrating the drug transport for different electrical protocols are also included.

This paper studies the effect of multiaxial loading scenario on surface topography in notched samples made of high-strength steels processed by both conventional and additive manufacturing techniques. In a first stage, combined bending-torsion fatigue tests are performed for three bending-to-torsion ratios. In a second stage, based on the entire total area method, fracture surfaces are analysed via different surface topography parameters, namely height parameters, material/void volume parameters. The results show that surface topography parameters are decreasing functions of the bending-to-torsion ratio and the fatigue life, as well as increasing functions of von Mises stress range. Linear relationships between the surface topography parameters and the bending-torsion ratio, the fatigue life, and the von Mises stress range were found.