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Objective: The present study aims to model and optimize the compression process of the Albendazole 400 mg tablets of a pharmaceutical industry production line to increase the production speed (tablets/h) while maintaining quality requirements. Methods: The study was conducted using the Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology to identify and correlate the critical parameters during the process that affect the maintenance of the compression speed. In order to support the experiments, was tested disintegration time, average hardness, hardness variation, average weight, and friability. Results: Was obtained that quality attributes of disintegration and friability did not generate a significant model but it has been established correlations between Fill-O-Matic speed and main compression force in the responses of weight variation, hardness, and mean hardness. It was found that the main compression force between 6 to 9 kN, the pre-compression force of 1,965 to 5,615 kN, and the speed of 55 RPM for Fill-O-Matic speed are responsible for ensuring that all quality attributes analyzed remain within the expected specification. Conclusion: It was possible to apply the Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology in the compression process of the drug Albendazole 400 mg and to evaluate the impact of the parameters of this step on the formation of the tablet to significantly increasing the productivity of this product. The Fill-O-Matic speed parameter was the main control factor discovered in this study to maintain quality attributes.

Electric vehicles (EVs) contain two main power electronics systems, namely, the traction system and the battery charging system, which are not used simultaneously since traction occurs when the EV is travelling and battery charging when the EV is parked. By taking advantage of this interchangeability, a single set of power converters that can perform the functions of both traction and battery charging can be assembled, classified in the literature as integrated battery chargers (IBCs). Several IBC topologies have been proposed in the literature, and the aim of this paper is to present a literature review of IBCs for EVs. In order to better organize the information presented in this paper, the analyzed topologies are divided into classical IBCs, IBCs for switched reluctance machines (SRMs), IBCs with galvanic isolation, IBCs based on multiple traction converters and IBCs based on multiphase machines. A comparison between all these IBCs is subsequently presented, based on both requirements and possible functionalities., This work has been supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. T.J.C.S. is supported by the FCT scholarships SFRH/BD/134353/2017 and COVID/BD/151993/2021.

This paper presents an enhanced three-phase shunt active power filter (SAPF) that, besides its inherent functionalities of power quality problems compensation, also allows the interface of a renewable energy source (RES, namely solar photovoltaic – PV panels) and an energy storage system (ESS, namely batteries) through its dc-link. On the power grid-side, a three-phase four-wire voltage-source ac-dc converter is connected with the power grid, operating as an SAPF, whereas the RES-interface and the ESS-interface are made through a three-port multilevel dc-dc converter connected to the dc-link of the SAPF. Besides, to compensate power quality problems related to currents, the SAPF also permits the controllability of the bidirectional power exchanged between the power grid and the dc interfaces, i.e., the RES and the ESS. The operation principle of the whole system, as well as the detailed control algorithms, are described in the paper. A validation was performed through computer simulations, where it is possible to analyze the different operation modes of the enhanced SAPF interfacing a RES and an ESS through the dc-link., This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. This work has been supported by the FCT Project newERA4GRIDs PTDC/EEI-EEE/30283/2017. Tiago J. C. Sousa is supported by the doctoral scholarship SFRH/BD/134353/2017 granted by FCT.

Background/Research question/Problem: Parkinsonian syndromes (PS) are heterogeneous chronic neurodegenerative disorders associated with motor and non-motor symptoms. These symptoms have major psychosocial effects on patients' quality of life and may also result in a high burden on caregivers. [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

Hintergrund und Stand (inter)nationaler Forschung: Advance Care Planning (ACP) ist als vorausschauende Versorgungsplanung zu übersetzen. Hierbei handelt es sich um ein Versorgungskonzept, das aus einem spezifischen Kommunikationsprozess zwischen Patient*innen, ihren Angehörigen und dem [zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]

Hintergrund und Stand (inter)nationaler Forschung: Morbus Parkinson ist die zweithäufigste neurodegenerative Erkrankung, welche mit einem mittleren Erkrankungsalter von 60 Jahren einhergeht und somit stark altersassoziiert ist. Motorische sowie nicht-motorische Symptome schränken im Verlauf [zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]

This paper proposes an electric vehicle (EV) battery charging station (EV-BCS) based on a bipolar dc power grid with the capabilities of returning energy back to the power grid (vehicle-to-grid – V2G mode), as well as to perform power transfer between different EVs connected to the EV-BCS without drawing power from the power grid (vehicle-to-vehicle – V2V mode), besides the traditional battery charging operation (grid-to-vehicle – G2V mode). The proposed EV-BCS is modular, using three-level bidirectional dc-dc converters. In this paper, for simplicity reasons, only two converters, and hence two EVs, are considered in order to validate the previously referred operation modes. Furthermore, unbalanced operation from the EVs side is also considered for all the operation modes, aiming to consider a real scenario of operation. Simulation results verify the correct operation of the EV-BCS in all cases, with balanced and unbalanced current consumption from the EVs resulting always in balanced currents from the bipolar dc power grid side.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of power transfer configurations towards vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) battery charging operation without using additional power converters, i.e., using just the on-board battery chargers of two electric vehicles (EVs). Three access interfaces were considered, namely the ac power grid interface, the dc-link interface and the dc battery interface, which allow the establishment of eight V2V configurations. The defined configurations are described and verified through computational simulations. A comparison is performed based on quantitative data, i.e., power transfer efficiency for a given output power range, and qualitative data, i.e., flexibility and safety. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that each V2V configuration has its pros and cons regarding efficiency, number of possible quadrant operation and need for additional equipment., This work has been supported by FCT –Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologiawith-in the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019. This work has been supported by the FCT Project DAIPESEV PTDC/EEI-EEE/30382/2017, and by FCTProject new-ERA4GRIDs PTDC/EEI-EEE/30283/2017. Mr. Tiago J. C. Sousa is supported by the doctoral scholarship SFRH/BD/134353/2017 granted by the Portuguese FCT agency.

This paper presents the implementation and subsequent experimental verification of an electronic variable speed drive (VSD) for driving an induction motor, which is composed by a three-phase ac-dc converter on the grid-side and by a three-phase dc-ac converter on the motor-side. With the proposed solution, besides driving the motor, it is possible to mitigate power quality problems on the grid-side (e.g., current harmonics and power factor) associated with the use of diode-bridge ac-dc converters in the conventional VSDs. Besides, with the proposed solution, a bidirectional operation is possible, allowing to deliver to the power grid the energy generated in motor braking processes. As demonstrated along the paper, with the proposed VSD, it is possible to control the motor speed (including the rotation direction), and the operation with sinusoidal currents and unitary power factor on the grid-side. A laboratory prototype was developed, permitting to perform an experimental validation and prove the main functionalities of the VSD., This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019. This work has been supported by the FCT Project DAIPESEV PTDC/EEI-EEE/30382/2017, and by the FCT Project QUALITY4POWER PTDC/EEI-EEE/28813/2017.

This paper presents an analysis of unified traction and battery charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs), both in terms of operation modes and in terms of implementation cost, when compared to dedicated solutions that perform the same operation modes. Regarding the connection of the EV battery charging system with the power grid, four operation modes are analyzed: (1) Grid–to–Vehicle (G2V); (2) Vehicle–to–Grid (V2G); (3) Vehicle–to–Home (V2H); and (4) Vehicle–for–Grid (V4G). With an EV unified system, each of these operation modes can be used in single–phase and three–phase power grids. Furthermore, a cost estimation is performed for an EV unified system and for dedicated systems that can perform the same functionalities, in order to prove the benefits of the EV unified approach. The cost estimation comprises two power levels, namely 6 kW, single–phase, related to domestic installations, and 50 kW, three–phase, related to industrial installations. The relevance of unified traction and battery charging systems for EVs is proven for single–phase and three–phase power grids., This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019. This work has been supported by the FCT Project DAIPESEV PTDC/EEI-EEE/30382/2017, and by the FCT Project new ERA4GRIDs PTDC/EEI-EEE/30283/2017.

Using microelectrode recordings in patients with essential tremor undergoing DBS surgery, Pedrosa et al. demonstrate that the ventrolateral thalamus shows maximum tremor-related activity and the highest coherence with electromyographic activity in the contralateral arm. Efferent pockets of activity outnumber afferent, and the phase relationship between these components modulates tremor amplitude., Deep brain stimulation enables the delivery of therapeutic interventions to otherwise inaccessible areas of the brain while, at the same time, offering the unique opportunity to record from these same regions in awake patients. The posterior ventrolateral thalamus has become a reliable deep brain stimulation target for medically-refractory patients suffering from essential tremor. However, the contribution of the thalamus in essential tremor, and even whether posterior ventrolateral thalamus is the optimal target, remains a matter of ongoing debate. There are several lines of evidence supporting clusters of activity within the posterior ventrolateral thalamus that are important for tremor emergence. In this study we sought to map the functional properties of these clusters through microelectrode recordings during deep brain stimulation surgery. Data were obtained from 10 severely affected patients with essential tremor (12 hemispheres) undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. Our results demonstrate power and coherence maxima located in the inferior posterior ventrolateral thalamus and immediate ventral region. Moreover, we identified distinct yet overlapping clusters of predominantly efferent (driving) and afferent (feedback) activity, with a preference for more efferent contributors, consistent with a net role in the driving of tremor output. Finally, we demonstrate that resolvable thalamic spiking activity directly relates to background activity and that the strength of tremor may be dictated by phase relationships between efferent and afferent pockets in the posterior ventrolateral thalamus. Taken together, these results provide important evidence for the role of the inferior posterior ventrolateral thalamus and its border region in essential tremor pathophysiology. Such results progress our mechanistic understanding and promote the adoption of next-generation therapies such as high resolution segregated deep brain stimulation electrodes.

Os solos Neossolos Regolíticos são considerados muito frágeis pois retêm pouca água, são susceptíveis à erosão, e por isso são de difícil manejo. Na região Nordeste do Brasil são encontrados em maior concentração no estado de Pernambuco. É importante o estudo dos seus atributos físicos, pois permite indicar o melhor tipo de manejo a ser aplicado. Este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar o comportamento físico-hídrico de quatro Neossolos Regolíticos localizados na região Agreste de Pernambuco, identificando os atributos que possam melhor caracterizá-los. Foram selecionados quatro perfis nos municípios de São Caetano (Perfil 01), Lagoa do Ouro (Perfil 02), Caetés (Perfil 03) e São João (Perfil 04). Em cada perfil foram coletadas amostras nas profundidades de 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm, 40-60 e 100-120 cm, com três repetições. Amostras não estruturadas de solo foram coletadas e obtida a Terra Fina Seca ao Ar (TFSA), de acordo com EMBRAPA (1997), para realização de análises físicas (granulometria, densidade do solo, densidade da partícula, estabilidade de agregados). Amostras in não estruturadas foram coletadas para determinação da densidade do solo e de indicadores hídricos (diretamente: água disponível - AD, condutividade hidráulica saturada - Ksat, Curva Característica de Retenção de Água no Solo - CCRAS; indiretamente: distribuição de tamanho de poros, porosidade total, macroporosidade, mesoporosidade e microporosidade). Também foram coletadas amostras in não estruturadas utilizando-se o anel volumétrico de Kopeck, com 5 cm de diâmetro e 2,5 cm de altura, com o auxílio de um amostrador tipo Uhland, conforme EMBRAPA (1997), as quais foram preparadas e saturadas para realização de análises subsequentes. As CCRAS foram construídas relacionando-se os dados dos potencias com suas respectivas umidades volumétricas obtidas. Foram realizados ajustes das CCRAS utilizando-se procedimentos de acordo com Van Genuchten (1980), fazendo-se o uso do software 'Retention Curve' - RetC (Van Genuchten et al., 1994) para a determinação dos parâmetros da equação. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância (ANOVA), sendo as médias comparadas pelo teste Tukey a 5% de probabilidade através do programa estatístico SAS, versão student 2.0. Os solos possuem em algumas profundidades, significativas quantidades das frações mais finas de areia, silte e argila, possibilitando que a água disponível permaneça no solo por mais tempo. As maiores quantidades das frações areia fina, areia muito fina e principalmente silte e argila dos Neossolos Regolíticos estudados, nortearam o comportamento físico-hídrico desses solos, sendo estas frações responsáveis pelas maiores retenções de água dos solos. A retenção de umidade por perfil, em função da deflexão entre os pontos -10 kPa e -33 kPa, obedeceu à seguinte ordem: 2 < 1 < 3 < 4. Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-13T23:03:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertacaoDEBORAPEDROSA2016.pdf: 2487629 bytes, checksum: b03dddbc1089c099e5a2adce7861126f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-04 Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia Ambiental) - Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife. Orientador: Fernando Cartaxo Rolim Neto; Co-orientadores: Roberto da Boa Viagem Parahyba, CNPS; Brivaldo Gomes de Almeida.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T15:34:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_7231_Tese_Diego Pedrosa.pdf: 9412476 bytes, checksum: 240acf217bf652722b97684ff2210c29 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-22 Efeitos dos Hormônios Sexuais Femininos e da Apolipoproteína e na Expressão de Biomarcadores Característicos da Doença em Camundongos

Interactive tabletops offer a unique opportunity for exploring home videos and photos. Nevertheless, there are still a number of unexplored challenges for effectively providing support for collocated group interaction around media. This paper reports on a user study involving 24 users, intended to better understanding the challenges ahead. Our volunteers (in couples) evaluated our media sharing application prototype, providing valuable feedback with regards to three key challenges: metaphor, digital ecosystem, and level of control. First, users appreciated the selected metaphor of physical photos, but without relinquishing software support, such as alignment and distribution of media items. Second, vertical auxiliary screens helped in supporting a bigger number of users and providing more comfort and a better viewing angle and stance. Third, the nature of the task (either storytelling or random exploration) had a strong influence on the control capabilities to be provided by the application. Fourth, personal spaces within the tabletop were useful for allowing independent navigation. We consider these results as relevant for the future developments of home media sharing applications for the living room.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-01T22:58:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_3934_Dissertação Diego Pedrosa.pdf: 1803499 bytes, checksum: 8d85d7b13f0b9441ed8638ca8507842b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-11 Estudos imunohistoquímicos têm demonstrado que o núcleo ambíguo (NA) desempenha um papel predominante no controle cárdio-vagal, devido sua projeção direta para o coração, via nervo vago. Estudos anteriores mostraram através do bloqueio com ácido kinurênico, que os receptores de aminoácido excitatório dos neurônios do NA possuem grande importância na mediação da resposta cronotrópica negativa do barorreflexo (BRF) e reflexo Bezold-Jarisch (RBJ). Entretanto, outros aspectos ainda precisam ser melhores esclarecidos, como por exemplo, o papel dos receptores colinérgicos nicotínicos na mediação desta resposta reflexa bradicárdica, assim como a possível influência destes receptores sobre as respostas induzidas pelo L-Glutamato (L-Glu) no NA. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a participação dos receptores colinérgicos nicotínicos na modulação das respostas cardiovasculares induzidas pela ativação do BRF e do RBJ e estudar uma possível interação entre a neurotransmissão glutamatérgica e colinérgica nicotínica ao nível do NA. Foram utilizados ratos Wistar, anestesiados com uretana, paralisados com succinilcolina e ventilados artificialmente. Os animais foram submetidos à cateterização das artéria e veia femorais, para permitir os registros cardiovasculares e administração de drogas, respectivamente, e ao bloqueio da manifestação da atividade simpática cardíaca, através do antagonista β-adrenérgico atenolol. Foram feitas microinjeções no NA com as seguintes coordenadas: ântero-posterior = nível do óbex, lateral ±1,7 mm da linha média e dorso-ventral = -1,4 a -1,8 mm da superfície do óbex. As drogas utilizadas neste estudo foram: L-Glu (5 nmol/50 nL), nicotina (0,5; 1; 5 e 10 mM), α-bungarotoxina (1 µM), DH-β-E (100 µM) e solução controle (salina, NaCl 0,9%). O BRF foi induzido pela infusão contínua da fenilefrina (50 µg/mL/min) e o RBJ pela injeção endovenosa de fenilbiguanida (10 µg/Kg). Os resultados mostraram discretas respostas hipotensoras e bradicardia consistente às microinjeções de L-Glu no NA. As microinjeções de nicotina promoveram significativas respostas bradicárdicas nas doses de 1 e 5 mM e respostas pressoras discretas. Na dose de 10 mM, tanto as respostas bradicárdicas como as pressoras não foram mais observadas. A microinjeção unilateral de DH-β-E no NA não causou alterações significativas nas respostas para o L-Glu e a nicotina, no entanto, microinjeção unilateral de α-bungarotoxina no NA atenuou as respostas bradicárdicas induzidas pelo L-Glu e a nicotina no mesmo sítio. Em relação aos reflexos cardiovasculares, observamos que o bloqueio com α-bungarotoxina atenuou significativamente o BRF, enquanto que apenas a resposta bradicárdica do RBJ foi atenuada. Os resultados obtidos no presente estudo confirmam que o NA desempenha um importante papel na modulação das respostas cardiovasculares. Sugerem ainda que as subunidades α7 dos receptores colinérgicos nicotínicos do NA, ao nível do óbex, participam da modulação das respostas reflexas cárdio-vagais do BRF e RBJ em ratos anestesiados. Em relação à neurotransmissão glutamatérgicas, nossos resultados mostraram que os receptores colinérgicos nicotínicos interferem nas respostas cardiovasculares glutamatérgicas. No entanto, estudos adicionais são necessários para elucidar esta interação, seja interferindo na liberação do L-Glu a partir de projeções provenientes do NTS (nucleus of tractus solitarius) ou diretamente nos receptores de aminoácidos excitatórios no NA.