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This paper describes the results of a total ionizing dose test on a data acquisition system (DAS) protected with a design diversity redundancy technique. The DAS is composed of three analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and two voters, implementing different levels of diversity (architectural and temporal). This system is implemented on a 130-nm commercial mixed-signal (MS) programmable system-on-chip (PSoC 5) from Cypress Semiconductor. The system was tested under 60Co gamma radiation with a dose rate of 1 krad(Si)/h reaching a total dose of 242 krad(Si). One of the system copies presented a significant degradation on its linearity during the irradiation, while the others kept the functionality with less severe degradation, evidencing the advantage of using diversity to improve resilience in MS redundant systems. Additionally, dynamic parameters of the ADCs are evaluated, and failure mechanisms are discussed.

To evaluate the cardiorespiratory effects and postoperative analgesia of a total intravenous anesthesia protocol, twenty-four adult goats were assigned to four experimental groups: G1 and G2 underwent to laparoscopic procedure every 15 days, while G3, and G4 every 30 days. Xylazine (0.05 mg/kg IM) in all animals and butorphanol (0.5 mg/kg IM) in animals of G2 and G4 were used as premedication. Ketamine (2.0 mg/kg IV) anaesthetic induction was performed and subsequently the sheep were intubated and received oxygen (FiCO2= 1.0). Animals were positioned in a Trendelenburg position and anaesthetic plane maintained by constant infusion of 2 mL/kg/h IV of a solution composed of: 12.5 g of guaiacolate, 25 mg of xylazine and 250 mg of ketamine in 250 mL of 5% dextrose. Haemo-gasometric (pH, PO2PCO2, cHCO3) and clinical parameters (HR, RR, MAP and T), recovery time and postoperative analgesia were evaluated at different times of the anesthetic-surgical procedure. HR, RR, T, pH, PO2, PCO2and cHCO3varied through surgical time and PCO2was significantly higher in butorphanol treated animals. The studied anaesthetic protocol resulted in a prolonged recovery, clinical hypotension and respiratory acidosis; butorphanol supplementation caused an increase in PaCO2with no evident improvement of postoperative analgesia. Therefore, the practical application of this protocol indicates a special fluid, ventilation and recovery care. Further studies are needed on the analgesic effect of butorphanol in these situations to allow its indication., Para evaluar los efectos cardiorrespiratorios y la analgesia posoperatoria de un protocolo de anestesia total intravenosa fueron utilizadas 24 cabras adultas, distribuidas en cuatro grupos experimentales: G1 y G2, sometidos a laparoscopia cada 15 días, G3 y G4 cada 30 días. Como medicación preanestésica se utilizaron 0,05 mg/kg IM de xilacina en todos los animales y 0,5 mg/kg IM de butorfanol en los grupos G2 y G4. La inducción anestésica fue realizada con ketamina (2,0 mg/kg IV), se realizó la intubación traqueal y administración de oxígeno (FiO2=1,0). Los animales fueron posicionados en Trendelemburg y mantenidos en plano anestésico mediante infusión continua de 2 mL/kg/h de una solución compuesta por 12,5 g de guayacolato, 25 mg de xilacina y 250 mg de ketamina, diluidos en 250 mL de dextrosa al 5%. Parámetros hemogasométricos (pH, PaO2PaCO2cHCO3), clínicos (FC, FR, PAM y T), tiempo de recuperación y analgesia posoperatoria fueron evaluados en diferentes momentos del procedimiento anestésico-quirúrgico. La FC, FR, T, pH, PaO2, PaCO2y cHCO3variaron con relación al tiempo quirúrgico y la PaCO2fue significativamente mayor en los animales en los que fue utilizado butorfanol. Con este protocolo anestésico se observó un tiempo de recuperación prolongado, hipotensión clínica y acidosis respiratoria; la suplementación con butorfanol resultó en un aumento de la PaCO2sin mejora evidente de la analgesia posoperatoria. Así, la aplicación práctica de este protocolo indica un cuidado especial de la fluidoterapia, la ventilación y la recuperación. Estudios más profundos del efecto analgésico del butorfanol en estas situaciones se hacen necesarios para permitir indicar su utilización.

This paper presents an evolutionary topology optimization method for applications in design of completely submerged buoyant devices with design-dependent fluid pressure loading. This type of structures aid rig installations and pipeline transportation in all water depths in offshore structural engineering. The proposed optimization method seeks the buoy design that presents higher stiffness, less material and a prescribed buoyancy effect. A hydrostatic fluid is used to simulate the underwater pressure and the polymer buoyancy module is considered linearly elastic. Both domains are solved with the finite element method. From the initial design domain, solid elements with low strain energy are iteratively removed until a certain prescribed volume fraction. The studied case consists in a buoy for supporting subsea oil pipelines, in which the inner diameter is constant and the outer shape and interior holes are defined by the optimization algorithm. A new buoyancy constraint is introduced in order to guarantee a satisfactory buoyancy effect.

The primary goal of this study was to employ ultrasonography to examine the ovaries of ewes undergoing superovulatory treatment for correlations between antral follicular blood flow and ovarian responses/embryo yields. Five Santa Inês ewes were subjected to a short- (Days 0?6, Group 1) and five to a long-term progesterone-based protocol (Days 0?12, Group 2) to synchronize estrus and ovulations after the superovulatory treatment. Porcine FSH (pFSH, 200 mg) was administered in 8 decreasing doses over 4 days, starting on Days 4 and 10 in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. After CIDR removal, all ewes were bred by a ram and embryos were recovered surgically 7 days later. Transrectal ovarian ultrasonography was performed the day before and on all 4 days of the superovulatory treatment. Both an arbitrary-scale [(0) non-detectable; (1) small; (2) moderate; (3) intense blood flow] and quantitative analysis of the blood flow area were used to assess the follicular blood flow in color Doppler images. There were no significant correlations between the arbitrary blood flow scores and superovulatory responses in the ewes of the present study. However, there was a positive correlation between the quantitative estimates of follicular blood flow on the final day of the superovulatory treatment, and the number (DA: r = 0.68, P < 0.05; DA/TA × 100%: r = 0.85, P < 0.05) and percentage (DA: r = 0.65, P < 0.05; DA/TA × 100%: r = 0.91, P < 0.001) of unfertilized eggs (DA: Doppler area, TA: total area of the largest ovarian cross section). This experiment presents a commercially practical tool for predicting superovulatory outcomes in ewes and evidence for the existence of follicular blood flow threshold that may impinge negatively on oocyte quality when surpassed during hormonal ovarian superstimulation.

A caracterização de alguns atributos físicos e químicos de frutos de tomate da cv. Santa Clara, um mutante de fruto amarelo, e o híbrido F1 obtido do cruzamento entre eles, foi feita com base nos teores de b-caroteno, licopeno, vitamina C, pH, matéria fresca, matéria seca, diâmetro do fruto, diâmetro do pericarpo, acidez e sólidos solúveis totais dos tecidos loculares e do pericarpo. Os frutos maduros amarelos apresentaram teores reduzidos de b-caroteno, licopeno e vitamina C, enquanto o híbrido apresentou teores semelhantes ao genótipo normal. Tanto o fruto mutante quanto o F1 apresentaram teor de pH menor que o do fruto normal. Não houve diferença significativa quanto a matéria fresca e seca totais, diâmetro do fruto e do pericarpo e acidez. Os teores de sólidos solúveis totais do pericarpo foram inferiores nos frutos do mutante amarelo e F1, em relação ao genótipo normal, enquanto os teores de sólidos solúveis totais da massa locular não diferiram, estatisticamente, entre os genótipos.The determination of some physical and chemical attributes of red fruits from tomato cv. Santa Clara, a yellow mutant and the F1 hybrid, were based on b-carotene, lycopene, vitamin C, pH, fresh and dry weight matter, pericarp and fruit diameter, titrateable acidity and total soluble solids. Ripe fruits of the yellow mutant showed reduced levels of b-carotene, lycopene and vitamin C, while fruits of the F1 hybrid showed levels of carotenoid pigments and vitamin C similar to the red fruit. Both mutant and F1 ripe fruits showed lower pH levels than the red parentals. Total fresh fruit and dry weight matter, pericarp and fruit diameter, and acidity were similar in the three genotypes studied. The total soluble-solids content of the pericarp was lower in the mutant and F1 fruits, whereas their concentration in the locule tissues was similar in all genotypes.