Time-domain analysis of piezoelectric impedance-based structural health monitoring using multilevel wavelet decomposition

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A multisampling time-domain CMOS imager with synchronous readout circuit

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fluctuating solutions for the evolution of domain walls

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A BEM formulation for analysing the coupled stretching-bending problem of plates reinforced by rectangular beams with columns defined in the domain

In this work, a boundary element formulation to analyse plates reinforced by rectangular beams, with columns defined in the domain is proposed. The model is based on Kirchhoff hypothesis and the beams are not required to be displayed over the plate surface, therefore eccentricity effects are taken into account. The presented boundary element method formulation is derived by applying the reciprocity theorem to zoned plates, where beams are treated as thin sub-regions with larger rigidities. The integral representations derived for this complex structural element consider the bending and stretching effects of both structural elements working together. The standard equilibrium and compatibility conditions along interface are naturally imposed, being the bending tractions eliminated along interfaces. The in-plane tractions and the bending and in-plane displacements are approximated along the beam width, reducing the number of degrees of freedom. The columns are introduced into the formulation by considering domain points where tractions can be prescribed. Some examples are then shown to illustrate the accuracy of the formulation, comparing the obtained results with other numerical solutions.

Stabilizing controller design for uncertain nonlinear systems using fuzzy models

A Lyapunov-based stabilizing control design method for uncertain nonlinear dynamical systems using fuzzy models is proposed. The controller is constructed using a design model of the dynamical process to be controlled. The design model is obtained from the truth model using a fuzzy modeling approach. The truth model represents a detailed description of the process dynamics. The truth model is used in a simulation experiment to evaluate the performance of the controller design. A method for generating local models that constitute the design model is proposed. Sufficient conditions for stability and stabilizability of fuzzy models using fuzzy state-feedback controllers are given. The results obtained are illustrated with a numerical example involving a four-dimensional nonlinear model of a stick balancer.

A VHDL-based protocol controller for NCAP processors

This work presents the development of an IEEE 1451.2 protocol controller based on a low-cost FPGA that is directly connected to the parallel port of a conventional personal computer. In this manner it is possible to implement a Network Capable Application Processor (NCAP) based on a personal computer, without parallel port modifications. This approach allows supporting the ten signal lines of the 10-wire IEEE 1451.2 Transducer Independent Interface (TII), that connects the network processor to the Smart Transducer Interface Module (STIM) also defined in the IEEE 1451.2 standard. The protocol controller is connected to the STIM through the TII's physical interface, enabling the portability of the application at the transducer and network processor level. The protocol controller architecture was fully developed in VHDL language and we have projected a special prototype configured in a general-purpose programmable logic device. We have implemented two versions of the protocol controller, which is based on IEEE 1451 standard, and we have obtained results using simulation and experimental tests. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential-Evolution-Based Optimization of the Dynamic Response for Parallel Operation of Inverters With No Controller Interconnection

In this paper, the use of differential evolution ( DE), a global search technique inspired by evolutionary theory, to find the parameters that are required to achieve optimum dynamic response of parallel operation of inverters with no interconnection among the controllers is proposed. Basically, in order to reach such a goal, the system is modeled in a certain way that the slopes of P-omega and Q-V curves are the parameters to be tuned. Such parameters, when properly tuned, result in system's eigenvalues located in positions that assure the system's stability and oscillation-free dynamic response with minimum settling time. This paper describes the modeling approach and provides an overview of the motivation for the optimization and a description of the DE technique. Simulation and experimental results are also presented, and they show the viability of the proposed method.

Domain wall contribution to dielectric and piezoelectric responses in 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)-0.35PbTiO(3) ferroelectric ceramics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The central repeat domain 1 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency associated-nuclear antigen 1 (LANA1) prevents cis MHC class I peptide presentation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

LaTBP1: A Leishmania amazonensis DNA-binding protein that associates in vivo with telomeres and GT-rich DNA using a Myb-like domain

Different species of Leishmania can cause a variety of medically important diseases, whose control and treatment are still health problems. Telomere binding proteins (TBPs) have potential as targets for anti-parasitic chemotherapy because of their importance for genome stability and cell viability. Here, we describe LaTBP1 a protein that has a Myb-like DNA-binding domain, a feature shared by most double-stranded telomeric proteins. Binding assays using full-length and truncated LaTBP1 combined with spectroscopy analysis were used to map the boundaries of the Myb-like domain near to the protein only tryptophan residue. The Myb-like domain of LaTBP1 contains a conserved hydrophobic cavity implicated in DNA-binding activity. A hypothetical model helped to visualize that it shares structural homology with domains of other Myb-containing proteins. Competition assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed the specificity of LaTBP1 for telomeric and GT-rich DNAs, suggesting that LaTBP1 is a new TBP. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae COQ10 gene encodes a START domain protein required for function of coenzyme Q in respiration

Deletion of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene YOL008W, here referred to as COQ10, elicits a respiratory defect as a result of the inability of the mutant to oxidize NADH and succinate. Both activities are restored by exogenous coenzyme Q(2). Respiration is also partially rescued by COQ2, COQ7, or COQ8/ABC1, when these genes are present in high copy. Unlike other coq mutants, all of which lack Q(6), the coq10 mutant has near normal amounts of Q(6) in mitochondria. Coq10p is widely distributed in bacteria and eukaryotes and is homologous to proteins of the aromatic-rich protein family Pfam03654 and to members of the START domain superfamily that have a hydrophobic tunnel implicated in binding lipophilic molecules such as cholesterol and polyketides. Analysis of coenzyme Q in polyhistidine-tagged Coq10p purified from mitochondria indicates the presence 0.032-0.034 mol of Q(6)/mol of protein. We propose that Coq10p is a Q(6)-binding protein and that in the coq10 mutant Q(6) it is not able to act as an electron carrier, possibly because of improper localization.

Genomic Strategy Identifies a Missense Mutation in WD-Repeat Domain 65 (WDR65) in an Individual With Van der Woude Syndrome

Genetic variation in the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) causes and contributes risk for oral clefting disorders. We hypothesized that genes regulated by IRF6 are also involved in oral clefting disorders. We used five criteria to identify potential IRF6 target genes; differential gene expression in skin taken from wild-type and Irf6-deficient murine embryos, localization to the Van der Woude syndrome 2 (VWS2) locus at 1p36-1p32, overlapping expression with Irf6, presence of a conserved predicted-binding site in the promoter region, and a mutant murine phenotype that was similar to the Irf6 mutant mouse. Previously, we observed altered expression for 573 genes; 13 were located in the murine region syntenic to the VWS2 locus. Two of these genes, Wdr65 and Stratifin, met 4 of 5 criteria. Wdr65 was a novel gene that encoded a predicted protein of 1,250 amino acids with two WD domains. As potential targets for Irf6 regulation, we hypothesized that disease-causing mutations will be found in WDR65 and Stratifin in individuals with VWS or VWS-like syndromes. We identified a potentially etiologic missense mutation in WDR65 in a person with VWS who does not have an exonic mutation in IRF6. The expression and mutation data were consistent with the hypothesis that WDR65 was a novel gene involved in oral clefting. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Amphibians and reptiles from a highly diverse area of the Caatinga domain: composition and conservation implications

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mutational analysis of the GAP-related domain of the neurofibromatosis type 1 gene in Brazilian NF1 patients

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)