Efeitos imediatos da plataforma vibratória no desempenho neuromuscular do quadríceps femoral, após reconstrução do LCA: ensaio controlado, randomizado e cego

Objective: to investigate the immediate effect of the vibrating platform on the neuromuscular performance of the quadriceps femoris and on the postural oscillation of subjects submitted to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Materials and methods: this study is a randomized and blind clinical trial. Forty-four male volunteers (average age of 27,4 ±6,2 IMC of 26,85± 3,8 Kg/m² and post surgery timeframe of 17± 1,4 weeks) were randomized into two groups: OFF platform (n=22, protocol of exercise over the vibrating platform off) and ON platform (n=22 protocol of exercise over the vibrating platform on, 50Hz frequency and 4mm of amplitude). All volunteers were submitted to assessment the isokinetic evaluation of the quadriceps femoris (isometric and isokinetic at 60°/s) and of the electromyography activity of the muscles Vasto Lateralis (VL) and Vasto Medialis (VM), besides the postural oscillation (baropodometry) in two distinct moments: before and immediately after the intervention protocol. The data was analyzed through the SPSS 20.0 software, with a 5% significance level. To verify the homogeneity of the groups it was used an ANOVA one way, and a ANOVA mixed model to compare the intra and inter groups. Results: it was observed differences between the pre and the post, to latero lateral velocity, isometric torque peak and total work in comparison with intragroup. However, it wasn’t verified any difference in comparing the intergroup in the preevaluation and in the post-evaluation protocol over the vibrating platform. Conclusion: the use of the vibrating platform doesn’t change as an immediate manner the isokinetic performance of the quadriceps femoris, the electromyography activity of the VL and the VM, also doesn’t interfere with the postural oscillation of individuals that were submitted to the ACL reconstruction.

Applying life cycle assessment to analyze the environmental sustainability of public transit modes for the City of Toronto

One challenge related to transit planning is selecting the appropriate mode: bus, light rail transit (LRT), regional express rail (RER), or subway. This project uses data from life cycle assessment to develop a tool to measure energy requirements for different modes of transit, on a per passenger-kilometer basis. For each of the four transit modes listed, a range of energy requirements associated with different vehicle models and manufacturers was developed. The tool demonstrated that there are distinct ranges where specific transit modes are the best choice. Diesel buses are the clear best choice from 7-51 passengers, LRTs make the most sense from 201-427 passengers, and subways are the best choice above 918 passengers. There are a number of other passenger loading ranges where more than one transit mode makes sense; in particular, LRT and RER represent very energy-efficient options for ridership ranging from 200 to 900 passengers. The tool developed in the thesis was used to analyze the Bloor-Danforth subway line in Toronto using estimated ridership for weekday morning peak hours. It was found that ridership across the line is for the most part actually insufficient to justify subways over LRTs or RER. This suggests that extensions to the existing Bloor-Danforth line should consider LRT options, which could service the passenger loads at the ends of the line with far greater energy efficiency. It was also clear that additional destinations along the entire transit line are necessary to increase the per passenger-kilometer energy efficiency, as the current pattern of commuting to downtown leaves much of the system underutilized. It is hoped that the tool developed in this thesis can be used as an additional resource in the transit mode decision-making process for many developing transportation systems, including the transit systems across the GTHA.

Assessment and Life-Cycle Analysis of Recycled Materials for Sustainable Highway

Recycled materials replacing part of virgin materials in highway applications has shown great benefits to the society and environment. Beneficial use of recycled materials can save landfill places, sparse natural resources, and energy consumed in milling and hauling virgin materials. Low price of recycled materials is favorable to cost-saving in pavement projects. Considering the availability of recycled materials in the State of Maryland (MD), four abundant recycled materials, recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), foundry sand (FS), and dredged materials (DM), were studied. A survey was conducted to collect the information of current usage of the four recycled materials in States’ Department of Transportation (DOTs). Based on literature review, mechanical and environmental properties, recommendations, and suggested test standards were investigated separately for the four recycled materials in different applications. Constrains in using these materials were further studied in order to provide recommendations for the development of related MD specifications. To measure social and environmental benefits from using recycled materials, life-cycle assessment was carried out with life-cycle analysis (LCA) program, PaLATE, and green highway rating system, BEST-in-Highway. The survey results indicated the wide use of RAP and RCA in hot mix asphalt (HMA) and graded aggregate base (GAB) respectively, while FS and DM are less used in field. Environmental concerns are less, but the possibly low quality and some adverse mechanical characteristics may hinder the widely use of these recycled materials. Technical documents and current specifications provided by State DOTs are good references to the usage of these materials in MD. Literature review showed consistent results with the survey. Studies from experimental research or site tests showed satisfactory performance of these materials in highway applications, when the substitution rate, gradation, temperature, moisture, or usage of additives, etc. meet some requirements. The results from LCA revealed significant cost savings in using recycled materials. Energy and water consumption, gas emission, and hazardous waste generation generally showed reductions to some degree. Use of new recycled technologies will contribute to more sustainable highways.

Environmental assessment of proton exchange membrane fuel cell platinum catalyst recycling

International audience

Sustainable Energy Production in the United States: Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuels and Bioenergy

The United States of America is making great efforts to transform the renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost-competitive, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. This is the key to increase domestic production of transportation fuels and renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions. This dissertation focuses specifically on assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of biofuels and bioenergy produced from renewable feedstocks, such as lignocellulosic biomass, renewable oils and fats. The first part of the dissertation presents the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy demands of renewable diesel (RD) and hydroprocessed jet fuels (HRJ). The feedstocks include soybean, camelina, field pennycress, jatropha, algae, tallow and etc. Results show that RD and HRJ produced from these feedstocks reduce GHG emissions by over 50% compared to comparably performing petroleum fuels. Fossil energy requirements are also significantly reduced. The second part of this dissertation discusses the life cycle GHG emissions, energy demands and other environmental aspects of pyrolysis oil as well as pyrolysis oil derived biofuels and bioenergy. The feedstocks include waste materials such as sawmill residues, logging residues, sugarcane bagasse and corn stover, and short rotation forestry feedstocks such as hybrid poplar and willow. These LCA results show that as much as 98% GHG emission savings is possible relative to a petroleum heavy fuel oil. Life cycle GHG savings of 77 to 99% were estimated for power generation from pyrolysis oil combustion relative to fossil fuels combustion for electricity, depending on the biomass feedstock and combustion technologies used. Transportation fuels hydroprocessed from pyrolysis oil show over 60% of GHG reductions compared to petroleum gasoline and diesel. The energy required to produce pyrolysis oil and pyrolysis oil derived biofuels and bioelectricity are mainly from renewable biomass, as opposed to fossil energy. Other environmental benefits include human health, ecosystem quality and fossil resources. The third part of the dissertation addresses the direct land use change (dLUC) impact of forest based biofuels and bioenergy. An intensive harvest of aspen in Michigan is investigated to understand the GHG mitigation with biofuels and bioenergy production. The study shows that the intensive harvest of aspen in MI compared to business as usual (BAU) harvesting can produce 18.5 billion gallons of ethanol to blend with gasoline for the transport sector over the next 250 years, or 32.2 billion gallons of bio-oil by the fast pyrolysis process, which can be combusted to generate electricity or upgraded to gasoline and diesel. Intensive harvesting of these forests can result in carbon loss initially in the aspen forest, but eventually accumulates more carbon in the ecosystem, which translates to a CO2 credit from the dLUC impact. Time required for the forest-based biofuels to reach carbon neutrality is approximately 60 years. The last part of the dissertation describes the use of depolymerization model as a tool to understand the kinetic behavior of hemicellulose hydrolysis under dilute acid conditions. Experiments are carried out to measure the concentrations of xylose and xylooligomers during dilute acid hydrolysis of aspen. The experiment data are used to fine tune the parameters of the depolymerization model. The results show that the depolymerization model successfully predicts the xylose monomer profile in the reaction, however, it overestimates the concentrations of xylooligomers.

Applicability of an assessment model for healthcare information systems in a public hospital

Assessment processes are essential to guarantee quality and continuous improvement of software in healthcare, as they measure software attributes in their lifecycle, verify the degree of alignment between the software and its objectives and identify unpredicted events. This article analyses the use of an assessment model based on software metrics for three healthcare information systems from a public hospital that provides secondary and tertiary care in the region of Ribeirão Preto. Compliance with the metrics was investigated using questionnaires in guided interviews of the system analysts responsible for the applications. The outcomes indicate that most of the procedures specified in the model can be adopted to assess the systems that serves the organization, particularly in the attributes of compatibility, reliability, safety, portability and usability.

Environmental assessment of industrial chemical and primary sector processes from a life cycle perspective

During the PhD program in chemistry at the University of Bologna, the environmental sustainability of some industrial processes was studied through the application of the LCA methodology. The efforts were focused on the study of processes under development, in order to assess their environmental impacts to guide their transfer on an industrial scale. Processes that could meet the principles of Green Chemistry have been selected and their environmental benefits have been evaluated through a holistic approach. The use of renewable sources was assessed through the study of terephthalic acid production from biomass (which showed that only the use of waste can provide an environmental benefit) and a new process for biogas upgrading (whose potential is to act as a carbon capture technology). Furthermore, the basis for the development of a new methodology for the prediction of the environmental impact of ionic liquids has been laid. It has already shown good qualities in identifying impact trends, but further research on it is needed to obtain a more reliable and usable model. In the context of sustainable development that will not only be sector-specific, the environmental performance of some processes linked to the primary production sector has also been evaluated. The impacts of some organic farming practices in the wine production were analysed, the use of the Cereal Unit parameter was proposed as a functional unit for the comparison of different crop rotations, and the carbon footprint of school canteen meals was calculated. The results of the analyses confirm that sustainability in the industrial production sector should be assessed from a life cycle perspective, in order to consider all the flows involved during the different phases. In particular, it is necessary that environmental assessments adopt a cradle-to-gate approach, to avoid shifting the environmental burden from one phase to another.

Multi-performance assessment of a masonry building with a sustainable RC-Framed Skin

Questa tesi si propone di fornire un approccio multidisciplinare per la valutazione delle prestazioni di una tipologia di intervento sostenibile che consiste in un telaio in calcestruzzo armato (RCFramed skin) per la ristrutturazione integrata di edifici esistenti. Viene fornita una descrizione preliminare di tale tecnologia, con particolare attenzione al miglioramento simultaneo delle prestazioni strutturali (sismiche), non strutturali (energetiche) e alle questioni relative alla limitazione dell'invasività e dell'interruzione dell'uso della costruzione. La valutazione delle prestazioni dell'edificio nelle configurazioni pre e post intervento è effettuata, principalmente in termini di capacità sismica, ma anche del comportamento termo-igrometrico. In particolare, i benefici ottenuti sia dal punto di vista strutturale che energetico sono valutati con riferimento a tre diverse città appartenenti a tre differenti zone sismiche e climatiche. La fattibilità e la sostenibilità dell'intervento di adeguamento proposto sono indagate attraverso una valutazione LCA(Life Cycle Assessment) per l'impatto ambientale e LCC(Life Cycle Cost) per l’analisi economica. Infine, viene proposto un metodo per facilitare la selezione della soluzione di intervento ottimale per ogni sito, combinando l'aspetto strutturale con quello energetico, di impatto ambientale ed economico.

Valutazione del ciclo antropogenico del neodimio in Italia, mediante metodologie MFA e LCA

Per raggiungere gli obiettivi di neutralità climatica del 2050 stabiliti dal Green Deal europeo, l’approvvigionamento sicuro e sostenibile di materie prime critiche è considerato essenziale e l’attuale crisi energetica ne ha rimarcato l’importanza. Tra queste materie prime, il neodimio risulta essere fondamentale per un ampio numero di applicazioni tecnologiche di interesse crescente come la mobilità elettrica e la generazione di energia elettrica da fonti rinnovabili. La produzione mondiale di neodimio è dominata dalla Cina e l’Italia dipende completamente dalle importazioni per soddisfare la propria domanda. Il riciclo dei prodotti a fine vita potrebbe coprire parte della domanda nazionale di neodimio e ridurre la dipendenza dalle importazioni cinesi. Ma, attualmente, la percentuale di riciclo del metallo è inferiore all’1% globalmente con attività di riciclo spesso inesistenti su scala industriale a livello nazionale. Per dare chiarezza sulla catena del valore di neodimio in Italia e dimostrare le potenzialità del suo riciclo, in questa tesi sono state applicate le metodologie di MFA e di LCA. Un modello dinamico retrospettivo di MFA è stato sviluppato col fine di investigare il ciclo antropogenico del neodimio, identificando e valutando i flussi e le riserve nazionali dal 1995 al 2020. Attraverso un modello di distribuzione dei tempi di vita è stata quantificata la riserva in uso del metallo, che ammonta a 3,3 kt Nd o 56 g Nd pro capite. Un riciclo della riserva in uso potrebbe soddisfare l’attuale domanda di neodimio oltre al 2030. I risultati dell’MFA sono stati integrati con i fattori LCA di caratterizzazione di impatto ambientale, dimostrando che il riciclo potrebbe ridurre più dell’80% delle emissioni di gas serra e della energia richiesta associate alla produzione di neodimio primario. Si prevede che lo studio possa contribuire all’implementazione di politiche e strategie di rafforzamento della catena di approvvigionamento del neodimio.

Assessment Of The Fixation Of Mandibular Symphysis Fractures Using Conical Cannulated Screws: Mechanical And Photoelastic Tests.

The aim of this study was to use mechanical and photoelastic tests to compare the performance of cannulated screws with other fixation methods in mandibular symphysis fractures. Ten polyurethane mandibles were allocated to each group and fixed as follows: group PRP, 2 perpendicular miniplates; group PLL, 1 miniplate and 1 plate, parallel; and group CS, 2 cannulated screws. Vertical linear loading tests were performed. The differences between mean values were analyzed with the Tukey test. The photoelastic test was carried out using a polariscope. The results revealed differences between the CS and PRP groups at 1, 3, 5, and 10 millimeters of displacement. The photoelastic test confirmed higher stress concentration in all groups close to the mandibular base, whereas the CS group showed it throughout the region assessed. Conical cannulated screws performed well in mechanical and photoelastic tests.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Assessment Of Interstitial Myocardial Fibrosis And Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy In Hypertensive Mice Treated With Spironolactone.

Nearly 50% of patients with heart failure (HF) have preserved LV ejection fraction, with interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy as early manifestations of pressure overload. However, methods to assess both tissue characteristics dynamically and noninvasively with therapy are lacking. We measured the effects of mineralocorticoid receptor blockade on tissue phenotypes in LV pressure overload using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Mice were randomized to l-nitro-ω-methyl ester (l-NAME, 3 mg/mL in water; n=22), or l-NAME with spironolactone (50 mg/kg/day in subcutaneous pellets; n=21). Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV; marker of diffuse interstitial fibrosis) and the intracellular lifetime of water (τic; marker of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy) were determined by CMR T1 imaging at baseline and after 7 weeks of therapy alongside histological assessments. Administration of l-NAME induced hypertensive heart disease in mice, with increases in mean arterial pressure, LV mass, ECV, and τic compared with placebo-treated controls, while LV ejection fraction was preserved (>50%). In comparison, animals receiving both spironolactone and l-NAME (l-NAME+S) showed less concentric remodeling, and a lower myocardial ECV and τic, indicating decreased interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (ECV: 0.43 ± 0.09 for l-NAME versus 0.25 ± 0.03 for l-NAME+S, P<0.001; τic: 0.42 ± 0.11 for l-NAME groups versus 0.12 ± 0.05 for l-NAME+S group). Mice treated with a combination of l-NAME and spironolactone were similar to placebo-treated controls at 7 weeks. Spironolactone attenuates interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in hypertensive heart disease. CMR can phenotype myocardial tissue remodeling in pressure-overload, furthering our understanding of HF progression.

The Inadequacy Of The Y-axis Of Growth (sngn) For The Vertical Pattern Assessment In Patients With Sagittal Discrepancies.

The aim of this cephalometric study was to evaluate the influence of the sagittal skeletal pattern on the 'Y-axis of growth' measurement in patients with different malocclusions. Lateral head films from 59 patients (mean age 16y 7m, ranging from 11 to 25 years) were selected after a subjective analysis of 1630 cases. Sample was grouped as follows: Group 1 - class I facial pattern; group 2 - class II facial pattern; and Group 3 - class III facial pattern. Two angular measurements, SNGoGn and SNGn, were taken in order to determine skeletal vertical facial pattern. A logistic regression with errors distributed according to a binomial distribution was used to test the influence of the sagittal relationship (Class I, II, III facial patterns) on vertical diagnostic measurement congruence (SNGoGn and SNGn). RESULTS show that the probability of congruence between the patterns SNGn and SNGoGn was relatively high (70%) for group 1, but for groups II (46%) and III (37%) this congruence was relatively low. The use of SNGn appears to be inappropriate to determine the vertical facial skeletal pattern of patients, due to Gn point shifting throughout sagittal discrepancies. Clinical Significance: Facial pattern determined by SNGn must be considered carefully, especially when severe sagittal discrepancies are present.

Assessment Of Robustness On Analysis Using Headspace Solid-phase Microextraction And Comprehensive Two-dimensional Gas Chromatography Through Experimental Designs.

Plackett-Burman experimental design was applied for the robustness assessment of GC×GC-qMS (Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Fast Quadrupolar Mass Spectrometric Detection) in quantitative and qualitative analysis of volatiles compounds from chocolate samples isolated by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The influence of small changes around the nominal level of six factors deemed as important on peak areas (carrier gas flow rate, modulation period, temperature of ionic source, MS photomultiplier power, injector temperature and interface temperature) and of four factors considered as potentially influential on spectral quality (minimum and maximum limits of the scanned mass ranges, ions source temperature and photomultiplier power). The analytes selected for the study were 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, 2-octanone, octanal, 2-pentyl-furan, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, and 2-nonanone e nonanal. The factors pointed out as important on the robustness of the system were photomultiplier power for quantitative analysis and lower limit of mass scanning range for qualitative analysis.

Bacterial Diversity Assessment In Soil Of An Active Brazilian Copper Mine Using High-throughput Sequencing Of 16s Rdna Amplicons.

Mining activities pose severe environmental risks worldwide, generating extreme pH conditions and high concentrations of heavy metals, which can have major impacts on the survival of organisms. In this work, pyrosequencing of the V3 region of the 16S rDNA was used to analyze the bacterial communities in soil samples from a Brazilian copper mine. For the analysis, soil samples were collected from the slopes (geotechnical structures) and the surrounding drainage of the Sossego mine (comprising the Sossego and Sequeirinho deposits). The results revealed complex bacterial diversity, and there was no influence of deposit geographic location on the composition of the communities. However, the environment type played an important role in bacterial community divergence; the composition and frequency of OTUs in the slope samples were different from those of the surrounding drainage samples, and Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and Gammaproteobacteria were responsible for the observed difference. Chemical analysis indicated that both types of sample presented a high metal content, while the amounts of organic matter and water were higher in the surrounding drainage samples. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (N-MDS) analysis identified organic matter and water as important distinguishing factors between the bacterial communities from the two types of mine environment. Although habitat-specific OTUs were found in both environments, they were more abundant in the surrounding drainage samples (around 50 %), and contributed to the higher bacterial diversity found in this habitat. The slope samples were dominated by a smaller number of phyla, especially Firmicutes. The bacterial communities from the slope and surrounding drainage samples were different in structure and composition, and the organic matter and water present in these environments contributed to the observed differences.

[the Modified Us7 Score In The Assessment Of Synovitis In Early Rheumatoid Arthritis].

To evaluate the modified US7 score (MUS7 score SYN) in the assessment of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA). In addition, dorsal and palmar recesses of the wrists as well as of small joints of the hands and feet were examined for the presence of synovitis by means of a global assessment of joints. The study sample comprised 32 patients treated for arthritis, with an average disease duration of 13 months. An ultrasound machine with high frequency transducer was used. Hands were also X-rayed and analysed by Larsen score. Out of the 832 examined joints, synovitis was detected in 173 (20,79%), tenosynovitis in 22 (4,91%), and erosions in 3 (1,56%). Synovitis was predominantly detected in the dorsal recess (73,38%) of MCP and PIP joints, when compared with palmar recess (26%). The presence of synovitis in the joints evaluated correlated with clinical (HAQ-DI, DAS28), laboratory (ACPA, RF, CRP), and ultrasound results (r = 0,37 to r = 0,42; p = 0,04 to p = 0,003). We found correlation of the MUS7 score SYN of the gray scale US or of the power Doppler US with DAS28 (PCR) values (r = 0,38; p = 0,0332), and with CRP results (r = 0,39; p = 0,0280), respectively. The dorsal recess, the wrist, and small joints can be considered as important sites to detect synovitis by the MUS7 score SYN in patients with ERA.