Kinetic parameters associated with self-heating of New Zealand coals under adiabatic conditions

Adiabatic self-heating tests were carried out on five New Zealand coal samples ranging in rank from lignite to high-volatile bituminous. Kinetic parameters of oxidation were obtained front the self-heating curves assuming Arrhenius behaviour. The activation energy E (kJ mol(-1)) and the pre-exponential factor A (s(-1)) were determined in the temperature range of 70-140 degreesC. The activation energy exhibited a definite rank relationship with a minimum E of 55 kJ mol(-1) occurring at a Suggate rank of similar to6.2 corresponding to subbituminous C. Either side of this rank there was a noticeable increase in the activation energy indicating lower reactivity of the coal. A similar rank trend was also observed in the R-70 self-heating rate index values that were taken from the initial portion of the self-heating curve front 40 to 70 degreesC. From these results it is clear that the adiabatic method is capable of providing reliable kinetic parameters of coal oxidation.

Perceived stress as a predictor of the self-reported new diagnosis of symptomatic CHD in older women

This article describes one aspect of a prospective cohort study of 10,432 women aged between 70 and 75 years. After a 3-year period, 503 women self-reported a new diagnosis by a doctor of angina or myocardial infarction (symptomatic coronary heart disease [CHD]). Time one psychosocial variables (Duke Social Support Index, time pressure, Perceived Stress Scale, Mental Health Index, having a partner, educational attainment, and location of residence) were analyzed using univariate binary logistic regression for their ability to predict subsequent symptomatic CHD. Of these variables, the Duke Social Support Index, Perceived Stress Scale and the Mental Health Index were found to be significant predictors of symptomatic CHID diagnosis. Only the Perceived Stress Scale, however, proved to be a significant independent predictor. After controlling for time one nonpsychosocial variables, as well as the frequency of family doctor visits, perceived stress remained a significant predictor of the new diagnosis of symptomatic CHD in this cohort of older women over a 3-year period.

Transposition of first digital pad for reconstruction of a palmar antebrachial soft tissue defect in a cat

An 8-year-old female neutered Siamese cat was presented with a recent history of incomplete excision of an apocrine gland adenocarcinoma from the palmar aspect of the right antebrachium, just proximal to the carpal joint. There was no evidence of metastasis. Wide surgical excision of the previous surgery site was performed resulting in a soft tissue defect. Partial reconstruction was achieved using digital pad transposition of the first digit (dewclaw), forming a local axial pattern flap that was transposed into the adjacent defect. The remaining defect was closed by primary apposition. The skin flap healed successfully. Some breakdown of the skin closed by primary apposition necessitated open wound management. The cosmetic and functional result of the first digital pad transposition was considered excellent, rendering it a useful means to reconstruct soft tissue defects in the carpal region.

Characterization of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes isolated from papillomatous digital dermatitis lesions in dairy cattle

Four spirochete strains were isolated from papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD) lesions in Iowa dairy cattle and compared with two previously described spirochete strains isolated from dairy cattle in California. These six strains shared an identical 16S ribosomal DNA sequence that was 98% similar to Treponema phagedenis and 99% similar to the uncultivated PDD spirochete sequence DDLK-4. The whole-cell protein profiles resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of these six strains were similar. However, these strains showed differences in the antigenic diversity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Genetic diversity was also detected by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA digests, revealing differences among five of the six strains. Serum immunoglobulin G antibodies from dairy cattle with active PDD lesions reacted with the LPS of all but one PDD spirochete strain. Likewise, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cattle with active PDD lesions produced blastogenic responses to one of the two California isolates. Both antibody and lymphocyte blastogenic responses were reduced in convalescent dairy cattle, suggesting the immune response to these spirochetes has short duration. These results demonstrate genetic and antigenic diversity among T. phagedenis-like treponemes and provide further evidence for the involvement of these spirochetes in the pathogenesis of PDD.

e-Processo: Processo Administrativo Digital

A iniciativa visa ?? extin????o do uso de papel nos processos dentro do ??rg??o p??blico mediante a cria????o do Processo Administrativo Digital (e-Processo). A promo????o da transpar??ncia dos atos p??blicos, com gest??o do conhecimento, maior autonomia e descentraliza????o administrativa, fortalece a democracia,melhora o ambiente de neg??cio e a confian??a no governo. O sistema foi implantado em todas as ??reas de neg??cios de 700 unidades administrativas, com 33 mil servidores conectados nos tr??s ??rg??os p??blicos federais: Receita Federal do Brasil (RFB), Procuradoria da Fazenda Nacional (PFN) e Conselho Administrativo de Recursos Fiscais (Carf). A substitui????o de um documento papel por um documento imagem tem o cond??o de promover no Estado uma verdadeira reengenharia procedimental e administrativa

Comunicação interna em instituições públicas de educação : avaliação do informativo digital do Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo-IFES

O presente trabalho visa estudar a ferramenta de comunicação interna de uma instituição pública de educação- um informativo digital, por meio da avaliação dos atributos necessários para que uma notícia seja divulgada neste veículo. Dessa maneira, se busca criar um documento com um elenco de valores-notícia que norteiem a seleção, produção e divulgação de notícias no informativo digital e, assim, contribuir para a melhoria da comunicação interna na organização. A avaliação das matérias e a criação deste documento utilizarão como referencial os valores-notícia já utilizados no jornalismo para definir o que é notícia.

Avaliação do grau de satisfação entre os usuários de amplificação de tecnologia analógica e digital

OBJETIVO: objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar o grau de satisfação entre os usuários de Aparelho de Amplificação Sonora (AAS) de tecnologia analógica e digital. FORMA DE ESTUDO: clínico com coorte transversal. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: A amostra foi constituída de 40 usuários de AAS unilateral, sendo 20 de tecnologia analógica (Grupo I) e 20 de tecnologia digital (Grupo II). Os indivíduos são portadores de perda auditiva neurossensorial, de configuração plana, de grau leve a moderado, com idade entre 40 e 95 anos. O instrumento de avaliação utilizado foi o International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA - Versão em Português) proposto por Cox et al. (2002). RESULTADOS: Os resultados mostraram que os usuários do Grupo II utilizam o AAS por mais tempo diariamente e também apresentam um grau de dificuldade menor em determinadas situações com o uso da amplificação, comparado aos usuários do Grupo I. Os usuários do Grupo II relatam que sua perda auditiva não afeta em nada sua relação com terceiros. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar de os resultados revelarem que os usuários do Grupo I apresentam um handicap auditivo mais acentuado comparado aos usuários do Grupo II, o grau de satisfação com relação à amplificação não apresenta diferença significativa entre os dois grupos.

A Digital Game Development Education Project

The success of the digital game industry is spawning several undergraduate degrees aiming at the training of digital game developers. Building adequate new courses curricula is not a trivial task and demands a profound analysis of the scientific areas to introduce as well as the dependencies throughout the entire degree. Another important aspect of every academic educational plan are the satellite projects that promote entrepreneurship and provide practical professional experiences to students. This paper presents the main guidelines adopted in the creation of the first digital game development undergraduate degree created in Portugal.

Radial Distortion Self-Calibration

In cameras with radial distortion, straight lines in space are in general mapped to curves in the image. Although epipolar geometry also gets distorted, there is a set of special epipolar lines that remain straight, namely those that go through the distortion center. By finding these straight epipolar lines in camera pairs we can obtain constraints on the distortion center(s) without any calibration object or plumbline assumptions in the scene. Although this holds for all radial distortion models we conceptually prove this idea using the division distortion model and the radial fundamental matrix which allow for a very simple closed form solution of the distortion center from two views (same distortion) or three views (different distortions). The non-iterative nature of our approach makes it immune to local minima and allows finding the distortion center also for cropped images or those where no good prior exists. Besides this, we give comprehensive relations between different undistortion models and discuss advantages and drawbacks.

A digital game development education project

The success of the digital game industry is spawning several undergraduate degrees aiming at the training of digital game developers. Building adequate new courses curricula is not a trivial task and demands a profound analysis of the scientific areas to introduce as well as the dependencies throughout the entire degree. Another important aspect of every academic educational plan are the satellite projects that promote entrepreneurship and provide practical professional experiences to students. This paper presents the main guidelines adopted in the creation of the first digital game development undergraduate degree created in Portugal.

PERFORMANCE CAPTURE: À PROCURA DAS MELHORES TÉCNICAS E ESTÉTICAS NO CONTEXTO DA ANIMAÇÃO DIGITAL

This paper investigates realism in character computer animation, which triggered the development of new techniques and aesthetic in spectacular cinema and contemporary culture. With the advent of motion or performing capture, animation has made possible that virtual characters or digital creatures reach higher levels in emotional acting, taking place in virtual cinematic worlds or even special effects movies. This technology, when placed at the service of imagination and fantasy can provide new dimensions in character motion and communication. In this context, projects like Peter Jackson’s (2001) The Lord of the Rings, James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and more recently Steven Spielberg’s Tintin (2011) demonstrate that motion technology is constantly evolving, and it represents a credible option to explore new techniques and aesthetic in contemporary animation.