Profile and crowding of currents in mesoscopic superconductors with an array of antidots

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

An MILP model for the plug-in electric vehicle charging coordination problem in electrical distribution systems

A new mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed to represent the plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) charging coordination problem in electrical distribution systems. The proposed model defines the optimal charging schedule for each division of the considered period of time that minimizes the total energy costs. Moreover, priority charging criteria is taken into account. The steady-state operation of the electrical distribution system, as well as the PEV batteries charging is mathematically represented; furthermore, constraints related to limits of voltage, current and power generation are included. The proposed mathematical model was applied in an electrical distribution system used in the specialized literature and the results show that the model can be used in the solution of the PEVs charging problem.

Chicken meat consumer profile in northwestern São Paulo State, Brazil

Brazil is the world’s first chicken meat exporter nowadays. The maintenance of this position requires a constant quality attributes evolution. This work evaluated the chicken meat consumer profile in the northwest region of São Paulo state, the most important Brazilian poultry meat consumer market, in order to provide information to the productive sector. The data were collected using 482 interviews and questionnaires that were answered by e-mail. The questionnaires involved questions related to the consumer identification, habits and preferences and their knowledge about food safety, production system, sustainability and animal welfare. Most of the consumers, 62%, were female, with ages ranging from 20 to 50 years. Beef was preferred by the majority of the answerers and chicken and pork meat were together the second choice. Only 2% of the interviewed consumers mentioned not enjoying poultry meat. The main part of consumers, 67%, prefer to buy breast and leg cuts and only 11% are used to buy the whole poultry carcass. More than 60% of the interviewed have already eaten free range chicken meat, but the majority of them, 89%, are used to consume regular industrialized poultry. About 75% of the consumers believe hormones are used to grow the birds. Over 80% of people observe the expiration date before buying the product, but only 55% check if it has the stamp of the official inspection service. Color and appearance of meat are the most important factors that influence the consumer’s choice. The amount of water that drips on the tray is a rejection factor to 88% of answerers. Most of them, 66%, prefer lighter colored meat. Only 27% of them believe that chicken meat causes an environmental impact and 48% do not know the meaning of animal welfare. More than half of the interviewed do not consider animal welfare aspects before consuming any kind of meat. From these results obtained, it is possible to conclude that any effort to improve the product quality, mainly concerned to animal welfare and sustainability aspects, requires prior educational initiatives.

A violência em espaço escolar: o que dizem pesquisas brasileiras (2001-2010)

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

A ornamentação contemporânea em arte e design: função estética, anagógica, terapêutica

Taking as a starting point the reflection on the ornament, is delineated an interpretative analysis of delimitation between art and design in the extent of the aesthetics. Presupposing the ornament as an elementary and universal form of the all aesthetics’ manifestations, trying to work, through recent contributions and in an unified way, concepts regarding the aesthetics in parallel with the phenomenon of the perception. The ornament as element previously “ordered” front to the organization need that the interpretation demands, it constitutes fertile philosophical instrument, for all the art forms and of design, which seeks to provide an aesthetic sensation. Returned to the thoughtful function, the ornament has as essential purpose to stimulate the aesthetic experimentation, capable to induce the perception to subtler states of conscience similar of to the ecstasy, where the spirit from whom contemplates, can live experiences of extreme freedom and intense pleasure. . Establishing semiotics foundations capable of evidencing a function anagogic-therapeutics in the action of conceiving and to meditating, alternately, an object with function strictly ornamental (aesthetics), also intending the reflection of moral stamp on the ornamental concept of the decency as conciliatory solution in the intersection between art and design, concerning the creativity of the formative process.

A natação e o processo de inclusão das pessoas com deficiência nas academias de Bauru

The swimming is one of the most suitable activities for the stimulation of People with Desabilitie (PWD), we want it isfor the freedom of corporal action for those that possess motive limitation, as well as, for the discovery need, corporal adaptation inthe aquatic way. This way, in the academies that develop this activity it is waited we find PWD inserted in the classes. The objective ofthis study was to verify the inclusion process it is happening in the academies of swimming of the city of Bauru-SP. A field research wasdeveloped, of qualitative character and of exploratory stamp, where they were contacted the academies that taught swimming initially andthose that they were disposed to participate in the research, in a total of 10 academies. We verified that, of a total of 3105 people enrolledin the swimming classes in the academies 19 they were only PWD, in other words, 0,61%. Although the inclusion process is found in theswimming academies, this is very limited.

Consumo de energia em escalonadores de transações em sistemas de memória transacional em software

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Computação - IBILCE

Consumo de energia em escalonadores de transações em sistemas de memória transacional em software

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Computação - IBILCE

8.03 : A arte na universidade, A universidade na arte

Este texto corresponde à primeira parte de meu memorial para a obtenção do título de Livre-Docente na especialidade "Gravura, Matriz e Estampa", junto ao Departamento de Artes Plásticas da Escola de Comunicações e Artes da Universidade de São Paulo. Baseia-se na minha experiência como aluno, professor e artista na Unicamp e na USP. A defesa foi realizada nos dias 23 e 24 de junho de 2008. A banca examinadora foi integrada pelos Professores Doutores Domingos Tadeu Chiarelli (presidente), Marco Garaude Giannotti, Aracy Amaral, Laymert Garcia dos Santos e Celso Favaretto.

Enoxacin Directly Inhibits Osteoclastogenesis without Inducing Apoptosis

Enoxacin has been identified as a small molecule inhibitor of binding between the B2-subunit of vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) and microfilaments. It inhibits bone resorption by calcitriol-stimulated mouse marrow cultures. We hypothesized that enoxacin acts directly and specifically on osteoclasts by disrupting the interaction between plasma membrane-directed V-ATPases, which contain the osteoclast-selective a3-subunit of V-ATPase, and microfilaments. Consistent with this hypothesis, enoxacin dose-dependently reduced the number of multinuclear cells expressing tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity produced by RANK-L-stimulated osteoclast precursors. Enoxacin (50 mu M) did not induce apoptosis as measured by TUNEL and caspase-3 assays. V-ATPases containing the a3-subunit, but not the "housekeeping" a1-subunit, were isolated bound to actin. Treatment with enoxacin reduced the association of V-ATPase subunits with the detergent-insoluble cytoskeleton. Quantitative PCR revealed that enoxacin triggered significant reductions in several osteoclast-selective mRNAs, but levels of various osteoclast proteins were not reduced, as determined by quantitative immunoblots, even when their mRNA levels were reduced. Immunoblots demonstrated that proteolytic processing of TRAP5b and the cytoskeletal protein L-plastin was altered in cells treated with 50 mu M enoxacin. Flow cytometry revealed that enoxacin treatment favored the expression of high levels of DC-STAMP on the surface of osteoclasts. Our data show that enoxacin directly inhibits osteoclast formation without affecting cell viability by a novel mechanism that involves changes in post-translational processing and trafficking of several proteins with known roles in osteoclast function. We propose that these effects are downstream to blocking the binding interaction between a3-containing V-ATPases and microfilaments.

Detection of partial discharges at field in SF6 insulated equipments

This paper presents the results of research aiming to develop partial discharge detection techniques in high voltage equipment, at substation environment. Measurements of high frequency components of leakage current, at equipments' grounding conductor, were performed. This procedure was performed with the equipment energized and without disconnecting it from the system. The partial discharge generated current pulse is picked up by a high frequency CT, and is detected by an oscilloscope. The partial discharge identification was made considering previously obtained laboratory results, where partial discharges were characterized by means of its time domain signatures. This paper focuses measurements in SF6 circuit breakers. Encouraging results were obtained, showing the feasibility of detecting partial discharges in energized equipment in the laboratory and in the field, in a substation environment, using this method.

Parallel Layout Construction Algorithm for Irregular Shape Packing Problems

Cutting and packing problems arise in a variety of industries, including garment, wood and shipbuilding. Irregular shape packing is a special case which admits irregular items and is much more complex due to the geometry of items. In order to ensure that items do not overlap and no item from the layout protrudes from the container, the collision free region concept was adopted. It represents all possible translations for a new item to be inserted into a container with already placed items. To construct a feasible layout, collision free region for each item is determined through a sequence of Boolean operations over polygons. In order to improve the speed of the algorithm, a parallel version of the layout construction was proposed and it was applied to a simulated annealing algorithm used to solve bin packing problems. Tests were performed in order to determine the speed improvement of the parallel version over the serial algorithm

Physical objects on navigation channal simulation models

This paper presents the results of a simulation using physical objects. This concept integrates the physical dimensions of an entity such as length, width, and weight, with the usual process flow paradigm, recurrent in the discrete event simulation models. Based on a naval logistics system, we applied this technique in an access channel of the largest port of Latin America. This system is composed by vessel movement constrained by the access channel dimensions. Vessel length and width dictates whether it is safe or not to have one or two ships simultaneously. The success delivered by the methodology proposed was an accurate validation of the model, approximately 0.45% of deviation, when compared to real data. Additionally, the model supported the design of new terminals operations for Santos, delivering KPIs such as: canal utilization, queue time, berth utilization, and throughput capability

New Improved Version of J 1 ...J 4 Interferometry Method and its Application to Nanometric Vibration Measurements

Piezoelectric ceramics, such as PZT, can generate subnanometric displacements, bu t in order to generate multi- micrometric displacements, they should be either driven by high electric voltages (hundreds of volts ), or operate at a mechanical resonant frequency (in narrow band), or have large dimensions (tens of centimeters). A piezoelectric flextensional actuator (PFA) is a device with small dimensions that can be driven by reduced voltages and can operate in the nano- and micro scales. Interferometric techniques are very adequate for the characterization of these devices, because there is no mechanical contact in the measurement process, and it has high sensitivity, bandwidth and dynamic range. A low cost open-loop homodyne Michelson interferometer is utilized in this work to experimentally detect the nanovi brations of PFAs, based on the spectral analysis of the interfero metric signal. By employing the well known J 1 ...J 4 phase demodulation method, a new and improved version is proposed, which presents the following characteristics: is direct, self-consistent, is immune to fading, and does not present phase ambiguity problems. The proposed method has resolution that is similar to the modified J 1 ...J 4 method (0.18 rad); however, differently from the former, its dynamic range is 20% larger, does not demand Bessel functions algebraic sign correction algorithms and there are no singularities when the static phase shift between the interferometer arms is equal to an integer multiple of  /2 rad. Electronic noise and random phase drifts due to ambient perturbations are taken into account in the analysis of the method. The PFA nanopositioner characterization was based on the analysis of linearity betw een the applied voltage and the resulting displacement, on the displacement frequency response and determination of main resonance frequencies.