Controller implementation using analog reconfigurable hardware (FPAA)

This Thesis has the main target to make a research about FPAA/dpASPs devices and technologies applied to control systems. These devices provide easy way to emulate analog circuits that can be reconfigurable by programming tools from manufactures and in case of dpASPs are able to be dynamically reconfigurable on the fly. It is described different kinds of technologies commercially available and also academic projects from researcher groups. These technologies are very recent and are in ramp up development to achieve a level of flexibility and integration to penetrate more easily the market. As occurs with CPLD/FPGAs, the FPAA/dpASPs technologies have the target to increase the productivity, reducing the development time and make easier future hardware reconfigurations reducing the costs. FPAA/dpAsps still have some limitations comparing with the classic analog circuits due to lower working frequencies and emulation of complex circuits that require more components inside the integrated circuit. However, they have great advantages in sensor signal condition, filter circuits and control systems. This thesis focuses practical implementations of these technologies to control system PID controllers. The result of the experiments confirms the efficacy of FPAA/dpASPs on signal condition and control systems.

WATER FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES USED FOR THE IRRIGATION OF VEGETABLES TO BE MARKETED: RESEARCH ON Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., AND COLIFORMS IN PARANA, BRAZIL

SUMMARY The aim of this work was to compare, from a parasitological ( Cryptosporidiumspp. and Giardia duodenalis), bacteriological (total and thermotolerants coliforms) and physicochemical perspective, water sources used for drinking and irrigation of vegetables intended to be sold for human consumption. From January 2010 to May 2011, samples of different water sources from vegetable producing properties were collected; 100 liters for parasitological analysis, 200 mL for bacteriological analysis, and five liters for physicochemical analysis. Water samples were filtered under vacuum with a kit containing a cellulose acetate membrane filter, 1.2 µm (Millipore(r), Barueri, SP, Brazil). The material retained on the membrane was mechanically extracted and analyzed by direct immunofluorescence (Merifluor(r)kit). From 20 rural properties investigated, 10 had artesian wells (40 samples), 10 had common wells (40 samples), and one had a mine (four samples), the latter contaminated by Cryptosporidiumspp. In samples from artesian wells, 90 to 130 meters depth, 42.5% were positive for total coliforms and 5.0% were identified to have abnormal coloration. From the samples of common wells, 14 to 37 meters depth, 87.5% were contaminated with total coliforms, 82.5% were positive for thermotolerant coliforms, and 12.5% had color abnormalities. We did not detect the presence of Giardiaspp. or Cryptosporidiumspp. in artesian and common wells. The use of artesian or common wells is an important step in the control of the spreading of zoonoses, particularly Cryptosporidiumspp. and Giardiaspp., as well as artesian wells for coliform control in local production of vegetables to be marketed.

Context-aware personalization environment for mobile computing

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Bacteriological evaluation of wounds in seriously burned hospitalized patients

During the period between May and December 1988, 21 patients were studied bacteriologically at Hospital João XXIII's burn's unit which belongs to "Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais" in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of aerobic and facultative bacteria from burn wounds was carried out by the standard filter paper disc technique, including antibiotic susceptibility. At the same time an evaluation of those bacteria isolated from the environmental unit was performed. The most common organisms recovered from wounds of patients were: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. P. pseudomallei was the most frequent strain recovered from environmental specimens. In nearly all patients specimens (16 in total) from whom P. aeruginosa was isolated, the rate of CFU/cm² of skin was above 10². In nine of these, it reached 10(5), wich is equivalent to 10(7) CFU/g of burned tissue.

Recursive neuro fuzzy techniques for online identification and control

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Industrial symbiosis potential of the Sines oil refinery – environmental and economic evaluation

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente – Perfil Gestão e Sistemas Ambientais

Removal of Trypanosoma cruzi by white cell-reduction filters: an electronmicroscopic study

White cell (WBC)-reduction filters have been shown to be effective in removing infectious agents from infected blood products. In this study, the mechanisms of Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) retention by WBC-reduction filters were assessed. Human packed red blood cell (PRBC) and platelet concentrate (PC) samples were contaminated with T. cruzi organisms (Y strain; 3.4 x 10(6)/ml), and then filtered using WBC-reduction experimental filters that provided about 3 log10 WBC removal. Transmission electron microscopy sections showed that T. cruzi parasites were removed from contaminated PRBC and PC samples primarily by mechanical mechanism without interacting with filter fibbers or blood cells. In addition, we found that T. cruzi parasites were also removed by a direct fibber adhesion. These data indicate that T. cruzi parasites are removed from infected blood not only by mechanical mechanism but also by biological mechanism probably mediated by parasite surface proteins.

Healing replicas in a software component replication system

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Study on the development of an autonomous mobile robot

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Eletrotécnica e de Computadores

Prevalence of anti-hepatits A antibodies in children of different socioeconomic conditions in Vila Velha, ES

This report describes the prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in children from elementary school in the Municipality of Vila Velha, ES, Brazil. Anti-HAV antibodies were investigated by ELISA method in the serum of 606 children (four to fourteen years old) from three elementary schools, located in neighborhoods with varying household monthly income levels: São José School, 200 chidren, household income higher than US$700; São Torquato School, 273 children, US$200 to 300; and Cobi School, 133 children, less than US$200. From each children data on age, gender, skin color, sanitary conditions, frequency of contact with sea or river water and family history of hepatitis were recorded. Anti-HAV antibodies were present in 38.6% of all children, 9% in São José School, 49.1% in São Torquato School and 61.7% in Cobi School. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a positive correlation of positive anti-HAV test with age, non white color of the skin, absence of sewage treatment and domestic water filter, and a past history of hepatitis. The prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in school children in Vila Velha, ES, was lower than that observed in the same age group in North and Northeast Brazil and was significantly higher in children from families with low socioeconomic status. In addition the results indicate a changing epidemiologic pattern of hepatitis A in our country, with an increasing number of children and adolescents with high risk for HAV infection, mainly in high socioeconomic class. A consideration must be given to the feasibility of vaccination programs for children and adolescents in our country.

Diagnosing human asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis in an urban area of the State of Minas Gerais, using serological and molecular biology techniques

A population-based cross-sectional study was set up in Sabará country, Southeastern Brazil, to identify asymptomatic human visceral leishmaniasis in an urban area of low disease prevalence. Blood was collected on filter paper (n=1,604 inhabitants) and examined by indirect immunofluorescent test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunochromatographic strip test. The prevalence rates of infection ranged from 2.4 to 5.6% depending on the test used. One year later, venous blood was collected in a subset of 226 participants (102 seropositive and 124 seronegative). The tests performed were IFAT, ELISA, rk39-ELISA, polymerase chain reaction and hybridization with Leishmania donovani complex probe. No clinical signs or symptoms of leishmaniasis were observed. Using hybridization as a reference test, the sensitivity and specificity of serology were respectively: 24.8 and 71% (ELISA); 26.3 and 76.3% (rk-39); 30.1 and 63.4% (IFAT). Due to disagreements, different criteria were tested to define the infection and hybridization should be considered in epidemiological studies.

Information provision improvement with a geofencing event-bases system

Nowadays there is a big percentage of the population, specially young users, which are smartphone users and there is a lot of information to be provided within the applications, information provision should be done carefully and should be accurate, otherwise an overload of information will be produced, and the user will discard the app which is providing the information. Mobile devices are becoming smarter and provide many ways to filter information. However, there are alternatives to improve information provision from the side of the application. Some examples are, taking into account the local time, considering the battery level before doing an action and checking the user location to send personalized information attached to that location. SmartCampus and SmartCities are becoming a reality and they have more and more data integrated every day. With all this amount of data it is crucial to decide when and where is the user going to receive a notification with new information. Geofencing is a technique which allows applications to deliver information in a more useful way, in the right time and in the right place. It consists of geofences, physical regions delimited by boundaries, and devices that are eligible to receive the information assigned to the geofence. When devices cross one of these geofences an alert is pushed to the mobile device with the information.

The brushstroke and materials of Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso combined in an authentication tool

Nowadays, authentication studies for paintings require a multidisciplinary approach, based on the contribution of visual features analysis but also on characterizations of materials and techniques. Moreover, it is important that the assessment of the authorship of a painting is supported by technical studies of a selected number of original artworks that cover the entire career of an artist. This dissertation is concerned about the work of modernist painter Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso. It is divided in three parts. In the first part, we propose a tool based on image processing that combines information obtained by brushstroke and materials analysis. The resulting tool provides qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the authorship of the paintings; the quantitative element is particularly relevant, as it could be crucial in solving authorship controversies, such as judicial disputes. The brushstroke analysis was performed by combining two algorithms for feature detection, namely Gabor filter and Scale Invariant Feature Transform. Thanks to this combination (and to the use of the Bag-of-Features model), the proposed method shows an accuracy higher than 90% in distinguishing between images of Amadeo’s paintings and images of artworks by other contemporary artists. For the molecular analysis, we implemented a semi-automatic system that uses hyperspectral imaging and elemental analysis. The system provides as output an image that depicts the mapping of the pigments present, together with the areas made using materials not coherent with Amadeo’s palette, if any. This visual output is a simple and effective way of assessing the results of the system. The tool proposed based on the combination of brushstroke and molecular information was tested in twelve paintings obtaining promising results. The second part of the thesis presents a systematic study of four selected paintings made by Amadeo in 1917. Although untitled, three of these paintings are commonly known as BRUT, Entrada and Coty; they are considered as his most successful and genuine works. The materials and techniques of these artworks have never been studied before. The paintings were studied with a multi-analytical approach using micro-Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy, micro-Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy, micro-Spectrofluorimetry and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The characterization of Amadeo’s materials and techniques used on his last paintings, as well as the investigation of some of the conservation problems that affect these paintings, is essential to enrich the knowledge on this artist. Moreover, the study of the materials in the four paintings reveals commonalities between the paintings BRUT and Entrada. This observation is supported also by the analysis of the elements present in a photograph of a collage (conserved at the Art Library of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), the only remaining evidence of a supposed maquete of these paintings. The final part of the thesis describes the application of the image processing tools developed in the first part of the thesis on a set of case studies; this experience demonstrates the potential of the tool to support painting analysis and authentication studies. The brushstroke analysis was used as additional analysis on the evaluation process of four paintings attributed to Amadeo, and the system based on hyperspectral analysis was applied on the painting dated 1917. The case studies therefore serve as a bridge between the first two parts of the dissertation.

Synthesis of Polymeric Nanoparticles for biomedical delivery applications

Polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) have attracted considerable interest over the last few years due to their unique properties and behaviors provided by their small size. Such materials could be used in a wide range of applications such as diagnostics and drug delivery. Advantages of PNPs include controlled release, protection of drug molecules and its specific targeting, with concomitant increasing of the therapeutic index. In this work, novel sucrose and cholic acid based PNPs were prepared from different polymers, namely polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and PLGA-co-PEG copolymer. In these PNP carriers, cholic acid will act as a drug incorporation site and the carbohydrate as targeting moiety. The uptake of nanoparticles into cells usually involves endocytotic processes, which depend primarily on their size and surface characteristics. These properties can be tuned by the nanoparticle preparation method. Therefore, the nanoprecipitation and the emulsion-solvent evaporation method were applied to prepare the PNPs. The influence of various parameters, such as concentration of the starting solution, evaporation method and solvent properties on the nanoparticle size, size distribution and morphology were studied. The PNPs were characterized by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to assess their size distribution and morphology. The PNPs obtained by nanoprecipitation ranged in size between 90 nm and 130 nm with a very low polydispersity index (PDI < 0.3). On the other hand, the PNPs produced by the emulsion-solvent evaporation method revealed particle sizes around 300 nm with a high PDI value. More detailed information was found in AFM and SEM images, which demonstrated that all these PNPs were regularly spherical. ζ-potential measurements were satisfactory and evidenced the importance of sucrose moiety on the polymeric system, which was responsible for the obtained negative surface charge, providing colloidal stability. The results of this study show that sucrose and cholic acid based polymeric conjugates can be successfully used to prepare PNPs with tunable physicochemical characteristics. In addition, it provides novel information about the materials used and the methods applied. It is hoped that this work will be useful for the development of novel carbohydrate based nanoparticles for biomedical applications, specifically for targeted drug delivery.