Image-based methods have been applied to support structural monitoring, product and material testing, and quality control. Lately, deep learning for compute vision is the trend, requiring large and labelled datasets for training and validation, which is often difficult to obtain. The use of synthetic datasets is often applying for data augmentation in different fields.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe strengthening of concrete structures with laminates of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) is a widely adopted technique. retained The application is more effective if pre-stressed CFRP laminates are adopted. The measurement of the strain level during the pre-stress application usually involves laborious and time-consuming applications of instrumentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe detailed dose analysis at the extremities remains a challenge, without affecting operators' mobility and their tactile sense. Using films loaded with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) crystals have been studied in order to overcome some of these challenges in 2D dosimetry. In this work, we investigated flexible polymeric films loaded with MgB4O7:Ce,Li to acquire a better understanding of the dependence of the dosimetric signal characteristics on the production process and the influence of using different powder grain sizes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The identification of persistent airway obstruction is key to making a diagnosis of COPD. The GOLD guidelines suggest a fixed criterion-a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio < 70%-to define obstruction, although other guidelines suggest that a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio < the lower limit of normal (LLN) is the most accurate criterion.
Methods: This was an observational study of individuals ≥ 40 years of age with risk factors for COPD who were referred to our pulmonary function laboratory for spirometry.
Considering the higher radiosensitivity of children in comparison to adults, studies related to children's exposure to ionising radiation have been long considered of relevance. For this study, the MCNPX2.7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterventions in concrete heritage deal with challenges related to conservation, and must be performed from an integrated restoration perspective. In addition to the material technical performance, the aesthetic compatibility between the repair and the structure, in terms of colour and texture, needs to be ensured. Therefore, the characterisation of the restoration mortar concerning colour match and aging, and the mechanical and durability performances, is essential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Evaluation of the out-of-field dose is an important aspect in radiotherapy. Due to the fetus radiosensitivity, this evaluation becomes even more conclusive when the patient is pregnant. In this work, a linear accelerator Varian Clinac 2100c operating at 6 MV, a pregnant anthropomorphic phantom (Maria), and different shields added above the abdominal region of the phantom were used for the analysis based on MCNPX.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) due to contaminated fish intake as part of a high-fat (HFD), high-carbohydrate diets is a reality today for many populations. HFD is associated with hypertension and hyperlipidemia, primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Some studies suggest that MeHg induces those risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalnutrition is still considered endemic in many developing countries. Malnutrition-enteric infections may cause lasting deleterious effects on lipid metabolism, especially in children living in poor settings. The regional basic diet (RBD), produced to mimic the Brazilian northeastern dietary characteristics (rich in carbohydrate and low in protein) has been used in experimental malnutrition models, but few studies have explored the effect of chronic RBD on liver function, a central organ involved in cholesterol metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with non-dipping blood pressure (BP). The precise mechanism is still under investigation, but repetitive oxygen desaturation and arousal induced sleep fragmentation are considered the main contributors.
Methods: We analyzed beat-to-beat measurements of hemodynamic parameters (HPs) during a 25-min period of wake-sleep transition.
J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol
February 2019
Sarcomas are rare lesions of the liver and represent <1% of primary liver tumors. Embryonic sarcoma (undifferentiated) of the liver is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor that usually occurs in children with a peak incidence between 6 and 10 years. In adults, it is extremely rare with only 13 cases described in patients older than 40 years and 68 cases reported in patients older than 15 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc
March 2019
The conformational analysis of some 2‑(methoxy)‑2‑[(4‑substituted)‑phenylsulfanyl]‑(4'‑substituted) acetophenones was performed through infrared (IR) spectroscopic analysis of the carbonyl stretching band (ν), supported by B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) calculations and X-ray diffraction. Five (1-5) of the seven studied compounds (1-7) presented Fermi resonance (FR) on the ν fundamental transition band. Deuteration of these compounds (1a-5a) precluded the occurrence of FR, revealing a ν doublet for all compounds in all solvents used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeterministic lateral displacement (DLD) systems structure suspension flow in so called flow lanes. The width of these flow lanes is crucial for separation of particles and determines whether particles with certain size are displaced or not. In previous research, separation was observed in simplified DLD systems that did not meet the established DLD geometric design criteria, by adjusting the outflow conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper, we investigate electroconvective ion transport at cation exchange membranes with different geometry square-wave structures (line undulations) experimentally and numerically. Electroconvective microvortices are induced by strong concentration polarization once a threshold potential difference is applied. The applied potential required to start and sustain electroconvection is strongly affected by the geometry of the membrane.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn aqueous electrohydrodynamic (EHD) floating liquid bridge is a unique environment for studying the influence of protonic currents (mA cm) in strong DC electric fields (kV cm) on the behavior of microorganisms. It forms in between two beakers filled with water when high-voltage is applied to these beakers. We recently discovered that exposure to this bridge has a stimulating effect on .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Port Pneumol (2006)
January 2019
Purpose: To correlate the expression of high-risk HPV E6 mRNA with pap smear, colposcopy, and biopsy results in women with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL).
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on women referred for primary care services after cytological diagnosis of HSIL. We evaluated the expression of E6/E7 mRNA of HPV types 16,18,31,33, and 45 and correlated the results with those of Pap smear, colposcopy, and biopsy.
Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) is a rare syndrome caused by abnormal intracellular sphingomyelin lipid storage in cells known as "Pick cells." NPD can start in childhood or develop insidiously, with a predilection for reticuloendothelial cells and the nervous system. NPD is a heterogeneous clinical, and biomolecular disorder which has 6 variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
September 2015
We investigate the coupled dynamics of the local hydrodynamics and global electric response of an electrodialysis system, which consists of an electrolyte solution adjacent to a charge selective membrane under electric forcing. Under a dc electric current, counterions transport through the charged membrane while the passage of co-ions is restricted, thereby developing ion concentration polarization (ICP) or gradients. At sufficiently large currents, simultaneous measurements of voltage drop and flow field reveal several distinct dynamic regimes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun
September 2015
In the title β-thio-carbonyl compound, C16H16O3S, the adjacent meth-oxy and carbonyl O atoms are synperiplanar [the O-C-C-O torsion angle is 19.8 (4)°] and are separated by 2.582 (3) Å.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun
January 2015
In the title β-thio-carbonyl compound, C16H16O2S, the carbonyl and meth-oxy O atoms are approximately coplanar [O-C-C-O torsion angle = -18.2 (5)°] and syn to each other, and the tolyl ring is orientated to lie over them. The dihedral angle between the planes of the two rings is 44.
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