90 research outputs found
Regional integration fifty years after the treaty of Rome. The EU, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
No full textThe European Union has been the pioneer and undisputed
leader of regional integration processes. Since its inception in
the 1950s, following the Schuman Declaration that set in motion
Jean Monnet’s innovative idea to join together European coal
and steel industries, Europe has offered a useful model for
regional integration. Strengthened by the 1957 Treaty of Rome
(exactly half a century ago), this bold entity was later transformed
into the European Union by the Maastricht Treaty.
Having successfully accomplished its primary goal (“to make
war unthinkable and materially impossible”), the EU is currently
facing challenges associated with its expansion and the deepening
of its pooled sovereignty. On the other hand, the effects
of the EU in international relations are of paramount relevance.
While the forceful transposition of national and regional structures
into other regions is a historical error, the essence of the
EU as a model to be adapted by other regions is a viable
approach to enhance stability and welfare. In this regard, this
volume examines the current challenges of the EU and the perspectives
of regional integration in Africa, Asia and Latin
America
System model development and numerical simulation of low-head pumped hydro storage
No full textTo tackle the growing demand for grid-scale energy storage, the ALPHEUS project proposes a novel low-head pumped hydro storage system aimed for coastal application in countries where the topography does not allow for traditional high-head storage. This system consists of a reversible pump-turbine technology with two contra-rotating runners coupled to their respective axial-flux motor-generators as well as a dedicated control, optimising for energy balancing and the provision of ancillary services. To better understand the integration and dynamic interaction of the individual components of the plant and to allow for the simulation of a wide variety of operating conditions and scenarios, this research aims at developing a system model coupling the hydraulic, mechanical and electrical components. Numerical results are compared and verified based on CFD simulations. While some inaccuracies have to be expected, the comparison shows an overall good match with only minor deviations in dynamic behaviour and steady state results.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Offshore and Dredging Engineerin
Analysis of pesticide residues in soil: A review and comparison of methodologies
No full textThis work received national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through the Research units CENSE “Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research”, (PTDC/CTA-AMB/6587/2020) and LAQV/REQUIMTE (UID/QUI/ 50006/2020). FCT is also acknowledged for J. Brinco (UI/BD/150867/2021) fellowship, and P. Guedes Contract established under Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/01969/2020). This research is anchored at RESOLUTION LAB, an infrastructure at NOVA School of Science and Technology.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)This work reviews recently developed methodologies for multiclass pesticide residue analysis in soil and evaluates them under the focus of Green Analytical Chemistry principles, cost and time. Different extraction, clean-up and determination techniques are highlighted. QuEChERS was found to be the dominant form of extraction reported, although extractions using pressurized fluid, ultrasound and simple solid–liquid partitioning are still widely employed. GC–MS and LC-MS remain the standard analytical techniques, with the latter becoming more prevalent due to its greater versatility in analysing different chemical classes of pesticide residues, namely poorly volatile compounds. A selection of twelve representative methods was compared using the analytical eco-scale and AGREE metrics, as well as in terms of instrumental and operational cost, and time. The analysis shows that the choice of reagents and other operational parameters are more important towards the greenness of a method than the extraction and determination techniques used, but cost and time are more dependent on the techniques themselves.publishersversionpublishe
Identification and stage-specific association with the translational apparatus of TbZFP3, a CCCH protein that promotes trypanosome life-cycle development
No full textThe post-transcriptional control of gene expression is becoming increasingly important in the understanding of regulated events in eukaryotic cells. The parasitic kinetoplastids have a unique reliance on such processes, because their genome is organized into polycistronic transcription units in which adjacent genes are not coordinately regulated. Indeed, the number of RNA-binding proteins predicted to be encoded in the genome of kinetoplastids is unusually large, invoking the presence of unique RNA regulators dedicated to gene expression in these evolutionarily ancient organisms. Here, we report that a small CCCH zinc finger protein, TbZFP3, enhances development between life-cycle stages in Trypanosoma brucei. Moreover, we demonstrate that this protein interacts both with the translational machinery and with other small CCCH proteins previously implicated in trypanosome developmental control. Antibodies to this protein also co-immunoprecipitate EP procyclin mRNA and encode the major surface antigen of insect forms of T. brucei. Strikingly, although TbZFP3 is constitutively expressed, it exhibits developmentally regulated association with polyribosomes, and mutational analysis demonstrates that this association is essential for the expression of phenotype. TbZFP3 is therefore a novel regulator of developmental events in kinetoplastids that acts at the level of the post-transcriptional control of gene expression
Erratum: Proposal for a definition for response to treatment, inactive disease and damage for JIA associated uveitis based on the validation of a uveitis related JIA outcome measures from the Multinational Interdisciplinary Working Group for Uveitis in Childhood (MIWGUC) (Pediatr Rheumatol Online J (2019) 17 (66) DOI: 10.1186/s12969-019-0345-2)
No full textFollowing publication of the original article [1], we have been notified that the author Joan Calzada should not have been included to the team of authors. The authors' team, thus, should be as follows: Ivan Foeldvari1*, Jens Klotsche2,3, Gabriele Simonini4, Clive Edelsten5, Sheila T. Angeles-Han6, Regitze Bangsgaard7, Joke de Boer8, Gabriele Brumm9, Rosa Bou Torrent10,21, Tamas Constantin11, Cinzia DeLibero12, Jesus Diaz23,24,Valeria Maria Gerloni13, Margarida Guedes14, Arnd Heiligenhaus15, Kaisu Kotaniemi16, Sanna Leinonen16, Kirsten Minden2,17, Vasco Miranda18, Elisabetta Miserocchi19, Susan Nielsen7, Martina Niewerth2, Irene Pontikaki13,Carmen Garcia de Vicuna10, Carla Zilhao14, Steven Yeh20, Jordi Anton10,21,2
Scope and feasibility of autonomous robotic subsea intervention systems for offshore inspection, maintenance and repair
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from CRC Press via the DOI in this recordThis paper explores the operation of autonomous systems for the targeted inspection and intervention in offshore environments in order to minimise manned, at sea, marine operations. The joint operation of Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs) and Remotely Operated underwater Vehicles (ROVs) will require artificial intelligence to assess and action situations in the challenging marine environment around sub-sea infrastructures. ROVs are typically controlled by human operators to install, maintain, inspect, and repair subsea infrastructures. With increased numbers of offshore installations, e.g. offshore wind installations, the need for subsea interventions continues to rise worldwide. The increase in demand for subsea interventions using human activities will impact on cost and increase the risk of incidence. As such, dedicated R&D is increasing to develop safe and reliable autonomous solutions to optimize subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) operations. An autonomous robotic inspection and intervention system would significantly challenge the existing methodologies to increase safety and reduce costs.The work presented in this paper has received
funding from Innovate UK, project Nr 104085: “Autonomous
Robotic Intervention System for Extreme
Maritime Environments (ARISE).”
http://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10408
A data-driven Bayesian Network for risk modeling and causal analysis of global maritime accidents
No full textPublisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s).Multiple factors may cause maritime accidents. Investigating the impact of risk factors on maritime accidents is imperative. This paper employs a data-driven Bayesian network approach to explore the impact of risk factors on maritime safety using a large dataset of maritime accidents. The interdependencies among risk influencing factors are modeled using a Tree Augmented Network, followed by the sensitivity analysis and model validation. The results indicate that the key risk influencing factors influencing maritime accidents mainly include ship location, type, age, gross tonnage, and deadweight tonnage. This study contributes to the prevention of specific types of maritime accidents.Peer reviewe
Speech and voice response to a levodopa challenge in late-stage Parkinson's disease
No full textThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms."Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients are affected by hypokinetic dysarthria, characterized by hypophonia and dysprosody, which worsens with disease progression. Levodopa’s (l-dopa) effect on quality of speech is inconclusive; no data are currently available for late-stage PD (LSPD).
Objective: To assess the modifications of speech and voice in LSPD following an acute l-dopa challenge.
Method: LSPD patients [Schwab and England score 3 (MED ON)] performed several vocal tasks before and after an acute l-dopa challenge. The following was assessed: respiratory support for speech, voice quality, stability and variability, speech rate, and motor performance (MDS-UPDRS-III). All voice samples were recorded and analyzed by a speech and language therapist blinded to patients’ therapeutic condition using Praat 5.1 software.
Results: 24/27 (14 men) LSPD patients succeeded in performing voice tasks. Median age and disease duration of patients were 79 [IQR: 71.5–81.7] and 14.5 [IQR: 11–15.7] years, respectively. In MED OFF, respiratory breath support and pitch break time of LSPD patients were worse than the normative values of non-parkinsonian. A correlation was found between disease duration and voice quality (R = 0.51; p = 0.013) and speech rate (R = −0.55; p = 0.008). l-Dopa significantly improved MDS-UPDRS-III score (20%), with no effect on speech as assessed by clinical rating scales and automated analysis.
Conclusion: Speech is severely affected in LSPD. Although l-dopa had some effect on motor performance, including axial signs, speech and voice did not improve. The applicability and efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment for speech impairment should be considered for speech disorder management in PD."info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Indicadores de aptidão física relacionada à saúde de crianças e adolescentes do município de Marechal Cândido Rondon - Paraná, Brasil
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Desportos. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física.Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar, através de uma abordagem transversal, as variáveis da aptidão física relacionada à saúde de crianças e adolescentes do município de Marechal Cândido Rondon, PR. A amostra foi composta por 2.337 escolares (23,43% da população) dos níveis de ensino fundamental e médio de 7 a 17 anos de idade (1.191 do gênero masculino e 1.146 do gênero feminino). Para obtenção da amostra, em um primeiro momento, o município foi dividido em três regiões: centro, bairros e zona rural. O passo seguinte foi selecionar de forma aleatória as escolas que participaram deste estudo considerando a proporção de alunos em cada região. Por fim, foram selecionados também de forma aleatória os alunos por classe de estudo. Os dados foram coletados através de medidas de crescimento (massa corporal e estatura), composição corporal (dobras cutâneas tricipital e subescapular) e desempenho nos testes de aptidão física relacionada à saúde, propostos pela bateria FITNESSGRAM do Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research (1999), sendo que foram selecionados quatro testes referentes às capacidades físicas de flexibilidade, força/resistência abdominal, força/resistência de membros superiores e capacidade cardiorrespiratória. Para análise estatística foi utilizado o programa estatístico computadorizado SPSS for windows - versão 10.0. Utilizou-se a estatística descritiva, correlação linear de Pearson (r), regressão múltipla e teste "t" de Student para amostras independentes. Os resultados apontaram que os valores de massa corporal, estatura e índice de massa corporal investigados apresentaram índices semelhantes aos observados em outros estudos desenvolvidos com populações similares no Brasil. Em relação à composição corporal, o gênero masculino apresentou uma massa corporal magra superior ao gênero feminino, com diferenças significativas aos oito, nove, dez, quinze, dezesseis e dezessete anos. Em contrapartida, quando analisados os valores do percentual de gordura, observou-se que em todas as faixas etárias o gênero feminino apresentou valores significativamente superiores em relação ao masculino. Os resultados do teste de flexibilidade mostraram que não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significantes na maioria das faixas etárias. Em relação à força/resistência abdominal, observou-se que os escolares masculino apresentaram valores superiores em relação às escolares femininas, principalmente após os nove anos de idade. Os resultados do teste de força/resistência de membros superiores indicaram que os escolares masculinos são mais fortes do que as escolares femininas especialmente após os dez anos. Com o avanço da idade, a capacidade cardiorrespiratória apresentou um decréscimo em seus valores relativos (VO2max) para ambos os gêneros. Entretanto, em todas as faixas etárias o gênero masculino apresentou um melhor desempenho nesta variável. Na análise dos resultados referentes a correlações entre desempenho motor nas variáveis de aptidão física relacionada à saúde e variáveis da composição corporal e de crescimento, observou-se que tanto entre o gênero masculino quanto entre o gênero feminino, a capacidade cardiorrespiratória e a força/resistência dos membros superiores se associaram com todas as variáveis de composição corporal e crescimento analisadas. Observou-se ainda, através da regressão múltipla que a estatura e a massa corporal foram as variáveis que mais influenciaram negativamente o desempenho de ambos os gêneros nos testes motores enquanto que a massa corporal magra foi a variável que mais influenciou positivamente. Em relação ao alcance dos critérios de saúde estabelecidos pela FITNESSGRAM, observou-se que o gênero masculino apresentou níveis satisfatórios nos testes de flexibilidade, força/resistência abdominal e força/resistência de membros superiores, enquanto que o gênero feminino, apenas nos testes de força/resistência abdominal e força/resistência de membros superiores. A capacidade cardiorrespiratória apresentou índices extremamente baixos de alcance de critérios para ambos os gêneros
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