Sensor Placement in an Irregular 3D Surface for Improving Localization Accuracy Using a Multi-Objective Memetic Algorithm.

Accurate localization is a critical task in underwater navigation. Typical localization methods use a set of acoustic sensors and beacons to estimate relative position, whose geometric configuration has a significant impact on the localization accuracy. Although there is much effort in the literature to define optimal 2D or 3D sensor placement, the optimal sensor placement in irregular and constrained 3D surfaces, such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) or other structures, is not exploited for improving localization. Additionally, most applications using AUVs employ commercial acoustic modems or compact arrays, therefore the optimization of the placement of spatially independent sensors is not a considered issue. This article tackles acoustic sensor placement optimization in irregular and constrained 3D surfaces, for inverted ultra-short baseline (USBL) approaches, to improve localization accuracy. The implemented multi-objective memetic algorithm combines an evaluation of the geometric sensor's configuration, using the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB), with the incidence angle of the received signal. A case study is presented over a simulated homing and docking scenario to demonstrate the proposed optimization algorithm.

Multiple independent chromosomal fusions accompanied the radiation of the Antarctic teleost genus Trematomus (Notothenioidei:Nototheniidae).

BACKGROUND: Chromosomal rearrangements are thought to be an important driving force underlying lineage diversification, but their link to speciation continues to be debated. Antarctic teleost fish of the family Nototheniidae (Notothenioidei) diversified in a changing environmental context, which led to ecological, morphological, and genetic differentiation among populations. In addition, extensive chromosomal repatterning accompanied species divergence in several clades. The most striking karyotypic changes involved the recent species radiation (about 10 My) of the genus Trematomus, with chromosomal pair numbers ranging between 29 and 12. These dramatic reductions in chromosome number resulted mostly from large-scale chromosome fusions. Multiple centric and/or tandem fusions have been hypothesized in at least seven of the twelve recognized Trematomus species. To reconstruct their evolutionary history, we employed comparative cytogenomics (BAC-FISH and chromosome painting) to reveal patterns of interspecific chromosomal orthologies across several notothenioid clades. RESULTS: We defined orthologous chromosomal segments of reference, termed Structural Units (SUs). SUs were identified in a total of 18 notothenioid species. We demonstrated for the first time that SUs were strongly conserved across every specimen examined, with chromosomal syntenies highlighting a paucity of intrachromosomal macro-rearrangements. Multiple independent fusions of these SUs were inferred in the Trematomus species, in contrast to the shared SU fusions in species of the sister lineage Notothenia. CONCLUSIONS: The SU segments were defined units of chromosomal rearrangement in the entire family Nototheiidae, which diverged from the other notothenioid families 20 My ago. Some of the identified chromosomal syntenies within the SUs were even conserved in their closest relatives, the family Eleginopsidae. Comparing the timing of acquisition of the fusions in the closely related genera Notothenia and Trematomus of the nototheniid species family, we conclude that they exhibit distinct chromosomal evolutionary histories, which may be relevant to different speciation scenarios.

Insertion Hot Spots of DIRS1 Retrotransposon and Chromosomal Diversifications among the Antarctic Teleosts Nototheniidae.

By their faculty to transpose, transposable elements are known to play a key role in eukaryote genomes, impacting both their structuration and remodeling. Their integration in targeted sites may lead to recombination mechanisms involved in chromosomal rearrangements. The Antarctic fish family Nototheniidae went through several waves of species radiations. It is a suitable model to study transposable element (TE)-mediated mechanisms associated to genome and chromosomal diversifications. After the characterization of Gypsy (GyNoto), Copia (CoNoto), and DIRS1 (YNoto) retrotransposons in the genomes of Nototheniidae (diversity, distribution, conservation), we focused on their chromosome location with an emphasis on the three identified nototheniid radiations (the Trematomus, the plunderfishes, and the icefishes). The strong intrafamily TE conservation and wide distribution across species of the whole family suggest an ancestral acquisition with potential secondary losses in some lineages. GyNoto and CoNoto (including Hydra and GalEa clades) mostly produced interspersed signals along chromosomal arms. On the contrary, insertion hot spots accumulating in localized regions (mainly next to centromeric and pericentromeric regions) highlighted the potential role of YNoto in chromosomal diversifications as facilitator of the fusions which occurred in many nototheniid lineages, but not of the fissions.

Collaborative approaches in sustainable and resilient manufacturing.

In recent years, the manufacturing sector is going through a major transformation, as reflected in the concept of Industry 4.0 and digital transformation. The urge for such transformation is intensified when we consider the growing societal demands for sustainability. The notion of sustainable manufacturing has emerged as a result of this trend. Additionally, industries and the whole society face the challenges of an increasing number of disruptive events, either natural or human-caused, that can severely affect the normal operation of systems. Furthermore, the growing interconnectivity between organizations, people, and physical systems, supported by recent developments in information and communication technologies, highlights the important role that collaborative networks can play in the digital transformation processes. As such, this article analyses potential synergies between the areas of sustainable and resilient manufacturing and collaborative networks. The work also discusses how the responsibility for the various facets of sustainability can be distributed among the multiple entities involved in manufacturing. The study is based on a literature survey, complemented with the experience gained from various research projects and related initiatives in the area, and is organized according to various dimensions of Industry 4.0. A brief review of proposed approaches and indicators for measuring sustainability from the networked manufacturing perspective is also included. Finally, a set of key research challenges are identified to complement strategic research agendas in manufacturing.

MicNeSs: genotyping microsatellite loci from a collection of (NGS) reads.

Microsatellites are widely used in population genetics to uncover recent evolutionary events. They are typically genotyped using capillary sequencer, which capacity is usually limited to 9, at most 12 loci for each run, and which analysis is a tedious task that is performed by hand. With the rise of next-generation sequencing (NGS), a much larger number of loci and individuals are available from sequencing: for example, on a single run of a GS Junior, 28 loci from 96 individuals are sequenced with a 30X cover. We have developed an algorithm to automatically and efficiently genotype microsatellites from a collection of reads sorted by individual (e.g. specific PCR amplifications of a locus or a collection of reads that encompass a locus of interest). As the sequencing and the PCR amplification introduce artefactual insertions or deletions, the set of reads from a single microsatellite allele shows several length variants. The algorithm infers, without alignment, the true unknown allele(s) of each individual from the observed distributions of microsatellites length of all individuals. MicNeSs, a python implementation of the algorithm, can be used to genotype any microsatellite locus from any organism and has been tested on 454 pyrosequencing data of several loci from fruit flies (a model species) and red deers (a nonmodel species). Without any parallelization, it automatically genotypes 22 loci from 441 individuals in 11 hours on a standard computer. The comparison of MicNeSs inferences to the standard method shows an excellent agreement, with some differences illustrating the pros and cons of both methods.

LTR-retrotransposons in R. exoculata and other crustaceans: the outstanding success of GalEa-like copia elements.

Transposable elements are major constituents of eukaryote genomes and have a great impact on genome structure and stability. They can contribute to the genetic diversity and evolution of organisms. Knowledge of their distribution among several genomes is an essential condition to study their dynamics and to better understand their role in species evolution. LTR-retrotransposons have been reported in many diverse eukaryote species, describing a ubiquitous distribution. Given their abundance, diversity and their extended ranges in C-values, environment and life styles, crustaceans are a great taxon to investigate the genomic component of adaptation and its possible relationships with TEs. However, crustaceans have been greatly underrepresented in transposable element studies. Using both degenerate PCR and in silico approaches, we have identified 35 Copia and 46 Gypsy families in 15 and 18 crustacean species, respectively. In particular, we characterized several full-length elements from the shrimp Rimicaris exoculata that is listed as a model organism from hydrothermal vents. Phylogenic analyses show that Copia and Gypsy retrotransposons likely present two opposite dynamics within crustaceans. The Gypsy elements appear relatively frequent and diverse whereas Copia are much more homogeneous, as 29 of them belong to the single GalEa clade, and species- or lineage-dependent. Our results also support the hypothesis of the Copia retrotransposon scarcity in metazoans compared to Gypsy elements. In such a context, the GalEa-like elements present an outstanding wide distribution among eukaryotes, from fishes to red algae, and can be even highly predominant within a large taxon, such as Malacostraca. Their distribution among crustaceans suggests a dynamics that follows a "domino days spreading" branching process in which successive amplifications may interact positively.

Integração de novos enfermeiros num serviço de cuidados intensivos pediátricos / Integration of new nurses in a pediatric intensive care service

O processo de integração de um enfermeiro num novo contexto de trabalho constitui-se sempre como um desafio. Assim, há necessidade de definir programas de integração adequados quer às necessidades organizacionais, quer às necessidades dos novos elementos, visando facilitar a adaptação destes ao novo serviço, de modo a que a sua integração se processe de um modo eficaz garantindo a qualidade de cuidados. O Projeto de Intervenção no Serviço teve como objetivo geral: Construir e planear a implementação de um programa de integração de novos enfermeiros no serviço de cuidados intensivos pediátricos (CIPE). Para adequar o mesmo às características do contexto e da população a que se destina, os objetivos específicos foram: identificar as perspetivas dos enfermeiros que realizam a supervisão da integração no serviço de cuidados intensivos pediátricos e dos enfermeiros recém-admitidos no serviço, sobre o processo de integração, resultados esperados, dificuldades e sugestões de melhoria. Foi utilizada a metodologia de projeto. Esta, vai além da investigação sobre o problema identificado, constituindo uma tentativa de intervenção sobre esse problema com a finalidade de encontrar soluções aplicáveis ao contexto da prática profissional. Assim, são apresentadas as seguintes fases: diagnóstico da situação, planeamento, execução e avaliação. Para dar resposta aos objetivos específicos atrás enunciados, optou-se por um estudo descritivo de abordagem qualitativa em que participaram nove enfermeiros, cinco dos quais supervisores clínicos da integração e quatro enfermeiros recentemente integrados. A amostra do estudo foi não probabilística em que foram selecionados por conveniência aqueles que foram considerados informantes privilegiados para a investigação. A colheita de dados realizou-se através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e os dados foram analisados com recurso à técnica de análise de conteúdo, segundo Bardin. O presente projeto resultou na revisão do procedimento específico do serviço relativo ao processo de integração de novos profissionais e na elaboração de um programa de integração de novos enfermeiros. Consideramos haver a necessidade de definir programas de integração que possam constituir-se como uma ferramenta facilitadora no processo de integração dos enfermeiros.

Integração de novos enfermeiros num serviço de cuidados intensivos pediátricos / Integration of new nurses in a pediatric intensive care service

O processo de integração de um enfermeiro num novo contexto de trabalho constitui-se sempre como um desafio. Assim, há necessidade de definir programas de integração adequados quer às necessidades organizacionais, quer às necessidades dos novos elementos, visando facilitar a adaptação destes ao novo serviço, de modo a que a sua integração se processe de um modo eficaz garantindo a qualidade de cuidados. O Projeto de Intervenção no Serviço teve como objetivo geral: Construir e planear a implementação de um programa de integração de novos enfermeiros no serviço de cuidados intensivos pediátricos (CIPE). Para adequar o mesmo às características do contexto e da população a que se destina, os objetivos específicos foram: identificar as perspetivas dos enfermeiros que realizam a supervisão da integração no serviço de cuidados intensivos pediátricos e dos enfermeiros recém-admitidos no serviço, sobre o processo de integração, resultados esperados, dificuldades e sugestões de melhoria. Foi utilizada a metodologia de projeto. Esta, vai além da investigação sobre o problema identificado, constituindo uma tentativa de intervenção sobre esse problema com a finalidade de encontrar soluções aplicáveis ao contexto da prática profissional. Assim, são apresentadas as seguintes fases: diagnóstico da situação, planeamento, execução e avaliação. Para dar resposta aos objetivos específicos atrás enunciados, optou-se por um estudo descritivo de abordagem qualitativa em que participaram nove enfermeiros, cinco dos quais supervisores clínicos da integração e quatro enfermeiros recentemente integrados. A amostra do estudo foi não probabilística em que foram selecionados por conveniência aqueles que foram considerados informantes privilegiados para a investigação. A colheita de dados realizou-se através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e os dados foram analisados com recurso à técnica de análise de conteúdo, segundo Bardin. O presente projeto resultou na revisão do procedimento específico do serviço relativo ao processo de integração de novos profissionais e na elaboração de um programa de integração de novos enfermeiros. Consideramos haver a necessidade de definir programas de integração que possam constituir-se como uma ferramenta facilitadora no processo de integração dos enfermeiros.

The process of integrating a nurse in a new work context is always a challenge. Thus, there is a need to define integration programs appropriate to both the organizational needs and the needs of the new elements, in order to facilitate their adaptation to the new service, so that their integration takes place in na affective way, guaranteeing the quality of care. The Service Intervention Project had the general objective of: Building and planning the implementation of a program for the integration of new nurses in the pediatric intensive care service (PICU). In order to adapt it to the characteristics of the context and the population it is intended for, the specific objectives were: to identify the perspectives of nurses who carry out the supervision of integration in the pediatric intensive care service and of nurses recently admitted to the service, about the process integration, expected results, difficulties and suggestions for improvement. The project methodology was used. This goes beyond the investigation of the identified problem, constituting an attempt to intervene on that problem in order to find solutions applicable to the context of professional practice. Thus, the following phases are presented: diagnosis of the situation, planning, execution and evaluation. To respond to the specific objectives mentioned above, a descriptive study with a qualitative approach was chosen, in which nine nurses participated, five of whom were clinical integration supervisors and four recently integrated nurses. The study sample was non-probabilistic in which those who were considered privileged informants for the investigation were selected for convenience. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews and the data were analyzed using the content analysis technique, according to Bardin. The present project resulted in the revision of the specific procedure of the service related to the process of integrating new professionals and in the elaboration of a program for the integration of new nurses. We believe there is a need to define integration programs that can constitute a facilitating tool in the nurses integration process.

Eficácia de um questionário sobre xerostomia para detecçäo de hipossalivaçäo / Efficacy of a questionnaire about xerostomia for the detection of hyposalivation

A proposta deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficácia de um questionário com perguntas relacionadas à xerostomia, na identificaçäo de pacientes com hipossalivaçäo (HS). Foi realizada uma análise quantitativa do fluxo salivar de 134 pessoas que responderam afirmativamente a pelo menos uma das perguntas do questionário. A saliva foi coletada sob estimulaçäo mastigatória, e 72 por cento dos indivíduos apresentaram HS. A pergunta "Você sente a boca seca durante o dia?" foi a de maior valor preditivo para HS (p = 0,002) e fluxo salivar (p = 0,008). Houve uma alta prevalência de HS neste estudo. Contudo, a análise quantitativa do fluxo salivar deve ser sempre realizada para confirmaçäo da HS em pacientes que apresentam xerostomia. Existem outros fatores, além da HS, capazes de explicar esse sintoma