Wheel Slip Control Applied to an Electric Tractor for Improving Tractive Efficiency and Reducing Energy Consumption.

This work presents an automatic slip control solution applied to a two-wheel-drive (2WD) electric tractor. Considering that the slip can be maintained within a specific range that depends on the type of soil, it is possible to increase the tractive efficiency of the electric vehicle (EV). The control system can be easily designed considering only the longitudinal dynamics of the tractor while using simple proportional-integral (PI) controllers to drive the inverters associated with the rear wheels. The introduced solution is tested on an experimental electric tractor prototype traveling on firm soil considering case studies in which the slip control is enabled and disabled. The acquired results demonstrate that the slip control allows for obtaining a more stable performance and reduced energy consumption.

Incidência de infecções primárias na corrente sanguínea em uma UTI neonatal / Incidence of primary bloodstream infections in a neonatal intensive care UNIT

As infecções primárias da corrente sanguínea são umas das principais causas de morbimortalidade intra-hospitalar. Além da grande responsabilidade sobre as mortes perinatais, estas são as principais infecções em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTI neonatal) e estão associadas a altos custos hospitalares, representando assim um grave problema de saúde pública. O objetivo é identificar a incidência de Infecções Primárias da Corrente Sanguínea (IPCS) em uma UTI neonatal de uma unidade hospitalar do Estado de Santa Catarina, Trata-se de um estudo descritivo retrospectivo, de abordagem quantitativa, tendo por base os dados coletados pela Comissão de Controle de Infeções relacionadas à assistência à saúde (CCIH) . Esta caracteriza as infecções com base nos Critérios Diagnósticos de Infecções Relacionadas à Assistência à Saúde da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) as IPCS ocorridas na UTI neonatal nos anos de 2014 a 2015. Ocorreram neste período um total de 30 casos, sendo que em ambos os anos a maioria dos casos de IPCS ocorreram em pacientes do sexo feminino e com mais de 1.500g de peso ao nascer. A caraterização das IPCS laboratorial foi positiva em 88,5% e dentre as bactérias isoladas, apenas 4 (44,44%) no ano de 2014 foram classificadas como multirresistentes e não foram encontradas estas no ano de 2015. As bactérias mais comumente isoladas foram Staphylococcus aureus (41,6%) e Staphylococcus coagulase negativa (37,5%). Sendo que o desfecho dos casos foi predominantemente alta hospitalar.

The primary bloodstream infections are a major cause of in-hospital mortality. Besides the great responsibility on perinatal deaths, these are the main infections in neonatal ICUs and are associated with high hospital costs, thus representing a serious public health problem. The aim of this article is to analyze the incidence of Primary Blood Stream Infections in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in the state of Santa Catarina, as well as identify the most prevalent bacteria in IPCS and its sensitivity to antibiotics. This is a retrospective descriptive study with a quantitative approach, based on data collected by the Commission of Hospital Infection Control (CCIH) of Tereza Ramos Hospital (HTR), which characterized the IPCS occurred in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the same hospital in the years 2014 and 2015. Occurred in this period a total of 30 cases, and in both years the majority of cases of IPCS occurred in female patients and over 1.500g and the predominant outcome was discharged. Blood cultures were positive in 88.5% and among the bacteria isolated, only 4 (44.44%) in 2014 were classified as multirresistentes. As most commonly isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (41.6%) and staphylococcus coagulase negative (37.5%). It is understood finally that the characteristics of the patients in our ICU IPCS follows specific pattern and increasing values, showing that are required targeted and effective measures to reduce the number of infections at our institution.

The Roles of Peroxiredoxin and Thioredoxin in Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing and in Signal Transduction.

A challenge in the redox field is the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms, by which H2O2 mediates signal transduction in cells. This is relevant since redox pathways are disturbed in some pathologies. The transcription factor OxyR is the H2O2 sensor in bacteria, whereas Cys-based peroxidases are involved in the perception of this oxidant in eukaryotic cells. Three possible mechanisms may be involved in H2O2 signaling that are not mutually exclusive. In the simplest pathway, H2O2 signals through direct oxidation of the signaling protein, such as a phosphatase or a transcription factor. Although signaling proteins are frequently observed in the oxidized state in biological systems, in most cases their direct oxidation by H2O2 is too slow (10(1) M(-1)s(-1) range) to outcompete Cys-based peroxidases and glutathione. In some particular cellular compartments (such as vicinity of NADPH oxidases), it is possible that a signaling protein faces extremely high H2O2 concentrations, making the direct oxidation feasible. Alternatively, high H2O2 levels can hyperoxidize peroxiredoxins leading to local building up of H2O2 that then could oxidize a signaling protein (floodgate hypothesis). In a second model, H2O2 oxidizes Cys-based peroxidases that then through thiol-disulfide reshuffling would transmit the oxidized equivalents to the signaling protein. The third model of signaling is centered on the reducing substrate of Cys-based peroxidases that in most cases is thioredoxin. Is this model, peroxiredoxins would signal by modulating the thioredoxin redox status. More kinetic data is required to allow the identification of the complex network of thiol switches.

Transposición dental y sus implicaciones éticas y legales / Tooth transposition and its ethical and legal implications

El número de pacientes que busca tratamiento ortodóntico en las clínicas odontológicas viene creciendo significativamente en los últimos años. El tratamiento ortodóntico, o por lo menos, una evaluación ortodóntica, se ha tornado habitual para una parte de la sociedad antes no asistida. Con el aumento de estas evaluaciones y tratamientos, malas oclusiones que antes podrían pasar desapercibias por los pacientes o hasta por los clínicos generales, comenzaron a tener una atención especial. Este podría ser un procedimiento benéfico, si no fuera por la forma indiscriminada en que algunos de estos tratamientos son conducidos. Una de estas malas oclusiones es la transposición dental, en que un elemento dental permanente cambia de posición con otro elemento, pñudiendo ser total o parcial. El prsente trabajo tiene como objetivo revisar los tipos de transposiciones, ofrecer una proposición de tratamiento correcta para cada una de ellas y además, alertar a los profesionales sobre los graves perjuicios legales de un tratamiento ortodóntico basado en un diagnóstico incompleto de este tipo de anomalía

Reabsorçöes radiculares internas: relato de um caso: aspectos ortodôndicos, clínicos e ético-legais / Internal root resorptions: a case report: orthodontical, clinical and ethical-legal features

Os autores revisaram aspectos de diagnósticos, etiologia e terapêutica de um caso com Reabsorçäo Radicular Interna (RRI), que ocorreu durante o período de tratamento ortodôntico, em um incisivo lateral permanente do lado esquerdo, que sofreu em uma época anterior um trauma em atividade esportiva. Preconizam ainda a validade da criaçäo de um programa educacional de esclarecimento aos pais (promovidos por Escolas e Clubes), no sentido de que sejam orientados, dos riscos existentes para seus filhos, nos casos de injúrias dentárias traumáticas. O trabalho em tela salienta a importância da conscientizaçäo das implicaçöes de ordens éticas, legais e clínicas, que os profissionais devem ter, frente a situaçöes semelhantes