abstract: In nearly all commercially successful internal combustion engine applications, the slider crank mechanism is used to convert the reciprocating motion of the piston into rotary motion. The hypocycloid mechanism, wherein the crankshaft is replaced with a novel gearing arrangement, is a viable alternative to the slider crank mechanism. The geared hypocycloid mechanism allows for linear motion of the connecting rod and provides a method for perfect balance with any number of cylinders including single cylinder applications. A variety of hypocycloid engine designs and research efforts have been undertaken and produced successful running prototypes. Wiseman Technologies, Inc provided one of these prototypes to this research effort. This two-cycle 30cc half crank hypocycloid engine has shown promise in several performance categories including balance and efficiency. To further investigate its potential a more thorough and scientific analysis was necessary and completed in this research effort. The major objective of the research effort was to critically evaluate and optimize the Wiseman prototype for maximum performance in balance, efficiency, and power output. A nearly identical slider crank engine was used extensively to establish baseline performance data and make comparisons. Specialized equipment and methods were designed and built to collect experimental data on both engines. Simulation and mathematical models validated by experimental data collection were used to better quantify performance improvements. Modifications to the Wiseman prototype engine improved balance by 20 to 50% (depending on direction) and increased peak power output by 24%. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.Tech Mechanical Engineering 2011

Resumo: Verificar os efeitos da terapia hormonal (TH) sobre o equilíbrio postural em mulheres na pós-menopausa e sua associação com o risco de quedas. Realizou-se estudo transversal com 225 mulheres, idade 45-75 anos, atendidas em Hospital Universitário. As participantes foram divididas em dois grupos: usuárias de TH (n=102) e não usuárias (controle, n=123). Incluíram-se mulheres com amenorréia >12 meses e idade ≥ 45 anos. E se excluíram aquelas com doenças neurológicas ou musculoesqueléticas, história atual de vestibulopatias, déficit visual sem correção, obesidade grau III, usuárias de drogas que alterem o equilíbrio. Consideraram-se usuárias de TH aquelas que faziam uso contínuo há pelo menos seis meses. Foram analisados o histórico de quedas (últimos 24 meses) e as características clínicas e antropométricas. O equilíbrio postural foi avaliado pela estabilometria (plataforma de força), pelo teste de Romberg, pelo alcance funcional e teste do agachamento. Para análise estatística foram empregados o Teste da Mediana, o teste do Qui-Quadrado, regressão logística no risco para queda (odds ratio-OR) e o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman. As mulheres usuárias de TH eram mais jovens (53,0 anos vs 57 anos) e de menor tempo de menopausa (5,5 anos vs 10,0 anos) quando comparadas as não usuárias (p<0,05), sem diferenças antropométricas. A frequência de quedas foi significativamente menor entre as usuárias de TH quando comparadas as não usuárias, 51 vs 88 quedas, respectivamente (p<0,05), que apresentaram risco ajustado de 0,49 (IC 95% 0,27-0,88) vez menor para quedas que o grupo de não usuárias. Nos parâmetros estabilométricos, as usuárias de TH apresentaram significantemente menor amplitude de deslocamento latero-lateral e ântero-posterior e menor área de deslocamento quando comparadas as não usuárias (p<0,05). No teste de Romberg notou-se aumento... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: To analyze the effects of hormone therapy (HT) on postural balance in postmenopausal women and its association with risk for falls. A crosssectional study was conducted on 225 women aged 45-75 years and cared for at the outpatient clinic of a University Hospital. The participants were divided into two groups: HT users (n=102) and non-users (control, n=123). Women in amenorrhea >12 months and age ≥ 45 years were included. Those with neurological or musculoskeletal disorders, current history of vestibulopathies, uncorrected visual deficit, level-III obesity or drug use that could affect balance were excluded. Women utilizing continuous HT for at least 6 months were considered to be HT users. Histories of falls (last 24 months) as well as clinical and anthropometric characteristics were analyzed. Postural balance was assessed by stabilometry (computerized force platform), Romberg's test, functional reach test and the crouching test. For statistical analysis were used: the Median test, the Chi-square test, the logistic regression method (odds ratio- OR) for fall risk, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Women users of HT were younger (53.0 years vs. 57 years) and had been menopausal for a shorter period of time (5.5 years vs. 10.0 years) as compared to non-users (p<0.05); no anthropometric differences were observed. The frequency of falls was significantly lower among HT users as compared to non-users, 51 vs. 88 falls, respectively (p<0.05), that presented an adjusted risk of 0.49 (CI 95% 0.27-0.88) time lower of falls than the non-users group. With respect to the stabilometric parameters, HT users showed significantly lower amplitude in latero-lateral and antero-posterior oscillation and a smaller oscillation area as compared to non-users (p<0.05). Romberg's test showed progressive positive increase as the test difficulty increased; however, significant differences were... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Eliana Aguiar Petri Nahás / Coorientador: Jorge Nahás Neto / Banca: Lucia Helena S. C. Paiva / Banca: Fábio Lera Orsati / Mestre

Butiksanställda idag behöver ständigt vara tillgängliga för såväl arbetsgivare och kunder som för familj från tidig morgon till sen kväll vilket kan påverka deras balans mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Syftet med undersökningen är att bättre förstå hur butiksanställda upplever och hanterar work-life balance och se om den ständiga tillgängligheten kan påverka deras work- life balance. Tanken är även att se hur butiksanställda hanterar emotioner som uppstår i arbetslivet och privatlivet. Undersökningen tar upp olika teorier och modeller om work-life balance, tillgänglighet, emotionellt arbete och socialt stöd för att förklara den situation som butiksanställda kan hamna i kring hanteringen av balansen mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. För att undersöka det här har sex personer intervjuats och datamaterialet som har samlats in har gett en bättre förståelse kring hur work-life balance kan se ut hos butiksanställda. Resultat som har framkommit av undersökningen visar att upplevelsen och hanteringen av work-life balance varierar från individ till individ men att flextid och möjligheten att kunna välja när arbetet ska skötas är en stor inverkan för en bra balans. Dock gäller det butiksanställda med mer ansvar eller butikschefer. Det som framkommer som den största och viktigaste faktorn för att hantera work-life balance och emotioner som uppstår är det sociala stödet hos kollegor, vänner och familj, oavsett om det handlar om tillgängligheten eller om det är problem i privatlivet eller i arbetslivet.

Los veinte años de vigencia de la Constitución de 1993 han dado lugar a un nuevo debate. Si bien un sector de analistas políticos sostiene la necesidad de retornar a la Constitución de 1979, otros la necesidad de una nueva Carta Magna, en el fondo lo que realmente se necesita es la consolidación de su contenido material, es decir, un gran acuerdo entre los factores reales del poder. Sin él de poco servirá convocar una nueva asamblea constituyente.

Arbetslivet har förändrats, vilket har skapat olika förutsättningar att utföra arbetet.Digitaliseringen och förändringen av deltagare på arbetsmarknaden är orsaker till att arbetslivoch privatlivet smälter samman. Chefsrollen är komplex och är en position som utsätts försvårigheter med att skapa livsbalans. Denna studie syftade till att utforska work-life balanceför högt uppsatta chefer inom olika organisationer i Sverige. Studien använde sig av etttidsperspektiv som sträcker sig från 1960-talet fram till idag. Syftet var att undersöka omförutsättningar för work-life balance varierat med tiden samt samla uppfattningar om worklifebalance för chefer från olika generationer. För att kunna genomföra studien, undersöktesäven innebörden av chefsrollen samt förändringar i arbetslivet under de senaste decennierna.Den metodologiska ansatsen i denna undersökning var en kvalitativ intervjustudie med högtuppsatta chefer. Resultaten visade att arbeta som högt uppsatt chef var en ansträngandeyrkesroll i ett högt arbetstempo. Förutsättningar för en livsbalans har ändrats under de senastedecennierna, bland annat av att kvinnor har börjat förvärvsarbeta och lanseringen av tekniskaredskap. Det framkom även att det fanns olika uppfattningar och synsätt på vad en livsbalansär bland cheferna.

ALVES, C. A. A study concerning homeostasis and population development of collagen fibers. 2017. 88 f. Tese (Doutorado em Física) – Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2017. / Submitted by Pós-Graduação em Física (posgrad@fisica.ufc.br) on 2017-11-21T16:35:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_tese_caalves.pdf: 8939939 bytes, checksum: 5cbf75fd845e26cdee776ee15fc2cfbf (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Giordana Silva (giordana.nascimento@gmail.com) on 2017-11-22T18:55:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_tese_caalves.pdf: 8939939 bytes, checksum: 5cbf75fd845e26cdee776ee15fc2cfbf (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-22T18:55:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_tese_caalves.pdf: 8939939 bytes, checksum: 5cbf75fd845e26cdee776ee15fc2cfbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Collagen is a generic name for the group of the most common proteins in mammals. It confers mechanical stability, strength and toughness to the tissues, in a large number of species. In this work we investigate two properties of collagen that explain in part the choice by natural selection of this substance as an essential building material. In the first study the property under investigation is the homeostasis of a single fiber, i.e., the maintenance of its elastic properties under the action of collagen monomers that contribute to its stiffening and enzymes that digest it. The model used for this purpose is a onedimensional chain of linearly elastic springs in series coupled with layers of sites. Particles representing monomers and enzymes can diffuse along these layers and interact with the springs according to specified rules. The predicted lognormal distribution for the local stiffness is compared to experimental data from electronic microscopy images and a good concordance is found. The second part of this work deals with the distribution of sizes among multiple collagen fibers, which is found to be bimodal, hypothetically because it leads to a compromise between stiffness and toughness of the bundle of fibers. We propose a mechanism for the evolution of the fiber population which includes growth, fusion and birth of fibers and write a Population Balance Equation for that. By performing a parameter estimation over a set of Monte Carlo simulations, we determine the parameters that best fit the available data. / Collagen is a generic name for the group of the most common proteins in mammals. It confers mechanical stability, strength and toughness to the tissues, in a large number of species. In this work we investigate two properties of collagen that explain in part the choice by natural selection of this substance as an essential building material. In the first study the property under investigation is the homeostasis of a single fiber, i.e., the maintenance of its elastic properties under the action of collagen monomers that contribute to its stiffening and enzymes that digest it. The model used for this purpose is a onedimensional chain of linearly elastic springs in series coupled with layers of sites. Particles representing monomers and enzymes can diffuse along these layers and interact with the springs according to specified rules. The predicted lognormal distribution for the local stiffness is compared to experimental data from electronic microscopy images and a good concordance is found. The second part of this work deals with the distribution of sizes among multiple collagen fibers, which is found to be bimodal, hypothetically because it leads to a compromise between stiffness and toughness of the bundle of fibers. We propose a mechanism for the evolution of the fiber population which includes growth, fusion and birth of fibers and write a Population Balance Equation for that. By performing a parameter estimation over a set of Monte Carlo simulations, we determine the parameters that best fit the available data.

More women than ever before are entering the halls of higher education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), more women than men are obtaining bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees (U.S. Department of Education, 2011a) According to Home (1998), at the end of the 20th century, women with families were the fastest growing population at the university level. At the beginning of the 20th century, students over the age of 25 were the fastest growing population in higher education (Carney-Crompton & Tan, 2002). These statistics beg the question, Why do women return to school? What are their challenges? What are their stories? More importantly, how do they do it all? How do they balance the demands of home and school and, most often, employment as well? My research examined the tensions women face going to school, specifically women who have children at home, commonly referred to as nontraditional age students. I was interested in the competitive demands of balancing two challenging roles, that of student and mother. Additionally, I wanted to know how these two roles affected their health and self-care. I designed a qualitative study to explore life as a graduate student mother. I specifically sought to learn about strategies of balancing the challenges as well as how, or if, schooling affected their health and self-care. Using the Roy Adaptation Model, I searched for ways in which women balance their multiple roles. With this research, I aim to help these women in their efforts to be successful in school and in life. I utilized both individual interviews and a focus group. Themes for interviews included I'm a Mother first, I'm the Captain of the Ship, "We got there together," the Adventure is Stressful, Finding Joy in the Journey, Attitude Determines Altitude, and Letting Go. Additionally, two overarching themes surfaced from the focus group: 1. Stress is Ubiquitous and 2. Identity Crisis. From this study, health educators can begin to understand how graduate school mothers experience graduate school, thus obtain a greater ability to develop and implement strategies to help this population.

Ingeniero Civil / El estudio de la disponibilidad del agua en regiones semi-áridas es esencial para la gestión y conservación de los recursos hídricos de manera sustentable. En la zona montañosa de la cuenca del río Copiapó gran parte de la precipitación es sólida, no obstante la nieve en invierno no necesariamente se traduce en mayores escurrimientos en la temporada de ablación, lo que trae consigo conflictos entre los usuarios del agua. El presente trabajo, busca cuantificar la precipitación sólida que se sublima o evapora, respecto a la transportada y derretida, mejorando así el entendimiento del ciclo hidrológico en la cuenca alta del río Copiapó, ubicada entre los paralelos 27.1° y 28.7° S y los meridianos 70.1° y 69.1° O, donde se presentan elevaciones desde los 1230 m hasta los 6000 msnm. Para cumplir el objetivo se utiliza el modelo hidrológico de base física CRHM, con datos del reanálisis Era-Interim y estaciones meteorológicas, entre los años hidrológicos 2001/02 y 2015/16. Los resultados indican que las pérdidas nivales (sublimación dinámica y evaporación del manto) alcanzan entre el 36% y 78% de la nieve caída anualmente, debido a que se presentan las condiciones favorables de temperatura, magnitud del viento, radiación y escasa vegetación, conjugados en un ambiente de alta montaña, que propician la reducción o redistribución de un alto porcentaje de la nieve, previo al escurrimiento. Se estimó una tasa media de sublimación neta de 62 mm año⁻¹, pudiendo alcanzar tasas de hasta 150 mm año⁻¹. El derretimiento modelado fluctúa entre el 12% y 64% de la nieve anual, siendo en promedio del 18%. Finalmente, el presente estudio significa un aporte incremental respecto a la comprensión de los procesos físicos en este tipo de cuencas, ayudando a la comunidad del río Copiapó a tomar mejores decisiones respecto al uso del recurso hídrico en las cuencas de cabecera, que presentan un alto nivel de estrés hídrico. / Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por el proyecto FONDEF Regional D13R20005

O presente estudo objetivou analisar a relação do índice do arco plantar com o equilíbrio postural e com a frequência do uso do salto alto entre mulheres de diferentes faixas etárias. Participaram do estudo 60 mulheres, 20 no grupo jovem (GJ), 20 no grupo adulto (GA) e 20 do grupo idoso (GI), as quais foram separadas em subgrupos com 10 indivíduos cada de acordo com a frequência do uso do salto alto. A avaliação da frequência do uso do sapato de salto alto foi realizada através do número de vezes que o indivíduo utilizava esse tipo de calçado. Para o cálculo do índice do arco plantar (IAP) utilizou-se o método de impressão plantar, por meio de um pedígrafo. Para a aquisição dos dados referentes ao equilíbrio postural foi utilizada uma plataforma de força AMTI; as variáveis utilizadas a partir do Centro de Pressão (COP) foram: amplitude de deslocamento ântero-posterior do centro de pressão (COPap), amplitude de deslocamento médio-lateral do COP (COPml), velocidade média de deslocamento do COP (COPvel) e área da elipse (elipse). Os resultados apontam que não houve correlações entre as variáveis do COP (COPap, COPml, velocidade e elipse) e o IAP na condição de olhos abertos e olhos fechados. Ao se tratar da faixa etária, houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre o índice do arco plantar do GJ e GI e do GA e GI, indicando que o grupo de mulheres idosas possui um maior índice do arco plantar, ou seja, um rebaixamento no arco longitudinal medial. Com relação à frequência do uso do salto alto, não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa do índice do arco plantar entre os grupos. Concluiu-se que o índice do arco plantar não altera o controle postural em mulheres jovens, adultas e idosas deste estudo e que o grupo idoso apresenta um rebaixamento do arco longitudinal medial quando comparado com o grupo jovem e adulto. / The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between plantar arch index and postural balance and the frequency of use of high-heeled shoes among women of different age groups. The study included 60 women, 20 in the young group (GJ), 20 in the adult group (GA) and 20 in the elderly group (GI), which were separated into groups with 10 individuals each according to frequency of use of high-heeled shoes. The evaluation of the frequency of use of the high heel shoe was performed using the number of times that the person use this kind of footwear. To obtain the plantar arch index (IAP) was used the method of printing plant, with a plantar foot pressure. For acquisition of postural balance data was used a AMTI force plate and variables from the center of pressure (COP) used were: range of anteroposterior displacement of the center of pressure (COPap), range of displacement of the medial-lateral COP (COPml) and average speed of displacement of the COP (COPvel). The results showed that there were no correlations between the variables of COP (COPap, COPml, speed and ellipse) and IAP on eyes opened and eyes closed conditions. When dealing with the age group, there were statistically significant differences between the plantar arch index of the GJ and GI and of the GA and GI, indicating that the group of older women have an increased plantar arch index or a presents lower medial longitudinal arch. It was concluded that the plantar arch index does not alter postural control in young, adult and elderly people and that the elderly group presents lower medial longitudinal arch when compared with the young adult group showing.

This thesis concerns the construction of a detailed, compartmental population balance model for twin-screw granulation using the stochastic weighted particle method. A number of new particle mechanisms are introduced and existing mechanisms augmented including immersion nucleation, coagulation, breakage, consolidation, liquid penetration, primary particle layering and transport. The model’s predictive power is assessed over a range of liquid-solid mass feed ratios using existing experimental data and is demonstrated to qualitatively capture key experimental trends in the physical characteristic of the granular product. As part of the model development process, a number of numerical techniques for the stochastic weighed method are constructed in order to efficiently solve the population balance model. This includes a new stochastic implementation of the immersion nucleation mechanism and a variable weighted inception algorithm that dramatically reduces the number of computational particles (and hence computational power) required to solve the model. Optimum operating values for free numerical parameters and the general convergence properties of the complete simulation algorithm are investigated in depth. The model is further refined though the use of distinct primary particle and aggregate population balances, which are coupled to simulate the complete granular system. The nature of this coupling permits the inclusion of otherwise computational prohibitive mechanisms, such as primary particle layering, into the process description. A new methodology for assigning representative residence times to simulation compartments, based on screw geometry, is presented. This residence time methodology is used in conjunction with the coupled population balance framework to model twin-screw systems with a number of different screw configurations. The refined model is shown to capture key trends attributed to screw element geometry, in particular, the ability of kneading elements to distribute liquid across the granular mass.