A systematic sectoral empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropical tropospheric zonal-mean geopotential height (GH) is conducted in order to determine how EOF shapes and shape ordering is affected by a decrease in the width of the sector. Previous work (Kushner and Lee 2007) using surface pressure found that the two lead EOFs exchange shape as the sector width decreases below seventy degrees. In the present work, the 500hPa GH field is found to exhibit a similar feature. By fitting a idealized kinematic model, in the form of a Gaussian error function, to daily 500 hPa GH for each sector, the kinematic features of the shape reordering observed in the lead EOFs is shown to arise from the covariance structure of the fluctuating model parameters. The correlations between model parameters which are shown to influence the EOF shapes are further shown to be strongly influenced by statistical properties of daily mass and angular momentum fluctuations. / Graduate

No description available.

Introduction: Several authors have demonstrated that, while cycling at a constant power output, EMG activity from the gastrocnemius increases systematically with increases in pedaling cadence, but that soleus EMG remains unchanged (Marsh & Martin 1995; Sanderson et al. 2006). The reason for this differential effect of cadence on the muscles of the triceps surae is unclear. Whatever factor(s) are responsible, it is assumed that, as they vary, the differential electromyographic response will vary accordingly. Decreasing the seat height has been shown to alter the kinematic characteristics of cycling (Too, 1990). The first objective of this study was to examine the effect of a decrease in seat height on the kinematics and muscle activation of the lower limb. The second objective was to investigate the effect of seat height on the relationship between cadence and triceps surae activation and, in doing so, to reveal possible factors mediating the response to changes in cadence. Methods: Participants pedaled a cycle ergometer at 200 Watts for five minutes at each of five cadences (50, 65, 80, 95, 110 rpm) and at each of two seat heights (100% and 90% trochanteric height). Kinematics of the lower limb were calculated from digitized video records of reflective markers placed on the skin over seven bony landmarks. EMG data were collected from eight lower-limb muscles. Results: The most notable findings were 1) that activation of the gastrocnemii was less in the low-seat condition and, contrary to what the findings of past research would suggest, was not associated with changes in muscle length; 2) that the medial and lateral gastrocnemii responded differently to changes in cadence at each seat height, suggesting that the functional roles of these muscles in cycling differ; 3) that several factors, including muscle length, muscle velocity, ankle angle and the direction of muscle action, were not responsible for the differential effect of cadence on activation of the soleus and gastrocnemius. Future research should investigate afferent feedback from proprioceptors in the knee joint and knee extensor muscles as possible factors mediating the effect.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2002-08-30Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:30:18Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 castro_alp_me_prud.pdf: 5444410 bytes, checksum: 7e68cc5dce3b24fd2a1e82437186ffef (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O posicionamento através do GPS alterou profundamente a metodologia geodésica nas últimas décadas. Atualmente, as aplicações dessa técnica espacial não se limita à determinação das coordenadas geodésicas como ocorria no posicionamento clássico. O posicionamento por GPS, combinado com um modelo geoidal, proporciona a altitude ortométrica, com a precisão suficiente para várias aplicações cotidianas (mapeamento, distribuição de água, saneamento básico, irrigação, planejamento urbano, etc). Isto significa que, nessas aplicações, já é possível substituir o nivelamento tradicional pelo nivelamento por satélite com a simplicidade oferecida pelo GPS. Os objetivos principais deste trabalho, em síntese, são os seguintes: determinar a altitude ortométrica num conjunto de Referências de Nível combinando o posicionamento por GPS com um modelo geoidal do Estado de São Paulo; avaliar o nivelamento através do GPS, comparando as altitudes determinadas com as conhecidas nesses pontos; e definir estratégias para adequar o nivelamento por satélite às aplicações cotidianas. A metodologia proposta consiste em avaliar o nivelamento realizado com o GPS, por meio da análise estatística das discrepâncias entre as altitudes ortométricas determinada e conhecida em cada ponto; e definir estratégias de observação e processamento de dados GPS visando essas aplicações. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho mostram que é possível realizar o nivelamento por satélite utilizando receptores GPS equipados com antenas de duas freqüências ou mesmo de uma freqüência e bases de comprimento até 250 km. Assim, o usuário possui alternativa para substituir o nivelamento convencional pelo nivelamento por satélite, com os benefícios da simplicidade operacional, da rapidez e do baixo custo que o GPS oferece. / The GPS positioning has deeply modified the geodetic methodology in the last decades. Currently, the applications of this space technique are not limited to the determination of the geodetic coordinates as it happened in classical positioning. The GPS positioning, combined with a geoidal model, provides the orthometric heights, with the enough precision for some daily applications (mapping, water distribution, basic sanitation, irrigation, urban planning, etc). In these applications, it is already possible to substitute the traditional levelling by the satellite levelling with the simplicity allowed by the GPS. The main objectives of this work are the following: to determine the orthometric heights in a set of leveling benchmarks by combining the GPS positioning and a gravimetric geoidal model in São Paulo state; to evaluate the GPS levelling, by comparing the obtained orthométric heights with the known ones at these points; and to define strategies to applay the satellite levelling to the daily applications. The proposed methodology consists in evaluating the GPS levelling through the statistical analysis of the discrepancies between the determined orthometric heights and the known one at each point; and to recomend strategies for observation and data processing. The results obtained in this work show that, for many applications, the GPS levelling can be accomplished, by using GPS receivers equipped with two frequencies, or even one frequency antennas, for baselines up to 250 km. So the user has an alternative to substitute the conventional levelling by the satellite levelling, with the benefits of operational simplicity, the little time consuming, and the low cost enabled by using GPS.

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2015-04-11T01:22:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Hugo Fabiano Fernandes de Novaes.pdf: 538652 bytes, checksum: 783adecb7d1066d3ec1f2807d7abe6d5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T01:22:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hugo Fabiano Fernandes de Novaes.pdf: 538652 bytes, checksum: 783adecb7d1066d3ec1f2807d7abe6d5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Em algumas situações, correlações entre diferentes estruturas do corpo humano poderiam auxiliar no planejamento de cirurgias intra-abdominais. O conhecimento do comprimento do ureter permitiria um planejamento cirúrgico pré-operatório, reduzindo gastos com exames; auxiliaria também na escolha do cateter duplo-J, reduzindo sintomatologia e morbidade, aumentando a aderência ao tratamento. Objetivo: Avaliar o comprimento ureteral em cadáveres adultos e analisar suas correlações com determinadas medidas antropométricas. Desenho do estudo: estudo transversal, descritivo e analítico. Materiais e métodos: realizamos mensuração do comprimento ureteral de cadáveres adultos, encaminhados para necropsia entre abril de 2009 e janeiro de 2012. Adicionalmente, coletamos as seguintes medidas: altura, distância ombro-punho, cotovelo-punho, xifo-umbilical, distância umbigo-púbis, distância xifo-púbica e distância entre espinhas ilíacas. Analisamos as correlações entre o comprimento ureteral e as demais medidas antropométricas. Resultados: Foram dissecados os ureteres de 115 cadáveres adultos no período entre abril/2009 e janeiro/2012. O comprimento ureteral médio não variou o gênero, nem com a estatura. Não foi encontrada correlação entre o comprimento ureteral e as medidas antropométricas pesquisadas na população geral analisada, bem como nos subgrupos analisados. Não se evidenciou diferenças significantes entre as medidas dos ureteres direito e esquerdo. Conclusões: Não há diferença no comprimento ureteral médio entre as diferentes faixas de altura e entre os gêneros masculino e feminino. Não há correlação significante entre o comprimento ureteral e as demais medidas antropométricas.

Many older bridges and tunnels were constructed using standards by now many decades out-of-date, at a time when trucks and other large vehicles were smaller. A bridge or tunnel strike is an incidence in which a vehicle, typically a lorry (truck) or double-decker bus, tries to pass under a bridge or tunnel that is lower than its height, subsequently colliding with the structure. These strikes lead to an increased cost of bridge repairs, clogged up roadways and increased potential for catastrophic events: hazardous spillage and/or total collapse. Today, Network Rail reports on average a strike every 4.5 hours. There are a number of reasons why strikes occur, and why drivers of heavy goods vehicles sometimes fail to recognise the warning signs, consequently striking the bridge or tunnel. At first glance, it may seem like the problem is a fairly easy one to solve; however, no matter how well planned the road system, human error is an ever-present risk. The research proposes to address the problem of bridge and tunnel strike prevention and management. The intent of the research is to develop an affordable, reliable and robust early warning over-height detection system bridge-owners can implement at locations with high strike occurrences. The research aims to test and validate a novel vision-based system using a single camera to accurately detect over-height vehicles using a set of optimised parameters. The system uses a camera installed at the offending height, which acts as an “over-height plane” formed by the averages of the maximum allowable heights across all lanes in a given traffic direction. Any vehicle exceeding this plane is analysed within a region of interest using a trigger-based approach for accurate detection and driver warning. If the vehicle is deemed to be over-height, a warning is issued to the driver. As a result, prolonging life expectancy of structures while decreasing the cost of repairs, maintenance and inspections.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo o estudo da altimetria e do modelo geoidal no Estado de São Paulo. Para isso, uma abordagem detalhada do Problema de Valor de Contorno da Geodésia foi realizada. Além disso, são apresentados conceitos relacionados ao sistema de altitudes e a determinação das ondulações geoidais. Uma investigação do movimento e deslocamento vertical da crosta terrestre por meio do processamento preciso por ponto de duas estações de monitoramento contínuo (Cananeia NEIA e Ubatuba UBAT), localizadas no litoral paulista, foi efetuada. Constatou-se uma similaridade nos resultados por meio da comparação com o processamento feito pelo IBGE. A comparação envolvendo o Nível Médio dos Mares de duas estações maregráficas com relação ao nivelamento advindo de Imbituba foi outro estudo executado, onde a diferença após algumas correções foi de 0,34 cm. Uma análise a partir de 199 estações GPS sobre nivelamento foi realizada para comparação da ondulação geoidal com as anomalias de altura. As anomalias foram calculadas a partir dos modelos do geopotencial (EIGEN-GL04, EIGEN-5C e EGM08 para diferentes valores de grau e ordem). Os modelos que apresentaram melhor consistência com as estações GPS sobre nivelamento foram o EIGEN-GL04C e EIGEN-5C grau e ordem 360 e o EGM08 grau e ordem 360 e 2160. O modelo geoidal do Estado de São Paulo foi gerado para um modelo digital de 5. Utilizou-se a integral modificada de Stokes a partir do pacote computacional canadense SHGEO para o cálculo da componente de curto comprimento de onda. Foram empregados dados gravimétricos já existentes e dados advindos dos trabalhos de campo referentes ao Projeto Temático da FAPESP. No cálculo da componente de médio e longo comprimento de onda foi utilizado o modelo do geopotencial EGM08 (grau e ordem 150). A comparação com os dados GPS sobre nivelamento apresentou média de -0,22 m e RMSD 0,21 m. A escolha do Estado de São Paulo está relacionada à grande quantidade de trabalhos geodésicos e atividades na área da engenharia e que necessitam da utilização de um sistema altimétrico. Além disso, a grande quantidade de dados gravimétricos e de estações GPS/RN é mais uma justificativa para a realização do trabalho no Estado. / The investigation of the altimetry and the geoid model in São Paulo state is the aim of this dissertation. A detailed study concerning the Geodetic Boundary Value Problem was carried out. Moreover, the concepts related to the height system are presented. The analysis of the crust vertical displacement involving two continuous monitoring GPS stations (Cananeia NEIA and Ubatuba UBAT) in the coast of the state was performed. It was detected similar results between the comparison involved IBGE processing. A comparison involving the mean sea level of two tide gauge stations with respect to levelling from Imbituba was carried out. After some corrections the difference found was 0.34 m. A comparison between height anomalies by the Global Geopotential Models (EIGEN-GL04, EIGEN-5C and EGM08 for different degree and order) and 199 GPS observations on Bench Marks of the spirit leveling network was performed. The Global Geopotential Models that presented consistency with GPS on Bench Marks were: EIGEN-GL04C and EIGEN- 5C degree and order 360 and EGM08 degree and order 2160. São Paulo state geoid model was computed in 5 digital model. The modified Stokes integral by the Canadian package SHGEO to compute the short wavelength component was used, from Helmert gravity anomalies derived. Existing gravity data and data from FAPESP Thematic Project was processed. EGM08 model was used as a reference field restricted to degree and order 150 to obtain the long and medium wavelength components. The comparison with GPS on Bench Marks presented mean -0.22 m and RMSD 0.21 m. The reason for the choice of São Paulo state is that there are a lot of geodetic activities and important engineering works that require the use of a height system. Furthermore, there are a lot of gravimetric and GPS/BM data all around the state.

Introduction: Several authors have demonstrated that, while cycling at a constant power output, EMG activity from the gastrocnemius increases systematically with increases in pedaling cadence, but that soleus EMG remains unchanged (Marsh & Martin 1995; Sanderson et al. 2006). The reason for this differential effect of cadence on the muscles of the triceps surae is unclear. Whatever factor(s) are responsible, it is assumed that, as they vary, the differential electromyographic response will vary accordingly. Decreasing the seat height has been shown to alter the kinematic characteristics of cycling (Too, 1990). The first objective of this study was to examine the effect of a decrease in seat height on the kinematics and muscle activation of the lower limb. The second objective was to investigate the effect of seat height on the relationship between cadence and triceps surae activation and, in doing so, to reveal possible factors mediating the response to changes in cadence. Methods: Participants pedaled a cycle ergometer at 200 Watts for five minutes at each of five cadences (50, 65, 80, 95, 110 rpm) and at each of two seat heights (100% and 90% trochanteric height). Kinematics of the lower limb were calculated from digitized video records of reflective markers placed on the skin over seven bony landmarks. EMG data were collected from eight lower-limb muscles. Results: The most notable findings were 1) that activation of the gastrocnemii was less in the low-seat condition and, contrary to what the findings of past research would suggest, was not associated with changes in muscle length; 2) that the medial and lateral gastrocnemii responded differently to changes in cadence at each seat height, suggesting that the functional roles of these muscles in cycling differ; 3) that several factors, including muscle length, muscle velocity, ankle angle and the direction of muscle action, were not responsible for the differential effect of cadence on activation of the soleus and gastrocnemius. Future research should investigate afferent feedback from proprioceptors in the knee joint and knee extensor muscles as possible factors mediating the effect. / Education, Faculty of / Kinesiology, School of / Graduate

Orientador: Lilia Freire Rodrigues de Souza Li / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T11:40:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Simoes-Brandao_JoyceMaradeAbreu_M.pdf: 2725392 bytes, checksum: d1962906bda18ae22f1e17fa97566158 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Os pacientes com mielomeningocele apresentam baixa estatura com frequência bem mais elevada do que a população geral. Duas questões se destacam: as variáveis que influenciam o processo de crescimento e as medidas antropométricas, visto que as deformidades ortopédicas comuns a essa população limitam a obtenção de dados fidedignos. Objetivo: Analisar as variáveis relacionadas à ocorrência de baixa estatura em crianças com mielomeningocele. Avaliar se existe equivalência entre a altura e métodos antropométricos alternativos, que seriam utilizados quando o ortostatismo não for viável. Método: Estudo analítico transversal com 260 crianças, entre 3 e 9 anos, sendo 125 com mielomeningocele (grupo MMC) e 135 sem deficiências físicas (grupo controle). Em ambos os grupos foram avaliados: peso, altura, comprimento, envergadura, medida do braço, peso ao nascimento, história pregressa de patologias, condição socioeconômica e hospitalizações anteriores. No grupo MMC foram investigadas: infecções de repetição, presença de hidrocefalia e malformação de Chiari, nível neurológico da lesão medular e classificação funcional, ocorrência de deformidades ortopédicas, desenvolvimento puberal, idade óssea, malformações e desvios da coluna, avaliação laboratorial (hormônios da tireóide, função renal, IGF1 e IGFBP3). Foram calculadas estaturas estimadas utilizando equação de Stevenson e regressão linear. As estaturas foram comparadas pelo método Bland-Altman. As variáveis independentes foram avaliadas individualmente por regressão logística simples e as que obtiveram p-valor <0.25 foram incluídas na análise de regressão logística para determinar sua associação com a baixa estatura. As variáveis com p-valor <0.1 permaneceram no modelo final. Resultados : No grupo MMC foram 52 meninos e 73 meninas, com média de 6.6 anos e desvio-padrão (DP) 2.1 anos. No grupo controle foram 72 meninos e 63 meninas, média de idade 6.9 anos e DP 2 anos. Na análise do grupo controle, os resultados não mostraram diferenças entre altura, envergadura e estatura estimada por regressão linear pela envergadura e pelo braço (0.0cm, p=0.942, p=0.990 e p=0.999, respectivamente), entretanto revelou-se significativa para a diferença entre altura, comprimento (2.0cm/p<0.001) e estatura estimada por Stevenson (0.8cm/p=0.019). Observamos as seguintes prevalências de baixa estatura, de acordo com a medida utilizada como referência, no grupo MMC: 34% (altura), 47.2% (comprimento) e 16.5% (envergadura) e no grupo controle: 3%, 0.7% e 3.7%, para altura, comprimento e envergadura, respectivamente. A presença de lesão medular alta (p<0.09), gênero feminino (p<0.059), baixo peso a nascimento (p<0.071) e valores de IGF1 abaixo da mediana (p<0.054) foram significativamente associados à baixa estatura em análise de regressão logística multivariada. Conclusões: Das medidas avaliadas, a comparação da altura com a envergadura (medida direta e estimada) não mostrou diferença média entre as duas medidas e apresentou intervalo de concordância dentro do aceitável, mostrando-se, portanto, adequada para substituir a altura. As meninas com MMC, que tiveram baixo peso ao nascimento, possuem lesões medulares altas e mostram valores mais baixos de IGF-I devem ter acompanhamento mais rigoroso do crescimento, já que possuem risco maior de desenvolver baixa estatura, conforme evidenciado pela regressão logística / Abstract: Individuals with short stature are frequent among patients with mielomeningocele than in general population. Two questions appear to be important in this context: the variables that influence the growth process and appropriate anthropometric measurements must be made, since the orthopedic deformities¿common among this population¿limit the recording of reliable data. Aim: To evaluate whether there is equivalence between height and alternative anthropometric methods that can be used when orthostatism is not feasible, and to determine the variables related to the occurrence of short stature in children with myelomeningocele. Method: In this cross-sectional study, we examined 260 children (aged from 3 to 9 years), including 125 with myelomeningocele (MMC group) and 135 without any physical disabilities (control group). In both groups were evaluated: weight, height, length, arm span, birth weight, history of chronic diseases, socioeconomic status and previous hospitalizations. In the MMC group the following variables were also assessed: recurrent infections, presence of hydrocephalus and Chiari malformation, neurological level, occurrence of orthopedic deformities, pubertal development, bone age, spine malformations and deviations, and laboratory data (thyroid hormones, kidney function, IGF1, and IGFBP3). Heights estimated were calculated according to the equation proposed by Stevenson and the formula developed from linear regression. The heights were compared applying the Bland-Altman method. The independent variables were evaluated individually with simple logistic regression and were included in the logistic regression analysis when p-value <0.25, to determine their association with short stature. Variables with p-value <0.1 remain in the final model. Results: The MMC group included 52 boys and 73 girls, with mean age of 6.6 years and standard deviation (SD) of 2.1 years. The control group included 72 boys and 63 girls, with a mean age of 6.9 years and SD of 2 years. In the analysis of the control group, we observed that there was no significant difference between the height and arm span, and the heights estimated by the arm span and arm measurement (0.0 cm, p=0.942, p=0.990, and p=0.999, respectively). However, the differences between height and length (2.0 cm, p< 0.001) and height estimated by Stevenson (0.8 cm, p=0.019) were significant. Observe the prevalence of short stature in the MMC group, according to the measure used: 34% (height), 47.2% (length) and 16.5% (arm span). In the control group the values were 3%, 0.7% and 3.7% for height, length and arm span, respectively. The presence of high neurological level (p<0.09), female gender (p<0.059), low birth weight (p<0.071) and IGF1 values below the median (p<0.054) were significantly associated with short stature in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: From the measures evaluated, the comparison between height and arm span (both direct and estimated measurements) showed no difference with the mean measurements of height, presented an acceptable concordance interval and, thus, appeared to be a suitable substitute. The girls with MMC, which had low birth weight, have high neurological level and show lower levels of IGF1 should have stricter control of growth as they have a higher risk of develop short stature as evidenced by logistic regression / Mestrado / Pediatria / Mestra em Ciências

This work presents an all-Mach method for two-phase inviscid flow in the presence of surface tension. A modified version of the Hartens, Lax, Leer and Contact (HLLC) approximate Riemann solver based on Garrick et al. [1] is developed and combined with the popular Volume of Fluid (VoF) method: Compressive Interface Capturing Scheme for Arbitrary Meshes (CICSAM). This novel combination yields a scheme with both HLLC shock capturing as well as accurate liquid-gas interface tracking characteristics. To ensure compatibility with VoF, the Monotone Upstream-centred Scheme for Conservation Laws (MUSCL) [2] is applied to non-conservative (primitive) variables, which yields both robustness and accuracy. Liquid-gas interface curvature is computed via both height functions [3, 4] and the convolution method [5]. This is in the interest of applicability to both cartesian and arbitrary meshes. The author emphasizes the use of VoF in the interest of surface tension modelling accuracy. The method is validated using a range of test-cases available in literature. The results show flow features that are in agreement with experimental and benchmark data. In particular, the use of the HLLC-VoF combination leads to a sharp volume fraction and energy field with improved accuracy (up to secondorder).