The effects of the structure of new carbon fiber bunch heterogeneous unipolar plates on the performance of PEMFC are studied in this thesis. Internal structure of carbon fiber bunches can be modified by embedding different thickness or number of copper plates in the glue bonding area to increase the air permeability of carbon fiber bunches in its soft end. We can add different thickness or amount of coppers at the middle of bonding area, making the carbon fiber bunches soft side to form parallel to the longitudinal fiber bunch with a small flow channel. We can also make a trench at the appropriate place of the soft side of the carbon fiber bunches to form an extra air passage. In order to make the above flow channel, a new process for making the carbon fiber bunches is developed also. This process will be easier to produce a variety of different structures of carbon fiber bunch. Finally, several different experiments are performed to help us to understand the effect of the carbon fiber bunch structure on the performance and find out the best structure of the carbon fiber bunches. The carbon fiber bunch structures of the test cells on the anode side are all the same, but the carbon fiber bunch structures of on cathode side are all different. Experiments show that there are two structures among all test structures displayed better gas permeability. The first one is two 0.2 mm copper plates embedded within both sides of the glue ends of a cathode carbon fiber bunch, so that a small longitudinal flow channel are formed in soft end of the cathode carbon fiber bunch. When the HFC operates at room temperature and by air-breathing, the highest performance of the HFC can reach a value of 185 mW/cm2. The second one is a 0.2 mm copper plate embedded in the center of the glue end of a carbon fiber bunch, and then three 2 mm wide serrated slots are cut on the soft end of the carbon fiber bunch. The highest performance of the HFC can reach a value of 190 mW/cm2. The highest performance of the HFC with no copper plate and no slot structure can only reach a value 160 mW/cm2. The second design can increase the no structure cell performance 18.8%. Therefore, the internal structures of carbon fiber bunches are significant to affect on the fuel cell performance, and its internal design must be considered.

[Abstract]: The disadvantages of using solar energy are its capital cost (which is about A$6/W), in comparison to that of conventional sources of energy (which is about A$1.80/W), and its conversion efficiency, which in commercially available Photovoltaic (PV) systems is less than 20%. Consequently, for utility connected PV generation to become a viable alternative energy source, its efficiency needs to be improved, its cost reduced, and the quality of power supplied by the inverters must meet stringent standards.This dissertation describes the research work carried out to optimise the conversion efficiency and to minimise the cost of a single-phase, hysteretic current controlunipolar switched inverter system, for use as an interface between solar panels and the grid network. The 1 kW (peak power) PV system being considered does not useenergy storage batteries and the inverter output is connected to the grid supply without the use of a power transformer. Improvements in the efficiency of such aninverter system often come at the expense of the quality of its output power and an increase in cost. However, in the proposed inverter system the harmonics of theoutput current has been improved without compromising its overall efficiency or its cost. An improvement in power quality has been achieved using a novel AC splitinductorfilter network that reduces electromagnetic interference, prevents unwanted operation of the inverter switches, attenuates switching frequency harmonics,minimises low frequency harmonics and provides an average value of the inverter output current necessary for the removal of DC offset currents.An improvement in inverter efficiency and a reduction in cost has been achieved by omitting the 50 Hz power transformer (transformerless) and by optimising theinverter current control strategies. In Australia, some power supply authorities permit transformerless PV inverters of less than 10 kW rating to be connected to their supply system. However, avoiding the use of transformers can lead to magnitudes of DC offset current outside the limits specified by Australian Standard 4777.2, 2005 being injected into the grid supply. In this project a new cost effective DC offset current controller that removes DC offset current from the output of the inverter has been realised. This result translates into two primary benefits; firstly, a saving of about20% in the cost of the power transformer and in the cost of providing additional solar panels to overcome transformer power losses, and secondly the DC offset controller can also be utilised in inverter applications where power transformers are used, to prevent distortion of the magnetising current.The novel design procedure proposed in this thesis for a current controller takes into account intentional and unintentional switching circuit delays, and yields higherefficiencies without sacrificing power quality or increasing the cost of the inverter system. The inclusion of the effect of circuit delays in the design procedure issignificant as it is shown that delay not only has an adverse effect on the performance of the current controller but also on the efficiency and the power quality of the inverter system.Of paramount importance for the successful completion of this project was the relationship between switching circuit delays and the level of low frequencyharmonics generated by unipolar switched inverters. Theoretical analysis is developed to show why circuit delays, inverter DC input voltage and the inductanceof the current loop, are responsible for low frequency harmonics in unipolar switched and not in bipolar switched inverters. It has also been established that unipolarswitched inverters can be designed to operate within the limits specified by the Australian Standard 4777.2, 2005 and that the low frequency harmonics can be maintained at acceptable levels.For a current controller using unipolar switching, the choice of only one of four equivalent switching combinations of the inverter switches leads to suppression of switching noise, and prevents unwanted switching without the need for additional filters. Results are presented to demonstrate the unique advantage of unipolarswitching over bipolar switching.

There is generally a lack of studies examining prevalence and phenomenology of bipolar disorder in Africa. In literature, a unipolar manic course of illness in particular is reported to be rare. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the course of illness and clinical features in a cross-section of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder attending public hospitals in Limpopo Province, South Africa and to determine the rate of a unipolar manic course in this sample of patients. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of patients presenting with a history of mania between October 2009 and April 2010, to three hospitals in Limpopo Province. A purposeful sample of 103 patients was recruited and interviewed using the Affective Disorders Evaluation. This study confirms that a unipolar manic course is indeed much more common than rates suggested in present day literature with57% of the study sample only ever experiencing manic episodes. The study also confirms the debilitating nature of bipolar disorder with more than two-thirds being unemployed in spite of a quarter of the study subjects having a tertiary education. The high rates of attempted suicide, history of violence and history of drug abuse all furthermore points to the devastating effects bipolar disorder has on individuals and their families. Treatment choice appeared to be a combination of a mood-stabilising agent in combination with an anti-psychotic. It was found that two-thirds of study subjects had consulted with faith- or traditional healers. Significant gender differences appeared in that females were more likely to suffer from comorbid anxiety disorders, have a history of sexual trauma, and be HIV positive whilst men were more likely to have a forensic- and substance-abuse history, experience hallucinations and receive clozapine. Patients presenting with a unipolar manic course of illness, as described in this thesis, may contribute to the search for an etiologically homogeneous sub-group which presents unique phenotype for genetic research and the search for genetic markers in mental illness. A unipolar manic course therefore needs to be considered as a specifier in diagnostic systems in order to heighten the awareness of such a course of illness in bipolar disorder, with a view to future research. / Thesis (MD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychiatry / unrestricted

When sending digital data from one device to another, both devices must agree on how to represent ones and zeros. This episode presents how signal levels affect the delivery of data and how line codes are used to represent the ones and the zeros.

Unipolar depression is a leading cause of disability and overall burden of disease for millions of individuals across the world. Depressive symptoms (e.g., depressed mood, anhedonia, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, difficulties concentrating, etc.) can drastically affect an individual's life leading to occupational, social, and personal impairment. Past research shows significant ethnic and racial differences in depression rates and treatment. Moreover, previous literature has also begun to explore the multidimensional nature of depression, investigating its occasion-like (or episodic) and trait-like (or stable) factors. However, prior studies have not explored differences in occasion and trait depression by race or ethnicity, nor have they explored these questions in nurses, a group that faces substantial workplace stressors. To redress these gaps, the current study investigated trait and occasion depression in a large sample of nurses (N = 390) tracked across 12 months and aimed to understand whether trait versus occasion rates of depression differed by racial and ethnic minority status. Findings indicated substantially more trait depression (65.93%) than occasion depression (34.11%) across the year in nurses. However, there were no significant differences based on racial and ethnic minority status. Results highlight the importance of understanding depression as a much more stable aspect of an individual's personality, instead of merely viewing it as a direct response to changes in an individual's external environment. Additionally, findings suggest that focusing on adaptation of more long-term skills to target trait-like depression may be more helpful for nurses experiencing depression.

A depressão é um dos maiores problemas de saúde pública do século XXI. Guias de prática clínica (GPCs) estão disponíveis para o tratamento da depressão e têm como objetivo fornecer a melhor e mais recente evidência disponível para os cuidados dos pacientes. Visando reduzir a duplicação de esforços e realizar a adequação de GPC ao contexto local o objetivo desta pesquisa é sintetizar as recomendações de GPCs de alta qualidade sobre o tratamento farmacológico da depressão em adultos na atenção primária. Foram realizadas as etapas busca sistemática dos GPCs, avaliação e seleção dos GPCs de melhor qualidade, e elaboração da síntese de recomendações de acordo com o preconizado no método ADAPTE. Foram considerados os GPCs com recomendações para o tratamento farmacológico da depressão em adultos em atenção primária, em língua inglesa, portuguesa ou espanhola, publicados a partir de 2011. Para a avaliação da qualidade dos GPCs, foi utilizado o Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) sendo considerados de alta qualidade os GPCs com 80% ou mais no domínio \"rigor metodológico\". As características associadas à alta qualidade dos GPCs foram analisadas por meio do teste estatístico de Fisher. A extração das recomendações foi realizada de modo independente por dois avaliadores e estas foram organizadas em tópicos. Dos 28 GPC avaliados apenas cinco (18%) foram considerados de alta qualidade. A realização de revisão sistemática e da revisão externa e a aplicação de consenso formal foram características associadas à alta qualidade. Na síntese, além dos GPCs de alta qualidade, foram incluídos 2 GPCs muito empregados na prática clínica. Constatou-se que a maioria dos GPCs traz recomendações concordantes e complementares. Quase todos os GPCs recomendam o uso de inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina como primeira escolha de tratamento. Uma das principais divergências é a recomendação de agomelatina, milnaciprano e mianserina por um dos GPCs como opção de primeira linha de tratamento. A pesquisa demonstra que a qualidade dos GPCs está aquém do desejável, tal qual evidenciado em outros estudos. A elaboração da síntese de recomendações permitiu evidenciar que há um GPC que se destacou por recomendar o uso de medicamentos considerados pouco eficazes na depressão. Considerando que a maioria das recomendações eram concordantes e os GPCs complementavam-se, essa síntese pode contribuir para que sejam realizadas discussões e adaptações locais, favorecendo a elaboração de novos GPCs que possam atender às necessidades de distintos grupos de usuários e demandas regionais. / Depression is one of the most significant public health problems of the 21st century. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are available for treating depression and are used for providing the best and latest evidence available for patient care. To avoid the duplication of effort and allow the adequacy of CPGs to regional healthcare networks, the objective of this study is to summarise the recommendations of high-quality CPGs on the pharmacological treatment of depression in adults in the primary healthcare network. The stages of this study were the systematic search of CPGs, analysis and selection of high-quality CPGs, and summarisation of the recommendations according to the ADAPTE guidelines. The CPGs published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish since 2011 with recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of depression in adults in the primary healthcare network were considered. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) was used to evaluate the quality of CPGs. CPGs with a score of >=80% in the domain \'methodological rigour\' were considered high-quality. The factors associated with high quality were analysed using Fisher\'s exact test. The recommendations were extracted independently by two evaluators and organised into topics. Of the 28 evaluated CPGs, five (18%) were considered high-quality. The inclusion of systematic reviews and external reviews and the application of formal consensus were associated with high quality. In addition to high-quality CPGs, two CPGs commonly used in clinical practice were included in the summary. The recommendations provided by most CPGs were consistent and complementary. Almost all CPGs recommended using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as the first choice of treatment. One of the main divergences was the recommendation of agomelatine, milnacipran, and mianserin by one CPG as a first-line treatment option. The quality of CPGs was below desirable, and this result was corroborated by other studies. The analysis of the recommendations indicated that one CPG advised using medications with low efficacy in treating depression. Provided that most suggestions were concordant and the CPGs were complementary, this summary may contribute to local discussions and adaptations and promote the development of new CPGs that meet the needs of different user groups and regional demands.

A depressão é um dos maiores problemas de saúde pública do século XXI. Guias de prática clínica (GPCs) estão disponíveis para o tratamento da depressão e têm como objetivo fornecer a melhor e mais recente evidência disponível para os cuidados dos pacientes. Visando reduzir a duplicação de esforços e realizar a adequação de GPC ao contexto local o objetivo desta pesquisa é sintetizar as recomendações de GPCs de alta qualidade sobre o tratamento farmacológico da depressão em adultos na atenção primária. Foram realizadas as etapas busca sistemática dos GPCs, avaliação e seleção dos GPCs de melhor qualidade, e elaboração da síntese de recomendações de acordo com o preconizado no método ADAPTE. Foram considerados os GPCs com recomendações para o tratamento farmacológico da depressão em adultos em atenção primária, em língua inglesa, portuguesa ou espanhola, publicados a partir de 2011. Para a avaliação da qualidade dos GPCs, foi utilizado o Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) sendo considerados de alta qualidade os GPCs com 80% ou mais no domínio \"rigor metodológico\". As características associadas à alta qualidade dos GPCs foram analisadas por meio do teste estatístico de Fisher. A extração das recomendações foi realizada de modo independente por dois avaliadores e estas foram organizadas em tópicos. Dos 28 GPC avaliados apenas cinco (18%) foram considerados de alta qualidade. A realização de revisão sistemática e da revisão externa e a aplicação de consenso formal foram características associadas à alta qualidade. Na síntese, além dos GPCs de alta qualidade, foram incluídos 2 GPCs muito empregados na prática clínica. Constatou-se que a maioria dos GPCs traz recomendações concordantes e complementares. Quase todos os GPCs recomendam o uso de inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina como primeira escolha de tratamento. Uma das principais divergências é a recomendação de agomelatina, milnaciprano e mianserina por um dos GPCs como opção de primeira linha de tratamento. A pesquisa demonstra que a qualidade dos GPCs está aquém do desejável, tal qual evidenciado em outros estudos. A elaboração da síntese de recomendações permitiu evidenciar que há um GPC que se destacou por recomendar o uso de medicamentos considerados pouco eficazes na depressão. Considerando que a maioria das recomendações eram concordantes e os GPCs complementavam-se, essa síntese pode contribuir para que sejam realizadas discussões e adaptações locais, favorecendo a elaboração de novos GPCs que possam atender às necessidades de distintos grupos de usuários e demandas regionais. / Depression is one of the most significant public health problems of the 21st century. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are available for treating depression and are used for providing the best and latest evidence available for patient care. To avoid the duplication of effort and allow the adequacy of CPGs to regional healthcare networks, the objective of this study is to summarise the recommendations of high-quality CPGs on the pharmacological treatment of depression in adults in the primary healthcare network. The stages of this study were the systematic search of CPGs, analysis and selection of high-quality CPGs, and summarisation of the recommendations according to the ADAPTE guidelines. The CPGs published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish since 2011 with recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of depression in adults in the primary healthcare network were considered. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) was used to evaluate the quality of CPGs. CPGs with a score of >=80% in the domain \'methodological rigour\' were considered high-quality. The factors associated with high quality were analysed using Fisher\'s exact test. The recommendations were extracted independently by two evaluators and organised into topics. Of the 28 evaluated CPGs, five (18%) were considered high-quality. The inclusion of systematic reviews and external reviews and the application of formal consensus were associated with high quality. In addition to high-quality CPGs, two CPGs commonly used in clinical practice were included in the summary. The recommendations provided by most CPGs were consistent and complementary. Almost all CPGs recommended using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as the first choice of treatment. One of the main divergences was the recommendation of agomelatine, milnacipran, and mianserin by one CPG as a first-line treatment option. The quality of CPGs was below desirable, and this result was corroborated by other studies. The analysis of the recommendations indicated that one CPG advised using medications with low efficacy in treating depression. Provided that most suggestions were concordant and the CPGs were complementary, this summary may contribute to local discussions and adaptations and promote the development of new CPGs that meet the needs of different user groups and regional demands.

Submitted by Cristiane Chim (cristiane.chim@ucpel.edu.br) on 2016-08-01T12:24:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 amanda reyesvolume final - 23-07-15.pdf: 348695 bytes, checksum: 2ee5f76444cb295f170acae0bec93565 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-01T12:24:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 amanda reyesvolume final - 23-07-15.pdf: 348695 bytes, checksum: 2ee5f76444cb295f170acae0bec93565 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-25 / . / Objetivo Geral • Comparar o desempenho cognitivo e o funcionamento global entre adultos jovens com e sem o diagnóstico de Transtorno Bipolar, bem como correlacionar estas medidas nos sujeitos com Transtorno Bipolar. 2.2 Objetivos Específicos • Comparar o funcionamento global de adultos jovens com e sem diagnóstico de TB; • Comparar o desempenho cognitivo de adultos jovens com e sem diagnóstico de TB; • Correlacionar o desempenho cognitivo e o funcionamento em uma amostra populacional de adultos jovens; • Correlacionar o desempenho cognitivo e o funcionamento nos adultos jovens com Transtorno Bipolar; • Correlacionar a severidade dos sintomas maníacos e depressivos com o desempenho cognitivo e o funcionamento dos jovens com TB.

<p>During the Cold War era, the edifice of the world configuration was built on a bipolar structure. The security of west European countries was not only important in the eyes of the Europeans but also in the American ones. But the end of this era in 1989-91 also put an end to this world structure and brought it into a unipolar one. The US became the world hegemon and Europe started to fear that US security priority would not remain Europe in the awakening of this structure. Therefore, some improvements occurred in terms of EU cooperation security in the framework of the conflict in Kuwait, but the main change happened because of the conflict in Ex-Yugoslavia. Especially Great Britain and France became aware of the need to develop an EU military capability in order to handle autonomous peace-keeping operations, outside of the NATO framework. The EU understood that any action developed by NATO was reliant on the US and without the support of the US the possibility to operate was restrained.</p><p>The move towards a more autonomous European security from the cooperation within NATO created a fear of loss of American influence over European politics. However, when the EU stated that NATO would remain the primary organisation to handle European security matters and that the CFSP would only reinforce the European pillar of NATO, the US appeared to support the cementation of this pillar.</p><p>France, Germany and Great Britain are contributing actively to the development of this pillar and they have all their reasons to support it. Germany is self-committed to the European integration process and cooperation in order, on one hand, to inhibit the raise of nationalism into Germany and on the other hand, to use it as a mean to play a major role in the international arena. France is a medium size power trying to keep its voice in the world arena. Its presence in the EU is marked by its strong link with Germany to enhance its role internationally. France uses the EU in order to promote its national interests. Great Britain maintains special relations vis-à-vis of the US and has not the desire to commit to any European cooperation that could hurt or threaten this link. But Great Britain changed its attitude towards its foreign and security policy due to its new interpretation of the structure during the Ex-Yugoslavian conflict. Therefore, its policy shifted in the need to develop a closer EU cooperation within the security, even if they stated that NATO still remains the primary organisation to handle European Security. This change is also strategic because Great Britain is motivated to become a EU leader instead of a spoiler.</p><p>The EU has to face a number of issues in different areas before it will be able to implement an efficient CFSP. First of all, the military capability gap that has widened the dependence on NATO military assets. Secondly, the difficult decision making process that has to deal with the domestic demands of all MS generated by a reluctance in ceding sovereignty of security matters to a qualified majority vote.</p><p>The development of the CFSP has electrified the transatlantic relations creating tensions but nothing that will damage the transatlantic link between the EU and the US. The CFSP will become complementary of NATO and not a competitor at all. The military capabilities and the domestic demands of all EU MS will guarantee this statement. The US will remain an unenthusiastic global actor in a unipolar world, pushing the international agenda in favour of a unilateral approach.</p>

Background. This article presents prospective longitudinal findings on prevalence, incidence, patterns of change and stability of depressive disorders in a community sample of 1228 adolescents. Methods. Data were collected at baseline and follow-up (20 months later) in a representative population sample of 1228 adolescents, aged 14–17 at baseline. Diagnostic assessment was based on the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI). Results. The overall cumulative lifetime incidence of any depressive condition was 20·0% (major depressive disorder (MDD), 12·2%; dysthymia, 3·5%; subthreshold MDD, 6·3%), of which about one-third were incident depressions in the period between baseline and follow-up. Depressive disorders rarely started before the age of 13. Females were about twice as likely as males to develop a depressive disorder. Overall, the 20-month outcome of baseline depression was unfavourable. Dysthymia had the poorest outcome of all, with a complete remission rate of only 33% versus 43% for MDD and 54% for subthreshold MDD. Dysthymia also had the highest number of depressive episodes, and most psychosocial impairment and suicidal behavioural during follow-up. Treatment rates were low (8–23%). Subthreshold MDD associated with considerable impairment had an almost identical course and outcome as threshold MDD. Conclusions. DSM-IV MDD and dysthymia are rare before the age of 13, but frequent during adolescence, with an estimated lifetime cumulative incidence of 14%. Only a minority of these disorders in adolescence is treated, and more than half of them persist or remit only partly.