Currently, the improvement of means of transportation is a great challenge. Brazil has a large or... more Currently, the improvement of means of transportation is a great challenge. Brazil has a large ore production, which will continue in the next decades, and seeks to reduce the transportation times between production and export centers, as well as reduce the emission of contaminants to the environment. In this sense, railways are a more efficient and environmentally friendly means of land transportation, and their proper conservation and operability affect the net gains that Brazil receives from the export of commodities. The implementation of this program proposed in the engineering practice would allow taking more precise decisions regarding the activities of maintenance of railroads, generating significant savings. The first step of the research is the analysis and interpretation of results of repeated load triaxial tests carried out in Brazil on railway subgrade soils. An engineering methodology is presented considering the geotechnical properties of the foundation soil obtained through field and laboratory tests for performing of geotechnical analysis. To ensure the railway stability, criteria of bearing capacity, elastic deflection and permanent deformation for the railway substructure must be met. A prediction model of permanent deformation is used, as well as the influence of moisture on the behavior of the foundation soil. This study aims to contribute to the finding of a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the useful service life of the track substructure so that the most appropriate material can be selected for use as a railroad formation material in order to limit stresses on the railway subgrade, which in turn cause progressive loss of geometric profile of the railway, and to maintain a safe operation of the trains. This will allow significant savings in the periodic maintenance of the substructure, which are one of the activities to restore the track geometry of railways.
Context aware systems are able to adapt their behavior according to the environment in which the ... more Context aware systems are able to adapt their behavior according to the environment in which the user is. They can be integrated into an Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, allowing a better perception of the user's physical environment by collecting context data from sensors embedded in devices known as smart objects. An IoT extension called the Internet of Mobile Things (IoMT) suggests new scenarios in which smart objects and IoT gateways can move autonomously or be moved easily. In a comprehensive view, Quality of Context (QoC) is a term that can express quality requirements of context aware applications. These requirements can be those related to the quality of information provided by the sensors (e.g., accuracy, resolution, age, validity time) or those referring to the quality of the data distribution service (e.g, reliability, delay, delivery time). Some functionalities of context aware applications and/or decision-making processes of these applications and their user...
Here we describe 2 cases of neurogenic bladder associated with HTLV-I infection demonstrating the... more Here we describe 2 cases of neurogenic bladder associated with HTLV-I infection demonstrating the clinical and urodynamic features of the disease in an early stage, with mainly irritative characteristics, and in a later stage, with predominantly obstructive characteristics. The case 1 concerns about a 28-year-old white female HTLV-I carrier, clinically asymptomatic during 3 years evaluation. In the last 6 months, she started presenting frequency, urgency, and urge incontinence. She was re-evaluated using neurological disability scales, scoring 1 point in the EDSS due to bladder dysfunction. The urodynamic test disclosed detrusor hyperreflexia, increased sensation, and decreased maximal cystometric capacity, The Case 2 is a 45 years old white female that had a HTLV-I positive serum test 15 years ago. She has complained of hesitancy, interrupted urinary flow, and sensation of bad bladder emptying for about 10 years. Besides the urinary symptoms she also presented spastic gait and cons...
The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the known causative agent of a chronic neu... more The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the known causative agent of a chronic neurologic condition known as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Although several therapies have been evaluated for HAM/TSP, none have been approved for use in humans. In this paper, we describe a 55-year-old female patient with HAM/TSP who was treated with interferon beta-1a. This patient, in comparison to 20 female patients with HAM/TSP who were not treated, showed improvement in urinary symptoms over four years of therapy, as well as a reduction in HTLV-1 proviral load and serum cytokine levels typically observed in HAM/TSP. This improved outcome merits further controlled studies on the use and efficacy of interferon beta-1a as a therapy for HAM/TSP.
Infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-I (IDH) is a chronic, infected childhood eczema. Two ad... more Infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-I (IDH) is a chronic, infected childhood eczema. Two adult-onset cases of IDH were studied, one of which was associated with HAM/TSP. The patients were submitted to dermatological, neurological and pathological examination. Immunohistochemical studies were made using CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD79a, and CD57 antibodies. Cytotoxic granules were investigated using granzyme B, perforin, and TIA. The patients presented infected erythematous, scaly lesions with mild itching and a good response to sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim. A differential diagnosis with atopic dermatitis (AD) and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) was made, based on: the distinctive morphology and distribution of the lesions, presence of exudative and infected lesions, and mild pruritus. The inflammatory infiltrate was composed predominantly of CD8+ lymphocytes that did not present cytotoxic granules. We concluded that IDH can begin in adulthood and may be associated with HAM/TSP. The imm...
Objective: Human T lymphotropic virus-type 1 (HTLV-1) activates the immune system leading to a pe... more Objective: Human T lymphotropic virus-type 1 (HTLV-1) activates the immune system leading to a persistent and exacerbated T-cell response with increased production of IFN-γ and TNF-α. Overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines is correlated with the development of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), although some HTLV-1 carriers also show high levels of these cytokines. In this study, the ability of regulatory cytokines and cytokine antagonists to inhibit spontaneous IFN-γ production was investigated. Method: IFN-γ levels were measured by ELISA before and after addition of cytokines or anti-cytokines. Results: Addition of IL-10 significantly reduced spontaneous IFN-γ synthesis in cell cultures from HTLV-1 carriers, while no differences were observed in HAM/TSP patients. There was also a tendency to decreased IFN-γ levels in cell cultures from HTLV-1 carriers with exogenous addition of TGF-β. In paired analysis, neutralization of IL-2 significantly ...
OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and immunological markers associated with HTLV-I associated myelo... more OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and immunological markers associated with HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). METHOD: 237 HTLV-I infected individuals were clinically assessed. They were classified according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Osame’s Motor Disability Score (OMDS). Cytokine levels were determined in HTLV-I seropositive individuals. RESULTS: 37 patients had HAM/TSP. There was a correlation between the degrees of disability assessed by both scales. There was also a correlation between the duration of HAM/TSP and the severity of disability assessed by either EDSS or OMDS. Higher levels of IFN-gamma were detected in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from HAM/TSP patients as compared with HTLV-I carriers. CONCLUSION: This study shows the validity of the neurological scales to classify the degree of neurological disability in HTLV-I carriers and suggests a progressive behavior of HAM/TSP. This study also ...
2015 International Conference on Cloud Technologies and Applications (CloudTech), 2015
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is a research field whose main objective is to develop health monit... more Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is a research field whose main objective is to develop health monitoring systems for elderly patients at home, increasing the degree of patient independence during chronic diseases treatment. AAL systems are composed by several technologies: medical sensors and actuators, computer and mobile devices, Wireress Sensors Networks (WSN), computer networks, software infrastructure and applications. A comprehensive software infrastructure for AAL systems should use these technologies in an integrated manner and be able to cover scenarios involving several patient mobility level, patient locations, and levels of physical and cognitive abilities. The integration of AAL with the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies expands the scope of these systems with the ability to connect various sensors and actuators, integrating them into a single network that serves the purpose of patient health monitoring. In this context, the contribution of this paper is to present a comprehensive Cloud based IoT softwre infrastructure for Ambient Assisted Living. The main components of this software infrastructure are the M-Hub and the SDDL middleware. Preliminary results show that the proposed infrastructure has the potential to be applied in a wide range of health monitoring scenarios.
Currently, the improvement of means of transportation is a great challenge. Brazil has a large or... more Currently, the improvement of means of transportation is a great challenge. Brazil has a large ore production, which will continue in the next decades, and seeks to reduce the transportation times between production and export centers, as well as reduce the emission of contaminants to the environment. In this sense, railways are a more efficient and environmentally friendly means of land transportation, and their proper conservation and operability affect the net gains that Brazil receives from the export of commodities. The implementation of this program proposed in the engineering practice would allow taking more precise decisions regarding the activities of maintenance of railroads, generating significant savings. The first step of the research is the analysis and interpretation of results of repeated load triaxial tests carried out in Brazil on railway subgrade soils. An engineering methodology is presented considering the geotechnical properties of the foundation soil obtained through field and laboratory tests for performing of geotechnical analysis. To ensure the railway stability, criteria of bearing capacity, elastic deflection and permanent deformation for the railway substructure must be met. A prediction model of permanent deformation is used, as well as the influence of moisture on the behavior of the foundation soil. This study aims to contribute to the finding of a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the useful service life of the track substructure so that the most appropriate material can be selected for use as a railroad formation material in order to limit stresses on the railway subgrade, which in turn cause progressive loss of geometric profile of the railway, and to maintain a safe operation of the trains. This will allow significant savings in the periodic maintenance of the substructure, which are one of the activities to restore the track geometry of railways.
Context aware systems are able to adapt their behavior according to the environment in which the ... more Context aware systems are able to adapt their behavior according to the environment in which the user is. They can be integrated into an Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, allowing a better perception of the user's physical environment by collecting context data from sensors embedded in devices known as smart objects. An IoT extension called the Internet of Mobile Things (IoMT) suggests new scenarios in which smart objects and IoT gateways can move autonomously or be moved easily. In a comprehensive view, Quality of Context (QoC) is a term that can express quality requirements of context aware applications. These requirements can be those related to the quality of information provided by the sensors (e.g., accuracy, resolution, age, validity time) or those referring to the quality of the data distribution service (e.g, reliability, delay, delivery time). Some functionalities of context aware applications and/or decision-making processes of these applications and their user...
Here we describe 2 cases of neurogenic bladder associated with HTLV-I infection demonstrating the... more Here we describe 2 cases of neurogenic bladder associated with HTLV-I infection demonstrating the clinical and urodynamic features of the disease in an early stage, with mainly irritative characteristics, and in a later stage, with predominantly obstructive characteristics. The case 1 concerns about a 28-year-old white female HTLV-I carrier, clinically asymptomatic during 3 years evaluation. In the last 6 months, she started presenting frequency, urgency, and urge incontinence. She was re-evaluated using neurological disability scales, scoring 1 point in the EDSS due to bladder dysfunction. The urodynamic test disclosed detrusor hyperreflexia, increased sensation, and decreased maximal cystometric capacity, The Case 2 is a 45 years old white female that had a HTLV-I positive serum test 15 years ago. She has complained of hesitancy, interrupted urinary flow, and sensation of bad bladder emptying for about 10 years. Besides the urinary symptoms she also presented spastic gait and cons...
The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the known causative agent of a chronic neu... more The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the known causative agent of a chronic neurologic condition known as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Although several therapies have been evaluated for HAM/TSP, none have been approved for use in humans. In this paper, we describe a 55-year-old female patient with HAM/TSP who was treated with interferon beta-1a. This patient, in comparison to 20 female patients with HAM/TSP who were not treated, showed improvement in urinary symptoms over four years of therapy, as well as a reduction in HTLV-1 proviral load and serum cytokine levels typically observed in HAM/TSP. This improved outcome merits further controlled studies on the use and efficacy of interferon beta-1a as a therapy for HAM/TSP.
Infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-I (IDH) is a chronic, infected childhood eczema. Two ad... more Infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-I (IDH) is a chronic, infected childhood eczema. Two adult-onset cases of IDH were studied, one of which was associated with HAM/TSP. The patients were submitted to dermatological, neurological and pathological examination. Immunohistochemical studies were made using CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD79a, and CD57 antibodies. Cytotoxic granules were investigated using granzyme B, perforin, and TIA. The patients presented infected erythematous, scaly lesions with mild itching and a good response to sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim. A differential diagnosis with atopic dermatitis (AD) and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) was made, based on: the distinctive morphology and distribution of the lesions, presence of exudative and infected lesions, and mild pruritus. The inflammatory infiltrate was composed predominantly of CD8+ lymphocytes that did not present cytotoxic granules. We concluded that IDH can begin in adulthood and may be associated with HAM/TSP. The imm...
Objective: Human T lymphotropic virus-type 1 (HTLV-1) activates the immune system leading to a pe... more Objective: Human T lymphotropic virus-type 1 (HTLV-1) activates the immune system leading to a persistent and exacerbated T-cell response with increased production of IFN-γ and TNF-α. Overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines is correlated with the development of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), although some HTLV-1 carriers also show high levels of these cytokines. In this study, the ability of regulatory cytokines and cytokine antagonists to inhibit spontaneous IFN-γ production was investigated. Method: IFN-γ levels were measured by ELISA before and after addition of cytokines or anti-cytokines. Results: Addition of IL-10 significantly reduced spontaneous IFN-γ synthesis in cell cultures from HTLV-1 carriers, while no differences were observed in HAM/TSP patients. There was also a tendency to decreased IFN-γ levels in cell cultures from HTLV-1 carriers with exogenous addition of TGF-β. In paired analysis, neutralization of IL-2 significantly ...
OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and immunological markers associated with HTLV-I associated myelo... more OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and immunological markers associated with HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). METHOD: 237 HTLV-I infected individuals were clinically assessed. They were classified according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Osame’s Motor Disability Score (OMDS). Cytokine levels were determined in HTLV-I seropositive individuals. RESULTS: 37 patients had HAM/TSP. There was a correlation between the degrees of disability assessed by both scales. There was also a correlation between the duration of HAM/TSP and the severity of disability assessed by either EDSS or OMDS. Higher levels of IFN-gamma were detected in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from HAM/TSP patients as compared with HTLV-I carriers. CONCLUSION: This study shows the validity of the neurological scales to classify the degree of neurological disability in HTLV-I carriers and suggests a progressive behavior of HAM/TSP. This study also ...
2015 International Conference on Cloud Technologies and Applications (CloudTech), 2015
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is a research field whose main objective is to develop health monit... more Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is a research field whose main objective is to develop health monitoring systems for elderly patients at home, increasing the degree of patient independence during chronic diseases treatment. AAL systems are composed by several technologies: medical sensors and actuators, computer and mobile devices, Wireress Sensors Networks (WSN), computer networks, software infrastructure and applications. A comprehensive software infrastructure for AAL systems should use these technologies in an integrated manner and be able to cover scenarios involving several patient mobility level, patient locations, and levels of physical and cognitive abilities. The integration of AAL with the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies expands the scope of these systems with the ability to connect various sensors and actuators, integrating them into a single network that serves the purpose of patient health monitoring. In this context, the contribution of this paper is to present a comprehensive Cloud based IoT softwre infrastructure for Ambient Assisted Living. The main components of this software infrastructure are the M-Hub and the SDDL middleware. Preliminary results show that the proposed infrastructure has the potential to be applied in a wide range of health monitoring scenarios.
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