Efacec (Portugal)

Shareable abstractThe Portuguese version of the PREM-C9 questionnaire is translated and culturally adapted for people with COPD, providing a tool to assess patient experiences, guide patient-centred care and support quality improvements in Portuguese healthcarehttps://bit.ly/48QhSFS

Surface texture plays a key role in pavement safety and performance, yet its degradation is influenced by multiple interacting factors that vary across road networks. This study developed statistical models to characterize and predict surface texture evolution on Portuguese highways using linear mixed-effects modeling. Texture measurements collected on 7204 pavement sections, each 100 m in length, over three monitoring cycles were analyzed alongside traffic, climatic, pavement structural, geometric, and spatial variables. The hierarchical structure of the data, with repeated measurements nested within pavement sections, was explicitly accounted for via random intercepts and random slopes. At the same time, temporal correlation was modeled via an autoregressive error structure. Two model specifications were evaluated: a model including only traffic and climatic variables and an extended model incorporating pavement and geometric characteristics. Results indicate that texture evolution is statistically associated with cumulative traffic loading, temperature-related indicators, precipitation, surface course type, lane position, vertical alignment, and altitude. The extended model showed a significantly better fit and superior predictive performance, as confirmed by information criteria and cross-validation metrics. The findings highlight the importance of accounting for section-level heterogeneity and roadway characteristics when modeling texture degradation. The proposed modeling framework provides a statistically scalable and robust tool for texture prediction, accounting for regional-specificities and long-term pavement management decisions.

The purpose of an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) is to consolidate the key operational functions of a SCADA system, Outage management System (OMS) and Distribution Management System (DMS) into a unified platform. This includes several key functions: SCADA operation, incidents and outages management, teams and field works management including switching operations and advanced applications for network analysis and optimization. The new generation of ADMS also implements a predictive operation strategy to enhance real-time operator responsiveness. The innovative aspects related to the new generation of ADMS built on top of an open architecture will be presented in this paper.

Abstract Heterozygous mutations in the Glucocerebrosidase gene ( GBA1 ), encoding the lysosomal hydrolase β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase), are a genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s disease (PD). To explore the pathophysiological consequences of these mutations, we have used fibroblasts and dopaminergic neurons generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with GBA1 related PD. GCase activity, lysosomal acidification, protease activity, mitophagy and mitochondrial bioenergetic function were all impaired. Mitochondria were fragmented, with reduced membrane potential and oxygen consumption. We propose that impaired bioenergetic function is a consequence of impaired lysosomal acidification and compromised mitophagy. The V-ATPase complex drives lysosomal acidification. Its assembly is regulated by MTORC1, which is constitutively phosphorylated in mutant cells. FLIM-FRET measurements confirmed impaired V-ATPase assembly which reversed following rapamycin treatment. Acidic nanoparticles, which accumulate in lysosomes, rescued lysosomal pH, and restored mitophagy and mitochondrial membrane potential in GBA1 mutant dopaminergic neurons. These data identify a core pathway as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GBA1 -mediated Parkinson’s Disease.

This paper presents a DC transformer-based isolation architecture using a dual output LLC converter topology (DCX) for bipolar DC microgrids, aimed at addressing the challenges in next-generation electric vehicle (EV) ultra-fast charging stations (UFCS). The proposed architecture establishes a bipolar DC microgrid, offering a scalable and efficient approach to multiport EV UFCS. Notably, the proposed architecture enables the integration of multiple EV charging points connected to the bipolar DC microgrid, enhancing the flexibility and scalability of the charging DC microgrid. Through the performed analysis, it is demonstrated that the proposed DCX bipolar DC microgrid effectively mitigates unbalancing voltage issues without requiring additional control strategies, while achieving soft switching at both the primary switches and secondary diodes. Experimental results of the DCX operating at 5 kW with soft start ability indicate that the proposed architecture is a flexible and promising solution for next generation EV UFCS.

The development of power instruments has led to great advances in rhinoplasty. It has helped to reduce operating time, minimize damage to the surrounding soft tissues, and allow precision bony modification compared with the use of manual rasps. Burrs help ensure precise results by (i) creating a smooth transition between the lateral nasal sidewall and the face, (ii) treating bony asymmetries, and (iii) producing homogeneous upper and middle thirds that softy translate into the upper lateral cartilages. The aim of this paper is to show applications of cylindrical burrs in rhinoplasty surgery to treat the dorsal upper and middle thirds as well as lateral sidewalls of the nose, regardless of whether the dorsal preservation or structure technique is used. This approach offers a safe, fast, and precise technique that can be used in conjunction with piezo osteotomy to obtain the optimal outcomes.

The low back pain has become prevalent, affecting the great majority of people and being more common among women. Additionally, women can still have dysmenorrhea, also known as period cramps: a gynecological discomfort that affects roughly 60% of women and can manifest itself in varying degrees of intensity. Treatment using thermal bags is easy, affordable, effective, and does not require the use of medicine for either condition. Thus, using Design Thinking as its methodology, the goal of this project was to create an improved belt that would accommodate a thermal bag while also meeting user comfort needs.

There is an urgent need for normative and regulatory provisions for metrological control of electrical energy supplied by the electrical network to the electric vehicles, in particular for DC fast chargers. This paper describes the steps taken regarding the Portuguese current situation, which is transversal to most countries, through the constitution of stakeholders' working groups and a standardization ad hoc electrotechnical technical commission which has published a Technical Specification (TS) in October 2022. This defines the procedures to undergo: a) for charging points (CPs) already installed and to be installed by a deadline to be defined by the competent entity; b) for CPs to be installed after the end of this transitory regime and until future specific legislation is published. The regulatory frame for this TS was partially defined but is still being developed. Detailed explanation of the implementation procedures together with technical details and some experimental results are also presented in this paper.

The structural strength and dynamic behaviour of transformer windings are mainly influenced by solid insulation material conditions. Since during transformer's operation the windings are subjected to dynamic forces and the pressboard used as insulation material tends to degrade, characterisation of its dynamic mechanical properties is necessary to improve control and early fault identification. In this study, the out-of-plane dynamic mechanical properties of pressboard are analysed as function of excitation frequency and ageing. A set of pressboard samples were subjected to an accelerated ageing test to obtain six different ageing conditions defined by their degree of polymerization according to IEC 60450. Then cyclic uniaxial compression tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties of pressboard by analysing the hysteresis curve as function of frequency and ageing. According to the experimental results, the pressboard can be modelled as a nonlinear elastic spring and a viscous damper connected in parallel. It is shown that ageing affects proportionally the stiffness and the damping. With the increase in frequency, the pressboard tends to increase its stiffness and mimics the behaviour of an ideal elastic material.

Models - at different levels of abstraction and pertaining to different engineering views - are central in the design of railway networks, in particular signalling systems. The design of such systems must follow numerous strict rules, which may vary from project to project and require information from different views. This renders manual verification of railway networks costly and error-prone.