Pain characteristics and its influence in the labor activities in northeastern Brazilian farmers

Introduction: Agricultural work is considered a dangerous activity with physical and mental stress. Pain is one of the most common disabilities among agricultural workers. Objective: To determine the incidence, intensity, characteristic of pain and its impact on labor activities in farmers. Methods: Transversal study, pain evaluations consist of: 1) presence / intensity; 2) characteristic of painful experience; 3) episode of pain in the last 30 days and 4) interference of pain at work. Validated and specific pain scales were used, and descriptive statistics were applied. Results: 157 rural farmers were recruited, 128 farmers, 40.4 (11.4) years, participated in the study, 25% of the farmers reported pain at the time of evaluation with mean of 5.5 (0.47) intensity. The predominant pain characteristic was the evaluative type (34%), followed by affective (30%), 83 (65%) of farmers reported pain in the last four weeks, and 60% of these farmers reported pain interference in work activity. Conclusion: Pain, according to farmers in this study, is the main cause of absence and poor performance at work. To accurately assess the intensity of work-related pain, instruments may need to be applied over a continuous period of time, preferably during work day.Key-words: worker health, pain, pain assessment.

A Multiorgan Segmentation Model for CT Volumes via Full Convolution-Deconvolution Network

We propose a model with two-stage process for abdominal segmentation on CT volumes. First, in order to capture the details of organs, a full convolution-deconvolution network (FCN-DecNet) is constructed with multiple new unpooling, deconvolutional, and fusion layers. Then, we optimize the coarse segmentation results of FCN-DecNet by multiscale weights probabilistic atlas (MS-PA), which uses spatial and intensity characteristic of atlases. Our coarse-fine model takes advantage of intersubject variability, spatial location, and gray information of CT volumes to minimize the error of segmentation. Finally, using our model, we extract liver, spleen, and kidney with Dice index of 90.1 ± 1%, 89.0 ± 1.6%, and 89.0 ± 1.3%, respectively.

Pigmented anatomy in Carboniferous cyclostomes and the evolution of the vertebrate eye

The success of vertebrates is linked to the evolution of a camera-style eye and sophisticated visual system. In the absence of useful data from fossils, scenarios for evolutionary assembly of the vertebrate eye have been based necessarily on evidence from development, molecular genetics and comparative anatomy in living vertebrates. Unfortunately, steps in the transition from a light-sensitive ‘eye spot’ in invertebrate chordates to an image-forming camera-style eye in jawed vertebrates are constrained only by hagfish and lampreys (cyclostomes), which are interpreted to reflect either an intermediate or degenerate condition. Here, we report—based on evidence of size, shape, preservation mode and localized occurrence—the presence of melanosomes (pigment-bearing organelles) in fossil cyclostome eyes. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses reveal secondary ions with a relative intensity characteristic of melanin as revealed through principal components analyses. Our data support the hypotheses that extant hagfish eyes are degenerate, not rudimentary, that cyclostomes are monophyletic, and that the ancestral vertebrate had a functional visual system. We also demonstrate integument pigmentation in fossil lampreys, opening up the exciting possibility of investigating colour patterning in Palaeozoic vertebrates. The examples we report add to the record of melanosome preservation in Carboniferous fossils and attest to surprising durability of melanosomes and biomolecular melanin.

Indirect quantitative IR assessment of maximal monomolecular deposition of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane on silica gel surface

Quantification of the amount of maximum loaded 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysylil (APS) on a thermally pretreated silica gel (600 ºC) was performed using IR spectroscopy. A possibility to find the maximum load through a construction of a Langmuir isotherm was not possible due to the irreversibility of the chemisorption reaction. The method used in this work was based on the analysis of the toluene solution on the quantity of the non-reacted APTMS after the saturation of the silica gel surface with APS. The process of chemisorption was monitored via the increasing band intensity of CH₂ and NH­₂ modes of the adsorbent and decreasing band intensity characteristic for the free isolated OH groups of silica gel using DRIFT spectroscopy. The obtained results on maximum adsorption are in line with the previously obtained, using carbon elemental analysis and a direct DRIFT method.

Advance Control Experiment of Vibration Machine with High Vibration Intensity Based on SCM – Dynamics Characteristics and Advanced Control

The vibration-stress field could be formed by high vibration intensity in vibration machine to improve the ability of the collision, shock, shear and extrusion for the system, and it also can avoid plugging screen for vibration screening machine, which could make for solving some special requirements of the vibration machine. To research the vibration machines strongly nonlinear and high vibration intensity characteristic such as certain excitation and uncertain response, the vibration machine with its double-mass is built, and its vibration exciter uses two partial blocks as vibration motor. In addition, dynamic vibration differential equation is established. To achieve high vibration intensity results based on the vibration machines safe working, the advanced control based on the SCM and Intelligent frequency conversion is put forward, and the advanced control system with its host computer, frequency converter, SCM, charge-amplifier, sensor and the vibration machine is been established.

Short-Range Detection System with Polarized Laser and Polarization Characteristics of Typical Targets

In view of using only the intensity information of retroreflection light and poor capacity of anti-interference in laser short-range detection, this paper presents a short-range detection method based on laser polarization properties of targets, designs the polarization detection model and constructs the polarization detection system. Through the analysis and the comparison of data which is obtained from the polarization characteristic and intensity characteristic experiments of five different targets, the conclusion that the detection method based on the laser polarization characteristics can effectively distinguish target is achieved. Meanwhile, the analysis of detection model in this paper can also provide certain theory significance for further research on polarization detection.

Structure Analysis of Inner Cylinder Components of Drum Washing Machine Based on Ansys/Workbench

The structure of inner cylinder component of drum washing machine has a critical impact on its working performance and service life, as a result, the structure analysis of the drum assembly (spider and main shaft) is chosen to be the research object in this paper. As the three-dimensional model is established by PRO/E, the structure intensity characteristic has been analyzed with the method of finite element analysis which is based on software Ansys/Workbench. According to the stress distribution characteristic, the maximum stress value that the spider has been bearing can be contrasted and analyzed with different load which can make sure the periodic properties of structure loads. The analysis and optimization method based on Ansys/Workbench provided a new thought which had the guiding significance for the development of new products of drum washing machine.

Effort of Varying Intensity as a Factor Influencing the Variability of Selected Biochemical Blood Parameters of Jumping Horses

Blood samples were collected from horses in four time points of the spring-winter training season, according to the difference in effort intensity characteristic for each period. Serum contents of glucose, cholesterol, and creatinine, as well as activity of creatine kinase, aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, and alkaline phosphatase were determined. Training did not cause muscle damage, and as a result of training, changes in the characteristics of both, contraction and biochemical properties of muscle tissue took place, which was confirmed by the conducted tests.

Magnetic Structure Determination for Annealed Ni80Fe20/Ag Multilayers Using Polarized-Neutron Reflectivity

ABSTRACTSputtered Ni80Fe20/Ag multilayers, annealed post-growth, show giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effects at unusually low magnetic fields (≈ 5 Oe)[l]. Structural characterization by cross-sectional TEM[2] and x-ray diffraction indicates that the Ag preferentially diffuses into the Ni80Fe20 layers at the interfaces. Using polarized-neutron specular reflectivity, we have obtained magnetization depth profiles for a series of annealed [Ni8oFe2o(20Å)/Ag(40Å)]4 multilayers. Though GMR in related materials is associated with coherent antiferromagnetic alignment of the ferromagnetic layers, specular neutron data for the Ni80Fe20/Ag multilayers show no trace of half-order spin-flip intensity characteristic of this simple structure. In small applied fields, transverse scans at the half-order position show a broad feature which disappears upon saturation. These data suggest that while the Ni80Fe20 moments are antiferromagnetically correlated along the growth axis, the in-plane magnetic domains are only of micron-order size and are thus not apparent in a specular measurement.