Federal University of São Carlos

About: Federal University of São Carlos is a education organization based out in São Carlos, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Microstructure. The organization has 16471 authors who have published 34057 publications receiving 456654 citations. The organization is also known as: UFSCar & Federal University of São Carlos.

Gait Training Combining Partial Body-Weight Support, a Treadmill, and Functional Electrical Stimulation: Effects on Poststroke Gait

Abstract: Background and Purpose: Treadmill training with harness support is a promising, task-oriented approach to restoring locomotor function in people with poststroke hemiparesis. Although the combined use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and treadmill training with body-weight support (BWS) has been studied before, this combined intervention was compared with the Bobath approach as opposed to BWS alone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combined use of FES and treadmill training with BWS on walking functions and voluntary limb control in people with chronic hemiparesis. Subjects: Eight people who were ambulatory after chronic stroke were evaluated. Methods: An A1-B-A2 single-case study design was applied. Phases A1 and A2 included 3 weeks of gait training on a treadmill with BWS, and phase B included 3 weeks of treadmill training plus FES applied to the peroneal nerve. The Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement was used to assess motor recovery, and a videography analysis was used to assess gait parameters. Results: An improvement (from 54.9% to 71.0%) in motor function was found during phase B. The spatial and temporal variables cycle duration, stance duration, and cadence as well as cycle length symmetry showed improvements when phase B was compared with phases A1 and A2. Discussion and Conclusions: The combined use of FES and treadmill training with BWS led to an improvement in motor recovery and seemed to improve the gait pattern of subjects with hemiparesis, indicating the utility of this combination method during gait rehabilitation. In addition, this single-case series showed that this alternative method of gait training—treadmill training with BWS and FES—may decrease the number of people required to carry out the training.

Shear behaviour of fiber reinforced concrete beams

Abstract: This paper presents the results of shear/flexure tests on steel and polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete beams. In addition to analyzing the influence of fibers on the structural performance in situations of different ratios of shear reinforcement, some aspects of the properties of fresh and hardened concrete are introduced. Fourteen square-section beams were tested. The beams were prepared from seven different mix proportions, varying the type and the volume of fiber added. There were two beams for each composite mix: one model with and the other without stirrups. The main alterations resulting from the use of fibers were increased shear strength, stiffness (particularly after first cracking stage) and ductility. Other parameters used in analyzing performance were the properties of the hardened concrete (compressive strength, tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity), and stresses in the stirrups, in the longitudinal reinforcement and in the concrete (at the web and compression zone).

Dilute-defect magnetism: Origin of magnetism in nanocrystalline CeO 2

Abstract: We investigate experimentally and theoretically the origin of magnetism in nanocrystalline-undoped ceria films. Our results are consistent with density-functional calculations showing that both oxygen and cerium vacancies lead to ferromagnetism. Although the number of cerium vacancies is smaller than that of oxygen vacancies, the relatively high magnetic moment of the former might result in a substantial contribution to the magnetic properties. Diluted defect magnetism is suggested as a universal feature of ferromagnetism in nonmagnetic oxides without magnetic impurities.

Transcriptome analysis of Aspergillus niger grown on sugarcane bagasse

Abstract: Background Considering that the costs of cellulases and hemicellulases contribute substantially to the price of bioethanol, new studies aimed at understanding and improving cellulase efficiency and productivity are of paramount importance. Aspergillus niger has been shown to produce a wide spectrum of polysaccharide hydrolytic enzymes. To understand how to improve enzymatic cocktails that can hydrolyze pretreated sugarcane bagasse, we used a genomics approach to investigate which genes and pathways are transcriptionally modulated during growth of A. niger on steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse (SEB).