Identificação e avaliação de propriedades de polissacarídeos sulfatados de diferentes fontes naturais que possibilitem sua aplicabilidade biotecnológica

Sulfated polysaccharides (SP) are widely distributed in animals and seaweeds tissues. These polymers have been studied in light of their important pharmacological activities, such as anticoagulant, antioxidant, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. On other hand, SP potential to synthesize biomaterials like as nanoparticules has not yet been explored. In addition, to date, SP have only been found in six plants and all inhabit saline environments. However, the SP pharmacological plant activities have not been carrying out. Furthermore, there are no reports of SP in freshwater plants. Thus, do SP from marine plants show pharmacological activity? Do freshwater plants actually synthesize SP? Is it possible to synthesize nanoparticles using SP from seaweed? In order to understand this question, this Thesis was divided into tree chapters. In the first chapter a sulfated polysaccharide (SPSG) was successfully isolated from marine plant Halodule wrightii. The data presented here showed that the SPSG is a 11 kDa sulfated heterogalactan contains glucose and xylose. Several assays suggested that the SPSG possessed remarkable antioxidant properties in different in vitro assays and an outstanding anticoagulant activity 2.5-fold higher than that of heparin Clexane® in the aPTT test; in the next chapter using different tools such as chemical and histological analyses, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), gel electrophoresis and infra-red spectroscopy we confirm the presence of sulfated polysaccharides in freshwater plants for the first time. Moreover, we also demonstrate that SP extracted from E. crassipes root has potential as an anticoagulant compound; and in last chapter a fucan, a sulfated polysaccharide, extracted from the brown seaweed was chemically modified by grafting hexadecylamine to the polymer hydrophilic backbone. The resulting modified material (SNFuc) formed nanosized particles. The degree of substitution for hydrophobic chains of 1H NMR was approximately 93%. SNFfuc-TBa125 in aqueous media had a mean diameter of 123 nm and zeta potential of -38.3 ± 0.74 mV, measured bydynamic light scattering. Tumor-cell (HepG2, 786, H-S5) proliferation was inhibited by 2.0 43.7% at SNFuc concentrations of 0.05 0.5 mg/ mL and RAEC non-tumor cell line proliferation displayed inhibition of 8.0 22.0%. On the other hand, nanogel improved CHO and RAW non-tumor cell line proliferation in the same concentration range. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that this fucan nanogel inhibited 786 cell proliferation through caspase and caspaseindependent mechanisms. In addition, SNFuc blocks 786 cell passages in the S and G2-M phases of the cell cycle

Caracterização sócio-demográfica, ocupacional e de formação profissional de manipuladores de alimentos e bebidas em uma capital da região nordeste do Brasil

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana de sistemas emulsionados contendo óleos naturais para o tratamento de infecções cutâneas

Natural oils have shown a scientific importance due to its pharmacological activity and renewable character. The copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii) and Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana Shaw) oils are used in folk medicine particularly because the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Emulsion could be eligible systems to improve the palatability and fragrance, enhance the pharmacological activities and reduce the toxicological effects of these oils. The aim of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of emulsions based on copaiba (resin-oil and essential-oil) and bullfrog oils against fungi and bacteria which cause skin diseases. Firstly, the essential oil was extracted from copaiba oil-resin and the oils were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Secondly, emulsion systems were produced. A microbiological screening test with all products was performed followed (the minimum inhibitory concentration, the bioautography method and the antibiofilm determination). Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata, C. krusei and C. tropicalis American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and clinical samples were used. The emulsions based on copaiba oil-resin and essential oil improved the antimicrobial activity of the pure oils, especially against Staphylococcus e Candida resistant to azoles. The bullfrog oil emulsion and the pure bullfrog oil showed a lower effect on the microorganisms when compared to the copaiba samples. All the emulsions showed a significant antibiofilm activity by inhibiting the cell adhesion. Thus, it may be concluded that emulsions based on copaiba and bullfrog oils are promising candidates to treatment of fungal and bacterial skin infections

Acordos internacionais sobre a produção compartilhada de recursos naturais: a unitização interestatal na área do petróleo e gás sob o enfoque constitucional brasileiro

The apportionment of natural resources between sovereign States is a subject that relates many aspects of International law, as long as Constitutional Law, at the execution and application phases of international treaties that regulates the exploration of common goods. In this sense, because of their natural characteristics that creates an environment of constant migration and fixation in transboundary regions, terrestrial or maritime, the petroleum and the natural gas bound a complex juridical apparatus that can control the sovereign rights involved. This research is aim at accomplishing a study concerning the international agreements that enable the non-unilateral action, specifically the unitization treaties between sovereign States, as a manner to resolve situations related to the individualization of oil and/or gas reservoirs that go across their national borders. These agreements will be analyzed considering the international public law sources theory, bearing in mind yet the already existed experiences in this sense, not disregarding the way that this fact could affect Brazil. It will begin with an historical incursion over the unitization institute, covering its main characteristics and its formation and execution procedures, and finally it will address the Brazilian legal system and the comparative law threats the institute. The clauses of these relevant agreements will be analyzed in details, concerning its particularities and its contents. Because these agreements are international obligatory rules of law, it is indispensable that they are considered under the auspices of the international law system, focusing their nature and the subjects of international law and establishing them as sources of the international law, analyzing them, then, as international rules and the applicable law to these juridical relations, the conventional established, the consolidated international custom and the applicable International Law principles, appearing the State s responsibility as an important subject for the verification of the acts lawful practiced by States. The analysis of the apportionment of these natural resources ends with the individualization of possible exploitable marine oil fields located between the exclusive economic zone and the continental platform ends and the region administrated by the International Seabed Authority. At last, the Brazilian constitutional system appears as the mechanism of integration, application and execution of the international unitization agreements in Brazil, detaching the format and the proceedings that the international treaties take to acquire validity at the national legal system, passing through the treaties interpretation and the applicable constitutional principles, coming to its application in Brazil, considering the existing constitutional peculiarities and the role played by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and bio-fuel ANP

Relações ecologicas entre caranguejos e composição arbórea em bosques de mangue naturais e restaurados no nordeste brasileiro

This study aimed to compare the development of crab and tree communities of two restored mangrove areas, one planted with Rhizophora mangle and the other naturally recovered, and also to compare the predation of Grapsid crab Goniopsis cruentata and the Ocypodid Ucides cordatus over the propagules of three mangrove trees: Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia schaueriana e Laguncularia racemosa. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that Goniopsis predation is more important that Ucides predation, and that these consumers have antagonist effects over propagule consumption. In each area, 10 quadrates were selected at random to analyze tree richness, diameter, height, tree biomass and crab richness and density five years after restoration experiment start. Results show that tree height, biomass and crab density were significantly higher in artificially restored area. No significant differences were observed in crab species richness between areas, but higher tree richness was observed in self-recovered area. Results suggest that planting propagules of Rhizophora can significantly increase tree recovering if the aim was increase tree biomass and crab density, which can accelerate return of ecological functionality. Goniopsis is a more important propagule predator than Ucides both in natural and restored areas. The effects of Goniopis were higher in absence of Ucides, due to negative interactions among these two predator species. The preference of Goniopsis by Avicennia and Laguncularia can favor the dominance of Rhizophora observed in Neotropical mangroves. This study suggests that propagule predation by Goniopsis should be controlled in restoration programs, if dominance of Rhizophora is undesirable respect to more rich tree communities

Professores de ciências naturais: necessidades formativas para ensinar a medir em trabalhos práticos e experimentais

This paper presents a research realized with Physics, Chemistry and Biology teachers, and it aimed to evaluate: 1) the development level of those teachers regarding the abilities that make possible to teach high school students about how to measure in practical and experimental work; 2) the formatives necessities regarding those abilities; and 3) the order of priority for teacher´s formation regarding those abilities. The study is based on the activity theory, from A. N. Leontiev (1983), since we considerer the teacher´s formation a kind of activity for which the category necessity is source of motivation and in which is a necessary condition for professionality and for the professional development. A questionnaire with open and closed questions was applied to 116 teachers during three pedagogic workshops realized to dynamize the science laboratory. The instrument allowed us to obtain the personal and professional profile of the participants, as well as their development level, their formative necessities and their order of priority about the teaching of the abilities related to the work of testing measuring hypothesis, regarding: a) to operationalize variables of a hypothesis in experimental work; b) to measure in practical and experimental work; c) to estimate possible measuring mistakes and use proper procedures to minimize them; d) to estimate the validity of a measuring; and e) to estimate the confiability of a measuring. The research results indicated some limitations of the teachers about their development level in all the analyzed abilities. More than 90% of the teachers considered those deficiencies as necessities of the continuing formation. Most of them (about 54%) expressed immediate priority for formation in each one of the abilities. From a correlation, using the statistic chi-square test, between the development level and the formative necessities for the five abilities, the obtained results allow us to assure that, for all those teaching abilities, there is a strong correlation between the development level and the formative necessity. This situation is symptomatic of the importance of approaching more the science teaching and the teacher´s formation on practical and experimental work in high school as key-component of scientific education in basic education. The obtained results can contribute, as subsidy, for continuing formation courses, having as base the necessities that constitute motivation elements of the teachers for professional development

Segurança Alimentar e Controle de Qualidade: um estudo da implantação do Programa Alimentos Seguros em supermercados de bairro

This study aimed to analyze the percentage of compliance, related to the requirements of Practice, achieved by 23 supermarkets in neighborhood after the deployment of Food Insurance Program. For its development research methodology adopted was the application start and end of a check-list (tool-specific SBP) in 23 supermarkets, target of this study. After the deployment of PAS was made a comparative study where it was possible to see that these companies need to improve conditions related to food safety, because according to the study, none of the 23 supermarkets evaluated met the criteria recommended by the SBP to 100% of compliance for the items critical of the check-list. Only 04 of the 23 supermarkets were in the range of 80 to 90% of the overall percentage of compliance, representing only 17.3% of the sample. Most of the sample submitted in a regular situation, according to the methodology of Cardoso (2001). Of the 23 supermarkets studied, 03 supermarkets were classified as poor (13.04%), 13 as scheduled (56.52%) as good and 07 (30.43%). You can see improvements in a small part of the sample, but the decline in the percentage of compliance of 02 companies after working for the implementation of the program, showing lack of responsibility and commitment of companies which should have as its top priority to food safety that market

Gestão logística e comércio exterior: um estudo de caso em uma empresa exportadora do setor de alimentos

The thesis argues the importance of the logistic management for the performance of the companies and for the foreign trade. The study is endorsed in construction of one analyses that brings in its essential the underlyng elements for the understanding of the subject. The analyse made from the data of an exporters company of Rio Grande of the Norte, with performance in the branch of candies, allowed to evaluate an efficient of the logistic management, that involving operacional and financial questions, is unavoidable for reduction of costs of the companies and has significant impact is its profitability

Aspectos linguístico-ergonômicos em rótulos: avaliação da linguagem verbo-visual de rótulos de embalagens para alimentos achocolatados

We have been living in a world of packed products. The package and the labels support the companies to communicate with the customers in addition to give protection, storage and convenience in proportion to the products that move in the price list. The labels mainly add up a value which helps the companies differ their products and increase the value of the brands among the final customers. However, the information given in the label are not clear sometimes. It displays a verbal-visual defective language resulted from a poor visibility, legibleness and comprehensibleness of the verbal and visual marks. The aim of this research is to verify, according to the costumers‟ view, the level of the clarity in the informative texts, harmony and ergonomic conformity of the package labels in the chocolate powder of the Claralate brand, considering the linguistic aspects presented on the labels. The criteria to evaluate the chocolate package selected were based on the linguistic field: the organization and the structure of the text derided from the classification of the textual genre; the clarity and the comprehension of the language utilized on those labels. From the ergonomic view, the informative and ergonomic conformity, based on the following requirements: legibility, symbols, characters, reading fields and intermission of the written lines. Therefore, the research done july 2007 and added july 2011 had a structured questionnaire in the interview put to the 118 customers of the chocolate package that go shopping in one of the two supermarkets in Floriano, Piauí São Jorge and/or Super Quaresma. The main results of the investigation show that the linguistic aspects in the informative texts of the labels provide the customers‟ expectancy partially, while the consideration of the informative ergonomic analyzed can contribute to the improvement of the information and consequent visual progress of those, on the labels of chocolate package investigated. As recommendation towards the maker of the product, the outcome of the research indicates: harmonize the proportion of the letters and numbers; enlarge the letters size; make the visual information more comprehensive determined by the reading field; put the expiry date in a better visual place

Controle de estoques de sal: uma inovação da quantificação e no gerenciamento dos recursos naturais da indústria mineral

The strengthening of the domestic industry in Brazil required the modernization, mechanization and expansion of salt production. Thereafter the production of sea salt started to be made in a process of continuous flow, where the product is constantly stored in yards, with daily movements in and out of salt. Thus far, the major bottleneck found in this production process is the control of production, because due to the large amount produced and variety of losses existing in the various stages of production there are not a regulated and safe way to control inventories with accuracy and speed demanded. In a typical case with a salt marsh company of Rio Grande do Norte state, salt produced is stored in two open courtyards and inventory control of salt made by carrying input / output relationship of salt in each storage yard. This work developed a conceptual model of inventory control, based on topography, adopting surveys into one of the courtyards of the company. There were 25 biweekly survey measurements over a year book to generate digital models representing the stock. For each measurement, results were compared with the values of inventory accounting provided by the salt marsh in order to identify existing losses and mark out the sales department on the actual stock available at each measurement date. Inventories calculated by the model indicated losses of 6,349 tonnes for the period of one year book and 3,279 tonnes for the period between harvests, when compared to the accounting control

Estratégia de marketing ambiental no varejo de alimentos: um estudo sobre as variáveis utilizadas pelo consumidor na decisão de compra de produtos orgânicos

Demand for organic foods within in Brazil are growing, characterizing itself for if constituting in a new strategical segment of commercialization. In this context, the objective of this research was to investigate the variables used by consumers in the purchase decision of organic products, aiming to characterize the level of competitiveness of these products, assisting in the creation of environmental strategies for the development of the activity and contributing in the increment of the knowledge about the subject, that can assist it in the increase of the commercialization and the consumption of these foods. From data collected in the city of Natal/RN, it was used a survey research, of exploratory and descriptive character. The sample was obtained using 401 questionnaires, in which was realized: the Test of Comparison of Averages, Descriptive analysis, analysis of Cluster and Qui-square. The results found in this study indicate that the main reasons for the organic food purchase are the absence of chemical pesticides in the product, followed by the care with own health and of the household. The main characteristics in the consumers of supermarkets, that are associates with purchase frequency of organic foods are the environmental behavior and lifestyle. Among the profile characteristics, gender, age and number of children are associates with the purchase frequency of these foods and the income and level education not showed association

Localização de um robô móvel usando odometria e marcos naturais

Several methods of mobile robot navigation request the mensuration of robot position and orientation in its workspace. In the wheeled mobile robot case, techniques based on odometry allow to determine the robot localization by the integration of incremental displacements of its wheels. However, this technique is subject to errors that accumulate with the distance traveled by the robot, making unfeasible its exclusive use. Other methods are based on the detection of natural or artificial landmarks present in the environment and whose location is known. This technique doesnt generate cumulative errors, but it can request a larger processing time than the methods based on odometry. Thus, many methods make use of both techniques, in such a way that the odometry errors are periodically corrected through mensurations obtained from landmarks. Accordding to this approach, this work proposes a hybrid localization system for wheeled mobile robots in indoor environments based on odometry and natural landmarks. The landmarks are straight lines de.ned by the junctions in environments floor, forming a bi-dimensional grid. The landmark detection from digital images is perfomed through the Hough transform. Heuristics are associated with that transform to allow its application in real time. To reduce the search time of landmarks, we propose to map odometry errors in an area of the captured image that possesses high probability of containing the sought mark

Formulação e caracterização de massas de grês porcelanato preparadas a partir de matérias-primas naturais do Rio Grande do norte e com adição de chamote de telhas

Traditional ceramics have an important role in the economy of Rio Grande do Norte. The local industries manufacture over 50 million shingles a month, corresponding to 60% of their overall production. As a result of processing flaws, roughly 20% of the production must be discarded, since little or no use has been envisaged for such fired components. Therefore, the use of this kind of residue, especially in the composition of other ceramic materials, comes as an interesting option from the economical and environmental point of view. In this scenario, the objective of the present study was to assess the effect of the addition of fired shingle waste in the composition of porcelainized stoneware tiles. To that end, two porcelainized stoneware tiles compositions were initially prepared. Subsequently, contents from 10 to 30% of roofing tiles chamote were added to each one of them. All raw materials and grog were characterized by FRX, XRD, and thermal analysis. The ceramics were fired using natural gas for 30 min at different temperatures, i.e. 1150, 1200 and 1250ºC, and fully characterized. The addition of roofing tiles chamote resulted in composition with superior properties compared to additive-free compositions. Porcelainized stoneware tiles products that fulfill required standards for practical applications were achieved

Desempenho mecânico de compósitos híbridos de fibras naturais e poliéster não saturado

With the objective to promote sustainable development, the fibres found in nature in abundance, which are biodegradable, of low cost in comparison to synthetic fibres are being used in the manufacture of composites. The mechanical behavior of the curauá and pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) composites in different proportions, 25% x 75% (P1), 50% x 50% (P2) e 75% x 25% (P3) were respectively studied, being initially treated with a 2% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. Mechanical analyses indicated that with respect to studies of traction, for the combination of P1 and P3, better results of 22.17 MPa and 16.98 MPa, were obtained respectively, which are higher than that of the combination P2. The results of the same pattern were obtained for analysis of bending resistance where P1 is 1.21% and P3 represents 0.96%. In the case of resistance to bending, best results were obtained for the combination P1 at 49.07 MPa. However, when Young's modulus values were calculated, the values were different to the pattern of the results of other tests, where the combination P2 with the value of 4.06 GPa is greater than the other combinations. This shows that the PALF had a greater influence in relation to curauá fibre. The analysis of the results generally shows that in combinations of two vegetable fibers of cellulosic origin, the fiber which shows higher percentage (75%) is the best option than to the composition of 50%/50%. In the meantime, according to the results obtained in this study, in the case where the application should withstand bending loads, the better composition would be 50%/50%

Estudo das propriedades mecânicas de biocompósitos de polipropileno reforçados com fibras naturais

This research presents an approach to the addition of curauá fibers and licuri fibers in a polypropylene resin matrix, such as an alternative proposal to reinforce the polymeric composites. Fiber content of 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, and 20% were analyzed for verification of their mechanical properties comparing them, inclusive with the properties of polypropylene. The grainulated biocomposites had been prepared in an extrusora. The test bodies had been molded by injection and submitted to the mechanical essays uniaxial traction, flexion on three points, impact, in addition to thermal tests (HDT). These biocomposites had been also subjected the essay physicist-chemistry index of fluidity (IF). It was observed that the biocomposites of PP with 20% curauá, obtained bigger increase in the modulus of elasticity and a bigger reduction in the resistance to the impact. In the mechanical behavior, for all the biocomposites, these were increases in values of the limit of drainage and tension of rupture, when tested by uniaxial traction, as they added the fibers. Another important point was the increase of the resistance the flexion. It was also noted that the addition of fibers reduced the thermal degradation of the mixture natural fibers / polypropylene.