Avaliação de bactérias nitrificantes em filtros biológicos submersos aerados

This study investigates a new treatment system of wastewater by anaerobic and aerobic biological filters for nitrogen modification. The main objective of this study was evaluate, on a pilot scale, quantitatively and qualitatively the bacterian nitrifying community in a experimental sewage treatment system made by aerobics biological filters in series, in search of figure out the dynamic of nitrogen modification process. It was collected and laboratorial analysed microbiologically, regarding NMP of Nitrosomonas e Nitrobacter, and physical-chemically considering nitrogen sequence. We conclude that: the association in aerobic biological filters under nutrition controlled conditions and oxygen level allows the appearance of bacterian community responsible for the nitrogen modification; the method used, despite its limitations, provided the selection of autotrophic nitrifying microorganisms, allowing the identification of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter; the flow direction tested in the experimental unit did not affect the nitrifying bacterial community, certainly because they were kept drowned and did not occur flow speed that could breake the formed biomass; the nitrification process happened in aerated biological filters in all phases of the research, comproved by microbiological tests; in the third phase of the research the increase of the oxygen rate was significant for the nitrificant bacterian community in the aerate biological filters, allowing its growth, occurring relation between the efficiency of nitrification system and the quantity of organisms responsible for this process; the conduit used in aerated biological filters showed satisfactory performance support material to the nitrifying bacteria development

Bairro Planalto, Natal-RN: agentes, usos e conflitos

This research has the goal to analyze the urban setting of the Planalto neighborhood, in Natal /RN, seeking to unravel the processes, agents and contradictions associated with the production of the space. The choice of neighborhood is justified by the observation that changes in its urban setting have been growing in speedy way. We highlight the performance of the housing market, in partnership with the state, and the construction of condominiums and buildings closed by the housing program Minha Casa, Minha Vida. This has favored the reproduction of a new " urban reality in the neighborhood, setting an urban standard that differs from the original morphology, seen as peripheral within the urban dynamics of the city. The research is a qualitative study, through documents, interviews with stakeholders, and photographic documentation. In this perspective , we seek to understand the current phase (2000s) the production of space in the neighborhood process through the development of the housing market , as an extension of the urban development in central zone of Natal/RN, analyzing the performance of agents and their producers the "new " uses redefining the "old ". Thus, it can be seen that there is in the neighborhood, urban reality in a pluralistic constitution, from the existence of different social classes inhabiting the same space. On this way, the city is produced from the appropriation of space by different social classes, although due to the economic condition of each of them

A percepção da fiscalização dos contratos de mão de obra terceirizada pelos agentes envolvidos nesse processo no âmbito da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte: uma análise sob o modelo do principal-agente

Outsourcing has emerged as one of the new ways of guiding the work. For its advantages and be consistent with the paradigms of managerial reform, outsourcing also started to be used in the Public Administration. However, taking into account the particularities of the latter, some issues are relevant when outsourcing concluded with the State. Gains notoriety, for example, the step of monitoring these contracts, to the extent that, from this activity, we can avoid the negative effects of outsourcing like the fact that the state will pay for labor and wage liens that are obligation of the company providing the services. This study aims to understand the perception that this process is under the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, from the point of view of different stakeholders, also explaining the motivations that these agents have to perform the supervisory process. As a theoretical basis was used the Agency Theory, which reinforces the supervisory activities as a necessary means to minimize moral hazard and adverse selection, seeking to understand not only the different motivations tax contracts to properly perform their duties, but also analyze other phenomena arising from this contractual relationship. To achieve the proposed objectives, were taken a literature review and a presentation of how to organize the management and oversight of contracts in UFRN. The methodological procedures included questionnaires and interviews with those involved in the process. After analyzing the results obtained in the survey instruments , and also based on the laws, regulations and instructions governing the procurement process within the UFRN, it was concluded that the process of overseeing the outsourcing of labor contracts in UFRN is not fully institutionalized, some points should be strengthened in order to have the consolidation of this process, highlighting the need for training of UFRN servers that act as tax, the knowledge that the contractual penalties are applied effectively, the need that there is a supervisor of tax of contractors and also the realization of the rotation system of outsourced employees

Os agentes funerários e a morte: o cuidado presente diante da vida ausente

The present time is marked by the art of escape from death, which has become synonymous with failure, its exposure has become intolerable and the care of the dead body were assigned to third parties who market this practice through services and products that shape the market undertaker. In this context, in which death is an object of study, has arisen funeral officers, as professionals dealing with a dead body, with the pain of relatives and their reactions, often being the first to have contact with the death scene. As professionals in the health area, the morticians also deal with death. The first attempt to prevent the arrival of death, funeral officers already has begun their work routine from there. Death and its surrounding part of their profession. What about those professionals whose work demands as a feared and denied by society? This study aims to understand the intents, meanings and implications for the mortician to deal with death in their daily work in order to focus renewed attention to the care of these professionals. To this end, it was carried out a qualitative research grounded in the theoretical framework of Gadamerian hermeneutics for production and interpretation of narratives. It was used two methodological strategies for data collection: in-depth interview with script and workshop with the use of "scenes". Research participants were nine morticians funeral of two funeral agencies of the city of Natal. It was possible to detect the presence of the social imaginary of interdiction on the theme of death from living with feelings of his presence daily, from the need of respondents to naturalize their contacts with death, a requirement of their office to deal with the difficulties of manipulating body fluids and odors, sometimes in a state of decomposition; allied to wishes to achieve the goal of delivering to family-customers a "embellished" body for the final farewell. Being a mortician, in addition to not being a professional motivation, involves facing difficulties related to heavy routine work, low salaries, unprofitable work materials and equipments, besides having to deal with the social gaze that devalues the profession. In turn, they also deal with the pain coming especially from contact with family members, either when they are targets of these feelings of anger, whether they identify with the pain of the bereaved ones. On the other hand, when the recognition and gratitude of the families occur, they find meaning and beauty in their profession of caring for the dead body. The present study by giving voice to morticians has become possible to understand better their profession, the pain that surrounds and care needs of these workers. Finally, it has argued that the mortician may be recognized as a care professional for the way exercising caution with the dead body and their families.

Estudo da descelularização tecidual na produção de arcabouços biológicos para enxertos

The regeneration of bone defects with loss of substance remains as a therapeutic challenge in the medical field. There are basically four types of grafts: autologous, allogenic, xenogenic and isogenic. It is a consensus that autologous bone is the most suitable material for this purpose, but there are limitations to its use, especially the insufficient amount in the donor. Surveys show that the components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are generally conserved between different species and are well tolerated even in xenogenic recipient. Thus, several studies have been conducted in the search for a replacement for autogenous bone scaffold using the technique of decellularization. To obtain these scaffolds, tissue must undergo a process of cell removal that causes minimal adverse effects on the composition, biological activity and mechanical integrity of the remaining extracellular matrix. There is not, however, a conformity among researchers about the best protocol for decellularization, since each of these treatments interfere differently in biochemical composition, ultrastructure and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix, affecting the type of immune response to the material. Further down the arsenal of research involving decellularization bone tissue represents another obstacle to the arrival of a consensus protocol. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of decellularization methods in the production of biological scaffolds from skeletal organs of mice, for their use for grafting. This was a laboratory study, sequenced in two distinct stages. In the first phase 12 mice hemi-calvariae were evaluated, divided into three groups (n = 4) and submitted to three different decellularization protocols (SDS [group I], trypsin [Group II], Triton X-100 [Group III]). We tried to identify the one that promotes most efficient cell removal, simultaneously to the best structural preservation of the bone extracellular matrix. Therefore, we performed quantitative analysis of the number of remaining cells and descriptive analysis of the scaffolds, made possible by microscopy. In the second stage, a study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro adhesion of mice bone marrow mesenchymal cells, cultured on these scaffolds, previously decellularized. Through manual counting of cells on scaffolds there was a complete cell removal in Group II, Group I showed a practically complete cell removal, and Group III displayed cell remains. The findings allowed us to observe a significant difference only between Groups II and III (p = 0.042). Better maintenance of the collagen structure was obtained with Triton X-100, whereas the decellularization with Trypsin was responsible for the major structural changes in the scaffolds. After culture, the adhesion of mesenchymal cells was only observed in specimens deccelularized with Trypsin. Due to the potential for total removal of cells and the ability to allow adherence of these, the protocol based on the use of Trypsin (Group II) was considered the most suitable for use in future experiments involving bone grafting decellularized scaffolds

Sistema de agentes poligínicos para esteganálise de imagens digitais

In this work, we propose a multi agent system for digital image steganalysis, based on the poliginic bees model. Such approach aims to solve the problem of automatic steganalysis for digital media, with a case study on digital images. The system architecture was designed not only to detect if a file is suspicious of covering a hidden message, as well to extract the hidden message or information regarding it. Several experiments were performed whose results confirm a substantial enhancement (from 67% to 82% success rate) by using the multi-agent approach, fact not observed in traditional systems. An ongoing application using the technique is the detection of anomalies in digital data produced by sensors that capture brain emissions in little animals. The detection of such anomalies can be used to prove theories and evidences of imagery completion during sleep provided by the brain in visual cortex areas

Um framework de agentes de recomendação para sistemas Web

The World Wide Web has been consolidated over the last years as a standard platform to provide software systems in the Internet. Nowadays, a great variety of user applications are available on the Web, varying from corporate applications to the banking domain, or from electronic commerce to the governmental domain. Given the quantity of information available and the quantity of users dealing with their services, many Web systems have sought to present recommendations of use as part of their functionalities, in order to let the users to have a better usage of the services available, based on their profile, history navigation and system use. In this context, this dissertation proposes the development of an agent-based framework that offers recommendations for users of Web systems. It involves the conception, design and implementation of an object-oriented framework. The framework agents can be plugged or unplugged in a non-invasive way in existing Web applications using aspect-oriented techniques. The framework is evaluated through its instantiation to three different Web systems

Avaliação de arquitetura de agentes emocionais : uma abordagem baseada em métrica de qualidade e na influência das emoções sobre usuários

There is a need for multi-agent system designers in determining the quality of systems in the earliest phases of the development process. The architectures of the agents are also part of the design of these systems, and therefore also need to have their quality evaluated. Motivated by the important role that emotions play in our daily lives, embodied agents researchers have aimed to create agents capable of producing affective and natural interaction with users that produces a beneficial or desirable result. For this, several studies proposing architectures of agents with emotions arose without the accompaniment of appropriate methods for the assessment of these architectures. The objective of this study is to propose a methodology for evaluating architectures emotional agents, which evaluates the quality attributes of the design of architectures, in addition to evaluation of human-computer interaction, the effects on the subjective experience of users of applications that implement it. The methodology is based on a model of well-defined metrics. In assessing the quality of architectural design, the attributes assessed are: extensibility, modularity and complexity. In assessing the effects on users' subjective experience, which involves the implementation of the architecture in an application and we suggest to be the domain of computer games, the metrics are: enjoyment, felt support, warm, caring, trust, cooperation, intelligence, interestingness, naturalness of emotional reactions, believabiliy, reducing of frustration and likeability, and the average time and average attempts. We experimented with this approach and evaluate five architectures emotional agents: BDIE, DETT, Camurra-Coglio, EBDI, Emotional-BDI. Two of the architectures, BDIE and EBDI, were implemented in a version of the game Minesweeper and evaluated for human-computer interaction. In the results, DETT stood out with the best architectural design. Users who have played the version of the game with emotional agents performed better than those who played without agents. In assessing the subjective experience of users, the differences between the architectures were insignificant

Estudo das percepções ambientais e de ações educativas promotoras da biodiversidade em unidade de conservação no Rio Grande do Norte

Important issues involving the awakening to the need for conservation of biodiversity and the importance of establishing protected areas as a strategy in pursuit of environmental protection, are increasingly being developed in biological and social investigative fields. In this sense, this research aimed to emphasize the use of environmental perception of social agents are significant elements for the understanding of the man / nature, and develop educational activities aimed at raising awareness and changing attitudes towards environmental issues thus promoting reflections on Environmental Education (EE) as a critical and transformative tool for conservation of rich biological diversity. This research covers as a place of study, schools located in the Environmental Protection Area Jenipabu (APAJ), Rio Grande do Norte. Methodology in general, we highlight the use of questionnaires and mind maps as generators of the contents of empirical research, and execution of content analysis for the treatment of data collected. This dissertation has two chapters in the form of scientific articles, where the first is entitled: "Study of the perceptions and evaluation of interactions concerning environmental education in schools in a conservation area of Rio Grande do Norte - Brazil", obtaining thus a primary diagnosis for analysis about the visions that students and teachers from two schools located in APAJ have on the environment. The second article, entitled: "Effective and analysis of educational activities that promote biodiversity in a coastal area of Environmental Protection Northeast - Brazil" provides an analysis of the educational use of biodiversity as a way to raise awareness of the need for environmental conservation. It appears from research that there is a lack of training in EA by teachers, but there is a need for greater involvement of students in conservation areas, however, from the analysis of educational activities, we observed that the effectiveness of such actions acts to promote awareness and change in actors involved. Thus, environmental education needs to take into account the different perceptions found in each individual, and it can not be based solely on transmission of knowledge, so that we reach a model of conservation.

Doenças de Veiculação Hídrica em Trechos da Bacia do Rio Piranhas-Assu: ocorrência de bactérias oportunistas, caracterização epidemiológica e concepções de professores e agentes de saúde

Water is essential to life and all living organisms and their supply is necessary for economic development and quality of life of human populations, but their quality has been altered by human actions. In semi-arid northeast, the water is an issue of concern, especially its quality. This region is common to the construction of reservoirs that capture rain water, streams and temporary rivers in search of ease this situation, being intended for various purposes. Water scarcity is a limiting factor for the economic and social development of the region and contributes to the maintenance of waterborne diseases. About 80% of diseases that occur in developing countries are infected by waterborne pathogens. Therefore, this study aimed to determine in two environments that are part of semilênticos Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves reservoir, and a stretch of the river Assu, all located in the semiarid RN, the occurrence of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria; check the conceptions of teachers and health workers about the issues "waterborne diseases" and "bacteria" and a diagnosis of diarrheal diseases that affect the population in some municipalities of the semi-arid region of RN from a survey of epidemiological data. For identification of bacteria using commercial kits and the diagnosis of diarrheal disease was based on information from databases. The previous conceptions of teachers and health workers were obtained through questionnaires. The results confirmed the presence of opportunistic bacteria in the studied area, showing the importance of monitoring water quality. There was an under-reporting of cases of diarrhea pointing out flaws in the monitoring of Diarrheal Diseases and indicating the need to improve it. It was felt also the need to implement educational activities on topics dealt with both with teachers and health workers, since they were identified misconceptions on the subject

Cartografia do trabalho de agentes penitenciários: reflexão sobre o “dispositivo prisão”

The Brazilian prison system is going through a serious crisis, not only due to the growth in the number of prisoners and the consequent overcrowding of prisons, but also for the violation of human rights, institutionalization and difficulty in social rehabilitation of inmates. Furthermore, the harmful effects of the prison system affect their workers, who generally are not prioritized by researchers, health programs and government policies. The literature pointing to some consequences of work in prison, among them, the mental illness, stress, alcohol abuse, etc., but little is known about this profession, their problems, the difficulties of their work routine, so as subjective processes involved. So, what are the effects of this work in the prison in the lives of correctional officers? What strategies developed to address the work in prison? This research aims to analyze the effects of this work in the prison in the lives of correctional officers from the state prison in Parnamirim, located in the metropolitan region of Natal-RN. Within the theoretical and methodological perspective of institutional analysis and cartography were carried conversation circles, interviews, in addition to participant observation of the correctional officers work’s routine. The results point to a working routine marked by the performance of procedures that involve risk to the worker, generating situations of tension and stress. Besides, the culture of violence (which is implemented in jail everyday) as well as the training and initial learning of the profession, are responsible for the militarization process of the subjectivities of the correctional officers, producing hard subject, disciplined, stiff, likely to violent practices and other rights violations. Other mapped effects relate to the acquisition of knowledge about the human (“psy” knowledge) responsible for forging the conception of the criminal as "dangerous subject", which, in turn, acts as subjectivity vector in the daily life of prison guards by setting up a way of life crossed by fear and insecurity outside the work environment. Produces a control in the open about their lives and their families, limiting them with regard to family and community life and the realization of leisure activities in public spaces. In this sense, it appears that the arrest acts producing “bad meetings” (from Espinosa's perspective), once it produces sad affections responsible for weakening the conatus, limiting the possibilities of action of these subjects. Although agents develop some strategies to deal with the difficulties of working in prison (among which stand out the development of other professional or leisure activities, spirituality / religiosity and the ability to separate the labor moments from those of their the personal lives, is advocated that such strategies do not offer significant resistance, since they do not question the contemporary legal-criminal logic. The thesis presented supports the proposals of penal abolitionism to present other conceptions of crime and justice through the invention of other practical and conceptual strategies.

Síntese de zeólitas utilizando cátions orgânicos a base de um anel imidazólio como agentes direcionadores de estruturas em meio fluorídrico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES

Parâmetros biológicos de Herpsilochmus pectoralis Sclater 1857 (Aves: Thamnophilidae) em fragmentos de mata atlântica do Nordeste do Brasil

The study of birds represents an important tool for the understanding of the processes involved in behavioral and morphological patterns. The species we have studied belongs to Thamnophilidae family, the third largest family restricted to the Neotropic ecozone. They are popularly known as antbirds and comprise 209 species. A large portion of the species has cryptic behavior, making the acoustic communication an important tool for maintaining contact among birds. Herpsilochmus pectoralis Sclater 1857 has evident sexual dimorphism, measured between 10 and 12 cm height and it is found in forest fragments in the Northeast and it is also categorized as vulnerable to extinction process. This study was conducted in three sandbank fragments on the east coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. With the help of tape recordings between 2006 and 2012 it was possible to describe and characterize the sing of H. pectoralis. The sing from male birds has more and longer length than the female sing (16% of dimorphism). No differences were found in the dominant frequency between the sexes. We describe four types of calls from this species repertoire. Through capturing with ornithological nets between 2009 and 2012 it was possible to describe and compare the morphology of H. pectoralis. The species have shown lower corporal mass in the dry season. The young birds showed morphometric similarities in comparison to adults. The species has no accentuated dimorphism in their morphometric characteristics. The young ones with flying capabilities have morphometric characteristics of adults, even though they do not show a characteristic adult plumage. The moult pattern in the species is a characteristic of tropical birds, but it shows short reproductive period, typical of temperate species. Even being in the tropical region, the species suffers with seasonal rainfall, which influences their reproductive phenology and moult (remex and rectrix) cycle. Thus, this dissertation provides information on the biology of H. pectoralis to support the understanding of the relationship of this species to the environment and also to know the variations of morphology and vocal aspects, in order to understand patterns and general characteristics of Thamnophilidae.

Polpa de jambolão (Eugenia jambolana Lam.) fresca e desidratada: características físico-químicas, bioativas e funcionais, efeitos biológicos em Caenorhabditis elegans e uso para produção de frozen yogurt caprino probiótico

This work evaluated the fresh, spray dried (with 10 % of Arabic Gum) and freeze dried jambolan pulp (Eugenia jambolana Lam.) in regard to physicochemical (pH, moisture, water activity, average particle diameter, solubility and color), bioactive [total phenolic content (TPC), monomeric anthocyanin, pronathocyanidin (PA), total elagic acid (TEA), myricetin and cyanidin] and in vitro functionality (antioxidant, antienzymatic and antimicrobial activities]. In addition, the in vivo functionality of jambolan pulp was investigated using the Caenorhabditis elegans model for insulin signaling, longevity and induced neurodegeneration (Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease related symptoms). The dried jambolan pulp presented TPC retention (50% to 75%), PA (90% to 98%), TEA (31% to 83%), myricetin (40% to 84%), cyanidin (72% to 84%) and antioxidant activity (15%). The fresh jambolan pulp, the freeze dried pulp and the spray dried jambolan pulp presented high enzymatic inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase (4,4 to 5,8 mg/mL), alpha-glycosidase (10,3 to 13,8 mg/mL) and alpha-amylase (8,9 to 11,2 mg/mL). They also were active inhibitors against the pathogen S. aureus. The dried jambolan experimental samples were able to increase the expression of several genes linked to the insulin signaling pathways (SIR-2.1, PPTR-1, DAF-16, SOD-3, e CTL) and increased the lifespan in C. elegans (18,07 % - 24,34 %), besides decreasing the amyloid AB1-42 aggregation induced paralysis and MPP+ (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium) induced neurodegeneration. Based on that, the jambolan pulp and the spray dried jambolan pulp were further selected for the production of caprine frozen yogurt with the addition of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BI-07. The final product were evaluated in regard to their physicochemical (pH, acidity, total solids, protein, total reducing sugars, fat, ashes, overrun, melting test), bioactive (TPC and monomeric anthocyanin, antioxidant activity, probiotic viability and sensory analysis (sensory acceptance). The results showed that samples with probiotic had lowest pH and higher acidity, TPC, anthocyanin and antioxidant activity. It was also observed low overrun (14.2% to 22.6%). vi Samples with probiotic had lower flavor scores. Overall, this research presents the jambolan as a highly functional bioactive-rich fruit with the potential to modulate important biological pathways, extend lifespan and retard the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Jambolan is an underexploited exotic fruit with a high colorant potential and this thesis shows for the first time in the literature important technological, biological and scientific data about this fruit that could be used towards the development of health-oriented food products.

Aplicação de agentes remineralizantes sobre o esmalte clareado: eficácia contra o manchamento por café

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of remineralizing agents on the susceptibility of enamel cleared by the coffee pigmentation during office bleaching. Fifty bovine incisors were selected and randomly assigned into 5 groups (n = 10) on the basis of remineralizing agents: G1 gel hydrogen peroxide to 35% (control group); G2, hydrogen peroxide gel and a 35% gel 2% neutral fluorine; G3, hydrogen peroxide gel and a 35% nanostructured calcium phosphate gel, G4, hydrogen peroxide gel and a 35% casein fosfoptídia-phosphate and amorphous calcium folder; G5 hydrogen peroxide gel to 35% without mineralizing agent. All groups exception G1 (control group) were subjected to pigmentation soluble coffee according to the manufacturer's guidelines. The samples were immersed in coffee at temperature of 55° C, 1 time a day for 4 minutes. Color changes were performed by Easyshade spectrophotometer at CIE Lab method before and after 3 whitening sessions. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance ANOVA. The results showed statistically significant differences between the remineralizing substances for the parameters L *, a *, b * ΔE (p <0.0001). The L * values for the group G5, and the b * for G2 and G5 groups differed from the control group. After the 3rd whitening session, Fluor's group (G2) and that without mineralizing agent (G5) showed ΔE values less than the control group that did not undergo pigmentation. It was concluded that only the nanoclusters remineralizing agents Phosphopeptides Casein-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate and Calcium Amorphous phosphate were able to reduce the coffee interference whitening efficacy of hydrogen peroxide.