Estudo do genoma do vírus causador da mionecrose infecciosa em camarões e desenvolvimento de métodos para detecção de diferentes variantes

Shrimp farming is one of the activities that contribute most to the growth of global aquaculture. However, this business has undergone significant economic losses due to the onset of viral diseases such as Infectious Myonecrosis (IMN). The IMN is already widespread throughout Northeastern Brazil and affects other countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and China. The main symptom of disease is myonecrosis, which consists of necrosis of striated muscles of the abdomen and cephalothorax of shrimp. The IMN is caused by infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV), a non-enveloped virus which has protrusions along its capsid. The viral genome consists of a single molecule of double-stranded RNA and has two Open Reading Frames (ORFs). The ORF1 encodes the major capsid protein (MCP) and a potential RNA binding protein (RBP). ORF2 encodes a probable RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and classifies IMNV in Totiviridae family. Thus, the objective of this research was study the IMNV complete genome and encoded proteins in order to develop a system differentiate virus isolates based on polymorphisms presence. The phylogenetic relationship among some totivirus was investigated and showed a new group to IMNV within Totiviridae family. Two new genomes were sequenced, analyzed and compared to two other genomes already deposited in GenBank. The new genomes were more similar to each other than those already described. Conserved and variable regions of the genome were identified through similarity graphs and alignments using the four IMNV sequences. This analyze allowed mapping of polymorphic sites and revealed that the most variable region of the genome is in the first half of ORF1, which coincides with the regions that possibly encode the viral protrusion, while the most stable regions of the genome were found in conserved domains of proteins that interact with RNA. Moreover, secondary structures were predicted for all proteins using various softwares and protein structural models were calculated using threading and ab initio modeling approaches. From these analyses was possible to observe that the IMNV proteins have motifs and shapes similar to proteins of other totiviruses and new possible protein functions have been proposed. The genome and proteins study was essential for development of a PCR-based detection system able to discriminate the four IMNV isolates based on the presence of polymorphic sites

Detecção e isolamento de falhas em sistemas dinâmicos baseados em redes neurais

This master dissertation presents the development of a fault detection and isolation system based in neural network. The system is composed of two parts: an identification subsystem and a classification subsystem. Both of the subsystems use neural network techniques with multilayer perceptron training algorithm. Two approaches for identifica-tion stage were analyzed. The fault classifier uses only residue signals from the identification subsystem. To validate the proposal we have done simulation and real experiments in a level system with two water reservoirs. Several faults were generated above this plant and the proposed fault detection system presented very acceptable behavior. In the end of this work we highlight the main difficulties found in real tests that do not exist when it works only with simulation environments

Implantação de um sistema de detecção de vazamentos em oleodutos com tratamento de alarmes falsos

The pumping of fluids in pipelines is the most economic and safe form of transporting fluids. That explains why in Europe there was in 1999 about 30.000 Km [7] of pipelines of several diameters, transporting millíons of cubic meters of crude oil end refined products, belonging to COCAWE (assaciation of companies of petroleum of Europe for health, environment and safety, that joint several petroleum companies). In Brazil they are about 18.000 Km of pipelines transporting millions of cubic meters of liquids and gases. In 1999, nine accidents were registered to COCAWE. Among those accidents one brought a fatal victim. The oil loss was of 171 m3, equivalent to O,2 parts per million of the total of the transported volume. Same considering the facts mentioned the costs involved in ao accident can be high. An accident of great proportions can bríng loss of human lives, severe environmental darnages, loss of drained product, loss . for dismissed profit and damages to the image of the company high recovery cost. In consonance with that and in some cases for legal demands, the companies are, more and more, investing in systems of Leak detection in pipelines based on computer algorithm that operate in real time, seeking wíth that to minimize still more the drained volumes. This decreases the impacts at the environment and the costs. In general way, all the systems based on softWare present some type of false alarm. In general a commitment exists betWeen the sensibílity of the system and the number of false alarms. This work has as objective make a review of thé existent methods and to concentrate in the analysis of a specific system, that is, the system based on hydraulic noise, Pressure Point Analyzis (PPA). We will show which are the most important aspects that must be considered in the implementation of a Leak Detection System (LDS), from the initial phase of the analysis of risks passing by the project bases, design, choice of the necessary field instrumentation to several LDS, implementation and tests. We Will make na analysis of events (noises) originating from the flow system that can be generator of false alarms and we will present a computer algorithm that restricts those noises automatically

Técnicas neuronais de agrupamentos aplicadas à detecção de anomalias em mamogramas digitais

This work proposes the development of an intelligent system for analysis of digital mammograms, capable to detect and to classify masses and microcalcifications. The digital mammograms will be pre-processed through techniques of digital processing of images with the purpose of adapting the image to the detection system and automatic classification of the existent calcifications in the suckles. The model adopted for the detection and classification of the mammograms uses the neural network of Kohonen by the algorithm Self Organization Map - SOM. The algorithm of Vector quantization, Kmeans it is also used with the same purpose of the SOM. An analysis of the performance of the two algorithms in the automatic classification of digital mammograms is developed. The developed system will aid the radiologist in the diagnosis and accompaniment of the development of abnormalities

Avaliação e modelagem da absorção de H2S do gás natural em coluna de leito estagnado

Natural gas, although basically composed by light hydrocarbons, also presents contaminant gases in its composition, such as CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2S (hydrogen sulfide). The H2S, which commonly occurs in oil and gas exploration and production activities, causes damages in oil and natural gas pipelines. Consequently, the removal of hydrogen sulfide gas will result in an important reduction in operating costs. Also, it is essential to consider the better quality of the oil to be processed in the refinery, thus resulting in benefits in economic, environmental and social areas. All this facts demonstrate the need for the development and improvement in hydrogen sulfide scavengers. Currently, the oil industry uses several processes for hydrogen sulfide removal from natural gas. However, these processes produce amine derivatives which can cause damage in distillation towers, can cause clogging of pipelines by formation of insoluble precipitates, and also produce residues with great environmental impact. Therefore, it is of great importance the obtaining of a stable system, in inorganic or organic reaction media, able to remove hydrogen sulfide without formation of by-products that can affect the quality and cost of natural gas processing, transport, and distribution steps. Seeking the study, evaluation and modeling of mass transfer and kinetics of hydrogen removal, in this study it was used an absorption column packed with Raschig rings, where the natural gas, with H2S as contaminant, passed through an aqueous solution of inorganic compounds as stagnant liquid, being this contaminant gas absorbed by the liquid phase. This absorption column was coupled with a H2S detection system, with interface with a computer. The data and the model equations were solved by the least squares method, modified by Levemberg-Marquardt. In this study, in addition to the water, it were used the following solutions: sodium hydroxide, potassium permanganate, ferric chloride, copper sulfate, zinc chloride, potassium chromate, and manganese sulfate, all at low concentrations (»10 ppm). These solutions were used looking for the evaluation of the interference between absorption physical and chemical parameters, or even to get a better mass transfer coefficient, as in mixing reactors and absorption columns operating in counterflow. In this context, the evaluation of H2S removal arises as a valuable procedure for the treatment of natural gas and destination of process by-products. The study of the obtained absorption curves makes possible to determine the mass transfer predominant stage in the involved processes, the mass transfer volumetric coefficients, and the equilibrium concentrations. It was also performed a kinetic study. The obtained results showed that the H2S removal kinetics is greater for NaOH. Considering that the study was performed at low concentrations of chemical reagents, it was possible to check the effect of secondary reactions in the other chemicals, especially in the case of KMnO4, which shows that your by-product, MnO2, acts in H2S absorption process. In addition, CuSO4 and FeCl3 also demonstrated to have good efficiency in H2S removal

Estudo do genoma do vírus causador da mionecrose infecciosa em camarões e desenvolvimento de métodos para detecção de polimorfismos

Shrimp farming is one of the activities that contribute most to the growth of global aquaculture. However, this business has undergone significant economic losses due to the onset of viral diseases such as Infectious Myonecrosis (IMN). The IMN is already widespread throughout Northeastern Brazil and affects other countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and China. The main symptom of disease is myonecrosis, which consists of necrosis of striated muscles of the abdomen and cephalothorax of shrimp. The IMN is caused by infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV), a non-enveloped virus which has protrusions along its capsid. The viral genome consists of a single molecule of double-stranded RNA and has two Open Reading Frames (ORFs). The ORF1 encodes the major capsid protein (MCP) and a potential RNA binding protein (RBP). ORF2 encodes a probable RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and classifies IMNV in Totiviridae family. Thus, the objective of this research was study the IMNV complete genome and encoded proteins in order to develop a system differentiate virus isolates based on polymorphisms presence. The phylogenetic relationship among some totivirus was investigated and showed a new group to IMNV within Totiviridae family. Two new genomes were sequenced, analyzed and compared to two other genomes already deposited in GenBank. The new genomes were more similar to each other than those already described. Conserved and variable regions of the genome were identified through similarity graphs and alignments using the four IMNV sequences. This analyze allowed mapping of polymorphic sites and revealed that the most variable region of the genome is in the first half of ORF1, which coincides with the regions that possibly encode the viral protrusion, while the most stable regions of the genome were found in conserved domains of proteins that interact with RNA. Moreover, secondary structures were predicted for all proteins using various softwares and protein structural models were calculated using threading and ab initio modeling approaches. From these analyses was possible to observe that the IMNV proteins have motifs and shapes similar to proteins of other totiviruses and new possible protein functions have been proposed. The genome and proteins study was essential for development of a PCR-based detection system able to discriminate the four IMNV isolates based on the presence of polymorphic sites