Desenvolvimento de metodologias analíticas alternativas por cromatografia gasosa para análise de biodiesel

Since the beginning of the National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel in Brazil, in 2004, different raw materials were evaluated for biodiesel production, trying to combine the agricultural diversity of the country to the desire to reduce production coasts. To determine the chemical composition of biodiesel produced from common vegetables oils, international methods have been used widely in Brazil. However, for analyzing biodiesel samples produced from some alternative raw materials analytical problems have been detected. That was the case of biodiesel from castor oil. Due the need to overcome these problems, new methodologies were developed using different chromatographic columns, standards and quantitative methods. The priority was simplifying the equipment configuration, realizing faster analyses, reducing the costs and facilitating the routine of biodiesel research and production laboratories. For quantifying free glycerin, the ethylene glycol was used in instead of 1,2,4-butanetriol, without loss of quality results. The ethylene glycol is a cheaper and easier standard. For methanol analyses the headspace was not used and the cost of the equipment used was lower. A detailed determination of the esters helped the deeper knowledge of the biodiesel composition. The report of the experiments and conclusions of the research that resulted in the development of alternative methods for quality control of the composition of the biodiesel produced in Brazil, a country with considerable variability of species in agriculture, are the goals of this thesis and are reported in the following pages

Vivendo do mar: tradição, memória e mudança na vida pesqueira de Pitangui-RN

This research focuses on the fishery activity, aligned to knowledge of past generations, and the transformation to those who depend on this activity for their livelihood, at the seashore community of Pitangui in Extremoz municipality, which lies 40 km away from Natal, seat of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The intense modernization which has taking place during the last few years may be considered the result of a number of economic, social and cultural factors, as the introduction of new fishery technology. On the other hand, the present study seeks to show how this changing process happened, and to what extent those affected understand and evaluate this transformation. The methodology to carry out the ethnographic work was mainly adopted by qualitative methods and techniques - by participant observation, oral history, photography and the audiovisual records besides reference to data extracted under quantitative methods, as an important instrument of analyses. This induces a conclusion that the transformation of the community is a consequence of the globalized market, though still tied up to specific local relations. The emerging results are: the use of new fishery technology, and new ways of orientation and navigation; the opening to new jobs and occupational activity, the re-order of space s appropriation; changing sociability, larger access to consumer goods, besides bringing on some new conflicts land appropriation and the fishery and the protection of the environment. All this comprehended as a result of the movement of the local relations participating in the global spaces

A juventude de Mãe Luíza e o seu lugar social no cenário urbano

It discusses the social place occupied by the youth of outlying areas in the urban social imaginary. Having the stigma issue as an axle, it presents the essential categories to its understanding, such as (in)visibility, violence and exclusion, pointing out this quarrel in a social- anthropologychal approach. The research was carried through with teenagers of the age band from 15 to 24 years old, living in Mãe Luiza neighborhood, a popular quarter of Natal s east zone, that has close to 16.000 inhabitants. Quantitative methods had been used, through questionnaires application to 364 teenagers; and qualitative methods through the accomplishment of 5 focal groups with the adolescents. The results point a strong youth concern regarding the quarter daily violence; and the weaved image in the urban social imaginary of the neighborhood As dangerous", "violent". It is also possible to perceive the social groups diversity, in general, related with churches and cultural activities, which are important catalysers of the envolvement process of the youth with the quarter

Ambiente de inovação no Laboratório de Inovação Tecnológica em Saúde – LAIS/UFRN: mapeamento, interações e gerenciamento

Innovation has become an increasingly central issue of great reputation, not only in literature but also in management practices, becoming a strategic issue for managers of organizations. Allied to this, there is a high degree of competitiveness on the market, which contributes to the complexity of decision making, since managers need to maintain a continuous cycle of renewal processes and products. Thus, market pressures for new alternatives encourage innovation within organizations as a foundation for culture change in pursuit of survival and increased competitiveness, making it essential to know the factors that promote the advancement of organizational environments targeted innovation. Confirming this view, Bouchikhi and Kimberly (2001) symbolically expressed the idea with two statements: (1) companies need to innovate to survive, otherwise they die; and (2) the wide recognition of this need, as well as the difficulty to encourage and support innovation and entrepreneurship in business, has generated a mini-industry research and consulting in management focused on these topics. This study is characterized as descriptive with qualitative and quantitative methods. As for the planning of the research, it was decided to bibliographical research and the case study. The research, developed here, is meant to examine the organizational environment of a laboratory focused on technological innovation in health, which is a reference in research and technology of Rio Grande do Norte, and ensure that it presents opportunities to develop innovations. Therefore, the technologies developed by the Laboratório de Inovação Tecnológica em Saúde - LAIS/UFRN were mapped and then a questionnaire with the stakeholders of LAIS/UFRN was applied. This questionnaire is closed and Likert scale. As a result, it follows that the dimensions 1, 6, 7 and 8 are the most influential to form an innovative environment at LAIS.

Desenvolvimento de metodologias analíticas alternativas por cromatografia gasosa para análise de biodiesel

Since the beginning of the National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel in Brazil, in 2004, different raw materials were evaluated for biodiesel production, trying to combine the agricultural diversity of the country to the desire to reduce production coasts. To determine the chemical composition of biodiesel produced from common vegetables oils, international methods have been used widely in Brazil. However, for analyzing biodiesel samples produced from some alternative raw materials analytical problems have been detected. That was the case of biodiesel from castor oil. Due the need to overcome these problems, new methodologies were developed using different chromatographic columns, standards and quantitative methods. The priority was simplifying the equipment configuration, realizing faster analyses, reducing the costs and facilitating the routine of biodiesel research and production laboratories. For quantifying free glycerin, the ethylene glycol was used in instead of 1,2,4-butanetriol, without loss of quality results. The ethylene glycol is a cheaper and easier standard. For methanol analyses the headspace was not used and the cost of the equipment used was lower. A detailed determination of the esters helped the deeper knowledge of the biodiesel composition. The report of the experiments and conclusions of the research that resulted in the development of alternative methods for quality control of the composition of the biodiesel produced in Brazil, a country with considerable variability of species in agriculture, are the goals of this thesis and are reported in the following pages