Ativação local da rota da quinurenina por moduladores inflamatórios durante a meningite bacteriana.

Activation of the kynurenine (KYN) pathway (KP) by modulators of immune system has been observed during several neurological diseases. Here we assessed the association of chemo-/cytokine levels with the concentration of KP metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples from patients with bacterial meningitis (BM). All samples were collected from 42 patients diagnosed with acute bacterial meningitis (ABM), aseptic meningitis, tuberculous meningitis and patients without infection neurological disorders. CSF and plasma concentration of metabolites from the KP was assessed by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and cytokines and chemokines by Bio-plex 200 suspension array system. Concentrations of the KP metabolites KYN and kynurenic acid (KYNA) were significantly higher in CSF of patients with ABM compared to other groups. Tryptophan (TRP), anthranilic acid (AA), 3-hydroxykynurenine (3HK) and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA) did not show statistical significance, although some of them presented a good accumulation during ABM. The expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, IL-10, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, MCP-1 and G-CSF was about 100-fold higher in CSF from ABM patients than other infected groups. In all CSF and plasma samples, the concentration of IL-2, IL-12(p70), IL-4, IL-8 and GM-CSF was not significant. ABM still showed significant concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, IL-1Ra and MCP-1 in plasma samples. Based on the comparison of KP metabolites concentrations between plasma and CSF samples we conclude that the activation of the tryptophan pathway upon BM occurs within the brain. This increase in KP metabolites is most due to activation of the KP by molecules as IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in response to infection.

Análise de polimorfismos dos genes da rota quinureniana em pacientes com meningite bacteriana.

Bacterial meningitis (BM) is still an important infectious disease causing death and disability. Invasive bacterial infections of the central nervous systems (CNS) generate some of the most powerful inflammatory responses known, which contributes to neuronal damage. The DNA microarray technology showed alterations in the kynurenine (KYN) pathway that is induced in BM and other diseases associated with inflammation, leading to brain injury. Our main aim was to search SNPs previously described in the KYN path enzymes to investigate a putative association of this SNPs with imbalanced in this pathway in patients with BM. The patients included in this study were 33 males and 24 females, with ages varying from 02 months to 68 years. SNPs were located inside of the domain conserved in KYNU, IDO, KATI and KATII. Primers were designed for analysis of SNPs already described by PIRA-PCR followed by RFLP. The analysis of KYNU+715G/A SNP found a heterozygous frequency of 0.033. We did not found the variant allele of SNP KYNU+693G/A, KATI+164T/C, KATII+650C/T and IDO+434T/G. Despite of previews studies showing the importance of KYN pathway we did not found one association of these SNPs analyzed with susceptibility or severity of MB in study population.

Síntese de pigmentos cerâmicos inorgânicos nanométricos e encapsulados com estrutura core-shell pela rota dos precursores poliméricos

The present work has as objective the development of ceramic pigments based in iron oxides and cobalt through the polymeric precursor method, as well as study their characteristics and properties using methods of physical, chemical, morphological and optical characterizations.In this work was used iron nitrate, and cobalt citrate as precursor and nanometer silica as a matrix. The synthesis was based on dissolving the citric acid as complexing agent, addition of metal oxides, such as chromophores ions and polymerization with ethylene glycol. The powder obtained has undergone pre-ignition, breakdown and thermal treatments at different calcination temperatures (700 °C, 800 °C, 900 °C, 1000 °C and 1100 °C). Thermogravimetric analyzes were performed (BT) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), in order to evaluate the term decomposition of samples, beyond characterization by techniques such as BET, which classified as microporous materials samples calcined at 700 ° C, 800 º C and 900 º C and non-porous when annealed at 1000 ° C and 1100 º C, X-ray diffraction (XRD), which identified the formation of two crystalline phases, the Cobalt Ferrite (CoFe2O4) and Cristobalite (SiO2), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the formation of agglomerates of particles slightly rounded;and Analysis of Colorimetry, temperature of 700 °C, 800 °C and 900 °C showed a brown color and 1000 °C and 1100 °C violet

Síntese, caracterização e aplicação de LaSBA-15 e como catalisador para obtenção de biodiesel de soja via rota etílica

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel, renewable, biodegradable and nontoxic. The transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fat with alcohol is most common form of production of this fuel. The procedure for production of biodiesel occurs most commonly through the transesterification reaction in which catalysts are used to accelerate and increase their income and may be basic, acid or enzyme. The use of homogeneous catalysis requires specific conditions and purification steps of the reaction products (alkyl ester and glycerol) and removal of the catalyst at the end of the reaction. As an alternative to improve the yield of the transesterification reaction, minimize the cost of production is that many studies are being conducted with the application of heterogeneous catalysis. The use of nano-structured materials as catalysts in the production of biodiesel is a biofuel alternative for a similar to mineral diesel. Although slower, can esterify transesterified triglycerides and free fatty acids and suffer little influence of water, which may be present in the raw material. This study aimed at the synthesis, characterization and application of nano-structured materials as catalysts in the transesterification reaction of soybean oil to produce biodiesel by ethylic route. The type material containing SBA-15 mesoporous lanthanum embedded within rightly Si / La = 50 was used catalyst. Solid samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption and desorption. For the transesterification process, we used a molar ratio of 20:1 alcohol and oil with 0.250 g of catalyst at 60°C and times of 6 hours of reaction. It was determined the content of ethyl esters by H-NMR analysis and gas chromatography. It was found that the variable of conversion obtained was 80%, showing a good catalytic activity LaSBA-15 in the transesterification of vegetable oils via ethylic route

Síntese de pigmentos cerâmicos inorgânicos nanométricos pela rota dos precursores poliméricos

Considering the constant evolution of technology in growth and the need for production techniques in the ceramics area to move forward together, we sought in this study, the research and development of polymeric precursor method to obtain inorganic ceramic pigments. Method that provides quality to obtain the precursor powders of oxides and pigments at the same time, offers time and cost advantages, such as reproducibility, purity and low temperature heat treatment, control of stoichiometry. This work used chromium nitrate and iron nitrate as precursors. The synthesis is based on the dissolution of citric acid as a complexing agent, addition of metal oxides, such as ion chromophores; polymerization with ethylene glycol and doping with titanium oxide. Passing through precalcination, breakdown, thermal treatments at different temperatures of calcination (700 to 1100 oC), resulting in pigments: green for chromium oxide deposited on TiO2 (CrTiO3) and orange for iron oxide deposited on TiO2 ( FeTiO3). Noticing an increase of opacity with increasing temperature. Were performed thermal analysis (TG and ATD) in order to evaluate its thermodecomposition. The powders were also characterized by techniques such as XRD, revealing the formation of crystalline phases such as iron titanate (FeTiO3) and chrome titanate (CrTiO3), SEM, demonstrating formation of rounded particles for both oxides and Spectroscopy in the UV-Visible Region, verifying the potential variation and chromaticity os pigments. Thus, the synthesized oxides were within the requirements to be applied as pigments and shown to be possible to propose its use in ceramic materials

Viabilidade técnica de uma rota não convencional para a produção de leite de cabra em pó em cooperativas do Rio Grande do Norte

Nowadays, Brazil has both the greatest goat herd and the greatest goat milk production of South America. The state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in northeast of Brazil, has an average year production of three thousand cubic meters of goat milk in natura. Part of this milk production is homemade and it comes from small farms, which unite in rural cooperatives created to encourage the production and implementation of industrial processes for preservation and processing of milk. Results presented by literature and obtained from preliminary essays in this thesis show that non conventional dryer of spouted bed with inert particles is able to produce powder milk from in natura milk (cattle or goat), with the same quality of spray dryer, however, operating at low cost. The method of drying in spouted bed consists of injecting milk emulsion on the bed of inert particles gushed by hot air. This emulsion covers the particles with a thin film, which dries and is reduced to powder during the circulation of inerts inside the bed. The powder is dragged by exhaustion air and separated in the cyclone. The friction among particles resulted from the particles circulation, encourages high taxes of shear in the thin film of emulsion, breaking the cohesive forces and making this process possible. Studying the drying process and the powder goat milk production in one unit of spouted bed with inert particles, seeing the development of a low cost technological route for powder milk production is the aim of this thesis. The powder milk produced by this route must attend the local demand of food industries which need an intermediate product to be used as a food ingredient (ice-cream, milk candy). In order to reach this aim, this thesis approaches the aspects related to physical, thermodynamics and physic-chemicals characteristics of goat milk, whose complete data are still inexistent in the literature. The properties of materials are of great importance to the project of any process which involves the operations of transportation of movement, heat and mass quantity, such as the dryers which operate in fluid dynamically active regime, like the spouted bed. It was obtained new data related to the goat milk properties in function of concentration of solids and temperature. It is also important to mention the study developed about the kinetic of solids retention in the bed of inert particles during the drying of goat milk. It was found more adequate processes conditions to the proposed technological route to be implemented in small and micro-industries, with simplifications in the system of milk injection as well as in the form of operation of the dryer. Important data were obtained for a posterior stage of this research which involves the v modeling, simulation, control and optimization of the process. The results obtained in this thesis, in relation to process performance as well as to the quality of produced powder milk validate the proposal of using the spouted bed dryer in the production of powder goat milk

O exílio no romance primavera com una esquina rota de Mario Benedetti

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Adolescentes em conflito com a lei: a saga das punições na rota da exclusão social

This work deals with the problematic of the determinations that contribute to become the adolescents involved with law. Thus, in this research, the social exclusion is apprehended as one of the most important determining to understand this problematic, once we defend that it is part of the trajectory of this adolescent's life since its birth as a punishment that starts before they becoming envolved in act's that break the law. It is still questioned the discussion of the reduction of the penal age, viewed aa a proposal that will contribute to perpetuate the repression. The objectives of the research were: analyze the problematic of adolescents in conflict with law, where social exclusion is seen here as a main category. The research also aims to understand the situation towards social exclusion and that this public is undertaken in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, more specifically in Natal. This is dane through analysis of the profile of adolescents that are submitted to the treatment at Centro Integrate de Atendimento ao Adolescente Acusado de Ato Infracional - CIAD in 2005. This is dane on arder to identify of the State's and society's actions towards this issue, how it has prevailed in analyzing if there is punishing or social protection. The research also contributed with discussion towards the non penal reduction of for underage minors. The approach realized if of qualiquantitative nature. The research was realized with 190 male adolescent subjects, age ranging from 12 to 21 that were interns at CIAD in the year of 2005. The research shows that their fundamental rights (education, health, amongst others) are disrespected on a daily basis by the State. The State prioritizes economic issues, making social inequality more profound. The main argument is that this problematic has its main oring in the social exclusion and it is imposed to the adolescents as a punishment before thes have been involved with the law going on top of the social protection. When the adolescent goes from being the victim to executioner, the Statute of Children and Adolescents is questioned by many sectors that defend the reduction of penal minority as a solution to reduce the country's violence. Thus, it was aimed here to discuss arguments that point to non exclusion, discrimination and repression. It is proposed that the State should assume children and adolescents as a priority, implementing what the statute establishes as well as assures related to the fruition of denied rights as a way to prevent their future involvement with violence

PERFIS ESTRATÉGICOS E PERCEPÇÃO DA QUALIDADE: um estudo nos restaurantes da rota turística de Natal-RN

This work is a study of strategic management of catering establishments in the tourist route from Natal, through the study of the strategic profile of the manager and the level of satisfaction with the quality of services offered. Identifies the strategic profile prevalent in the studied sector, measures the level of customer satisfaction with services and associate the two constructs to distinguish the services of strategic profile. Uses population of 33 restaurants, built for convenience, from a list composed establishments associated with the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants - ABRASEL, Veja magazine Christmas food and drink 2011/2012 and information from the natives. It presents statistical methodology used for descriptive bivariate analysis complemented by quantitative data. The quantitative characteristics of the population shows non-normality checked by the Shapiro-Wilks. Used the Kruskal-Wallis test for the realization of the association of variables and the Mann-Whitney test to perform post-test. It shows the strategic profile prevalent in the sector of restoration in Natal is the analyzer, although other types were detected. Notes that the level of satisfaction with the quality of service is getting a high score approximately 5 points in a 6-point Likert scale. Demonstrates that the client can tell the quality of services between the different strategic profiles. Identifies distinction between services provided by prospector profile compared to other profiles, indicating the size as the tangible aspects that presents noticeable difference. Certifies that these variables affect the environment of the restaurant in the building of strategic profile and reflect on the service provided. Concludes that the quality of services provided by catering establishments is influenced by the type of establishment and strategic profile of the study of this relation to establishments offering development opportunities and improving the quality of their services

Interfaces cultural, política e organizacional do projeto caminhos do frio rota cultural no contexto da regionalização do turismo no brejo paraibano

This study is the analysis of cultural, political and organizational interfaces of "Caminhos do Frio Rota Cultural" Project in the context of tourism regionalization in Brejo Paraibano and it presents the characterization, routing and inventory of six municipalities of the Project, as well as the identification of cultural elements used for tourist in the routing of the pond, the investigation of political and organizational articulation and the verification of participation of each producing agent in the development of tourism resulting from the swamp of Paraiba. This is a qualitative descriptive and exploratory study, which makes use of the interpretive paradigm to perform an analysis of the environment where occurs the regionalization of tourism in Brejo of Paraíba and the social actors involved in this process in order to pursue development of the region through culture and tourism, with the collection spot in the six counties of the Project participants collected through interviews with managers, community, government agencies and tourist trade, and the use of the technique of direct observation. This time, with the data analysis it was possible to establish the production situation and its cultural and tourist development in the region of Brejo (PB), where culture has become a developmental tool within the tourism industry due to its innovation potential. It was possible to ratify the undisputed vocation of cultural tourism in the region in question, since other projects being developed with the use of cultural resources with a strong influence on the policies of regional tourism. Thus, the main result was that was seen is that the regional development has triggered a refunctionalisation / reappropriation of space just rebuilding a new territorial organization through the development of a regional autonomy of management, a capacity of collective ownership and the use of economic surplus, a spontaneous process of social inclusion as well as awareness and mobilization tourist (even if initial and shy), an appreciation of natural and cultural assets for all stakeholders and especially identification of the population with its region and its culture, as to achieve regional development is not enough to increase the economic, but above all the promotion of endogenous social factors such as changes in social and cultural values and the integration of social actors in this process. Finally, taking into account the definitions of sustainability, it is considered that cannot be said that the development model seen in the swamp of Paraiba is sustainable, but it is a model of regional development based on the unique characteristics that each municipality has and create a regional identity and have correponded expectations / desired results and therefore the viability of the region through the development of cultural tourism was proven

Desenvolvimento de uma rota química alternativa de síntese de SrCo0,8Fe0,2O3- e LaNi0,3Co0,7O3- para aplicação na reação de oxidação do CO

This thesis focuses on the coprecipitation synthesis method for preparation of ceramic materials with perovskite structure, their characterization and application as catalytic material in the reaction of converting CO to CO2 developing a methodological alternative route of synthesis from the middle via oxalate coprecipitation material SrCo0,8Fe0,2O3-d. In order to check the influence of this method, it was also synthesized using a combined citrate - EDTA complexing method. The material was characterized by: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement method, thermogravimetry and differential thermo analysis (TG / DTA), scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, particle size distribution and surface analysis method BET. Both methods led to post-phase synthesis, with pH as a relevant parameter. The synthesis based on the method via oxalate coprecipitation among particles led to the crystalline phase as those obtained using a combined citrate - EDTA complexing method under the same conditions of heat treatment. The nature of the reagent used via oxalate coprecipitation method produced a material with approximately 80 % lower than the average size of crystallites. Moreover, the via oxalate coprecipitation method precursors obtained in the solid state at low temperature (~ 26 oC), shorter synthesis, greater thermal stability and a higher yield of around 90-95 %, maintaining the same order of magnitude the crystallite size that the combined citrate - EDTA complexing method. For purposes of comparing the catalytic properties of the material was also synthesized by the using a combined citrate - EDTA complexing method. The evaluation of catalytic materials SrCo0,8Fe0,2O3-d LaNi0,3Co0,7O3-d was accompanied on the oxidation of CO to CO2 using a stainless steel tubular reactor in the temperature range of 75-300 oC. The conversion CO gas was evaluated in both materials on the results shaved that the firm conversion was loves for the material LaNi0,3Co0,7O3-d

Estudo de duas pseudoligas de Nb-Cu obtidas pela rota da metalurgia do pó

The Nb-Cu pseudoalloys present themselves as potential substitutes for the alloys from a well known system and already commercially applied, as the W-Cu alloys, used in applications such as heat sinks, electrical contacts and coils for the generation of high magnetic fields. Because it is an immiscible system, where there is mutual insolubility and low wettability of the liquid Cu on the Nb surface, the processing route used in this work was the Powder Metallurgy. Two Nb alloys were used, with additions of 10% and 20% in weight of Cu, and times of 20, 30 and 40 hours for the high energy milling of the starting powders. The milling evolution of the powders is presented through the characterization techniques, such as the LASER diffraction for particle size, XRD, SEM, EDS, DSC, dilatometry, TEM and chemical analysis. After the milling, portions of the loads were submitted to the annealing heat treatment. The process used for the samples consolidation was the hot pressing, which has been applied both on some milled powders samples, as on the annealed powders. Subsequent heat treatments were performed in the samples at temperatures of 1000ºC (solid phase) and 1100ºC (in the Cu liquid phase). All sets of consolidated samples, and also the two sets of the heat treated, were analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDS, density and Vickers microhardness. Moreover, other Nb powder samples with 10% and 20% in weight of Cu obtained by simple mechanical mixing, were consolidated, thermally treated and characterized with the same techniques applied to the others, and the results were compared among themselves. Despite the difficulty of consolidation and densification of the two pseudoalloys of the Nb-Cu system of this study, on the route that passes through the HEM, samples were obtained with densities around 90% of the theoretical density. And, on the processing route of which were only mixed, the values reached up to 97%. Therefore, in this work are also emphasized the processes that made possible these results.

Estudo da influência da adição de níquel em alumina pela rota da metalurgia do pó

Ceramic materials alumina basis have been widely used in structural components, mainly because owning properties such as high hardness, chemical inertness and good wear resistance, however, the low toughness is a factor that compromises its use in many other applications, featuring the addition of nickel as a possible solution to this problem, in this context, this work aims to study the addition of nickel alumina using the route of powder metallurgy processing of the material. The percentage of nickel were added 2, 4 and 6 wt%; and each composition to high energy milling in a planetary mill was performed for 2, 4, 9 and 16h. Subsequently, the samples were compacted at 300 MPa and sintered in a vacuum oven at 1400⁰C for 2h. The samples were characterized as the physical and mechanical properties, observing, in general, an improvement in sinterability of the material with increasing grinding time and nickel content, and mixing with a decrease of porosity and increase of hardness, density values above 80% of theoretical were obtained. The milling time of 4 hours and addition of 2% nickel, particularly if achieved higher hardness (HV 1068.7 +/- 32.6) and density of about 99% theoretical density.

Estudo da influência da adição de níquel em alumina pela rota da metalurgia do pó

Ceramic materials alumina basis have been widely used in structural components, mainly because owning properties such as high hardness, chemical inertness and good wear resistance, however, the low toughness is a factor that compromises its use in many other applications, featuring the addition of nickel as a possible solution to this problem, in this context, this work aims to study the addition of nickel alumina using the route of powder metallurgy processing of the material. The percentage of nickel were added 2, 4 and 6 wt%; and each composition to high energy milling in a planetary mill was performed for 2, 4, 9 and 16h. Subsequently, the samples were compacted at 300 MPa and sintered in a vacuum oven at 1400⁰C for 2h. The samples were characterized as the physical and mechanical properties, observing, in general, an improvement in sinterability of the material with increasing grinding time and nickel content, and mixing with a decrease of porosity and increase of hardness, density values above 80% of theoretical were obtained. The milling time of 4 hours and addition of 2% nickel, particularly if achieved higher hardness (HV 1068.7 +/- 32.6) and density of about 99% theoretical density.

Síntese de pigmentos cerâmicos inorgânicos nanométricos e encapsulados com estrutura core-shell pela rota dos precursores poliméricos

The present work has as objective the development of ceramic pigments based in iron oxides and cobalt through the polymeric precursor method, as well as study their characteristics and properties using methods of physical, chemical, morphological and optical characterizations.In this work was used iron nitrate, and cobalt citrate as precursor and nanometer silica as a matrix. The synthesis was based on dissolving the citric acid as complexing agent, addition of metal oxides, such as chromophores ions and polymerization with ethylene glycol. The powder obtained has undergone pre-ignition, breakdown and thermal treatments at different calcination temperatures (700 °C, 800 °C, 900 °C, 1000 °C and 1100 °C). Thermogravimetric analyzes were performed (BT) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), in order to evaluate the term decomposition of samples, beyond characterization by techniques such as BET, which classified as microporous materials samples calcined at 700 ° C, 800 º C and 900 º C and non-porous when annealed at 1000 ° C and 1100 º C, X-ray diffraction (XRD), which identified the formation of two crystalline phases, the Cobalt Ferrite (CoFe2O4) and Cristobalite (SiO2), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the formation of agglomerates of particles slightly rounded;and Analysis of Colorimetry, temperature of 700 °C, 800 °C and 900 °C showed a brown color and 1000 °C and 1100 °C violet