MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION of A HEMODIALYSIS CENTER WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

The microbiological monitoring of the water used for hemodialysis is extremely important, especially because of the debilitated immune system of patients suffering from chronic renal insufficiency. To investigate the occurrence and species diversity of bacteria in waters, water samples were collected monthly from a hemodialysis center in upstate São Paulo and tap water samples at the terminal sites of the distribution system was sampled repeatedly (22 times) at each of five points in the distribution system; a further 36 samples were taken from cannulae in 19 hemodialysis machines that were ready for the next patient, four samples from the reuse system and 13 from the water storage system. To identify bacteria, samples were filtered through 0.22 mu m-pore membranes; for mycobacteria, 0.45 mu m pores were used. Conventional microbiological and molecular methods were used in the analysis. Bacteria were isolated from the distribution system (128 isolates), kidney machine water (43) and reuse system (3). Among these isolates, 32 were Gram-positive rods, 120 Gram-negative rods, 20 Gram-positive cocci and 11 mycobacteria. We propose the continual monitoring of the water supplies in hemodialysis centers and the adoption of effective prophylactic measures that minimize the exposure of these immunodeficient patients to contaminated sources of water.

Phytoplankton structure in two contrasting cascade reservoirs (Paranapanema River, Southeast Brazil)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Reservoir design and operation: Effects on aquatic biota-a case study of planktonic copepods

Copepod assemblages from two cascade reservoirs were analyzed during two consecutive years. The upstream reservoir (Chavantes) is a storage system with a high water retention time (WRT of 400 days), and the downstream one (Salto Grande) is a run-of-river system with only 1. 5 days WRT. Copepod composition, richness, abundance, and diversity were correlated with the limnological variables and the hydrological and morphometric features. Standard methods were employed for zooplankton sampling and analysis (vertical 50-μm net hauls and counting under a stereomicroscope). Two hypotheses were postulated and confirmed through the data obtained: (1) compartmentalization is more pronounced in the storage reservoir and determines the differences in the copepod assemblage structure; and (2) the assemblages are more homogeneous in the run-of-river reservoir, where the abundance decreases because of the predominance of washout effects. For both reservoirs, the upstream zone is more distinctive. In addition, in the smaller reservoir the influence of the input from tributaries is stronger (turbid waters). Richness did not differ significantly among seasons, but abundance was higher in the run-of-river reservoir during summer. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Coletor solar alternativo de concreto para aquecimento de água em aplicações agrícolas e agroindustriais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Modelo matemático para análise de problemas de estocagem de líquidos que apresentam estratificação térmica

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEB

Análise de coletores solares com armazenadores integrados baseado na geometria cubóide utilizando CFD

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desempenho operacional e energético, segundo a norma OECD – code 2 de dois tratores agrícolas 4x2 TDA com motores de 132 kw em pista concreto e solo agrícola

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Desenvolvimento de um sistema informatizado de menor custo para aquisição e armazenamento de dados de sensores analógicos e receptor GPS

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Análise do comportamento da bateria utilizada em sistemas fotovoltaicos de pequeno porte pequeno

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Equivalence between the application of entransy and entropy generation

Recently, a group of researchers proposed the concept of entransy by analogy with the electrical energy stored in a capacitor, the entransy being a measure of the ability of a body or a system to transfer heat. In comparative terms, the entransy dissipation rate is related with the loss of heat transfer ability just like the exergy destruction rate is proportional to the loss of work ability, being these losses caused by the irreversibilities related to the thermodynamic processes. Some authors have questioned the need for the concept of entransy, claiming that this concept is only an extension of a well established theory of heat transfer. The objective of this work is show the equivalence between the application of the concepts of entransy and entropy generation rate, which can be verified using various application examples. The application examples used here are the thermodynamic modeling of three physical models of solar energy collectors and a physical model of a sensible heat storage system. Analytical results are shown and compared. The results showed that the application of the concept of entransy provided identical expressions obtained by the concept of entropy generation, indicating a duplication of concepts. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eficiência energética em ar condicionado e refrigeração através da aplicação da termoacumulação

The use of refrigeration and air conditioning systems is of fundamental importance when it comes to air-conditioning of environments. Also important is the use of electricity for equipments’ operation related to these systems. Due to high cost of charging for this type of energy, factors economy and efficiency occupy key roles among design parameters of a system. One of the ways to get this economy is the use of a technique called thermal storage, or cold storage, which intends to move the required loads during peak time and also their equalizing, so that the energy is transferred from the peak time to non-peak time, thereby reducing the cost of energy consumed. Cold can be stored in the form of ice or ice water. This work aims to perform a technical-economic analysis of a mall located in Vale do Paraíba checking the feasibility of deploying a thermal storage system to achieve an economy in the cost of the energy used by the establishment. Through the parameters measured by the concessionaire of energy we can get the values of energy demand and power consumed, which will serve as basis for calculation for the study. The results obtained allow the development of two alternative proposals to the current configuration, one chosen by the criteria and results presented by technical-economic and energy analysis

Sistema de gerenciamento de energia para controle de carga/descarga entre baterias de lítio e ultracapacitores, envolvendo sistema de tração elétrica com frenagem regenerativa

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Análise do comportamento da bateria utilizada em sistemas fotovoltáicos de pequeno porte

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Physical-chemical analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid of healthy dogs submitted to different storage periods and temperatures

Disfunções envolvendo o sistema nervoso são de grande importância na Medicina Veterinária, pois tratam-se de enfermidades de elevada incidência e com poucos subsídios auxiliares no seu diagnóstico, prognóstico e na avaliação de terapias empregadas. Ainda hoje, o diagnóstico baseia-se, em grande parte, no histórico e no exame clínico neurológico. Dessa forma, a análise dos constituintes do fluido cefalorraquidiano torna-se uma das poucas alternativas de acesso clínico ao sistema nervoso central (SNC). Mesmo com a grande utilidade do exame físico-químico e citoscópico do liquor na neurologia veterinária, poucos são os estudos sobre a estabilidade dos seus constituintes sob estocagem. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho teve como finalidade verificar a influência da temperatura e do tempo de conservação nas características físico-químicas do liquor de cães hígidos. Para tanto, foram coletadas amostras de LCR, através da punção da cisterna cerebelo-medular de cães clinicamente sadios, as quais foram submetidas à análise da densidade específica, do pH, da glicorraquia, das proteínas totais e das atividades das enzimas creatina quinase (CK) e aspartato aminotransferase (AST), após conservá-las em diferentes temperaturas (25°C, 4°C e -4°C) e por diferentes períodos de tempo (logo após a colheita, 24 horas, 48 horas, uma semana e um mês). Dentre os resultados obtidos, foi possível verificar, principalmente, que houve estabilidade dos parâmetros estudados por até um mês de estocagem nas amostras mantidas sob a temperaturas de congelamento de -4°C.

Structural characterization and in vivo evaluation of retinyl palmitate in non-ionic lamellar liquid crystalline system

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)