Five generations of peace operations: from the "thin blue line" to "painting a country blue"

This article combines both international practice and analytical contributions into a systematic and synthetic presentation of the evolution of peace operations from their modern inception in 1948 to the present. It seeks to serve a didactic purpose in proposing a basic structure for Brazilian scholars' burgeoning debate on peace operations and intervention, rather than a definitive characterization of blue helmet practice. Peace operations' progression is traced through five analytical "generations," each adding a crucial factor distinguishing it from its predecessors. Each generation is placed in relation to changes in the nature of conflict and in the interpretation of the foundational principles of peace operations, and links to broader theoretical issues in International Relations are made explicit at each stage.

Tratamento eclético da lepra: 20 anos de experiência

The author gives the clinical records of 20 patients, 14 of which were treated during 17 months, and the rest much less. The method used for treatment was the ecclectical — preferred by the A. since many years —, in which he associates electricity with minor surgery, chaulmestrol (pure or with 0.5 p. c. iodine or 4 p. c. creosote) and other auxilliary curative agents. The chaulmoogra derivatives were used daily as nostrils tamponage (2 p.c. mentholated or thymolated ester), periodically by injections inside the enlarged lymph nodes and nerve abscesses, and twice weekly by subcutaneous infiltrations (MUIR method) 5 c.c. each, and chaulmoogra soap tablets per os. The galvanocauterisation session was once per week, on active leprotic lesions, followed by painting with 30 p. c. trichloracetic acid solution. All 20 patients were bacilliferous before treatment, and became stronger positive after some months treatment. At the end 14 negativated and 6 remained positive and sometimes bacilli being very scanty. 16 out of 20 gave interesting serological reactions, viz.: Wassermann, Stern, Kahn. Rubino, Witebsky and Gaté (Formol-gel) positive in 5; Stern, Rubino. Witebsky and Gaté positive and Wassermann and Kahn negative in 2; Stern. Kahn, Witebsky and Gaté positive and Wassermann anticomplementary in 1; Wassermann. Stern, Kahn, Rubino and Gaté negative in 1. in the beginning, and a few months later Stern. Witebsky and Gaté becoming positive; Stern. Rubino. Witebsky and Gaté positive and anticomplementary W. in 1; Stern, Witebsky and Gaté positive and Wassermann. Kahn and Rubino negative in 1; Witebsky and Gaté positive and Wassermann, Stern, Kahn and Rubino negative in 1; Witebsky 3 times anticomplemantary and strongly positive Gaté in 1; Wassermann and Gaté positive in 1; Stern and Rubino positive in 1 and Stern test negative in one. In 7 cases high Formol-gel were associated with a high sedimentation index. Many cases had very high S.I. being a false measure of the severity of the disease; others remained very high notwithstanding the great improvement of the disease. All patients with more than 12 months treatment became practically symptom free. Lepra reaction amongst them was rare and always started by embolic rash, being controlled by destruction of such skin lesions by galvanocauterisation. In a few cases the lepromata infiltrated with "Subintrol" (a 3 p. c. special chaulmoogra soap prepared by Dr. ASTROGILDO MACHADO) were completely destroyd and never relapsed. In October 1946 Dr. ERNEST MUIR saw here a few cases treated by the author's method and suggested the combination of Diasone with galvanocauterisation which is being done now with satifactory results. The second part of this paper, reporting many leprosy cases treated by the so-called ecclectical method, which are symptom free and negativated since five to ten years, will be published as soon as the sulfone-therapy be summarised in some reliable scientific report to be compared with.

Residual effect of lambdacyhalothrin on Triatoma infestans

Insecticidal residual effect and triatomine infestation rates in houses of a community fumigated with lambdcyhalothrin (Icon) are reported. No mortality was observed in 5th-instar Triatoma infestans nymphs in 72-hr exposure test on three different surfaces, one month after fumigation for a dose of 31.5 mg am/m2. However, during post-exposure observation a mortality of 60% was recorded for those insect exposed on sprayed woodboard. The results observed with mud-containing treated walls, were markedly poorer (0% of mortality). Twelve month after spraying 40% of mortality was observed on first-instar T. infestans nymphs in 72-hr exposure test on woodboard, but lower mortality rates were observed in mud-containing materials. When the effect of deltamethrin (109 mg ai/m2) and lambdcyhalothrin (94 mg ai/m2) was compared, the former did not appear to be superior at similar loads. Both have showed a mortality rate of 30% on 5th-instar T. infestans nymphs three months post-fumigation. The dose utilized in the field fumigation was enough to get a significant (p < 0.0001) control of triatomine domestic infestation, since it was sufficient to keep 95% of the houses uninfested throughout 21 months following treatment, when compared with baseline situation. A remarkable knock-down effect on adult and nymphs forms of the insect and a high in situ mortality were observed as a result of its application, even at very low doses.

Identificação por microscopia Raman de pigmentos da pintura a óleo "Retrato de Murilo Mendes" de Cândido Portinari

In the present work "ex situ"Raman microscopy was employed in the identification of some of the pigments present in the painting "Portrait of Murilo Mendes" by Cândido Portinari. In the investigated samples it was possible to identify unambiguously two pigments: Prussian blue and lapis-lazuli (or its synthetic analogue, ultramarine blue) - the former is observed together with organic substances, possibly used as dispersants, what suggests a further use of a mass for recover the painting.

Exposição ocupacional a compostos orgânicos voláteis na indústria naval

The scope of this study involved the evaluation of the concentration of some volatile organic compounds in the internal environmental air of a naval shipyard in the State of Rio de Janeiro, during painting activities in enclosed, semi-enclosed and open areas. Xylene was the volatile compound found in greatest abundance (25.20 to 191.66 ppm) in the locations researched. Benzene in the air, which is a carcinogenic substance, attained levels of 3.34 ppm in semi-enclosed environments and the highest levels of toluene, xylene and n-butanol were found in the enclosed space of the ship. Results obtained highlight the need to establish air quality control programs in these internal areas, in order to safeguard the health of the workers.

Da cor à cor inexistente: uma reflexão sobre espectros eletrônicos e efeitos cromáticos

Inexistent colors have been the inspiring theme of investigation by Israel Pedrosa, a Brazilian artist, who has devoted his life to creative painting, exploiting the chemical and physical effects associated with light, especially those generated in the light refraction domain. In this article, by focusing on the electronic spectra of phthalocyanines and gold nanoparticles, we discuss how such effects can influence the spectroscopic measurements, leading to inexistent bands and transitions.

Humphry Davy e as cores dos antigos

This article examines ideas held by Humphry Davy (1778-1829) about permanence, progress, experiments and practical application regarding chemistry. Furthermore, it relates ideas held in his "Some experiments and observations on the colours used in painting by the Ancients" (1815), with those maintained in Elements of Chemical Philosophy (1812), as well as to cogitations from his last years, disclosed in Consolations in travel (1830). Lastly, it brings up evidence that H. Davy's study about the colors of the ancients influenced his proposals for Chemical Philosophy and the science of his age.