Desenvolvimento de conjunto membrana-eletrodos para célula a combustível de metanol direto passiva

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) without external pumps or other ancillary devices for fuel and oxidant supply are known as passive DMFCs and are potential candidates to replace lithium-ion batteries in powering portable electronic devices. This paper presents the results obtained from a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) specifically designed for passive DMFCs. Appropriated electrocatalysts were prepared and the effect of their loadings was investigated. Two types of gas diffusion layers (GDL) were also tested. The influence of the methanol concentration was analyzed in each case. The best MEA performance presented a maximum power density of 11.94 mW cm-2.

Gender and other factors associated with the use of hearing protection devices at work

OBJECTIVE To analyze whether sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related data are associated with the use of hearing protection devices at work, according to gender. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2006, using a random sample of 2,429 workers, aged between 18 and 65 years old, from residential sub-areas in Salvador, BA, Northeastern Brazil. Questionnaires were used to obtain sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related data. Workers who reported that they worked in places where they needed to shout in order to be heard were considered to be exposed to noise. Exposed workers were asked whether they used hearing protection devices, and if so, how frequently. Analyses were conducted according to gender, with estimates made about prevalence of the use of hearing protection devices, prevalence ratios, and their respective 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS Twelve percent (12.3%) of study subjects reported that they were exposed to noise while working. Prevalence of the use of hearing protection devices was 59.3% for men and 21.4% for women. Men from higher socioeconomic levels (PR = 1.47; 95%CI 1.14;1.90) and who had previous audiometric tests (PR = 1.47; 95%CI 1.15;1.88) were more likely to use hearing protection devices. For women, greater perceived safety was associated with the use of protection devices (PR = 2.92; 95%CI 1.34;6.34). This perception was specifically related to the presence of supervisors committed to safety (PR = 2.09; 95%CI 1.04;4.21), the existence of clear rules to prevent workplace injuries (PR = 2.81; 95%CI 1.41;5.59), and whether they were informed about workplace safety (PR = 2.42; 95%CI 1.23;4.76). CONCLUSIONS There is a gender bias regarding the use of hearing protection devices that is less favorable to women. The use of such devices among women is positively influenced by their perception of a safe workplace, suggesting that gender should be considered as a factor in hearing conservation programs.

Comparison of catheter-related infection risk in two different long-term venous devices in adult hematology-oncology patients

PURPOSE: Infection is the leading complication of long-term central venous catheters, and its incidence may vary according to catheter type. The objective of this study was to compare the frequency and probability of infection between two types of long-term intravenous devices. METHODS: Retrospective study in 96 onco-hematology patients with partially implanted catheters (n = 55) or completely implanted ones (n = 42). Demographic data and catheter care were similar in both groups. Infection incidence and infection-free survival were used for the comparison of the two devices. RESULTS: In a median follow-up time of 210 days, the catheter-related infection incidence was 0.2102/100 catheter-days for the partially implanted devices and 0.0045/100 catheter-days for the completely implanted devices; the infection incidence rate was 46.7 (CI 95% = 6.2 to 348.8). The 1-year first infection-free survival ratio was 45% versus 97%, and the 1-year removal due to infection-free survival ratio was 42% versus 97% for partially and totally implanted catheters, respectively (P <.001 for both comparisons). CONCLUSION: In the present study, the infection risk was lower in completely implanted devices than in partially implanted ones.

Use of automated external defibrillators in a Brazilian airline. A 1-year experience

After the incorporation of automated external defibrilators by other airlines and the support of the Brazilian Society of cardiology, Varig Airlines Began the onboard defibrilation program with the initial purpose of equiping wide-body aircrafts frequently used in international flights and that airplanes use in the Rio - São Paulo route. With all fight attendants trained, the automated. External defibrilation devides were incorporated to 34 airplanes of a total pleet of 80 aircrats. The devices were intalled in the bagage compartments secured with velero straps and 2 pairs of electrods, one or which pre-conected to the device to minimize application time. Later, a portable monitor was addres to the ressocitation kit in the long flights. The expansion of the knowledge of the basic life support fundamentors and the correted implantation of the survival chain and of the automated external defibrilators will increase the extense of recovery of cardiorespiratory arrest victins in aircrafts.

Devices and Techniques for Blood Pressure Measurement and Criteria for Hypertension Adopted by Brazilian Physicians: Exploratory Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine technical procedures and criteria used by Brazilian physicians for measuring blood pressure and diagnosing hypertension. METHODS: A questionnaire with 5 questions about practices and behaviors regarding blood pressure measurement and the diagnosis of hypertension was sent to 25,606 physicians in all Brazilian regions through a mailing list. The responses were compared with the recommendations of a specific consensus and descriptive analysis. RESULTS: Of the 3,621 (14.1%) responses obtained, 57% were from the southeastern region of Brazil. The following items were reported: use of an aneroid device by 67.8%; use of a mercury column device by 14.6%; 11.9% of the participants never calibrated the devices; 35.7% calibrated the devices at intervals < 1 year; 85.8% measured blood pressure in 100% of the medical visits; 86.9% measured blood pressure more than once and on more than one occasion. For hypertension diagnosis, 55.7% considered the patient's age, and only 1/3 relied on consensus statements. CONCLUSION: Despite the adequate frequency of both practices, it was far from that expected, and some contradictions between the diagnostic criterion for hypertension and the number of blood pressure measurements were found. The results suggest that, to include the great majority of the medical professionals, disclosure of consensus statements and techniques for blood pressure measurement should go beyond the boundaries of medical events and specialized journals.

An interactive perspective of health education for the tropical disease control: the schistosomiasis case

Some municipalities in Brazil have been requesting orientation for the implementation of health education programs related to the control of schistosomiasis. This demand was based on experiences in the development of health education researches, strategies and materials for school-age children, involving the communities and secretaries of health and education. Motivated by this request and the recently implemented plan of health services (Unified Health System - Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) that gives autonomy to the municipalities to utilize health resources and services in Brazil, this paper presents an interactive perspective of planning health education research and programs. The purpose of this perspective is to stimulate a reflection on the needs and actions of institutions and people involved in health education research and/or programs to obtain sustainability, commitment and effectiveness - not only in the control of schistosomiasis, but also in the improvement of environmental conditions, quality of life and personal health. This perspective comprises interaction among three levels related to health education programs: the decision level, the executive level and the beneficiary level. The needs and lines of action at each of these levels are discussed, as well as the ways in which they can interact with each other. This proposal may lead to useful interactive ways of planing, organizing, executing and evaluating health education research and/or program, not only towards the prevention and control of the disease at stake, but also to promote health in general.

Patient safety and the prevention of skin and mucosal lesions associated with airway invasive devices

AbstractOBJECTIVETo analyze the care implemented by the nursing team to promote the safety of adult patients and prevention of skin and mucosal lesions associated with the presence of lower airways invasive devices.METHODStudy with qualitative and quantitative approach, descriptive and exploratory type, whose investigative scenarios were adult inpatient units of a hospital in the West Frontier of Rio Grande do Sul. The study subjects consisted of nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants.RESULTSA total of 118 professionals were interviewed. We highlight the observed specific care with endotracheal tube and tracheostomy, management and assessment of the cuff and the criteria used to secretion aspiration.CONCLUSIONThere is a superficial nursing work in the patient direct care and a differentiation in relation to the perception of nurse technicians, especially those working in the intensive care unit, who presented major property and view of the patient's clinical status.

Portable penetrometer for agricultural soil: sensitivity test to identify critical compaction depth

To express the negative effects of soil compaction, some researchers use critical values for soil mechanical strength that severely impair plant growth. The aim of this study was to identify this critical compaction depth, to test the functionality of a new, portable penetrometer developed from a spring dynamometer, and compare it to an electronic penetrometer traditionally used in compaction studies of agricultural soils. Three soils with distinct texture were conventionally tilled using a disk plow, and cultivated with different plant species. The critical soil resistance defined to establish critical compaction depth was equal to 1.5 MPa. The results of the new equipment were similar to the electronic penetrometer, indicating its viability as a tool for assessing the soil physical conditions for plant growth.

Construction and application of a portable microcontrolled turbidimeter for the in situ determination of sulfate

This study reports on the construction of a turbidimeter employing light emitting diodes as radiation source at a wavelength of 405 nm, a photodiode as detector, a temperature sensor and a microcontroller used for data acquisition and processing. The turbidimeter was applied to determine sulfate concentrations in natural water employing barium chloride as reagent. Potential interferences and recovery studies were performed and an interference of 3.5 % and a recovery between 97.8 and 108 % were estimated. The analytical performance of in situ turbidimeter for the determination of sulfate was evaluated and compared with two commercial spectrophotometers and a good agreement was obtained.

Use of interactive performance optimization for identifying the ideal profile of swine finishing producers

The present research aimed to develop a modeling capable of identifying the ideal profile of swine finishing producers using the interactive performance optimization, which began by verifying qualitative the criteria considered most relevant to the decision-making, generating a closed structured diagnosis that covers the socioeconomic aspects about the activity, until the design of a mathematical model able to translate the data obtained in quantitative information. For the verification, it was proposed a practical study for a universe of 120 members of a cooperative in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The results showed that, from the application and the definition of the ideal profile, it was possible to verify that 82 producers are in the group of those who have obtained a "Good" performance, and to 44 the result is in the range between 86% to 90% from the ideal, which means that most have short or medium-term conditions to evolve their status for the considered "Very Good", where only 12.5% of the producers are currently.

Portable flow board for storage of fruits and vegetables in mini-chambers with controlled atmosphere

ABSTRACT A portable flow board system was developed in the present study with the aim to facilitate lab-scale experiments of controlled atmosphere (CA) with fruits and vegetables. This sturdy flow board combines ease fabrication, low cost and gas economy. Its functionality is provided by manifolds and gas mixers. Each gaseous component is supplied by a gas cylinder through a differential valve of adjusted pressure control, generally at 6 kPa, and forced through 13 standardized restrictors coupled to each manifold output. Controlled atmospheres are then formed with one, two or three gases in 13 gas mixers affixed to the flow board base, which are further conducted through flexible tubes to storage mini-chambers that can also be used to study metabolic consumption and production of gaseous components. The restrictors used in the flow gaseous components were manufactured from microhematocrit test-type capillary glass tubes following the hot forming method under continuous air flow. The portable flow board showed to be low cost and simple post-harvest equipment that allows preparing controlled atmospheres in open systems with stable composition and flow, in a manner similar to traditional flow boards with control of gas escape by barostats.

Continued Compliance and Degree of Satisfaction in Nulligravida and Parous Women with Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices

Purpose To evaluate the compliance and degree of satisfaction of nulligravida (has not given birth) and parous (had already given birth) women who are using intrauterine devices (IUDs). Methods A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted comparing nulligravida and parous women who had had an IUD inserted between July 2009 and November 2011. A total of 84 nulligravida women and 73 parous women were included. Interviews were conducted with women who agreed to participate through telephone contact. Statistical analysis was performed with Student s t-test and Mann-Whitney test for numeric variables; Pearson s chi-square test to test associations; and, whenever pertinent, Fisher s exact test for categorical variables. A survival curve was constructed to estimate the likelihood of each woman continuing the use of the IUD. A significance level of 5% was established. Results When compared with parous women, nulligravida women had a higher education level (median: 12 vs. 10 years). No statistically significant differences were found between the nulligravida and parous women with respect to information on the use of the IUD, prior use of other contraceptive methods, the reason for having chosen the IUD as the current contraceptive method, reasons for discontinuing the use and adverse effects, compliance, and degree of satisfaction. The two groups did not show any difference in terms of continued use of the IUD (p = 0.4). Conclusion There was no difference in compliance or the degree of satisfaction or continued use of IUDs between nulligravida and parous women, suggesting that IUD use may be recommended for women who have never been pregnant.

Reliability and validity of the interactive observation scale for psychiatric inpatients applied by nursing aides in daily ward practice

The main characteristic of the nursing Interactive Observation Scale for Psychiatric Inpatients (IOSPI) is the necessity of interaction between raters and patients during assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale in the "real" world of daily ward practice and to determine whether the IOSPI can increase the interaction time between raters and patients and influence the raters' opinion about mental illness. All inpatients of a general university hospital psychiatric ward were assessed daily over a period of two months by 9 nursing aides during the morning and afternoon shifts, with 273 pairs of daily observations. Once a week the patients were interviewed by a psychiatrist who filled in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). The IOSPI total score was found to show significant test-retest reliability (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.83) and significant correlation with the BPRS total score (r = 0.69), meeting the criteria of concurrent validity. The instrument can also discriminate between patients in need of further inpatient treatment from those about to be discharged (negative predictive value for discharge = 0.91). Using this scale, the interaction time between nursing aides and patients increased significantly (t = 2.93, P<0.05) and their opinion about the mental illness changed. The "social restrictiveness" factor of the opinion scale about mental illness showed a significant reduction (t = 4.27, P<0.01) and the "interpersonal etiology" factor tended to increase (t = 1.98, P = 0.08). The IOSPI was confirmed as a reliable and valid scale and as an efficient tool to stimulate the therapeutic attitudes of the nursing staff.

Comparative performance of two air samplers for monitoring airborne fungal propagules

Many studies have attempted to evaluate the importance of airborne fungi in the development of invasive fungal infection, especially for immunocompromised hosts. Several kinds of instruments are available to quantitate fungal propagule levels in air. We compared the performance of the most frequently used air sampler, the Andersen sampler with six stages, with a portable one, the Reuter centrifugal sampler (RCS). A total of 84 samples were analyzed, 42 with each sampler. Twenty-eight different fungal genera were identified in samples analyzed with the Andersen instrument. In samples obtained with the RCS only seven different fungal genera were identified. The three most frequently isolated genera in samples analyzed with both devices were Penicillium, Aspergillus and Cladophialophora. In areas supplied with a high efficiency particulate air filter, fungal spore levels were usually lower when compared to areas without these filters. There was a significant correlation between total fungal propagule measurements taken with both devices on each sampling occasion (Pearson coefficient = 0.50). However, the Andersen device recovered a broader spectrum of fungi. We conclude that the RCS can be used for quantitative estimates of airborne microbiological concentrations. For qualitative studies, however, this device cannot be recommended.