Transport modelling: macro and micro simulation for the studied case of Funchal

The work done in this thesis attempts to demonstrate the importance of using models that can predict and represent the mobility of our society. To answer the proposed challenges two models were examined, the first corresponds to macro simulation with the intention of finding a solution to the frequency of the bus company Horários do Funchal, responsible for transport in the city of Funchal, and some surrounding areas. Where based on a simplified model of the city it was possible to increase the frequency of journeys getting an overall reduction in costs. The second model concerns the micro simulation of Avenida do Mar, where currently is being built a new roundabout (Praça da Autonomia), which connects with this avenue. Therefore it was proposed to study the impact on local traffic, and the implementation of new traffic lights for this purpose. Four possible situations in which was seen the possibility of increasing the number of lanes on the roundabout or the insertion of a bus lane were created. The results showed that having a roundabout with three lanes running is the best option because the waiting queues are minimal, and at environmental level this model will project fewer pollutants. Thus, this thesis presents two possible methods of urban planning. Transport modelling is an area that is under constant development, the global goal is to encourage more and more the use of these models, and as such it is important to have more people to devote themselves to studying new ways of addressing current problems, so that we can have more accurate models and increasing their credibility.

Avaliação de um método de cromatografia em fase gasosa head space e estudo da estabilidade do etanol em amostras de sangue

The ethanol is the most overused psychoactive drug over the world; this fact makes it one of the main substances required in toxicological exams nowadays. The development of an analytical method, adaptation or implementation of a method known, involves a process of validation that estimates its efficiency in the laboratory routine and credibility of the method. The stability is defined as the ability of the sample of material to keep the initial value of a quantitative measure for a defined period within specific limits when stored under defined conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the method of Gas chromatography and study the stability of ethanol in blood samples, considering the variables time and temperature of storage, and the presence of preservative and, with that check if the conditions of conservation and storage used in this study maintain the quality of the sample and preserve the originally amount of analyte present. Blood samples were collected from 10 volunteers to evaluate the method and to study the stability of ethanol. For the evaluation of the method, part of the samples was added to known concentrations of ethanol. In the study of stability, the other side of the pool of blood was placed in two containers: one containing the preservative sodium fluoride 1% and the anticoagulant heparin and the other only heparin, was added ethanol at a concentration of 0.6 g/L, fractionated in two bottles, one being stored at 4ºC (refrigerator) and another at -20ºC (freezer), the tests were performed on the same day (time zero) and after 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days of storage. The assessment found the difference in results during storage in relation to time zero. It used the technique of headspace associated with gas chromatography with the FID and capillary column with stationary phase of polyethylene. The best analysis of chromatographic conditions were: temperature of 50ºC (column), 150ºC (jet) and 250ºC (detector), with retention time for ethanol from 9.107 ± 0.026 and the tercbutanol (internal standard) of 8.170 ± 0.081 minutes, the ethanol being separated properly from acetaldehyde, acetone, methanol and 2-propanol, which are potential interfering in the determination of ethanol. The technique showed linearity in the concentration range of 0.01 and 3.2 g/L (0.8051 x + y = 0.6196; r2 = 0.999). The calibration curve showed the following equation of the line: y = x 0.7542 + 0.6545, with a linear correlation coefficient equal to 0.996. The average recovery was 100.2%, the coefficients of variation of accuracy and inter intra test showed values of up to 7.3%, the limit of detection and quantification was 0.01 g/L and showed coefficient of variation within the allowed. The analytical method evaluated in this study proved to be fast, efficient and practical, given the objective of this work satisfactorily. The study of stability has less than 20% difference in the response obtained under the conditions of storage and stipulated period, compared with the response obtained at time zero and at the significance level of 5%, no statistical difference in the concentration of ethanol was observed between analysis. The results reinforce the reliability of the method of gas chromatography and blood samples in search of ethanol, either in the toxicological, forensic, social or clinic

Autoria em artigos científicos: os novos desafios

A disseminação da prática de coautoria no Brasil e na comunidade internacional tem sido acompanhada pelo aumento no registro de fraudes, manipulações e outros desvios ao definir a responsabilidade por um trabalho científico. Este artigo discorre sobre os critérios utilizados para atribuição da autoria, as razões para o crescimento dos índices de coautoria e os desafios para estabelecer a autoria em periódicos eletrônicos. Por meio de revisão bibliográfica e estudo de caso (a partir de levantamento de base de dados), aponta caminhos para evitar que desvios de comportamento quanto à atribuição de autoria abalem a credibilidade da ciência.

Avaliação dos efeitos de um extrato bruto de cianobactérias contendo microcistinas sobre o desempenho reprodutivo e a embriofetotoxicidade de ratos

The presence of cyanobacterial blooms in reservoirs intended for supply to the population can create public health problems for many species could produce potentially toxic compounds and these are not eliminated in the conventional procedures used in water treatment plants. So even in amounts less than the maximum allowable limit imposed by MS, cyanotoxins can be present in drinking water distributed to the population, creating a chronic exposure. There is little information about the long-term effects of oral exposure to cyanotoxins. This work aimed to show the exposure orally (v.o) of animals to a crude extract of cyanobacteria containing cyanotoxins to evaluate the reproductive performance of pregnant rats and their offspring and fertility of male rats. The presence of microcystins (MCs) in samples collected during the flowering processes in freshwater reservoirs in the Rio Grande do Norte, was analyzed by enzyme immunoassay and its variants have been identified and quantified by chromatographic methods. It was observed that by administration v.o. cyanobacterial extract containing MCs (40, 100 or 250 ng of MCs / kg / day) did not cause systemic toxicity in adult rats or effect on reproductive performance of male and female rats treated. It was also not observed any changes in skeletal study in the offspring of pregnant rats treated with the extract above. Because the solutions used contained MCs in a concentration equal to or greater than the tolerable daily intake for MCs, the results suggest, therefore, that the development of this work contributed to better assess public health risk as the oral exposure to cyanotoxins, increasing thus the credibility of the maximum allowable limit (LMP) of MCs in drinking water distributed to the population of several countries that use the LMP established by WHO in its legislation

Ordem econômica e política nacional de recursos hídricos: hermenêutica constitucional para o desenvolvimento sustentável

This research proposes a study about the interpretative techniques application that are compatible with the national legal system under the principles for Sustainable Development characterized in Brazilian Constitution. It verifies the actual possibility of reconciliation between national development and environment protection, with reflections under the water legal protection. It was proposed, therefore, to point subsidies for jurisdictional decisions involving development and the environmental goods, protected as constitutionally guaranteed principles. It was assumed that, both development and environment protection represents basic rights that are eventually placed in conflict situations, considering the many legitimate economic activities within the Brazilian State. A representative case analysis was elected within the current national scene, detailing the judicial and political conflict involving the Transboundery water Project from the São Francisco River Basin to another Northeastern river basin in Brazil. The implementation of several constitutional principles with elements from legal hermeneutics provides subsidies for the legal analysis about the conflict between development and environmental protection. It was assumed that the main discussion item about rights due to development today is the institutions influence and their results, among them the rules, laws and interpretative elements for the constitutional text objectivity, as the institutions credibility and the Supreme Courts interpretations. The use of interpretative resources for specific conflict situations about constitutional principles by Superior Courts, on the search, would bring a contributory factor for decision safety, related to sustainable development principles, elimination of inequalities and regional protecting for the environment. Specific aspects of Law No. 9.433/97 that introduced the National Water Resources Policy were examined, with its instruments, in order to specifically contextualize aspects of the Brazilian water resources management politics

A legitimidade da jurisdição de primeiro grau na concretização dos direitos fundamentais: proposta de um novo modelo jurídico-administrativo para o segundo grau de jurisdição

The current study is about the legitimacy of lower court jurisdiction as a way of exercising basic legal rights, proposing, therefore, a new legal-administrative model for appellate court. In order to achieve that, a demonstration of the importance of basic legal rights in the Brazilian legal system and an open interpretation in light of the Constitution, as a way to affirm said rights, among which are accessibility to the justice system and proper legal protection, is required. As a result, the legitimacy to access the legal system resides in the Constitution, where the interpreter should seek its basic principles to achieve basic legal rights. It is observed that the lack of credibility regarding lower court decisions comes from the dogmatic view of truth born from power, and therefore, that the truth resides in decisions from appellate court and not from lower court judges. A lower court judge holds a privileged position in providing basic legal rights for citizens, considering his close contact to the parties, the facts, and the evidences brought forth. Class action suit is presented as an important instrument able to lead the lower court judge to provide basic legal rights. Small Claims Courts may be used as paradigm to the creation of Appellate State Courts formed by lower court judges, reserving to higher jurisdiction courts and Federal Circuit Courts, the decisions of original competency and the management and institutional representation of the judiciary system. Instilling an internal democratization of the judiciary is also required, which means the participation of lower court judges in electing their peers to chief positions in the court system, as well as establishing a limited mandate to higher court judges.

A investigação criminal e a vedação ao anonimato no sistema jurídico brasileiro

The thesis, prepared with basis on deductive reasoning (through the utilization of general concepts of the fundamental rights theory) and on inductive logic (by means of the consideration of particular situations in which the theme has been approached) deals with the criminal investigation and the prohibition of anonymity in the Brazilian law system. The state criminal investigation activity presents not only a substantial constitutional basis, due to the objective dimension of fundamental rights (which imposes an obligation to protect these essential values), but also a formal constitutional basis, arising from the administrative principles of rule of law, morality and efficiency, referred to in article 37 of the Constitution. The criminal investigation, however, is not an unlimited pursuit, being restrained by the duty to consider fundamental rights that oppose to its realization. One of the limits of the state investigation activity, in the Brazilian law system, is the prohibition of anonymity, referred to in article 5°, IV, of the Constitution. This prohibition is a direct constitutional restriction to the freedom of expression that aims to ensure the credibility of the diffusion of ideas and prevent the abusive exercise of this fundamental right, which could harm both persons and the state, with no possibility of punishment to the offending party. Generally, based on this prohibition, it is affirmed that a criminal investigation cannot begin and progress founded on anonymous communication of crimes. Informations about crimes to the investigative authorities require the correct identification of the stakeholders. Therefore, it is sustained that the prohibition of anonymity also comprehends the prohibition of utilization of pseudonyms and heteronyms. The main purpose of this essay is to recognize the limits and possibilities in starting and conducting criminal investigations based on communication of crimes made by unidentified persons, behind the veil of anonymity or hidden by pseudonyms or heteronyms. Although the prohibition of article 5°, IV, of the Constitution is not submitted to direct or indirect constitutional restrictions, this impediment can be object of mitigation in certain cases, in attention to the constitutional values that support state investigation. The pertinence analysis of the restrictions to the constitutional anonymity prohibition must consider the proportionality, integrated by the partial elements of adequacy, necessity and strict sense proportionality. The criminal investigation is a means to achieve a purpose, the protection of fundamental rights, because the disclosure of facts, through the investigatory activity, gives rise to the accomplishment of measures in order to prevent or punish the violations eventually verified. So, the start and the development of the state criminal investigation activity, based on a crime communication carried out by an unidentified person, will depend on the demonstration that the setting up and continuity of an investigation procedure, in each case, are an adequate, necessary and (in a strict sense) proportional means to the protection of fundamental rights

Fiscalização difusa da constitucionalidade e o incidente de argüição de inconstitucionalidade

The present work consists of studying to diffuse control of constitutionality in Brazil, with emphasis in a procedural alternative to the evolution of that model: the incident to challenge of unconstitutionality. Starting from the discussion about the new role of constitutional jurisdiction in peripheral countries and in the globalized society, without forgetting to face inevitable doubts about its legitimacy before other powers of the State, the Brazilian control of constitutionality is revealed, under a diffuse, non-dichotomical view, through a number of inconsistencies and misunderstandings, that compromise social peace, the credibility of democratic institutions and the supremacy of juridical security. In order to achieve the goal, the study in course discussed the main difficulties of the Brazilian mixed model of constitutionality control, as well as, directing its view to the incident of challenge of unconstitutionality, which the most adequate forms to assure its appropriateness, legitimacy, processing and decisory effects are. Is was essential, in this point of view, to establish the difference between the incident of challenge of unconstitutionality conceived in article of the Brazilian Federal Constitution and the incident of challenge of unconstitutionality such as it is known in the European models. The insertion of the incident of challenge of unconstitutionality based on European models in the Brazilian control system, without jeopardizing the North-American essence the Brazilian constitutional history presents since 1981, is the hypothesis that is presented as an improvement of constitutional protection

O acolhimento no ambulatório de um hospital universitário na visão de usuários

This present study of quantitative/qualitative approach, aims to analyze the outpatient care at the Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes (HUOL), and, having as guide, the reception of the user. In this regard were invited and interviewed 20 users. Besides the interviews, conducted in a period of 45 days, in this same period of time was used a field diary for more significant notes of observations more significant. In the analysis, we drafted the socio-demographic profile of the group and identified their main complaints, problems and suggestions. For this, we have built graphics, tables and pictures, in addition to standing out their testimony, as a resource for better understanding of the subjective aspects. The theoretical reference consisted of documents from the Ministry of Health about the reception and humanization, and the studies of Merhy, Franco, Pinheiro, Matumoto, Mariotti, Teixeira, among others. The results show the ambulatory of HUOL as a privileged space and of credibility, where users commonly, find answers to their problems. However, these same users were unanimous in saying the difficulties they face in obtaining consultations, from the basic unit, until the hospital. Regarding the service, although they feel satisfied as for the assistance received, they list a series of problems, of structural relationship order: lack of visual signalling, information, wheelchairs, hygiene, in the waiting rooms that offer some comfort, besides the inattention of some professionals. In summary, in the study, undertaken now, we cannot say that there is in the reality studied, the reception, in its full meaning, but the HUOL as hospital-school, has all the potential to accomplish it

Serviço de atendimento móvel de urgência (SAMU) e a assistência às urgências psiquiátricas

The objective of this work which is characterized as an applied research, with a qualitative exploratory approach and has case study character has been the analysis of the conceptions and dealings of health professionals of SAMU in Natal RN about the attendance of psychiatric urgencies. The information was collected between the months of March and April of 2010, by means of semi-structured interviews, performed with 24 health professionals integrating of SAMU-Natal as well as the usage of direct observation technique, performed in the institution's medical regulation room. Both the number of professionals involved in the interviews and the bringing about of the observations, were determined by saturation methods in qualitative research's information collecting. The interviews and observations were transcribed and submitted to contents analysis technique , more specifically, to thematic analysis, which made possible to reach the deepest levels, that go beyond what has simply been manifest in the speech of the interviewed, getting to the relations among the categories and social structures of the issue of the research. Keeping this in mind, three analysis categories have been built, namely: conceptions and concepts of psychiatric urgencies shared by health professionals in SAMU-Natal; attendances to psychiatric urgencies in SAMU-Natal; and the Brazilian Psychiatric Reformation under the view of the SAMU-Natal's health professionals. Reflection about the analyzed information revealed discussions pertaining to the stigma and prejudice on mental illness, and also, pointed out to some hindrances which impair the attendance to individuals in mental suffering in SAMU-Natal. The interviewed health professionals' conceptions on the individual in psychical crisis involve concepts of unpredictability, aggressiveness and risk, stigmatizing elements and historically associated to the social hazard ideology and need for mentally sicks' segregation. The predominance of these conceptions, seen in health professionals speech, had identifiable reflexes on assistance to psychiatric demands performed by SAMU-Natal, namely: indiscriminate request for military police's presence during psychic crisis intervention, neglect about occasions that involve mental health patients, as well as repetitive assisting practice directed on physical contention, and transportation to psychiatric hospital. Associated to it, the professionals have shown distorted and reductionist understanding about Brazilian Psychiatric Reformation, and, in the majority, haven't lent credibility to present model of attention to mental health, based on psycho-social treatment, pointing their speech to a need for psychiatric patient's internment. In this sense, we notice that the hospital-centered and excluding model conceived by classical psychiatry still remains alive in these health professionals' mentality as a reference to psychiatric urgency's assistance. Therefore, the research revealed a sequence of elements, that make us think about the challenges that health sector and society must face to realize Brazilian Psychiatric Reformation's principles and guidelines

Fiscal policy contradiction: a perspective on Brazil and Mexico

The aim of this paper is to discuss the quality of fiscal policy in Brazil and Mexico and investigate whether fiscal policy influence is favorable to reduce the unemployment rate. Public spending, which has a positive effect on the level of employment when results in additional aggregate demand, may cause a negative effect on employment, if its financing depends on persistent high interest rates. Brazil and Mexico have engaged in a long effort to control public spending and to reduce the public deficit to zero. Does this policy bring a positive result to the economic activity no matter how actual public deficit has been financed? We select variables related to public budget as public sector borrowing requirements, taxes, public debt and others to form a data base. The fiscal institutional arrangement and the data allow us to evaluate the fiscal policy as a whole and to discuss the importance of credibility and reputation of the government.

A modalização como estratégia argumentativa em textos de vestibulandos

In this work, the argumentative strategies construction in university entrance examinations texts is analyzed. The study intended to present, through the analyzed occurrences in the corpus, the discursive strategies use for the argumentation construction, observing the different lexicalization forms and the effects that these strategies produced for the intended meaning construction. Aiming to analyze the modalization via texts written by candidates for the UFRN entrance examination, the relations between this category and the resources used for the argumentative guidance of the text were highlighted. Conceived as a speaker argumentative strategy to express his/her relationship with the proposition content which enunciates, the modalization is, thus, one of the linguistic expression form used for the attainment of intended meaning effects in the argumentation construction. In order to substantiate the research, the theoretical assumptions adopted were the propositions which deal with this linguistic category, guiding it to a pragmatic-semantic perspective as well as a discursive-semantic one. Hence, Neves ( 1996, 2006), Koch ( 2000, 2002), Cervoni ( 1989), Bronkart (1999) and Castilho; Morais de Castilho (1996) studies, among others founded this work. Afterwards, a contextualized analysis of the modalized statements, taking into account all the set of elements implied on the argumentation construction, was carried out. The research, which had a strict qualitative character, revealed that the candidates make use of modalization to express commitment or dissociation as regards the statement which they produce; to obtain credibility and provide more authority to their arguments, thus avoiding them of being contested; to impose their arguments as real ones and acquire acceptance of the interlocutor; to lessen the proposition content and disguise the knowledge source; to comment the enunciation and attribute the discourse to another sender; to establish a dialogic relation with the interlocutor. In addition to offering support for new investigations, the research also aims to contribute for the mother tongue teaching, emphasizing the need of a focus which provides special attention to the written language functioning and its application diversity. In this work, the argumentative strategies construction in university entrance examinations texts is analyzed. The study intended to present, through the analyzed occurrences in the corpus, the discursive strategies use for the argumentation construction, observing the different lexicalization forms and the effects that these strategies produced for the intended meaning construction. Aiming to analyze the modalization via texts written by candidates for the UFRN entrance examination, the relations between this category and the resources used for the argumentative guidance of the text were highlighted. Conceived as a speaker argumentative strategy to express his/her relationship with the proposition content which enunciates, the modalization is, thus, one of the linguistic expression form used for the attainment of intended meaning effects in the argumentation construction. In order to substantiate the research, the theoretical assumptions adopted were the propositions which deal with this linguistic category, guiding it to a pragmatic-semantic perspective as well as a discursive-semantic one. Hence, Neves ( 1996, 2006), Koch ( 2000, 2002), Cervoni ( 1989), Bronkart (1999) and Castilho; Morais de Castilho (1996) studies, among others founded this work. Afterwards, a contextualized analysis of the modalized statements, taking into account all the set of elements implied on the argumentation construction, was carried out. The research, which had a strict qualitative character, revealed that the candidates make use of modalization to express commitment or dissociation as regards the statement which they produce; to obtain credibility and provide more authority to their arguments, thus avoiding them of being contested; to impose their arguments as real ones and acquire acceptance of the interlocutor; to lessen the proposition content and disguise the knowledge source; to comment the enunciation and attribute the discourse to another sender; to establish a dialogic relation with the interlocutor. In addition to offering support for new investigations, the research also aims to contribute for the mother tongue teaching, emphasizing the need of a focus which provides special attention to the written language functioning and its application diversity

Phylogeny of Triatoma sherlocki (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) Inferred from Two Mitochondrial Genes Suggests Its Location Within the Triatoma brasiliensis Complex

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

A argumentação como elemento discursivo na mídia digital: um estudo sobre o blog fatos e dados

This thesis studies the use of argumentation as a discursive element in digital media, particularly blogs. We analyzed the Blog "Fatos e Dados" [Facts and Data], created by Petrobras in the context of allegations of corruption that culminated in the installation of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry to investigate the company within the Congress. We intend to understand the influence that the discursive elements triggered by argumentation exercise in blogs and about themes scheduling. To this end, we work with notions of argumentation in dialogue with questions of language and discourse from the work of Charaudeau (2006), Citelli (2007), Perelman & Olbrechts-Tyteca (2005), Foucault (2007, 2008a), Bakhtin (2006) and Breton (2003). We also observe our subject from the perspective of social representations, where we seek to clarify concepts such as public image and the use of representations as argumentative elements, considering the work of Moscovici (2007). We also consider reflections about hypertext and the context of cyberculture, with authors such as Levy (1993, 1999, 2003), Castells (2003) and Chartier (1999 and 2002), and issues of discourse analysis, especially in Orlandi (1988, 1989, 1996 and 2001), as well as Foucault (2008b). We analyzed 118 posts published in the first 30 days of existence of the blog "Fatos e Dados" (between 2 June and 1 July 2009), and analyzed in detail the top ten. A corporate blog aims to defend the points of view and public image of the organization, and, therefore, uses elements of social representations to build their arguments. It goes beyond the blog, as the main news criteria, including the posts we reviewed, the credibility of Petrobras as the source of information. In the posts analyzed, the news values of innovation and relevance also arise. The controversy between the Blog and the press resulted from an inadequacy and lack of preparation of media to deal with a corporate blog that was able to explore the characteristics of liberation of the emission pole in cyberculture. The Blog is a discursive manifestation in a concrete historical situation, whose understanding and attribution of meaning takes place from the social relations between subjects that, most of the time, place themselves in discursive and ideological dispute between each other - this dispute also affects the movements of reading and reading production. We conclude that intersubjective relationships that occur in blogs change, in the form of argumentative techniques used, the notions of news criteria, interfering with scheduling of news and organization of information in digital media outlets. It is also clear the influence that the discursive elements triggered by argumentation exercise in digital media, trying to resize and reframe frames of reality conveyed by it in relation to the subject-readers. Blogs have become part of the scenario information with the emergence of the Internet and are able to interfere in a more effective way to organize the scheduling of media from the conscious utilization of argumentative elements in their posts

Mídia e produção de sentido: a reconfiguração da indústria da música e as estratégias discursivas da associação cultural DoSol

This dissertation aims to analyse discursive strategies from Dosol in order to understand the present elements to keep its audience and the marketing activities. Based on French line of discourse analysis We look into the articles posted on its website at http://www.dosol.com.br within 2010 and We foment dialogues among music, media and communications researchers. Participant observation is slightly used on the critical perception and views of researched object to confront situations and step up, with theorists, the major part of closing remarks. The obtained results indicate a website speech paved on afirmative policies and social capital, trying to keep/seduce its audience with the efect of the intended credibility meaning. The economic factor wanders the speech so often that the speaker assumes a entrepreneur/cultural producer. As a niche market, Dosol assumes a main role in music industry for releasing the regional and local cultural production. On the other hand, it is noticeable that its sustainability and media visibility, as it is seen today, depends on the laws tor promote Culture, what denotes a lack of a regional cultural policies to medium and long term at Rio Grande do Norte