Uma abordagem da lógica fuzzy no ensino médio

O uso cada vez mais intenso de conceitos subjetivos - provenientes da lógica fuzzy - aplicados a problemas reais nos motivou a desenvolver procedimentos para a introdução destas idéias no âmbito do ensino médio. O projeto propõe inicialmente o estudo de conjuntos fuzzy que podem ser entendidos com exemplos - de variação populacional, de controle de pragas e de epidemias. Posteriormente, usar as “operações fuzzy” Sup e Inf em produtos de matrizes para realizar diagnósticos e avaliações subjetivas. As situações abordadas já estão na literatura (Barros e Bassanezi, 2006), entretanto não como fonte para o Ensino Médio. Um dos objetivos principais deste trabalho é contrapor a crença de exatidão da matemática clássica com os resultados provenientes de lógica subjetiva, utilizando conceitos apropriados para os estudantes destas séries: teoria dos conjuntos, relações e funções, matrizes, equações de diferenças e outros.

[Book review] Barry Mazur, Imagining Numbers: (Particularly the Square Root of Minus Fifteen)

Tony Mann provides a review of the book: Barry Mazur, Imagining Numbers: (Particularly the Square Root of Minus Fifteen), London: Allen Lane, 2003, ISBN: 0713996307

In vitro-in vivo correlations of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems combining the dynamic lipolysis model and neuro-fuzzy networks

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the potential of the dynamic lipolysis model to simulate the absorption of a poorly soluble model drug compound, probucol, from three lipid-based formulations and to predict the in vitro-in vivo correlation (IVIVC) using neuro-fuzzy networks. An oil solution and two self-micro and nano-emulsifying drug delivery systems were tested in the lipolysis model. The release of probucol to the aqueous (micellar) phase was monitored during the progress of lipolysis. These release profiles compared with plasma profiles obtained in a previous bioavailability study conducted in mini-pigs at the same conditions. The release rate and extent of release from the oil formulation were found to be significantly lower than from SMEDDS and SNEDDS. The rank order of probucol released (SMEDDS approximately SNEDDS > oil formulation) was similar to the rank order of bioavailability from the in vivo study. The employed neuro-fuzzy model (AFM-IVIVC) achieved significantly high prediction ability for different data formations (correlation greater than 0.91 and prediction error close to zero), without employing complex configurations. These preliminary results suggest that the dynamic lipolysis model combined with the AFM-IVIVC can be a useful tool in the prediction of the in vivo behavior of lipid-based formulations.