Atividade cambial em ramos de Kielmeyera grandiflora (WAWRA) saddi (Callophylaceae) ocorrentes no cerrado paulista

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Características estruturais de aerogéis hidrofílicos e hidrofóbicos de sílica modificados com Dodecil Sulfato de Sódio

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A educação para os 'meios e os fins': a informação, o conhecimento e a comunicação na educação escolar básica e universitária

This research has as its main reference, the need to detect the development initiatives by public higher education, concepts, methods and teaching and pedagogical tools and to investigate the ability to transfer knowledge and practices of teaching and learning produced for other levels education. The task of providing appropriate training of teachers of basic education to university education is a vital political and administrative demands for a large country, which needs to adequately educate its people, so he can face in the right conditions, the huge and complex demands of regional and national development. The research presented here, aims to gauge the extent and adequacy of current media and information as tools for teaching and pedagogical transfer the knowledge and practices of teaching and learning as a tool for updating and also for training or non-presence blended Primary School Teacher Education. From the established goals will be carried out research, conceptual and field, to analyze and evaluate some educational practices and resulting forms of communication and also to assess the effects brought about by replacing the linear communication model and the model of unilateral to multilateral communication networks on digital models, and practices of schooling. The results obtained from both theoretical and practical will be on the selection of concepts, content production, methodologies and resources run by different "means" integrated with the cultural, economic and social development, both locally, regionally or nationally. The strategic aim will be to expand from the analysis, production and dissemination of concepts, methods and tools made by teachers of Basic Education and Higher Education, teaching and pedagogical possibilities of media and digital devices that are emerging as the derivation of network communication.

GIS-based analytical tools for transport planning: spatial regression models for transportation demand forecast

Considering the importance of spatial issues in transport planning, the main objective of this study was to analyze the results obtained from different approaches of spatial regression models. In the case of spatial autocorrelation, spatial dependence patterns should be incorporated in the models, since that dependence may affect the predictive power of these models. The results obtained with the spatial regression models were also compared with the results of a multiple linear regression model that is typically used in trips generation estimations. The findings support the hypothesis that the inclusion of spatial effects in regression models is important, since the best results were obtained with alternative models (spatial regression models or the ones with spatial variables included). This was observed in a case study carried out in the city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the stages of specification and calibration of the models, with two distinct datasets.

Análise espacial do potencial fotovoltaico em telhados de residências usando modelagem hierárquica bayesiana

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Modelo matemático para determinação do custo e produção de energia na cultura da cana-de-açúcar

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

Avaliação das ações de alimentação e nutrição na atenção primária a saúde no estado de São Paulo

Pós-graduação em Alimentos e Nutrição - FCFAR

Análise da pressão intra-abdominal em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia abdominal oncológica internados em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Planejamento dinâmico a longo prazo de ativos de sistemas de distribuição de energia elétrica considerando a incorporação de diferentes tipos de elementos adicionais de expansão

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

The Economics of Managing Wildlife Disease

The spread of infectious disease among and between wild and domesticated animals has become a major problem worldwide. Upon analyzing the dynamics of wildlife growth and infection when the diseased animals cannot be identified separately from healthy wildlife prior to the kill, we find that harvest-based strategies alone have no impact on disease transmission. Other controls that directly influence disease transmission and/or mortality are required. Next, we analyze the socially optimal management of infectious wildlife. The model is applied to the problem of bovine tuberculosis among Michigan white-tailed deer, with non-selective harvests and supplemental feeding being the control variables. Using a two-state linear control model, we find a two-dimensional singular path is optimal (as opposed to a more conventional bang-bang solution) as part of a cycle that results in the disease remaining endemic in the wildlife. This result follows from non-selective harvesting and intermittent wildlife productivity gains from supplemental feeding.

Dynamic Traffic Grooming Algorithms for Reconfigurable SONET Over WDM Networks

The emergence of wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technology provides the capability for increasing the bandwidth of synchronous optical network (SONET) rings by grooming low-speed traffic streams onto different high-speed wavelength channels. Since the cost of SONET add–drop multiplexers (SADM) at each node dominates the total cost of these networks, how to assign the wavelength, groom the traffic, and bypass the traffic through the intermediate nodes has received a lot of attention from researchers recently. Moreover, the traffic pattern of the optical network changes from time to time. How to develop dynamic reconfiguration algorithms for traffic grooming is an important issue. In this paper, two cases (best fit and full fit) for handling reconfigurable SONET over WDM networks are proposed. For each approach, an integer linear programming model and heuristic algorithms (TS-1 and TS-2, based on the tabu search method) are given. The results demonstrate that the TS-1 algorithm can yield better solutions but has a greater running time than the greedy algorithm for the best fit case. For the full fit case, the tabu search heuristic yields competitive results compared with an earlier simulated annealing based method and it is more stable for the dynamic case.

INVESTIGATION INTO CURRENT EFFICIENCY FOR PULSE ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHINING OF NICKEL ALLOY

INVESTIGATION INTO CURRENT EFFICIENCY FOR PULSE ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHINING OF NICKEL ALLOY Yu Zhang, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2010 Adviser: Kamlakar P. Rajurkar Electrochemical machining (ECM) is a nontraditional manufacturing process that can machine difficult-to-cut materials. In ECM, material is removed by controlled electrochemical dissolution of an anodic workpiece in an electrochemical cell. ECM has extensive applications in automotive, petroleum, aerospace, textile, medical, and electronics industries. Improving current efficiency is a challenging task for any electro-physical or electrochemical machining processes. The current efficiency is defined as the ratio of the observed amount of metal dissolved to the theoretical amount predicted from Faraday’s law, for the same specified conditions of electrochemical equivalent, current, etc [1]. In macro ECM, electrolyte conductivity greatly influences the current efficiency of the process. Since there is a certain limit to enhance the conductivity of the electrolyte, a process innovation is needed for further improvement in current efficiency in ECM. Pulse electrochemical machining (PECM) is one such approach in which the electrolyte conductivity is improved by electrolyte flushing in pulse off-time. The aim of this research is to study the influence of major factors on current efficiency in a pulse electrochemical machining process in macro scale and to develop a linear regression model for predicting current efficiency of the process. An in-house designed electrochemical cell was used for machining nickel alloy (ASTM B435) by PECM. The effects of current density, type of electrolyte, and electrolyte flow rate, on current efficiency under different experimental conditions were studied. Results indicated that current efficiency is dependent on electrolyte, electrolyte flow rate, and current density. Linear regression models of current efficiency were compared with twenty new data points graphically and quantitatively. Models developed were close enough to the actual results to be reliable. In addition, an attempt has been made in this work to consider those factors in PECM that have not been investigated in earlier works. This was done by simulating the process by using COMSOL software. However, it was found that the results from this attempt were not substantially different from the earlier reported studies.

The effects of 2 mg chlormadinone acetate/30 mcg ethinylestradiol, alone or combined with spironolactone, on cardiovascular risk markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder associated with metabolic dysfunction and changes in cardiovascular risk markers, and using oral contraceptives (OCs) may exert a further negative effect on these alterations in patients with PCOS. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to assess the effects on arterial function and structure of an OC containing chlormadinone acetate (2 mg) and ethinylestradiol (30 mcg), alone or combined with spironolactone (OC+SPL), in patients with PCOS. Study Design: This was a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Fifty women with PCOS between 18 and 35 years of age were randomized by a computer program to use OC or OC+SPL. Brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation, carotid intima-media thickness and the carotid artery stiffness index were evaluated at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Serum markers for cardiovascular disease were also analyzed. The intragroup data were analyzed using analysis of variance with Tukey's post hoc test. A multivariate linear regression model was used to analyze the intergroup data. Results: At 12 months, the increase in mean total cholesterol levels was greater in the OC+SPL group than in the OC group (27% vs. 13%, respectively; p=.02). The increase in mean sex hormone-binding globulin levels was greater in the OC group than in the OC+SPL group (424% vs. 364%, respectively; p=.01). No statistically significant differences between the groups were found for any of the other variables. Conclusion: The addition of spironolactone to an OC containing chlormadinone acetate and ethinylestradiol conferred no cardiovascular risk-marker advantages in young women with PCOS. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep desaturation and its relationship to lung function, exercise and quality of life in LAM

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is characterised by progressive airway obstruction and hypoxaemia in young women. Although sleep may trigger hypoxaemia in patients with airway obstruction, it has not been previously investigated in patients with LAM. Methods: Consecutive women with lung biopsy proven LAM and absence of hypoxaemia while awake were evaluated with pulmonary function test, echocardiography, 6-min walk test, overnight full polysomnography, and Short Form 36 health-related quality-of-life questionnaire. Results: Twenty-five patients with (mean +/- SD) age 45 +/- 10 years, SpO(2) awake 95% +/- 2, forced expiratory volume in the first second (median-interquartile) FEV1 (% predicted) 77 (47-90) and carbonic monoxide diffusion capacity, DLCO (%) 55 (34-74) were evaluated. Six-minute walk test distance and minimum SpO(2) (median-interquartile) were, respectively, 447 m (411 -503) and 90% (82-94). Median interquartile apnoea-hypopnoea index was in the normal range 2 (1-5). Fourteen patients (56%) had nocturnal hypoxaemia (10% total sleep time with SpO(2) <90%), and the median sleep time spent with SpO(2) <90% was 136 (13-201) min. Sleep time spent with SpO(2) <90% correlated with the residual volume/total lung capacity ratio (r(s) = 0.5, p: 0.02), DLCO (r(s) = -0.7, p: 0.001), FEV1 (r(s) = -0.6, p: 0.002). Multivariate linear regression model showed that RV/TLC ratio was the most important functional variable related to sleep hypoxaemia. Conclusion: Significant hypoxaemia during sleep is common in LAM patients with normal SpO(2) while awake, especially among those with some degree of hyperinflation in lung function tests. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A New Method to Predict the Epidemiology of Fungal Keratitis by Monitoring the Sales Distribution of Antifungal Eye Drops in Brazil

Purpose: Fungi are a major cause of keratitis, although few medications are licensed for their treatment. The aim of this study is to observe the variation in commercialisation of antifungal eye drops, and to predict the seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil. Methods: Data from a retrospective study of antifungal eye drops sales from the only pharmaceutical ophthalmologic laboratory, authorized to dispense them in Brazil (Opthalmos) were gathered. These data were correlated with geographic and seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil between July 2002 and June 2008. Results: A total of 26,087 antifungal eye drop units were sold, with a mean of 2.3 per patient. There was significant variation in antifungal sales during the year (p < 0.01). A linear regression model displayed a significant association between reduced relative humidity and antifungal drug sales (R-2 = 0.17, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Antifungal eye drops sales suggest that there is a seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis. A possible interpretation is that the third quarter of the year (a period when the climate is drier), when agricultural activity is more intense in Brazil, suggests a correlation with a higher incidence of fungal keratitis. A similar model could be applied to other diseases, that are managed with unique, or few, and monitorable medications to predict epidemiological aspects.