Cosm��ticos no Youtube: marcas vs youtubers: em estudo explorat��rio

Disserta����o de mestrado em Design de Comunica����o de Moda

Durabilidade de colagens estruturais em elementos de madeira

Disserta����o de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil

Biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces patterned with wettable spots as implantable chips for in vivo high-content 3D biomaterials response assessment

"Tissue engineering: part A", vol. 21, suppl. 1 (2015)

Mostrar a ci��ncia: potenciar a divulga����o de investiga����o acad��mica na Internet atrav��s dos audiovisuais

Disserta����o de mestrado em Ci��ncias da Comunica����o (��rea de especializa����o em Audiovisual e Multim��dia)

Bioethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia stipitis and Zymomonas mobilis from delignified coconut fibre mature and lignin extraction according to biorefinery concept

In search to increase the offer of liquid, clean, renewable and sustainable energy in the world energy matrix, the use of lignocellulosic materials (LCMs) for bioethanol production arises as a valuable alternative. The objective of this work was to analyze and compare the performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia stipitis and Zymomonas mobilis in the production of bioethanol from coconut fibre mature (CFM) using different strategies: simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSSF). The CFM was pretreated by hydrothermal pretreatment catalyzed with sodium hydroxide (HPCSH). The pretreated CFM was characterized by X-ray diffractometry and SEM, and the lignin recovered in the liquid phase by FTIR and TGA. After the HPCSH pretreatment (2.5% (v/v) sodium hydroxide at 180 ��C for 30 min), the cellulose content was 56.44%, while the hemicellulose and lignin were reduced 69.04% and 89.13%, respectively. Following pretreatment, the obtained cellulosic fraction was submitted to SSF and SSSF. Pichia stipitis allowed for the highest ethanol yield 90.18% in SSSF, 91.17% and 91.03% were obtained with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis, respectively. It may be concluded that the selection of the most efficient microorganism for the obtention of high bioethanol production yields from cellulose pretreated by HPCSH depends on the operational strategy used and this pretreatment is an interesting alternative for add value of coconut fibre mature compounds (lignin, phenolics) being in accordance with the biorefinery concept.

Imagem de destinos tur��sticos: um estudo sobre as publica����es brasileiras

Os estudos referentes ao turismo dedicam-se �� compreens��o de diferentes temas, sendo que um bastante analisado �� escala internacional �� a quest��o da imagem de um destino tur��stico. O interesse por este tema �� percebido em diversas ��reas do conhecimento, como a sociologia e o marketing. No Brasil, h�� diversos pesquisadores dedicando-se �� imagem dos destinos tur��sticos. Assim, buscando compreender de que forma este tema tem sido trabalhado no Brasil, este estudo de car��ter bibliogr��fico teve como objetivo analisar e compreender as publica����es sobre imagem de destinos tur��sticos em peri��dicos brasileiros, nos ��ltimos seis anos (2008-2014). A partir de um levantamento dos artigos publicados neste per��odo, usando como ferramenta de busca o site ���Publica����es de Turismo���, foram identificados vinte e oito artigos. A an��lise permitiu verificar que os estudos est��o concentrados na compreens��o da imagem de um determinado destino. Os artigos analisados s��o predominantemente estudos emp��ricos e h�� um equil��brio entre os de car��ter quantitativo e qualitativo. No que diz respeito �� bibliografia, foi poss��vel identificar que os autores brasileiros que t��m trabalhado com o tema de imagem de destinos, j�� buscam bibliografias internacionais para fundamentar os seus estudos. Tamb��m nos trabalhos sobre este tema, identificou-se uma maior maturidade dos autores no que diz respeito �� utiliza����o das ferramentas estat��sticas. Alguns estudos fazem uma an��lise aprofundada dos estudos internacionais e aplicam estas teorias no Brasil. Conclui-se que este tema tem sido estudado com maior profundidade no pa��s, se comparado com os temas como o da percep����o de residentes.

BIOMedical search engine framework: lightweight and customized implementation of domain-specific biomedical search engines

The Smart Drug Search is publicly accessible at http://sing.ei.uvigo.es/sds/. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/agjacome/biomsef

Physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, dietary content, and risk factors that cause a predisposition towards cardiovascular disease

OBJECTIVE: To analyze associations between levels of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, dietary content, and risk factors that cause a predisposition towards cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Sixty-two individuals aged between 20 and 45 years were evaluated. Levels of physical activity were established by estimates of energy demand corresponding to everyday activity; indices for cardiorespiratory fitness were obtained from estimates of maximal oxygen consumption; information about dietary content was obtained from dietary records kept on seven consecutive days. To indicate risk factors that cause a predisposition towards cardiovascular disease, use was made of body mass indexes, waist-hip circumference relationships, levels of arterial pressure and of plasma lipid-lipoprotein concentration. To establish associations between the variables studied, multiple regression analysis was used. RESULTS: Physical activity levels and cardiorespiratory fitness levels were inversely correlated with the amount and distribution of body fat and arterial pressure. Taken together, the two variables were responsible for between 16% and 19% of the variation in arterial pressure. Total and saturated fat ingestion was associated with higher serum lipid levels. Both dietary components were responsible for between 49% and 61% of the variation in LDL-cholesterol. CONCLUSION: High ingestion of food rich in total and saturated fat and decreased levels of physical activity and of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which supports previous data.

Factors associated with the donation and non-donation of embryos for research: a systematic review

Background: Systematic knowledge on the factors that influence the decisions of IVF users regarding embryo donation for research is a core need for patient-centred policies and ethics in clinical practice. However, no systematic review has been provided on the motivations of patients who must decide embryo disposition. This paper fills this gap, presenting a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies, which synthesizes the current body of knowledge on the factors and reasons associated with IVF patients��� decisions to donate or not to donate embryos for research. Methods: A systematic search of studies indexed in PubMed, ISIWoK and PsycINFO, published before November 2013, was conducted. Only empirical, peer-reviewed, full-length, original studies reporting data on factors and reasons associated with the decision concerning donation or non-donation of embryos for research were included. Eligibility and data extraction were performed by two independent researchers and disagreements were resolved by discussion or a third reviewer, if required. The main quantitative findings were extracted and synthesized and qualitative data were assessed by thematic content analysis. Results: A total of 39 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. More than half of the studies (n �� 21) used a quantitative methodology, and the remaining were qualitative (n �� 15) or mixed-methods (n �� 3) studies. The studies were derived mainly from European countries (n �� 18) and the USA(n �� 11). The proportion of IVF users who donated embryos for research varied from 7% in a study in France to 73% in a Swiss study. Those who donate embryos for research reported feelings of reciprocity towards science and medicine, positive views of research and high levels of trust in the medical system. They described their decision as better than the destruction of embryos and as an opportunity to help others or to improve health and IVF treatments. The perception of risks, the lack of information concerning research projects and the medical system and the conceptualization of embryos in terms of personhood were the most relevant motives for not donating embryos for research. Results relating to the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and reproductive and gynaecological history were mostly inconclusive. Conclusions: Three iterative and dynamic dimensions of the IVF patients��� decision to donate or not to donate embryos for research emerged from this review: the hierarquization of the possible options regarding embryo disposition, according to the moral, social and instrumental status attributed to embryos; patients��� understanding of expectations and risks of the research on human embryos; and patients��� experiences of information exchange and levels of trust in the medical-scientific institutions.

Correlations Between the Collagen Content of the Human Left Ventricular Myocardium, Measured by Biochemical and Morphometric Methods

OBJECTIVE: To assess, in myocardium specimens obtained from necropsies, the correlation between the concentration of hydroxyproline, measured with the photocolorimetric method, and the intensity of fibrosis, determined with the morphometric method. METHODS: Left ventricle myocardium samples were obtained from 45 patients who had undergone necropsy, some of them with a variety of cardiopathies and others without any heart disease. The concentrations of hydroxyproline were determined with the photocolorimetric method. In the histologic sections from each heart, the myocardial fibrosis was quantified by using a light microscope with an integrating ocular lens. RESULTS: A median of, respectively, 4.5 and 4.3 mug of hydroxyproline/mg of dry weight was found in fixed and nonfixed left ventricle myocardium fragments. A positive correlation occurred between the hydroxyproline concentrations and the intensity of fibrosis, both in the fixed (Sr=+0.25; p=0.099) and in the nonfixed (Sr=+0.32; p=0.03) specimens. CONCLUSION: The biochemical methodology was proven to be adequate, and manual morphometry was shown to have limitations that may interfere with the statistical significance of correlations for the estimate of fibrosis intensity in the human myocardium.

Potencial asociaci��n entre tumores salivales, mamarios y prost��ticos:b��squeda de biomarcadores e indicadores de riesgo. Potential association between salivary, mammary and prostate tumors: search for biomarkers and risk indicators.

Existir��a asociaci��n en el desarrollo de tumores salivales, mamarios y prost��ticos que deber��a alertar en el seguimiento de esos pacientes. Por ello, resulta indispensable la b��squeda de biomarcadores espec��ficos a fin de diagnosticar precozmente un segundo tumor primario o una lesi��n metast��sica.La relaci��n dieta-c��ncer es a��n controvertida y poco estudiada en humanos. La influencia de ciertos compuestos dietarios sobre la tumorig��nesis de diversos ��rganos lleva a plantear que el estado nutricional de un individuo puede ser un indicador de riesgo de desarrollar dicha enfermedad.Se trabajar�� con sujetos de ambos sexos que presenten diagn��stico reciente de tumores salivales, mamarios y prost��ticos, sin tratamiento previo y proveniente de los hospitales Privado y C��rdoba. El grupo control estar�� constitu��do por sujetos con caracter��sticas similares a las de los casos, aunque sin diagn��stico de tumores. El n��mero previsto es de 20 casos por cada tipo de tumor -entre benignos y malignos- y 80 controles (relaci��n 1:2, respectivamente) por a��o de trabajo.Para recolectar los datos se emplear�� una encuesta de frecuenvia alimentaria cuali-cuantitativa, adem��s de una historia cl��nica. En muestras de saliva y sangre se analizar��n biomarcadores tumorales como CEA, CA 15-3 y PSA y se identificar��n y cuantificar��n l��pidos totales y ��cidos grasos. En tejido tumoral se cuantificar��n l��pidos y marcadores tumorales.

B��squeda de potenciales agentes antivirales a partir de plantas nativas argentinas. Search for potential antiviral compounds from native argentinians plants.

A pesar de de la gran oferta de f��rmacos, existen a��n patolog��as que no cuentan con un tratamiento farmacol��gico efectivo o que su terap��utica provoca efectos indeseables. Seg��n la OMS, la mayor��a de las enfermedades nuevas, son patolog��as emergentes y re-emergentes causadas por virus. Adem��s, existen enfermedades virales end��micas que siguen afectando a nuestro pa��s, como el virus Jun��n (VJ) y el virus Encefalitis San Luis (ESL). Los problemas que plantean las infecciones virales endemo-epid��micas emergentes y re-emergentes con la aparici��n de brotes de enfermedades sist��micas y/o neurol��gicas de diferente magnitud, forman parte de nuestra realidad cotidiana y constituyen una constante amenaza, no s��lo para nuestro pa��s sino para el resto del mundo. Para la mayor��a de estas enfermedades regionales, no existe un tratamiento adecuado, ya que las actuales drogas sint��ticas antivirales muchas veces no resultan exitosas y hasta algunos virus se vuelven resistentes a las mismas. Por lo que se hace necesaria la b��squeda de nuevos agentes terap��uticos.La OMS promueve fuertemente la investigaci��n de plantas nativas, utilizadas en la medicina folcl��rica, para la obtenci��n de nuevos agentes medicinales. Asimismo, existen estudios etnobot��nicos que demuestran que varias plantas de nuestro pa��s, pueden ser seleccionadas de acuerdo a su uso en la medicina tradicional para el tratamiento de distintas infecciones virales. Otra fuente de estudio son las especies reconocidas como t��xicas, ya que contienen sustancias activas que pueden constituirse en posibles agentes terap��uticos, dado que est�� ampliamente demostrado que regulando la dosis, un principio activo (PA) puede producir un efecto t��xico o beneficioso.Por lo que se plantea como hip��tesis que las plantas nativas t��xicas y las utilizadas en la medicina tradicional del centro-norte de Argentina poseen compuestos con potencial efecto antiviral.Este proyecto constituye un trabajo interdisciplinario que tiene como objeto de estudio la evaluaci��n qu��mica de diferentes especies aut��ctonas con el fin de obtener compuestos naturales con potencial actividad antiviral.Los objetivos espec��ficos son: a) Evaluar la actividad citot��xica, virucida y antiviral <i>in vitro</i> de diferentes extractos de plantas aut��ctonas.b) Aislar, purificar e identificar los metabolitos secundarios mayoritarios de los extractos activos.c) Estudiar la citotoxicidad y actividad virucida y antiviral <i>in vitro</i> de los compuestos purificados qu��micamente.d) Establecer sus posibles mecanismos de acci��n.El estudio abarca especies vegetales que habitan la regi��n centro y norte del pa��s. Y se han elegido distintos modelos virales (ADN y ARN), que est��n asociados a infecciones emergentes, re-emergentes y end��micas que afectan a nuestro pa��s. Los extractos que resulten activos frente a algunos de los virus ensayados, ser��n seleccionados para el aislamiento, purificaci��n e identificaci��n de sus PA. Para ello se recurrir�� a t��cnicas cromatogr��ficas, aplicando para su identificaci��n t��cnicas anal��ticas espectrosc��picas (UV-V, IR, EIMS, RMN-1H y 13C). La actividad virucida y antiviral "in vitro" de los compuestos puros se evaluar�� mediante el ensayo de reducci��n de placas y mediante el m��todo de captaci��n rojo neutro (RN) y la prueba de reducci��n del MTT. Para ello, se ensayar��n los compuestos a las concentraciones no citot��xicas, determinadas sobre c��lulas Vero, mediante la evaluaci��n de la viabilidad celular. Se realizar��n transformaciones qu��micas a los fines de mejorar la actividad biol��gica en relaci��n a la citotoxicidad exhibida, realizando estudios de estructura - actividad. Se espera obtener compuestos de origen natural con actividad antiviral y con baja o nula toxicidad, estableciendo sus posibles mecanismos de acci��n. De manera de plantear soluciones terap��uticas y/o preventivas a los problemas derivados de las infecciones virales emergentes, re-emergentes y end��micas que afectan a pa��ses en desarrollo.

B��squeda de nuevos extractos y compuestos obtenidos a partir de plantas del centro de Argentina con acci��n inhibidora de enzimas asociadas a patolog��as y a la supervivencia de organismos perjudiciales. Search for new extracts and compounds obtained from plants of central Argentina with inhibitoryactivity on enzymes associated with diseases and survival of harmful organisms.

La inhibici��n en la actividad de ciertas enzimas esenciales puede generar disturbios en la fisiolog��a de algunos organismos como insectos, plantas y microorganismos y en muchos casos puede conducir a su muerte. Por otro lado, la inhibici��n de estas prote��nas logra modificar factores implicados en la manifestaci��n de determinadas enfermedades. Entre las enzimas que muestran estas caracter��sticas podemos mencionar a tirosinasa, p-hidroxifenilpiruvato dioxigenasa (HPPD) y acetilcolinesterasa (AChE). Debido a la necesidad de nuevas drogas con acci��n inhibidora de las mencionadas enzimas,los investigadores est��n explorando el mundo vegetal con el fin de obtenerlas,ya que se ha comprobado que las plantas son capaces de sintetizar esta clase de mol��culas. Plantas nativas de nuestra regi��n presentan esta propiedad. Continuando con la b��squeda de compuestos bioactivos obtenidos de plantas, se propone en este proyecto obtener nuevos agentes naturales altamente efectivos en inhibir las nombradas enzimas a partir de 100 plantas nativas de la regi��n central de Argentina. Los compuestos aislados pueden ser utilizados directamente o servir como modelo para la s��ntesis de an��logos. En primer lugar se determinar�� la efectividad de los extractos obtenidos a partir de las plantas seleccionadas como inhibidores de HPPD (utilizando el m��todo del enol-borato) con el fin de seleccionar el m��s potente. A partir de este extracto y de aquellos seleccionados como m��s potentes en inhibir tirosinasa y AChE se aislar��n, mediante aislamiento bioguiado, e identificar��n el/los compuesto/s responsables. Este proceso ser�� llevado a cabo por t��cnicas cromatogr��ficas y espectrosc��picas y el seguimiento de actividad se realizar�� mediante el m��todo de enol-borato, dopacromo y Ellman para HPPD, tirosinasa y AChE,respectivamente. Posterior a determinar el nivel de actividad (IC50) de cada compuesto aislado se estudiar�� el posible efecto sinergista que pudieran ejercer al combinarlos entre ellos (si m��s de un compuesto es aislado de una planta) y con compuestos comerciales. Si los resultados muestran que los extractos ensayados y los metabolitos activos presentes en ellos exhiben alta efectividad en inhibir las enzimas, ellos pueden surgir como agentes terap��uticos eficaces para el tratamiento de ciertas enfermedades que las involucran y de esta manera mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes afectados. Estos productos pueden dar lugar a las compa����as farmace��ticas a producir drogas no convencionales como nuevas alternativas medicinales. Por otro lado estas sustancias pueden derivar en novedosos herbicidas, antimicrobianos o insecticidas.Dado que todas las plantas propuestas crecen f��cilmente en Argentina, la producci��n de estos medicamentos significar��a nuevas fuentes laborales para nuestro pa��s. El hecho de poder obtener y posteriormente utilizar estos productos aumenta en forma sustancial el aprovechamiento que podemos darle a nuestra rica flora nativa.

In search of a language textile and text in contemporary women's art

This research uses the textile/text axis concept as a conceptual tool to investigate the role of textile and text in contemporary women���s art practice and theorizing, investigating textile as a largely hitherto unacknowledged element in women���s art practice of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Textile and text share a common etymological root, from the Latin textere to weave, textus a fabric. The thesis illuminates the pathways whereby textile and text played an important role in women reclaiming a speaking voice as creators of culture and signification during a revolutionary period of renewal in women���s cultural contribution and positioning. The methodological approach used in the research consisted of a comprehensive literature review, the compilation of an inventory of relevant women artists, developing a classificatory system differentiating types of approaches, concerns and concepts underpinning women���s art practice vis a vis the textile/text axis and a series of three in-depth case studies of artists Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois and Faith Ringgold. The thesis points to the fact that contemporary women artists and theorists have rounded their art practice and aesthetic discourse in textile as prime visual metaphor and signifier, turning towards the ancient language of textile not merely to reclaim a speaking voice but to occupy a ground breaking locus of signification and representation in contemporary culture. The textile/text axis facilitated women artists in powerfully countering a culturally inscribed status of Lacanian ���no-woman��� (a position of abjection, absence and lack in the phallocentric symbolic). Turning towards a language of aeons, textile as fertile wellspring, the thesis identifies the methodologies and strategies whereby women artists have inserted their webs of subjectivities and deepest concerns into the records and discourses of contemporary culture. Presenting an anatomy of the textile/text axis, the thesis identifies nine component elements manifesting in contemporary women���s aesthetic practice and discourse. In this cultural renaissance, the textile/text axis, the thesis suggests, served as a complex lexicon, a system of labyrinthine references and signification, a site of layered meanings and ambiguities, a body proxy and a corporeal cartography, facilitating a revolution in women���s aesthetic praxis.

Search for very high energy Gamma radiation from the Starburst Galaxy IC 342

This thesis describes a search for very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from the starburst galaxy IC 342. The analysis was based on data from the 2003 ��� 2004 observing season recorded using the Whipple 10-metre imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope located on Mount Hopkins in southern Arizona. IC 342 may be classed as a non-blazar type galaxy and to date only a few such galaxies (M 87, Cen A, M 82 and NGC 253) have been detected as VHE gamma-ray sources. Analysis of approximately 24 hours of good quality IC 342 data, consisting entirely of ON/OFF observations, was carried out using a number of methods (standard Supercuts, optimised Supercuts, scaled optimised Supercuts and the multivariate kernel analysis technique). No evidence for TeV gamma-ray emission from IC 342 was found. The significance was 0.6 a with a nominal rate of 0.04 �� 0.06 gamma rays per minute. The flux upper limit above 600 GeV (at 99.9 % confidence) was determined to be 5.5 x 10-8 m-2 s-1, corresponding to 8 % of the Crab Nebula flux in the same energy range.