Determination of amino acids by capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry: An evaluation of different protein hydrolysis procedures

In this work, a CE equipment, online hyphenated to an IT MS analyzer by a linear sheath liquid interface promoting ESI, was used to develop a method for quantitative determination of amino acids. Under appropriate conditions (BGE composition, 0.8% HCOOH, 20% CH(3)OH; sheath liquid composition, 0.8% HCOOH, 60% methanol; V(ESI), +4.50 W), analytical curves of all amino acids from 3 to 80 mg/L were recorded presenting acceptable linearity (r > 0.99). LODs in the range of 16-172 mu mol/L were obtained. BSA, a model protein, was submitted to different hydrolysis procedures (classical acid and basic, and catalyzed by the H(+) form of a cation exchanger resin) and its amino acid profiles determined. In general, the resin-mediated hydrolysis yields were overall similar or better than those obtained by classical acid or basic hydrolysis. The resulting experimental-to-theoretical BSA concentration ratios served as correction factors for the quantitation of amino acids in Brazil nut resin generated hydrolysates.

Microwave-assisted digestion procedures for biological samples with diluted nitric acid: Identification of reaction products

Microwave-assisted sample preparation using diluted nitric acid solutions is an alternative procedure for digesting organic samples. The efficiency of this procedure depends on the chemical properties of the samples and in this work it was evaluated by the determination of crude protein amount. fat and original carbon. Soybeans grains, bovine blood. bovine muscle and bovine viscera were digested in a cavity-microwave oven using oxidant mixtures in different acid concentrations. The digestion efficiency was evaluated based on the determination of residual carbon content and element recoveries using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). In order to determine the main residual organic compounds, the digests were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H NMR). Subsequently, studies concerning separation of nitrobenzoic acid isomers were performed by ion pair reversed phase liquid chromatography using a C18 stationary phase, water:acetonitrile:methanol (75:20:5, v/v/v) +0.05% (v/v) TFA as mobile phase and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. Sample preparation based on diluted acids proved to be feasible and a recommendable alternative for organic sample digestion, reducing both the reagent volumes and the variability of the residues as a result of the process of decomposition. It was shown that biological matt-ices containing amino acids, proteins and lipids in their composition produced nitrobenzoic acid isomers and other organic compounds after cleavage of chemical bonds. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Testing of combined heating systems for small houses: Improved procedures for whole system test methods : Deliverable 2.3

Dynamic system test methods for heating systems were developed and applied by the institutes SERC and SP from Sweden, INES from France and SPF from Switzerland already before the MacSheep project started. These test methods followed the same principle: a complete heating system ��� including heat generators, storage, control etc., is installed on the test rig; the test rig software and hardware simulates and emulates the heat load for space heating and domestic hot water of a single family house, while the unit under test has to act autonomously to cover the heat demand during a representative test cycle. Within the work package 2 of the MacSheep project these similar ��� but different ��� test methods were harmonized and improved. The work undertaken includes:�� ��� Harmonization of the physical boundaries of the unit under test. ��� Harmonization of the boundary conditions of climate and load. ��� Definition of an approach to reach identical space heat load in combination with an autonomous control of the space heat distribution by the unit under test. ��� Derivation and validation of new six day and a twelve day test profiles for direct extrapolation of test results. �� The new harmonized test method combines the advantages of the different methods that existed before the MacSheep project. The new method is a benchmark test, which means that the load for space heating and domestic hot water preparation will be identical for all tested systems, and that the result is representative for the performance of the system over a whole year. Thus, no modelling and simulation of the tested system is needed in order to obtain the benchmark results for a yearly cycle. The method is thus also applicable to products for which simulation models are not available yet. Some of the advantages of the new whole system test method and performance rating compared to the testing and energy rating of single components are:�� ��� Interaction between the different components of a heating system, e.g. storage, solar collector circuit, heat pump, control, etc. are included and evaluated in this test. ��� Dynamic effects are included and influence the result just as they influence the annual performance in the field. ��� Heat losses are influencing the results in a more realistic way, since they are evaluated under "real installed" and representative part-load conditions rather than under single component steady state conditions. �� The described method is also suited for the development process of new systems, where it replaces time-consuming and costly field testing with the advantage of a higher accuracy of the measured data (compared to the typically used measurement equipment in field tests) and identical, thus comparable boundary conditions. Thus, the method can be used for system optimization in the test bench under realistic operative conditions, i.e. under relevant operating environment in the lab. �� This report describes the physical boundaries of the tested systems, as well as the test procedures and the requirements for both the unit under test and the test facility. The new six day and twelve day test profiles are also described as are the validation results.

Assessing feasibility and acceptability of study procedures : getting ready for implementation of national stroke guidelines in out-patient health care

BACKGROUND: Even though Swedish national guidelines for stroke care (SNGSC) have been accessible for nearly a decade access to stroke rehabilitation in out-patient health care vary considerably. In order to aid future interventions studies for implementation of SNGSC, this study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of study procedures including analysis of the context in out-patient health care settings. METHODS: The feasibility and acceptability of recruitment, observations and interviews with managers, staff and patients were assessed, as well as the feasibility of surveying health care records. RESULTS: To identify patients from the the hospitals was feasible but not from out-patient care where a need to relieve clinical staff of the recruitment process was identified. Assessing adherence to guidelines and standardized evaluations of patient outcomes through health care records was found to be feasible and suitable assessment tools to evaluate patient outcome were identified. Interviews were found to be a feasible and acceptable tool to survey the context of the health care setting. CONCLUSION: In this feasibility study a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures and measures were tested. The results indicate what can be used as a set of feasible and acceptable data collection procedures and suitable measures for studying implementation of stroke guidelines in an out-patient health care context.

Commitment of the Mentally Ill in Maine: a History of Public Policy

This paper traces the historical development in the State of Maine of the procedures by which persons found to be mentally unsound can be committed to institutional care against their will. Beginning in 1820 and continuing to the present, specific changes in the statutes governing this area are noted. Both the criminal and civil commitment procedures are dealt with. Following the historical trace, pending legislation relating to the criminal commitment process is examined in detail. Finally, consideration is given to the need for a complete reexamination of the practice of involuntary commitment involving ethical and constitutional issues.

A garantia constitucional do devido processo legal na investiga����o criminal defensiva: contradit��rio e ampla defesa

A presente monografia tem por finalidade, demonstrar a possibilidade de se adotar a Investiga����o Criminal Defensiva no Ordenamento Jur��dico Brasileiro, tendo em vista as Garantias Constitucionais que a amparam no ��mbito do Devido Processo Legal, em especial os Princ��pios Constitucionais da Ampla Defesa e do Contradit��rio, tendo em vista os benef��cios que esse tipo de investiga����o poderia trazer �� pessoa do indiciado, uma vez que poderia trazer um maior equil��brio entre as partes, uma celeridade processual, al��m de uma maior amplitude de elementos que ir��o formar a convic����o do ��rg��o do Minist��rio P��blico.

Da revis��o criminal e a indeniza����o pelo erro judici��rio

Esse trabalho tem por objetivo a analise do instituto da revis��o criminal, do erro judici��rio e a consequente indeniza����o, a luz do direito processual penal brasileiro. Observando assim, a evolu����o da revis��o criminal no decorrer do tempo, os seus aspectos legais, tais como, procedimento, finalidade e natureza jur��dica, contemplando as vertentes doutrin��rias a respeito do tema. Bem como as consequ��ncias de uma decis��o, que contenha erro judici��rio, sobre a dignidade da pessoa humana, discutindo se a indeniza����o �� realmente eficaz.

Da revis��o criminal e a indeniza����o pelo erro judici��rio

Esse trabalho tem por objetivo a analise do instituto da revis��o criminal, do erro judici��rio e a consequente indeniza����o, a luz do direito processual penal brasileiro. Observando assim, a evolu����o da revis��o criminal no decorrer do tempo, os seus aspectos legais, tais como, procedimento, finalidade e natureza jur��dica, contemplando as vertentes doutrin��rias a respeito do tema. Bem como as consequ��ncias de uma decis��o, que contenha erro judici��rio, sobre a dignidade da pessoa humana, discutindo se a indeniza����o �� realmente eficaz.

Oferta de trabalho, comportamento criminal e redistribui����o de renda

Este trabalho desenvolve e calibra um modelo de equil��brio din��mico de crime. O objetivo �� estudar e quantificar os determinantes do comportamento criminal: aparato de pol��cia, condi����es do mercado de trabalho, perfil et��rio da popula����o, composi����o do capital humano, crescimento econ��nomico e desigualdade de renda. Diferentemente dos trabalhos anteriores, o modelo considerado aqui leva em conta a decis��o individual sobre lazer. Isso permite capturar as diferen��as no padr��o da oferta de trabalho que h�� entre criminosos e n��o criminosos. Uma implica����o �� que a sensibilidade da taxa de crime aos fatores que afetam comportamento criminal �� modificada. Adicionalmente, investiga-se a viabilidade de uma pol��tica de redistribui����o de renda enquanto alternativa a pol��tica de seguran��a p��blica.

Financial regulation and international criminal policy: the anti-money laundering system in Brazil and Argentina

The objective of this paper is to present and compare the process and the results of the implementation of the anti-money laundering system in Brazil and Argentina. Considering that the internal transformations cannot be discussed without a clear understanding of the international apparatus, attention will be given to the description of the ���international policy��� designed and conducted by FATF. Therefore, its incorporation into two different national realities, the Brazilian and the Argentinean ones, will shed light not only on the transnational transformations both States underwent but also on the anti-money laundering regime itself. The paper is divided into five parts. The first one presents a brief introduction on the emergence and development of the relationship between financial regulation and criminal policy. The two following sections are designed to present an overview of the anti money laundering system in Brazil and Argentina and of the role of FATF in their implementation process. The fourth section presents two Brazilian examples of situations in which full advantage of the FATF regime was taken: the National Strategy to Combat Corruption and Money Laundering and the BacenJud, a communication channel between the financial system and the judicial power. To conclude, final comments will be presented in connection with the central questions of the project this paper is part of .

Punitive damages in Brazilian law and the boundaries between criminal and civil liabilities

This article demonstrates the existence of civil responsibility with punitive purposes in Brazilian Law, explaining how it was introduced by jurisdictional activity in cases involving moral damages. Next, it points out main problems this situation represents to Brazilian Law from the standpoint of our juridical dogmatics and public policies. Additionally, it proposes the execution of an empirical research for comprehension of the structure and fundamentals of jurisprudence on the punitive character of civil responsibility for moral damages and establishes criteria for use in this research based on theories of punishment. Finally, it positions the problem of punitive function of civil responsibility in the broader ambit of relationships and boundaries between civil and criminal responsibility.

Crimes financeiros e pol��tica criminal : estudo de ac��rd��os do TRF da 3�� Regi��o sobre os crimes de gest��o fraudulenta e gest��o temer��ria no per��odo de 2001 a 2010

Este trabalho visa produzir conhecimento sobre como o Tribunal Regional Federal da 3�� Regi��o tem decidido sobre dois dos principais crimes afetos �� administra����o das institui����es financeiras: gest��o fraudulenta e gest��o temer��ria. Trata-se de delitos criticados pela doutrina em raz��o das falhas de defini����o dos tipos, desde a edi����o da Lei 7.492, em 1986. Al��m disso, a sua previs��o legislativa possui caracter��sticas que os aproximam do paradigma do direito penal do risco, ou seja: s��o crimes de perigo abstrato, que tutelam bem jur��dico supra-individual, praticados por administradores detentores do dever de probidade na condu����o das institui����es frente aos riscos inerentes �� din��mica do sistema financeiro. A ado����o desse paradigma �� controversa na doutrina penal por implicar a flexibiliza����o de garantias do Estado Democr��tico de Direito sob a perspectiva do paradigma do direito penal tradicional. Diante disso, adota-se a metodologia de an��lise de conte��do de decis��es para se responder a dois problemas de pesquisa: (1) Quais os crit��rios adotados pelo Tribunal para a configura����o dos crimes? (2) As decis��es aproximam-se de algum paradigma de direito penal? As hip��teses objeto de teste s��o: (1) que o Tribunal considera principalmente a pr��tica da conduta sem analisar a sua potencialidade lesiva sob uma perspectiva ex ante; e, (2) que esse discurso de imputa����o de responsabilidade aproxima as decis��es do paradigma do direito penal do risco, considerados, em contexto, outros elementos presentes nas decis��es. Na primeira parte, �� feita uma introdu����o metodol��gica; na segunda, estabelece-se o referencial te��rico; na terceira e na quarta, realizam-se as an��lises dos resultados quantitativos e qualitativos obtidos com a sua discuss��o; por fim, procede-se �� conclus��o, levantando-se novo problema a ser investigado.