Níveis de homocisteína e desempenho cognitivo em uma amostra populacional de idosos da cidade do Natal-RN

The imprecision of the frontier that separates those cognitive deficits inherent to the human physiological aging process from those which represent the early signs of nervous system degenerative pathologies ,very prevalent among the elderly, has brought attention to the need of studies aiming to establish clinical and/or laboratorial criteria to allow this differentiation. Elderly people living in poor and developing countries are frequently exposed to precarious socioeconomic conditions which facilitate the development of an array of pathologies which have metabolic and nutritional dysfunctions as the established or proposed etiological agents. The levels of certain micronutrients, such as the vitamins B12 and B9 (folic acid), and of some intermediary metabolites, such as homocysteine are being thought of as etiological factors and/or as biological markers of a group of alterations which affect the normal functioning of the nervous system with important reflexes upon cognitive performance. This study aims to investigate the influence of homocysteine, B12 vitamin and folic acid levels on the cognitive performance of the low income elderly population. This transversal study took place in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, and involved 205 dwelling elderly people, users of the Programa de Saúde da Família, a public healthcare program, maintained by the city s health authorities. A multidimensional questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic aspects and the overall health and nutrition conditions. The cognitive performance was measured by the use of the Portuguese version of the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). The serum levels of homocysteine, B12 vitamin and folic acid were determined by chemiluminescence. The association between the socio-demographic and serum levels of Hcy, B12 vitamin and folic acid was determined by multiple linear regression. Serum levels higher than 13.5 μmol/l, indicative of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), were found on 25.4% of the sample, being more prevalent in men (p<0.05). Deficitary levels of folic acid (<5ng/mol) and of B12 vitamin (<193 pg/ml) were found on 3.9% and 10.2% of the sample respectively. A negative correlation was found between cognitive performance with both age and HHcy and a positive correlation was found between cognitive performance and schooling. The isolated HHcy R2 values were an explanation to only 4% of the variance of the MMSE scores. However, when associated with schooling and age, this model explains about 25% of this association

Cultura e consumo: o fluxo dos bens

It is an ethnographic work that has an objective of verifying devices throngh the residents of a low income suburban area, and the way they deal with their social relations through sonsumerism (and the aspiration connected to it), the symbolic character acquired through consumer goods, understood as one of the fundamental components for the comprehension of the web as relations that established, Though consumerism, individuais will reveal ways of communication, of the status, of creating new forms of action and identification. Using the principal that believes in a web of symbolic significance where own individuais develop their impressions, as a resource to look at their own bodies, a social order (yet unstable), and the process of inclusion in a broader society. In conclusion, the act of consuming is more than a perspective that establishes statistics on consumer goods, with their ways of production, circulation and economic functioning: it is also a way of perceiving a collection mapped by consumers individually and socially, and by those means organizing, classifying and identifyring the social world

O compromisso político do serviço prestado pela Fundação Bradesco na cidade de João Pessoa

In this work we have analyzed the political commitment of the social assistance sponsored by the Bradesco Foundation in João Pessoa. This Foundation is a private institution of public interest that provides social assistance to low income populations all over Brazil. This kind of work is one of the oldest management initiatives in what is actually referred to as managers` social responsibility. This thesis assumes that managers who are in fact socially responsible should guide their actions by the principles of social democracy, so that everyone can enjoy citizens` social freedom, and guarantee their rights as well as the political awareness of social actors. Analysis of documents and a qualitative approach have been applied to the pedagogical Project of the Foundation, as well as phenomenology to study the social profile of their students. The analysis of the pedagogical project as well as the students` standpoint towards life reveals that the Bradesco Foundation is indeed committed to the social efficacy of its students. The educational proposal of the organization includes those elements that are required for teenagers` education envisaging participative citizenship. The teenagers` speech reveals that they have developed the project identity, being therefore able to take part in the process of political transformation of our time. The results indicate that the Bradesco Foundation not only guarantees some of the basic social rights for the healthy development of those who attend their courses, but also sponsors a high level education providing both a technical and a political formation

Quem tem direito à moradia? :uma análise da política nacional de habitação e dos programas de habitação de interesse social (2003-2005)

This dissertation analyses the Brazilian housing policy of today s, focusing on the programmes in the socalled Social Interest Housing Subsystem in order to discuss to what extent the government has been able to grant housing constitutional rights in the country. The discussion is about housing policy and the principles in the country s Constitution regarding the role of housing as a social right, a right that must be granted by the state. This refers to land rent theory to understand the relationship between capital and property and the reasons why, under capitalism, housing becomes a commodity in the market. Then, it discusses the national housing policy, which emphasizes land ownership through financing, that is, via market, a process that excludes all low income population. In the conclusion, it is clear that, although government programmes cover extensively at least potentially the national territory as well as social group, subsidized housing programmes cannot be implemented in the city due to land prices because subsidy is too low. In this way, the law that grants housing rights to all Brazilian citizens is violated

A casa própria: sonho ou realidade? : um olhar sobre os conjuntos habitacionais em Natal

This dissertation is about housing provision under a capitalist system. It aims at analyzing the economic relevance of the Brazilian housing policy, in particular, looking at the housing estates built in Natal city. It also draws on a data-base about living and housing conditions in Natal, produced in the wake of a more comprehensive research of the 50 largest housing estates in the city. Theoretically, the dissertation discusses: the symbolic dimension of housing; housing as a commodity; the alleged social and economic stability of homeownership; and the urban dynamic of housing estates. It also discusses the historic and conceptual references of the Brazilian housing policy and its consequences to Natal city. From the 1960s, polilcy under the BNH privileged the production of large housing estates. Although this was more closely related to economic rather than social objectives, this policy helped expand the urban limits. This was the case for Natal. At the end, this policy was not targeted towards the poorest in society but towards those low income house buyers who could afford to pay for the mortgages on offer

Representações sociais de discentes sobre universidade: um estudo psicossocial entre ingressantes do vestibular e da seleção ProUni

Demand for access to higher education to put in test the education Brazilian system in view of the surplus of selective processes of public universities, people without option to pay their studies at this education level. In this context, it has arisen the University for All(Universidade para Todos)Program, the ProUni, from Ministry of Education - MEC, created by the Federal Government in 2004, and that it aims the granting of full and partial scholarships in private higher education institutions, graduate courses in sequential specific training, low-income Brazilians students who do not have higher-level degree. Created by the Provisional Measure No 213/2004 and institutionalized by Law No. 11096 of January 13, 2005, the ProUni offers, however, the exemption of some taxes to those institutions that join the program. This is one of the privileged time for the study of Social Representations by offering the researcher, a living laboratory, natural environment, the confrontation between the established and new. In time like this people are challenged to incorporate the new system to the pre-existing one, aiming it through a strangeness of what was so familiar. It is through this game of social forces that we developed the present study with 196 entering higher education, of these are 116 of selective vestibular system and 80 of the ProUni selective system. We opt by the procedures for data collection in order to have access to the circulating senses, in addition to the streamlined responses. With foundation in Abric, we perform the test the Free Association of Words, then analysed by the software and by EVOC Content of the type theme as Bardin. Besides, we require of the subjects, a writing on the study object university later analysed by the software ALCESTE. The results point out to a representation strongly rooted in social factors such as more traditional socio-cultural elements: the beliefs, values, the symbols. It is unique in both groups of subjects: among those entering by the selective ProUni system, there was a stronger anchor in that it does not make inquiries about the program. At the same time, there is a stronger presence of objectivation, entering the selective vestibular system in order that they explained with a value judgement on the programme. It is suggested further studies considering the embryonic state of social representation, as recent as the social purpose that triggered. It would be relevant even the replication of the same research with other people in order to strengthen the power of the theorising of empiria available

Da negatividade a positividade: possível trânsito de saberes, práticas e representações sociais sobre o estigma da hanseníase

Leprosy is a chronic infectious-contagious disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, manifested by dermatological and neurological signs and symptoms and has great disabling power. It was marked by a strong stigma throughout its history, since its bearers represented a threat, target of fear and social contempt. Currently, leprosy has treatment and cure, and the need to separate the diseased from family and social environment is no more necessary. However, patients still suffer prejudice and discrimination. This study aimed to understand the social representations of leprosy that interfere modifying mental health of the patient with leprosy in relation to stigma and prejudice. This is a descriptive and exploratory study, with qualitative approach, which involved 22 users of the Special Care Clinic in Infectious Diseases at the Hospital Giselda Trigueiro, located in Natal / RN. They were in use of multidrug therapy in the period of data collection, were of both sexes, aged between 16 and 80 years of age and classified as paucibacillary or multibacillary. The study was approved by the UFRN Ethics in Research Committee. Data collection was performed by filling the questionnaire identification and then for conducting the semi-structured interview, which was recorded. After the end of data collection, there was the construction of tables and graphs, using the Microsoft Excel Start 2010 for proper characterization of the research subjects; and for the treatment of the data obtained from the interviews, was used the Content Analysis and based on the Theory of Social Representations. The subjects studied were mostly male (64%), married or in a stable relationship (68%), concentrated in the age group 50-60 years (36%) and 28-38 years (23%), had at most elementary education (65%) and were low-income (59%). Of the total respondents, 64% were classified as multibacillary, with predominantly dimorfous form, and 50% had disability grade I or II, with different periods of diagnosis. The reports originate two categories: 1. The negative meanings of illness and leprosy; and 2. The positive meanings of illness in leprosy, which were subsequently subdivided into subcategories. Thus, it was found that in the group studied, the social representation of leprosy experiences a moment of transition, as regards the understanding of the disease and its way of experiencing the disease process. Such representation is anchored in the quality of information on the disease of its bearers and aimed at an attempt to face the illness of leprosy as a "normal process". It was found in this study that the transition is due to the work of combating stigma and consequences of leprosy, which is able to gradually transform reality, both regarding the team work of reference, and in relation to a broader character, of actions of health education, which favors overcoming of psychosocial disabilities

Projeto, construção e análise de desempenho de coletores solares alternativos utilizando garrafas pet

A solar alternative system for water heating is presented. It work on a thermosiphon, consisting of one or two alternative collectors and a water storage tank also alternative, whose main purpose is to socialize the use of energy mainly to be used by people of low income. The collectors were built from the use of pets bottles, cans of beer and soft drinks and tubes of PVC, ½ " and the thermal reservoirs from a drum of polyethylene used for storage of water and garbage placed inside cylinder of fiber glass and EPS ground between the two surfaces. Such collectors are formed by three elements: pet bottles, cans and tubes absorbers. The heating units, which form the collector contains inside the cans that can be closed, in original form or in the form of plate. The collectors have an absorber grid formed by eight absorbers PVC tube, connected through connections at T of the same material and diameter. It will be presented data of the thermal parameters which demonstrate the efficiency of the heating system proposed. Relative aspects will be boarded also the susceptibility the thermal degradation and for UV for the PVC tubes. It will be demonstrated that this alternative heating system, which has as its main feature low cost, presents thermal, economic and materials viabilities

Estudo da Potencialidade da produção de tijolos de adobe misturado com outros materiais: uma alternativa de baixo custo para a construção civil

The production of the red pottery brick, made traditionally with clay, is a technique that is already stabled. However, in spite of the little complexity that involves the conventional process of these bricks production, it are exposed to many problems that begin in the fase of exploration of the mines, the problems get worse because of the lack of the clay's characterization, and they continue through the steps of the dough preparation, conformation of the products, the drying and the burning process. The wastefulness is shown and so is the low quality of the material produced. Among other factors, the high use of energy in the burning makes the cost of this material inaccessible to the low income consumer. Besides this, the destruction of the environment around the mines and the use of native vegetation to produce wood - the most used fuel in the pottery industry - make serious environmental damage. The production technique of a new type of simple brick (adobe), that has low cost and no environmental damage, can be the viable altemative to lower the cost of this part of the civil construction, and, consequently, in the building of cheaper houses. In this paper, the results of the mechanical resistance of the adobe brick are shown, using in its composition, clay, natural vegetable fibers, cement and plaster in a process that is completely handcrafted and manual. It is intented to make clear that are possible alternatives to be put in practice, with the simple process, using "raw earth" that has been used in the construction of houses in thousands of years, trying to solve these severe problems. Analysis and tests were performed to find results that could prove the possibility of the utilization of this kind of material. Other studies are in progress, and the new researches are necessary to enrich this work, but it stays the certainty that there is potential to produce bricks from adobe, as an alternative that has low cost to civil construction

Estudo térmico e de materiais na construção de casas populares com blocos confeccionados a partir de um composto a base de cimento, gesso, eps e raspa de pneu

We built an experimental house on an UFRN´s land using blocks made by a composite consisting of cement, plaster, EPS, crushed rubber and sand. Several blocks were made from various compositions and we made preliminary tests of mechanical and thermal resistance, choosing the most appropriate proportion. PET bottles were used inside the block to provide thermal resistance. In this work, a second function was given to the bottles: to serve as a docking between the blocks, because the ends of the cylinders came out of each block on top as well as at the bottom, with the bottom cut, allowing to fit of the extremities of the upper cylinder of a block in the lower holes of the other one, which were formed by the cutting already mentioned. Minimum compression tests were performed according to ABNT standards for walls closing blocks (fence). With that house built, we did studies of thermal performance in order to ascertain conditions of comfort, checking external and internal temperatures in the walls and in the ambient, among other variables, such as wind speed and relative humidity. The resulting blocks provided adequate thermal insulation to the environment, where the walls presented differences up to 11.7 ºC between the outer and inner faces, getting the maximum temperature inside the house around 31 °C, within the so-called thermal comfort zone for warm climates. At the end of the experiments it was evident the effectiveness of that construction in order to provide thermal comfort in the internal environment of the house, as well as we could confirm the viability of building houses from recyclable materials, reducing the constructive costs, becoming a suitable alternative for low- incoming families. Moreover, besides the low cost, the proposal represents an alternative use of various recyclable materials, therefore considered an ecological solution

Análise de desempenho de um fogão solar construído a partir de sucatas de antena de tv

Given the growing environmental crisis caused by degradation, mainly due to the use of polluting energy sources, increasing the growing use of renewable energies worldwide, with emphasis on solar energy, an abundant supply and available to everyone, which can be harnessed in several ways: electricity generation; dehydration of food; heating, disinfection and distillation and cooking. The latter has as its primary feature the viability of clean, renewable energy for society, combating ecological damage caused by large-scale use of firewood for cooking foods, use in tropical countries with high solar radiation, and has funding NGOs throughout the world with the goal of achieving low-income population. The proposed project consists of a solar cooker for concentration, working from the reflection of sunlight by a hub that they converge to a focal point at the bottom of the pot, getting lots of heat. The solar cooker under study consists of two elliptical reflecting parabolas made from the recycling of scrap TV antenna, having 0.29 m² of surface area for each antenna, which were covered by multiple mirrors of 2 mm thick and mounted on a metal structure, with correction for the mobility of the apparent movement of the sun. This structure was built with the recycling of scrap metal, possessing a relatively low cost compared with other solar cookers, around US$ 50.00. This cost becomes negligible, since that will involve a great benefit to not have fuel costs for each meal, unlike the use of gas or firewood for cooking food. The tests show that the cooker has reached the maximum temperature of 740 ° C, for boiling water in an average time of 28 minutes, cooking various types of foods such as potatoes, rice and pasta in an average time of 45 minutes and still going as a solar oven, making pizza baking and meat. These cooking times do not differ much from the cooking times on a gas stove, it becomes the solar cooker as a good consumer acceptance, and furthermore not to deliver the same gases that can poison the food as with the wood stove. Proves the viability of using the stove to cook or bake in two daily meals for a family, still presenting a position to improve his performance with the addition of new materials, equipment and techniques

Compósito para fabricação de blocos para construção de casas: estudos térmico e de materiais

We present two models of blocks made of composite material obtained from the use of cement, plaster, EPS crushed, shredded tire, mud, sand and water, for the construction of popular housing. Were made metal molds for the manufacture of blocks to be used in the construction of a residence for low-income families. Performed tests of compressive strength of the composite for various formulations that met the specific standard for blocks used in construction. To study the thermal conductivity of the composite for further study of thermal comfort generated in a residence built with the proposed composite. We also determined the mass-specific and water absorption for each formulation studied. Using a home already built with another composite material, made up the closing of a window with the building blocks and found the thermal insulation, measuring external and internal temperatures of the blocks. The blocks had made good thermal insulation of the environment, resulting in differences of up to 12.6°C between the outer and inner faces. It will be shown the feasibility of using composite for the end proposed and chosen the most appropriate wording

Estudo de um secador solar fabricado apartir de sucata de tambor de polietileno

The scarcity of farmland, reducing the supply of irrigation water and lack of technologies for conservation, makes the globalized world facing serious difficulties in the production of food for its population. The most viable outlet for this dilemma is the dissemination of technologies, economically viable and available to the whole population, for dehydration of perishable foods produced. This paper presents a solar dryer of direct exposure to the production of dried fruit, made from recycled polyethylene drum of 200 liters, used for storing water or trash. The drum was sectioned in half in its longitudinal axis and has its halves together forming a trough-like structure. It describes the processes of construction and assembly of solar dryer proposed, whose main characteristic its low cost, and was designed for use by people with low income, for processing fruits widely available in our region (mango, banana, guava, cashew, pineapple, tomato and others) in dried fruit and flour, contributing significantly to increase the life of these foods. The nuts and flours can be used for own consumption and for marketing jobs and income generation. Tests were conducted to diagnose the feasibility of using solar dryer for the various types of tropical fruits. Were also compared parameters such as drying times and thermal efficiency obtained with the prototype found in the specialized literature in food dehydration. The drying times in the dryer were obtained competitive with those obtained in other models of dryers LMHES developed

Correlação entre condições de saneamento básico e parasitoses intestinais na população de Assis, Estado de São Paulo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Um sonho distante: reflexões sobre acessibilidade nos conjuntos habitacionais do pmcmv faixa 1 na região metropolitana de Natal

This dissertation seeks to reflect on the accessibility of the governmental program Minha Casa Minha Vida, track 1, which comprehends people who made 0 to 3 minimum wages within the metropolitan region of Natal RN between the years of 2009 and 2012. The research covers the municipalities benefited by the program: Ceará-Mirim, Extremoz, Macaíba, Monte Alegre, Natal, Nísia Floresta, Parnamirim and São Gonçalo do Amarante. We have investigated the extensions of PMCMV on the context of the access to the city, debating some concepts attached to the capitalist mode of production such as residential segregation and peripherization. We have aimed to identify the accessibility conditions in the new housing complexes from three primal categories, namely, the localization of the complexes, the disponibility of public equipments, services, leisure and cultural properties on the neighborhood and the offer of public transport. Our theorical references are based on the ideas of the british geographer David Harvey on his work Social Justice and the City , from 1980. Harvey s studies made us debate on the locational choice for the social-matter habitation, and also let us discuss the price to accessibility on these new programs and its implications on the income of those who are benefited by them, specially because this is about a low-income population. To the achievement of these objectives, we made use of case study, including desk research, photographic documentation, records of field observations and informal conversations with locals, composing a qualitative study. In light of what has been researched and considering the guiding research questions, we reflect on aspects of the program that can greatly influence the processes of residential segregation and housing periphery of the lowincome population from the precarious conditions of accessibility to the referred population