Avaliação Pós-Ocupação da iluminação natural das salas dos setores de aulas teóricas da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

The objective of this study is to assess the natural light of the classrooms sectors, at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. It was applied the Post-Occupation Evaluation technique, by using questionnaires and brightness levels measurements inside the classrooms. In order to check the users satisfaction degree, it was initially done a general approach on the related aspects to natural light: their characteristics, availability, sources, opening systems and evaluating tools. It was also determined the necessary brightness levels for the activities development in the classroom and the Post-Occupation Evaluation technique used in the search analyses. Then, it was made the UFRN Campus` characterization; the models` definition which formed the data collection basis; the detailing of the procedures used in the research, the processing description and the data analysis. Subsequently, the results that clarify the issues raised were shown through quantitative and / or qualitative data analyses. This research notes a high level of satisfaction by the users, despite some problems such as the reflections occurrence on the board, the lack of uniformity and, occasionally, the brightness low levels

O coração e o dragão: perspectivas da vida urbana em uma cidade fragmentada

This research aims to study dimensions of urban life in the contemporaneous city. It is an effort to understand the functioning of the contemporary city as an artifact that somehow affects social relations. The study focuses on the limits and possibilities of urbanity in the city today, understanding urbanity as a set of factors that favor wealth, diversity and spontaneity of public life. The research aims to show that cities today tend to criate fragmented urban life into at least one of the three urbanity dimensions: spatial dimension, social and temporal dimension. The study involves the analysis of two public spaces in Fortaleza (Praça do Ferreira and the open urban public spaces of the Centro Cultural Dragão do Mar), using Space Syntax Analysis methods and for Post Occupancy Evaluation procedures. Research shows that temporal dimension of urbanity is limited in the public spaces studied. In Praça do Ferreira, spatial and social dimensions are present, but their effects are limited by the temporal dimension. The Dragão do Mar, on the other hand, the spatial and social dimensions of urban life are more limited and more concentrated in time

Layout, conforto e satisfação dos usuários em escritórios: uma avaliação pós-ocupação no edifício da sede administrativa do INPE-CRN

This research aimed to identify the link between the layout of workspaces in offices and the design strategies for environmental comfort. Strategies surveyed were focused on the thermal, visual and luminic comfort. In this research, visual comfort is related to issues of visual integration within and between the interior and exterior of the building. This is a case study conducted at the administrative headquarters of Centro Regional Nordeste do Instituto de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE-CRN), located in Natal/RN. The methodological strategy used was the Post-Occupancy Evaluation, which combined the survey data on the building (layout of workspaces, bioclimatic strategies adopted in the design, use of these strategies) with some techniques aimed at acquiring qualitative information related to users. The workspace layout is primordial to satisfaction and productivity of workers. Issues such as concentration, communication, privacy, personal identity, density and space efficiency, barriers (access, visual and even ventilation and lighting), among others, are associated with the layout. The environmental comfort is one of the essential elements to maintaining life quality in workplace. Moreover, it is an important factor in user`s perception of the space in which he or she are inserted. Both layout and environmental comfort issues should be collected and analyzed in the establishment phase of the programming step. That way, it is possible to get adequate answers to these questions in subsequent project phases. It was found that changes in the program that occurred over time, especially concerning persons (number and characteristics), resulted in changes in layout, generating high density and inflexible environments. It turns difficult to adjust the furniture to the occupants` requirement, including comfort needs. However, the presence of strategies for environmental quality provides comfort to spaces, ensuring that, even in situations not considered optimal, users perceive the environment in a positive way. It was found that the relationship between environmental comfort and layout takes the following forms: in changing the perception of comfort, depending on the layout of the arrangements; adjustments in layout, due to needs for comfort; and the elevation of user satisfaction and environmental quality due to the presence of strategies comfort even in situations of inadequate layout

Evaluation of ventilation performance in public spaces.

Smoking restrictions in the workplace and increased health consciousness at home have seen a sizable reduction in the number of spaces where smoking is permissible. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ventilation in public houses, one of the few remaining public spaces where smoking is still socially acceptable. Little is known about the situation with shared occupancies, where relatively large areas are intended to accommodate both smokers and non-smokers. This study clearly identifies potential problems with a simplistic design approach to ventilation and its effectiveness in the context of shared occupancy spaces. A computational fluid dynamics code has been used to model airflows with the aim of identifying inefficiencies in existing ventilation systems.

Indicações para o projeto arquitetônico de edifícios multifamiliares: uma análise pósocupação em Natal/RN

Confirming the Brazilian tendency in the field, the multifamily vertical condominium habitats in Natal are defined as buildings with three or more floors which have been an increasingly used solution. In the mentioned project, the connection between the projectarchitects and the user/ buyers are spread out, by which the first people conceive the realestate property as a creation for the market and not the individual client in specific. Such situation along with technical and financial limitations of the project lead to the adoption of standard solutions to be utilized by clients with different profiles. Besides that, there are various legal and urban parameters by the City Director Plan showing elements of great influence in the final solution adopted by the mentioned edifices. Moving to this subject in general, this project is focused on the case study of the Ed. Ville de Montpellier, having as a base of Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE), considered an efficient tool to analyze and keep up with the progress of the construction of the building, including technical approvals, the application of surveys with the local residents and the creation of informal interviews. The data shows that with time some items that initially motivated the acquisition of the realestate property (with a social common area) move to being less valued, and that the residents quickly alter the pre constructed space, thus seeking to alter the property in a more personal and conforming manner. The possibility of a new emphasis for projects on the mentioned space should also be in discussion, the created project calls for the attention of projected conceptual aspects and interdependence within project and construction which permits the indication of some recommendations for the projection of multifamily residential buildings within the studied realm

Construir frondoso :uma herança esquecida?

This dissertation of master degree was presented to Post-Graduation Program in Architecture and Planning at UFRN, Brazil. It evaluates 45 one-family housings in the Metropolitan Area of Recife, whose architects consider them to be in conformity with the recommendations contained in Armando de Holanda's book: A Guide to build in the Brazilian Northeast: Architecture as a pleasant place in the sunny tropics , published in 1976 by UFPE. For a long time, it used to be reference in many Architecture and Planning Schools of the Northern Region of Brazil. The research s methodological procedures are based on the Post- Occupancy Evaluation (P.O.E.) with emphasis on the users' thermal comfort of the houses that make part of the sample. Therefore, it has been done technical analyses of the projects, when possible; interviews with the architects; building s inspections; and form applications to the users. The collected data analysis was based on the project recommendations of Holanda s book, they can be synthesized in the principle of Building Leafy". It can not be affirmed that all the houses present the recommendations contained in the guide, but, in many different ways, they exist, sometimes more intensely and sometimes more shyly. However, it can be noticed that in the 45 projects, that the architects perceived the importance of "Building Leafy" on the climatic reality of the Metropolitan Region of Recife

Moro em edifício histórico, e agora?: avaliação pós-ocupação de habitações multifamiliares no Centro Histórico de São Luís -MA

The central question of the research if inserts in thematic current and of relevance for the studies in Preservation and a Conservation of Historical Centers. It analyzes the relations between habitacional use, satisfaction of the inhabitants and preservation of the patrimony constructed in the Historical Center of São Luis-MA It considers that the use is factor that makes possible the transformation of spaces in places , prioritizing the point of view of the user as essential element to the analysis of the reality and that enriches the evaluation technique of the functional and formal aspects of the constructed environment. It is looked to understand the relation man-environment, and mainly, to verify as it happens throughout the process of the occupation and of appropriation of historical buildings destined to habitacional reuse, and still if this appropriation favors the preservation of the Historical Center of São Luís

É preciso ter coragem: um estudo das narrativas de mulheres na política

É na busca por compreender a inserção e participação de mulheres na política partidária na contemporaneidade que esta dissertação, situada na linha de pesquisa Culturas, Linguagens e Utopias, tem como objetivo analisar as narrativas de vereadoras de municípios que estão localizados na região sul do Rio Grande do Sul no período de 2009-2012. O corpus de análise constitui-se de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas com as onze vereadoras participantes a partir da metodologia de investigação narrativa. Partindo das contribuições dos Estudos Culturais e de Gênero em suas vertentes pós-estruturalistas procurou-se problematizar alguns discursos e práticas que emergiram nas narrativas com base nas contribuições da análise do discurso de Michel Foucault. Assim, verificou-se que a representação cultural das mulheres neste campo político está fundamentada em concepções essencialistas do gênero feminino como a sensibilidade. Isso vem provocando discussões na ciência política e nos estudos de gênero a partir de termos como política de ideias, política de desvelo que discutem a presença das mulheres em decorrência ou não desses atributos. O fato é que esses discursos vêm instituindo diferenças na participação de homens e mulheres na política e constituindo formas de ser mulher na política partidária e de fazer política diferenciada das dos homens de forma menos “dura”, “rígida”. Ao debruçar-se na inserção das mulheres nessa esfera pública constatou-se uma trajetória marcada pelas noções de público e privado que impediu ao longo de nossa história a participação das mulheres no campo político e o desenvolvimento de sua cidadania. Além disso, nas narrativas das vereadoras fica evidente que as mulheres não foram constituídas para participarem do que hoje é um direito seu: a esfera pública de decisão da política. Isso foi constatado a partir do convite que foi feito para a candidatura pelos partidos que a partir das cotas partidárias procuraram mais significativamente por mulheres para concorrer. Também se observou neste estudo o capital político de ingresso das mulheres nessa esfera: o capital familiar, capital dos movimentos sociais e capital de ocupação em cargos públicos. Quanto a participação das mulheres no cotidiano de seus mandatos identificamos a dificuldade de ser mulher e política na atualidade. As negociações com os partidos e os colegas, a conciliação entre a família e a vida pública; os focos de atuação dedicados as áreas sociais e nesse destacamos mais significativamente a educação. Por fim, o que pretendemos foi desconfiar da máxima “lugar de mulher não é na política” e conhecer as trajetórias e histórias de mulheres que cotidianamente entre conflitos e disputas lutam pelo seu lugar na esfera pública, pelo exercício de sua cidadania.

Indoor air quality in Portuguese schools: levels and sources of pollutants

Indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters in 73 primary classrooms in Porto were examined for the purpose of assessing levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes, particulate matter, ventilation rates and bioaerosols within and between schools, and potential sources. Levels of VOCs, aldehydes, PM2.5 , PM10 , bacteria and fungi, carbon dioxide (CO2 ), carbon monoxide, temperature and relative humidity were measured indoors and outdoors and a walkthrough survey was performed concurrently. Ventilation rates were derived from CO2 and occupancy data. Concentrations of CO2 exceeding 1000 ppm were often encountered, indicating poor ventilation. Most VOCs had low concentrations (median of individual species <5 μg/m(3) ) and were below the respective WHO guidelines. Concentrations of particulate matter and culturable bacteria were frequently higher than guidelines/reference values. The variability of VOCs, aldehydes, bioaerosol concentrations, and CO2 levels between schools exceeded the variability within schools. These findings indicate that IAQ problems may persist in classrooms where pollutant sources exist and classrooms are poorly ventilated; source control strategies (related to building location, occupant behavior, maintenance/cleaning activities) are deemed to be the most reliable for the prevention of adverse health consequences in children in schools.

Exposure of children to ultrafine particles in primary schools in Portugal

Children spend a large part of their time at schools, which might be reflected as chronic exposure. Ultrafine particles (UFP) are generally associated with a more severe toxicity compared to fine and coarse particles, due to their ability to penetrate cell membranes. In addition, children tend to be more susceptible to UFP-mediated toxicity compared to adults, due to various factors including undeveloped immune and respiratory systems and inhalation rates. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine indoor UFP number concentrations in Portuguese primary schools. Ultrafine particles were sampled between January and March 2014 in 10 public primary schools (35 classrooms) located in Porto, Portugal. Overall, the average indoor UFP number concentrations were not significantly different from outdoor concentrations (8.69 × 10(3) vs. 9.25 × 10(3) pt/cm(3), respectively; considering 6.5 h of indoor occupancy). Classrooms with distinct characteristics showed different trends of indoor UFP concentrations. The levels of carbon dioxide were negatively correlated with indoor UFP concentrations. Occupational density was significantly and positively correlated with UFP concentrations. Although the obtained results need to be interpreted with caution since there are no guidelines for UFP levels, special attention needs to be given to source control strategies in order to reduce major particle emissions and ensure good indoor air quality.

Community- and population-level effects of chytridiomycosis in a Neotropical amphibian community

As the number of fungal pathogen outbreaks become more frequent worldwide across taxa, so have the number of species extirpations and communities persisting with the pathogen. This phenomenon raises questions, such as: “what leads to host extinction during an outbreak?” and “how are hosts persisting once the pathogen establishes?.” But the data on host populations and communities across life stages before and after pathogen arrival rarely exist to answer these questions. Over the past three to four decades, the amphibian-killing fungus Batrachochytrim dendrobatidis (Bd) spread in a wave-like manner across Central America, leading to rapid species extirpations and population declines. I collected data on tadpole and adult amphibians in El Copé, Panama before, during, and after the Bd outbreak to answer these questions. I used Bayesian statistical approaches to account for imperfect host and pathogen detection of marked and unmarked individuals. In the tadpole community, within 11 months of Bds arrival, density and occupancy rapidly declined. Species losses were phylogenetically correlated, with glass frogs disappearing first, and tree frogs and poison-dart frogs remaining. I found that tadpole communities resembled one another more strongly after the outbreak than they did before Bd invasion. I found no tadpoles within 22 months of the outbreak and limited signs of recovery within 10 years. In contrast, at the same site, for a population of male glass frogs, Espadarana prosopleon, I found that 10 years post-outbreak, the population was consistently half its historic abundance, and that the lack of recruits to the population explained why the population had not rebounded, rather than high pathogen-induced mortality. And finally, examining the entire amphibian community, I found high pathogen prevalence, low infection intensities, and high survival rates of uninfected and infected hosts. Bd transmission risk, i.e., the probability a susceptible host becomes infected, did not relate to host density, pathogen prevalence, or infection intensity– Bd transmission risk was uniform across the study area. My results are especially relevant to conservation biologists aiming to predict the future impacts of Bd outbreaks, those trying to manage persisting populations, and those interested in reintroducing species back into wild amphibian communities.

EXISTENCE OF UNUSED MANAGED CAPACITY ON DEDICATED LANES AND AN ALTERNATIVE ON HOW TO SELL IT VIA AUCTIONS

This dissertation verifies whether the following two hypotheses are true: (1) High-occupancy/toll lanes (and therefore other dedicated lanes) have capacity that could still be used; (2) such unused capacity (or more precisely, “unused managed capacity”) can be sold successfully through a real-time auction. To show that the second statement is true, this dissertation proposes an auction-based metering (ABM) system, that is, a mechanism that regulates traffic that enters the dedicated lanes. Participation in the auction is voluntary and can be skipped by paying the toll or by not registering to the new system. This dissertation comprises the following four components: a measurement of unused managed capacity on an existing HOT facility, a game-theoretic model of an ABM system, an operational description of the ABM system, and a simulation-based evaluation of the system. Some other and more specific contributions of this dissertation include the following: (1) It provides a definition and a methodology for measuring unused managed capacity and another important variable referred as “potential volume increase”. (2) It proves that the game-theoretic model has a unique Bayesian Nash equilibrium. (3) And it provides a specific road design that can be applied or extended to other facilities. The results provide evidence that the hypotheses are true and suggest that the ABM system would benefit a public operator interested in reducing traffic congestion significantly, would benefit drivers when making low-reliability trips (such as work-to-home trips), and would potentially benefit a private operator interested in raising revenue.

Metastability and dynamics of stem cells: from direct observations to inference at the single cell level

Organismal development, homeostasis, and pathology are rooted in inherently probabilistic events. From gene expression to cellular differentiation, rates and likelihoods shape the form and function of biology. Processes ranging from growth to cancer homeostasis to reprogramming of stem cells all require transitions between distinct phenotypic states, and these occur at defined rates. Therefore, measuring the fidelity and dynamics with which such transitions occur is central to understanding natural biological phenomena and is critical for therapeutic interventions.

While these processes may produce robust population-level behaviors, decisions are made by individual cells. In certain circumstances, these minuscule computing units effectively roll dice to determine their fate. And while the 'omics' era has provided vast amounts of data on what these populations are doing en masse, the behaviors of the underlying units of these processes get washed out in averages.

Therefore, in order to understand the behavior of a sample of cells, it is critical to reveal how its underlying components, or mixture of cells in distinct states, each contribute to the overall phenotype. As such, we must first define what states exist in the population, determine what controls the stability of these states, and measure in high dimensionality the dynamics with which these cells transition between states.

To address a specific example of this general problem, we investigate the heterogeneity and dynamics of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). While a number of reports have identified particular genes in ES cells that switch between 'high' and 'low' metastable expression states in culture, it remains unclear how levels of many of these regulators combine to form states in transcriptional space. Using a method called single molecule mRNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH), we quantitatively measure and fit distributions of core pluripotency regulators in single cells, identifying a wide range of variabilities between genes, but each explained by a simple model of bursty transcription. From this data, we also observed that strongly bimodal genes appear to be co-expressed, effectively limiting the occupancy of transcriptional space to two primary states across genes studied here. However, these states also appear punctuated by the conditional expression of the most highly variable genes, potentially defining smaller substates of pluripotency.

Having defined the transcriptional states, we next asked what might control their stability or persistence. Surprisingly, we found that DNA methylation, a mark normally associated with irreversible developmental progression, was itself differentially regulated between these two primary states. Furthermore, both acute or chronic inhibition of DNA methyltransferase activity led to reduced heterogeneity among the population, suggesting that metastability can be modulated by this strong epigenetic mark.

Finally, because understanding the dynamics of state transitions is fundamental to a variety of biological problems, we sought to develop a high-throughput method for the identification of cellular trajectories without the need for cell-line engineering. We achieved this by combining cell-lineage information gathered from time-lapse microscopy with endpoint smFISH for measurements of final expression states. Applying a simple mathematical framework to these lineage-tree associated expression states enables the inference of dynamic transitions. We apply our novel approach in order to infer temporal sequences of events, quantitative switching rates, and network topology among a set of ESC states.

Taken together, we identify distinct expression states in ES cells, gain fundamental insight into how a strong epigenetic modifier enforces the stability of these states, and develop and apply a new method for the identification of cellular trajectories using scalable in situ readouts of cellular state.

2015 Mortgage Log Analysis Report

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs publishes an annual mortgage log report as a requirement of the South Carolina Mortgage Lending Act, which became effective on January 1, 2010. The mortgage log report analyzes the following data, concerning all mortgage loan applications taken: the borrower’s credit score, term of the loan, annual percentage rate, type of rate, and appraised value of the property. The mortgage log report also analyzes data required by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, including the following information: the loan type, property type, purpose of the loan, owner/occupancy status, loan amount, action taken, reason for denial, property location, gross annual income, purchaser of the loan, rate spread, HOEPA status, and lien status as well as the applicant and co-applicant’s race, ethnicity, and gender.

Avaliação Pós-Ocupação da iluminação natural das salas dos setores de aulas teóricas da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

The objective of this study is to assess the natural light of the classrooms sectors, at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. It was applied the Post-Occupation Evaluation technique, by using questionnaires and brightness levels measurements inside the classrooms. In order to check the users satisfaction degree, it was initially done a general approach on the related aspects to natural light: their characteristics, availability, sources, opening systems and evaluating tools. It was also determined the necessary brightness levels for the activities development in the classroom and the Post-Occupation Evaluation technique used in the search analyses. Then, it was made the UFRN Campus` characterization; the models` definition which formed the data collection basis; the detailing of the procedures used in the research, the processing description and the data analysis. Subsequently, the results that clarify the issues raised were shown through quantitative and / or qualitative data analyses. This research notes a high level of satisfaction by the users, despite some problems such as the reflections occurrence on the board, the lack of uniformity and, occasionally, the brightness low levels