Fractal analysis along stretch zone for an aluminum alloy

The topography of fracture surface along stretch zone front for Al7050 is analyzed about its fractal behavior and compared against local distributions of microstructural parameters and stretch zone height, considered here as a toughness parameter. Major influence on microscale was presented by precipitation density. Larger grains should be significant on topographic behavior at macroscale, besides the local toughness measured along stretch zone. The large scattering of fractal measurements along specimen width should limit the validity of models relating fractal values and fracture toughness. It is proposed that models based on mixed fractals must also consider some dispersion parameter instead of mean fractal measurements due to the overall complexity of fracture relief formation. It is suggested that sampling for fractal measurement must be restricted to plane strain region along fracture surface, due to smaller scattering in this region. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fractal behavior throughout stretch zone of 15-5PH steel under elastic-plastic loading conditions

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

Correlation of microcrack fracture size with fatigue cycling on non-crimp fabric/RTM6 composite in the uniaxial fatigue test

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

Low voltage and variable-pressure scanning electron microscopy of fractured composites

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

Extended depth from focus reconstruction using NIH ImageJ plugins: Quality and resolution of elevation maps

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

MRT letter: Extended depth from focus reconstruction method for stretch zone measurement in 15-5PH steel

The stretch zone width (SZW) data for 15-5PH steel CTOD specimens fractured at -150 degrees C to + 23 degrees C temperature were measured based on focused images and 3D maps obtained by extended depth-of-field reconstruction from light microscopy (LM) image stacks. This LM-based method, with a larger lateral resolution, seems to be as effective for quantitative analysis of SZW as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM), permitting to clearly identify stretch zone boundaries. Despite the worst sharpness of focused images, a robust linear correlation was established to fracture toughness (KC) and SZW data for the 15-5PH steel tested specimens, measured at their center region. The method is an alternative to evaluate the boundaries of stretched zones, at a lower cost of implementation and training, since topographic data from elevation maps can be associated with reconstructed image, which summarizes the original contrast and brightness information. Finally, the extended depth-of-field method is presented here as a valuable tool for failure analysis, as a cheaper alternative to investigate rough surfaces or fracture, compared to scanning electron or confocal light microscopes. Microsc. Res. Tech. 75:11551158, 2012. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Participação e ação política dos psicólogos frente à política de saúde mental no Piauí

It is intended to problematize forms of participation and political action of psychologists toward mental health policy in Piauí. The study was motivated through challenges faced by the local Psychiatric Reform movement, and the one underway in the country, which needs support technical-assistence and sociopolitical to guarantee accomplishments and to move on with the complete reversion of the asylum to psychosocial model. The method was based on institutional analysis and counted with three insertion moments for the field research: a) to identify historical and political events that configure the local Psychiatric Reform (documental research/oral memory) and to identify psychologists that act in Mental Health; b) to realize participant observation and semi-structured interview with 33 psychologists which act in Mental Health in Teresina; c) to follow the sociopolitical contexts/events of the local Psychiatric Reform (participant observation and conversation circles). The data were analyzed considering four discussion axes, achieved through categorization of the collected material: 1) ways of professional insertion of psychologists in mental health; 2) knowledge and practices used to act in this work context of the profession; 3) political professional movements of workers of the reformist local process; 4) political action of psychologists toward the course of Piauí mental health policy. We concluded identifying that the participation of psychologists in Piauí mental health finds strength by the conduction of its macro and micropolitical professional action. The first one follows oriented by the lemma of social commitment, despite this movement doesn t have equivalence in the transformation of practices and political-professional postures of psychologists in the daily of services. The second is constituted in the every day of work, standing to the political action of the profession implicated with the preservation of the classic modus operandi of being psychologist. Therefore, it is about the actions that give little sustainability technicalassistance to the Psychiatric Reform underway in the State, and why not say in the country

Comportamento sócio-espacial de pessoas em movimento :um estudo exploratório no calçadão da Avenida Engenheiro Roberto Freire

People-environment interaction, focus of Environmental Psychology studies, presupposes that space influences behavior and vice-versa. Despite of the importance of dynamic reciprocity, there are a few works that treat the mobility condition of the people experimenting space. The present study investigates environmental perception of users of the Engenheiro Roberto Freire Avenue sidewalk, one of the few places in Natal for physical activities practicing, where most people are in intense and continuous movement. A few questions for this study where made: In what way does the individual realize the environment while he is moving? How do reciprocal man-environment relations occur there, according to a mobility context? What are the main difficulties and easiness in man-environment interaction under this condition? The search for these answers is based on concepts of social-spatial human behavior - especially personal space, territoriality, density and crowding and contributions of Barker´s Ecologycal Psychology. Considering that the physical space in this case is multifaceted and the perception of theses scenarios is governed by multiples senses and stimuli, it was defined a multi-methodological route: (i) observation participative in loco; (ii) identification of the main behavior settings at the area; (iii) categorization of the activities occurring at the place; (iv) application of a semi-structured interview; (v) images registered and (vi) construction of the researcher s log. The perception of oneself and others in movement in the environment, immersed in a intricate web of inter-actions, makes people develop mobility strategies, many times unconsciously, with the aim of ensuring satisfaction in its activities. Since the Eng. Roberto Freire Avenue sidewalk is an equipment public-urban largely used by the population of Natal, the reflection of the mobility effectiveness in the users environmental perception is expected, providing suggestions for future studies in this field of knowledge

Precarização do trabalho no setor de supermercados : um estudo de caso com trabalhadores em Natal

Precarization of work, process situated historically after the third Industrial Revolution, express itself as one of the faces of changes in production modus and working conditions. The present study aims to identify the process of work precarization in supermarket sector in Natal municipality. The choice for this sector and professional category is based on low investment in studies on the commercial sector and on technological and administrative transformations that supermarkets have implemented. After a bibliographical review, ten indicators of precarization were chosen which permitted to set up a schedule to interviews and its application to employees of two supermarkets (local companies) in Natal area. The following working functions were chosen to participate in the survey: cashier, display assistant (shelf-stacker) and attendants (N=6). From the interviews we developed an analysis of categorical contents in order to identify the presence of precarization indicators. Categorizations allowed us to identify five major themes: work categorization; work meaning: its attributes; work meaning: work centrality; comments on the employment of apprentices or trainees; and transversal work contents. Such themes contents express or not the presence of precarization process at supermarket sector in Natal area. Precarious work is identified in participants speech when they refer to the employees decreasing power in salaries negotiation between them and employers that institute the precarious work conditions

Avaliação das ações do Núcleo de Apoio à Saúde da Família (NASF) em Macaíba/RN

This research evaluated the contribution of the Support Center for Family Health (SCFH) in relation to its effect on the Family Health Units through perception of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) and SCFH professionals, in addition to the satisfaction of users in relation to that role. Data were collected in the public health services of the city of Macaíba-RN in 2012, through semi-structured questionnaire and non participant systematic observation and it counted as investigated subjects 272 individuals (60 FHS professionals, 12 SCFH professionals and 200 users representatives of 20 units). For analysis of the responses of the opened questions was used categorization process and, in relation to the observational method, that was based on checking the space organization, the characteristics of the participating subjects and the specific set of activities performed by SCFH teams through an observation guide. The results point to a good acceptance of the SCFH teams role by most FHS professionals who reported active participation in the health units routine, its integration activities to the FHS teams with resolving based health promotion actions. Regarding the SCFH professionals, they also reported positive contribution by participating actively in the units routine with integrated activities to the ESF teams and developing resolute actions. For users, the SCFH brought assurance services with better access to specialized, resolving and welcoming care. Systematic observation ratified data obtained by questionnaire. It was perceived the need to implement actions related to man`s health, to invest in expanding the number of the SCFH teams, the greater supply of medications, improving the regulatory process and planning together as a key strategy to promote a more effective integration between teams SCFH / FHS

Influência da técnica de fabricação e dos materiais sobre o ajuste da interface pilar/implante em infraestruturas implantossuportadas

The aim of this study was to compare the misfit vertical, horizontal and passivity of zirconia and cobalt-chromium frameworks fabricated for CAD / CAM technology and conventional method of casting. Sixteen frameworks in one-piece, were obtained from a metallic matrix containing three Brånemark compatible implants with regular platform (Titamax Cortical Ti, Neodent). Eight frameworks were fabricated by CAD / CAM system (NeoShape, Neodent): four in zirconia (ZirCAD) and four cobalt-chromium (CoCrcad). Eight other frameworks were obtained by conventional casting method: four cobalt-chromium with UCLA abutment premachined Co-Cr (CoCrUCci) and four cobalt-chromium with UCLA abutment castable (CoCrUCc). The fit vertical, horizontal and passivity by one-screw test were measured using scanning electron microscopy with magnification of 250x. Initially evaluated the passivity by one-screw test and subsequently to assess the vertical and horizontal misfit, tightened all the screws with a torque of 20 Ncm. Mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values were calculated for each group. Measurements of horizontal misfit were transformed into cumulative frequency for categorization of the variable and the group later comparison groups. To evaluate the existence of quantitative differences between the groups tested for vertical misfit and passivity, we used the Kruskal-Wallis test. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare group to group statistical differences (p <0.05). Were observed the respective mean and standard deviation for vertical misfit and passivity in micrometers: ZirCAD (5.9 ± 3.6, 107.2 ± 36), CoCrcad (1.2 ± 2.2, 107.5 ± 26 ), CoCrUCci (11.8 ± 9.8, 124.7 ± 74), CoCrUCc (12.9 ± 11.0, 108.8 ± 85). There were statistical differences in measures of vertical misfit (p = 0.000). The Mann-Whitney test revealed statistical differences (p <0.05) between all groups except between CoCrUCci and CoCrUCc (p = 0.619). No statistical difference was observed for the passivity. In relation to the horizontal misfit groups ZirCAD and CoCrcad did not show best values in relation to CoCrUCci and CoCrUCc. Based on the results it can be concluded that frameworks fabricated by CAD / CAM technology had better values of vertical fit than those manufactured by the casting method, nevertheless, the passivity was not influenced by manufacturing technique and material used. The horizontal fit obtained by frameworks manufactured by CAD / CAM was not superior to those manufactured by casting. A lower variability in vertical adjustment and passivity was observed when frameworks were fabricated by CAD / CAM technology

Upper gastrointestinal histopathological findings in children and adolescents with nonulcer dyspepsia with helicobacter pylori infection

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the histopathological lesions in the upper gastrointestinal mucosa associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in children with nonulcer dyspepsia.Methods: A cross-sectional case-control study was performed on 185 Brazilian children and adolescents (4-17 years, mean 9.5 +/- 2.7 years), 63.2% girls, submitted to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The histopathological lesions of the esophageal and gastric mucosa were analyzed in biopsy samples.Results: H pylori infection was identified in 96 children (51.8%). Moderate to severe chronic active gastritis was present in antrum (70.5%) and corpus (45.2%), with higher grading in antrum than in corpus (P<0.05). The topographic distribution of inflammation was pangastritis (61.9%), followed by antral (32.1%) and corpus (5.9%). H pylori density was higher in antrum than in corpus. Intestinal metaplasia was not found in the H pylori-infected group, nor was significant gastric atrophy. The scores for esophagitis were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the noninfected group (1.4 +/- 0.8) than in the H pylori-infected group (1.07 +/- 0.9), with significant negative correlation (r = 0.29; P<0.05) with the scores of gastric inflammation.Conclusions: The prevalence of H pylori infection was high among children with dyspepsia and associated with moderate/severe degrees of gastric inflammation. The high scores of esophagitis in the noninfected group point to 2 distinct groups of pathological conditions sharing similar clinical patterns.

Sustentabilidade e responsabilidade socioambiental: crenças provendo a formação de graduandos em administração

This research aims to focus on the education problem, since its source of development is the Research Base: Teachers Training and Qualification of UFRN. Therefore, we seek guidance in the beliefs in sustainability to propose plausible alternatives to promote the education process of UFRN administration undergraduates in order to meet the demands of a market-oriented society, since the market trend is to evolve from environmental guided activities, and future administrators should be trained to meet those conditions. The need to develop an instrument capable of understanding the beliefs of undergraduates on the sustainability problem becomes the object of analysis. This research aims to develop a normative questionnaire to study administration students beliefs in sustainability. The complexity and sensitivity of this research required the integration of various methodological procedures. These proposals were made as follows: analysis and selection of literature, expert validation procedures and psychometric methods and statistics. As for the literature, types of sustainability were identified and categorized, such as: political, social, economic and environmental sustainability. However, it is understood that the educational type, although included in all of those, needed to be converted into another type to fit the theme, since education is believed to be the best way to raise awareness about sustainability. Thus, it was required the categorization of the types, which was defined using criteria such as: contexts, objectives, goals, pathways and hypotheses. The normative questionnaire was the guiding instrument to investigate the role of administration students, regarding the level of knowledge established and regulated by social educational context, especially by becoming a basic condition for carrying out research on beliefs. The study confirmed that the types of sustainability - political, social, economic, environmental and educational - for having institutionalized literatures as sources, in international and national levels, are representative in the identification of future administrators. Therefore, it is believed that the types of sustainability categorized to provide a characterization of sustainability include the structuring of knowledge for undergraduates. The economic and political types, however, were not as representative with respect to their typicality and polarity indices as the educational, environmental and social ones. Although the beliefs of the undergraduates show how much they share ideas on all types, they present more identification with the educational and environmental types. Finally, it is expected that this instrument be subject to application in similar contexts so that it can ascertain whether such statements are part of the knowledge structure of future administrators from other institutions. Therefore, it is expected this strategy to strengthen the validation of the normative questionnaire

A história do intemperismo na Província Borborema Oriental, Nordeste do Brasil: implicações paleoclimáticas e tectônicas

Until some years ago, weathering geochronology was primarily based on the K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating of supergene minerals. Recent advances in the analysis of supergene goethite by the (U-Th)/He method expanded the number of suitable minerals for such purpose, as well as the time of application for weathering geochronology. This study represents the first systematic approach in Brazil, combining both the 40Ar/39Ar e (U-Th)/He methodologies to improve the knowledge on the weathering and the age of nonfossiliferous sediments. Supported by geologic and geomorphologic correlations, we identified different types of weathering profiles occurring in the interior and coastal areas of northeastern Brazil. These profiles were correlated to main regional geomorphological domains: the Borborema Plateau , the Sertaneja Depression , and the Coastal Cuestas and Plains, and respective planation surfaces, which study is fundamental to understand the landscape evolution of the northern portion of the eastern Borborema Province. The depth and stratigraphic organization of the weathering profiles in each of the geomorphological domains permitted to establish that: (i) the profiles on the highlands that cap the Borborema Surface are deeper (up to 100 m) and can be considered as typical lateritic profiles; (ii) on the lowlands that form the Sertaneja Surface , the weathering profiles are shallow and poorly developed (2-5 m deep); (iii) the profiles along the coastal area are moderately developed (up to 25 m deep), and are characterized by thick saprolites and mottle zones. Aiming to establish the timing of the evolution of northeastern Brazil, we studied 29 weathering profiles representing distinct topographic levels of the Borborema Province, from the highlands to the coast, through the analysis of 248 grains of supergene manganese oxides using laser step-heating 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. Additionally, we applied the (U-Th)/He method in 20 weathering profiles, by dating 171 grains of supergene iron oxides and hydroxides. Geochronological results for 248 grains of manganese oxides analyzed by the 40Ar/39Ar method indicate that the weathering profiles in the study area record the history of weathering from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene, with ages in the order of 31.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 0.8 ± 0.4 Ma. Dating of 171 grains of goethite by the (U-Th)/He method yielded ages ranging from 43.2 ± 4.3 Ma to 0.8 ± 0.1 Ma, suggesting the weathering processes last from the Eocene to the Pleistocene. The precipitation of supergene goethite in this interval confirms the age of the weathering processes identified from the manganese oxides record. 105 goethite grains from 8 different occurrences of the Barreiras Formation were dated by the (U-Th)/He method. Five grains collected from the cement in the Barreiras Formation sandstones, in the Lagoa Salgada and Rio do Fogo coastal cuestas, yielded ages of 17.6 ± 1.8 Ma, 17.3 ± 1.7 Ma, 16.3 ± 1.6 Ma, 16.2 ± 1.6 Ma and 13.6 ± 1.4 Ma. Results of 69 goethite grains from authigenic pisoliths collected in 7 different localities also yielded concordant ages, varying from 17.8 ± 1.8 to 7.5 ± 0.8 Ma. Results obtained from 31 detrital grains are concordant in 3 distinct localities (Lagoa Salgada, Praia da Garças e Ponta Grossa); they vary in the range of 43.2 ± 4.3 to 21.6 ± 2.2 Ma, and indicate that the maximum age for the Barreiras Formation deposition is around 22 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar results for 15 manganese oxides grains associated with the Barreiras Formation weathering profiles, in 3 different localities, vary from 13.1 ± 0.9 to 7.7 ± 0.4 Ma, in the same range of ages obtained by the (U-Th)/He method. The systematic application of the 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He methods, respectively for manganese oxides and goethites, show that the Barreiras Formation sediments were already deposited since ca. 17 Ma, and that the weathering processes were active until ca. 7 Ma ago. The ages obtained from manganese oxides collected in the Cenozoic basalts (Macau Formation) also reveal a weathering history between 19 and 7 Ma, pointing to hot and humid conditions during most of the Miocene. 40Ar/39Ar ages yielded by manganese oxides associated with the Serra do Martins Formation vary from 14.1 ± 0.4 to 10.5 ± 0.3 Ma. On the other hand, (U-Th)/He ages from iron oxides/hydroxides collected in the Serra do Martins Formation mesas vary from 20.0 ± 2.0 to 5.5 ± 0.6 Ma, indicating that those sediments are older than 20 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He results produced in this study are in agreement with paleoclimatic interpretations based on stable isotopes and clay index values measured in the Atlantic Ocean sediments, validating the use of weathering geochronology to investigate paleoclimatic variations. The direct dating of the Barreiras Formation permitted, for the first time, confident inferences on the age of the brittle deformation recorded by this sedimentary unit in the Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará states. The first event, syn-deposition, occurred during the early Miocene; an younger event, related to the post-depositional deformation of the Barreiras Formation, is associated with tectonic activity from the very early Miocene to the Holocene. In agreement with data from other areas, results obtained in this study reveal that the depth and complexity of the weathering profiles reflect the time of exposition of such areas to the weathering agents close to the surface. However, there is no clear relationship between ages vs. altitude. The depth and the stratigraphic organization of weathering profiles in northeastern Brazil, contrary to the southeastern Brazil pattern, do not vary toward the coast. In our study area, field observations reveal the presence of ancient, thick and complex lateritic profiles preserved in the sedimentary mesas on the Borborema Plateau, as younger, narrow and incipient ones occur in the dissected areas. Geochronological results obtained for these profiles yielded older ages on the high altitudes, and younger ages in the lowlands, suggesting the scarp retreatment is the most reliable model to explain the regional landscape evolution. However, in the coastal lowlands, the relatively older ages obtained indicate that more complexes processes were involved in the modeling of the local relief

Monitoramento ambiental da costa do Rio Grande do Norte com base em sensoriamento remoto e geodésia de precisão

This paper presents models of parameters of Sea Surface Layer (SSL), such as chlorophyll-a, sea surface temperature (SST), Primary Productivity (PP) and Total Suspended Matter (TSM) for the region adjacent to the continental shelf of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil. Concentrations of these parameters measured in situ were compared in time quasi-synchronous with images AQUA-MODIS between the years 2003 to 2011. Determination coefficients between samples in situ and bands reflectance sensor AQUA-MODIS were representative. From that, concentrations of SSL parameters were acquired for the continental shelf of the RN (eastern and northern) analyzing the geographic distribution of variation of these parameters between the years 2009-2012. Geographical and seasonal variations mainly influenced by global climate phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, were found through the analysis of AQUA-MODIS images by Principal Components Analysis (PCA). Images show qualitatively the variance and availability of TSM in the regions, as well as their relationship with coastal erosion hotspots, monitored along the coast of the RN. In one of the areas identified as being of limited availability of TSM, we developed a methodology for assessment and evaluation of Digital Elevation Models (DEM) of beach surfaces (emerged and submerged sections) from the integration of topographic and bathymetric data measured in situ and accurately georeferenced compatible to studies of geomorphology and coastal dynamics of short duration. The methodology consisted of surveys with GNSS positioning operated in cinematic relative mode involved in topographic and bathymetric executed in relation to the stations of the geodetic network of the study area, which provided geodetic link to the Brazilian Geodetic System (GBS), univocal , fixed, and relatively stable over time. In this study Ponta Negra Beach, Natal / RN, was identified as a region with low variance and availability of MPS in the region off, as characterized by intense human occupation and intense coastal erosion in recent decades, which presents potential of the proposed methodology for accuracy and productivity, and the progress achieved in relation to the classical methods of surveying beach profiles