Visões da cidade : da cidade histórica aos bairros da Cidade Alta e Ribeira em Natal-RN

The present work is an initiative of undertaking a perspective that values the aspects of the city in its diversity. The one that t intends is to discuss the urbanity starting from the aspect of the image, of the history, and about main point, to value the point of the individual's view that lives the urban space in its more several configurations: the house, the street, the neighborhood, and the city in wider scale. The described historical research defines the city as space of the human accomplishments. When analyzing the moments of the most recent history of the urban life the modernity/post-modernity notions they are explored in the sense of illuminating the wealth, continuity and it breaks of patterns of behavior, and on the other hand, to describe a I overfly in the several times of the city. The prominences of aspects of the archaeology and of the descriptive resource they are related, for its time, the most punctual perspective of the practical research, the instance of the neighborhood, specifically High City and Riverside, configuring an immersion in the daily more punctual of the city, valuing forms of being, aiming the perspective of the personal computer as point-of-view. The images of the city assume the paper of representing the documental about the current features of the urbanity. It is without a doubt that at the present time the photographic image already possesses a paper of prominence it is as research instrument, be as main source for a work on files of photos. The photographic images in the present work possess a prominence place, focusing specific places of the city in the time. Finally, the individual's voice valued under the perspective on as the person's knowledge that inhabits and live the urbanity he/she understands the knowledge of the life in the city and, more than in any other place, a middle where the loss of action models is pointed very easily tends in view the dynamic movement of the practices and renewal of new indications; in the same space in that becomes urgent to build marks starting from which the individual can shimmer the future. And in that space the individual's voice is valued as rich source of information on living the scenery of conflicts of the present time

Nucleus isthmi and control of breathing in amphibians

Despite recent advances, the mechanisms of neurorespiratory control in amphibians are far from understood. One of the brainstem structures believed to play a key role in the ventilatory control of anuran amphibians is the nucleus isthmi (NI). This nucleus is a mesencephalic structure located between the roof of the midbrain and the cerebellum, which differentiates during metamorphosis; the period when pulmonary ventilation develops in bullfrogs. It has been recently suggested that the NI acts to inhibit hypoxic and hypercarbic drives in breathing by restricting increases in tidal volume. This data is similar to the influence of two pontine structures of mammals, the locus coeruleus and the nucleus raphe magnus. The putative mediators for this response are glutamate and nitric oxide. Microinjection of kynurenic acid (an ionotropic receptor antagonist of excitatory amino acids) and L-NAME (a non-selective NO synthase inhibitor) elicited increases in the ventilatory response to hypoxia and hypercarbia. This article reviews the available data on the role of the NI in the control of ventilation in amphibians. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Desenvolvimento de um sistema de automação para uma planta de inertização de resíduos por plasma

The traditional processes for treatment of hazardous waste are questionable for it generates other wastes that adversely affect people s health. As an attempt to minimize these problems, it was developed a system for treatment of hazardous waste by thermal plasma, a more appropriate technology since it produces high temperatures, preventing the formation of toxic pollutants to human beings. The present work brings out a solution of automation for this plant. The system has local and remote monitoring resources to ensure the operators security as well as the process itself. A special attention was given to the control of the main reactor temperature of the plant as it is the place where the main processing occurs and because it presents a complex mathematical model. To this, it was employed cascaded controls based on Fuzzy logic. A process computer, with a particular man-machine interface (MMI), provides information and controls of the plant to the operator, including by Internet. A compact PLC module is in charge of the central element of management automation and plant control which receives information from sensors, and sends it to the MMI

Conversor CC/CA de alta freqüência baseado em inversores ressonantes com comutação seqüencial para excitação de uma tocha indutiva a plasma térmico

This work describes the study, the analysis, the project methodology and the constructive details of a high frequency DC/AC resonant series converter using sequential commutation techniques for the excitation of an inductive coupled thermal plasma torch. The aim of this thesis is to show the new modulation technique potentialities and to present a technological option for the high-frequency electronic power converters development. The resonant converter operates at 50 kW output power under a 400 kHz frequency and it is constituted by inverter cells using ultra-fast IGBT devices. In order to minimize the turn-off losses, the inverter cells operates in a ZVS mode referred by a modified PLL loop that maintains this condition stable, despite the load variations. The sequential pulse gating command strategy used it allows to operate the IGBT devices on its maximum power limits using the derating and destressing current scheme, as well as it propitiates a frequency multiplication of the inverters set. The output converter is connected to a series resonant circuit constituted by the applicator ICTP torch, a compensation capacitor and an impedance matching RF transformer. At the final, are presented the experimental results and the many tests achieved in laboratory as form to validate the proposed new technique

Otimização de Algoritmos Criptográficos para Redes de Sensores e Atuadores Sem-fio para Poços do Tipo Plunger Lift

Wireless sensors and actuators Networks specified by IEEE 802.15.4, are becoming increasingly being applied to instrumentation, as in instrumentation of oil wells with completion Plunger Lift type. Due to specific characteristics of the environment being installed, it s find the risk of compromising network security, and presenting several attack scenarios and the potential damage from them. It`s found the need for a more detailed security study of these networks, which calls for use of encryption algorithms, like AES-128 bits and RC6. So then it was implement the algorithms RC6 and AES-128, in an 8 bits microcontroller, and study its performance characteristics, critical for embedded applications. From these results it was developed a Hybrid Algorithm Cryptographic, ACH, which showed intermediate characteristics between the AES and RC6, more appropriate for use in applications with limitations of power consumption and memory. Also was present a comparative study of quality of security among the three algorithms, proving ACH cryptographic capability.

Sensores e interfaces com aplicações em motor mancal

Relevant researches have been growing on electric machine without mancal or bearing and that is generally named bearingless motor or specifically, mancal motor. In this paper it is made an introductory presentation about bearingless motor and its peripherical devices with focus on the design and implementation of sensors and interfaces needed to control rotor radial positioning and rotation of the machine. The signals from the machine are conditioned in analogic inputs of DSP TMS320F2812 and used in the control program. This work has a purpose to elaborate and build a system with sensors and interfaces suitable to the input and output of DSP TMS320F2812 to control a mancal motor, bearing in mind the modularity, simplicity of circuits, low number of power used, good noise imunity and good response frequency over 10 kHz. The system is tested at a modified ordinary induction motor of 3,7 kVA to be used with a bearingless motor with divided coil

Controle de Temperatura do Sistema de Refrigeração a água de uma tocha plasmática Indutiva Utilizando Lógica fuzzy

Este projeto propõe desenvolver e implementar um controlador para o sistema de refrigeração da tocha indutiva a plasma térmico. Este processo é feito a partir da medição da temperatura através de um sensor do sistema de refrigeração. O sinal produzido será enviado para uma entrada analógica do microcontrolador da família PIC, que utilizando os conceitos de lógica fuzzy, controla a velocidade de um motor bomba. Este é responsável por diminuir ou aumentar o fluxo circulante de água que passa pela bobina, pelo corpo da tocha e pelo flange de fixação, deixando-os na temperatura desejada. A velocidade desta bomba será controlada por um inversor de frequência. O microcontrolador, também, acionará um ventilador caso exceda a temperatura de referência. A proposta inicial foi o desenvolvimento do controle da temperatura da bobina de uma tocha indutiva a plasma, mas com algumas adequações, foi possível também aplicar no corpo da tocha. Essa tocha será utilizada em uma planta de tratamento de resíduos industriais e efluentes petroquímicos. O controle proposto visa garantir as condições físicas necessárias para tocha de plasma, mantendo a temperatura da água em um determinado nível que permita o resfriamento sem comprometer, no entanto, o rendimento do sistema. No projeto será utilizada uma tocha de plasma com acoplamento indutivo (ICPT), por ter a vantagem de não possuir eletrodos metálicos internos sendo erodidos pelo jato de plasma, evitando uma possível contaminação, e também devido à possibilidade do reaproveitamento energético através da cogeração de energia. O desenvolvimento da tecnologia a plasma na indústria de tratamento de resíduos vem obtendo bons resultados. Aplicações com essa tecnologia têm se tornado cada vez mais importantes por reduzir, em muitos casos, a produção de resíduos e o consumo de energia em vários processos industriais

Fos-like immunoreactivity in central nervous system of mice simultaneously exposed to the elevated plus-maze and nociception

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

Delimitação dos grupamentos serotoninérgicos/núcleos da rafe do mocó (kerodon rupestris): citoarquitetura e imunoistoquímica para serotonina

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a substance found in many tissues of the body, including as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system, in which may exert varied post-synaptic actions. Inside the neuro-axis, the location of 5-HT neurons is almost restricted to the raphe nuclei of the brainstem, such that 5-HT-immunoreactivity can be considered a marker of the raphe nuclei. The raphe nuclei are located in the brainstem, at or near the midline. The serotonergic groups were originally alphanumerically classified as B1 to B9 towards caudorrostral in rats and can be divided into upper and lower groups. In this study the distribution of serotonergic neurons was studied using immunohistochemistry in the brain of the rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris), a species of rodent endemic to Northeastern Brazil. The cytoarchitectonic location of serotonergic neurons was established in series of adjacent coronal and sagittal sections stained by the Nissl method and immunohistochemistry for 5-HT. Thus, we defined the raphe rostral linear, caudal linear, dorsal, median, and paramedian pontine raphe nuclei, and B9 cluster, constituting the rostral group, and the interpositus, magnus, obscure and palidus, constituting the caudal part of the group, comparable to which has been described for other mammalian species

Measurement of the nonlinear optical response of low-density lipoprotein solutions from patients with periodontitis before and after periodontal treatment: evaluation of cardiovascular risk markers

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

Cardiovascular Disease Parameters in Periodontitis

Background: Recently, there has been an increasing in the impact of oral health on atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between chronic periodontitis and cardiovascular risk markers.Methods: Forty patients with periodontitis and 40 healthy gender-, body mass index-, and age-matched individuals were compared by measuring total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, levels of cytokines, antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, total and differential white blood cell counts, and the non-linear index of refraction.Results: The levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein in periodontitis patients were significantly higher and lower, respectively (P=0.002 and P=0.0126), compared to controls. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and lipid peroxide levels were the same in both groups (P = 0.2943, P = 0.1284, and P = 0.067, respectively). Interleukin (IL)-6 and -8, antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and leukocyte and neutrophil counts were significantly higher in periodontitis patients (P<0.05). The value of the non-linear index of refraction of low-density lipoprotein solutions was higher in the controls (P = 0.015) compared to individuals with periodontitis.Conclusion: Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested association between coronary artery disease and periodontitis. J Periodontol 2009;80:378-388.

Cysteine proteinase inhibitors regulate human and mouse osteoclastogenesis by interfering with RANK signaling

The cysteine proteinase inhibitor cystatin C inhibited RANKL-stimulated osteoclast formation in mouse bone marrow macrophage cultures, an effect associated with decreased mRNA expression of Acp5, Calcr, Ctsk, Mmp9, Itgb3, and Atp6i, without effect on proliferation or apoptosis. The effects were concentration dependent with half-maximal inhibition at 0.3 μM. Cystatin C also inhibited osteoclast formation when RANKL-stimulated osteoclasts were cultured on bone, leading to decreased formation of resorption pits. RANKL-stimulated cells retained characteristics of phagocytotic macrophages when cotreated with cystatin C. Three other cysteine proteinase inhibitors, cystatin D, Z-RLVG-CHN2 (IC50 0.1 μM), and E-64 (IC 50 3 μM), also inhibited osteoclast formation in RANKL-stimulated macrophages. In addition, cystatin C, Z-RLVG-CHN2, and E-64 inhibited osteoclastic differentiation of RANKL-stimulated CD14+ human monocytes. The effect by cystatin C on differentiation of bone marrow macrophages was exerted at an early stage after RANKL stimulation and was associated with early (4 h) inhibition of c-Fos expression and decreased protein and nuclear translocation of c-Fos. Subsequently, p52, p65, IκBα, and Nfatc1 mRNA were decreased. Cystatin C was internalized in osteoclast progenitors, a process requiring RANKL stimulation. These data show that cystatin C inhibits osteoclast differentiation and formation by interfering intracellularly with signaling pathways downstream RANK. © FASEB.

A viagem de um leitor: uma investigação semiótica sobre o processo de leitura

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)