Evaluation of the QuEChERS Method and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis Pesticide Residues in Water and Sediment

A method for the determination of pesticide residues in water and sediment was developed using the QuEChERS method followed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. The method was validated in terms of accuracy, specificity, linearity, detection and quantification limits. The recovery percentages obtained for the pesticides in water at different concentrations ranged from 63 to 116%, with relative standard deviations below 12%. The corresponding results from the sediment ranged from 48 to 115% with relative standard deviations below 16%. The limits of detection for the pesticides in water and sediment were below 0.003 mg L(-1) and 0.02 mg kg(-1), respectively.

Concreteness in Business letters : a Corpus-based Analysis of British and Pakistani English

Linguistic features of business letters have been a research target of both linguists and business writers. In this study, the language of British and Pakistani Business letters was compared and contrasted in terms of concreteness and abstractness. A corpus of 100 business letters from Inner Circle and Outer Circle writers were collected for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that British writers use more specific and concrete nouns, definite determiners, numeral, possessive and demonstrative adjectives, cohesive and rhetorical devices than the Pakistani Writers in order to be become concrete and vivid in their communication. The present findings are rather corpus specific since the data include only two countries; however this study may lead to further cross circle research including Expanding Circle research of business letters in terms of concreteness and abstractness. The issue of concreteness in Cross-circle business English can also be studied from psychological, sociological and anthropological perspectives in future Research.

Projeto para a criação do Centro de Memória do Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada: uma história de competência, paixão e perseverança

O Instituto Nacional de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) foi o primeiro órgão de pesquisa criado pelo Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (CNPq), em 1952. Desde seu início o IMPA dedicou-se à pesquisa científica em matemática do mais alto nível e promoveu a formação de novos pesquisadores, promovendo também a difusão e aprimoramento da cultura matemática no país. Mais recentemente, passou a dedicar-se também às aplicações da matemática em outras áreas do conhecimento e em setores tecnológicos. Ao longo de mais de cinqüenta anos de trabalho, consolidou-se como o centro de referência em pesquisa matemática e formação de novos pesquisadores no Brasil e na América Latina. Tendo em vista a relevância da instituição para os rumos da pesquisa na área no país, este trabalho de conclusão de curso tem como objetivo estabelecer as diretrizes para a criação do Centro de Memória do Instituto Nacional de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (CEMIMPA), que seria um espaço para produção e re-elaboração de identidade e memória institucional – seguindo uma tendência que se afirma, no Brasil, desde a década de 1970. Discute-se aqui a trajetória do IMPA, os conceitos sobre memória, acervo e identidade para conseguir demarcar as linhas gerais do CEMIMPA e precisar sua importância para a instituição. A criação de um centro de memória como o que propomos, ajudaria a dar visibilidade à história do IMPA, de seus pesquisadores, suas áreas de atuação para além dos limites do cenário da pesquisa matemática, alcançando um público cada vez mais amplo e diverso. Isto poderia influenciar de forma ainda mais vigorosa a formação de jovens em geral, e em particular, de futuros matemáticos. Também poderá incrementar as pesquisas sobre a história da matemática no Brasil e a trajetória dos pesquisadores que a fizerem e dela fazem parte.

Estratégia internacional e relações gerenciais de negócios internacionais

Esta pesquisa procura avaliar a estratégia de negócios internacionais de indústrias brasileiras e a forma como se conduzem suas parcerias com indústrias estrangeiras. Seu objetivo é conseguir uma melhor conceituação teórica sobre tópicos como: (1) forma como as empresas conduzem suas relações com empresas de outros países; (2) determinação dos fatores de sucesso dessas alianças de negócios internacionais; (3) implementação de uma estratégia internacional bem-sucedida. Este projeto é parte de um estudo multinacional, desenvolvido com o patrocínio de algumas das mais importantes universidades do Brasil, Canadá, Chile, México e Estados Unidos, e empresas de cada um desses países. A primeira parte se refere à relação da empresa brasileira com seus parceiros estrangeiros. A segunda analisa a estratégia internacional seguida pela empresa brasileira.

Posicionamento estratégico das cadeias multinacionais de hotéis na avaliação de mercado hoteleiro brasileiro para negócios

Trata-se de um estudo exploratório/explanatório que visa avaliar a convergência entre a percepção de atratividade do mercado hoteleiro brasileiro e o posicionamento estratégico para negócios das grandes cadeias multinacionais de hotéis na avaliação de seus altos dirigentes. A pesquisa está inserida no contexto das estratégias de negócios internacionais e da expansão global hoteleira, tendo o Brasil como alvo.

Programa PNAD: uma construção científica

Estudo sobre o processo de revisão dos parâmetros conceituais e metodológicos norteadores da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicilios - PNAD, da Fundação Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica IBGE, abrangendo o periodo de 1989 a 1992. Objetiva-se mostrar o processo de produção estatistica, bem como compreender as relações entre objeto, teoria e método em investigações voltadas para a mensuração do real. A luz de reflexões sobre a construção do conhecimento cientifico e o papel do método no processo de pesquisa, discute-se a especificidade do método estatistico. Os resultados indicam que o processo de construção da PNAD se afirma como um fazer cientifico.

Efeitos da composição domiciliar e da escala equivalente sobre as medidas de desigualdade de renda e pobreza no Brasil

MARIANO, J. L. ; FIGUEIREDO, ERIK A. . Efeitos da composição domiciliar e da escala equivalente sobre as medidas de desigualdade de renda e pobreza no Brasil. In: XXXVI Encontro Nacional de Economia,Salvador 2008.

Um Estudo de Politicas e Práticas do uso do GNV no transporte público urbano do Brasil

The use of Natural Gas Vehicle has had a fast increase lately. However, in order to have a continuous success this Program needs to develop converting devices of Otto-cycle engines, gasoline or alcohol, to the use of NGV (Natural Gas Vehicle) that presents low cost, maintaining the same original development of the vehicle and low level of emissions, considering the PROCONVE rules. Due to the need to diversify the matrix in order to avoid energetic dependence and due to strict pollution control, it has increased in the Brazilian market the number of vehicles converted to the use of NGV. The recent regulation of the PROCONVE, determining that the converted engines with kits should be submitted to emission testing, comes to reinforce the necessity of the proposed development. Therefore, if we can obtain kits with the characteristics already described, we can reach a major trust in the market and obtain an increase acceptance of the vehicle conversion for NGV. The use of natural gas as vehicle fuel presents several advantages in relation to liquid fuels. It is a vehicle fuel with fewer indexes of emissions when compared to diesel; their combustion gases are less harmful, with a major level of safety than liquid fuels and the market price is quite competitive. The preoccupation that emerges, and the motivation of this project, is to know which are the main justifications for such technology, well accepted in other countries, with a low index or emission, with a high level of safety, where its maintenance becomes low, reminding that for this it is necessary that this technology has to be used properly, and once available in the market will not motivate interest in the urban transportation companies in Brazil, in research centers in general. Therefore this project exists to show the society in a general way the current vision of the main governmental factors, of the national research centers and of the private companies concerning the use of natural gas vehicles in urban transport vehicles, in order to give a major reliability to the population as well as to motivate national market competitiveness with a low cost and reliable product and to enrich the national technology

Spin-Stabilized Spacecrafts: Analytical Attitude Propagation Using Magnetic Torques

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Percepção de estigma e qualidade de vida em crianças com neoplasia

The increase in survival time and cure requires more extensive care about the quality of life of cancer patients, which begins soon after diagnosis. Thus, it seems reasonable to the emphasis on development of studies covering the psychosocial variables, such as stigma, treatment of childhood cancer aiming thereby to the attention of the overall needs of the child. Thus, this research aims to investigate the perception of stigma and quality of life in children with cancer. This is a cross-sectional research and understanding of the descriptive type, the type specimen being adopted for convenience. This consisted of thirty children with cancer and thirty children without chronic disease. The instruments used were the Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Perceived Stigma Scale and Technical Drawing Story with a Theme. The results indicate that the chronic condition, no interfered significantly in satisfaction with the quality of life in children with cancer and identified that the quality of life is not related to the stigma. Comparison with children with no chronic disease with infants with cancer, no significant differences were observed. However, the group mean contrast was lower, suggesting a greater impairment in quality of life of children with cancer compared to those without chronic disease. It is worth noting that the psychosocial effects and the limitations imposed by disease and treatment are presented as important factors in the design mode of subjective manifestations of children with cancer. Therefore, it is expected that knowledge elucidated by this study will assist, greatly to the promotion of improved emotional, biological and social development itself and the involvement of children with cancer treatment

Suplementação mineral e mobilização de cálcio nos ossos de eqüinos em pastagem de Brachiaria humidicola

Durante 150 dias, 12 potras Quarto-de-Milha de 1 ano de idade permaneceram exclusivamente em pastagem de Brachiaria humidicola, num experimento inteiramente casualizado, com três tratamentos, nível 0 (recomendação do NRC, 1989); nível 50 (50% a mais do NRC); nível 100 (100% a mais do NRC), e quatro repetições. Como palatabilizante foram empregadas 270 g de açúcar. Realizaram-se biópsias na asa do osso do ílio de cada potra, no início e final do experimento, para avaliar a mobilização de Ca e a relação Ca:P. As amostras da gramínea, foram coletadas mensalmente para verificação do teor de oxalato e composição químico-bromatológica. Houve efeito de tempo na mobilização de Ca, P e da relação Ca:P (p<0,05), independentemente dos tratamentos. As médias dos três tratamentos, no início e final do período experimental foram, quanto aos teores de Ca, P e da relação Ca:P, respectivamente: 10,05, 5,22, 1,93:1 e 6,24, 4,06, 1,54:1. O teor do oxalato na gramínea variou de 1,18 a 2,00%. A utilização do nível de cálcio suplementar duas vezes superior ao recomendado pelo National Research Council não foi suficiente para impedir a mobilização deste mineral nos ossos de eqüinos pastejando Brachiaria humidicola por longos períodos.

A snapshot of management practices and nutritional recommendations used by feedlot nutritionists in Brazil

Feedlot consulting nutritionists were invited to participate in a survey of feedlot nutritional and management practices in Brazil. Thirty-one nutritionists completed the survey on a Web site that was designed for collection of survey data. The survey consisted of 94 questions that included general information (n = 10); commodity information (n = 12); and questions about the use of coproducts (n = 5), roughage source and levels (n = 5), finishing diet adaptation methods (n = 7), supplements and micronutrients (n = 8), feed mixers (n = 6), feeding management (n = 3), cattle management and type of cattle fed (n = 16), formulation practices (n = 17), information resources used for nutritional recommendations (n = 2), and 2 additional questions. One final question addressed the primary challenges associated with applying nutritional recommendations in practice. The number of animals serviced yearly by each nutritionist averaged 121,682 (minimum = 2,000; maximum = 1,500,000; mode = 120,000; total = 3,163,750). Twenty-two respondents (71%) worked with feedlots that feed less than 5,000 animals/yr. Labor, along with availability and precision of equipment, seemed to be the main challenges for the nutritionists surveyed. Most of the nutritionists surveyed used TDN as the primary energy unit for formulation. More than 50% of the clients serviced by the 31 nutritionists did not manage feed bunks to control the quantity of feed offered per pen, and 36.6% fed cattle more than 4 times daily. The NRC (1996) and Journal of Animal Science were the most used sources of information by these nutritionists. Overall, general practices and nutritional recommendations provided by the 31 nutritionists surveyed were fairly consistent. Present data should aid in development of new research, future National Research Council models, and recommendations for Brazilian feeding systems in which Bos indicus cattle predominate.

Genotypic characterization of microsatellite markers in broiler and layer selected chicken lines and their reciprocal F1s

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

Dilatometer tests in a Leda clay crust

The dilatometer test results have been lately applied in foundation design for prediction of settlement and bearing capacity problems. The equipment, its calibration, test procedures and test data interpretation are simple. These advantages seem to explain the increasing use of the dilatometer (DMT) test as a routine technique for subsoil investigation. The DMT test boreholes were carried out on the grounds of the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa. Several test results based on laboratory, and other in situ tests available in the literature for the Leda clay deposit in Ottawa area were used to provide correlations between geotechnical properties and soil index parameters as proposed by Marchetti (1980). More appropriated relationships, even though preliminaries, are presented for the crust layer.

Spin stabilized satellite's attitude analytical prediction

An analytical approach for spin stabilized attitude propagation is presented, considering the coupled effect of the aerodynamic torque and the gravity gradient torque. A spherical coordination system fixed in the satellite is used to locate the satellite spin axis in relation to the terrestrial equatorial system. The spin axis direction is specified by its right ascension and the declination angles and the equation of motion are described by these two angles and the magnitude of the spin velocity. An analytical averaging method is applied to obtain the mean torques over an orbital period. To compute the average components of both aerodynamic torque and the gravity gradient torque in the satellite body frame reference system, an average time in the fast varying orbit element, the mean anomaly, is utilized. Afterwards, the inclusion of such torques on the rotational motion differential equations of spin stabilized satellites yields conditions to derive an analytical solution. The pointing deviation evolution, that is, the deviation between the actual spin axis and the computed spin axis, is also availed. In order to validate the analytical approach, the theory developed has been applied for spin stabilized Brazilian satellite SCD1, which are quite appropriated for verification and comparison of the data generated and processed by the Satellite Control Center of the Brazil National Research Institute (INPE). Numerical simulations performed with data of Brazilian Satellite SCD1 show the period that the analytical solution can be used to the attitude propagation, within the dispersion range of the attitude determination system performance of Satellite Control Center of the Brazilian Research Institute.