Platão e a matemática: uma questão de método

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Acidentes graves fatais no trabalho de corte mecanizado de cana-de-açucar: o olhar através do método mapa

Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva - FMB

Modelo de Análise e Prevenção de Acidentes - MAPA: ferramenta para a vigilância em Saúde do trabalhador

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

Desenvolvimento e validação de método analítico empregando cromatografia gasosa ultrarrápida para quantificação de teor total de ésteres em amostras de biodiesel

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Avaliação dos resultados das contagens de células somáticas obtidas pelo equipamento Ekomilk Scan e suas correlações com outros métodos de análise

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Protocolos de natação em modelos experimentais com ratos

Exercise physiology has attempted to reproduce the experimental exercise in the laboratory using mainly rats. The swimming exercise has emerged as one of the leading research in these type ergometers. Thus, this research consisted of a literature review addressing the key issues which involve the exercise of swimming in the model rats. Training of aerobic and anaerobic swimming, evaluation models and models of periodization were the topics suggested in this research. In several studies, models of aerobic and anaerobic training have been proposed with the aim of studying their effect on normal and abnormal physiological parameters. However, earlier studies lacked methods of analysis aiming to determine the exercise intensity in the animal model. For this reason, in the last decade, assessment models have been adapted for humans to animals, especially rats. The maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and lactate minimum (LM) are among the various techniques used to measure the amount of effort produced by swimming exercise in rats. Thereafter, based on biochemical parameters such as lactate, swimming exercise in rats has become the highest-rated, ie, using as reference the anaerobic threshold (AT). In another aspect, an entirely new line of research has tried to understand and promising swimming training in a periodized and its effects on some biochemical parameters. But this is an area little researched so far. Thus, the experimental model of swimming has proved an important resource of exercise physiology. From this model, it becomes possible to study the exercise, especially swimming, in more accurate, based on invasive and incisive analysis of the rat

Seleção genômica e estudo de associação em um rebanho experimental da raça Nelore

Pós-graduação em Genética e Melhoramento Animal - FCAV

The uncertainty in standardised sound power measurements: complying with ISO 17025

In the context of “testing laboratory” one of the most important aspect to deal with is the measurement result. Whenever decisions are based on measurement results, it is important to have some indication of the quality of the results. In every area concerning with noise measurement many standards are available but without an expression of uncertainty, it is impossible to judge whether two results are in compliance or not. ISO/IEC 17025 is an international standard related with the competence of calibration and testing laboratories. It contains the requirements that testing and calibration laboratories have to meet if they wish to demonstrate that they operate to a quality system, are technically competent and are able to generate technically valid results. ISO/IEC 17025 deals specifically with the requirements for the competence of laboratories performing testing and calibration and for the reporting of the results, which may or may not contain opinions and interpretations of the results. The standard requires appropriate methods of analysis to be used for estimating uncertainty of measurement. In this point of view, for a testing laboratory performing sound power measurement according to specific ISO standards and European Directives, the measurement of uncertainties is the most important factor to deal with. Sound power level measurement, according to ISO 3744:1994 , performed with a limited number of microphones distributed over a surface enveloping a source is affected by a certain systematic error and a related standard deviation. Making a comparison of measurement carried out with different microphone arrays is difficult because results are affected by systematic errors and standard deviation that are peculiarities of the number of microphones disposed on the surface, their spatial position and the complexity of the sound field. A statistical approach could give an overview of the difference between sound power level evaluated with different microphone arrays and an evaluation of errors that afflict this kind of measurement. Despite the classical approach that tend to follow the ISO GUM this thesis present a different point of view of the problem related to the comparison of result obtained from different microphone arrays.

Approccio agli spostamenti per la valutazione della vulnerabilità sismica di telai in conglomerato cementizio armato.

Il presente lavoro ha lo scopo di presentare gli studi e i risultati ottenuti durante l’attività di ricerca svolta sul Displacement-based Assessment (DBA) dei telai in cemento armato. Dopo alcune considerazioni iniziali sul tema della vulnerabilità sismica e sui metodi di analisi e verifica, si procede alla descrizione teorica del metodo. Sono stati analizzati tre casi studio di telai piani, progettati per soli carichi verticali e secondo normative non più in vigore che non prevedevano l’applicazione della gerarchia delle resistenze. I telai considerati, destinati ad abitazione civile, hanno diversa altezza e numero di piani, e diverso numero di campate. Si è proceduto all’applicazione del metodo, alla valutazione della vulnerabilità sismica in base alla domanda in termini di spostamento costituita da uno spettro elastico previsto dall’EC8 e alla validazione dei risultati ottenuti mediante analisi non lineari statiche e dinamiche e mediante l’applicazione dei teoremi dell’Analisi limite dei telai, proposta come procedura alternativa per la determinazione del meccanismo anelastico e della capacità in termini di taglio alla base. In ultimo si è applicata la procedura DBA per la valutazione della vulnerabilità sismica di un edificio scolastico, realizzato tra il 1969 e il 1975 in un sito caratterizzato da una accelerazione di picco orizzontale pari a 0,24g e una probabilità di superamento del 10% in 75 anni.

Designs in Partially Controlled Studies: Messages from a Review

The ability to evaluate effects of factors on outcomes is increasingly important for a class of studies that control some but not all of the factors. Although important advances have been made in methods of analysis for such partially controlled studies,work on designs for such studies has been relatively limited. To help understand why, we review main designs that have been used for such partially controlled studies. Based on the review, we give two complementary reasons that explain the limited work on such designs, and suggest a new direction in this area.

Gene by BMI Interactions Influencing C-Reactive Protein Levels in European-Americans

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a biomarker indicating tissue damage, inflammation, and infection. High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) is an emerging biomarker often used to estimate an individual’s risk for future coronary heart disease (CHD). hsCRP levels falling below 1.00 mg/l indicate a low risk for developing CHD, levels ranging between 1.00 mg/l and 3.00 mg/l indicate an elevated risk, and levels exceeding 3.00 mg/l indicate high risk. Multiple Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have identified a number of genetic polymorphisms which influence CRP levels. SNPs implicated in such studies have been found in or near genes of interest including: CRP, APOE, APOC, IL-6, HNF1A, LEPR, and GCKR. A strong positive correlation has also been found to exist between CRP levels and BMI, a known risk factor for CHD and a state of chronic inflammation. We conducted a series of analyses designed to identify loci which interact with BMI to influence CRP levels in a subsample of European-Americans in the ARIC cohort. In a stratified GWA analysis, 15 genetic regions were identified as having significantly (p-value < 2.00*10-3) distinct effects on hsCRP levels between the two obesity strata: lean (18.50 kg/m2 < BMI < 24.99 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥ 30.00 kg/m2). A GWA analysis performed on all individuals combined (i.e. not a priori stratified for obesity status) with the inclusion of an additional parameter for BMI by gene interaction, identified 11 regions which interact with BMI to influence hsCRP levels. Two regions containing the genes GJA5 and GJA8 (on chromosome 1) and FBXO11 (on chromosome 2) were identified in both methods of analysis suggesting that these genes possibly interact with BMI to influence hsCRP levels. We speculate that atrial fibrillation (AF), age-related cataracts and the TGF-β pathway may be the biological processes influenced by the interaction of GJA5, GJA8 and FBXO11, respectively, with BMI to cause changes in hsCRP levels. Future studies should focus on the influence of gene x bmi interaction on AF, age-related cataracts and TGF-β.

A review on continuous wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging instrumentation and methodology

This year marks the 20th anniversary of functional near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging (fNIRS/fNIRI). As the vast majority of commercial instruments developed until now are based on continuous wave technology, the aim of this publication is to review the current state of instrumentation and methodology of continuous wave fNIRI. For this purpose we provide an overview of the commercially available instruments and address instrumental aspects such as light sources, detectors and sensor arrangements. Methodological aspects, algorithms to calculate the concentrations of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin and approaches for data analysis are also reviewed. From the single-location measurements of the early years, instrumentation has progressed to imaging initially in two dimensions (topography) and then three (tomography). The methods of analysis have also changed tremendously, from the simple modified Beer-Lambert law to sophisticated image reconstruction and data analysis methods used today. Due to these advances, fNIRI has become a modality that is widely used in neuroscience research and several manufacturers provide commercial instrumentation. It seems likely that fNIRI will become a clinical tool in the foreseeable future, which will enable diagnosis in single subjects.

A Bayesian approach to estimating the intraclass correlation coefficient

A Bayesian approach to estimating the intraclass correlation coefficient was used for this research project. The background of the intraclass correlation coefficient, a summary of its standard estimators, and a review of basic Bayesian terminology and methodology were presented. The conditional posterior density of the intraclass correlation coefficient was then derived and estimation procedures related to this derivation were shown in detail. Three examples of applications of the conditional posterior density to specific data sets were also included. Two sets of simulation experiments were performed to compare the mean and mode of the conditional posterior density of the intraclass correlation coefficient to more traditional estimators. Non-Bayesian methods of estimation used were: the methods of analysis of variance and maximum likelihood for balanced data; and the methods of MIVQUE (Minimum Variance Quadratic Unbiased Estimation) and maximum likelihood for unbalanced data. The overall conclusion of this research project was that Bayesian estimates of the intraclass correlation coefficient can be appropriate, useful and practical alternatives to traditional methods of estimation. ^

Aplicación de métodos bibliométricos a la evaluación de colecciones : El caso de la Biblioteca del Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía

Con el objetivo de determinar el grupo de publicaciones nucleares a considerar en el desarrollo de la colección de la Biblioteca del IAR, se realiza un estudio bibliométrico de la producción y del consumo de literatura científica de los investigadores de la institución a la que la biblioteca pertenece. A partir del análisis de referencias de los trabajos publicados por los investigadores se determinan la obsolescencia y la utilidad de la literatura consultada. Mediante la extracción de palabras clave y de los autores se determinan también los frentes de investigación del instituto y los grupos de investigadores que trabajan en esos frentes, aplicando los métodos de análisis de co-ocurrencia de palabras, coautorías y análisis de redes sociales. Los resultados dan cuenta de una baja obsolescencia para la literatura consultada, de una elevada preferencia para consultar y publicar en dos o tres títulos de publicaciones periódicas de la disciplina, y demuestran finalmente la existencia de dos frentes de investigación dentro de la institución

Zooplankton and seston in the White Sea and its chemical composition

A technique of zooplankton net sampling at night in the Kandalaksha and Dvinskii Bays and during the full tide in the Onezhskii Bay of the White Sea allowed us to obtain "clean" samples without considerable admixtures of terrigenous particulates. Absence of elements-indicators of the terrigenous particulates (Al, Ti, and Zr) in the EDX spectra allows to conclude that ash composition of tested samples is defined by constitutional elements comprising organic matter and integument (chitin, shells) of plankton organisms. A quantitative assessment of accumulation of ca. 40 chemical elements by zooplankton based on a complex of modern physical methods of analysis is presented. Values of the coefficient of the biological accumulation of the elements (Kb) calculated for organic matter and the enrichment factors (EF) relative to Clarke concentrations in shale are in general determined by mobility of the chemical elements in aqueous solution, which is confirmed by calculated chemical speciation of the elements in the inorganic subsystem of surface waters of Onezhskii Bay.