Determinação de psicofármacos em cabelo humano por técnicas cromatográficas hifenadas: um método alternativo não-invasivo

Dissertação de mestrado em Técnicas de Caracterização e Análise Química

O papel da filosofia no desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Ensino de Filosofia no Ensino Secundário

Some predictors of cardiovascular mortality among the elderly population of Botucatu (SP)

OBJECTIVE: To detect factors associated with cardiovascular mortality in the elderly of Botucatu. METHODS: We evaluated 29 variables of interest in a cohort of patients aged ³60 using data from a survey conducted between 1983/84. The elderly cohort was analyzed in 1992 to detect the occurrence of cardiovascular deaths. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. Three models were adapted for each group of variables, and a final model was chosen from those variables selected from each group. RESULTS: We identified predictor for cardiovascular death according to age for elderly males not supporting the family, not possessing a vehicle, and previous cardiovascular disease. In elderly females, the predictor variables were previous cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic indicators (family heading and vehicle ownerrship) may be added to well stabilished medical factors (diabete mellitus and hypertension to select target groups for programs intended to reduce deaths due to cardiovascular diseases in elderly people.

“Safety and health” as a criterion in the choice of tunneling method

Risk management is of paramount importance in the success of tunnelling works and is linked to the tunnelling method and to the constraints of the works. Sequencial Excavation Method (SEM) and Tun-nel Boring Machine (TBM) method have been competing for years. This article, part of a wider study on the influence of the â Safety and Healthâ criterion in the choice of method, reviews the existing literature about the criteria usually employed to choose the tunnelling method and on the criterion â Safety and Healthâ . This crite-rion is particularly important, due to the financial impacts of work accidents and occupational diseases. This article is especially useful to the scientific and technical community, since it synthesizes the relevance of each one of the choice criteria used and it shows why â Safety and Healthâ must be a criterion in the decision mak-ing process to choose the tunnelling method.

Hierarchical modelling of timber reference properties using probabilistic methods: Maximum Likelihood Method, Bayesian Methods and Probability Networks

In recent decades, an increased interest has been evidenced in the research on multi-scale hierarchical modelling in the field of mechanics, and also in the field of wood products and timber engineering. One of the main motivations for hierar-chical modelling is to understand how properties, composition and structure at lower scale levels may influence and be used to predict the material properties on a macroscopic and structural engineering scale. This chapter presents the applicability of statistic and probabilistic methods, such as the Maximum Likelihood method and Bayesian methods, in the representation of timber’s mechanical properties and its inference accounting to prior information obtained in different importance scales. These methods allow to analyse distinct timber’s reference properties, such as density, bending stiffness and strength, and hierarchically consider information obtained through different non, semi or destructive tests. The basis and fundaments of the methods are described and also recommendations and limitations are discussed. The methods may be used in several contexts, however require an expert’s knowledge to assess the correct statistic fitting and define the correlation arrangement between properties.

Insights into bacterial colony morphology evolution and diversification during infection development in cystic fibrosis

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Biomédica.

Determination of catalase activity and its inhibition by a simple manometric method

[Excerpt] Introduction: There has been a considerable amount of controversy about the use of manometric methods to measure catalase activity. As Maehly and Chance point out in their excellent review] the advantages of these methods is "... that they can be used for any kind of biological material, and purification of the enzyme is not required. The assay is independent of small amounts of peroxidase activity. It is fairly simple to perform, it is rapid and it can be adapted to continuous reading of the reaction". A variety of drawbacks are also listed by the same authors, viz, the inactivation of the enzyme under the experimental conditions and the time lag before a constant rate of oxygen evolution is reached. [...]

A comunicação e a imagem do Gabinete de Apoio a Projectos: um estudo de caso

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Publicidade e Relações Públicas)

Numerical simulations of Lamb waves in plates using a semi-analytical finite element method

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Maschinenbau, Diss., 2011

Neural correlates of target detection in the attentional blink

Attention, attentional blink, rapid serial visual presentation, RSVP, ERP, EEG, fMRI, gammaband, oscillatiory activity

Relevance of Target-Organ Lesions as Predictors of Mortality in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Patients with diabetes are in extract higher risk for fatal cardiovascular events. Objective: To evaluate major predictors of mortality in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A cohort of 323 individuals with type 2 diabetes from several regions of Brazil was followed for a long period. Baseline electrocardiograms, clinical and laboratory data obtained were used to determine hazard ratios (HR) and confidence interval (CI) related to cardiovascular and total mortality. Results: After 9.2 years of follow-up (median), 33 subjects died (17 from cardiovascular causes). Cardiovascular mortality was associated with male gender; smoking; prior myocardial infarction; long QTc interval; left ventricular hypertrophy; and eGFR <60 mL/min. These factors, in addition to obesity, were predictors of total mortality. Cardiovascular mortality was adjusted for age and gender, but remained associated with: smoking (HR = 3.8; 95% CI 1.3-11.8; p = 0.019); prior myocardial infarction (HR = 8.5; 95% CI 1.8-39.9; p = 0.007); eGFR < 60 mL/min (HR = 9.5; 95% CI 2.7-33.7; p = 0.001); long QTc interval (HR = 5.1; 95% CI 1.7-15.2; p = 0.004); and left ventricular hypertrophy (HR = 3.5; 95% CI 1.3-9.7; p = 0.002). Total mortality was associated with obesity (HR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.1-5.1; p = 0.030); smoking (HR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.0-6.1; p = 0.046); prior myocardial infarction (HR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.4-6.1; p = 0.005), and long QTc interval (HR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.4-6.1; p = 0.017). Conclusions: Biomarkers of simple measurement, particularly those related to target-organ lesions, were predictors of mortality in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

proxel-based method : formalisation, analysis and applications

Simulation, modelling, proxels, PDEs, Markov chains, Petri nets, stochastic, performability, transient analysis