Estudo da concentração e do transporte de sedimentos em suspensão em cursos de água de montanha

O principal objectivo deste estudo foi o de verificar a aplicabilidade, às ribeiras da Ilha da Madeira, de técnicas indirectas de estimação do caudal e da concentração de sedimentos em suspensão e do seu emprego no cálculo do transporte sólido em suspensão nessas pequenas bacias de montanha. Particular ênfase é dada ao uso de traçadores químicos na determinação indirecta do caudal em cursos de água turbulentos com acentuados declives e à estimação da concentração de sedimentos em suspensão a partir de dados de turbidez da água, sendo tais técnicas aqui detalhadamente descritas. A campanha de medições da condutividade eléctrica e da turbidez da água realizada na Ribeira Seca do Faial, complementada pelos trabalhos realizados na Ribeira do Lajeado e na Ribeira de Santa Luzia, devido às suas grandes limitações em termos temporais e espaciais, não permitiu chegar a conclusões mais representativas sobre o transporte de sedimentos em suspensão na bacia hidrográfica em estudo. Ainda assim, os trabalhos de campo e em laboratório realizados possibilitaram confirmar a aplicabilidade das técnicas indirectas adoptadas na estimação de caudais e no estudo da concentração e do transporte de sedimentos em suspensão nesses cursos de água de montanha.

Caracterização, simulação (à escala) e modelação do escoamento em canais artificiais: aplicação a caso de estudo

Os escoamentos no interior de zonas urbanas, apresentam grande heterogeneidade, pelo que a sua caracterização, requer uma formulação que incorpore explicitamente essa variabilidade espacial. A caracterização, simulação (à escala) e modelação do escoamento em canais artificiais e a aplicação a um caso de estudo, no Laboratório de Hidráulica da UMa, representa o cerne desta dissertação. Os objetivos principais desta dissertação são: a caracterização e desenvolvimento de ferramentas de simulação do comportamento do escoamento em canais artificiais, no caso de uma variação súbita dos caudais afluentes, mecanismos de prevenção de cheia; o desenvolvimento de um modelo de simulação hidrodinâmico, considerando os escoamentos variáveis em superfície livre no caso de situações de cheia, na simulação entre as condições variáveis das afluências, das condições hidromorfológicas do canal e da instalação e operação dos sistemas e regulação dos escoamentos; e ainda a análise da viabilidade da simulação (modelo) na gestão e prevenção de cheias em canais artificiais. Numa primeira instância, procede-se à recolha de toda a informação bibliográfica disponível. Com recurso aos modelos digitais do terreno e ao programa ArcGis, é efetuada toda uma exaustiva caracterização da bacia hidrográfica, relativa ao caso de estudo (canal artificial), a partir da qual foi possível obter os dados inerentes às características geométricas, características de relevo e características de drenagem. Segue-se a análise da precipitação com recurso a folhas de cálculo e dados fornecidos pelas instituições pertinentes, de forma a obter valores de precipitação média diária e anual para aplicação de fórmulas, tanto para calcular valores de tempo de concentração, bem como caudais. O próximo passo é selecionar os troços relevantes do canal em estudo e com recurso ao equipamento disponível no Laboratório de Hidráulica da UMa, à folha de cálculo programada e ao programa HEC-RAS procede-se à simulação/modelação/análise desses troços, comparando o resultado/comportamento simulado, com o expectável e entre os vários métodos. Por fim, são expostas as conclusões, bem como algumas considerações finais e uma listagem de objetivos a manter ou alcançar nos próximos anos, onde se incluem, ações prioritárias e recomendações visando, não só melhorar o processo de caracterização do escoamento em canais artificiais, bem como simplificar a prevenção e gestão de cheias.

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Aparências da forma e forma do espaço: análise da configuração espacial de residências unifamiliares dos anos 1970 em João Pessoa PB

Assuming that the form of a building shell and its content the spatial form are distinct dimensions of architecture - however indivisible and interdependent -, this study focus, in the light of the Social Logic of Space (HILLIER; HANSON, 1984), on the intrinsic properties through which domestic space was structured in a sample of single-family dwellings built in João Pessoa (PB) during the 1970s - when the vocabulary of modern architecture still prevailed in Brazil though sharing the urban scene with other architectural trends -, in order to investigate regularities or divergences underlying their conception. These dwellings were originally classified (ARAÚJO, 2010a) in five categories defined according to the form of their building shells and to their prevailing construction techniques: (1) Brazilian modern legacy (considered as truly Brazilian modern style); (2) Paulista architecture (that refers to the modern production of São Paulo, Brazil, from the 1950s through the 1970s); (3) experiences of rationalization and prefabrication ; (4) experiences of adaptation to the climate (referring to a design strongly influenced by the hot and humid climate of North-eastern Brazil); and (5) hybrid (to account for a kind of stylistic hybridism that includes formal attributes, which evoke our colonial past). This study aims to determine, through the analyses of nineteen cases that represent each category, whether this taxonomy corresponds to distinct modes of spatial configuration. This research therefore proposes an approach to the classification of domestic architecture based on topological properties. The dwellings spatial organization was represented, quantified and analyzed, their spatial properties explored in consonance with one another and with the literature. Results pointed out that there is no evidence of a reciprocal relationship between the formal look of the built shells and their respective spatial structures

Layout, conforto e satisfação dos usuários em escritórios: uma avaliação pós-ocupação no edifício da sede administrativa do INPE-CRN

This research aimed to identify the link between the layout of workspaces in offices and the design strategies for environmental comfort. Strategies surveyed were focused on the thermal, visual and luminic comfort. In this research, visual comfort is related to issues of visual integration within and between the interior and exterior of the building. This is a case study conducted at the administrative headquarters of Centro Regional Nordeste do Instituto de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE-CRN), located in Natal/RN. The methodological strategy used was the Post-Occupancy Evaluation, which combined the survey data on the building (layout of workspaces, bioclimatic strategies adopted in the design, use of these strategies) with some techniques aimed at acquiring qualitative information related to users. The workspace layout is primordial to satisfaction and productivity of workers. Issues such as concentration, communication, privacy, personal identity, density and space efficiency, barriers (access, visual and even ventilation and lighting), among others, are associated with the layout. The environmental comfort is one of the essential elements to maintaining life quality in workplace. Moreover, it is an important factor in user`s perception of the space in which he or she are inserted. Both layout and environmental comfort issues should be collected and analyzed in the establishment phase of the programming step. That way, it is possible to get adequate answers to these questions in subsequent project phases. It was found that changes in the program that occurred over time, especially concerning persons (number and characteristics), resulted in changes in layout, generating high density and inflexible environments. It turns difficult to adjust the furniture to the occupants` requirement, including comfort needs. However, the presence of strategies for environmental quality provides comfort to spaces, ensuring that, even in situations not considered optimal, users perceive the environment in a positive way. It was found that the relationship between environmental comfort and layout takes the following forms: in changing the perception of comfort, depending on the layout of the arrangements; adjustments in layout, due to needs for comfort; and the elevation of user satisfaction and environmental quality due to the presence of strategies comfort even in situations of inadequate layout

O processo de urbanização de Mossorò: dos processos históricos à estrutura urbana atual

The general objective of this academic work is to analyze the relationship between the territorial division and the urban expansion process of Mossoró city, understood here as the production and occupation of space. The urban expansion in Mossoró, since its formation as settlement in 1772 until current days, identifies with the Brazilian urbanization process whose growth is determined by the capitalist development. Thus, the expansion was determined by several economical specializations imposed by the territorial division of work which occurs at an interregional level, and, sometimes at an international level. Then, each specialization determined a moment of the urban expansion of the city, as follows: a) The cattle farmer specialization, between 1772 and 1857, when the urban expansion was shy, is summarized to a commercial square that received goods from Aracati aiming to cover a wide rural area; b) The commercial emporium specialization, between 1857 and 1930, when the urban expansion took an important impulse with the concentration of public and private capitals; c) The salt industry and the agricultural-industrial exporter specialization inside a state of development policy, between 1930 and 1970, when the urban expansion, joined to the settlement of the working class in the urban soil, developed along an important axis -the railway; d) The render of services specialization inside a state of intervention policy, between 1970 and 1990, when the urban expansion was characterized by the accelerated growth rhythm, by the reuse of some spaces, and by space segregation of demanding people; e) The render of services policy inside a neoliberal state policy, since 1990 until current days, when the urban expansion reduced its rhythm abruptly, when only small alterations occurred in the existing spaces. It focused on social policies and on several slums eradication programs. Finally, the territorial structure is deeply articulated with others, no territorial, but economical, social and political, which happens at a national, regional and local rate. Only within a historical and conceptual panorama, it was possible to explain the urban expansion in Mossoró from its formation in 1772 until current days. Therefore, this work is a several discipline analysis of the urbanization process existing in Mossoró

Eutrofização do reservatório Engenheiro Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves, no Rio Grande do Norte: implicações para o abastecimento público e para a piscicultura intensiva em tanques-rede

This study aimed to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of variation in trophic state and its relation with the structure and dynamics of planktonic community of a large reservoir located in semi-arid tropical region of Northeast Brazil. The reservoir Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves is the biggest reservoir of the Rio Grande do Norte State and is responsible for about 53% of all surface water accumulated in the State. The samples of water and plankton were taken monthly in 10 points distributed throughout the longitudinal axis of the reservoir and over a full hydrological cycle. The samples were collected to determine concentrations of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a and suspended solids (fixed and volatile) and for determining the composition and abundance of phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic species. During the study period, the reservoir was characterized as eutrophic and there was no trend of increasing the trophic state of the reservoir in the period of drought. The concentrations of total phosphorus and suspended fixed solids decreased towards the dam while the N:P ratios increased in the same direction due to the reduction in the phosphorus concentrations and relative constancy in the nitrogen concentrations. The N:P ratios observed were indicative of greater limitation by phosphorus than by nitrogen. However, as concentrations of both nutrients were high and the water transparency was very low, with secchi depth usually lower than one meter, it seems likely that the planktonic primary production of the reservoir is more limited by the availability of light than the availability of nutrients. High nutrient concentrations coupled with low availability of light may explain the continuing dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria such as Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in the plankton of the reservoir.These cyanobacteria are potentially toxic and pose a serious environmental problem because it compromises the water quality for public supply, recreation and fishing when present in high densities as in this study. The mesozooplankton of the reservoir was dominated by the calanoid Notodiaptomus cearensis and the cladoceran Diaphanosoma spinulosum. In general, the structure of zooplankton community seems to be particularly influenced by the spatial variation of cyanobacteria. The results of the regression analyses show that both the chlorophyll a concentrations and the cyanobacteria biovolume were more strongly correlated with the nitrogen than with phosphorus and that the water transparency was more strongly correlated with algal biomass than with other sources of turbidity. The maximum load of phosphorus to attain the maximum permissible concentration of total P in the reservoir was estimated in 63.2 tonnes P/ year. The current external P load to the reservoir is estimated in 324 tonnes P / year and must be severely reduced to improve the water quality for water supply and allow the implementation of aquaculture projects that could contribute to the socio-economic development of the region

Avaliação espaço-temporal do zooplâncton da laguna estuarina de Guaraíras (RN, Brasil)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Avaliação da concentração de retinol em fígados frescos e congelados de frangos das linhagens Cobb e Ross

The intake of adequate quantities of food, including those rich in vitamins, is necessary for a healthy life. The lack of vitamin A has been characterized as a public health problem in developing countries, however, a high intake of vitamin A can result in toxic and teratogenics effects. High concentrations of vitamin A have been observed in the livers of animals. The objective of this study was to assess the levels of retinol in chicken livers and verify the effect of frozen storage on these levels. 64 livers from two chicken strains, Cobb and Ross, were used, came from four different farms. We examined 32 livers from each strain, 8 samples from each farm. Liver sample were homogenized individually, then 4 aliquots were taken from each sample. One of aliquots was analyzed immediately after slaughter (T0), the others were analyzed after 30, 60 and 90 days of storage at -18oC (T30, T60 and T90, respectively). Retinol dosage in the liver was determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The levels of retinol varied significantly according to the strain. The mean retinol value in the fresh samples was 6678.0 ± 1337.7 and 8324.1 ± 1158.5 µg/100g in the Cobb and Ross strain, respectively. Values of 4258 ± 918.7 ± 1391.7 and 4650.5 ± 1391.7 μg/100g were found after 90 days of storage for Cobb and Ross strain, respectively. The liver freezing caused a significant reduction in their levels of retinol, causing a loss of up to 44% with respect to fresh livers. The reduction in retinol levels occurred from 30 days of storage. Even with the losses from the frozen, the ingestion of a typical portion of 100 g of liver, regardless the chicken strain analyzed, surpass all recommendations of consumption and the maximum tolerable intake of vitamin A (3000 μg/day) for adults

Efeito Da Suplementação Materna Com Palmitato De Retinila Sobre A Concentração De Retinol No Colostro Em Condições De Jejum E Pós-Prandial.

Vitamin A is important in many essential body processes and its deficiency results in serious consequences for human health. Breast milk is the only source of this vitamin for children that are exclusively breastfed. Analysis of vitamin A in mother s milk is important because its concentration is related to maternal vitamin A status and to its ingestion by the mother during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of maternal supplementation with retynil palmitate on the concentration of colostrum retinol under fasting and postprandial conditions. A total of 149 nursing mothers were recruited at the Januário Cicco Maternity School (Natal, Brazil) and allocated to two groups: Comparison (n = 69) and Test (n = 80). Blood and colostrum (in fasting and postprandial conditions) samples were collected up to 24hs after delivery. Serum retinol and colostrum levels were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The serum retinol level of 41.6 ± 12.7μg/dL (mean ± standard deviation) indicates adequate biochemical nutritional status. Colostrum retinol level was not influenced by serum retinol levels under any of the conditions established. In the colostrum, the retinol concentration in the unsupplemented test group was 67.3 ± 37.7 μg/dL under fasting and 80.3 ± 35.1 μg/dL under postprandial conditions (p<0.05), showing an increase of 19.3%. In the supplemented test group the values were 102.6 ± 57.3 μg/dL and 133.4 ± 78.3 μg/dL under fasting and postprandial, respectively (p<0.05), representing an increase of 30%. Considering that under fasting conditions most of the vitamin A transported to the milk originates in the retinol binding protein (RBP), the postprandial increase in colostrum retinol suggests a different transport mechanism of retinol to maternal milk from that performed by RBP. This situation becomes more evident under supplementation conditions.