Influência da areia argilosa na recuperação de petróleo por injeção de vapor

Continuous steam injection is one of heavy oil thermal recovery methods used in the Brazilian Northeast because of high occurrence of heavy oil reservoir. In this process, the oil into the reservoir is heated while reduces, substantially, its viscosity and improves the production. This work analyzed how the shaly sand layers influenced in the recovery. The studied models were synthetics, but the used reservoir data can be extrapolated to real situations of Potiguar Basin. The modeling was executed using the STARS - Steam Thermal and Advanced Process Reservoir Simulator - whose version was 2007.10. STARS is a tool of CMG Computer Modeling Group. The study was conducted in two stages, the first we analyzed the influence of reservoir parameters in the thermal process, so some of these were studied, including: horizontal permeability of the reservoir and the layer of shaly sand, ratio of horizontal permeability to vertical permeability, the influence of capillary pressure layer of shaly sand and as the location and dimensions of this heterogeneity can affect the productivity of oil. Among the parameters studied the horizontal permeability of the reservoir showed the most significant influence on the process followed by diversity. In the second stage three models were selected and studied some operational parameters such as injection rate, distance between wells, production time and completion intervals. Among the operating parameters studied the low rate and intermediate distances between wells showed the best recoveries

Evolução diagenética e caracterização dos reservatórios da seção devoniana na Bacia do Rio do Peixe-Nordeste do Brasil

The Rio do Peixe Basin represents a main basin of northeastern Brazil and pioneering work positioned the rocks of this basin in the Early Cretaceous. However, a recent study, based on integrated pollen analysis from three wells, found an unprecedented siliciclastic sedimentary section, in the region, of early Devonian age. Therefore, the present study aims a detailed petrographic and petrological analysis of this devonian section, in the Rio do Peixe Basin and proposes a diagenetic evolution, to understand the characteristics of the porous system, identify the main reservoir petrofacies with the main factors impacting on the quality of these rocks as reservoirs and a quick study on the provenance of this section. The petrographic study was based on samples obtained from subsurface and surface. The diagenetic evolution of petrofacies and its identification were based only on subsurface samples and the study of provenance was based on surface samples. The thin sections were prepared from sandstones, pelites and sandstones intercalated with pelites. The original detrital composition for this section is arcosean and the main diagenetic processes that affected these rocks occur in various depths and different conditions, which resulted in extensive diagenetic variety. The following processes were identified: early fracture and healing of grains; albitization of K-feldspar and plagioclase; siderite; precipitation of silica and feldspar; mechanical infiltration of clay and its transformation to illite/esmectite and illite; autigenesis of analcime; dissolution; autigenesis of chlorite; dolomite/ferrous dolomite/anquerite; apatite; calcite; pyrite; titanium minerals and iron oxide-hidroxide. The occurrence of a recently discovered volcanism, in the Rio do Peixe Basin, may have influenced the diagenetic evolution of this section. Three diagenetic stages affected the Devonian section: eo, meso and telodiagenesis. This section is compositionally quite feldspathic, indicating provenance from continental blocks, between transitional continental and uplift of the basement. From this study, we observed a wide heterogeneity in the role of the studied sandstones as reservoirs. Seven petrofacies were identified, taking into account the main diagenetic constituent responsible for the reduction of porosity. It is possible that the loss of original porosity was influenced by intense diagenesis in these rocks, where the main constituent for the loss of porosity are clays minerals, oxides and carbonate cement (calcite and dolomite)

Avaliação dos efeitos da atividade física na prevenção do estresse oxidativo e do câncer de mama

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

Avaliação in vitro da eficácia de produtos homeopáticos contendo momordica charantia através de bioensaios

Homeopathic medicines have been used for over two hundred years without the examination of their effects on in vivo and in vitro assays, due to the peculiarity of homeopathic preparations, the high dilution, which creates a challenge for the use of usual analytical techniques of quality control of medicine.Although there is scarcity of literature and variety of experiments, recently there have been some studies with few in vitro assays which have shown positive responses when evaluating the mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines which are able to act on a specific system.The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of homeopathic products containing Momordica charantia through bioassays.Homeopathic products were tested by the MTT to assess cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 (macrophage-like cells) and in tumor cells HeLa (human cervical adenocarcinoma cells), CHO K1 (Chinese hamster ovary cells), PANC-1 (human pancreas cancer cells) and PC-3 (human prostate cancer cells), dosage of inflammatory mediators NO, TNF-α and IL-6 released by RAW 264.7 cells, analysis of the death process and cell cycle changes of PC-3 by flow cytometry. The data demonstrate that homeopathic products of Momordica charantia did not show cytotoxicity to RAW 264.7, increased the production of inflammatory mediators by RAW 264.7 synergistically with LPS, showed cytotoxicity to PC-3 with change in its cell cycle inhibiting its proliferation, being the 30CH the most potent sample. Correlation studies were conducted in order to evaluate the possible in vitro applicable models to the quality control of homeopathic products with Momordica charantia. The data showed that the best applicable models in assessing the quality are the MTT to assess cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 and PC-3 in 24 hours for Momordica charantia fruit products and dosage of NO production by RAW 264.7 with and without LPS

Sociedade civil no espaço de atuação com juventude: uma cartografia social

This report has as its objective the setting up of a social cartography, mapping and characterizing non-governmental organizations working with adolescents and young people (OSC) in the western districts of the city of Natal. Characteristics such as the profile, themes and principal activities, how the organizations fit into the public sector and their participation in social networks are observed. Thus common differences and similarities which serve as a means of indentification, take as reference the symbolic cartography of Boaventura of Sousa Santos. Since there are relatively few studies relating to civil society of Rio Grande do Norte and in particular, Natal, the starting point was the setting up of a database allowing for a general overview. Hence a panorama of the organizations could be observed: where they are located, when they were formed how they operate and their relationships with other sectors (the state, the market and civil society) in addition to basic facts and location. The principal lines of enquiry were a) the OSC which operate with the public comprising adolescents and young people and b) the OSC operating or having branches in four suburbs on the periphery of the western administrative region of the city (Felipe Camarão, Bom Pastor, Cidade Nova and Guararapes).The present report has identified the impacts of ongoing social transformation caused by the process of globalization ,by the various currently contested political projects which are as follows: the project of neoliberal globalized capitalism(hegemonic)and the project of social emancipation (contra-hegemonic),how these are seen from the local viewpoint and how they influence the profiles and operation of the cartographic organizations. The area of the OSC is a heterogenous one with political, cultural and ideological strains, characterized by its infiltration, its local/global and multicultural dimensions. As civil organizations are fundamental in the processes of transformation within society, and following the idea of social emancipation referred to by Boaventura Santos, the enquiry classified the organizations according to the afore-mentioned characteristics, establishing eight types of associations. These different types and their respective characteristics were analysed from a related perspective using the mechanisms of symbolic cartography: scale, projection and symbolisation. The theoretical references underpinning this research arise from the debate on civil society which becomes redefined as a result of the dispute involving the two afore-mentioned political projects. These demand the theoretical application of the comprehension of heterogeneity in its diversity and complexity together with the idea of social emancipation.The main authors consulted were Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Antonio Gramsci, through the texts translated by Marco Aurelio Nogueira; Carlos Nelson Coutinho and Alberto Rivera ,who supported the construction of the types of associations identified by the local reality.Finally this research enabled an understanding of the current form of social action happening in the Space of the Four Neighbourhoods (Espaço dos 4 Bairros) and how the distinct profiles analysed together with the ares of operation of the organizations define their emancipatory potencials within the following two poles: regulation/adaptation and emancipation/transformation

Determinantes locais da decomposição foliar e de raízes finais em um ecossistema semiárido do nordeste brasileiro

The decomposition process exercises an extensive control over the carbon cycle, affecting its availability and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The understanding of leaf decomposition patterns above the soil and fine roots decomposition below the soil is necessary and essential to identify and quantify more accurately the flow of energy and matter in forest systems. There is still a lack of studies and a large gap in the knowledge about what environmental variables act as local determinants over decomposition drivers. The knowledge about the decomposition process is still immature for Brazilian semiarid region. The aim of this study was to analyze the decomposition process (on leaves and fine roots) of a mixture of three native species for 12 months in a semiarid ecosystem in Northeast Brazil. We also examined whether the rate of decomposition can be explained by local environmental factors, specifically plant species richness, plant density and biomass, soil macro-arthropods species richness and abundance, amount of litterfall and fine root stock. Thirty sampling points were randomly distributed within an area of 2000 m x 500 m. To determine the decomposition rate, the litterbag technique was used and the data analysis were made with multiple regressions. There was a high degradation of dead organic matter along the experiment. Above ground plant biomass was the only environmental local factor significantly related to leaf decomposition. The density of vegetation and litter production were positively and negatively related to decay rates of fine roots, respectively. The results suggest that Caatinga spatial heterogeneity may exert strong influences over the decomposition process, taking into account the action of environmental factors related to organic matter exposure of and the consequent action of solar radiation as the decomposition process main controller in this region

Efeitos das variáveis ambientais locais sobre a abundância, a riqueza e a biomassa da macrofauna de solo em um ecossistema semiárido no estado do rio grande do norte, nordeste do brasil

The soil macrofauna is influenced to several biotic and abiotic environmental factors, from changes in the physical environment to a variety of interactions among the species involved, affecting the patterns of biodiversity of soil fauna. The power and specificity of the mechanisms that act on soil organisms vary greatly depending on environmental conditions at different scales of space and time. The Caatinga has great spatial heterogeneity of vegetation, climate and soil, so the soil macrofauna would follow this local spatial variation in the environment? This study aimed to investigate the effects of local environmental variables on biological parameters (taxa richness, total abundance and biomass) of soil macrofauna in a fragment of caatinga in João Câmara, Rio Grande Norte, Northeast Brazil. The study was conducted in the Cauaçu farm, where a grid of 2000m x 500m was drawn, and later, 30 sampling points were randomly selected. The methodology used to collect the macrofauna was the TSBF method. We tested the effects of 10 environmental variables on macrofauna across the plots and across the layers of soil. The hypothesis that macrofauna soil responds to changes in the environment was not supported throughout the plots, but was confirmed to soil layers. The soil macrofauna shows a pattern of concentration in the surface layer and decreases considerably in the deeper layers. This pattern had significant and positive relationship with the aerial plant biomass and fine root stock. The aerial plant biomass releases plant necromass that accumulates in the surface layer, providing an important source of resource and shelter for soil macrofauna, explaining their greater abundance in this layer. The roots are used as a means for the arrival of nutrients to the soil from the primary production, thus a greater amount of root conditions higher food intake for macrofauna, especially the herbivores

Saturação em CO2 e regulação metabólica do bacterioplancton em ecossistemas aquáticos de baixa latitude

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

Os efeitos da estrutura de habitat sobre as comunidades de aranhas em uma floresta de caatinga do nordeste brasileiro

The inherent complexity of natural communities is a challenge to our understanding about how the habitat influences the abundance, local distribution and species diversity. The habitat can influence community structure in multiple ways and elucidate these relationships has provoked a lot of debate in ecology. The habitat heterogeneity hypothesis states that an increase in habitat heterogeneity (number of habitats) leads to an increase in species diversity in the landscape due to an expansion in niche dimensions. This study aims to identify whether this hypothesis is valid for the spiders that inhabit a locality in the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil. Cursorial and arboreal spiders were sampled in 30 plots within an area of Caatinga together with measures of environmental complexity, habitat heterogeneity and environmental parameters related to multiple aspects of vegetation architecture and species composition of woody plants. Stepwise multiple regressions were used to define which local environmental parameters best explain the variation in arboreal and cursorial spiders richness. Then a NMDS (Nonmetric multidimensional scaling) was used to reduce the number of predictive variables to those who are the most important and best represent the variation in spiders richness associated with the environment they were sampled. The results show a clear segregation between the guilds of arboreal and cursorial spiders, both related to what kind of environmental variables best explain its variation as well as in relation to what part of the vegetation they occupy

Genetic similarity between staphylococcus sp isolated from human and hospital settings, and susceptibility to different antimicrobials

Foram coletadas 143 amostras de mãos de humanos e camas hospitalares, através de swabs no caldo BHI, em um hospital escola da cidade de Ribeirão Preto/SP. As amostras coletadas foram incubadas a 37ºC por 24 horas e após este período as culturas foram semeadas em placas de Petri contendo agar Staphylococcus Médium 110. As colônias típicas do gênero Staphylococcus foram colhidas e estocados a 4ºC até o momento de elaboração das provas de catalase, manitol, hemólise, DNAse e coagulase. As cepas isoladas foram analisadas através da técnica de RAPD-PCR para verificar o grau de similaridade. A sensibilidade das cepas isoladas foi testada frente a 10 diferentes antibióticos. Das 92 cepas de Staphylococcus sp isoladas, 67 (72,8%) foram identificados como Staphylococcus coagulase-negativas e 25 (27,2%) como Staphylococcus coagulase-positivas. A análise de similaridade mostrou uma grande heterogeneidade entre as cepas, entretanto foram isoladas algumas cepas com 100% de similaridade. Resistência a oxacilina foi encontrada em 39 (42%) cepas. Duas cepas de estafilococos coagulase-negativos mostraram-se resistentes a vancomicina. Onze cepas (12%) de estafilococos foram consideradas multirresistentes. Medidas de desinfecção das mãos de pessoal e dos leitos hospitalares e a racionalização do uso indiscriminado de antibióticos podem contribuir para a queda da transmissão de patógenos e diminuição da pressão de seleção, e conseqüentemente diminuindo a freqüência e letalidade das infecções nosocomiais.

Relações interpessoais no ambiente de trabalho da equipe de enfermagem: uma ação comunicativa

The current study strives to address the interpersonal relationships of the nursing team from the perspective of the communicative action, by contributing to the health work process. It aims to analyze the interpersonal relationships of the nursing team in its work environment. This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data collection wal held from interviews, guided by a script with open questions. The study was conducted at a state hospital in the city of Natal/RN/Brazil. The research subjects were the workers of the nursing team, including nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants, totaling 16 subjects. The capture of information was performed in April 2012. The project was approved by the Ethics Research Committee, under CEP/UFRN protocol n. º 262/11 and Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Consideration n. º 0289.0.051.000-11. The analysis was performed from the categories that emerged from the research through a dialogue with the authors studied in the theoretical framework of the Theory of communicative action , by Jürgen Habermas, as well as The changing in the world of work, by Ricardo Antunes, and Characterization of the team , by Marina Peduzzi. The outocomes point out that the interpersonal relationship of the nursing team is very troubled, with no interaction among the individuals involved in this process, among themselves and with other health professionals. We have developed a particular concept about team, which is comprised of three essential elements: multiplicity of individuals, common objective and heterogeneity. In the studied environment, it was realized the existence of grouping teams. The interpersonal relationship of the nursing can be a facilitator or an obstacle in the workplace in such a way that causes positive or negative consequences, both to the health workers, and to the sicks. In this context, the interviewees have intensified their viewpoints with regard to the weaknesses that permeate the nursing relationship, by pointing them more frequently than the strengths. The work conditions have signaled a failing situation, which is evidenced by the constant improvisation process before the lack of human and material resources, low wages, deficit in recognizing the nursing worker, and physical and emotional wear, by creating a professional exhaustion. The devaluation of the worker also became a strong factor for this study, because it was characterized a reason of job dissatisfaction, due to the lack of valuation policies, which should be prepared by the institution or, even, they are unknown by the worker itself. The worker participation in the design of these policies has emerged as a relevant factor. The poor work conditions lead the worker to a process of professional demotivation and dissatisfaction, by causing the feeling of devaluation within its work environment. Hence, it was found in this research that the lack of communication leads to situations of inadequate interpersonal relationships, which are creators of an unsuitable environment for the performance of the nursing team

Modelo de gerenciamento de estoques de peças de reposição para empresas de transporte urbano de passageiros

This work searches to offer a model to improve spare parts stock management for companies of urban passenger transport by bus, with the consequent progress in their maintenance management. Also known as MRO items (Maintenance, Repair and Operations), these spare parts, according their consumption and demand features, cost, criticity to operation, lead-time, quantity of suppliers, among other parameters, shouldn´t have managed their inventory like normal production items (work in process e final products), that because their features, are managed by more predictable models based, for example, in economic order quantity. In the case specifically of companies of urban passenger transport by bus, items MRO have significant importance in their assets and a bad management of these inventories can cause serious losses to company, leading it even bankrupticy business, in more severe situations which missing spare part provokes vehicles shutdown indefinitely. Given slight attention to the issue, which translates in little literature available about it when compared to that literature about normal items stocks, and due the fact that MRO items be critical to bus urban transport of passengers companies´, it is necessary, so, deepen in this theme searching to give technical and scientific subsidies to companies that work, in many times, empirically, with these so decisive inputs to their business. As a typical portfolio problem, in which there are n items, separated into critical and noncritical, while competing for the same resource, it was developed a new algorithm to aid in a better inventory management of spare parts used only in corrective maintenance (whose failures are unpredictable and random), by analyzing the cost-benefit ratio, which compares the level of service versus cost of each item. The model was tested in a company of urban passenger transport by bus from the city of Natal, who anonymously provided their real data to application in this work

Fatores inibidores do uso de técnicas ambientais nos postos de combustíveis: um estudo de caso em Natal/RN

The objective of this work was to investigate the factors that inhibit the use of Environmental Techniques in the Gas Station of the city of Natal/RN. For this, a survey with the aid of a questionnaire was used like research instrument. It s used a sample for convenience, not probabilistic. For collection of the data, it was used directly application of the questionnaire to the Managers or Assistant managers of the gas station, in accordance with its availability or presence. The data was collected in all the regions of Natal (North, South, East and West). The population in accordance with the data of the ANP of September 2005 is of 111 ranks and the collected sample was of 86. To carry through the analysis of the data of this research had been used softwares Excel and Statistic version 5.0, for Windows. The analysis of data is divided in two parts; descriptive analysis and analysis of groupings (clusters). The results showed that bigger part of the interviewed ones has between 30 and 39 years of age; they have second grade completed; they had declared to have little between and reasonable knowledge how much to the use of Clean Technology (CT) in gas station; and a small part of the interviewed ones had informed to have much knowledge how much the resolutions of the CONAMA established for the Gas Station. Of the searched ranks, the majority is national(76.7%); the most accurate practice environmental used in the gas station are: it collects selective of oil used or contaminated and ecological tanks - coated with strengthened fibre glass; great part of the interviewed ones (33.8%) informed that never the TL makes planning of referring future action; about of the half of the interviewed ones (84.9%) they had more declared that its employees have of none to a reasonable level of training for deal with problems that compromise the environment; the majority of the ranks (72.1%) functions has for more then six years. It is observed that almost all the interviewed ones (96.5%) evaluate as being important or very important the implantation of CT in Gas Station and the great majority (82.1%) evaluates the difficulty in if implanting these technologies in Gas Station as being easy or very easy. In the analysis of cluster, it was verified existence of two groupings (as much in the variable of the barriers and benefits), being that inside of each clusters exists homogeneity and between clusters exists heterogeneity. In reality, everything is important or very important in the opinion of the interviewed ones. There only exists a small significant difference that separates them in clusters

Interação genótipo x ambiente e características pré-desmama em animais da raça Simental em duas estações de nascimento

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da interação genótipo x ambiente (GxA), nas características peso à desmama e ganho de peso do nascimento à desmama, em machos e fêmeas da raça Simental, nascidos nas estações chuvosa e seca. Foram avaliados 20 mil animais, aos 210 dias de idade. Realizou-se uma análise multicaracterística, que considerou como distinta a mesma característica nos diferentes grupos ambientais, e uma análise unicaracterística, que considerou cada característica como a mesma em todos os grupos ambientais. Ainteração GxA foi avaliada por meio da correlação genética (r g). As interações foram consideradas importantes quando os valores de r g ficaram abaixo de 0,80. As distribuições posteriores das estimativas de herdabilidades mostraram ausência de heterogeneidade de variâncias entre os sexos, entretanto houve interação GxA entre os grupos ambientais. Observaram-se valores de correlação genética de 0,54 a 0,78 e 0,55 a 0,75 para peso à desmama e ganho de peso do nascimento à desmama, respectivamente. As seleções, baseadas tanto na análise unicaracterística quanto na multicaracterística, não mostraram diferenças significativas quanto ao ganho genético dos animais. Há efeito das estações de nascimento nas características avaliadas, em todos os grupos ambientais, e a interação GxA é mais evidente em fêmeas do que em machos.

Sistema de gestão ambiental sob a perspectiva da resource-based view: um estudo de caso no verdegreen Hotel - João Pessoa/PB

The pressure for a new pattern of sustainable development began to require of modern organizations the conciliation between competitiveness and a environmental protection. In this sense, a tool that acts in the implementation of structured strategies is the Environmental Management System (EMS), which focuses on improving environmental performance. This improvement, in turn, can generate to the organizations many benefits , among which, obtaining competitive advantages, susceptible of measurement from different perspectives. One of these is the application of VRIO model, reasoned by the Resource-Based View (RBV), which considers that differences between companies occurs due to differences between its internal resources and capabilities. However, although was been found some studies in the literature that evaluate the competitive potential of certain organizations , such assessments are not performed on specific objects, like the SEM s. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the resources and capabilities (environmental strategies) adopted by the SGA of the Verdegreen Hotel, identifying which of these have the potential to generate competitive advantage. For this, this exploratory-descriptive character study and delineated as field research and case study was used as data collection tools: a literature survey, semi-structured interviews, document research and participant observation. The interpretation of results and consolidation of information were conducted from a qualitative approach, using two techniques of data analysis, namely: content analysis and analysis through VRIO model. The results show that the hotel is quite structured in relation to their EMS, as well as reaching related to improving the management of environmental factors, strengthening the image and gains in competitiveness benefits. On the other hand, the main difficulties for the implementation of the system are related to employees and suppliers. With regard to environmental strategies adopted, of the 25 strategies identified, 10 showed the potential to generate competitive advantage