Concepção de um reactor batch multifunções

Mestrado em Engenharia Química

Hepatite C em profissionais da saúde: prevalência e associação com fatores de risco

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a prevalência do vírus da hepatite entre profissionais da área da saúde e analisar fatores de risco. MÉTODOS: O estudo foi realizado em hospital universitário no município de São José do Rio Preto, SP, de janeiro 1994 a dezembro 1999. Participaram do estudo 1.433 profissionais da área da saúde, 872 funcionários da área administrativa e 2.583 candidatos a doador de sangue. Os dados foram coletados durante exames admissionais, periódicos e após acidentes de trabalho. Informações ocupacionais e não-ocupacionais foram obtidas por meio de questionário. Foram utilizados os testes qui-quadrado, Kruskal-Wallis e análise por regressão logística. RESULTADOS: A prevalência do vírus da hepatite entre os profissionais da saúde (1,7%) foi significativamente maior que nos funcionários administrativos (0,5%; p=0,007) e em candidatos a doadores (0,2%; p=0,001). Entre fatores ocupacionais, o tempo de serviço dos profissionais da saúde com sorologia positiva foi significativamente maior (p=0,016) que naqueles com sorologia negativa. A análise de regressão múltipla revelou que a cada cinco anos na idade, o risco aumenta em 50%. Houve associação significativa entre transfusão de sangue e profissionais de saúde com sorologia positiva. CONCLUSÕES: Profissionais da saúde apresentaram maior prevalência de vírus da hepatite que os profissionais administrativos e candidatos a doador. Naqueles com sorologia positiva, fatores ocupacionais e não-ocupacionais de maior risco foram idade, tempo de serviço e transfusão de sangue.

Avaliação do efeito da luz e temperatura no crescimento in vitro de Ulva rigida C. Agardh (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae)

Dissertação de Mestrado em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia Vegetal

Prevalência, fatores de risco e genótipos da hepatite C entre usuários de drogas

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência e fatores associados à infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C em usuários de drogas e identificar os genótipos e subtipos virais circulantes. MÉTODOS: Estudo realizado com 691 usuários de drogas de 26 centros de tratamento de uso de drogas filantrópicos, particulares e públicos de Goiânia (GO) e Campo Grande (MS), entre 2005 e 2006. Dados sociodemográficos e fatores de risco para infecção pelo HCV foram obtidos por meio de entrevistas. Amostras sangüíneas foram testadas para a detecção de anticorpos para o HCV. As amostras positivas foram submetidas à detecção do RNA-HCV pela reação em cadeia da polimerase com iniciadores complementares às regiões 5' NC e NS5B do genoma viral e genotipadas pelo line probe assay (LiPA) e por seqüenciamento direto, seguido de análise filogenética. Prevalência e odds ratio foram calculados com intervalo de 95% de confiança. Os fatores de risco com p<0,10 pela análise univariada foram analisados por regressão logística hierárquica. Valores de p<0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significantes. RESULTADOS: A prevalência para anti-HCV foi 6,9% (IC 95%: 5,2;9,2). A análise multivariada de fatores de risco indicou que idade superior a 30 anos e uso injetável de drogas se mostraram associados à infecção pelo HCV. O RNA-HCV foi detectado em 85,4% (41/48) das amostras anti-HCV positivas. Trinta e três amostras foram do genótipo 1 pelo LiPA, subtipos 1a (63,4%) e 1b (17,1%), e 8 (19,5%) do genótipo 3, subtipo 3a. A análise filogenética da região NS5B mostrou que 17 (68%), 5 (20%) e 3 (12%) amostras foram dos subtipos 1a, 3a e 1b, respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados mostram uma prevalência elevada da infecção e do subtipo 1a do HCV em usuários de drogas, sendo o uso injetável de drogas o principal fator de risco para essa infecção.

Communication protocol for the rempli project

The overall goal of the REMPLI project is to design and implement a communication infrastructure for distributed data acquisition and remote control operations using the power grid as the communication medium. The primary target application is remote meter reading with high time resolution, where the meters can be energy, heat, gas, or water meters. The users of the system (e.g. utility companies) will benefit from the REMPLI system by gaining more detailed information about how energy is consumed by the end-users. In this context, the power-line communication (PLC) is deployed to cover the distance between utility company’s Private Network and the end user. This document specifies a protocol for real-time PLC, in the framework of the REMPLI project. It mainly comprises the Network Layer and Data Link Layer. The protocol was designed having into consideration the specific aspects of the network: different network typologies (star, tree, ring, multiple paths), dynamic changes in network topology (due to network maintenance, hazards, etc.), communication lines strongly affected by noise.

A genetic algorithm for the resource constrained multi-project scheduling problem

This paper presents a genetic algorithm for the resource constrained multi-project scheduling problem. The chromosome representation of the problem is based on random keys. The schedules are constructed using a heuristic that builds parameterized active schedules based on priorities, delay times, and release dates defined by the genetic algorithm. The approach is tested on a set of randomly generated problems. The computational results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods and their impact on the diet of young adults

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods, its associated factors, and its influence on nutrient intake in young adults.METHODS In 2004-2005, the individuals belonging to the Pelotas birth cohort of 1982 were identified for a home interview. A total of 4,297 individuals were interviewed and 4,202 individuals were included in the study (follow-up rate of 77.4%). Diet was assessed using a questionnaire on dietary intake and the percentage of daily caloric intake attributed to ultra-processed foods as well as the intake of macro- and micronutrients were estimated. The association between cohort characteristics and the consumption of ultra-processed foods was assessed using linear regression. Analysis of variance and Pearson’s Chi-square test were used to evaluate the association between the quintiles of the consumption of ultra-processed food, nutrient intake and adequacy of nutrient intake, respectively.RESULTS The consumption of ultra-processed foods corresponded to 51.2% of the total caloric intake. The consumption of ultra-processed foods was higher among women, individuals with higher education, and individuals who were never poor and eutrophic. The increased consumption of ultra-processed foods was positively correlated with the consumption of fat, cholesterol, sodium, iron, calcium, and calories (p < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with the consumption of carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber (p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS The high consumption of ultra-processed foods and its positive correlation with the intake of sodium, cholesterol, and fats underscores the need to perform interventions aimed at decreasing the intake of this food group.

A biased random-key genetic algorithm with forward-backward improvement for the resource constrained project scheduling problem

This paper presents a biased random-key genetic algorithm for the resource constrained project scheduling problem. The chromosome representation of the problem is based on random keys. Active schedules are constructed using a priority-rule heuristic in which the priorities of the activities are defined by the genetic algorithm. A forward-backward improvement procedure is applied to all solutions. The chromosomes supplied by the genetic algorithm are adjusted to reflect the solutions obtained by the improvement procedure. The heuristic is tested on a set of standard problems taken from the literature and compared with other approaches. The computational results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

TRAILER project overview: tagging, recognition and acknowledgment of informal learning experiences

The evolution of new technology and its increasing use, have for some years been making the existence of informal learning more and more transparent, especially among young and older adults in both Higher Education and workplace contexts. However, the nature of formal and non-formal, course-based, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily, and although technology bring us near to the solution, it has not yet achieved. TRAILER project aims to address this problem by developing a tool for the management of competences and skills acquired through informal learning experiences, both from the perspective of the user and the institution or company. This paper describes the research and development main lines of this project.

Sistema de Torre de Refrigeração

Mestrado em Engenharia Química - Ramo Optimização Energética na Indústria Química

Project, modelling and simulation of air stripping columns for the treatment of groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds are a common source of groundwater contamination that can be easily removed by air stripping in columns with random packing and using a counter-current flow between the phases. This work proposes a new methodology for the column design for any particular type of packing and contaminant avoiding the necessity of a pre-defined diameter used in the classical approach. It also renders unnecessary the employment of the graphical Eckert generalized correlation for pressure drop estimates. The hydraulic features are previously chosen as a project criterion and only afterwards the mass transfer phenomena are incorporated, in opposition to conventional approach. The design procedure was translated into a convenient algorithm using C++ as programming language. A column was built in order to test the models used either in the design or in the simulation of the column performance. The experiments were fulfilled using a solution of chloroform in distilled water. Another model was built to simulate the operational performance of the column, both in steady state and in transient conditions. It consists in a system of two partial non linear differential equations (distributed parameters). Nevertheless, when flows are steady, the system became linear, although there is not an evident solution in analytical terms. In steady state the resulting system of ODE can be solved, allowing for the calculation of the concentration profile in both phases inside the column. In transient state the system of PDE was numerically solved by finite differences, after a previous linearization.

Enhancing informal learning recognition through TRAILER project

International Workshop on solutions that Enhance Informal LEarning Recognition – WEILER 2013

Institutional factors governing the deployment of remote experiments: lessons from the rexnet project

Remote labs offer many unique advantages to students as they provide opportunities to access experiments and learning scenarios that would be otherwise unavailable. At the same time, however, these opportunities introduce real challenges to the institutions hosting the remote labs. This paper draws on the experiences of the REXNET project consortium to expose a number of these issues as a means of furthering the debate on the value of remote labs and the best practices in deploying them. The paper presents a brief outline of the various types of remote lab scenarios that might be deployed. It then describes the key human and technological actors that have an interest in or are intrinsic to a remote lab instance, with a description of the role of each actor and their interest. Some relationships between these various actors are then discussed with some factors that might influence those relationships. Finally some general issues are briefly described.

TERT Promoter Mutations Are a Major Indicator of Poor Outcome in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinomas

Context: Telomerase promoter mutations (TERT) were recently described in follicular cell-derived thyroid carcinomas (FCDTC) and seem to be more prevalent in aggressive cancers. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the frequency of TERT promoter mutations in thyroid lesions and to investigate the prognostic significance of such mutations in a large cohort of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTCs). Design: This was a retrospective observational study. Setting and Patients: We studied 647 tumors and tumor-like lesions. A total of 469 patients with FCDTC treated and followed in five university hospitals were included. Mean follow-up (±SD) was 7.8 ± 5.8 years. Main Outcome Measures: Predictive value of TERT promoter mutations for distant metastasization, disease persistence at the end of follow-up, and disease-specific mortality. Results: TERT promoter mutations were found in 7.5% of papillary carcinomas (PTCs), 17.1% of follicular carcinomas, 29.0% of poorly differentiated carcinomas, and 33.3% of anaplastic thyroid carcinomas. Patients with TERT-mutated tumors were older (P < .001) and had larger tumors (P = .002). In DTCs, TERT promoter mutations were significantly associated with distant metastases (P < .001) and higher stage (P < .001). Patients with DTC harboring TERT promoter mutations were submitted to more radioiodine treatments (P = .009) with higher cumulative dose (P = .004) and to more treatment modalities (P = .001). At the end of follow-up, patients with TERT-mutated DTCs were more prone to have persistent disease (P = .001). TERT promoter mutations were significantly associated with disease-specific mortality [in the whole FCDTC (P < .001)] in DTCs (P < .001), PTCs (P = .001), and follicular carcinomas (P < .001). After adjusting for age at diagnosis and gender, the hazard ratio was 10.35 (95% confidence interval 2.01–53.24; P = .005) in DTC and 23.81 (95% confidence interval 1.36–415.76; P = .03) in PTCs. Conclusions: TERT promoter mutations are an indicator of clinically aggressive tumors, being correlated with worse outcome and disease-specific mortality in DTC. TERT promoter mutations have an independent prognostic value in DTC and, notably, in PTC.