bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Legitimacy of Contemporary Legal Strategies for Obesity
Authors: Morain Stephanie
Published: January 2016

Contemporary legal strategies for obesity raise troubling questions regarding individual liberty and the legitimate scope of public health authority. This article argues that the predominant approach to assessing public health legitimacy—John Stuart Mill’s “harm principle”—may be unsuitable for evaluating the legitimacy of legal strategies for obesity. The article proposes an alternative test for assessing the legitimate scope of public health authority: John Rawls’s liberal principle of legitimacy. It outlines how Rawls’s principle would evaluate obesity policies, and contrasts this evaluation to that of Mill. The alternative test avoids some of the limitations of the Millian approach, and may offer an improved mechanism for assessing the liberty effects of policies for obesity and other public health activities.
Mapping Contemporary American War Culture
Authors: Deer Patrick
Published: January 2016

This essay offers a wide-ranging survey of the uneven and plural militarization of US war culture and everyday life during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It argues that the cultural authority and representational confidence of recent war culture draws on the “consolidated vision” of empire, but that paradoxically its power is based not on grand narratives but rests on much more partial, fragmented, and incoherent representations of wartime. It explores the unstable “homeland” imaginary constituted around the militarization and racialization of urban policing and surveillance since the Cold War recently contested by Black Lives Matter; the distancing, dominant representations of wars abroad through high tech warfare and hypermasculine paramilitary special forces; the emergent normalization of torture and trauma; and the sacralization of the veteran. The essay explores work by Phil Klay, Brian Turner, Sinan Antoon, and the film, Zero Dark Thirty , and offers extended discussions of Ben Fountain’s novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk , and the TV drama The Wire .
Robert Lowell, Perpetual War, and the Legacy of Civil War Elegy
Authors: LeMahieu Michael
Published: January 2016

In Robert Lowell’s “For the Union Dead,” the banality of Civil War memory underwrites apathy toward civil rights struggle. Lowell depicts a nation ironically unified in its servility to commercial interests and its indifference toward historical sacrifice and resistance to racial equality. Under such conditions, elegiac commemoration becomes impossible, and Lowell’s poem functions as a meta-elegy: a lament for a failure of memory. These conditions persist and confront Lowell’s successors, Claudia Rankine, Natasha Trethewey, and Kevin Young, who carry forward the legacy of “For the Union Dead” as they confront contemporary versions of the banality of memory and the perpetuation of racial violence.
“How Safe Do You Feel?”: James Bond, Skyfall , and the Politics of the Secret Agent in an Age of Ubiquitous Threat
Authors: Smith James
Published: January 2016

When examining the process of the banalization of warfare, the history of the modern state intelligence apparatus provides one of the most significant examples of such a transition. This article, through analysis of the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall , looks at how the world’s most successful spy franchise has adapted to this contemporary paradigm of intelligence and cyber-terrorism. Through examining how Skyfall engages with issues such as the threats posed by the ubiquity of the internet, the accountability of intelligence services in the wake of the War on Terror, and the continued ability of fictional works to depict conflict and the intelligence apparatus in the modern world, this essay argues that Skyfall attempts a significant cultural intervention into perceptions of the contemporary secret state, offering a staunch defense of Western intelligence services while contesting the skeptical visions that have come to dominate recent spy narratives.
“What the World Looks Like”: On Banality and Spectacle
Authors: MacPhee Graham , Naimou Angela
Published: January 2016

This introductory essay locates the question of the banalization of war in relation to the suppression of the link between violence and civility in modernity. It thereby identifies banality and spectacle as two axes of a shared political condition of appearance. This condition of appearance is explored through Hannah Arendt’s account of action as the space of appearance and its basis in plurality in The Human Condition (1958). The essay argues that Arendt’s more historically engaged philosophical work—including The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963), and her interviews about the Eichmann trial—rearticulates this abstract account through a historically informed conception of “social texture” which requires care for “what the world looks like,” for the Mitsein of Dasein . This care for what the world looks like is identified in the poetry of Iraqi American poet Dunya Mikhail, and is shown to provide a critical framework for addressing contemporary war culture through Arendt’s concepts of “banality” and “functioning.”
Banal Time: War After Grand Narrative
Authors: MacPhee Graham
Published: January 2016

This essay identifies the banal temporality of endless war in both the affective disposition signaled by the POW/MIA flag and the conditions of apperception of the war planners who orchestrated the US war in Southeast Asia. To explore this banal time, the essay turns to Christopher Nolan’s neo-noir Memento (), a film that explores the interplay of memory, subjectivity, and violence. Memento ’s ostensible opposition between memory as the return of origin and absolute temporal dispersal in fact gives way to a quite different conception of subjectivity’s temporal connectivity, based in routine repetition, habit, and conditioning—the “banal time” that Hannah Arendt sees as underpinning the banality of evil. In a reading of Homi Bhabha’s account of freedom as being based “in the indeterminate,” the banal time of Memento is shown to destabilize the opposition of grand narrative and temporal dispersal upon which contemporary theory has staked its political orientation. At the same time, the essay counters interpretations of Arendt’s conception of the banality of evil that reduce it to a dismissal of the perpetrator’s character or humanity. Rather, Arendt’s conception is shown to focus on the temporal conditions of possibility of responsibility, and to prioritize modes of connectivity that would overcome banal time.
“I forgot half the words”: Samuel Beckett’s Molloy as Minor Literature
Authors: Adar Einat
Published: January 2016

In their book Kafka Deleuze and Guattari mention Samuel Beckett as a prime example of a minor writer. The article explores this insight about Beckett’s practice as a minor writer, focusing on his first novel published in French, Molloy (1951). It further inquires into the importance of multilingualism to the change in Beckett’s style after World War II and its connection with the transition from English to French.
Saul Bellow as a Novelist of Ideas: Introduction to the Forum
Authors: Aarons Victoria , Sánchez-Canales Gustavo
Published: January 2016

According to Saul Bellow (1915–2005), one of the main responsibilities of the novelist is to expose “the center” and to adjudicate among the many explanations, rationalizations, defenses, and subterfuges that constitute modern life. Bellow cautions against the “noise” of modern life because, he believes, it distracts one from the center, from the essence of human experience. Amidst the chaos of modern life, Bellow’s fiction — novels and short stories of contemplation and of meditated reflection — is a stay against confusion. The “Introduction to the Forum” establishes the context for a discussion of Bellow’s works and frames the issues raised in the individual articles in the Forum.
Saul Bellow and the Theory of Comedy: “Him with His Foot in His Mouth” from Page to Stage
Authors: Newman Judie
Published: January 2016

In 2014 New Perspectives Theatre Company staged the first adaptation on the stage of a short story by Saul Bellow, “Him with His Foot in His Mouth.” The changes made to the story in its adaptation for the stage inform our understanding of the comic effect of the story, particularly in relation to the different endings involved. The dynamic of the story depends upon the deployment of two different concepts of comedy — as the expression of an aggressive, materialistic society (Freud, The Joke in Relation to the Unconscious ) or as a means of reforming society in green comedy (Northrop Frye, The Anatomy of Criticism ). The story focusses upon the legitimate irresponsibility of comedy, and on the relation of comedy to freedom, defending it as a social and even a sacred good. The one-liners uttered by the hero exemplify comedy of a corrective nature, offering a healthy critique of social behavior, particularly in terms of the relation of art to money, and contest Freud’s theory as tainted by its social context and economic basis.
Faces in a Sea of Suffering: The Human Predicament in Saul Bellow’s The Victim
Authors: Aarons Victoria
Published: January 2016

Saul Bellow’s 1947 novel The Victim has as its frontispiece two epigraphs: one from “The Tale of the Trader and the Jinni,” from The Thousand and One Nights , and the other from Thomas de Quincey’s The Pains of Opium . The epigraphs set the stage for Bellow’s protagonist’s anxious reflections about his responsibility toward his fellow sufferers, a moral condition which Asa Leventhal at first attempts to deny but to which he ultimately succumbs. These opening epigraphs — cautionary tales of accountability and moral reckoning — not only introduce the novel’s tensions and ambiguities but also frame the unraveling of Bellow’s fraught and apprehensive central character, whose anxieties about his accountability toward others threaten to become his undoing.
“Bonfire in summer camp”: Defamiliarization and the Holocaust
Authors: Pozorski Aimee
Published: January 2016

While scholars have offered independent readings of Philip Roth’s and Saul Bellow’s provocative representations of the Holocaust camp, I put Roth’s and other writers’ (Anthony Hecht’s, Carl Friedman’s, and Nathan Englander’s) handling of this topos in tension with Bellow in their search of ways to approach traumatic history. Without taking sides, I contend that the crisis in representation brought on by the age of genocide comes into focus more vividly through the defamiliarizing trope of the Holocaust camp as seen in more recent fiction than in Bellow’s more poetic, alienating novel.
The Inorganic Aesthetic in Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend
Authors: Çelikkol Ayşe
Published: January 2016

This paper argues that in Our Mutual Friend , Dickens provides an alternative to the dominant aesthetic paradigm of his time, organicism. While organic form implies unity in the many, dust in this novel offers an aesthetic of similitude in which the whole is nothing but the part replicated over and over. Through the use of recurrences and doubling, the novel comes to embody this aesthetic. Social formations in the novel similarly challenge organic form, as familial roles are empty shells that characters only temporarily inhabit. When Dickens departs from organic ideals of differentiation and progress, he challenges the liberal principle of individuation.
“An Alice in Wonderland Proposition,” or, Childhood in Saul Bellow’s “By the Saint Lawrence” and “Zetland: By a Character Witness”
Authors: Cañadas-Rodríguez Emilio
Published: January 2016

According to Unesco, a child is “ a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular country set the legal age for adulthood younger” while childhood’s early years are said to be “decisive for human development.” This essay shows how childhood and children are depicted in two of Bellow’s short stories, “By the St. Lawrence,” where a dying, elderly professor returns to his birthplace and sees himself as a child, and “Zetland’s : By a Character Witness,” where the treatment of childhood stages Bellow’s autobiographical memory of his relationship with Isaac Rosenfeld. Following Lewis Carroll’s structure, Bellow takes his adult characters down on a trip to the past childhood: his child characters are remembered; they continue to exist in the adult identity but are not represented in the fictional present; by contrast to child characters in Romantic literature, these children are not given a central position in these stories — they are remembered entities.
Stochastic renewal process model for maintenance (case study: thermal electricity generation in Sudan)
Authors: Qurashi Mohammedelameen , Hamdi Ahamed Mohamed Abdalla
Published: January 2016

The renewal process defines as a counting process where the times between the count renewals is a random variables and their distribution is identical. In the electricity generation machines there are spare parts replaced due to damage or expired and replacement process occur repeatedly and the renewal process of here assume that times between replacements are independent random variables and it has identical probability distribution. In this paper, renewal process model has applied on the time of fault for machine in Bahri Thermal Station for electricity generation, which is belong to the National Electricity Authority in Sudan during the period (2011-2015). Through the renewal process model estimation is clear that, the failure time (renewal) for the machines follow Weibull distribution with 2-parameters and when the time trend has been tested it is clear that no trend exist which mean that the renewal process represent Homogeneous Poisson Process (HPP), and the repair rate (renewal) is occurred constantly. In addition, the findings approve that whenever the repair rate (renewal) increase the mean time between failures (MTBF) increases too and this clear in machine no (6).
Analgesic activity of the fractions of the aqueous extract of Ximenia Americana (Linné) (Olacaceae)
Authors: Tianga yaya Soro , Ouga Stanislas Zahoui , Anthelme Semi Nene-bi
Published: January 2016

This work is the continuation of previous work, during which we investigated the analgesic effects of aqueous extract of Ximenia americana in rats and mice. This work has shown the analgesic action of the aqueous extract of Ximenia americana, effect which seems be due to flavonoids and saponins contained in this total extract. We undertook the fractionation of the crude extract of Ximenia americana, to verify the assumption that the analgesic effect of the aqueous extract from Ximenia americana is due to flavonoids and saponins. To do this we used the fractionation method developed by wagner. This method gave us 6 fractions; we tested on rats and mice. The use of reference molecules such as morphine and phenylbutazone showed the analgesic properties of fractions F2, F4, F6 of the aqueous extract of Ximenia americana.

Analgesic activity of the fractions of the aqueous extract of
 Ximenia Americana (Linné) (Olacaceae)
Global Prevalence of Past-year Violence Against Children: A Systematic Review and Minimum Estimates
Authors: Hillis Susan , Mercy James , Amobi Adaugo , Kress Howard
Published: January 2016

CONTEXT:

Evidence confirms associations between childhood violence and major causes of mortality in adulthood. A synthesis of data on past-year prevalence of violence against children will help advance the United Nations’ call to end all violence against children.

OBJECTIVES:

Investigators systematically reviewed population-based surveys on the prevalence of past-year violence against children and synthesized the best available evidence to generate minimum regional and global estimates.

DATA SOURCES:

We searched Medline, PubMed, Global Health, NBASE, CINAHL, and the World Wide Web for reports of representative surveys estimating prevalences of violence against children.

STUDY SELECTION:

Two investigators independently assessed surveys against inclusion criteria and rated those included on indicators of quality.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Investigators extracted data on past-year prevalences of violent victimization by country, age group, and type (physical, sexual, emotional, or multiple types). We used a triangulation approach which synthesized data to generate minimum regional prevalences, derived from population-weighted averages of the country-specific prevalences.

RESULTS:

Thirty-eight reports provided quality data for 96 countries on past-year prevalences of violence against children. Base case estimates showed a minimum of 50% or more of children in Asia, Africa, and Northern America experienced past-year violence, and that globally over half of all children—1 billion children, ages 2–17 years—experienced such violence.

LIMITATIONS:

Due to variations in timing and types of violence reported, triangulation could only be used to generate minimum prevalence estimates.

CONCLUSIONS:

Expanded population-based surveillance of violence against children is essential to target prevention and drive the urgent investment in action endorsed in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Energy Synchronized Transmission Control for Energy-harvesting Sensor Networks
Authors: Fan Zuzhi , Liu Xiaoli
Published: January 2016

Energy harvesting and recharging techniques have been regarded as a promising solution to ensure sustained operations of wireless sensor networks for longterm applications. To deal with the diversity of energy harvesting and constrained energy storage capability, sensor nodes in such applications usually work in a duty-cycled mode. Consequently, the sleep latency brought by duty-cycled operation is becoming the main challenge. In this work, we study the energy synchronization control problem for such sustainable sensor networks. Intuitively, energy-rich nodes can increase their transmission power in order to improve network performance, while energy-poor nodes can lower transmission power to conserve its precious energy resource. In particular, we propose an energy synchronized transmission control scheme (ESTC) by which each node adaptively selects suitable power levels and data forwarders according to its available energy and traffic load. Based on the large-scale simulations, we validate that our design can improve system performance under different network settings comparing with common uniform transmission power control strategy. Specially, ESTC can enable the perpetual operations of nodes without sacrificing the network lifetime.
Numerical P Systems with Thresholds
Authors: Zhang Zhiqiang , Pan Linqiang
Published: January 2016

Numerical P systems are a class of P systems inspired both from the structure of living cells and from economics. In this work, a control of using evolution programs is introduced into numerical P systems: a threshold is considered and a program can be applied only when the values of the variables involved in the production function of the program are greater than/equal to (lower-threshold) or smaller than/equal to (upper-threshold) the threshold. The computational power of numerical P systems with lower-threshold or upper-threshold is investigated. It is proved that numerical P systems with a lower-threshold, with one membrane and linear production functions, working both in the all-parallel mode and in the one-parallel mode are universal. The result is also extended to numerical P systems with an upperthreshold, by proving the equivalence of the numerical P systems with lower- and upper-thresholds.
Intencionalidade e Linguagem (II): Algumas Considerações sobre Tomaselo, Searle e Dennett
Authors: Moreira Sylvio Allan Rocha , Souza Carlos Barbosa Alves de
Published: January 2016

RESUMO Propomos, neste trabalho, que o conceito de intencionalidade é uma ferramenta relevante para a interpretação de repertórios simbólicos humanos. Analisamos como os conceitos de intencionalidade e de linguagem verbal são articulados na Teoria da Aquisição da Linguagem Baseada no Uso de Tomasello, na Teoria dos Atos Ilocucionários de Searle e na Teoria dos Sistemas Intencionais de Dennett, buscando identificar seu papel na determinação da cognição humana. Essas teorias propõem uma interdependência entre esses conceitos, os quais difeririam entre si quanto ao modo como se dá essa articulação. Elas também destacam a importância dos repertórios simbólicos, especialmente a linguagem verbal, para a cognição humana. Como a intencionalidade é um aspecto da cognição humana, uma conexão entre linguagem verbal e intencionalidade para o funcionamento cognitivo humano é uma questão a ser investigada na psicologia científica.
Um Lugar para o Sujeito em Tempos de Consumo do Objeto: Um Estudo de Caso
Authors: Barroso Adriane Freitas
Published: January 2016

RESUMO A clínica psicanalítica sempre esteve conectada à realidade social, já que, a cada tempo, alteram-se as demandas e suas formas de endereçamento. Atualmente, contudo, o enfraquecimento do simbólico põe em xeque a crença no Outro, fazendo vacilar o lugar do sujeito e o conceito de clínica em si. Este artigo busca extrair, a partir de um caso clínico que aborda a questão da toxicomania, um esforço da psicanálise de orientação lacaniana para assegurar a importância do sujeito.
Valores do Terapeuta na Clínica Analítico-Comportamental
Authors: Watrin João Paulo , Canaan Silvia
Published: January 2016

RESUMO Desde os anos 1950, tem se constatado que, em alguma medida, os valores do terapeuta se fazem presentes na psicoterapia, podendo, inclusive, influenciar os valores dos clientes. Embora apresente uma concepção de valores diferente das tradicionais, a terapia analítico-comportamental não é uma exceção. Este trabalho busca esclarecer como os valores do terapeuta podem se manifestar na clínica analítico-comportamental, sejam esses valores pessoais ou compartilhados com alguma cultura (e.g., sociedade em geral, Psicologia, Análise do Comportamento). Para tanto, mostra-se como o conceito de valor tem sido abordado na Análise do Comportamento e o que possibilita a manifestação dos valores do terapeuta na clínica analítico-comportamental. Por fim, discutem-se brevemente algumas implicações do tema para a prática clínica.
Avaliação Psicométrica do Questionário de Atitudes Socioculturais em Relação à Aparência-3 (SATAQ-3) para Adolescentes
Authors: Amaral Ana Carolina Soares , Conti Maria Aparecida , Ferreira Maria Elisa Caputo , Meireles Juliana Fernandes Filgueiras
Published: January 2016

RESUMO Objetivou-se avaliar as qualidades psicométricas do Questionário de Atitudes Socioculturais em Relação à Aparência-3 para adolescentes brasileiros. A amostra total foi composta por 600 adolescentes (254 meninos), os quais participaram em fases distintas da pesquisa: avaliação da compreensão verbal da escala, avaliação da validade de construto, validade e confiabilidade, e a terceira etapa referiu-se à avaliação da reprodutibilidade (teste-reteste). Todos os itens apresentaram adequada compreensão verbal entre os adolescentes. O instrumento apresentou estrutura fatorial composta por sete fatores (α > 0,40), cujos índices de ajustamento foram aceitáveis, correlação positiva e significativa com a satisfação corporal (r = 0,41, p < 0,001) e estabilidade. As qualidades psicométricas do SATAQ-3 para adolescentes foram parcialmente confirmadas, sendo sua utilização indicada para essa população.
Transição e (In)Adaptação ao Lar de Idosos: Um Estudo Qualitativo
Authors: Faria Carla Gomes , Carmo Macedo Peixoto
Published: January 2016

RESUMO Um dos contextos de envelhecimento é o lar de idosos, mas pouca atenção tem sido dedicada ao processo de institucionalização, particularmente numa perspectiva desenvolvimental e ecológica. Assim, desenhamos um estudo qualitativo com o objectivo de explorar a experiência de transição e adaptação ao lar de 15 idosos institucionalizados há mais de um ano. Os participantes foram entrevistados e a análise de conteúdo permitiu identificar um tema comum - Vivência da Institucionalização, que integra três domínios: Tomada de decisão, Processo de institucionalização, e Posicionamento face à institucionalização. Os resultados sugerem que a institucionalização constitui uma transição que nem sempre resulta em adaptação e que o envolvimento do idoso na tomada de decisão e as características ambientais são fundamentais neste processo.
Actitud de Marcha según Nivel Socioeconómico en Adultos Mayores Autovalentes
Authors: Medina González Paul
Published: January 2016

RESUMEN La marcha es fundamental para la funcionalidad de adultos mayores (AM), además su expresión actitudinal se relaciona con diferentes estados emocionales, los cuales son condicionados por el nivel socioeconómico (NSE). El propósito de esta investigación fue evaluar el comportamiento de atributos actitudinales de marcha según el NSE en AM autovalentes. Participaron este estudio 71 AM autovalentes de la comunidad de Talca-Chile, categorizados según el NSE a los cuales se les aplicó el instrumento denominado análisis de forma y esfuerzo de la marcha previo caracterización de confiabilidad. Los resultados indican que el estilo de marcha no es diferente según el NSE en AM autovalentes; sin embargo, los perfiles cualificados presentan variaciones en los anclajes las que son dependientes del género.
Síntese e caracterização de novos copolímeros fosforilados
Authors: Santos Viviane Martins Rebello dos , Monteiro Katia Novack , Sousa Denise Versiane Monteiro de , Oliveira Sheila Rodrigues , Donnici Claudio Luis
Published: January 2016

Resumo O rápido desenvolvimento da química de polímeros nos últimos anos tem acompanhado a introdução dos materiais poliméricos no campo da medicina. Polímeros com aplicações médicas podem ser subdivididos em dois grandes grupos: materiais usados em próteses e a produção de polímeros biologicamente ativos. Neste trabalho foram sintetizados copolímeros possuindo cadeia principal de poli (metacrilato de metila) e cadeias enxertadas de polietilenoglicol (COP GRAFT). A partir da síntese do copolímero enxertado inicial foram realizadas modificações em suas cadeias de modo a aumentar a possibilidade de incorporação de um fármaco que será utilizado em sistema de liberação controlada de medicamentos. Os novos compostos foram obtidos através de duas rotas sintéticas e os produtos formados ao final de cada etapa foram purificados e caracterizados. Através da técnica de infravermelho (FITIR) foi possível observar as bandas de absorções características das ligações P-H, P=O e P-O, que foram inseridas na cadeia do COP GRAFT durante a fosforilação, além das bandas de absorções características do copolímero, antes da fosforilação, como C=O e C-O. A caracterização térmica das amostras utilizando termogravimetria (TGA) e calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC) mostrou que apenas o copolímero de diisobutila apresentou temperatura de transição endotérmica e comportamentos de degradação compatíveis a de um polímero. Através da técnica de difração de raios X (XRD) foi possível observar uma modificação da cristalinidade das amostras, provavelmente devido a uma variação da conformação das cadeias após a inserção de novos grupos químicos. Nos cromatogramas obtidos pela técnica de cromatografia de permeação em gel (GPC) percebeu-se aumento de massa após a fosforilação com o grupo diisobutila no COPGRAFT. A reação de fosforilação foi eficiente na obtenção do copolímero de diisobutila e as técnicas aplicadas demonstraram que houve a modificação no copolímero enxertado.
Estabilidade de emulsões: um estudo de caso envolvendo emulsionantes aniônico, catiônico e não-iônico
Authors: Franzol Angélica , Rezende Mirabel Cerqueira
Published: January 2016

Resumo Este artigo explora conceitos teóricos que se apresentam como estratégica na formulação de emulsões. Emulsões são sistemas termodinamicamente instáveis e o objetivo de todo formulador é estabelecer critérios técnicos na escolha de componentes para atingir a estabilidade cinética. Estudos de décadas trazem lucidez para que melhores resultados sejam atingidos, na estabilização de sistemas emulsionados. Nesse sentido, este artigo faz uma exploração prática comparando três emulsionantes (aniônico, catiônico e não-iônico) nas concentrações de 1, 3 e 5% em massa, para um melhor entendimento da aplicação da química na escolha do tipo de emulsionante e sua concentração na proposição de um sistema emulsionado. A comparação realizada é baseada em medidas de tamanhos de gotículas de fórmulas preparadas. Os resultados apresentados ilustram a contribuição das características químicas das moléculas dos emulsionantes na estabilidade do sistema e também o quanto é importante o conhecimento prévio das teorias de emulsões (apresentadas neste artigo) para atingir o sucesso na obtenção de sistemas cineticamente estáveis.
Efeito da modificação química na solubilidade e intumescimento de microesferas à base de goma do cajueiro carboximetilada e quitosana
Authors: Monteiro Aliny Abreu de Sousa , Richter Ana Rosa , Maciel Jeanny da Silva , Feitosa Judith Pessoa Andrade , Paula Haroldo César Beserra , Monteiro de Paula Regina Célia
Published: January 2016

Resumo Esferas de goma do cajueiro carboximetilada e quitosana foram produzidas via complexação polieletrolítica. As esferas foram modificadas quimicamente de modo a obter-se sistemas estáveis em meio ácido e que apresentassem uma resposta de intumescimento diferenciado frente à variação de pH. As esferas foram modificadas por reacetilação da quitosana e por reticulação com epicloridrina, glutaraldeído e genipina. As esferas reticuladas foram caracterizadas por meio de técnicas como: espectroscopia de absorção no infravermelho, análise termogravimétrica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e quanto à solubilidade em pH 1,2 e ao intumescimento. As esferas de goma do cajueiro carboximetilada e quitosana reacetilada, e as esferas reticuladas com epicloridrina apresentaram baixa resistência à dissolução em pH 1,2. Entretanto, as esferas reticuladas com glutaraldeído e genipina apresentaram resistência à dissolução e baixo coeficiente de difusão. As esferas reticuladas com genipina apresentaram um grau de intumescimento maior do que as esferas reticuladas com glutaraldeído nas concentrações de 3% e 5% (massa/volume). As esferas reticuladas com genipina apresentaram intumescimento responsivo à variação de pH e estabilidade em pH 1,2, indicando que esses sistemas possuem potencial para uso em sistemas de liberação controlada de fármacos por via oral.
Compósitos polímero-madeira preparados por polimerização in situ de metil metacrilato usando aditivos bifuncionais
Authors: Mattos Bruno Dufau , Missio André Luiz , Cademartori Pedro Henrique Gonzalez de , Gatto Darci Alberto , Magalhães Washington Luiz Esteves
Published: January 2016

Resumo O presente trabalho teve por objetivo a confecção de compósitos polímero-madeira por meio de polimerização in situ de metil metacrilato (MMA), utilizando ácido metacrílico (MAA) e glicidil metacrilato (GMA) como agentes de ligação e reticulação. Amostras de madeira de guapuruvu foram impregnadas em um sistema de vácuo e pressão e polimerizadas em estufa a 90°C por 10h, usando 1,5% de peroxido de benzoíla como catalisador. Os compósitos foram caracterizados por meio de testes de absorção de água e estabilidade dimensional, molhabilidade, ATR-IR, TGA, MEV e WPG. Os espectros de ATR-IR mostraram incrementos nas bandas a 1746, 1460, e 1145 cm–1, referentes as estruturas químicas dos polímeros dentro da madeira, confirmado posteriormente pelas imagens de MEV. A termogravimetria apontou reações químicas entre os copolímeros e a parede celular da madeira nos compósitos com GMA e MAA. Os compósitos preparados com MMA apresentaram incrementos acima de 50% nas propriedades higroscópicas e de estabilidade dimensional, entretanto a adição de GMA e MAA resultou em maiores incrementos nas mesmas propriedades, entre 66-90%.
Sustentabilidade quanto às embalagens de alimentos no Brasil
Authors: Landim Ana Paula Miguel , Bernardo Cristiany Oliveira , Martins Inayara Beatriz Araujo , Francisco Michele Rodrigues , Santos Monique Barreto , Melo Nathália Ramos de
Published: January 2016

Resumo A mudança de hábito e o aumento do consumismo nas últimas décadas levaram a inovações tecnológicas e consequentemente à maior produção de bens de consumo, o que gerou um aumento na produção de embalagens. As embalagens estão presentes em diversos setores, dentre eles destacam-se as indústrias de alimentos, nas quais as embalagens têm como principal função contribuir para conservação do alimento, além de vender o produto. Diferentes materiais são utilizados na fabricação de embalagens para alimentos, sendo eles os plásticos, metais, vidro e celulose. Cada material possui suas diferentes características para conservar o produto, dentre elas as principais são propriedade de barreira a gases, aroma, luz, água, microrganismos e resistência mecânica. No entanto, apesar das diversas vantagens de sua utilização, seu uso e descarte desordenado gera um grande volume de resíduos sólidos, que estão associados ao impacto ambiental. Em preocupação a essa situação têm-se buscado meios alternativos para reduzir tais impactos podendo destacar a reutilização e reciclagem das embalagens, bem como o desenvolvimento de polímeros verdes e materiais biodegradáveis.
Possibilidades de melhorias ambientais no processo de reciclagem do polietileno
Authors: Silva Elaine Aparecida da , Moita Neto José Machado
Published: January 2016

Resumo A reciclagem mecânica é uma das possibilidades existentes para revalorização dos resíduos plásticos. Neste trabalho, foram acompanhadas as atividades de uma indústria, localizada em Teresina-PI, que realiza a reciclagem mecânica de polietileno (PEBD e PEAD) para a produção de sacolas. A qualidade da matéria-prima pós-uso influencia a qualidade do produto final e determina etapas adicionais em relação ao processamento da resina virgem, como lavagem, secagem e extrusão para produção de grãos. O efluente gerado na etapa de pré-tratamento dos reciclados, o consumo de energia e recursos humanos envolvidos impactam os aspectos ambientais, econômicos e sociais do processo. A reciclagem mecânica só pode ser considerada vantajosa se for dada uma destinação ou disposição final ambientalmente correta do que não é aproveitado na indústria; incorporada a externalidade econômica de realizar tratamento do efluente gerado, e, por fim, qualificar e remunerar de modo justo o catador que disponibiliza a matéria-prima para a indústria.
Obtenção de amidos termoplásticos para a extrusão de pós cerâmicos
Authors: Amaral Laricy Janaína Dias do , Dias Fernanda Trindade Gonzalez , Zorzi Janete Eunice , Cruz Robinson Carlos Dudley
Published: January 2016

Resumo Polímeros termoplásticos podem ser utilizados como veículo orgânico (VO) em processos de conformação de peças cerâmicas por extrusão. Neste contexto, termoplásticos à base de amido surgem como uma alternativa sustentável ao emprego das poliolefinas convencionalmente utilizadas na formulação de pastas cerâmicas. O passo inicial para o desenvolvimento de um feedstock (carga extrudável) é a seleção adequada do sistema polimérico ligante, o qual é responsável por conferir propriedades reológicas adequadas durante o processamento. O presente trabalho se propôs a caracterizar termoplásticos a base de amido obtidos na presença de ácido cítrico e avaliar o potencial de utilização destes materiais na extrusão de pós cerâmicos. A processabilidade das pré-misturas de amido foi avaliada em extrusora dupla-rosca e em reômetro de torque. A variação dos teores de água e glicerol na composição das pré-misturas de amido influenciou significativamente as interações entre as cadeias poliméricas, promovendo alterações nos valores de densidade e de viscosidade para a maior parte das amostras analisadas. O amido foi parcialmente esterificado como efeito da ação do ácido cítrico no sistema. Dentre as formulações investigadas, a amostra hidratada e processada com 34% p/p de glicerol (H-34) foi a que apresentou as melhores propriedades de pasta, podendo ser futuramente empregada em processos de conformação de pós cerâmicos.
Cross-cultural adaptation and content validation of START
Authors: Luz Aline Cristina , Oliveira Márcio Galvão , Noblat Lúcia
Published: January 2016

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Non-treatment of diseases or clinical conditions has been considered to constitute omission of care in several countries. The aim of the present study was to develop a transcultural adaptation of the Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to the Right Treatment (START) to Brazilian Portuguese and to validate the tool's content. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cultural adaptation and validation of the START criteria using the Delphi consensus technique. METHOD: START was translated from its original language into Brazilian Portuguese, followed by back-translation and validation by means of the modified Delphi technique. For this, an electronic form was developed and sent to 20 experts, who were asked to use a Likert scale to assess the statements included in START, in relation to their pertinence to Brazilian realities. All of the statements that exhibited mean scores greater than 4.0 were considered to have attained consensus. The experts' identities were kept confidential throughout the validation process. RESULTS: In the first phase of the validation process, 63.6% (14/22) of the statements in START attained consensus. The remaining statements were returned to the experts so that they could have the opportunity to review their comments and statements and to assess them again, based on the Likert scale used earlier. In this phase, 100% of the START instrument attained consensus. CONCLUSION: The content of START was entirely validated for Brazil, with all of the original criteria maintained.
Gene mutations of platelet glycoproteins and response to tirofiban in acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Mansur Antonio de Padua , Roggerio Alessandra , Takada Júlio Yoshio , Caribé Pérola Michelle Vasconcelos , Avakian Solange Desirée , Strunz Célia Maria Cassaro
Published: January 2016

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES: Glycoprotein inhibitors (abciximab, eptifibatide and tirofiban) are used in patients with unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction before percutaneous coronary intervention. Of these, tirofiban is the least effective. We hypothesized that the response to tirofiban might be associated with glycoprotein gene mutations. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study at Emergency Unit, Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo. METHOD: Intrahospital evolution and platelet aggregation in response to tirofiban were analyzed in relation to four glycoprotein mutations in 50 patients indicated for percutaneous coronary intervention: 17 (34%) with unstable angina and 33 (66%) with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Platelet aggregation was analyzed using the Born method. Blood samples were obtained before and one hour after tirofiban infusion. Glycoproteins Ia (807C/T ), Ib (Thr/Met) , IIb (Ile/Ser ) and IIIa (PIA ) were the mutations selected. RESULTS: Hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking, previous coronary artery disease and stroke were similar between the groups. Mutant glycoprotein IIIa genotypes had lower platelet aggregation before tirofiban administration than that of the wild genotype (41.0% ± 22.1% versus 55.9% ± 20.8%; P = 0.035). Mutant glycoprotein IIIa genotypes correlated moderately with lower platelet inhibition (r = -0.31; P = 0.030). After tirofiban administration, platelet glycoprotein Ia, Ib, IIb and IIIa mutations did not influence the degree of inhibition of platelet aggregation or intrahospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Mutations of glycoproteins Ia, Ib, IIb and IIIa did not influence platelet aggregation in response to tirofiban in patients with unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
Abandonment of nicotine dependence treatment: A cohort study
Authors: Pawlina Maritza Muzzi Cardozo , Rondina Regina Cássia , Espinosa Mariano Martinez , Botelho Clóvis
Published: January 2016

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Non-adherence to treatment is one of the hindering factors in the process of smoking cessation. This study aimed to compare sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status and motivation among smokers who maintained or abandoned treatment to stop smoking, and to analyze associations between sociodemographic factors and smoking. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cohort study on 216 smokers who were attended at healthcare units in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. METHODS: The instruments used were the Fagerström, URICA and CAGE questionnaires. Data from the initial evaluation was analyzed using the two-proportion test (α < 0.05). The patients were monitored for six months and those who abandoned treatment were accounted for. Bivariate analysis was conducted, using crude prevalence ratios and 5% significance level (P < 0.05), with abandonment of treatment as the outcome variable. Associations with P < 0.20 were selected for multiple robust Poisson regression (RPa). RESULTS: The abandonment rate was 34.26%. Males and individuals in the 20-39 age group, in employment, with low motivation, with shorter time smoking and lower tobacco intake predominated in the dropout group. In the final model, gender (RPa 1.47; 95% CI: 1.03-2.10) and age group (RPa 3.77; 95% CI: 1.47-9.67) remained associated with abandonment. CONCLUSION: Males and individuals in the 20-39 age group, in employment, with low motivation, with shorter time smoking and lower tobacco intake more frequently abandoned the treatment. Male gender and younger age group were associated with abandonment of nicotine dependence treatment.
Association between variation in the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2 and hypertension among Uygur, Kazakh and Han ethnic groups in China
Authors: Wang Zhong , Chen Shaoze , Zhang Lina , Lu Guilin , Zhou Chengming , Wang Dao Wen , Wang Li , Badengmu Bayinbate , Zhai Zhihong , Qin Lian
Published: January 2016

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase enzymes (DDAH), which are encoded by the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2, play a fundamental role in maintaining endothelial function. We conducted a case-control study on a Chinese population that included three ethnic groups (Han, Kazakh and Uygur), to systemically investigate associations between variations in the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2 and hypertension. DESIGN AND SETTING: Experimental study at the Department of Internal Medicine and Genetic Diagnosis, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. METHODS: This case-control study included 1,224 patients with hypertension and 967 healthy unrelated individuals as controls. DDAH1 -396 4N (GCGT) del>ins, rs3087894, rs805304 and rs9267551 were genotyped using the TaqMan 5' nuclease assay. RESULTS: The G/C genotype of rs3087894 in DDAH1 was a risk factor for hypertension in the Kazakh group in the co-dominant model (G/C versus G/G) (OR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.02-1.88; P < 0.05), with the same result in the dominant model (G/C + C/C versus G/G) (OR 1.38; 95% CI: 1.03-1.84; P < 0.05). In contrast, the C/C genotype of rs3087894 seemed to be a protective factor against hypertension in the Uygur group in the recessive model (C/C versus G/G + G/C) (OR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.39- 0.97; P < 0.05). Similar findings for rs3087894 were also observed after adjusting the variable for the age covariate. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the C-allele of rs3087894 in DDAH1 was a risk factor for hypertension in the Kazakh group but a protective factor in the Uygur group.
Influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus on liver histology among morbidly obese individuals. A cross-sectional study
Authors: Cazzo Everton , Jimenez Laísa Simakawa , Gallo Fábio de Felice , Pareja José Carlos , Chaim Elinton Adami
Published: January 2016

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a public health concern. It encompasses a wide spectrum of histological abnormalities and has close relationships with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study sought to compare the histological alterations observed in morbidly obese individuals with and without T2DM who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in a tertiary-level public hospital. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study on 197 individuals who underwent gastric bypass surgery between 2011 and 2013. NAFLD was assessed through liver biopsies. T2DM was diagnosed through the International Diabetes Federation criteria. RESULTS: Non-diabetics presented significantly more biopsies without any histological abnormalities, regarding steatosis (42.6% versus 25.5%; P = 0.0400), fibrosis (60.6% versus 36.2%; P = 0.0042) and steatohepatitis (27.3% versus 12.8%; P = 0.0495), while diabetics presented significantly higher frequency of moderate forms of steatosis (36.2% versus 20%; P = 0.0307) and fibrosis (23.4% versus 4%; P = 0.0002). DISCUSSION: T2DM was associated with more advanced forms of NAFLD within the population studied. NAFLD has previously been correlated with severe forms of heart disease. CONCLUSION: Screening for and early detecting of NAFLD in high-risk populations are important for avoiding further development of severe forms and the need for liver transplantation.
Modeling and validation of a 3D premolar for finite element analysis
Authors: DURAND Letícia Brandão , GUIMARÃES Jackeline Coutinho , MONTEIRO JUNIOR Sylvio , BARATIERI Luiz Narciso
Published: January 2016

Abstract Introduction The development and validation of mathematical models is an important step of the methodology of finite element studies. Objective This study aims to describe the development and validation of a three-dimensional numerical model of a maxillary premolar for finite element analysis. Material and method The 3D model was based on standardized photographs of sequential slices of an intact premolar and generated with the use of SolidWorks Software (Dassault, France). In order to validate the model, compression and numerical tests were performed. The load versus displacement graphs of both tests were visually compared, the percentage of error calculated and homogeneity of regression coefficients tested. Result An accurate 3D model was developed and validated since the graphs were visually similar, the percentage error was within acceptable limits, and the straight lines were considered parallel. Conclusion The modeling procedures and validation described allows the development of accurate 3D dental models with biomechanical behavior similar to natural teeth. The methods may be applied in development and validation of new models and computer-aided simulations using FEM.
Evaluation of friction produced by self-ligating, conventional and Barbosa Versatile brackets
Authors: BARBOSA Jurandir Antonio , ELIAS Carlos Nelson , BASTING Roberta Tarkany
Published: January 2016

Abstract Introduction The Barbosa Versatile bracket design may provide lower frictional force and greater sliding. However, no in vitro studies have shown its sliding mechanisms and frictional resistance, particularly in comparison with other self-ligating or conventional brackets. Objective To compare the frictional resistance among self-ligating brackets (EasyClip/ Aditek, Damon MX/ Ormco and In Ovation R/ GAC); conventional brackets (Balance Roth/ GAC, and Roth Monobloc/ Morelli); and Barbosa Versatile bracket (Barbosa Versatile/ GAC) with different angles and arch wires. Material and method Brackets were tested with the 0.014", 0.018", 0.019"×0.025" and 0.021"×0.025" stainless steel wires, with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 degree angulations. Tying was performed with elastomeric ligature for conventional and Barbosa Versatile brackets, or with a built-in clip system of the self-ligating brackets. A universal testing machine was used to obtain sliding strength and friction value readouts between brackets and wires. Result Three-way factorial ANOVA 4×5×6 (brackets × angulation × wire) and Tukey tests showed statistically significant differences for all factors and all interactions (p<0.0001). Static frictional resistance showed a lower rate for Barbosa Versatile bracket and higher rates for Roth Monobloc and Balance brackets. Conclusion The lowest frictional resistance was obtained with the Barbosa Versatile bracket and self-ligating brackets in comparison with the conventional type. Increasing the diameter of the wires increased the frictional resistance. Smaller angles produced less frictional resistance.