Problemas de calidad de energía causados por termitas en cables subterráneos de 138kv

Este artículo discute problemas encontrados en la operación de cables subterráneos en los sistemas de transmisión de CEMIG, con énfasis en las fallas de aislamiento causadas por las termitas. Problema que ha sido la fuente de muchas interrupciones programadas y no programadas en los últimos años, llevando a significantes costos de mantenimiento. Experiencias con las prácticas corrientes planeadas para detectar y prever este modo de falla esta descrito en este trabajo. Se establece que nuevos procedimientos son necesarios para mejorar durante el funcionamiento, la detección prefalla. La mejora de pruebas se espera que contribuya tanto a aumentar la vida útil de los cables subterráneos en operación, como a reducir los costos de mantenimiento.This paper discusses problems found in the operation of underground cables in the transmission system of CEMIG, with emphasis on insulation failures caused by termites. This problem has been the source of many scheduled and nonscheduled interruptions in later years, leading to significant maintenance costs. Experience with current practices designed to detect and prevent this failure mode is described. It is argued that new procedures are needed for improved on-line, pre-failure detection. Test improvement will hopefully contribute to increase the lifetime of underground cables currently in use, as well as to reduce maintenance costs

Safflower oil: an integrated assessment of phytochemistry, antiulcerogenic activity, and rodent and environmental toxicity

Gastric ulcers are a significant medical problem and the development of complications lead to significant mortality rates worldwide. In Brazil, Carthamus tinctorius L., Asteraceae, seeds essential oil, the safflower oil, is currently used as a thermogenic compound and as treatment for problems related to the cardiovascular system. In this study, by Raman spectroscopy, it was shown that oleic and linoleic acids are the compounds present in higher concentrations in the safflower oil. We demonstrated that safflower oil (750 mg/kg, p.o.) decrease the ulcerogenic lesions in mice after the administration of hydrochloric acid-ethanol. The gastric ulcers induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in mice treated with cholinomimetics were treated with four different doses of safflower oil, of which, the dose of 187.5 mg/kg (p.o.) showed significant antiulcerogenic properties (**p < 0.01). Moreover, the safflower oil at doses of 187.5 mg/kg (i.d.) increased the pH levels, gastric volume (**p < 0.01) and gastric mucus production (***p < 0.001), and decreased the total gastric acid secretion (***p < 0.001). The acute toxicity tests showed that safflower oil (5.000 mg/kg, p.o.) had no effect on mortality or any other physiological parameter. Ecotoxicological tests performed using Daphnia similis showed an EC50 at 223.17 mg/l, and therefore safflower oil can be considered “non-toxic” based on the directive 93/67/EEC on risk assessment for new notified substances by European legislation. These results indicate that the antiulcer activity of Safflower oil may be due to cytoprotective effects, which serve as support for new scientific studies related to this pathology.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Santa Cecília Programa de Pós-graduação em Sustentabilidade de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Marinhos Laboratório de Pesquisa em Produtos NaturaisUniversidade Estadual de Campinas Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica Laboratório de Produtos NaturaisUniversidade Santa Cecília Laboratório de EcotoxicologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Instituto do MarUniversidade Camilo Castelo Branco Instituto de Engenharia BiomédicaUNIFESP, Instituto do MarFAPESP: 2009/01788-5SciEL

Laboratory services contribution to supporting public health and health services in Portuguese-speaking countries

Objetivo: promover o debate sobre a importância do laboratório no apoio à saúde pública e aos serviços de saúde nos países de língua portuguesa, numa perspetiva global e de uma só saúde. Métodos: revisão de literatura, análise dos documentos preparatórios das comunicações do 5º Congresso Nacional de Medicina Tropical, apresentações realizadas pelos oradores de Cabo Verde, Angola e Portugal e o debate que se seguiu. Resultados: identificaram-se os desafios que deverão ser ultrapassados de forma a criar uma rede de laboratórios de diagnóstico que possa estimular o acesso universal das populações aos cuidados de saúde, tendo-se proposto medidas e estratégias com base na experiência dos sistemas de saúde dos diferentes países de língua portuguesa. Reviu-se o contributo dos Laboratórios do IHMT/NOVA para esta estratégia. Conclusão: não há acesso universal a cuidados de saúde de qualidade sem serviços de diagnóstico laboratorial de qualidade. Assim, deve-se promover uma correta, eficaz e sustentável inter-relação entre laboratórios de referência nacionais, hospitalares e privados e ainda laboratórios de investigação, todos cooperando em sintonia com os serviços de saúde de modo a garantir os melhores cuidados de saúde. Objective: To promote the debate on the importance of the laboratory services in supporting public health and health services in Portuguese-speaking countries, from a global and One Health perspective. Methods: literature review, analysis of the preparatory papers for the 5th Tropical Medicine National Congress, presentations by speakers from Cape Verde, Angola and Portugal and the ensuing debate. Results: we identified the challenges that must be overcome in order to create a network of diagnostic laboratories that can stimulate universal access to health care for the populations. Measures and strategies based on the experience of health systems in different Portuguese-speaking countries are proposed. The contribution of the IHMT/NOVA Laboratories to this strategy was reviewed. Conclusion: There is no universal access to quality health care with-out quality laboratory diagnostic services and without promoting a correct, effective and sustainable interrelationship between national reference laboratories, hospital and private, and research laboratories, all cooperating in line with health services to ensure the best quality health care.publishersversionpublishe

Muertes por accidente de motocicleta y su asociación con variables relacionadas a la reproducción social en un estado del noreste brasileño

The objective of this article was to identify the association between motorcycle deaths and variables related to Samaja’s theory of social reproduction in the period 2000-2005 in the state of Pernambuco. An ecological, case-control study was carried out, with municipalities as the unit of analysis. Cases were defined as the 20% of municipalities with the highest local empirical Bayesian coefficients for mortality due to motorcycle accidents, and controls as the 40% with the lowest coefficients. The municipalities with the greatest chances of high coefficients for mortality due to motorcycle accidents showed high population growth factors and increases in the total fleet of motorcycles, with low population densities, low GDP per capita, and more than 20 motorcycles per thousand inhabitants. We conclude that the variables related to macro-policies proved to have greater force in explaining higher chances of motorcycle deathEl objetivo de este artículo es identificar el comportamiento de las muertes por accidentes de motocicleta y las variables relacionadas con la teoría de la reproducción social de Samaja, para el período 2000-2005 en el estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. Se realizó un estudio ecológico con abordaje caso-control. La unidad de análisis fue el municipio. Los casos fueron definidos considerando el 20% de los municipios con los mayores coeficientes bayesianos empíricos locales de mortalidad por accidentes de motocicleta y los controles como el 40% de los municipios con menores coeficientes de mortalidad por accidentes de motocicleta. Los municipios con mayor probabilidad de altos coeficientes de mortalidad por accidentes de motocicleta mostraron factores de crecimiento poblacional altos, así como de crecimiento de la flota de vehículos, bajas densidades demográficas, bajo PBI per cápita, y más de 20 motocicletas por mil habitantes. Se concluye que las variables relacionadas a las macropolíticas mostraron una mayor fuerza para explicar las probabilidades de defunciones por accidentes de motocicleta

A vegetação na Reserva Mata Viva, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil

The vegetation in the Reserve "Mata Viva", Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil A vegetação na Reserva Mata Viva, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil</htm

Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.

Age at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition

New genetic loci implicated in fasting glucose homeostasis and their impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

Levels of circulating glucose are tightly regulated. To identify new loci influencing glycemic traits, we performed meta-analyses of 21 genome-wide association studies informative for fasting glucose, fasting insulin and indices of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in up to 46,186 nondiabetic participants. Follow-up of 25 loci in up to 76,558 additional subjects identified 16 loci associated with fasting glucose and HOMA-B and two loci associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. These include nine loci newly associated with fasting glucose (in or near ADCY5, MADD, ADRA2A, CRY2, FADS1, GLIS3, SLC2A2, PROX1 and C2CD4B) and one influencing fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (near IGF1). We also demonstrated association of ADCY5, PROX1, GCK, GCKR and DGKB-TMEM195 with type 2 diabetes. Within these loci, likely biological candidate genes influence signal transduction, cell proliferation, development, glucose-sensing and circadian regulation. Our results demonstrate that genetic studies of glycemic traits can identify type 2 diabetes risk loci, as well as loci containing gene variants that are associated with a modest elevation in glucose levels but are not associated with overt diabetes