27 research outputs found
MAPEAMENTO CONCEITUAL DA INTER-RELAÇÃO ENTRE GESTÃO DO CONHECIMENTO, CAPITAL INTELECTUAL E MÉTRICAS DE QUALIDADE NAS UNIVERSIDADES
O novo contexto das exigências imputadas às Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) repercute em diversas dimensões dentro destas organizações. Neste contexto este trabalho apresenta um mapeamento conceitual resultante de uma revisão sistemática de literatura sobre a aplicação da Gestão do Conhecimento (GC), do Capital Intelectual (CI) e dos Modelos ou Métricas de Qualidade (MQ) aplicados às universidades. Pretendeu-se compreender e identificar como as técnicas de GC, as aplicações do CI e a utilização ou adoção de MQ podem funcionar como instrumentos de apoio diferenciais as IES. A revisão de literatura baseou-se em artigos publicados em veículos de comunicação de reconhecida qualidade e com fator de impacto relevante. A contribuição principal deste trabalho residiu na elaboração de proposta de mapeamento integrativo dos conceitos, utilizando-se um mapa conceitual construído colaborativamente entre os autores, e, na elaboração do modelo conceitual do trabalho derivado deste mapeamento. Estes modelos permitiram identificar, de forma visual, a ocorrência de inter-relacionamentos entre os conceitos, que não seriam de fácil evidenciação num contexto meramente textual
CARACTERIZAÇÃO FÍSICA E MECÂNICA DE TIJOLOS DE SOLO-CIMENTO COM INCORPORAÇÃO DE RESÍDUOS DIVERSOS
O aproveitamento de resíduos da indústria na fabricação de tijolos de solo-cimento é uma alternativa ambientalmente sustentável e possibilita a valorização destes resíduos, em vez de simplesmente lançá-los na natureza. Neste trabalho, analisou-se a influência da incorporação de cinza de bagaço de cana, pó de serra e PET nas características físicas e mecânicas de tijolos de solo-cimento. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a incorporação dos resíduos (cinza de bagaço de cana e pó de serra) ao tijolo de solo-cimento manteve as propriedades mecânicas gerais, possibilitando a produção de tijolos prensados mais eficiente na relação custo-benefício, constituindo-se, portanto, numa excelente alternativa para o aproveitamento destes materiais
Congenital Transmission of Toxoplasma gondii After Experimental Reinfection With Brazilian Typical Strains in Chronically Infected Sheep
Toxoplasma gondii is a cause of congenital diseases, miscarriages and stillbirths in production animals. In Brazil, non-archetypal genotypes of the parasite may be related to severe disease. Experimental infection with T. gondii was studied in sheep to analyse congenital transmission-related parameters in reinfections with different Brazilian parasite strains. Thirteen T. gondii-seronegative sheep were orally infected with 2 × 103oocysts for the primary infection: G1 (4 animals) were inoculated with TgCatBr71 strain (Type BrI genotype) and G2 andG3 (5 and 4 animals, respectively) withTgCatBr60 strain (Type BrIII genotype). After chronification of infection, the animals were impregnated. A second infection was performed after 60 days of gestation. TheG1 andG3 animals were inoculated withTgCatBr60BrIII and the G2 animals withTgCatBr71 BrI oocysts. The effects of reinfection were compared with a control group (5 animals) through physical examination, ultrasound imaging and serology. Ovine experimental infections were evaluated using mouse bioassays, molecular analysis, serological tests, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. No abortions occurred; a seropositive lamb and a mummified fetus from G2-BrIIIxBrI were produced. The vertical transmission rate detected in lambs from chronically infected sheep was 31.6% (6/19). It is demonstrated that reinfection and subsequent congenital transmission occured in one sheep with a primary Brl infection challenged with BrIII genotype of T. gondii. In a twin pregnancy from G2-BrIIIxBrI, congenital transmission from a latent infection was detected in both lambs. Congenital transmission could not be tracked in three lambs. Overall, previous T. gondii infection may fail to protect against congenital transmission from a reinfection and primary infection induced insufficient protection against vertical transmission which must be taken into account in decision-making for the use of seropositive animals as breeders. Similar trials with larger groups and contemplating host cellular immune response studies should be conducted to evaluate the actual impact of T. gondii reinfection involving different strains in sheep
The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability
Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications
The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance
INTRODUCTION
Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.
RATIONALE
We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs).
RESULTS
Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants.
CONCLUSION
Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century
Solidification thermal parameters and dendritic growth during the horizontal directional solidification of Al-7wt.%Si alloy
The main purpose of this work is to investigate the influence of thermal parameters such as growth rate (V L) and cooling rate (T R) on the primary dendrite arm spacings (λ1) during the horizontal transient directional solidification of Al-7wt.%Si hypoeutectic alloy. The primary dendrite spacings were measured along the length of the samples and correlated with these thermal parameters. The variation of dendrite spacings is expressed as a power law function of V L and T R given by the formulas λ1 = 55(V L)-1.1 and λ1 = 212 (T R)-0.55, respectively. A comparative study between the results of this work and those from the literature proposed to investigate these dendrite spacings during the upward and downward vertical directional solidification of Al-7wt.%Si alloy is also conducted. Finally, the experimental data are compared with some predictive dendritic models from the literature
CARACTERIZAÇÃO FÍSICA E MECÂNICA DE TIJOLOS DE SOLO-CIMENTO COM INCORPORAÇÃO DE RESÍDUOS DIVERSOS
O aproveitamento de resíduos da indústria na fabricação de tijolos de solo-cimento é uma alternativa ambientalmente sustentável e possibilita a valorização destes resíduos, em vez de simplesmente lançá-los na natureza. Neste trabalho, analisou-se a influência da incorporação de cinza de bagaço de cana, pó de serra e PET nas características físicas e mecânicas de tijolos de solo-cimento. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a incorporação dos resíduos (cinza de bagaço de cana e pó de serra) ao tijolo de solo-cimento manteve as propriedades mecânicas gerais, possibilitando a produção de tijolos prensados mais eficiente na relação custo-benefício, constituindo-se, portanto, numa excelente alternativa para o aproveitamento destes materiais
Exercício Aeróbico: influência de duas intensidades no desempenho de força muscular em idosos / Aerobic exercise: two intensities influence in muscle strength performance in the elderly
RESUMO: O processo de envelhecimento é complexo e envolve a interação de muitas variáveis que podem influenciar no decorrer dos anos, com isso, os benefícios da atividade física têm sido estudados como fonte de melhoria na qualidade de vida. o objetivo desta pesquisa foi comparar o efeito de duas intensidades de exercício aeróbico no desempenho da força muscular em idosos. Participaram deste estudo onze mulheres com experiência nas duas atividades, tanto aeróbia como no treinamento de força, com idades entre (66,5 ± 4,2 anos; 80,2 ± 9,9 kg; 177,8 ± 6,5 cm; 25,2 ± 1,8 IMC), em que realizaram vinte minutos de exercício aeróbico nas intensidades 40% e 60% da frequência cardíaca máxima e, em seguida, a realização do teste de repetições máximas a 50% de 1RM na cadeira extensora, ate a falha concêntrica. Os resultados dos testes demonstraram reduções significativas no número total de repetições quando executados após exercício aeróbico de 40% da frequência cardíaca máxima e comparado a 60% da frequência cardíaca máxima, os valores de repetições máximas a 50% de uma repetição máxima foram, 29±7,5; 21,5±6,4, respectivamente. Concluímos que a intensidade de 60% da frequência cardíaca máxima tem interferência significativa do desempenho de força de idosos a 50% de uma repetição máxima, quando comparado a intensidade de exercício aeróbico a 40 % da frequência cardíaca máximana cadeira extensora.