Avaliação comparativa dos parâmetros de dosagem de misturas asfálticas do tipo PMF e CBUQ

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Campus Joinville. Engenharia Civil de Infraestrutura.O objetivo principal deste trabalho é avaliar comparativamente os efeitos da variação granulométrica nos parâmetros de dosagem de misturas asfálticas densas e semi-densas do tipo Pré-Misturado a Frio (PMF), em relação a uma formulação densa de concreto betuminoso usinado a quente (CBUQ). Para tanto, as misturas asfálticas a frio e o CBUQ foram concebidas a partir da mesma metodologia de formulação, isto é, pelo princípio do método teórico com a utilização da equação de Füller-Talbot. Entretanto, as misturas a frio semi-densas foram diferenciadas em sua composição granulométrica, quando comparadas às misturas frias densas, em razão da retirada das frações retida e passante nas peneiras de abertura 4,86mm e 0,075mm, respectivamente. E quanto à mistura convencional densa, tem-se que esta foi formulada a mesma composição granulométrica densa à da mistura a frio, com granulares de mesma origem, entretanto, obtida de pesquisa previamente realizada, para fins de comparação ao desempenho dos indicadores de dosagem das misturas produzidas a frio. Os aglutinantes utilizados nas formulações foram: emulsão asfáltica catiônica RL-1C para PMF e ligante betuminoso 30/45 em sua forma pura para o CBUQ. Os granulares provêm de maciço rochoso de gnaisse, oriundo da região metropolitana de Joinville/SC, enquanto os materiais betuminosos foram fornecidos por distribuidora localizada na cidade de Curitiba/PR. A caracterização dos materiais pétreos foi procedida levando em conta principalmente os aspectos relacionados à distribuição granulométrica, desgaste por abrasão, morfologia, sanidade e adesividade ao ligante betuminoso. No que tange aos materiais betuminosos, os parâmetros considerados foram: resíduo asfáltico, peneiramento, viscosidade Saybolt-Furol, sedimentação, carga de partícula e mistura com cimento. A dosagem ótima do teor de ligante betuminoso utilizado em cada caso foi determinada a partir da metodologia Marshall, pois é a oficialmente adotada no Brasil. Os resultados obtidos corroboram às tendências indicadas em estudos prévios, em que misturas PMF apresentam resistência mecânica inferior ao CBUQ, da ordem de 2,7 e 3,0 vezes para as formulações semi-densa e densa, respectivamente. Neste contexto, verifica-se que apesar de terem sido obtidos resultados tecnicamente viáveis, segundo os parâmetros normativos vigentes no Brasil, os PMF devem ser utilizados considerando determinadas limitações de aplicações práticas, como condições de tráfego com intensidade não elevada, e com volumetria de média a baixa, a fim de evitar a degradação precoce da estrutura de pavimento no campo.The aim of this work is to compare the effects of the granulometric mixture on the dosage parameters of dense and semi-dense asphalt mixtures pre-mixed with cold (PMF) in relation to a dense formulation of hot-bituminous concrete (CBUQ). For this purpose, cold asphalt mixtures and CBUQ were conceived using the same formulation methodology, that is, by the principle of the theoretical method using the Füller-Talbot equation. However, the cold semi-dense mixtures were differentiated in their granulometric composition, when compared to the cold dense mixtures, due to the removal of the retained and passing fractions in the opening sieves 4,86mm and 0,075mm, respectively. As for the conventional dense mixture, it has been formulated in the same granulometric form to the dense cold mixture, with aggregate of the same origin, however, obtained from previous research of the indicators of dosage of mixtures produced in the cold. The binders used in the formulations were: cationic asphalt emulsion RL-1C for PMF and bituminous binder 30/45 in its pure form for CBUQ. The granulates come from a rocky gneiss massif from the metropolitan region of Joinville / SC, while the bituminous materials were supplied by a distributor located in the city of Curitiba / PR. The characterization of the stony materials was carried out considering mainly the aspects related to the granulometric distribution, wear by abrasion, morphology, sanity and adhesiveness to bituminous binder. Regarding bituminous materials, the parameters considered were: asphaltic residue, sieving, Saybolt-Furol viscosity, sedimentation, particle loading and cement mixes. The optimum dosage of bituminous binder content used in each case was determined using the Marshall methodology, since it is officially adopted in Brazil. The results obtained corroborate the tendencies indicated in previous studies, in which PMF blends have lower mechanical resistance to CBUQ, of the order of 2.7 and 3.0 times for the semi-dense and dense formulations, respectively. In this context, it is verified that although technically feasible results have been obtained, according to the normative parameters in force in Brazil, the PMFs should be used considering certain limitations of practical applications, such as traffic conditions with non-high intensity and with average volumetry the low, in order to avoid the early degradation of the pavement structure in the field

Electrophysiologic Characteristics of Electrically Induced Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardia in the Late Stage of Canine Myocardial Infarction

To examine electrophysiologic characteristics of electrically induced nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT), open chest electrophysiologic study was performed on 21 dogs with 25-day-old anteroapical myocardial infarction. Six of the 21 dogs had reproducibly inducible NSVT and five had reproducibly inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia (SuVT) in response to programmed ventricular stimulation. Remaining 10 dogs had no reproducibly inducible ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation (VF) in response to programmed ventricular stimulation. Twelve NSVTs in the 6 dogs were characterized by beat-to-beat variations of cycle length and QRS morphology of surface lead and also by wide disparity of local activation of the left ventricle, whereas 10 SuVTs in the five dogs did not show these electrophysiologic characteristics except during the first three to four beats. Three of the 12 NSVTs transformed into VF. Cycle lengths of these three NSVTs showed progressive shortening before transformation into VF. None of the 10 SuVTs transformed into VF. Continuous disorganized electrical activity was recorded on endocardial electrograms of the left ventricle in four of the 12 NSVTs, but not in the 10 SuVTs. It is concluded that in the late stage of canine myocardial infarction nonsustained ventricular tachycardia is an unstable ventricular tachyarrhythmia with some differences in electrophysiologic manifestation from sustained ventricular tachycardia

Is Pulse Pressure a Predictor of New-Onset Diabetes in High-Risk Hypertensive Patients?: A subanalysis of the Candesartan Antihypertensive Survival Evaluation in Japan (CASE-J) trial

OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive patients have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Accumulating evidence suggests a close relation between metabolic disturbance and increased arterial stiffness. Here, we examined the association between pulse pressure and the risk of new-onset diabetes in high-risk Japanese hypertensive patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Candesartan Antihypertensive Survival Evaluation in Japan (CASE-J) trial examined the effects of candesartan and amlodipine on the incidence of cardiovascular events in 4, 728 high-risk Japanese hypertensive patients. In the present study, we analyzed the relationship between pulse pressure at baseline and new-onset diabetes in 2, 685 patients without diabetes at baseline (male 1, 471; mean age 63.7 years; mean BMI 24.8 kg/m(2)) as a subanalysis of the CASE-J trial. RESULTS: During 3.3 +/- 0.8 years of follow-up, 97 patients (3.6%) developed diabetes. In multiple Cox regression analysis, pulse pressure was an independent predictor for new-onset diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] per 1 SD increase 1.44 [95% CI 1.15-1.79]) as were male sex, BMI, and additional use of diuretics, whereas age and heart rate were not. Plots of HRs for new-onset diabetes considering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) revealed that a higher pulse pressure with a lower DBP, indicating that the increased pulse pressure was largely due to increased arterial stiffness, was strongly associated with the risk of new-onset diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Pulse pressure is an independent predictor of new-onset diabetes in high-risk Japanese hypertensive patients. Increased arterial stiffness may be involved in the development of diabetes

Estimation of above-ground biomass of a tropical forest in Northern Borneo using high-resolution satellite image

Estimating above-ground biomass is important in establishing an applicable methodology of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) System for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation-Plus (REDD+). We developed an estimation model of diameter at breast height (DBH) from IKONOS-2 image that led to above-ground biomass estimation (AGB). The IKONOS image was preprocessed with dark object subtraction and topographic effect correction prior to watershed segmentation for tree crown delineation. Compared to the field observation, the overall segmentation accuracy was 64%. Crown detection percent had a strong negative correlation to tree density. In addition, satellite-based crown area had the highest correlation with the field measured DBH. We then developed the DBH allometric model that explained 74% of the data variance. In average, the estimated DBH was very similar to the measured DBH as well as for AGB. Overall, this method can potentially be applied to estimate AGB over a relatively large and remote tropical forest in Northern Borneo

左前下行枝冠動脈周囲の局所心外膜脂肪厚は簡便な冠動脈疾患の予測因子である : フラミンガムリスクスコアと組み合わせた新しい予測モデル

Background: Compared with global cardiac adiposity, the local accumulation of fat surrounding coronary arteries might have a more direct impact on coronary artery disease (CAD). Here, we compared the local epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and global cardiac adiposity volumes for predicting CAD. Methods and Results: A total of 197 consecutive subjects underwent 320-slice multi-detector computed tomography coronary angiography and were segregated into CAD (≥1 coronary artery branch stenosis ≥50%) and non-CAD groups. EAT thickness was measured at the right coronary artery (EATRCA), the left anterior descending artery (EATLAD), and the left circumflex artery (EATLCX). Although EATRCA and EATLCX were similar between the 2 groups, EATLAD was larger in the CAD group than in the non-CAD group (5.45±2.16 mm vs. 6.86±2.19 mm, P<0.001). EATLAD, after correcting for confounding factors, was strongly associated with CAD (r=0.276, P<0.001) and Gensini score (r=0.239, P<0.001). On multiple regression analysis, Framingham risk score combined with EATLAD was a strong predictor of CAD (adjusted R2=0.121; P<0.001). Conclusions: The local fat thickness surrounding the LAD is a simple and useful surrogate marker for estimating the presence, severity, and extent of CAD, independent of classical cardiovascular risk factors

Phase-I trial of oral fluoropyrimidine anticancer agent (S-1) with concurrent radiotherapy in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer

In this phase-I trial, we evaluated the safety of S-1, a novel oral fluoropyrimidine anticancer agent, combined with external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to determine the maximum-tolerated dose and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) in unresectable pancreatic cancer patients. Patients had histologically proven unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. S-1 was administered orally twice daily. External-beam radiotherapy was delivered in fractions of 1.25 Gy × 2 per day, totalling 50 Gy per 40 fractions for 4 weeks. S-1 was given at five dose levels: 60 mg m–2 day–1 on days 1–7 and 15–21 (level 1), 1–14 (level 2), and 1–21 (level 3a) and 80 mg m–2 day–1 on days 1–21 (level 3b) and 1–28 (level 4). We studied 17 patients: dose levels 1 (four patients), 2 (four patients), 3a (three patients), 3b (three patients), and 4 (three patients). One patient in level 1 (grade 3 vomiting) and two patients in level 4 (grade 4 neutropenia and grade 3 anorexia) showed DLT. No DLT was seen for levels 2, 3a, and 3b. Clinical effects by computed tomography included 5 partial responses (35%), 11 cases of stable disease, and one case of progressive disease. CA19–9 levels of less than half the starting values were observed in 8 of 16 (50%) patients. S-1 at a dose of 80 mg m–2 day–1 given on days 1–21 is safe and recommended for phase-II study in patients with locally advanced and unresectable pancreatic cancer when given with EBRT

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies multiple novel loci associated with serum uric acid levels in Japanese individuals

Gout is a common arthritis caused by elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels. Here we investigated loci influencing SUA in a genome-wide meta-analysis with 121,745 Japanese subjects. We identified 8948 variants at 36 genomic loci (P<5 × 10–8) including eight novel loci. Of these, missense variants of SESN2 and PNPLA3 were predicted to be damaging to the function of these proteins; another five loci—TMEM18, TM4SF4, MXD3-LMAN2, PSORS1C1-PSORS1C2, and HNF4A—are related to cell metabolism, proliferation, or oxidative stress; and the remaining locus, LINC01578, is unknown. We also identified 132 correlated genes whose expression levels are associated with SUA-increasing alleles. These genes are enriched for the UniProt transport term, suggesting the importance of transport-related genes in SUA regulation. Furthermore, trans-ethnic meta-analysis across our own meta-analysis and the Global Urate Genetics Consortium has revealed 15 more novel loci associated with SUA. Our findings provide insight into the pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of hyperuricemia/gout