Estolides Synthesis Catalyzed by Immobilized Lipases

Estolides are vegetable-oil-based lubricants obtained from oleic acid or any source of hydroxy fatty acids. In this work, the estolides synthesis from oleic acid and methyl ricinoleate (biodiesel from castor oil), using immobilized commercial lipases (Novozym 435, Lipozyme RM-IM, and Lipozyme TL-IM) in a solvent-free medium was investigated. Acid value was used to monitor the reaction progress by determining the consumption of acid present in the medium. Novozym 435 showed the best performance. Water removal improved the conversion. Novozym 435 was more active at atmospheric pressure. Novozym 435 was reused four times with conversion reaching 15% after the fourth reaction at 80°C. Estolides produced under the reaction conditions used in this work presented good properties, such as, low temperature properties as pour point (−24°C), viscosity (23.9 cSt at 40°C and 5.2 cSt at 100°C), and viscosity index (153)

Habilidades Sociais em Alcoolistas: Um Estudo Comparativo

The present study aimed to compare the repertoire of social skills of alcoholics and non-alcoholics in order to verify if a minor repertoire of social skills constitute a feature of this population. Interviews were carried out with 123 alcoholics and 114 users of health service patients with low or no consumption of alcohol. It were used a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Social Skill Inventory. The data were analyzed quantitatively and the results indicated a significant difference in repertoire of social skills, specifically with respect to the factor of self-control of aggressiveness, on which was demonstrated the worst performance. The results suggest that the evaluation of this feature should be considered in the treatment of alcoholism and associated with a therapeutic plan.O presente estudo objetivou comparar o repertório de habilidades sociais (HS) de dependentes e não dependentes de álcool a fim de verificar se um menor repertório de HS constitui uma característica dessa população. Foram entrevistados 123 alcoolistas e 114 usuários de serviços de saúde com baixo ou nenhum consumo de álcool, utilizando questionário sociodemográfico, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview e o Inventário de Habilidades Sociais. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente e indicaram uma diferença significativa no repertório de HS, especificamente no fator de autocontrole da agressividade, indicando um pior desempenho dessa habilidade em alcoolistas. Os resultados sugerem que a avaliação dessa característica deva ser considerada no tratamento do alcoolismo e associada ao plano terapêutico