Optimal Location of Electronic Toll Gantries: The Case of a Portuguese Freeway

AbstractThis paper presents a decision supporting tool for the location of electronic toll gantries in freeways, regarding the maximization of the toll revenue. The adopted case study consists in one of the most important Portuguese freeways, with 180km of extension and a recently introduced electronic toll collection system. In the first stage of the modeling procedure, we applied a categorical binary model to set drivers’ route choice between the tolled freeway segments and the fastest non-tolled alternative paths, based on traffic data collected before and after the introduction of the toll fees. Then, we developed an optimization model to assign a limited or unlimited number of toll gantries to the freeway segments considering the generalized costs of the trips performed using the freeway and the alternative routes. The results showed that charging for all of the freeway segments may not be the best solution to increase road pricing revenue

Design para a competitividade no Brasil: o caso do Projeto Design Export

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Artes, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Design, 2017.O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar o design para a competitividade internacional de produtos brasileiros, tendo como estudo de caso o Projeto Design Export, da Agência Brasileira de Promoção das Exportações e Investimentos (Apex-Brasil). Desde o início do século XXI percebe-se que o preço competitivo e a alta qualidade do produto não são mais as garantias para manter e conquistar mercados. Destaca-se as contribuições do design para enfrentar esses novos desafios no desenvolvimento de elementos e características que identificam e diferenciam os produtos e serviços das empresas em relação aos seus competidores, tanto no mercado nacional quanto no internacional. Para isso, foi necessário pesquisar: a história recente da competitividade internacional brasileira; o Programa Brasileiro do Design (PBD) e seus resultados e consequências no setor industrial; os principais programas de apoio ao design para o aumento da competitividade, em outros países; e o papel da Apex-Brasil, na inserção do design para o aumento das exportações brasileiras, por meio dos resultados do Projeto Design Export. O trabalho em parceria dos atores envolvidos – designers, empresários, associações setoriais e gestores – esteve diretamente relacionado ao sucesso do processo de gestão do projeto, que proporcionou melhores condições de competição para as empresas exportadoras, pois demonstrou e revelou a importância da utilização do design no processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos, novas embalagens, novas marcas e novos serviços. Foram 610 empresas brasileiras sensibilizadas para o design, com 144 empresas visitadas e 114 empresas diagnosticadas quanto ao uso do design. Foram contratados 50 escritórios de design, que desenvolveram 108 projetos, em 60 cidades de 7 estados brasileiros. A experiência direta contribuiu para criar uma cultura de inovação entre as empresas brasileiras envolvidas, o que poderá resultar no aumento da excelência da produção industrial brasileira com vistas à exportação e no fomento ao mercado profissional de design e áreas afins.The aim of the present study is to analyze the role of design in the international competitiveness of Brazilian products, through a case study from the Design Export Project from the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). In the beginning of the 21st century, competitive prices and higher quality of a product were not guarantees of conquering and keeping international markets. Thus, the contributions of design in the development of elements and characteristics must be noted, as they serve to identify and distinguish the companies’ products and services from their competitors. In this context, the first step was the research of four mains issues: the recent story of the Brazilian international competitiveness; the Brazilian Design Program, its results and consequences in the industrial sector; the most important design support programs to improve competitiveness abroad; and the role of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency in the insertion of design in the development of Brazilian exports through the Design Export Project. The partnership between designers, entrepreneurs, trade associations and project managers was directly related with the success of the Project administration, which supplied better competitive conditions to the involved export companies. In such way, the project showed and revealed the importance of using design in the development process of new products, packages, brands and services. Out of 610 companies that were made aware of the importance of design, 144 companies were visited and 144 companies were alerted to the importance of the proper use of design. 50 design agencies were hired, developing 108 projects in 60 cities of 7 Brazilian states. Such direct experience contributed to the creation of a culture of innovation within the companies involved. This culture will possibly result in an increase of the excellence of Brazilian industrial export production, and in the stimulation of the market of design and its related areas

Terapia genética

To achieve the use of this genetic material you have to have several aspects in mind. First, it is necessary to define what is the DNA sequence that is going to be inserted into the patient's body. In these cases, it depends a lot on the disease that is trying to be cured. For example, in the case of Hemophilia type B, the gene that deals is that which produces factor IX [3]. Second, once the gene is well identified, a vehicle is occupied to transport it to the desired cells. Returning to the example of Hemophilia, we would occupy a vector or vehicle, viral or non-viral, to transport the gene to the liver cells responsible for the production of factor IX. Each of these two categories has its pros and consPara lograr el uso de este material genético hay que tener varios aspectos en mente. Primero, hay que definir cuál es la secuencia de ADN que se va a insertar al cuerpo del paciente. En estos casos depende mucho de la enfermedad que se está tratando de curar. Por ejemplo, en el caso de la Hemofilia tipo B, el gen que se ocupa es el que produce factor IX [3]. Segundo, una vez que el gen está bien identificado, se ocupa un vehículo para transportarlo a las células deseadas. Volviendo al ejemplo de Hemofilia, ocuparíamos un vector o vehículo, viral o no viral, para transportar el gen a las células hepáticas encargadas de la producción de factor IX. Cada una de estas dos categorías tiene sus pros y sus contras&nbsp

Reasons to Live in Historic Centers: The Case of Belem (Brazil)

Many historic centers of Brazilian cities undergo a physical degradation process of their buildings and public spaces, which often is accompanied by economic decline and reduction of residents. The Historic Center of Belem (HCB) also experiences a physical decline, but, unlike in other cities, it has maintained strong economic dynamism and moderate population growth. This work aims to identify the main socioeconomic characteristics of residents seeking to live in HCB and what are the main reasons leading them to live there, information that will be useful for the definition of a housing policy for occupation of existing vacant buildings in the area. To develop the work, data was collected from the 2010 population census and from a survey of 58 householders that rented or bought homes there in the past five years. The multinomial exact test was used as test of statistical significance. The results indicated that most of the residents who sought housing in the HCB have average levels of education, live in lower-middle class households and are self-employed. The proximity to workplaces and daily shopping were the two most cited reasons to live on the site. Furthermore, most of the respondents showed high levels of satisfaction about living in the HCB.Muitos centros históricos de cidades brasileiras experimentam a degradação física dos seus prédios e espaços públicos, algo comumente acompanhado do esvaziamento econômico e populacional.  O Centro Histórico de Belém (CHB) também tem experimentado um declínio físico, mas, ao contrário de outras cidades, vem mantendo forte dinamismo econômico e moderado crescimento populacional. O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar as principais características socioeconômicas dos moradores que procuram CHB para viver e quais as razões mais fortes para morar no local, informação útil para a definição de uma política habitacional destinada a usar imóveis vazios existentes no local. Utilizaram-se dados do censo de 2010 e de entrevistas com 58 responsáveis por domicílios que alugam ou compraram domicílios no local nos últimos cinco anos, selecionados de forma aleatória sistemática. O teste exato multinomial foi usado como teste de significância estatística. Os resultados indicaram que a maioria dos moradores que procuraram moradia no CHB tem nível de instrução média, são de classe média baixa em termos de rendimentos e são profissionais autônomos. Proximidade de locais de trabalho e de compras diárias foram os dois motivos mais citados para viver no local. A maioria dos entrevistados também demonstrou bom nível de satisfação em viver no CHB

Evaluation of Efficiency and Effectiveness of Mastoid Process Triangle Anthropometry for Sex Estimation in Brazilian Skulls

Existe uma corrente de pensamento em antropologia forense de que métodos antropométricos têm menos subjetividade e menores erros intra e interobservadores, quando comparados com métodos de tomada de decisões. Contudo, a antropometria também pode apresentar falhas de execução, sendo trabalhosa e requererendo tempo extra na coleta dos dados. Além disso, em amostras heterogêneas ou pouco homogêneas, como nos casos de intensa miscigenação, pode fornecer resultados igualmente heterogêneos. Neste estudo foi proposta a avaliação de eficiência e eficácia do método antropométrico do triângulo do processo mastoide (porion, asterion e mastoidale) para estimativa de sexo, como descrito nos trabalhos de Paiva & Segre e Kemkes & Göbel. Foram selecionados 74 crânios de ossadas sob a guarda do CEMEL/FMRP-USP. Destes, 28 foram excluídos por impossibilidade de execução do método antropométrico. Os 46 crânios restantes foram analisados por três vezes pela antropometria e os resultados comparados entre si, assim como ao método do Protocolo LAF/CEMEL baseado em tomada de decisão. Os resultados demonstraram que, além do alto número de exclusões por impossibilidade de execução e da necessidade de refinamento técnico para evitar erros intraobservador, as áreas obtidas contrastaram com os valores encontrados por Paiva & Segre em 60,9% dos casos. Conclui-se que, com o passar do tempo e refinamento técnico, o método antropométrico torna-se mais eficiente no que diz respeito à diminuição de erros do observador. Por outro lado, mostra-se ineficaz em estimar o sexo dos crânios analisados em amostra heterogênea (de população miscigenada), indicando o método de tomada de decisão como mais adequado. [There is a perception in forensic anthropology that anthropometric methods are less subjective, and have lower intra and inter observer error rates compared with more subjective classificatory or anthroposcopic approaches. Anthropometric methods have risks of execution errors, however, and may be laborious and time-consuming. Heterogeneous or less than homogeneous samples—such as in cases of intensive admixture—yield equally heterogeneous results. This study is an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of an anthropometric method of sex estimation from the mastoid process triangle (porion, asterion and mastoidale), as described by Paiva & Segre and Kemkes & Göbel. Of 74 skulls selected from the CEMEL/FMRP-USP collection, 28 were excluded due to the impossibility of execution of the method. The remaining 46 skulls were measured three times and the results compared with each other, as well as with the assignments based on the classifications used in the LAF/CEMEL protocol. In addition to the high number of exclusions due to impossibility of execution of the method, and the need for technical refinements to avoid intra-observer errors, the results obtained contrasted with those obtained by Paiva & Segre in 60.9% of cases. Reduction of observer errors over time and with technical refinement led to the anthropometric method increasing in efficiency. It was not as effective in estimating the sex of the skulls in the heterogeneous admixed sample compared to the anthroposcopic methods, indicating that these are more useful on samples of this kind.

The influence of socio-spatial segregation on urban mobility indicators: the case of Belém – PA/ A influência da segregação sócio-espacial nos indicadores de mobilidade urbana: o caso de Belém - PA

The article discusses how the suburb socio-spatial segregation influences the urban mobility of a population, using Belém-PA, Brazil as a case study. The methodology started from the integration of socioeconomic and transport microdata for areas containing selected household and their spatial location, that were obtained from the 2010 Brazilian Census. In the spatial analysis of these microdata, the variation in the average commute time for each resident was observed, given the geographic location of the central business district (CBD) and other commercial and industrial agglomerations. In the results, the generated maps, compared to the on-site visit, allowed to identify the subareas with major and minor mobility and the priorities for investment in transport infrastructure

Identification of the sirohaem biosynthesis pathway in Staphylococcus aureus

Sirohaem is a modified tetrapyrrole and a key prosthetic group of several enzymes involved in nitrogen and sulfur metabolisms. This work shows that Staphylococcus aureus produces sirohaem through a pathway formed by three independent enzymes. Of the two putative sirohaem synthases encoded in the S. aureus genome and annotated as cysG, one is herein shown to be a uroporphyrinogen III methyltransferase that converts uroporphyrinogen III to precorrin-2, and was renamed as UroM. The second cysG gene encodes a precorrin-2 dehydrogenase that converts precorrin-2 to sirohydrochlorin, and was designated as P2D. The last step was found to be performed by the gene nirR that, in fact, codes for a protein with sirohydrochlorin ferrochelatase activity, labelled as ShfC. Additionally, site-directed mutagenesis studies of S. aureus ShfC revealed that residues H22 and H87, which are predicted by homology modelling to be located at the active site, control the ferrochelatase activity. Within bacteria, sirohaem synthesis may occur via one, two or three enzymes, and we propose to name the correspondent pathways as Types 1, 2 and 3, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that Type 1 is the most used pathway in Gammaproteobacteria and Streptomycetales, Type 2 predominates in Fibrobacteres and Vibrionales, and Type 3 predominates in Firmicutes of the Bacillales order. Altogether, we concluded that the current distribution of sirohaem pathways within bacteria, which changes at the genus or species level and within taxa, seems to be the result of evolutionary multiple fusion/fission events.preprintpublishe

Efeito do uso de leite fortificado com ferro e vitamina C sobre os níveis de hemoglobina e condição nutricional de crianças menores de 2 anos

The impact of the use of fortified powdered whole milk (9 mg of iron and 65 mg of vitamin C/100 g of milk) on the hemoglobin levels of children under 2 years of age was evaluated, over a period of 6 months, in 107 children enrolled in municipal Day Care Centers (DCC) and in 228 seen at a Basic Health Care Unit (BHCU). Before the beginning of the intervention 66.4% of the children in the DCC and 72.8% of those seen at the BHCU had hemoglobin levels ender 11.0 g/dl. After 6 months of fortified milk intake, these percentages fell to 20.6% and 18.0% respectively. the average hemoglobin before the intervention was 10.3 g/dl in the DCC and 10.5 in the BHCU. After 6 months these increased to 11.6 g/dl in the populations studied. Concerning the nutritional condition, evaluated according to Gomez's criteria, 57% of the DCC children presented an improvement, 41.1% showed changens and only 1.9% became worse. in the BHCU, 11.4% presented better condition, 70.6% remained the same and 18% worsened, which demonstrated differences in response regarding improvement of nutritional condition, when fortified milk was used in closed and open environments. the authors conclude that the utilization of enriched foods is an excellent alternative in the treatment of iron deficiency in populations of children under 2 years of age.Universidade Federal de São Paulo,DEPT PREVENT MED,São Paulo,BRAZILFAC MED BOTUCATU,DEPT PEDIAT,BOTUCATU,BRAZILUniversidade Federal de São Paulo,DEPT PREVENT MED,São Paulo,BRAZILWeb of Scienc