MONITORAMENTO TECNOLÓGICO COM BASE EM PATENTES: CATALISADORES PARA A OXIDAÇÃO DE GLICEROL

Em resposta a alguns problemas ambientais, a sociedade apresenta um novo comportamento, como a busca de fontes de energias renováveis e menos agressiva a natureza. O uso do biodiesel é uma alternativa para combater os efeitos poluentes proporcionados pelo uso de combustíveis fosseis. Com a produção de biodiesel, aumenta a quantidade de glicerol disponível para o mercado, visto que este é um coproduto do processo de obtenção de biodiesel. O glicerol possui diversas aplicações no mercado, mas com a produção de biodiesel, a tendência é que o mercado fique saturado. Visando o mapeamento de patentes relacionadas a catalisadores utilizados na reação de oxidação de glicerol, foi realizado um monitoramento tecnológico, em bancos de patentes (INPI, Derwent Innovations Index e WIPO), buscando analisar as tendências tecnológicas relativas a esta área

Systematic search for lensed X-ray sources in the CLASH fields

We search for unresolved X-ray emission from lensed sources in the FOV of 11 CLASH clusters with Chandra data. We consider the solid angle in the lens plane corresponding to a magnification $\mu>1.5$, that amounts to a total of ~100 arcmin$^2$. Our main goal is to assess the efficiency of massive clusters as cosmic telescopes to explore the faint end of X-ray extragalactic source population. We search for X-ray emission from strongly lensed sources identified in the optical, and perform an untargeted detection of lensed X-ray sources. We detect X-ray emission only in 9 out of 849 lensed/background optical sources. The stacked emission of the sources without detection does not reveal any signal in any band. Based on the untargeted detection, we find 66 additional X-ray sources that are consistent with being lensed sources. After accounting for completeness and sky coverage, we measure for the first time the soft- and hard-band number counts of lensed X-ray sources. The results are consistent with current modelization of the AGN population distribution. The distribution of de-lensed fluxes of the sources identified in moderately deep CLASH fields reaches a flux limit of ~$10^{-16}$ and ~$10^{-15}$ erg/s/cm$^{2}$ in the soft and hard bands, respectively. We conclude that, in order to match the depth of the CDFS exploiting massive clusters as cosmic telescopes, the required number of cluster fields is about two orders of magnitude larger than that offered by the 20 years Chandra archive. A significant step forward will be made when future X-ray facilities, with ~1' angular resolution and large effective area, will allow the serendipitous discovery of rare, strongly lensed high-$z$ X-ray sources, enabling the study of faint AGN activity in early Universe and the measurement of gravitational time delays in the X-ray variability of multiply imaged AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Antimalarial Activity and Mechanisms of Action of Two Novel 4-Aminoquinolines against Chloroquine-Resistant Parasites

Chloroquine (CQ) is a cost effective antimalarial drug with a relatively good safety profile (or therapeutic index). However, CQ is no longer used alone to treat patients with Plasmodium falciparum due to the emergence and spread of CQ-resistant strains, also reported for P. vivax. Despite CQ resistance, novel drug candidates based on the structure of CQ continue to be considered, as in the present work. One CQ analog was synthesized as monoquinoline (MAQ) and compared with a previously synthesized bisquinoline (BAQ), both tested against P. falciparum in vitro and against P. berghei in mice, then evaluated in vitro for their cytotoxicity and ability to inhibit hemozoin formation. Their interactions with residues present in the NADH binding site of P falciparum lactate dehydrogenase were evaluated using docking analysis software. Both compounds were active in the nanomolar range evaluated through the HRPII and hypoxanthine tests. MAQ and BAQ derivatives were not toxic, and both compounds significantly inhibited hemozoin formation, in a dose-dependent manner. MAQ had a higher selectivity index than BAQ and both compounds were weak PfLDH inhibitors, a result previously reported also for CQ. Taken together, the two CQ analogues represent promising molecules which seem to act in a crucial point for the parasite, inhibiting hemozoin formation

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Polimerização estereoespecífica do propeno utilizando catalisadores Ziegler-Natta homogêneos

Foram preparados três tipos de precursores catalíticos homogêneos a base de zirconocênos: os complexos estereorrígidos Et(Ind)2ZrCh 1 e iPrCpFluZrCh 2 contendo simetria C2 e Cs, respectivamente, e o complexo Ind2ZrCh 3. Estes complexos, em presença de metilaluminoxanas (MAO), polimerizam propeno conduzindo a três diferentes tipos de polipropileno. Os complexos estereorrígidos 1 e 2 conduzem a polímeros estereorregulares, iso e sindiotáticos, respectivamente, enquanto o complexo 3 produz polipropileno atático. O grau de estereorregularidade do polímero é dependente da temperatura de polimerização, assim, a baixas temperaturas foram obtidos polímeros altamente estereorregulares, com maiores peso moleculares, Tm eTc. A microestrutura dos polímeros foi determinada por RMN de 13C.We have carried out three different kinds of homogeneous catalyst based on zirconocenes: stereorigid complexes Et(Ind)2ZrCh 1 ,and iPrCpFluZrCb 2 with symmetry C2 e Cs respectively and the complex Ind2ZrCh 3. These complexes together with methylaluminoxane (MAO) can polymerise propene leading to three different kinds of polypropylene. These stereorigid complexes (1 and 2) lead to stereoregular polymers iso and syndiotatic respectively while the complex 3 lead to atatic polypropylene. The polymer stereorigid degree is related with the polymer temperature thus we have obtained high stereoregular polymers with high molecular weight, Tm and Te. The polymers microstructure were obtained by 13C NMR

Polimerização estereoespecífica do propeno utilizando catalisadores Ziegler-Natta homogêneos

Foram preparados três tipos de precursores catalíticos homogêneos a base de zirconocênos: os complexos estereorrígidos Et(Ind)2ZrCh 1 e iPrCpFluZrCh 2 contendo simetria C2 e Cs, respectivamente, e o complexo Ind2ZrCh 3. Estes complexos, em presença de metilaluminoxanas (MAO), polimerizam propeno conduzindo a três diferentes tipos de polipropileno. Os complexos estereorrígidos 1 e 2 conduzem a polímeros estereorregulares, iso e sindiotáticos, respectivamente, enquanto o complexo 3 produz polipropileno atático. O grau de estereorregularidade do polímero é dependente da temperatura de polimerização, assim, a baixas temperaturas foram obtidos polímeros altamente estereorregulares, com maiores peso moleculares, Tm eTc. A microestrutura dos polímeros foi determinada por RMN de 13C.We have carried out three different kinds of homogeneous catalyst based on zirconocenes: stereorigid complexes Et(Ind)2ZrCh 1 ,and iPrCpFluZrCb 2 with symmetry C2 e Cs respectively and the complex Ind2ZrCh 3. These complexes together with methylaluminoxane (MAO) can polymerise propene leading to three different kinds of polypropylene. These stereorigid complexes (1 and 2) lead to stereoregular polymers iso and syndiotatic respectively while the complex 3 lead to atatic polypropylene. The polymer stereorigid degree is related with the polymer temperature thus we have obtained high stereoregular polymers with high molecular weight, Tm and Te. The polymers microstructure were obtained by 13C NMR

Correlation between configuration/conformation of zirconocenes on the stereoselectivity of the propylene polymerization reaction

The catalytic performance (activity and polymer properties) of metallocenes with different symmetries in combination with methylaluminoxane (MAO) in the polymerization of propylene has been investigated at different temperatures, under standardized reaction conditions. The zirconocene rac-ethytene bis(q5-1-indenyl) zirconium (IV) dichloride, with C 2 symmetry, produces isotatic polypropylene and isopropylidene(q5-cyclopentadienyl) (q5-9-fluorenyl) zirconium (IV) dichloride, with C s symmetry, syndiotactic polypropylene. The degree of the tacticity of these polymers increases with decreasing polymerization temperature. Only atactic polypropylene was formed with the unbridged zirconocenes bis(q5-cyclopentadienyl) zirconium (IV) dichloride and bis(vl5-indenyl) zirconium (IV) dichloride at any temperature investigated (10-60°C)

Influência da estrutura do catalisador a base de zirconoceno na estereorregularidade e propriedades do polipropileno formado

Catalisadores de metalocenos com diferentes simetrias, cocatalisados por metilaluminoxanas (MAO), foram avaliados em diferentes temperaturas de polimerização do propileno. Os metalocenos com ponte interanelar, ou seja, o dicloreto de rac-etileno bis(η5-1-indenil) zircônio, com simetria C2, e o dicloreto de isopropilideno(η5-ciclopentadienil)(η5-9-fluorenil) zircônio, com simetria Cs, produziram, respectivamente, polipropileno isotático e sindiotático. O grau de taticidade desses polímeros diminui com o aumento da temperatura de polimerização. Os metalocenos sem ponte, dicloreto de bis(η5-ciclopentadienil)zircônio e bis(η5-indenil)zircônio, em qualquer uma das temperaturas investigadas, produziram, somente, polipropileno atático. A estereorregularidade dos polímeros foram determinadas por Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de 13C