História e memórias do banco de leite humano do Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (1987-2009) em Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil History and memories of the human milk bank of the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (1987-2009) in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

OBJETIVOS: reconstituir a história do Banco de Leite Humano (BLH) do Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), enfocando os idealizadores e a inauguração do serviço. MÉTODOS: estudo descritivo, transversal com enfoque histórico, orientado pela metodologia da história oral. Privilegiou-se a consulta a fontes bi¬bliográficas e a entrevista direta a sete participantes, com roteiro estruturado. A análise das falas desvelou duas categorias: "Criação do banco de leite humano do IMIP: os idealizadores e suas influências"; e "A inauguração". RESULTADOS: o BLH do IMIP foi criado em 1987, com a idealização e o incentivo do Professor Fernando Figueira e da Dra. Vilneide Braga, e para suprir as necessidades da Maternidade e da unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Da inauguração, participaram autoridades políticas, autoridades em aleitamento materno, celebridades da mídia e profissionais do hospital. CONCLUSÕES: o entrelaçamento entre história e memória, conduzido pelas trilhas da história oral, foi matriz para a construção da origem e evolução do BLH do IMIP, a partir da fala de sujeitos envolvidos nos fatos. A história do BLH do IMIP é um processo inacabado, vivo, é uma força geradora de transformação, sonhos e esperança, que mantém aceso o ideal de um mundo melhor para as crianças, para as mães e para a sociedade.<br>OBJECTIVES: to recount the history of the Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP)'s Human Milk Bank (HMB), focusing on its pioneers and the introduction of the service. METHODS: a descriptive transversal study with historical focus based on the methods of oral history. The main materials used were bibliographical sources and direct structured interviews with seven participants. Content analysis revealed two categories: "the Creation of the IMIP's Human Milk Bank: its pioneers and their influences"; and "the Introduction of the Service". RESULTS: the IMIP's HMB, set up in 1987, was the brainchild of Professor Fernando Figueira and Dr. Vilneide Braga and its aim was to meet the needs of the Maternity hospital and its neonatal intensive care unit. The inauguration was attended by politicians, breastfeeding experts, TV celebrities and hospital staff. CONCLUSIONS: the methods of oral history were used to build up a history of the origins and evolution of the IMIP's HMB based on the testimony of the individuals involved. The history of the IMIP's HMB is an ongoing, living process and force that produces change, dreams and hope and keeps alight the ideal of a better world for children, mothers and for society at large

Advances in the graphitization protocol at the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Universidade Federal Fluminense (LAC-UFF) in Brazil

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. In this paper, we summarize the sample preparation methods currently used at the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Universidade Federal Fluminense (LAC-UFF) in Brazil. We also report on a series of results with regards to the graphitization protocol. Tests with different temperatures and baking times were performed, and carbon stable isotope ratios of graphite were measured by an EA-IRMS (elemental analyzer coupled with an isotopic ratio mass spectrometer) to infer the completeness of the graphitization reaction. We monitored the muffle furnace temperature using an independent thermocouple and found a -60°C offset, which may have caused the lower graphitization yields (detected from the large isotopic fractionation on several reference materials targets). At a temperature of 520°C, the isotopic fractionation in the graphitization reaction was systematically lower (-5‰ in average) and the overall scattering was reduced. As long as isotopic fractionation corrections are made using the online stable isotopes ratios provided by the AMS system, the accuracy of the 14C results should be maintained