Sobre o Espaço Natural e a Forma Urbana - à guisa de posfácio

As dificuldades da pós-graduação e da elaboração da tese. A abordagem científica das questões formais do espaço natural e urbano. A especificidade dos estudos urbanos e o rigor terminológico. Instrumentos, técnica e tecnologia. Projeto e construção. A possibilidade dos juízos de valor sobre as adapta­ ções espaciais e suas aglomerações. As adaptações espaciais e a sua simulação: a operação com modelosDifficulties of the post-graduation studies and of the thesis work. The scientific approach to the natural and urban space formal questions. Specificity of the urban studies and terminological rigor. Instruments, technique and technology Design and building. The possibility of a value judgment about spatial adaptations and its agglomerations. The spatial adaptations and its simulation: models operation

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

A questão urbana e a participação no processo de decisão

Representação e participação dos cidadãos nos processos de decisão das questões urbanas, principalmente daquelas relativas à alocação de recursos escassos, inclusive do próprio espaço urbano, às diversas funções e atividades. Participação no planejamento e na gestão urbana. Centralização e descentralização. Compartimentação espacial como forma de conseguir a participação dos cidadãos. Formas de participação. Participação e tecnocracia. Os limites do processo de participação dos cidadãos na coisa urbana.Representation and participation of citizens in decisions of urban questions, principally those relating to the allocation of scarce resources, including even the allocation of urban planning and administration. Centralization and decentralization. Spacial compartmentalization as a way of generating participation of citizens. Forms of participation. Participation and technocracy. The limits of the process of the participation of the citizens in the urban sphere

Microstructural evaluation of rare-earth-zinc oxide-based varistor ceramics

Zinc oxide varistors are nonlinear voltage dependent ceramic resistors used to suppress and limit transient voltage surges. The work reported in this paper involves the relationship between microstructural characteristics and the varistor performance of ZnO ceramics doped with rare-earth oxides. Samples of these ceramics with different nonlinear current-voltage characteristics, according to the specific chemical composition and sintering parameters, were prepared and microstructurally analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results denote that intergranular phase is rich in rare-earth elements, but its morphology, obtained by selective leaching of ZnO grains (which are only doped with Co), provides evidence that ZnO grains are not completely surrounding by the intergranular phase, also existing ZnO grains are in direct contact with each other, as well as it occurs in conventional varistor system